GizmosReviews

Expected publication: April 1st 2014 by Minotaur Books

*Genre* Historical Fiction, Ghost & Mystery*Rating* 4.0*My Thoughts*Set in 1915 San Francisco, Delia's Shadow is a ghost/murder mystery that follows two distinct characters in Delia Martin and Lieutenant Gabe Ryan. I loved that this story was set in 1915. If you are a history major, you would know that it was right before World War I started and Women were still wearing Victorian fashions which included hats, gloves, and long gowns that covered their ankles.It's 9 years after the San Francisco Earthquake and Fire left the city devastated, and the year that the Panama-Pacific International Fair came to San Francisco and proof that the city was picking up the pieces and moving on. I loved the fact that Moyer used real world events to intermingle with her story about a serial killer who continues to haunt the police leaving taunting messages and tempting them to catch him before he kills someone close to the investigation.Delia can see ghosts and has been able to since she lost her parents in the 1906 Earthquake and Fire. She knows that the city is flooded with the remnants of those who perished on that fateful day. After living in NYC for 3 years and taking up a teaching position, she returns home where tries to uncover the mystery surrounding her shadow and what she really wants from her. Gage has some large shoes to fill. He's a Detective Investigator like his father, but now it is his turn to try and stop the serial killer before he targets someone close to the investigation. Gage wears the death and memories of his wife Victoria and son on his sleeve like a crutch. I loved not only Delia and Gabe, but Sadie, Jack Fitzgerald, and Madame Isadore Bobet as well. I loved that the romance angle wasn't a forced issue, and that Gabe and Delia became friends first, and later it lead to them fall in love. I loved that the mystery of the serial killer was laid out in pieces and not rushed into introduction. It left me guessing every step of the way. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this story, BUT, would definitely love to see more of Delia, Gabe and the crew. I would like to learn more about Isadore and her past. I would love to see Isadora teach Delia the ins and outs of ghost whispering, as it were. Still, I highly recommend this story.*Recvd via NetGalley 07/02/2013* Expected publication: September 17th 2013 by Tor

*Genre* YA Dystopian*Rating* 3.5 Actual Rating*My Thoughts*“Once We Were” is the second novel in The Hybrid Chronicles and in essence, it is the bridge between “What's Left of Me” and the sequel to the trilogy itself which releases sometime in 2014. They Hybrid Chronicles are based on the fact that people are born with 2 souls and that at some point in their lives, one soul becomes dominant, while the recessive soul is supposed to fade away completely. Addie is supposed to be the dominant, while Eva is the recessive soul.The plot doesn't really move forward all that much in Once We Were until the last part of the story when most of the real action takes place as well as the set up for the finale. For those who have read What’s Left of Me, you already know that Addie/Eva, along with Ryan/Devon, and Hally/Lissa have escaped from Nornand Clinic with the help of the Hybrid resistance in the form of Peter, Emalia, Jackson, and Dr. Lyanne. We are introduced to key new hybrids in the form of Christoph, Sabine/Josie, and Cordelia/Katy all of whom were helped by the resistance.What we do see is Eva's transformation from the recessive soul, in to making Addie the weaker character in the book especially when she starts listening to Sabine and her plans on fighting back against what she sees as the injustices done by the government against the hybrids. Sabine really pushes Eva’s buttons in every way imaginable to the point where she is left vulnerable and at odds with Addie.Eva makes decisions that may or may not be considered all that ideal or necessary. Most of this happens because Addie/Eva are both experimenting with finding their own independence and lives away from the other while experimenting with being a teenager and allowing the other to take over for a time.If you haven't already started reading this series, I would say to you that you should. Zhang's world building is interesting and creative in that she creates an alternative reality world where Hybrids supposedly started wars against the Non Hybrids (Including World War I, and II) and thus the government has decided to “fix” the hybrids once and for-all or deny them access into the country.Let me say that although I ended up liking this book in the end, the pacing is excruciatingly slow and painful and at times. The so called romance threw me for a loop because I just couldn't make sense out of it. I won’t spoil anything by telling you who the romance is between, or why it made me sit up and scratch my head. You’ll just have to find out for yourself. I will also say that there is a key official who saves Addie/Eva, that apparently is going to have more to say in determining which way this story ends. *Recvd via Edelweiss 06/25/2013* Expected publication: September 17th 2013 by HarperCollins

09/14/2013 Recvd Title via NetGalley - Expected publication: October 29th 2013 by Harlequin Teen

09/16/2013 Recvd via Edelweiss - Expected publication: October 29th 2013 by Harper Voyager (first published 2013)

*Genre* YA Contemporary*Rating* 3.0*My Thoughts*“I’d rather be no one than someone with no one.”This Song Will Save Your Life’s premise was obviously interesting enough that I took the time to request the title from the publisher via NetGalley and read it without stopping. Here are my thoughts, likes, and why I didn’t rate it any higher than 3 stars.16 year old Elise Dembowski considers herself to be precocious and intelligent until the day she decides to try suicide because she is tired of being ignored and treated as though she doesn’t exist by her high school mates. Although she fails and calls for help, it leads Elise on a path towards finding her true calling and a discovery that she really can make friends if she tries. There is an old adage about being one’s best friend and worse enemy at the same time. You can definitely say this about Elise.Elise is puzzle for me to figure out. Even though her parents are separated and each lives their own lives, she isn’t lacking for love or support or affection by either parent. There is no real reason for her to ACT out in ways that she does. So, what does she do? She sneaks out of the house and decides that it is okay for a 16 year old kid to be out all hours of the night in a club where there is drinking and music and sleeping over with someone who may or may not be using her for his own gain. Really, it isn’t until she unleashes her own brand of hell onto her innocent little sister in order to stop her from being special, that her parents finally realize that she’s a bit out of control and needs to be taken down a peg or two.Elise really pushed my buttons in this book, especially when it came to treating her father like junk. I mean, I really wanted to choke her when she lies and decides that staying at his house is too much work, and too far to go so that she can find her way in this world. She doesn’t really do her mother justice either by sneaking out of the house so that she can go to Start until all hours of the night. I know this is a story folks, truly I do. I have been complaining about non-existent family units in YA novels for years now. Here we have two very supportive parents and Elise doesn’t take into consideration how her actions may affect their lives as well.I majored in Radio and TV when I was in college, and spent more than a few nervous nights doing part time DJing (parties, bowling alleys, weddings, etc.) in order to make extra money so that I could purchase books, and gas to get to school. Elise as a DJ was very interesting to me. I was caught up trying to remember the cross fades, and the beats that work together in order to keep the floor filled with dancers and the drinks flowing. I remember more than one night at the Radio station where I worked on Saturdays, letting the music fade to black and scrambling like a chicken with my head cut off looking for something to play because I was also doing scheduling for the stations commercials.I think overall, this story will be an appealing one to those of a younger generation say 16-24. I also think that many will connect to Elise almost immediately. I would say that if you are one who BULLIED another individual in your lifetime, you should read this so that you understand that people have feelings whether or not you believe it or not. You do not have the right to choose whether a person is allowed to experience happiness or not.*Personal story*Today’s society seems to be all about bullying and the attempts to thwart it before it becomes a national epidemic. There have been more stories about bullying than I care to count. Too many of our children and teens have taken their own lives because of something someone said to them or posted on Facebook, or Twitter. (In the book, someone fakes a blog for Elise because they failed to take into consideration how she would feel about it.) Just recently a girl in Florida took her life after being told to kill herself on social media. There are those who continue to tell these kids to grow thicker skin because the world isn’t a safe place to be and that there are hidden dangers around each and every single corner. It’s too bad that back when I was in High School, more than 3 decades ago, that nobody thought about those of us who were used as cannon fodder and treated like whale dung at the bottom of the sea and kicked aside as though we didn’t exist or matter or attacked while we were walking home alone from school in front of our own HOME. There were no grief counselors or principles that would stand up for you and say, “I’ll take care of it.” My family, although supportive, couldn’t be with me 24/7 because they both worked in order to put food on the table, pay the bills and cloth us so that we didn’t look like heathens.A kid can grow up with serious issues which may lead to years of sitting on the psychiatrists couch trying to put their past behind them. Although I was a HS swimming team captain for 2 years, I had few real individuals that I could count on as friends. I was a black sheep among a flock of sheep all heading in different directions. When I finally decided to get the fuck out of New York and enter the Navy, I was more than happy to say FUCK YOU to everyone who failed to see me as a person, and not just something to be kicked aside and around like a piece of trash.In the end, I’m happy I read This Song Will Save Your Life and can understand why readers and reviewers have had glowing reviews over the story. Thanks to Farrar, Straus and Giroux for early access to this title.*Recvd via NetGalley 06/18/2013* Expected publication: September 17th 2013 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

Expected publication: August 19th 2014 by Orbit

*Genre* YA Paranormal*Rating* 3-3.5*My Thoughts Coming soon!I had high hopes for this book and was left a bit discombobulated by sociopolitical BS that interrupted my flow of liking the book even more. Yes, I hold stories responsible for denying me luxury away from the real world when I attempt to read FANTASY! Published July 2nd 2013 by HMH Books for Young Readers

On Sale Date: July 8, 2014 by Orbit9780316120081, 0316120081

Expected publication: May 13th 2014 by Orbit

On Sale Date: August 12, 2014 9780316228466, 031622846X

On Sale Date: August 12, 2014 9780316228466, 031622846X

*Recvd via Netgalley* Expected publication: November 5th 2013 by HMH Books for Young Readers

*Genre* Fantasy, YA*Rating* 4*My Thoughts*Having grown up on high fantasy that features magic, dragons, wyverns, and Atlantis, I was eager to request and accept this book for review even knowing that it was the first book in a new trilogy. Set in 1883 England as well as an alternate reality, The Burning Sky is the story of two main protagonists: Iolanthe Seabourne and Prince Titus of Elberon.Living under the auspices of her guardian, Master Haywood, who has tried his best to not only keep her safe but out of the public eye where she could be taken away, 16 year old Iolanthe is an elemental mage who has the ability to wield the four elements. She's especially good with fire magic which leads her to experiment with lightning thus brings about unwanted attention from the Atlanteans who rule the land and are on the lookout for powerful elemental mages like Iola. Iola is a character that I immediately fell in love with and wanted to know more about. I loved her courage, her strength, her determination and feistiness, and how she stands up against others including bullies. I loved how she didn’t immediately fall head over heels with Titus, and I loved that she found friendship among the boys at Eton College while disguised as Archer Fairfax. Prince Titus is also 16 years old and the Master of the Domain. He has read the prophecies left behind by his mother, where he will someday find a great elemental mage that can lead his people to freedom away from the tyranny of the Atlanteans. When he sees the burning sky, he knows that the prophecy is true and he needs to find the person responsible fast before (HE) is taken away and used by Bane, the leader of the kingdom Atlantis. Imagine his surprise when Titus finds that Iola is the one responsible and thus the prophesied savior of his kingdom. I didn’t immediately connect with Titus. I found him to arrogant and a bit overzealous in his determination to use Iola even if she didn’t agree with him immediately. Later, I found him rather interesting in how he creates a unique world and challenges Iota to work hard to learn how to control her abilities and the elements and genuinely seems to care about her.I imagine that The Burning Sky will get a whole bunch of comparisons to Harry Potter with its magic, and the foretelling of a prodigy that can defeat “he who shall not be named.” I found myself thinking of the comparisons as I was reading the book especially about the character known as Bane who just won’t go away no matter how hard you try to kill him. Much of The Burning Sky takes place at Eton College where Iola hides her identity among a school filled of boys and does an extraordinary amazing job of fitting in and finding friends. I liked the secondary characters as well but probably the one that probably stuck out most to me was Kashkari who has his own story to tell for which I won’t spoil.I found The Burning Sky to be a captivating story and have no problem in reading the sequel. Naturally, there will be those who will only talk about the romance angle between Titus and Iola, so I won’t waste a whole lot of time talking about it. It is what it is. Two extraordinary individuals who find themselves tied together in an effort to defeat a people who have ruled over them for way too long. Two Thumbs way up!Thank you to Edelweiss and Harper Collins for a review copy of this book.*Recvd via Edelweiss 05/14/2013* Expected publication: September 17th 2013 by Balzer + Bray

*Recvd 09/11/2013* via NetGalley 8 Published September 3rd 2013 by Karen Greco (first published June 17th 2013)

*09/10/2013 Recvd via Netgalley* Expected publication: November 5th 2013 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens