Buzz Review and Giveaway: Impostor by Susanne Winnacker

Have you heard of IMPOSTOR yet? It doesn't come out until July 2013, but I have an ARC that I want to pass on to a reader because it's so much fun!

Let me tell you a bit about it.  Tessa is a variant who can change her appearance and become anyone. Rejected by her family, Tessa is recruited for a special branch of the FBI (full of variants with different special powers) and sent on a mission to impersonate a murder victim (a girl named Madison) and catch a serial killer.

I was super excited to read this because it's like a girl with the powers of X-Men's Mystique (but without the evil intentions) in a set-up similar to THE LIKENESS by Tana French (one of my favorite books ever).

IMPOSTOR's plot very much in the mystery/thriller vein - the story presents a bunch of likely candidates for Madison's murderer and Tessa has to narrow them down, before it's too late. But at the heart of the story is Tessa's desire to belong and her sweetly awkward romance with a fellow variant.

Intrigued?  For a chance to win an ARC of IMPOSTOR, simply fill out this form by Dec 20, 2012 at 11:59 pm CST. Open internationally!

Find out more about the book at the author's website.

FTC disclosure: ARC from author

Advance Buzz Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Goblin Fruit, the first story in Laini Taylor's LIPS TOUCH: THREE TIMES collection, is one of my favorite bits of writing ever.  Still, when I heard the premise of DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE - an angel and a demon once fell it in love and it did not end well - I thought it might be too high fantasy for my taste.

Fast forward to the YA Buzz Panel at BEA.  Laini's editor praised it with words like "best book ever" and I was intrigued enough to fight a crowd at the back of the room after the panel for a copy (the only book I can really say I made an effort - beyond line-standing - to get).

DAUGHTER starts out by introducing us to 17 year old Karou, a blue haired art student in Prague with a broken heart and a strange "family" of chimaera who run a magical shop that deals mysteriously in wishes and teeth.  Thanks to Laini's intoxicating writing and attention to detail, I was not only enthralled by Karou and the earthly locations she inhabits, but also by the stranger creatures and the "elsewhere" world they come from.  And this is no small feat - as the mere description of a monster or fantasy world usually makes me yawn and wish I were reading another book.

I don't want to talk too much about plot beyond the fact that Karou gets caught up in a war between angels and demons - except to say that I was surprised by where the book ended up (and yes, it's the first book in a series).  But I do want to give you a taste of some of the writing.  Here's a passage about Karou (and note that this quote is taken from a galley so may be different in the finished novel):

"Karou wished she could be the kind of girl who was complete unto herself, comfortable in solitude, serene. But she wasn't. She was lonely, and she feared the missingness within her as if it might expand and ... cancel her.  She craved a presence beside her, solid. Fingertips light at the nape of her neck and a voice meeting hers in the dark. Someone who would wait with an umbrella to walk her home in the rain, and smile like sunshine when he saw her coming. Who would dance with her on her balcony, keep his promises and know her secrets, and make a tiny world wherever he was, with just her and his arms and his whisper and her trust." (p. 71)

And so it is that I can end this review with a satisfied smile and tell you I fully expect this amazing novel to appear on my year end best list.  Be sure to get it when it comes out on September 27th.

Advance Buzz Book Review: Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez

The deal: Carmen is a 17 year old violin prodigy, already accepted to Julliard, already winner of a classical music Grammy. She is pushed to achieve increasing greater success by her mother Diana, a former opera singer who lost her promising career due to a medical condition.  As the story opens, Carmen is preparing for a prestigious violin competition that takes place only once every four years.  If Carmen wins, she’ll tour the world. Losing is not an option.  Her main competition is Jeremy - a handsome Brit who takes a romantic interest in her.

Despite her fame and talent, Carmen comes off as a very relatable teen. She’s sheltered by her controlling mother, which makes her naïve. The tension between Carmen and Jeremy (and between Carmen and her mother for that matter) is palpable and is the driving force behind the narrative – is Jeremy using Carmen or does he really care about her? Does Carmen’s mother have her best interests at heart or is she merely using Carmen as vehicle to restore her own broken dreams?

The narrative also affords the reader a fascinating inside look at the competitive world of classical music and what it takes to be world-class.  I loved it!


Add this to your wishlist if:  You're a fan of classical music, Glee and/or Sara Bennett Wealer's RIVAL. You like a romance with a twist.  Add at GoodReads.

VIRTUOSITY comes out October 18, 2011.  Find out more about it at the author's website.