2011 Debut Authors Challenge!

This is the 2nd year that I will be taking part in the Debut Authors Challenge run by Kristi over at The Story Siren.  As I myself hope to one day be a Debut Author--hey, a girl can hope--I'm always willing to give my support to other Debut Authors. Besides, I think they're the best kind anyway.  Sure, I have my favorites, but its Debut Authors that keep the Un-Published hopeful!  :)  So if you want to join in the challenge yourself--click here--and happy reading!

Reviews for this challenge:
1. UNEARTHLY by Cynthia Hand
2.

Book Review: HEX HALL

Title: Hex Hall
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Rating:
Good if...you liked Evernight and want the witch version.

Summary (Amazon):
Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father--an elusive European warlock--only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters. By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tagalong ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect. As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her.

My Review:
Okay--what's not to like? A girl, who's a witch, goes off to witch school where there are witches, warlocks, shapeshifters, fairies, ghosts, and even a vampire. The concept of this book is awesome even though I don't think Rachel Hawkins executed it quite to it's fully potential. Don't get me wrong--I really liked this book--I just wanted a little more. Witches were the main focus of the story and the other creatures (aside from her Vampire roommate) didn't get much play. But I did love all the spells, the cool magic, and her friendship with Jenna. My least favorite part of this book was all the unanswered questions at the end--I know that's the point of having a sequel but I needed just a little more closure. I guess I'll have to wait for DEMONGLASS which is due out in March 2011. Oh, and this really reminded me of the vampire novel EVERNIGHT only I liked Evernight just a bit more.

Book Review: GLIMMERGLASS

Title: Glimmerglass
Author: Jenna Black
Rating: 3/5 Stars
Good if...you're big into the whole faerie thing.

Summary (Amazon):
Dana Hathaway doesn’t know it yet, but she’s in big trouble. When her alcoholic mom shows up at her voice recital drunk, again, Dana decides she’s had enough and runs away to find her mysterious father in Avalon: the only place on Earth where the regular, everyday world and the captivating, magical world of Faerie intersect. But from the moment Dana sets foot in Avalon, everything goes wrong, for it turns out she isn't just an ordinary teenage girl—she's a Faeriewalker, a rare individual who can travel between both worlds, and the only person who can bring magic into the human world and technology into Faerie. Soon, Dana finds herself tangled up in a cutthroat game of Fae politics. Someone's trying to kill her, and everyone seems to want something from her, from her new found friends and family to Ethan, the hot Fae guy Dana figures she’ll never have a chance with… until she does. Caught between two worlds, Dana isn’t sure where she’ll ever fit in and who can be trusted, not to mention if her world will ever be normal again…

My thoughts:
So to be completely honest, I wasn't crazy about this one. Actually, my feelings toward it are pretty mediocre. In the beginning I was way into it, unable to put it down. But as the end neared I just wanted it to be over. I started skimming and rushing to get through it. I'm not saying it was bad. I'm not saying don't read. It just wasn't my favorite ever. So what made it go down hill for me? It just got kind of repetitive. I kept wondering when my questions would be answered. And in the end things with her and Ethan weren't really resolved. I guess that's what book 2 is for (Shadowspell, due out 2011), right?
Well...no.
I'm going to get a little off topic here. But lately a lot of new young adult books I've read have been very...unfinished. I feel like they're all solely written to set up from their coming sequels. Is this just a ploy to sell more books? Surely. But also getting surely annoying. Anyone else getting that feeling lately? I mean having sequels is all fine and dandy--I loved Hunger Games--but even though Hunger Games ended on a major cliff-hanger I still felt like it had a beginning, middle, and an end. I just hate when novels have a beginning and middle--but no end. I'm not saying I don't enjoy books with sequels. I just like to read a book and not necessarily have to read the sequel to enjoy it. Take Twilight. I almost wish I never read past Twilight. It was stand alone. I just want more stand alone books, I guess.

Book Review: THE BODY FINDER

Title: The Body Finder

Author: Kimberly Derting
Rating:
Good if...you want something softly romantic, yet heart stopping and dramatic at the same time

Summary (Amazon):
Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend since childhood, she is more disturbed by her "power" to sense dead bodies—or at least those that have been murdered. Since she was a little girl, she has felt the echoes the dead leave behind in the world . . . and the imprints that attach to their killers. Violet has never considered her strange talent to be a gift; it mostly just led her to find dead birds her cat left for her. But now that a serial killer is terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he's claimed haunt her daily, Violet realizes she might be the only person who can stop him. Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet find the murderer—and Violet is unnerved by her hope that Jay's intentions are much more than friendly. But even as she's falling intensely in love, Violet is getting closer and closer to discovering a killer . . . and becoming his prey herself.

My thoughts...
Wow. I really enjoyed this one. Let me go through all the reasons why. 1. Violet. She was sweet and likable and strong. It was a great combination. Every girl will be able to relate to her. 2. Jay. He was even sweeter and even more likable! I loved the romance that blossomed between him and Violet. 3. The mystery aspect. This book wasn't your typical paranormal romance. Actually the paranormal just lingered in the background. I enjoyed that. It wasn't smashed in your face. Violet and Jay's relationship took the lead which is really what interested me more. --So to reread or not to reread? Re-readable material! I want to own it. There were a couple points were it got a little dry and it wasn't impossible to put down. But other than that very nearly perfect. 4/5 Stars

--In 2011 Kimberly Derting releases another book called DESIRES OF THE DEAD. I'm not positive but I'm hoping this is a sequel.

Book Review: MARK

Title: The Mark

Author: Jen Nadol

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

Good if...you want something refreshingly unique, thought provoking, and beautiful.

Summary (Amazon):

Cassandra Renfield has always seen the mark—a glow around certain people reminiscent of candlelight. But the one time she mentioned it, it was dismissed as a trick of the light. Until the day she watches a man awash in the mark die. After searching her memories, Cassie realizes she can see a person’s imminent death. Not how or where, only when: today. Armed with a vague understanding of the light, Cassie begins to explore her “gift,” seeking those marked for death and probing the line between decision and destiny. Though she’s careful to hide her secret—even from her new philosophy-obsessed boyfriend—with each impending death comes the temptation to test fate. But so many questions remain. How does the mark work? Why is she the only one who sees it? And finally, the most important of all: If you know today is someone’s last, should you tell them?

My thoughts....

Wow. Where do I even start? First let me say, this has to be the most amazing cover ever! Before I even knew what this book was about I had to have it--for the cover alone. But (for once) the book matches the cover; meaning that it wasn't just a mediocre story with a piece of good marketing slapped on the front. It was an amazing story--thought provoking with a touch of darkness to it. There was no definded bad-guy in this story. It was all about Cassie. Her dealing with her parents' death, her Nan's death, her first real boyfriend--all of it while facing the mark. She grows and learns through the story. There never was any impeding danger--at least not to Cassie, but still I couldn't put it down!

4.5/5 Stars

2010 Debut Author Challenge

The 2010 Debut Author Challenge is hosted by Kristi of The Story Siren. (Information about the challenge can be found here)

To participate in this challenge I will be reading 12 books published by debut authors in 2010. That means I will be reading 1 per month. Link to list of Debut Novels.

1. January-- "Bleeding Violet" by Dia Reeves
2. Febuary-- "The Mark" by Jen Nadol
3. March-- None
4. April--"The Body Finder" by Kimberly Derting
5. May-- "The Iron King" by Julie Kagawa
6. June-- "Glimmerglass" by Jenna Black
7. July-- None
8. August-- "Hex Hall" by Rachel Hawkins