Q and A with Aimée Carter

[I know I said I would review Forever next, but my power went out and one computer crashed, the other one will not connect to the internet so I have been using my iPod-__-]



Aimée Carter is the author of the awesome book The Goddess Test, I hope this interview makes you want to read it. I loved it, I hope you do too!



MR-You've said before that you had the idea for The Goddess Test was stuck in your mind for a few years, what made you start writing it?

AC- It really was the compulsion to tell this story. I'm forever looking for new ideas that really grab me and give me a story to work with, and TGT captured my imagination in a way that nothing had up until then.

MR-I love finding books set in Michigan, why did you chose Eden, Michigan?

AC - Initially the story was set in Maine. I wanted a place that was relatively isolated, and it happens that there is a Hell, MI (in the lower peninsula) and a Paradise, MI (in the upper peninsula). It was too cool to resist, so I changed the setting and created the town of Eden.

MR-I can't wait for the next Goddess book, and I'm sure my readers feel the same. Could you tell us a bit about Goddess Interrupted?

AC- Thank you so much! I'm so excited for Goddess Interrupted, and you can read the back of the book here:

Kate Winters has won immortality.


But if she wants a life in the Underworld with Henry, she’ll have to fight for it.


Becoming immortal wasn’t supposed to be the easy part. Though Kate is about to be crowned Queen of the Underworld, she’s as isolated as ever. And despite her growing love for Henry, ruler of the Underworld, he’s becoming ever more distant and secretive. Then, in the midst of Kate’s coronation, Henry is abducted by the only being powerful enough to kill him: the King of the Titans.


As the other gods prepare for a war that could end them all, it is up to Kate to save Henry from the depths of Tartarus. But in order to navigate the endless caverns of the Underworld, Kate must enlist the help of the one person who is the greatest threat to her future.


Henry’s first wife, Persephone.



AC- It picks up six months after the end of The Goddess Test, although my publisher will be released a free e-novella about a month before the sequel's release. The novella, entitled The Goddess Hunt, takes place sometime during those six months, and I'm very excited about that as well.

MR- If you were in Kate's place, would you accept the challenge of the 7 tests? Do you think you would pass all 7?

AC - I'd like to think I would, and I'm sure I'd pass a few of the tests, but it's one of those things where you would have to actually take the test in order to know for sure whether or not you'd pass.

MR- You've said before in interviews that you have always liked Greek Mythology, can you see yourself in the future writing more books based on any of the other Greek myths?

AC- I would absolutely love to continue the Goddess Test series past the third book, though it remains to be seen whether or not that will be possible. In the next two books, and even the novella, a lot of other Greek myths are incorporated into the story. However, I'm not sure I could see myself writing another book based on the Greek myths that doesn't take place in Kate's world. If I did write more, it would definitely be within this universe.

MR- And finally, if you could work with any author, dead or alive, who would it be?

AC- Easy. JK Rowling. For obvious reasons. :)



Thank you Miss Carter! I hope all of you wonderful readers pick up a copy of The Goddess Test and that you love it as much as I did!

ASHES By Ilsa J. Bick

ASHES
Author: Ilsa J. Bick
Publisher: Egmont (September 6, 2011)
Source: Library
Rating: 5/5

IT COULD HAPPEN TOMORROW. . .

An Electromagnetic Pulse flashes across the sky, destroying every electronic device, wiping out every computerized system, and killing billions.

Alex hiked into the woods to say good-bye to her dead parents and her personal demons. Now desperate to find out what happened after the pulse crushed her to the ground, Alex meets up with Tom-a young soldier- and Ellie, a girl whose grandfather was killed by the EMP.

For this improvised family and the others who are spared, it's now a question of who can be trusted and who is no longer human.

Author Ilsa J. Bick crafts a terrifying and thrilling novel about a world that could be ours at any moment, where those left standing must learn what it means not just to survive, but to live amidst the devastation.

Review: I would not survive this. I'd be eaten by a zombie, they wouldn't even have to chase me down because out of fear I would never sleep and pass out right in front of one.

But the zombies have to eat someone right?

The other possibility is because I've read so many books about survival, my inner heroin would come out and knowing exactly what to do, save everyone. That's what I hope for anyway. Well actually I hope we never have to deal with this kind of stuff, but if we did...

ASHES is one of the darker YA novels I've read that really makes me think: What if that happened? Ilsa J. Bick created a beautiful book, with so many emotions in it. My heart was pounding at some parts, I could not put it down. There's a few really chilling parts in the book, but it actually wasn't that scary, sometimes I did think Eww. But Bick jumped right to the next action scene and I had to continue on.

When the EMP goes off Alex is hiking in Michigan (Bick gets bonus points for setting it in Michigan). Trying to decide what to do with her life, what to do with her brain tumor ('the monster'). She sets off to find help with eight year old Ellie, and along the way teams up with a guy named Tom who saves them from the cannibals. As it goes on a slow, sweet relationship develops between Alex and Tom, and Alex now fights to live, no longer going against her tumor but the horrors of the world.

In the middle of ASHES everything changes dramatically, almost making it seem like a different book.

At the end Ilsa does what all great authors do with great edge-of-your-seat books, she makes the end a cliffhanger. I can't wait to see what happens to Alex and her friends next in SHADOWS. So. Far. Away...



NEXT REVIEW: Forever by Maggie Stiefvater.

Cleopatra's Moon

Cleopatra's Moon
Author: Vicky Alvear Shecter
Young Adult, Scholastic
368 pages
Source: Library
Rating: 5/5









Summary: 
Selene has grown up in a palace on the Nile with her parents, Cleopatra & Mark Antony—the most brilliant, powerful rulers on earth. But the jealous Roman Emperor Octavianus wants Egypt for himself, & when war finally comes, Selene faces the loss of all she's ever loved. Forced to build a new life in Octavianus's household in Rome, she finds herself torn between two young men and two possible destinies—until she reaches out to claim her own.
This stunning novel brings to life the personalities & passions of one of the greatest dramas in history, & offers a wonderful new heroine in Selene.


Review: This book is why I love historical fiction. An amazingly written book that flies by much to fast, but keeps you interested from beginning to end. Of course you also know what happens so there aren't are many surprises.

Selene was amazing. I think I would have loved to have known here. She was strong thorough everything, honestly I didn't know she went though that much, from their parents deaths to how the Romans treated them. And the book is pretty historically correct, so I'm sure it was all true.
I know some of you probably read the summary and though 'Another love triangle? Ugh, no thanks'. But it's not a big one, its not even a true love triangle. The story mostly focuses on Selene, the love for her family, her determination to become queen, and how she separates herself from her mother. Romance is just a plus.

I really enjoyed this book, it leaves you wanting more. Which is the only bad thing about historical fiction based on true events, there isn't more.

ASHES, ASHES By Jo Treggiari

ASHES, ASHES
Author: Jo Treggiari
Publisher: Scholastic (June, 2011)
Pages: 344
Source: Library
Rating: 3/5







Summary: A thrilling tale of adventure, romance, and one girl's unyielding courage through the darkest of nightmares.

Epidemics, floods, droughts--for sixteen-year-old Lucy, the end of the world came and went, taking 99% of the population with it. As the weather continues to rage out of control, and Sweepers clean the streets of plague victims, Lucy survives alone in the wilds of Central Park. But when she's rescued from a pack of hunting dogs by a mysterious boy named Aidan, she reluctantly realizes she can't continue on her own. She joins his band of survivors, yet, a new danger awaits her: the Sweepers are looking for her. There's something special about Lucy, and they will stop at nothing to have her.

My Thoughts:

I think dystopian is the new vampire. Hopefully, because vampires are becoming a bit too much, you know? Anyway, I really loved the idea of this book, very interesting. But, while it was a good book it lacked something.

Lucy is a great character, a strong heroine focused on surviving. And she doesn't get any special powers or anything, she's just Lucy. Which is nice, there's too many stereotype heroines and wimpy girls (Cough-Bella-Cough) in YA books. Aidan was okay, but we never really learned that much about him. But other then that he's a pretty cool guy. Henry and Del were just eh.

When Lucy goes to live in the community things sometimes would drag on, it becomes more about avoiding the sweepers, and why she's special. Then there's a crazy love pentagon, while many YA books have love triangles, I don't think pentagons are the new thing. Points to Treggiari for trying though.

I really did like the book, but like I said, it dragged sometimes, and was a tad over detailed. But if you like YA dystopian books, you should love this. A fun short read, with a exciting story.

P.S. RIP Steve Jobs, I'm sure he's in a better place, a place where even he is awed.

FALLING FOR HAMLET

FALLING FOR HAMLET
Author: Michelle Ray
Publisher: Poppy ( July 5, 2011)
Ages: 14-up
368 pages
Rating: 5/5


FIRST COMES LOVE, THEN COMES MADNESS.

Meet Ophelia: a blonde, beautiful high-school senior and long-time girlfriend of Prince Hamlet of Denmark. Her life is dominated not only by her boyfriend's fame and his overbearing family, but also by the paparazzi who hound them wherever they go. As the devastatingly handsome Hamlet spirals into madness after the mysterious death of his father, the King, Ophelia rides out his crazy roller coaster life, and lives to tell about it. In live television interviews, of course.

Passion, romance, drama, humor, and tragedy intertwine in this compulsively readable debut novel, told by a strong-willed, modern-day Ophelia.


Falling for Hamlet is a modern telling of Shakespeare Classic. It is set in modern day Denmark, and Ophelia is the main character. In the original, Ophelia goes insane after her fathers death. But in Falling For Hamlet, she does not go crazy, Hamlet is the one who is going insane. After his fathers, the King of Denmark, death he is extremely distraught, seeking revenge on Claudius. His fathers ghost is visiting him, like in the original, and is telling him Claudius killed him. Of course nobody believes him, but his best friend who saw him too, and in the end Ophelia. So Hamlet was probably going crazy mostly because nobody would believe him.

Ray really makes the reader feel the emotions. Especially the lack of privacy. The public and paparazzi judges every little thing Hamlet and Ophelia did. It makes you never want to be famous. You also felt the heartbreak and the madness.

In Shakespeare's tragedies, all the main characters usually die. And the mood is very dark. In Falling for Hamlet, it is not always dark. I also didn't really like how the characters died in the end, I feel it could have been better told. In Ophelia's point of view, when she finds out they died, you really felt her sadness of it all. Again Ray's amazing work at putting the emotions in it.

This is a wonderful re-telling of Hamlet! I also believe it would make a good movie, that final death scene would come out so much better. This is a must read!

Fins Are Forever

FINS ARE FOREVER

Title: Fins Are Forever (Fins #2)
Author: Tera Lynn Childs
Published: June 28th 2011 by HarperCollins Children's Books

Summary:  "On Lily Sanderson’s eighteenth birthday she’ll become just a girl—still a mergirl, true, but signing the renunciation will ink Princess Waterlily of Thalassemia out of existence. That leaves plain old Lily living on land, dating the boy she loves, and trying to master this being-human thing once and for all.

Now that Lily and Quince are together, mer bond or not, she’s almost content to give up her place in the royal succession of Thalassemia. But just when she thinks she has everything figured out, the waves start to get rough. Lily’s father sends a certain whirlpool-stirring cousin to stay with her on land. What did Doe do to get herself exiled from Thalassemia and stuck in terraped form when everyone knows how much she hates humans? And why why why is she batting her eyelashes at Lily’s former crush, Brody?

The seafoam on the raging surf comes when a merboy from Lily’s past shows up—Telling asks Lily for something that clouds her view of the horizon. There’s a future with Quince on land, her loyalty to the kingdom in the sea, and Lily tossing on the waves in the middle. Will she find a way to reconcile her love, her duty, and her own dreams?

Tera Lynn Childs sequel to Forgive My Fins offers another tail-flicking romance with plenty of fun, sun, and underwater adventure."


I loved this. I think I finished it in one day, staying up late because I just couldn't put it down.
Now a lot of people don't trust that the sequel will be as good as the first book, I am one of them. While I like Forgive My Fins better, I have to admit it was still very good.

Tera Lynn Childs is an amazing writer. You can start her books and not really like it, and by the end you're wanted more and more. Same with the characters, you can hate 'em one minute and love 'em the next. That's how I felt toward Doe.

Sometimes it seemed to drag a little. With little nonsense, girl fights. And Quince and Lily weren't together as much. But other then those things it was a great book. My favorite mermaid series in fact.

And I must say I love the cover, I wish I could have hair like that.

Rating: 4/5 stars.

To Catch a Pirate

To Catch A Pirate
Author: Jade Parker
Genres: YA, historical romance
Publisher: Point (May 1, 2007)
Rating: 3/5



Summary:After the death of her mother, sixteen-year-old Annalisa Townsend leave England and sets sail for the Caribbean in 1720, where her father is to be the governor of a small island named Mourning. Shortly before they reach their destination, however, the ship is attacked by pirates. Annalisa is discovered hiding in the hold by James Sterling, a young pirate. When he tries to steal her necklace, all that is left of her mother, she begs him not to. He agrees in exchange for a kiss, and she expects never to see the disturbingly handsome young pirate again. But after arriving at their destination, Annalisa's father is accused of allowing the pirates to steal the gold that was to be used to build a port on Mourning, and sent to jail.

One year later, Annalisa has acquired a ship and a crew and set out in search of James Sterling. James has run into trouble of his own, having been marooned by his former captain, Crimson Kelly, for having let Annalisa escape during the pirate attack. Annalisa is determined to find James so that he can lead her to where Crimson Kelly hid the treasure her father was responsible for, so she can reclaim it and free him from jail. What Annalisa doesn't expect is for her unsettling feelings for the young pirate to resurface, and soon she finds herself in danger of falling in love with him.

Review: I love historical fiction, especially when they involve pirates. To Catch a Pirate was pretty good, somewhat predictable, with a happily ever after ending. If you're looking for a quick, good read then I highly recommend it. The thing I really liked about it was that Annalisa, isn't weak. She's strong, determined, and very brave. There's also a good amount of humor in it, James is quite the funny guy.

Linger By Maggie Stiefvater

Linger
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic Press (July 13, 2010)
Genre: Young Adult
Source: Library
Rating: 5/5



 In Maggie Stiefvater Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret, For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past...and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves...and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.



 At turns harrowing and euphoric, Linger is a spellbinding love story that explores both sides of love -- the light and the dark, the warm and the cold -- in a way you will never forget.



Linger is one of the best sequels I have ever read. It really lives up to the first amazing book in the Wolves of Mercy Falls Trilogy. Because even though an author writes an amazing first book, doesn't always mean the second will be as good as the first.



 In Linger we see more of Sam. We learn his fears, pet peeves, and see more of his past, though his eyes. And he's more poetic, which I loved. Sam is probably my favorite fictional character of all time. Sure he can be mopey at times, but can you really blame him? He's got a lot on his hands.



 One of those things is Cole. A new wolf, who was chosen by Beck. I didn't really like Cole at first. He seemed like a big jerk. But then he began to show a different side of himself, which made me like him a little bit. After I read Forever I'll make my final decision. Linger also shows us Grace's rebellious side. Before she never had to disobey her parents, because they didn't really care. But all of a sudden they switch to parent mode, and begin to watch Grace and Sam more closely. They then think she spends too much time with him.



Also, this book was told from multiple points of view, not just Sam and Grace like in Shiver. For Linger, it's told from the perspectives of Sam, Grace, Cole, and Isabel. It really made me like Isabel, and probably Cole too.



The other thing I loved was the cover. I think because it's so simple. And to match the green on the cover, the book is in green print! For some reason I don't recall Shiver having blue print, but a quick google search told me otherwise. It was navy blue, so it was probably so close to black I didn't notice. I'm wondering if Forever will be red or brown, as the cover has both on it. I guess I'll just have to wait and see.



This book kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the whole thing and the cliffhanger at the end....well..let's just say that I'm VERY excited for July 12th, 2011 - when Forever comes out. Which will revile a lot of things, including the print color.