272 pgs.
Target audience: Young adult
Rating: Wizard
Vintage clothes come with their very own special history which takes on an altogether new meaning for young Louise, a fashion conscious vintage shopper. Just a she is thinking about what dress to wear for the upcoming school dance, she receives a mysterious invitation to a new vintage clothing shop. With her mousy brown air, braces and flat chest, Louise dreams of a life as a star in the golden age of Hollywood cinema. At first the new vintage shop seems like a joke with its run down appearance, eccentric owners and complete and utter lack of customers. But Louise soon finds herself enchanted by the plethora of fashion originals that surround her. As soon as she tries on a shimmering gown of pink perfection, she blacks out only to wake up on a grand ocean liner in the body of a famous Hollywood actress. In the mirror she sees herself, but to everyone else she's the talented Miss Baxter. This new role seems like a fun fantasy until she discovers over dinner that this isn't just any ship, it's the H.M.S. Titanic and we all know how that ends. Louise's time traveling adventure takes on an alarmingly desparate turn as she frantically tries to warn the captain of the impending crash all the while searching for a way back to her own time. The last chapter includes the detailed research Louise does on the people whom she met while on that fateful voyage bringing a historical depth to this fun new fantasy series.
(8/12/11)
Genetically engineered perfection proves disastrous in Wither by Lauren DeStefano, a new addition to young adult dystopian fiction. Their success in creating a disease free and practically immortal humanity accidentally introduces a virus into human DNA. As a result all women live only to age twenty and men to age twenty-five. Panic, poverty and despair reign as girls as young as thirteen are farmed out to be married and turned into baby producing machines in a desparate attempt to preserve the human race. Rhine, kidnapped from her home which she shares with her brother, is sold into a polygamous marriage to a rich man, Linden. She and her sister wives, Cecily and Jenna, are trapped in a fancy prison-like mansion where they're expected to perform their new duties with enthusiasm while outside the rest of the world is trapped in poverty, crime and death. Their marriage is deemed necessary because Linden's father is a scientist bent on discovering a cure for the virus and he needs subjects. Eager to escape and reunite with her brother, Rhine befriends one of the mansion's staff and together they uncover some alarming secrets behind the experiments done in the name of science in the dank and dismal basement forbidden to all but Linden's father. This was truly a gripping book, I could not put it down. A compelling start to the Chemical Garden Trilogy. Fans of Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Bumped by Megan Mccafferty and Eve by Anna Carey (Published 10/11)n will eat this book up.



(8/5/11) Hollow by Jessica Verday
As befits the title of the first installment in this trilogy, it is thoroughly steeped in the Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Abbey sruggles in the wake of her best friend's disappearance and presumed death from a legendary bridge. Unable to process her grief, Abbey splits her time between their favorite hang-outs, the Crane river bank and Washington Irving's grave. But the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery has much more in store for the troubled girl. She cautiously befriends an old caretaker, Nicholas, and a mysterioius and deliciously hot teen, Caspian who later reveal themselves to be mortal enemies. The more she finds out, the murkier and spookier reality becomes. The combination of Sleepy Hollow legend and romance lend this fantasy a surreal quality. This is not a scary horror book but more about forbidden romance. Highly recommended for fans of Twilight by Stephenie Meyer and Shiver by Magge Stiefvater.
(8/1/11) The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

(7/28/11)
YA fiction is currently teeming with supernatural romances with no signs of slowing down. Girl falls for the impossibly gorgeous________ vampire, werewolf, immortal, angel, revenant - just fill in the blank. I'm thrilled since I cannot seem to get enough of them. I'll be the first to admit to picking up a book based on its cover and Die for Me by Amy Plum was an instant hit. After the death of their parents, Kate and Georgie move to Paris to live with their grandparents. The two sisters couldn't be more different. While the ever popular Georgie grieves by plunging herself into the French social scene, Kate prefers to draw into herself spending her days in museums or reading at sidewalk cafes until she sees Vincent, that is.He's of course gorgeous, aloof, mysterious and way out of her league. One night when Kate and Georgie are out late, they see the rescue of a young girl about to jump off a bridge. One of her rescuers is none other than Vincent who turns out to be a Revenant bound to a centuries-old war with their evil counterparts. This stunning debut is packed with romance, thrills and heart-stopping action. Also included is some great sword fighting scenes and lovely medieval weaponry. The Parisian backdrop literally comes alive in this brilliant addition to the supernatural romance genre.

Cool blog :)
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