Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Title: Raised by Wolves (Raised by Wolves #1)

Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Publisher: EgmontUSA

Release Date: June 8, 2010

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

Rescued by the alpha of a werewolf pack after a rogue werewolf brutally killed her parents, fifteen-year-old Bryn knows only pack life and the rigid social hierarchy that controls it. But then she discovers Chase, a newly turned werewolf locked in a cage in her alpha’s basement. Seeing him, Bryn feels a bond unlike anything she has ever experienced--but speaking to him brings up questions about her mysterious past. The hunt for answers will drive her farther from the wolves who raised her, and closer to a truth that will change everything.

For a while I had been hearing that Jennifer Lynn Barnes is a fantastic writer, but I hadn’t read anything by her. So I decided to pick up Raised by Wolves figuring I couldn’t really go wrong with a book about werewolves. Turns out I was right and I loved every minute of it.

Bryn may appear to just be a regular 15-year-old girl but she’s much more than that. Having grown up with a back of werewolves can have quite the effect on you. The rules are not the same and in certain situations your life may depend on those rules. Bryn has always looked up to Callum and always seen him as a gather. Callum was the one who saved her from the rabid wolf who killed her parents hen she was found years old and he’s the one who has taken care of her since then. But what Callum has been telling her might not have always been the truth. When Bryn discovers a boy in a cage in Callum’s basement, she doesn’t know who or what to believe anymore. And can she still trust Callum after he lied to her? And what if the person who’s kept her safe all these years is the one person Bryn can no longer trust?

I can now see why everyone has been saying that Jennifer Lynn Barnes is a fantastic writer. The story she wrote in Raised by Wolves was absolutely captivating and a whole new take on werewolves. Here you have to be born a werewolf in order to be one, and as far as they all know there is no other way to become a werewolf. That alone had me intrigued for the better part of the book. Plus the way Barnes writes just makes you want to keep reading on to find out what happens next. But what I loved most was the voice she gave her characters.

Bryn was an incredible character with an incredible voice. I don’t think the book would have been the same if she hadn’t been the one to narrate it. I loved that she wasn’t boy crazy and was never afraid to stand up for herself or speak her mind. And she was pretty much as stubborn as they come. For that, Ali was probably the best person to balance her out and keep her in check. As the only other human in the pack, she’s the only one who could really understand everything Bryn was going through. Devon was one of my favorite characters, he just didn’t strike me as the type of person who would be a werewolf. Plus he was the best friend Bryn could possibly ask for. Callum sort of puzzled me. Most of the time he seemed to care about Bryn but at other times, his actions seemed to say the total opposite. And Chase was wonderful, but I don’t want to give away too much about him.

Raised by Wolves was an incredible book and I’m glad I finally discovered Jennifer Lynn Barnes. It was such a great book that I pretty much ran out to the bookstore in order to get myself a copy of the sequel, Trial by Fire, and I started reading it right away. What can I say? I was completely hooked. 

Wildefire by Karsten Knight

Title: Wildefire (Wildefire #1)

Author: Karsten Knight

Publisher: Simon & Schuster BFYR

Release Date: July 26, 2011

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

Ashline Wilde is having a rough sophomore year. She’s struggling to find her place as the only Polynesian girl in school, her boyfriend just cheated on her, and now her runaway sister, Eve, has decided to barge back into her life. When Eve’s violent behavior escalates and she does the unthinkable, Ash transfers to a remote private school nestled in California’s redwoods, hoping to put the tragedy behind her.

But her fresh start at Blackwood Academy doesn’t go as planned. Just as Ash is beginning to enjoy the perks of her new school--being captain of the tennis team, a steamy romance with a hot local park ranger--Ash discovers that a group of gods and goddesses have mysteriously enrolled at Blackwood...and she’s one of them. To make matters worse, Eve has resurfaced to haunt Ash, and she’s got some strange abilities of her own. With a war between the gods looming over campus, Ash must master the new fire smoldering within before she clashes with her sister one more time...

And when warm and cold fronts collide, there’s guaranteed to be a storm.

Wildefire is one of those books that has been getting a lot of hype. Now that I’ve read it, I can see what all the fuss is about. It was an amazing book that had just enough of everything. Humor, action, romance, there was definitely something for everyone and that’s only scratching the surface.

In an attempt to get away from her crazy sister and the damage she left in her wake, Ashline Wilde decided to enroll at Blackwood Academy. A boarding school hidden away in the Californian redwoods seemed as good a place as any to start over. But Ash soon discovers that her decision to transfer to Blackwood may not have been as random as she would have thought, there was something that drew her there. Soon enough, Ashline finds out that she has more in common with some of the other students than she would have expected. Even more unexpected, she learns that they are the reincarnation of gods and goddesses, and that she herself is an ancient Polynesian goddess. Now not only does Ash have to figure out what this all means, she also has to find a way to stop Eve, her crazy older sister, who seems to be hell bent on destroying everything Ash cares about. And to think all Ashline ever wanted was to start over and lay low.

This book was absolutely incredible and Karsten Knight is a fantastic new writer. In Wildefire, he has crafted an extremely interesting and captivating story that completely drew me in. I have to admit that at first it took me a while to get into the book, but once I did I wasn’t able to put it down. And I mean that literally, it kept me up until the early hours of the morning because I just had to know what happened next. And that ending. I sort of saw it coming but even then it took me by surprise. It was an absolutely cruel ending considering I now have to wait a whole year for the sequel.

At first I wasn’t sure what to make of Ashline. But the more I got to know her, the more she grew on me and I liked her. She was definitely was different from a lot of the other YA heroines out there. She was tough in so many different ways and she was never afraid to speak her mind. Most of all I loved how sarcastic she was, and her particularly diverse background only made her more interesting. Eve and Ash were similar in so may ways but unlike Ash, even didn’t really have all that many redeeming qualities. May in her mind she thought she was doing good, but she didn’t really go about doing it in the right way. What truly kept me interested in the book was the relationship dynamic between Eve and Ashline. I mean, things can only end well when two sisters are fighting and one is a volcano goddess and the other a storm goddess.

Wildefire was a truly amazing book that took me on an incredible ride. I had really high expectations before reading the book and they were all met, if not surpassed. To put it simply, Wildefire completely blew me away.

In My Mailbox (12)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi of The Story Siren and inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie. It's a post where we talk about the books we received during the week either for review, from the bookstore or anywhere else.

This week was a good one for books for me. I received a few for review and also got some from contests and from other bloggers. I am happy to say that I didn't break by book buying ban and only have just under a month to go until I can start buying books again. Hopefully it will go buy fairly quickly. So here's what I got this week.

Review:

- Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez (Simon Pulse October 18th, 2011) - I haven't heard all that much about this book but I've seen it floating around the blogosphere. From what I understand from the summary on the back, it sounds really interesting. Plus it has a really gorgeous cover.

- Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts (Simon & Schuster November 1st, 2011) - I had heard nothing about this book until it showed up in my mailbox this week. The summary makes it sound really interesting so I'm looking forward to reading it. Plus it's from by a Canadian author, so I'm happy to show some support there.

Won/Gifted:

- Hereafter by Tara Hudson (HarperTeen June 7th, 2011) - I've been looking forward to reading Hereafter for a while now and I'm happy to finally have a copy of my own. I love ghost stories, so it sounds like this book is right up my alley. Thank you to Maryam of Books Glorious Books for sending me this through R.A.K.

- Seizure by Kathy Reichs (Sampler - Razorbill October 2011) - I really enjoyed Virals when I read it earlier this year, so I'm really looking forward to Seizure. Now I have a sneak peek to tide me over until the book releases. Thank you to Penguin Canada and PenguinCanadaYR on Twitter for the contest.

That's it for me this week! Let me know what you got in your mailbox!

Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter

Title: Uncommon Criminals (Heist Society #2)

Author: Ally Carter

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Release Date: June 21, 2011

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

Katarina Bishop has worn a lot of labels in her short life: Friend. Niece. Daughter. Thief. But for the last two months she’s simply been known as the girl who ran the crew that robbed the greatest museum in the world. That’s why Kat isn’t surprised when she’s asked to steal the infamous Cleopatra Emerald so it can be returned to its rightful owners.

There are only three problems. First, the gem hasn’t been seen in public in thirty years. Second, since the fall of the Egyptian empire and the suicide of Cleopatra, no one who holds the emerald keeps it for long--and in Kat’s world, history almost always repeats itself. But it’s the third problem that makes Kat’s crew the most nervous, and that is...the emerald is cursed.

Kat might be in way over her head, but she’s not going down without a fight. After all, she has her best friend--the gorgeous Hale--and the rest of her crew with her as they chase the Cleopatra around the globe, dodging curses and realizing that the same tricks and cons her family has used for centuries are useless this time.

Which means, this time, Katarina Bishop is making up her own rules.

After having finished Heist Society, I rushed to the bookstore to get myself a copy of Uncommon Criminals and started reading it straight away. I had a lot of trouble putting it down and I enjoyed every single page of it.

Kat Bishop is back in the thieving business, but not quite in the traditional sense. Instead of stealing for the sake of stealing, Kat now steals art pieces that were stolen by Nazis in order to return them to their rightful owners. So when Kat is approached by an old woman and her grandson about stealing the Cleopatra Emerald, Kat accepts to help. But the emerald is cursed. And as soon as Kat has the emerald in her possession, she loses it. But everything may not be quite as it seems. With the help of Hale and their crew, Kat has to steal the emerald back and return it to its real rightful owner. But doing so may prove to be a little easier said than done, what with the emerald being cursed and all.

Much like with the first book, Uncommon Criminals is a very fast paced book and there is never a dull moment. And things also never seem to go the way they are planned. The story was also interesting. What I particularly liked about it was that not only did I learn more than I ever cared to know about pulling off heists, but there was also some history woven into it. I also liked that there was a little more romance in the story, especially between two of the characters, but I don’t want to give too much away.

I loved getting to know better the characters I met in the first book. Kat once again kept me on my toes and I never know what to expect from her. She was as unpredictable as ever. But I also liked that she opened herself up to others a little more. And I especially loved her budding relationship with Hale. Though I like Hale a lot, there is still so much about him that I don’t know. And that may just be a part of his appeal, he’s mysterious and doesn’t really give anything away. As for the rest of the crew, they are still as crazy and interesting. Though they don’t play as important a role in the story as Kat and Hale, I don’t think the story would be quite the same and quite as interesting without them.

Uncommon Criminals was a fantastic read. It was fast paced and filled with twists and turns. I am now eagerly awaiting the next book to find out in what crazy mess Kat and her friends will find themselves in.

Interview with Margie Gelbwasser

Today I have the pleasure of having Margie Gelbwasser, author of Inconvenient, on the blog to answer a few questions about her book, her characters and her inspiration. But there is a catch, all the questions had to be answered with lines from the book, which might not be as easy as it sounds. Here is was Margie Gelbwasser had to say.

Is there a character in your book you feel closer to or to whom you relate more?

I can't say I'm exactly like Alyssa. I think there's a part of me in Lana, Alyssa, and Alyssa's mom. But Alyssa is the one I feel closest to because she's the voice I heard first, and she's the one who's story I wanted to tell, and I'm proud of how she's grown through the book.

Which of your characters do you dislike the most and why?

“Jerky Jake. He takes beer, vodka, and shot glasses out his backpack. He tosses a beer to each of us, and then lies back down next to Lana. To living single, seeing double, and sleeping triple, he says.”

If you were in the book, where would we be able to find you?

“The swings, spinning ourselves, twisting the chains until they were tight.”

Has anything similar to the events in the book happened to you?

“I hate that even though we went to Hebrew school with many of the kids, we're just pegged as Russian. After we studied the Cold War in history class, some guys at school decided to go retro and call us 'commies' for a few weeks.”

Out of everything in the book, what would you most and least likely do?

Most likely: “Hunched over her computer heavily engrossed in an assignment.”

What I'd love to do more: “Run past the CVS, past the pool, past the Russian stores we get dinner from...my feet flying through the puddles...”

Least likely: “It's almost three in the morning, and I'm sandwiched between Trish and Ryan, our bodies moving in sync to pulsating music....The room spins faster and I feel vomit rising in my throat. I can barely move, but I make myself run to the bushes."

What is the best or your favorite line from the book?

“Through the wind whipping our faces, the numbness creeping into our toes, the darkness heavy and sparkling.”

Thank you Margie for answering my questions is a rather creative way. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for Inconvenient through The Teen Book Scene. And if you missed it yesterday you can see my review for Inconvenient right here.