Vanish by Sophie Jordan

Publisher: HarperCollins
Date: September 6, 2011
Series or Standalone: Second in a trilogy
ISBN: 978-0061935107
Format: E-book, 304 pages
Source: NetGalley

 Rating: A-   
First line: Sometimes I dream of falling.

The five things I loved most about Firelight, which got even better in Vanish:

1.  Jacinda – Vanish showed a whole different side of Jacinda, the side of her that she was as part of the pride. From the very beginning of this book she’s being challenged by the fact that she is no longer the “golden child” of the pride and is now in a new competition with her sister. One of my favorite things about this book was that it took the person Jacinda grew into in Firelight, turned her world upside-down and then showed how she continued to mature in a new direction. Jacinda is a protagonist who fights for what she believes in and what she wants, despite what life throws at her, which is refreshing.

2. Love triangle(s) – The best thing about Vanish for me was that we got to know Cassian and because we knew and understood him better, the tension in both love triangles (Will-Jacinda-Cassian AND Jacinda-Cassian-Tamra) was amped up significantly. We also saw a different side of Will in this book. I don’t want to give too much away, but suffice to say, I can no longer say which team I’m on for sure. (I like them both!)

3. Family/Pride Dynamics – Because this book took place inside the pride, we get to see the political and family dynamics of the Draki. Life in the pride is intense; the people in charge act like they own everyone and couldn’t care less about members who they don’t “need”. Punishments were cruel and everything was strictly regulated. And yet, even with all of that, you could really see the bond all of the Draki shared and kind of understand why many of them were willing to put up with the rules.

4.  Dragons! – Being home with the pride let us see all the different dragons and their abilities. Each new type of dragon that was introduced came with it's own abilities and ways that those abilities were useful in Draki life. The whole concept was fascinating.

5. Setting – Like the first book the setting in Vanish is incredibly detailed and lush. It makes you want to take a hike, turn into a Draki, and fly off a mountaintop into a brilliant sunset.

My one complaint: I am not a fan of cliffhangers, but both Firelight and Vanish had the type of cliffhanger endings that bother me the most. The books are not so much “Book 1 & 2 of 3” as they are “PART 1 & 2 of 3”. The books end in the middle of a scene and pick right back up in the next book. It’s a personal preference, but I like each book in a series to have its own specific plot arc, and these books definitely read like one long book.

Personal cliffhanger issues aside, I highly recommend checking out the Firelight series. For those who love paranormal romance, but want something outside the standard fairy/werewolf/vampire spectrum, this series is it! I’m already looking forward to getting my hands on Firelight #3 as soon as it’s available!

 Get more info/pre-order:
Goodreads ||| Amazon ||| IndieBound ||| Book Depository |||| Barnes & Noble  

The author on the web:
 Website ||| Twitter ||| Facebook

Patricia Osei is a writer and an avid reader. You can find her on Twitter @poseiwriting and on the web at the upcoming writing blog, Tangled Up in Words, where she will and four other YA writers will be talking about the journey.

Firelight by Sophie Jordan

Today, I have my friend Patricia doing a guest review. She will probably make frequent appearances.

Publisher: HarperCollins
Date: September 7, 2010
Series or Standalone: First in a series (of three)
ISBN: 978-0061935084
Format: E-book, 336 pages
Source: E-book purchased for Kindle

Rating: A-    

First line: Gazing out at the quiet lake, I know the risk is worth it.

The five things I loved most about Firelight:

 1. Jacinda – I really loved Jacinda as a protagonist. She is fiercely independent , strong, and has an incredibly developed sense of self for a teen. (Which is great to see in a paranormal romance!) I also like that she was realistically both girl and Draki, there was never a point in the story where her changing from one to the other (or mentioning being both) threw me, it was a seamless combination. Her struggle to keep her Draki alive, in the face of incredible challenges, was an internal fight that I could totally empathize with despite not ever having been a Draki myself. The nice thing about her internal struggle for me was that it never felt “whiny”, it was always very understandable and made me care about her character.

2. Love triangle(s) – Full disclosure: I LOVE a good love triangle. And this book had a couple of them. I was firmly Team Will at the end of this book, but in all fairness Cassian wasn’t really that developed of a character so there wasn’t much to root for there. The whole concept of the hunter that falls for his prey (Romeo and Juliet-style) was done extremely well. The only thing that bothered me about the Will/Jacinda/Cassian love triangle was that at different points in the book we find BOTH boys following her. There is just a whole lot of stalking going on and I don’t understand why; it’s not cute.

3. Family/Pride Dynamics – I loved getting to see the various family dynamics in Firelight. I don’t know about everyone else, but I did not always agree with my mother growing up and it was great to see a family (Jacinda, her mother, and her twin sister, Tamra) fighting, struggling, and trying to figure out how they fit together as a family unit once they left their pride. We also got to see Will’s family structure and again it was very messy, just like a real family (except with more weapons and blood-lust for dragons).

4. Dragons! – This was the first book I’ve ever read about dragons. And the fact that it was about dragons was one of the reasons I put off reading it for so long, but WHOA was I wrong. I don’t know about other dragon books, but Sophie Jordan created a rich mythology surrounding her dragons and I loved every detail of it!

5. Setting – The setting was another aspect of the book that really drew me in. During the scenes high up in the mountains you can almost feel the crisp, cool air when you breathe in. And when Jacinda and her family relocated to the desert you really do feel the heat and how dry everything is. The setting was woven into the story and the tone of the book really reflected where the scene took place.

Come back tomorrow for Patricia's review of VANISH, the second installment in the trilogy. 
 

 Get more info/pre-order:
Goodreads ||| Amazon ||| IndieBound ||| Book Depository |||| Barnes & Noble  

The author on the web:
 Website ||| Twitter ||| Facebook

 Patricia Osei is a writer and an avid reader. You can find her on Twitter @poseiwriting and on the web at the Tangled Up in Words, where she will and four other YA writers will be talking about the journey.

It's Monday.....

It's Monday! You know what that means? It means the beginning of another LONG week. More work. More responsibility. More days of doing what other people say. And well, that's so boring.

But today I bring good things! Like....did you see???


*flails*

ALSO, I bring the first ever:

Because it's good to give!!! (AND to receive.) Plus, this guy's excited. 

I'm going to giveaway something. What? Well, I have a few things. Here's a list, but I can't tell you what one book you will win--that's what makes it random! 

• Bronxwood by Coe Booth
• Underdogs by Marc Zukas
• Shut Out by Kody Keplinger (arc)
• Half-Blood by Jennifer Armintrout (arc)
• The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler (arc)
• In Darkness by Nick Lake
• something not listed here at all!

 How do you win? It's pretty easy. Like TOTALLY easy. And, it's all random. There are three ways you can be entered.

Twitter. Talk up this random giveaway! Mention @FrenzyofNoise and/or #giveawayfrenzy so we can find your tweet and you can get an entry.

Comment on Frenzy. There are some cool things going up this week--and some that were around over the last couple weeks. Leave a comment anywhere on the blog with your email in the comment and be entered.

Get Tangled. If you were around last week, I mentioned that I was starting a writing blog with some friends. This week we have EPIC author interviews/giveaways happening on Tangled Up in Words. This one time only, if you comment there with #giveawayfrenzy/email in the comment, you can get an entry here for one of these books!

That's it! If you do all three you be entered three times.

HAPPY MONDAY. See you....sometime this week with a winner (or more!) Spread the word!


THIS POST IS NOW CLOSED. SEE THE WINNER HERE.

Interview with Simone Elkeles

Simone Elkeles is the award-winning and bestselling author of edgy teen romance novels. She was a teen in the 80's and still uses words like "totally" and "grody" but resists the urge to wear bright purple eye-shadow and double wrap-around belts with mini skirts. She enjoys writing books for teens, even though she's not one anymore (but always will be at heart). She lives outside of Chicago with her family.

What do you think you would be doing if you weren’t a writer?

I have no clue. I always wanted to be a veterinarian because I love animals, but I hate the sight of blood and couldn’t make it through medical school without fainting.

Did you always know you wanted to be a writer?

No. I hated reading and writing as a teen. I fell in love with reading as an adult, and set out to write books that I think I would have liked to read as a teen. My goal is to inspire teens to want to read more. I don’t want teens to think books are boring or only to be read for a reading assignment.

What's your Favorite part about being a full time writer?

There are so many things I love about being a full time writer. First of all, there’s nothing better than finishing a book. I also love meeting the fans and reading my fan mail. I just can’t describe the feeling when I read fan mail from teens and adults who say that my books have changed their lives. My fans are so passionate, it’s amazing!

What was a recent book that you read that you really enjoyed?

I read an advanced copy of a book by Miranda Kenneally called CATCHING JORDAN which I really liked. It’s a teen book with a heroine who’s the quarterback for her high school football team. I love football, and really liked the book. It comes out in December, 2011.

Why did you decide to write about three brothers (Fuentes Brothers)?

I love the concept of brotherhood, and have loved reading stories about family members who’ll stick by each other through thick and thin.

What did you do to Celebrate your RITA award, and becoming a NY times bestselling author?

First I cried from happiness, then I took my family out for sushi dinner. My personal trainer would argue that eating is not a healthy way to celebrate – I think he’d rather have me run laps or do squats to celebrate my professional milestones, but that’s never going to happen. Winning the RITA and having my books hit the NY Times bestseller lists made me the happiest girl in the world!

What is one thing you want readers, especially young readers, to take from your books?

I really want them to be entertained, and if they laugh or cry that would be amazing! My goal is to pull emotion out of my readers, because that’s the biggest compliment to me as a writer.

Who is your favorite character from Chain Reaction? And why?

I’ll always love the Fuentes boys, and Luis is no exception. He’s a great hero! But if I had to pick someone else, I think it’ll have to be Nikki, who was hurt in the past and has to learn to trust again. It’s a hard thing to do, but in my opinion Nikki just might be the strongest heroine in the series.

What kind of music did you listen to while (that inspired?) writing Chain Reaction?

Ridin’ Solo by Jason Derulo, Thanks for the Memories by Fall Out Boy, Gives you Hell by The All-American Rejects, and Take a Bow by Rihanna, and Someday by Mariah Carey.

How do you see yourself in your main characters in Chain Reaction?

I was hurt by a boy when I was a teen, so I completely sympathize with Nikki. I also love the way Luis wants to fix everything by himself, without help from his brothers. I’m definitely like Luis, because I try to do things by myself without asking for help…even when I need it!

Simone's Newest book was
released on August 16, 2011



This is the Chain Reaction Trailer
to see them all check out Simone's Youtube

Thanks so much to Simone for answering all the questions. This was my first author interview and I was really nervous, and I didn't want to mess it up. I am a HUGE fan!

For a full list of Simone's books visit her WEBSITE

Thanks SO much to Hannah-Beth, she contributed half the questions, and they were great!
Thanks to Danielle for all her patience and advice.

Get more info on Chain Reaction:
Goodreads ||| Amazon ||| IndieBound ||| Book Depository |||| Barnes & Noble

The author on the web:
Website ||| Twitter ||| YouTube