Bad Girls Don't Die & say Hello!

I have something INCREDIBLY exciting to share with all of you (well, I'm excited about it at least)!

My younger sister, Dorian, who's 15 years old has agreed to join Esther's Ever After as a book reviewer and poster!

While I'm thrilled with the response I've received to my blog, and how fortunate I've been with interested readers and review requests, I simply can't take on all of them on my own any longer. Dorian has always loved to read as well, although we tend to pick out fairly different books so I'm hoping that our tastes combined will allow for a broader variety of books and reviews on here!

So please welcome her to Esther's Ever After, and leave her some love for her first review on here!

Bad Girls Don't Die by Katie Alender

Release Date: April 21, 2009

Disney ~ Hyperion

ISBN13: 9781423108764

4/5 Stars

Goodreads Synopsis:

 When Alexis's little sister Kasey becomes obsessed with an antique doll, Alexis thinks nothing of it. Kasey is a weird kid. Period. Alexis is considered weird, too, by the kids in her high school, by her parents, even by her own Goth friends. Things get weirder, though, when the old house they live in starts changing. Doors open and close by themselves; water boils on the unlit stove; and an unplugged air conditioner turns the house cold enough to see their breath in. Kasey is changing, too. Her blue eyes go green and she speaks in old-fashioned language, then forgets chunks of time.
Most disturbing of all is the dangerous new chip on Kasey's shoulder. The formerly gentle, doll-loving child is gone, and the new Kasey is angry. Alexis is the only one who can stop her sister — but what if that green-eyed girl isn't even Kasey anymore?

I’m the kind of person who gets scared easily, so when I recently picked up Bad Girls Don’t Die by Katie Alender, I was a bit apprehensive. Needless to say, I read the first chapter- no, the first page and I was HOOKED.

 Reasons to Read:

1. The Storyline: This book has a fairly creepy plot.  I mean, what with the psychotic, murderous ghost and the disturbing way of how the ghost came to be, this book will give you shivers the moment the plot is introduced.
2. The Characters: I found that this book had a pleasurable variety of characters.  They were fascinating with intriguing back stories.  Each one wasn’t at all that they seemed.  They all had their good points and their flaws, which I thought made them easier to relate to.
3. Carter and Alexis: I really enjoyed reading about this couple.  The two characters are seemingly polar opposites who end up together.  Although the two are so different, the deep connection between them is very interesting.  Carter is very much a sweater-vest wearing, class president, “prep”; while Alexis is more of a distant, misfit of a person.

The overall storyline is pretty creepy, but it isn't so scary that you’ll be afraid to go to bed at night. I liked how Katie was able to portray an actually disturbing storyline without making it over the top. I found myself captivated by the story and the characters. Each character had a distinct personality that made them different from all the others.

Alexis: the independent outcast.

Kasey: the shy misfit.

Mrs. Warren: the distant workaholic.

Carter: the all-American boy with an unexpected past.

Megan: the all-American girl with a dark secret.

Parts of the story were a bit predictable, but I didn’t really mind being able to guess something that would happen. I did find it a bit frustrating how I had almost pieced together the whole mystery, while the protagonist was still on square one. I did like how it was written. The funny parts were funny, the serious parts were serious, and the creepy/scary/disturbing parts were creepy/scary/disturbing. All the loose ends were tied up at the end of the book with a very satisfying ending.

P.S., If you’re still not sure, pick it up for Carter and Alexis! Hands down one of the best couples I have read about.

Waiting on Wednesday {10}

see this lovely picture? It was made by Lindsay at The Violet Hour. Thank you so much for letting others use it!

Jill @ Breaking the Spine hosts this weekly meme where we can share a book that we are so excited for and are anxiously awaiting their upcoming release!

This week my WoW pick is...

Pure (Pure #1) by Julianna Baggott!

After looking at the books I read and love, it really shouldn't be much of a secret that I have a bit of a newly discovered love affair with dystopian novels. And even though Pure isn't set to be released until February 2012, I'm already hearing amazing things about it. So, this week I am going crazy with anticipation over Pure - let me share the Goodreads synopsis with you to give you a little taste of what this fab novel is about:

We know you are here, our brothers and sisters . . .
Pressia barely remembers the Detonations or much about life during the Before. In her sleeping cabinet behind the rubble of an old barbershop where she lives with her grandfather, she thinks about what is lost-how the world went from amusement parks, movie theaters, birthday parties, fathers and mothers . . . to ash and dust, scars, permanent burns, and fused, damaged bodies. And now, at an age when everyone is required to turn themselves over to the militia to either be trained as a soldier or, if they are too damaged and weak, to be used as live targets, Pressia can no longer pretend to be small. Pressia is on the run.
Burn a Pure and Breathe the Ash . . .
There are those who escaped the apocalypse unmarked. Pures. They are tucked safely inside the Dome that protects their healthy, superior bodies. Yet Partridge, whose father is one of the most influential men in the Dome, feels isolated and lonely. Different. He thinks about loss-maybe just because his family is broken; his father is emotionally distant; his brother killed himself; and his mother never made it inside their shelter. Or maybe it's his claustrophobia: his feeling that this Dome has become a swaddling of intensely rigid order. So when a slipped phrase suggests his mother might still be alive, Partridge risks his life to leave the Dome to find her.
When Pressia meets Partridge, their worlds shatter all over again


Are there any books that have you giddy with excitement while you wait for their release? Are you as excited for Pure as I am? Leave me a comment and tell me about it! :)

Witchlanders Book Launch!

Last Thursday, I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the book launch for Lena Coakley's Witchlanders, which was so much fun and just plain incredible!

It was held in a stunning bookstore in Toronto, Ben McNally Books. I'd never been there before, but the location was just perfect. I actually don't have many opportunies to go to neat little indie bookstores like this one, since we only have a Coles where I live so it was such a treat for me!

But seriously, check out this set up and chandelier:

Gorgeous, right?

Simon & Schuster Canada did a wonderful job hosting this book launch, with delicious food (mm, soo good!), complimentary wine and water, and they were even generous enough to raffle off a gift basket with 5 books...yes, I wish I had won it! ;)

I really enjoyed the signing and reading Lena did as part of the evening; I hadn't picked up Witchlanders yet so I bought myself a copy, which she graciously signed for me AND I was so impressed when she asked right away if I was Brenna- after I had only talked to her on Twitter once to say that I was coming for the book launch! It was so thoughtful of her to have taken the time to anticipate who was coming, as she did the same with Angel from Mermaid Visions who attended as well. And we were also happened to run into Geek Girl's Book Blog :) both of whom are fantastic Canadian book bloggers!

Lena really is a thoughtful and charming woman, and she picked the perfect selection to read from Witchlanders: just enough to give everyone a taste and leave us wanting more!



Thank you SO much to Lena  and Simon & Schuster Canada for taking the time to put on a wonderful event for all of us to enjoy! I'm really excited to start reading my copy of Witchlanders :)

Blood Rights

Blood Rights by Kristen Painter
Release Date: October 1, 2011
Hachette Book Group (Orbit)
ISBN13: 9781841499697

4/5 Stars

Goodreads Synopsis:
The lacy gold mapped her entire body. A finely-wrought filigree of stars, vines, flowers, butterflies, ancient symbols and words ran from her feet, up her legs, over her narrow waist, spanned her chest and finished down her arms to the tips of her fingers.

Born into a life of secrets and service, Chrysabelle’s body bears the telltale marks of a comarré—a special race of humans bred to feed vampire nobility. When her patron is murdered, she becomes the prime suspect, which sends her running into the mortal world…and into the arms of Malkolm, an outcast vampire cursed to kill every being from whom he drinks.

Now Chrysabelle and Malkolm must work together to stop a plot to merge the mortal and supernatural worlds. If they fail, a chaos unlike anything anyone has ever seen will threaten to reign.

I haven't been much of a fan of vampire books until recently. I've never even read Twilight. But Blood Rights totally drew me in with its eye-catching and stunning cover (I can't wait for all of these books to be released, so I can have physical copies of them all sitting prettily on my shelf!), and that intriguing description. And I am so glad that I picked this one up!

Reasons to Read:

1. Incredibly rich mythology:
   Kristen Painter takes something popular (vampires) and then injects it with her own creativity. Blood Rights is just BURSTING with symobolism and legends and a very unique spin.
2. Careful writing:
   Something I really enjoyed about this book was Kristen's writing; it's excellent and obvious that she was very careful about writing in such a way that the words properly evoke the ambience of the story itself.
3. Paced development:
   Both the story and the characters take time to grow on each other, and even to grow on the reader. And there's a definite line drawn between physical attraction and emotional intimacy.

Okay, so I didn't know that it was possible to make drinking blood sound so good, but Kristen is (somehow) able to do this and it is HOT. It might be a result of the relationship between comarré and vampires, but there is something deeply sensual about a patron feeding off of its comar. I thought I'd be grossed out (and I was at times, since Kristen does not shy away from descriptions or gore) but I was surprised by how much the writing affected me as it did Chrysabelle.

And can I just say how much I liked Chrysabelle and Mal? I loved reading about them! Neither was who I was expecting them to be at first, and they pleasantly surprised me by the amount of depth and complexity found in them. I just found their relationship utterly fascinating, from their initial attraction to each other (which makes perfect sense given the circumstances), but it isn't instant either.

There's a glossary of terms at the back of this book, which I unfortunatley didn't discover until I had already finished as I was reading the e-book. It would have been helpful at the beginning, because while I loved all of the mythology woven in the story, at times it was just plain confusing. If you aren't into details or elaborate worlds, then it could easily feel overwhelming as a reader.

I also just want to point out that I'm not sure if this is supposed to be classified as YA, and I'm not sure I'd quite consider it to be a teen novel. There isn't anything so wildly inappropriate in it (that isn't already found in other YA novels), but it definitely gave me a bit of an older audience vibe. I enjoyed that though, but I can definitely see this appealing to slightly older audiences particularly when the characters were (sort of) in their 20s.

Oh, and one of the best parts about this book? The sequels are set to be released in early November and early December 2011 which is SOON. I really hate waiting for sequels, and these are two books which will be making it to the top of my TBR pile VERY soon- I literally cannot wait to see where this story goes!

e-galley received from publisher via netGalley in exchange for my honest review; no other compensation was received.

And guys? Only $7.69 + FREE shipping for a copy of this one = awesome! (from The Book Depo)

Everything We Ever Wanted

Everything We Ever Wanted by Sara Shepard
Release Date: October 11, 2011
HarperCollins (Harper Paperbacks)
ISBN13: 9780062080066


3/5 Stars

Goodreads Synopsis:
Sara Shepard, the bestselling author of Pretty Little Liars, delivers a powerful novel of family dreams, lies, and delusions.  Everything We Ever Wanted begins with a phone call with allegations that rock an upper crust Philadelphia family to its very foundations, unlocking years of secrets and scandals that expose the serious flaws in outwardly perfect lives. A moving, intelligent, and unforgettable novel, Shepard’s Everything We Ever Wanted is exceptional contemporary women’s fiction that will be embraced by book clubs everywhere.

While Sarah Shepard is best known for her Young Adult series, Pretty Little Liars, she has also ventured into the adult fiction genre. I was a HUGE fan of the PLL series (up until about the time book #11 came out... seriously, how long can that series go on for?) and I was so excited when I was offered a copy of her new adult fiction release.

The best part about Everything We Ever Wanted it that those teens who grew up with PLL (like me) can now grow up with Sara's books. I'm not a teenager anymore, and although I mostly read YA, sometimes I do want to branch out and read something different. Her new book takes some of the elements that make PLL such a guilty pleasure (including affluent characters, a similar setting, multiple POVs, and delicious dirty little secrets) but make them more grown up.

Because sometimes I just don't want to read about pyschotic killers tormenting teenage girls that are doing all sorts of things I sure didn't do when I was 16.

And this is exaclty what gives Everything We Ever wanted such a realistic perspective; the issues it deals with are more common that we'd like to think, and while there's less action than there is in PLL there's just as much drama. In a less teen-angsty kind of way (except for Joanna).

 Sara Shepard writes characters with such outstanding development, and Everything We Ever Wanted is no exception; these people are so rich and diverse that they could easily be real. And they're not perfect (far from it), and I did find Joanna in particular to be both interesting and aggravating at the same time. Maybe she just struck me as being really weird, and odd in her reactions. But the relationship between Sylvie and Scott especially was incredibly heartbreaking. I cared for the two of them so much, and regardless of their issues I couldn't help but want things to work out for them. The ending did leave me feeling somewhat unsatisfied, like there was something disconnected and lacking in it. But I also understand that this book is about more than the ending, but the journey the characters took to get there.

So while Everything We Ever wanted isnt' about hot boys or risque extra-curriculars (I'm looking at you, Aria), it's still a great read, particularly appealing for Sara's adult fans (or even older teens looking for something different) who are interested in a book about real life and just how ugly it can be.

ARC provided by HarperCollins Canada in exchange for my honest review; I also made a special post related to this, where I discuss talented crossover authors (besides Sara Shepard)! Let me know what you think of these authors over there :)

Kindred Reads {8}

Kindred Reads is my weekly feature where I recommend similar books. There's a mix of popular books, and fairly unknown authors and indie books as well. This is something that I personally wish I saw more of; after reading a book I enjoy, I often want to read similar books but they can be hard to discover!

These books contain similar elements, whether it's content, writing style, or other themes found in the stories. They are always books which I have read, and clicking on the title of the book will take you to my review of that book.

If you like...

Variant by Robison Wells

Then you might want to consider reading...

Burn Bright by Marianne de Pierres

I can't sing the praises of Marianne's Night Creatures series enough! I first heard of it on Goodreads where I was drawn in by the cover, but its description is what truly drew me in. It's currently only available in Australia/New Zealand right now, but there are a lot of fans who are hopeful that it will be brought over to this side of the world. Soon. Because it's awesome (I actually just got the sequel this week- squeeee!)

Basic idea is to imagine a world without adults- one which is somewhat hedonistic is well, as the entire focus is on pleasure. But there's something dark and sinister about this place, and Retra is going to uncover what it is. Totally cool, and totally mysterious. And just edgy enough that it's extremely different from just about any other YA book- but a world without adults and kids in control is the link between these three books this week.





The Angel Experiment by James Patterson

I started reading through James Patterson's Maximum Ride series a few years ago, and while I don't have the heart to continue with them any longer (the new books just aren't as good as the originals- it's dragging on for too long now), the first 4/5 are incredible. The idea of scientific experiments on these kids is completely creepy, but these are such good books. Oldies but goodies. Max leads her little group of "bird kids" mostly on her own, without adults, once they're able to escape from The School. And they end up on some incredible adventures.

In My Mailbox {11}

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by The Story Siren, which allows bloggers to share what books they’ve received in the past week. They can be from stores, contests, tours, publishers, libraries, borrowed books from friends, and the list goes

on! It's just a way of showing off the books you received in the past week and making sure they're featured on the blog.

This week was a big week for books and I received:

• SIGNED This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Opal (from HarperCollins Canada Facebook contest)
• SIGNED ARC of Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi (won in giveaway from Giselle @ Xpresso Reads)
• ARC of Croak by Gina Dimaco (won in Read for Relief auction)
• SIGNED Witchlanders by Lena Coakley (purchased from Ben McNally Books for the Witchlanders book launch)
• ARC of The Space Between by Brenna Yovanoff (from Penguin Canada)
• Between the Sea and Sky by Jaclyn Dolamore (from Penguin Canada)
• Ordinary Beauty by Laura Wiess (RAK gift from Joli @ Actin' Up with Books!)
• Angel Arias (Night Creatures #2) by Marianne de Pierres (purchased from Boomerang Books all the way in Australia because it isn't available here yet!)

AND one fabulous box of books from April @ Good Books and Good Wine for a giveaway she hosted:

• ARC of This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Opal
• ARC of Variant by Robison Wells
• ARC of Eve by Anna Carey
• ARC of All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin
• ARC of Bronxwood by Coe Booth
• ARC of Supernaturally by Kiersten White
• ARC of The Implosion of Aggie Winchester by Lara Zielin
• ARC of Vanish by Sophie Jordan

Not all of these books are pictured, just because there were too many to fit!

And an e-book too:

• The Pledge by Kimberly Derting (from S&S Galley Grab)

THANK YOU SO MUCH to April, Giselle, Joli, Gina, Vimala, and Shannon for these wonderful books! Can you guys tell I'm going to be busy for a while?

Please feel free to comment with a link to your IMM so I can see what books you received and that you're excited about this week! :) And let me know if you've read any of these books, and what you thought of them!