We've Moved!

Dear Book Brats Friends,

Due in part to Blogger's recent antics, and due in another part to my desire to be like the cool kids (DAMN YOU PEER PRESSURE!), I have decided that it is time for Book Brats to move on to bigger, greener pastures. And trust me - this new pasture is AMAZING. And you should come and join me.

Starting from today on, Book Brats Reviews will be located at...

http://book-brats.com

Be sure to update your bookmarks and start following me via Feedburner or email! Believe me, this only takes a few seconds and will make my day. And you can find all your favorite posts and new ones at the new site. So stop by, say hello, and help me break in my new home!

Thanks again for all your support! I LOVE YOU ALL!

---Megan

The Book Brats Most Anticipated Books of 2012 - PART ONE

The Book Brats Most Anticipated Books of 2012

January-April Edition

There comes a time in every reviewers life when they look at Goodreads and see the lists of books to come out in the coming months and they squee a little. For me, that was January 8th, when this post was constructed. But if you are reading this, it's at least the 10th because that's when this post goes up. But enough with the rambles! I have decided that I need to feature my TOP TEN anticipated books of January through April, including some books I already have on my shelves yet to read. Please bear with me as I argue with myself and try to explain why I am not insane. This ramble should prove that I am indeed off my rocker. Also, this is mostly YA. I think somehow I am becoming a YA blogger, LOL.

Under The Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

UNDER THE NEVER SKY (Under the Never Sky #1) by Veronica Rossi

Published January 3rd, 2012 by HarperCollins

384 Pages // Hardcover
Received From NetGalley For Honest Review

My Rating: ♥♥♥♥

View on Goodreads

Buy on Amazon

Author's Website

Aria is a teenager in the enclosed city of Reverie. Like all Dwellers, she spends her time with friends in virtual environments, called Realms, accessed through an eyepiece called a Smarteye. Aria enjoys the Realms and the easy life in Reverie. When she is forced out of the pod for a crime she did not commit, she believes her death is imminent. The outside world is known as The Death Shop, with danger in every direction. 

As an Outsider, Perry has always known hunger, vicious predators, and violent energy storms from the swirling electrified atmosphere called the Aether. A bit of an outcast even among his hunting tribe, Perry withstands these daily tests with his exceptional abilities, as he is gifted with powerful senses that enable him to scent danger, food and even human emotions. 

They come together reluctantly, for Aria must depend on Perry, whom she considers a barbarian, to help her get back to Reverie, while Perry needs Aria to help unravel the mystery of his beloved nephew’s abduction by the Dwellers. Together they embark on a journey challenged as much by their prejudices as by encounters with cannibals and wolves. But to their surprise, Aria and Perry forge an unlikely love - one that will forever change the fate of all who live UNDER THE NEVER SKY.

 

With all the hype surrounding it, UNDER THE NEVER SKY is not a book you can avoid – for long. After some wariness, I got myself a copy and dove in. Let’s just say that the hype on this one isn’t wrong, at least when it comes to me, a girl notoriously frightened by hype and more often than not surprisingly disappointed. With a strong mix of post-apocalyptic drama (not really fully dystopian in my opinion), awesome science fiction attributes, and mesmerizing adventures, UNDER THE NEVER SKY is a strong debut from an author who will definitely become one to watch for me.

In My Mailbox (19)

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by Kristi from The Story Siren, where you get to show off all your fun new purchases/gifts/received books of various sorts for the week! And no, still not doing a vlog, LOL. Maybe one day while I wear a ski mask and use a voice synthesizer, or hide in the shadows, or force my cat to present it to you.

This week was pretty good for books, especially thanks to the AMAZING Michelle at Michelle's Book Blog for her wonderful RAK package and the people at Macmillan and its various imprints! You guys seriously rock my world. Also, quick note, but expect my review of UNDER THE NEVER SKY tomorrow. Just a heads up so you can plan now to come back by and see. Anyway, check out what I got in my mailbox this week!

January Saturday Swap!

Hosted by Ruby at Ruby's Reads, Saturday Swap is a chance for you to post what you have available to swap - and what you are looking for. I don't have much to be honest, but I would love to put them up here and see if anyone is interested in swapping.

I have two wishlists - one on Amazon and one on Goodreads. I don't mind the format - ARC, hardcover, paperback, but I will trade two paperbacks for one hardcover on my wishlist. I will also take any offers you might have as long as it's YA, adult urban fantasy or paranormal romance, or something along the lines of Confessions of a Shopaholic or Devil Wears Prada.

The top five books on my wishlist, though, are - Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor, Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver, Delirium by Lauren Oliver, Blood Red Road by Moira Young, and Everneath by Brodi Ashton. You can find my offerings behind the cut!

You can email me at bookbrats at gmail dot com with any proposals! US only, please!

Book Brats On... The Author/Reviewer Relationship

Or… Megan’s Thoughts on being a blogger and aspiring writer.

I am sure many of you have seen the recent author versus blogger fiascos going around the interwebs. If you’re a blogger, it’s not hard to miss. Authors mocking reviewers, authors sending nasty emails about reviewers that then leak, authors posting angry rants on their websites and then deleting them after the damage has been done. It’s really nothing new, but somehow these specific events have blown up in the last four or five days. And it’s clear that damage can and has been done to reputations and opinions.

I am not going to name names, but if you browse Goodreads or Twitter, you can find exactly who did what. And I know many people have blogged about this and the relationship between authors and reviewers, specifically those of us who have blogs and post to Goodreads and Amazon and LibraryThing and the like. But I wanted to approach this from a different angle. As you probably know, I am a reviewer and an aspiring author. In fact, I plan on querying a project with agents within the coming months.

When She Woke by Hillary Jordan (REVIEW)

WHEN SHE WOKE by Hillary Jordan
Published October 4th, 2011 by Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill
341 Pages // Hardcover
Borrowed from Library
Goodreads
Purchase from Amazon

Hannah Payne’s life has been devoted to church and family. But after she’s convicted of murder, she awakens to a nightmarish new life. She finds herself lying on a table in a bare room, covered only by a paper gown, with cameras broadcasting her every move to millions at home, for whom observing new Chromes—criminals whose skin color has been genetically altered to match the class of their crime—is a sinister form of entertainment. Hannah is a Red for the crime of murder. The victim, says the State of Texas, was her unborn child, and Hannah is determined to protect the identity of the father, a public figure with whom she shared a fierce and forbidden love. 

A powerful reimagining of The Scarlet Letter, When She Woke is a timely fable about a stigmatized woman struggling to navigate an America of the not-too-distant future, where the line between church and state has been eradicated, and convicted felons are no longer imprisoned but chromed and released back into the population to survive as best they can. In seeking a path to safety in an alien and hostile world, Hannah unknowingly embarks on a journey of self-discovery that forces her to question the values she once held true and the righteousness of a country that politicizes faith and love.

I had heard about WHEN SHE WOKE for months before it came out. Even my mother had heard about the book through her book clubs and sources for information. And then what did I do? Well, I might have put off reading it… And put it off… And checked it out from the library… And put it off. Then I picked it up as my due date grew closer and closer. Once I started reading it, there was no stopping. By the end, this book flew onto my favorites shelf and I was desperate to tell the world about the amazingness I had just read.

Waiting on Wednesday (21)

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking The Spine!
 
This week I am waiting on...

THE VANISHING GAME by Kate Kae Myers
Publishes February 14, 2012 by Bloomsbury USA
368 Pages

Jocelyn's twin brother Jack was the only family she had growing up in a world of foster homes-and now he's dead, and she has nothing. Then she gets a cryptic letter from "Jason December"-the code name her brother used to use when they were children at Seale House, a terrifying foster home that they believed had dark powers. Only one other person knows about Jason December: Noah, Jocelyn's childhood crush and their only real friend among the troubled children at Seale House.

But when Jocelyn returns to Seale House and the city where she last saw Noah, she gets more than she bargained for. Turns out the house's powers weren't just a figment of a childish imagination. And someone is following Jocelyn. Is Jack still alive? And if he is, what kind of trouble is he in? The answer is revealed in a shocking twist that turns this story on its head and will send readers straight back to page 1 to read the book in a whole new light.

If you know me, you might know I am a big fan of horror. I haven't read ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD yet, but I am going to, so YA horror is rather new to me. But trust me, I love horror. And mystery. Stephen King, for example, is one of my heroes in life. So I cannot wait for this one to drop. IT SOUNDS SO GOOD.


What are YOU waiting on this Wednesday?

Kiss of Frost by Jennifer Estep (REVIEW)

KISS OF FROST (Mythos Academy #2) by Jennifer Estep

354 Pages // Paperback

Published November 29, 2011 by Kensington Teen

Received for Review from Publisher

Rating: 4 Hearts

I’m Gwen Frost, a second-year warrior-in-training at Mythos Acad­emy, and I have no idea how I’m going to sur­vive the rest of the semes­ter. One day, I’m get­ting schooled in sword­play by the guy who broke my heart—the drop-dead gor­geous Logan who slays me every time. Then, an invis­i­ble archer in the Library of Antiq­ui­ties decides to use me for tar­get prac­tice. And now, I find out that some­one at the acad­emy is really a Reaper bad guy who wants me dead. I’m afraid if I don’t learn how to live by the sword—with Logan’s help—I just might die by the sword...

KISS OF FROST is the sequel to the fun and exciting TOUCH OF FROST by Jennifer Estep, which probably was one of my favorite young adult books of 2011. I’m a sucker for fun and exciting and girl power, and while KISS OF FROST wasn’t quite as good as its predecessor, it was still a great YA novel that I wholeheartedly recommend. This series is full of action, excitement, romance, and great characters that will make you laugh and cry and fear for. Estep has a winning combination of a fun twist on the old “boarding school for superpowered teens” plot and great characters, which is why I will tell you this. YOU MUST READ THIS SERIES. And spoilers might be mentioned within.

In My Mailbox (18)

This week was EXCELLENT for books - buying books and borrowing books in particular. I didn't receive much in the mail for review, but I did receive quite a lot from Amazon or from the used book store or from my best friend's book shelf at her house before she left for her second-to-last semester-ish of grad school.

So click the cut and see what I have acquired this week!