Audiobook review: Every Day by David Levithan

Reading level: Ages 12 and up
Audio CD
Publisher: Listening Library (Audio) (August 28, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0449015203
ISBN-13: 978-0449015209

Buy from Amazon!
Buy on Audible
Read my book review for Every Day!

Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl.Every morning, A wakes in a different person’s body, a different person’s life. There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.
It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day. With his new novel, David Levithan has pushed himself to new creative heights. He has written a captivating story that will fascinate readers as they begin to comprehend the complexities of life and love in A’s world, as A and Rhiannon seek to discover if you can truly love someone who is destined to change every day.

My Thoughts:
From reading my review on the paperback version of Every Day, you can tell that I loved it. 
Just absolutely adored it. 
Probably one of my favorite books of this year. 
And the audiobook, oh man.
It is so great!
The narrator Alex Mckenna is beyond perfect for this book. 
Especially when she is doing Rhiannon's voice. 
It's exactly how I imagined it sounding in my head.
Just everything about this book is perfect. 
And I know that I've used the word perfect, quite a few times in this review...
But really, it's the only way to describe this flawless book.
Listening to this audiobook made me love this book even more. 
Thank you David Levithan and Alex Mckenna for creating a masterpiece. 

Andye's 2 Cents:

Something I really loved about this audiobook was that the narrator was a girl, with a really low, raspy voice, named Alex.  In the book, the main character, A, is a person without a true gender.  A has lived his whole life in the body of a different person every day.  I don't know for a fact that they chose a narrator with a gender neutral voice and even a gender neutral name on purpose, but I thought it was perfect! ~Andye

Listen to a sample here! 

One Moment by Kristina McBride

Reading level: Ages 14 and up
Hardcover: 272 pages
Publisher: EgmontUSA (June 26, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 160684086X
ISBN-13: 978-1606840863
Buy One Moment from Amazon!
This was supposed to be the best summer of Maggie’s life. Now it’s the one she’d do anything to forget.

Maggie remembers hanging out at the gorge with her closest friends after a blowout party. She remembers climbing the trail with her perfect boyfriend, Joey. She remembers that last kiss, soft, lingering, and meant to reassure her. So why can’t she remember what happened in the moment before they were supposed to dive? Why was she left cowering at the top of the cliff, while Joey floated in the water below–dead?
As Maggie’s memories return in snatches, nothing seems to make sense. Why was Joey acting so strangely at the party? Where did he go after taking her home? And if Joey was keeping these secrets, what else was he hiding?

The latest novel from the author of The Tension of Opposites, One Moment is a mysterious, searing look at how an instant can change everything you believe about the world around you.
My thoughts:
I honestly don't have much about One Moment.
Which disappoints me!
I started this book with such high expectations.
It's not like it was awful and it was torture to read everyday or anything.
No.
It just felt like I've read this story before...
I didn't feel like there was really any originality to it.
The characters were kind of bland, and the story line was just a typical depressing summer novels about a coming of age girl who finds her strength and love along the way.
I mean, I really don't want to tear this book apart. 
I don't enjoy doing that, I really don't. 

Other than all the things I didn't like about the book, the writing was quite excellent. 
The way all of the words flowed was beautiful. Almost poetic. 
It was a shame to have such wonderful writing and a story I wasn't crazy about. 

I will be sure to read whatever Kristina McBride writes in the future!
Just because this specific novel wasn't my favorite, doesn't mean I'm done with reading her work forever. 

For the content review for One Moment go to ParentalBookReviews!

Don't Turn Around by Michelle Gagnon

Reading level: Ages 13 and upHardcover: 320 pagesPublisher: HarperCollins (August 28, 2012)Language: EnglishISBN-10: 0062102907ISBN-13: 978-0062102904
Buy Don't Turn Around from Amazon!
Sixteen-year-old Noa has been a victim of the system ever since her parents died. Now living off the grid and trusting no one, she uses her computer-hacking skills to stay safely anonymous and alone. But when she wakes up on a table in an empty warehouse with an IV in her arm and no memory of how she got there, Noa starts to wish she had someone on her side.Enter Peter Gregory. A rich kid and the leader of a hacker alliance, Peter needs people with Noa's talents on his team. Especially after a shady corporation called AMRF threatens his life in no uncertain terms.But what Noa and Peter don't realize is that Noa holds the key to a terrible secret, and there are those who'd stop at nothing to silence her for good.Fans of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo will devour the story of Noa, a teen soul mate to Lisbeth Salander.

My thoughts:
When I first started this book I was a little worried I wouldn't be able to follow it.

The two main characters, Noa and Peter are very skilled computer hackers, and I know absolutely nothing about hacking anything. 

Instead, I was pleasantly surprised to find that Michelle Gagnon did an excellent job of writing this story, without it being too confusing. 

Just by reading the first chapter I knew that I was going to love this book, and my gosh, I loved it.

Noa reminds me of an 16 year old Jason Bourne.

She's extremely intelligent, quick and unlike a lot of other girls that I read about in books. 

To be honest, I wasn't as in love with Peter. I can't put my finger on it, but I just didn't find his character to be as interesting or exciting as Noa. 

I felt like his character was shadowed by how awesome Noa was in the story. 

But other than that tiny little detail that I'm probably being too picky about anyway, this book was so great. 

The fact that this is Michelle Gagnon's debut young adult novel is absolutely incredible. 

I can't wait to read her future work!

Don't Turn Around has a the perfect dose of mystery, suspense, drama and everything you need to have an all around great book. Be sure to pick this one up, you won't sleep until you finish it! (like me) 

Content: 

Profanity - extreme

Sexual - moderate

Violence - heavy

Other - mild

for more content, visit www.ParentalBookReviews.com

Amy and Andye make a vlog about books.

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Albums to listen to while you read I: THREADS by Now, Now

Here's a little something about me that you don't know...
I love listening to music while I read a great book. I feel like having a little background music while reading makes the book more enjoyable.
To me, reading a book without music is like watching a movie with no soundtrack.
So I have decided to share with you weekly some of my favorite albums that I listen to while reading books...

Indie-rock band Now, Now (formerly known as Now, Now Every Children) has come a long way since I first started listening to them in 2008 when they released their first album, Cars.

Threads has easily become one of my favorite albums of the year. 

I seriously cannot stop listening to it. 

When the album ends, I start it over. 

This album is absolutely perfect to listen to while reading a great book. 

It's chill enough not to distract you from what you're reading. 

It's really difficult to say which song is my favorite... but I would have to say that Lucie, Too is probably my favorite. I just lovelovelove the sound of the entire song. And I love how Jess (guitar) sings in this song. And the lyrics, oh my, they are so beautiful and intricate. 

Other than that though, I really can't tell you what song I love the most. 

They are all so great.
I have absolutely no complaints about this album, it's perfect in every way.

Like seriously. Go buy this album right now. 

And listen to it 50 billion times in a row. 

 Buy Threads on Amazon
1. The Pull
2. Prehistoric
3. Lucie, Too
4. Dead Oaks
5. Oh. Hi.
6.  But I Do
7. Separate Rooms8. Thread
9. Wolf
10. School Friends
11. Colony
12. Magnet 

My favorite book to read while listening to this album is Hold Still by Nina LaCour!!
My review for Hold Still

**this album is for all ages. Super clean with no sexual, profane or violent content.

Getting ready for BEA by Abigaile

This will be my first year at BEA and I am so excited. 

So I thought I'd put together a little post on all of the books I am most excited about getting there. 

I'm most excited about Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian's new book Burn For Burn!
I am a huge fan of Jenny Han. I just absolutely loved her Summer series.
And I recently read one of Siobhan's books, The List, which I also loved.
Here are my reviews for Jenny Han's Summer Series:The Summer I Turned Pretty, It's Not Summer Without You, and
We'll Always Have Summer
My review for Siobhan Vivian's, The List

The next book that I am extremely excited about is Feedback by Robison Wells!
I didn't know he was going to be at BEA until today actually, so when I read that he was going I nearly fell out of my chair. I cannot wait to read what happens next in the Variant series.
Here's a short little review I did for it awhile back: Variant

And last but not least... Prodigy by Marie Lu!! I can't even express to you how much I loved loved loved Legend, so here's my review for it: Legend

So as you can tell, I am very excited about BEA. This will also be my first visit to New York, so that is exciting as well! See you there (:

The Night She Disappeared by April Henry

Reading level: Ages 12 and up
Hardcover: 240 pages
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR);
First Edition edition (March 13, 2012)
Language: English
Buy from Amazon!

Gabie drives a Mini Cooper. She also works part time as a delivery girl at Pete’s Pizza. One night, Kayla—another delivery girl—goes missing. To her horror, Gabie learns that the supposed kidnapper had asked if the girl in the Mini Cooper was working that night. Gabie can’t move beyond the fact that Kayla’s fate was really meant for her, and she becomes obsessed with finding Kayla. She teams up with Drew, who also works at Pete’s. Together, they set out to prove that Kayla isn’t dead—and to find her before she is.

My thoughts:
Wow.
Just wow.
The Night She Disappeared had me shaking. 
Books about people getting kidnapped stresses me out more than anything.
There were moments in this book were it just got too intense.
I had to put down the book, and calm down.
Tell myself that it's just a book.
Except, it was totally realistic.
Everything that happened in this book, could really happen.
That's the part that freaks me out.
It's not a bunch of zombies eating people alive.
It's about a girl my age, getting kidnapped.
This story was told from five different perspectives. But the one that really put me over the edge was the perspective from the kidnapper. Once I started reading that chapter I literally got the chills.
The way this book affected me was crazy.
I haven't read a book this intense in a while, so I was pretty excited.
What made this book really realistic was that it had Police transcripts, crime scene documents and paragraphs from newspapers.

The only complaint I have about this book is honestly, I just wish it were longer. Even just 50 pages would have made a difference. I felt like the ending was a bit rushed. But it was still great.
Definitely a nail biter.
Let me just say, prepare yourself for an anxiety attack while reading this book.

Shatter Me Appreciation post.

Amy's review
Abigaile's review
Andye's book and audio review

I feel like ReadingTeen should have an entire post dedicated to Shatter Me. Not just a review on the book, but a mad love post. Just because it's that great.

And if you haven't read Shatter Me yet, stop what you're doing right this minute, and read Shatter Me.

I promise; you will love it. More than love it, you will inhale it, become addicted to it, and not be able to read anything else without comparing it to Shatter Me on the level of greatness.  

I got to meet the author, Tahereh Mafi last week and well, that was one of the best days of my life.

There was some pretty hardcore fan-girling at that book signing. 

I literally could not believe I was meeting her. 

I don't know, I guess in my head I see incredible authors who just sit in there house all day and write greatness all day everyday. (I know some of that might be true). So it was just really crazy for me to be talking to her, in a normal conversation. I know that sounds silly, because she is a person just like you and me. But I guess you can't truly understand until you read Shatter Me. 

Shatter Me is one of those books that I'll just pick up, open it to the middle, read one sentence and then end up  reading it for the next two hours. And it is just as exciting as it was the first time I read it. Some parts I still find myself holding my breath, and not being able to think about anything else the rest of the day.

I know what you're thinking, "man, that sounds kind of ridiculous..." 

And it might be, but I honestly don't care, because it's that freaking good. 

 Okay, this has been a post. 

Glimmer by Phoebe Kitanidis

Reading level: Ages 14 and up
Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Balzer + Bray (April 17, 2012)
Language: English
Buy from Amazon!

What if you forgot your identity and had to rely on other people to tell you who you were?

And what if to discover your true self, you first had to unravel a mystery so big and terrifying you were not sure you’d survive solving it?

When Marshall and Elyse wake up in each other’s arms with zero memory of how they got there or who they are, it’s the start of a long journey through their separate pasts and shared future.

Terrified by their amnesia, the two make a pact to work together to find the answers that could jog their missing memories. As they piece together clues, they discover they’re in the idyllic mountain resort town of Summer Falls, where everyone seems mysteriously happy, but as Marshall and Elyse quickly learn, darkness lurks beneath the town’s perfect facade. Not only is the town haunted by sinister ghosts, but none of its living inhabitants retain bad memories of anything—not the death of Marshall’s mom, not the hidden shame in Elyse’s family, not even the day-to-day anguish of high school.

Lonely in this world of happy zombies, Marsh and Elyse fall into an intense relationship...but the secrets they uncover could be the death of this growing love—and the death of everyone, and everything, they love in Summer Falls.

My review:

Honestly, when I picked this book up and read the summery I thought it was going to be really dumb.
I decided to read the first chapter and just see what it'd be like.
Well, I sat down and ended up reading basically half of it.
I could barely set it down because every page had a new twist to the story.
The pace did not fall below heart pounding.
Glimmer swallowed me whole and I was taken completely by surprise.

Elyse was an awesome main character. I loved how down to earth and humble she is. She surprised me a little bit. I expected her to be a weak little girl when she started to discover what her life was like before she got amnesia. Instead she showed strength. She really saw how incredibly selfish she was, and she actually did something about it and didn't just sit there and whine.

I really liked how the chapters kept switching from Elyse's and Marshall's point of view. I always like reading from both sides.

Reviewing this book is tricky... I feel like anything I say could be a spoiler. There's just so many twists and turns its crazy.

Just so I don't ruin anything for anyone, go pick up Glimmer and read it for yourself (:

SPRING INTO THE FUTURE Tour with Veronica Rossi, Tahereh Mafi, Anna Carey, and Cynthia Hand

WASHINGTON D.C.

Saturday, April 14th, 2012

Hooray For Books!

1555 King Street, Suite 101

Alexandria, VA

3:30 in the afternoon

 

'Like' them on the official Facebook

 

 

Reading Teen is looking so forward to the book signing in Alexandria at Hooray For Books! on Saturday! Click the links below, to read some of our book reviews, of these awesome books, from these talented authors. Plus an interview of Tahereh Mafi of Shatter Me!

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Interview by Abigaile

Book Review by Abigaile

Book and Audiobook Review by Andye

Review by Amy

Under The Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Book Review by Andye

Eve by Anna Carey

Book Review by Kit

Hallowed by Cynthia Hand

Book Review by Andye

Plan to attend this event on Saturday to meet these amazing authors, PLUS you will get to meet yours truly, Andye, Austin, Abigaile and Kit! We are looking forward to meeting you!!

Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann

Reading level: Ages 14 and up
Hardcover: 240 pages
Publisher: Simon Pulse (February 8, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1416994815
ISBN-13: 978-1416994817
Buy from Amazon!

Kendall loves her life in small town Cryer¹s Cross, Montana, but she also longs for something more. She knows the chances of going to school in New York are small, but she's not the type to give up easily. Even though it will mean leaving Nico, the world's sweetest boyfriend, behind.
But when Cryer's Cross is rocked by unspeakable tragedy, Kendall shoves her dreams aside and focuses on just one goal: help find her missing friends. Even if it means spending time with the one boy she shouldn't get close to... the one boy who makes her question everything she feels for Nico.
Determined to help and to stay true to the boy she's always loved, Kendall keeps up the search--and stumbles upon some frightening local history. She knows she can't stop digging, but Kendall is about to find out just how far the townspeople will go to keep their secrets buried....

My thoughts:
I have only read one other book by Lisa McMann, Dead To You, which I absolutely loved. Cryer's Cross on the other hand, not so much... 
It started out great, I actually really liked the story and the characters. But about half way through I started thinking to myself, "so uh, is something going to happen now or....?" 
I read Cryer's Cross thinking it was going to be a thriller. 
It wasn't.
It was very anti-climatic. 
The "big secret" at the end was extremely lame and disappointing.
I really hate to be putting down this book like this, because I know Lisa McMann is an incredible author and I know that she is capable of writing great books, Cryer's Cross was just really disappointing. 


Another thing that stuck out to me was that it kind of made Kendall's OCD sound... super natural. Like her fact that she is OCD made her a super human or something. I kept laughing whenever I read about it. 

Immediately Kendall's OCD kicks in. Fear grips her and she can't seem to get out of the desk fast enough.

How exactly does her OCD "kick in"? Yeah, I don't know.


I felt like this book could have been SO GOOD. It was just missing something. 
The thrill maybe? 


Anyway though, the book won't keep me from reading future Lisa McMann books, because I do love her other books. 

sadly....

Check out these adorable Baby-lit books!

I know we normally don't review baby books, but I wanted to make an exception because these books are so freaking cute it's ridiculous. These baby-lit books are so simple, yet so creative. Every page is filled with adorable art and a few words that relate to the story. 

Out of these two my favorite is definitely Jane Eyre. I loved the art and the words they used. I almost want to put it on my bookshelf!

Thank you @ericsmithrocks from @quirkbooks! 

With the perennial popularity of classic writers like Charlotte Brontë and Lewis Carroll, Baby Lit is a fashionable way to introduce your toddler to the world of classic literature. With clever, simple text by Jennifer Adams, paired with stylish design and illustrations by Sugar's Alison Oliver, Little Miss Brontë and Little Master Carroll are a must for every savvy parent's nursery library.

Reading level: Ages 1 and up
Board book: 22 pages
Publisher: Gibbs Smith; Brdbk edition (March 1, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1423624777
ISBN-13: 978-1423624776
Buy from Amazon!
Baby-lit.com

Reading level: Ages 1 and up
Board book: 22 pages
Publisher: Gibbs Smith; Brdbk edition (March 1, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1423624742
ISBN-13: 978-1423624745
Buy from Amazon!

Book Review: Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler

Reading level: Ages 14 and up
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Simon Pulse (January 3, 2012)
Language: English
Buy from Amazon

Once upon a time, Hudson knew exactly what her future looked like. Then a betrayal changed her life and knocked her dreams to the ground. Now she's a girl who doesn't believe in second chances, a girl who stays under the radar by baking cupcakes at her mom's diner and obsessing over what might have been. So when things start looking up and she has another shot at her dreams, Hudson is equal parts hopeful and terrified. Of course, this is also the moment a cute, sweet guy walks into her life--and starts serving up some seriously mixed signals. She's got a lot on her plate, and for a girl who's been burned before, risking it all is easier said than done.
It's time for Hudson to ask herself what she really wants, and how much she's willing to sacrifice to get it. Because in a place where opportunities are fleeting, she knows this chance may very well be her last....

It's been awhile since I read a chick-lit that I absolutely loved.

Bittersweet was so good. It's up there with all of my favorite Sarah Dessen novels.

I loved Hudson's sarcastic attitude. Every time she would think up something sarcastic or worry about unnecessary things, I could relate. I thought it was hilarious that she (literally) ran into her crush and all she could think about is how her hair smells like bacon from working at her moms diner all night.

The whole cupcake theme was adorable! I loved reading all the cupcake descriptions. Every single one made me want to jump up and just start baking cupcakes.

The one that stood out to me the most was: Chocolate Banana Snap Crackle Popcakes - Cold banana cupcakes topped with milk chocolate icing, sliced strawberries, and Rice Krispies; served in a bowl with a spoon and a splash of split milk (to cry over)

This book reminded me a whole lot of the movie Whip It. So I imagined Hudson looking like Ellen Page. Which worked out perfectly, because I lovelovelove Ellen Page.

It was definitely one of those cute, easy reads. And if you love Sarah Dessen then you will devour Bittersweet!

Content:

Profanity - Heavy

Sexual - Mild

Other - Moderate

Dead to You by Lisa McMann

Audible Audio Edition
Listening Length: 4 hours and 53 minutes
Program Type: Audiobook
Version: Unabridged
Publisher: Recorded Books, Simon & Schuster Audio
Audible.com Release Date: February 7, 2012
Buy the book from Amazon!
Buy the audiobook from Audible!


This book.
Wow.
Dead To You was absolutely incredible.
I haven't really ever been a huge fan of Lisa McMann's work.
I mean, I'm not saying she isn't a great, great author. I'm just saying that her previous books have never grabbed me the way Dead to You did.
The story was very interesting.
I would try to predict what would end up happening, and was proven way way way wrong.
It had some great twists and turns!

I just feel like I would have liked it a lot more if it maybe had a different narrator.
The only voices I seriously could not stand was Cami and Gracie's voices.
(although I loved the characters!)
I mean, I don't really expect a guy narrator to do girls voices perfectly, haha, but that was my only complaint.
So I'm thinking about buying the hardback, re-reading it, and giving a more in depth review.

Content:

Profanity - Very Heavy

Sexual - Mild

Other - Heavy

Parental Book Review

Fall From Grace by Charles Benoit

Reading level: Ages 13 and up 

Hardcover: 208 pages
Publisher: HarperTeen (May 8, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0061947075
ISBN-13: 978-0061947070

Buy from Amazon

http://www.charlesbenoit.com/

Grace always has a plan. There’s her plan to get famous, her plan to get rich, and—above all—her plan to have fun.


Sawyer has plenty of plans too. Plans made for him by his mother, his father, his girlfriend. Maybe they aren’t his plans, but they are plans.

When Sawyer meets Grace, he wonders if he should come up with a few plans himself. Plans about what he actually wants to be, plans to speak his own mind for a change, plans to maybe help Grace with a little art theft.

Wait a minute—plans to what?

To be honest, I wasn't expecting much from this book. 
As you can tell from reading my review of Charles Benoit's first novel, YOU, I was not impressed. 
So I was pleasantly surprised when I got about a quarter though Fall From Grace I decided that I absolutely loved it. 
I love love love it whenever I can tell when an author is improving his writing and creativity.  
Fall From Grace easily made it to my top comtempary books. 
Grace is definitely my favorite character (of course).
The entire time I was reading it all I could think about is, "why can't I be her??" 
I basically loved all of the characters except for Zoe. 
I honestly wanted to punch her in the face.
Sorry, but it's how I felt about her. 
And Sawyer! Oh what can I say about Sawyer?
Well, I love him.
And I love him.
That's really the only way I can describe it. 
The storyline was very interesting. 
It kept me wanting to read more and more, without it being too intense. 
Because well, even though I prefer intense books, it does get a little tiring.
And the end. Holy crap the end.
I couldn't turn the pages fast enough.
Definitely a shocker. 


Anyway, I loved this book and I'm sure you will too!
Quick, easy and good read! 


Thank-you Charles Benoit for writing a novel that didn't make me give up on you completely. 
Fall From Grace was so great that I'm thinking about re-reading YOU just to make sure I wasn't going insane or something while reading it. One thing I did love from YOU that Fall From Grace didn't have, was that YOU was written in 2nd person. Very interesting. I've never read anything like it before. 


Here's my review for YOU

Ashes by Estevan Vega

Paperback: 344 pages
Publisher: StoneHouse Ink (September 27, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0615543375
ISBN-13: 978-0615543376
More than three months have passed since Arson and Emery were taken. Taken and then separated. And experimented on. Salvation Asylum is more like a prison than a psychiatric facility. Unknowingly, Arson has become a vital instrument in a campaign set to genetically alter mankind. Enraged, confused, trapped, and unable to fully manifest his abilities, he wonders if he will ever see Emery again. His new existence is one crawling with questions. Is Grandma alive? Where does the fire come from? Can he become more than a monster? In Ashes, book two of the ARSON series, nightmare and reality collide as Arson must embrace what he is and the haunting realization that there may be others out there, others like him.

http://www.estevanvega.com/
Follow him on Twitter! @EstevanVega 

My thoughts:
Ashes left me... speechless.
It also left me with my heart pounding out of my chest, and my hand slightly shaking while I closed it and took a deep breath.
Now, I know all of that sounds really cliche, but it really was that good.
And my only question is; What is going on in your head, Estevan Vega??
Seriously.
I don't think I have read a book that has disturbed me as much as Ashes did.
Which is totally a good thing, because I've been searching and searching for a book that completely freaks me out and mentally disturbs me.
Is that a weird thing to want?
I guess it might be the same craving you horror movie fanatics have.
I don't care if it is, because Ashes is my favorite kind of book.
It was so beautifully written in such a heart wretchedly, disturbing way.
If that makes any sense.
The whole thing was like a Edgar Allen Poe poem.
Where it's lovely and creepy all at once.

What I loved about this book so much is that, not only was the first book, ARSON incredible, but the sequel was even better. 

It's kind of like your favorite band. Whoever that might be.
The first album they put out is really great, and you love it.
But the second one is even better.
That band just gets better and better and more talented with every album they put out.
And by the third album, you're thinking it'd be completely impossible for this album to be better than the first two albums. No way.

That's how I feel about Estevan Vega.
I feel like it would be fairly difficult for him to write a third book as perfectly as he did the first two.
So I guess I  will just sit here impatiently and wait for the third book.
Ah this will kill me.

Oh and I think I should add that, one of the main characters, Emery, is named after one of my favorite bands. So whenever I read about her, I get the song, "The Curse of Perfect Days" stuck in my head.
Check out the band here: http://www.emerymusic.com/

Anyway, to sum this up, Ashes was great. So so so great.
Read this book. I promise you will love it.
Also, make sure and buy Estevan Vega's short story collection, When Colors Bleed on Amazon!

Sexual: Mild (with some innuendos)

Violence: Extreme

Profanity: Mild

Other: Mild

Abigaile and Austin's Favorites of 2011

Abigaile's Favorites:

• Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi 
• We'll Always Have Summer by Jenni Han
• Delirium by Lauren  Oliver
• The Enemy by Charlie Higson
• The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
• When Colors Bleed by Estevan Vega
• Legend by Marie Lu
• The Long Weekend by Savita Kalhan
• Shelter by Harlan Coben
• Variant by Robin Wells

Austin's Favorites:

• The Warlock by Michael Scott
• Morpheus Road: The Black by D.J. Machale
• The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan
• The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan
• Inheritance by Christopher Paolini

Audiobook review: The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

Reading level: Ages 14 and up
Audio CD Publisher: Listening Library (Audio); Unabridged edition (March 9, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0307710319
ISBN-13: 978-0307710314

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In Mary's world there are simple truths. The Sisterhood always knows best. The Guardians will protect and serve. The Unconsecrated will never relent. And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth. But, slowly, Mary’s truths are failing her. She’s learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power, and about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness. When the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, she must choose between her village and her future—between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded in so much death?

The Forest of Hands and Teeth has become one of my favorite books. Every time I read it I love it more. So I was very excited to listen to the audiobook.
Absolutely loved it!!
At first I wasn't sure if I liked the narrator or not, but she grew on me.
Her voice is very... solemn. And I thought it was boring. But I realized that it fit with the story perfectly. (I am definitely not calling this book boring! It just has a sadness to it.)
If her voice was too happy and excited sounding it wouldn't be right for the book.
Not only did her voice fit the story, but she did an excellent job of doing the voices of all of the characters. 
Anyway! Even though I've read this book three times before, the audiobook still drew me in like it was the first time I have ever heard the story. I was on edge the entire time. 
I would definitely recommend listening to this audiobook!

Listen to a sample here.


Full review of The Forest of Hands and Teeth