Reading, Writing, and Me

I wanted to take a minute to tell you guys about some of the awesomeness that will be coming up in the near future on the blog! I've been working hard to plan some interesting new content to compliment the reviews, and one of my main goals is to promote as many debut authors as possible. Finding your new favorite author could just be a click away! Lots of this content will come in the form of expanding my Into YA section where I talk to industry professionals about what they do and how they get books into your hands. This month, along with debuts, there also happen to be a few great sophomore novels coming soon. Here's a glimpse at what you can look forward to along with the regular Sunday reviewed: Immoral Code Interview: Here   Next week we're celebrating the impending release of Lillian Clark's Immoral Code.  Five teens create a plan to send one of their own to MIT by taking money from her absent father's giant cooperation. With a hacker, a genius, an a...

A Danger to Herself and Others  by Alyssa Sheinmel (February 5) Overview: Hannah Gold is being held in a mental institution, not quite against her will, but she'd definitely rather not be there. Actually, she's only being so cooperative because she knows that it's a mistake that she's there. She's perfectly sane, and everyone just needs to see that. Of course she never pushed Agnes. As the story progresses, though, she's forced to confront her new diagnosis and what really happened when Agnes fell off the window ledge. Overall: 4.5  Characters: 5 I really enjoyed Hannah's character, which is a good thing because we spend almost the whole story with her and the empty room. She's smart and her parents have always prized her maturity. Really, she's never spent more time than when she was at summer camp away from them, so she can't believe that there could be anything wrong with her. Slowly, though, with the help of the doctor she nicknames ...

This Is Not a Test  by Courtney Summers (326 pages) Overview: Sloane wanted to end her life. And then the apocalypse came. Her focus suddenly turns to survival because that's what she's supposed to do. She finds a group of other teens from her school, and they survive in the infected city for seven days before finding shelter in the high school. With all the doors barricaded and the necessities provided, suddenly, there's room to think, reflect, and feel again, and their safe haven quickly turns into a cage. Overall: 5  Characters: 5 This cast has blown me away. Courtney Summers in general has done that with every aspect of the novel, but the characters are all so detailed and unique and flawed and emotional and broken. It makes for the perfect novel. Sloane has recently had her sister leave without her, even though the plan was for them to escape their abusive father together. Without Lily, she feels her life has no point, but when it's seriously threatened, som...