Rayne & Delilah's Midnite Matinee by Jeff Zentner

*Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own. 

About the book-

Every Friday night, best friends Delia and Josie become Rayne Ravenscroft and Delilah Darkwood, hosts of the campy creature feature show Midnite Matinee on the local cable station TV Six.

But with the end of senior year quickly approaching, the girls face tough decisions about their futures. Josie has been dreading graduation, as she tries to decide whether to leave for a big university and chase her dream career in mainstream TV. And Lawson, one of the show's guest performers, a talented MMA fighter with weaknesses for pancakes, fantasy novels, and Josie, is making her tough decision even harder. 

Scary movies are the last connection Delia has to her dad, who abandoned the family years ago. If Midnite Matinee becomes a hit, maybe he'll see it and want to be a part of her life again. And maybe Josie will stay with the show instead of leaving her behind, too.

As the tug-of-war between growing up and growing apart tests the bonds of their friendship, Josie and Delia start to realize that an uncertain future can be both monstrous...and momentous.

My thoughts-

Before I even get started about the content of the book, I have to say that this is my favorite book cover in a while. It just screamed out to me. I am not sure if it's the beautiful colors or the two besties sitting on the stairs together or all of the above, but I super seriously love this cover! The book started out a little slow for me and I wasn't sure if I was going to like it but about 1/4th of the way through things picked up and I was hooked. I don't say this often, but Rayne and Delilah read like a movie to movie. Like I want someone to buy the rights and make this into a movie because it was so vivid in my mind. Zentner did a great job at giving a perfect picture of each of these characters. I enjoyed Josey and Delia's friendship because I have two best friends that I feel the exact same way about. I can relate to Delia on a deep level because I had the same feelings about my absentee father around the same age but didn't have the personality to seek out answers at that time and I don't think I could have handled it if I did, so even though sometimes she is portrayed as kind of a weak character I see her as stoic and strong. Many of the feelings of abandonment that abide in her mind are feelings I am super familiar with. Beyond the seriousness of Delia's home life, the two friends are very funny and play off of each other well. Sometimes their interactions with other people can be completely over the top but for the most part I enjoyed their banter. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good YA book or rom-com because there is a nice little love story nestled in here as well.  Rayne & Delilah's Midnite Matinee will be available on February 26. 

Escape From Eden by Elisa Nader Book Review and Blog Tour + Win A Prize Pack

*Disclosure- I received a complimentary e-copy of this book from the publisher via YA Bound Book Tours in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.

Advanced praise for Escape From Eden:

"Nader has done something amazing: written a really original novel, one full of characters you’ll care about; smart, witty dialog; and plenty of shocks and thrills. A wonderful balance of light and dark." —Michael Grant, New York Times Bestselling Author of the Gone Series  

Summary from Goodreads: 

Since the age of ten, Mia has lived under the iron fist of the fundamentalist preacher who lured her mother away to join his fanatical family of followers. In Edenton, a supposed “Garden of Eden” deep in the South American jungle, everyone follows the Reverend’s strict but arbitrary rules—even the mandate of whom they can marry. Now sixteen, Mia dreams of slipping away from the armed guards who keep the faithful in, and the curious out. When the rebellious and sexy Gabriel, a new boy, arrives with his family, Mia sees a chance to escape.

But the scandalous secrets the two discover beyond the compound’s façade are more shocking than anything they ever imagined. While Gabriel has his own terrible secrets, he and Mia bond together, more than friends and freedom fighters. But is there time to think of each other as they race to stop the Reverend’s paranoid plan to free his flock from the corrupt world? Can two teenagers crush a criminal mastermind? And who will die in the fight to save the ones they love from a madman who’s only concerned about his own secrets?

My thoughts: 

I wanted to read this story because I thought the premise was different from most other young adult novels. I expected there to be plenty of action and suspense and I was not disappointed. Immediately at the beginning of the novel it is apparent that 16 year old Mia does not feel like she belongs in the cult that her mother has brought she and her 6 year old brother Max into. Mia does not even know any of the terrible things that are truly going on with the "Reverend" and his associates, but the horrible reality of what is really happening is about to be revealed to Mia. She and the mysterious new older new guy Gabriel who wants to leave Edenton from the second he arrives, have to fight hard as they try to escape and as they discover the evil surrounding them, they have to make some tough decisions. I enjoyed the action packed into this book and was eagerly turning page after page to find out what would happen to Mia and Gabriel. This was an interesting take on cults disguised as "utopia" while just controlling everyone. It is heartbreaking to think that, while this is fiction, there are places and people like this that truly do exist. Some of the scenes were gory, there was quite a bit of violence and there was some suggestive dialog between Mia and Gabriel, so I would not recommend this book to the faint of heart. I think the mature subject matter is best suited to actual adults than young adults and I would say consider reading it yourself if your have a teen that might be interesting in reading it so you could have a discussion. I would recommend this book to someone who enjoys a good, suspenseful novel.

About the author: Escape From Eden is Elise Nader's first novel.

Connect with Elisa Nader on Facebook
Connect with Elisa Nader on Twitter
Connect with Elisa Nader on Goodreads
Connect with Elisa Nader on Pinterest
Elisa Nader's Blog 

Buy the book on Amazon.com.

Enter to win an Escape From Eden Prize Pack! The winner will receive 2 Sets of Moleskine Sketchbook, set of Le Pen colored fine tip pens, a copy of Otherkin and Othermoon by Elisa’s crit partner Nina Berry, and a personalized copy of Escape from Eden! Enter to win below via the Rafflecopter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
 

The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau Book Review

About the book:

 It's graduation day for sixteen-year-old Malencia Vale, and the entire Five Lakes Colony (the former Great Lakes) is celebrating. All Cia can thinka bout-hope for-is whether she'll be chosen for The Testing, a United Commonwealth program that selects the best and brightest new graduates to become the possible leaders of the slowly revitalizing post-war civilization. When Cia is chosen, her father finally tells her about his own nightmarish half-memories of The Testing. Armed with his dire warnings ("Cia, trust no one"), she bravely heads off to Tosu City, far away from her friends and family, perhaps forever. Danger, romance-and sheer terror-await.


 My thoughts:

 The first dystopian fantasty series that I read was The Giver quartet. I read The Giver many eons ago (12 or so years ago now, I've lost track really of how long it's been!) And since that most recent book in the series only came out last year, I just finished it. I don't know what it is about such a sad genre, but there is something that draws me in. As a fan of The Giver Quartet and of The Hunger Games Trilogy, After reading the plot description for The Testing, I knew I just HAD to read it. I am glad that I did. The book is kind of slow going at the beginning, but I can tell that this series is going to be a great one. Cia and 4 other students from her colony are chosen for The Testing after a years long dry spell has plagued the colony from sending any candidates for The Testing to enter the University. At first, Cia is excited. It is everyone's dream to go to the University. Before Cia is to leave for The Testing, her father confides in her that he has nightmares about what happened when he went through The Testing, but that they are vague dreams and he can not remember exactly what happens. He also warns her to keep her guard up and not trust anyone. This is advice Cia mostly takes to heart on this journey. Along the way, there are people, adults involved in The Testing, that seem to want to help Cia, but are they just another part of The Testing or do they truly want to make sure she gets out of the process alive? The Testing consists of 4 tests. The 4th and final test is the most brutal and brings out everyone's true colors. The Testing is almost like a cross between The Giver (the memory erasing drugs) and The Hunger Games (The brutal part 4 of the test is do or die.) Although I found the first book in The Testing series to be slow, it was still engaging and did a great job of setting up book two, which will be out this fall. I have a feeling that book two is going to be a fast and easy read and I can not wait to see how things turn out for Cia. I also could not stop imagining this book as a movie. That's how good at storytelling this author is and how good of a story The Testing is as well. I can only hope that some day that might happen. I would love to see this novel come alive on the big screen! I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys dystopian fantasy or young adult novels.

The Testing (#1) will be making it's big debut on June 04, 2013. You can pre-order the book on Amazon.com. In the meantime, you can download The Testing Guide, the FREE prequel for to The Testing Trilogy!

About the author:

Joelle Charbonneau began telling stories as an Opera singer, but these days finds her voice through writing. She lives near Chicago with her husband and son and when she isn't writing, works as an acting and vocal coach.

Connect with Joelle Charbonneau on Facebook
Connect with Joelle Charbonneau on Twitter
Connect with Joelle Charbonneau on Goodreads


Disclosure- I was provided an advance e-copy of The Testing via NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.