YA WATCH (5/26 - 6/2)

So remember back in the day when I used to do YA WATCH? If you're new around here, YA WATCH was a feature where I showcased all the new reveals that happen around the publishing industry so you don't have to be running around for all types of new information!

I stopped doing it due to some discouraging events but now I am so pumped to start doing it again! It not only helps you guys be up to date, but helps me be up to date! And so, here we go!

"We moved about, slyphlike, portraying the restive dead"

Title: Gilt

Author: Katherine Longshore

Release Date: May 15th, 2012

Publisher: Viking (Penguin)

Pages: 398

Edition: Hardcover

Cover Judge: I love the font but i'm not crazy about the cover.

Quote Choice: This scene was beautifully written!
Source: Gifted

Goodreads: Link

In the court of King Henry VIII, nothing is free—and love comes at the highest price of all.
When Kitty Tylney’s best friend, Catherine Howard, worms her way into King Henry VIII’s heart and brings Kitty to court, she’s thrust into a world filled with fabulous gowns, sparkling jewels, and elegant parties. No longer stuck in Cat’s shadow, Kitty’s now caught between two men—the object of her affection and the object of her desire. But court is also full of secrets, lies, and sordid affairs, and as Kitty witnesses Cat’s meteoric rise and fall as queen, she must figure out how to keep being a good friend when the price of telling the truth could literally be her head.

Longshore sure knows how to take your heart and break it and then mend it and then break it and then give you a little bit of hope in the end. So on that note, let's dive into this review!

I love historical fiction and this is no secret. Some of my favorite books include things such as Between Shades of Gray, Revolution, Vixen, The Gemma Doyle Trilogy, etc. So it's only natural that I was dying for this book. I simply think there aren't enough YA books about the Tudors; probably because all of his wives were older in terms that they weren't in there teen years. The exception of course, was Catherine Howard. Oh, Cat. How I want to smack your pretty little face.

So going into this book, I didn't except it to be in someone's else point of view. But we are taken into this world by Catherine's best friend Kitty who views it with this child-like wonder and innocence that was severely lacking in court. I thought I was going to get to see a softer side to Cat that isn't shown well...anywhere because she has quite the reputation in history for being mean and obnoxious. And oh, history is not wrong. Although there were scenes were I felt genuine sympathy for her, most of the time she was just a spoiled brat who take advantage of Kitty's devotion to her and manipulated everyone to play her games and get her way. But this didn't take away from the book at all. Instead, it accentuated everything I loved in Kitty: her loyalty even to people who had wronged her, her determination, and her love. She was a fantastic heroine even if I wanted to shake her for still listening to Cat.

The plot in itself is naturally interesting to me as a history nerd but seriously, who wouldn't be interested? Court life during the Tudors years was like a high school full of secret affairs and gossip (except with more beheading). The writing has the elegant style of historical fiction without all the stuffy and overwrought purple-prose.

And of course I have to mention the romance because seriously, I'm me! Oh, my heart, guys. Kitty meets her boy very early on in the book and watching the rise and fall of their relationship sync with the rise and fall of Cat's marriage and ultimate end was so heart-breaking for me. It was so frustrating seeing Kitty make the wrong decisions because of her unwavering loyalty but Longshore does give us some hope in the end.

Overall, loved it!
Happy Reading!

THOUGHTS OF AN E-CARD:

Food For Thought: Second-Book Syndrome (5)

So I've mentioned Second-Book Syndrome before in passing but I don't think I've ever actually talked extensively about it!

Second-Book Syndrome is a disorder common in mid-series titles (mostly in trilogies and the like) and one of the biggest signs of SBS is THE DREADED MYSTERY BOY.

Who is the dreaded mystery boy, you ask? That's the boy who just waltzes in to the story to serve no purpose except to shake up the romance and provide (most of the time) cheap conflict THAT FRUSTRATES ME! I don't understand the purpose of bringing in some random guy to get in the way of my FABULOUS COUPLE and break everyone's heart. Of course, there's always amazing exceptions that blow you away and all of a sudden you're in love with this new person and he serves an actual purpose to what's going on.

But most of the time? I want to pull my hair out.

This is how it goes down:

Love interest comes in all handsome-like. Probably a Mysterious Loner Guy or THE ENEMY.

And then this ends up happening. 

And this is what they expect me to do.

But this is me instead. 

And then ALL OF THE SUDDEN THIS GIRL IS CONFUSED.

An amazing book that provides conflict between the two love interests without resorting to bringing in a second love interest:
Insurgent by Veronica Roth. This book does this SO WELL. Tris and Four really evolve as a couple and your heart gets broken and then mended but not because some guy waltzes in to try to mess everything up.

What are some other amazing second-books that don't do this? Do you think that this is a good plot device? And oh, oh, can you think of any books that do this well?

Happy Reading!

"Oh. That's right, these are the flavored ones."

Title: Purity

Author: Jackson Pearce

Release Date: April 24th, 2012

Publisher: Little Brown

Pages: 218

Edition: Hardcover

Cover Judge: It's cute! And simple. I like cute and simple.  

Quote Choice: This scene. I loved this scene.
Source: For Review

Goodreads: Link

A novel about love, loss, and sex -- but not necessarily in that order.
Before her mother died, Shelby promised three things: to listen to her father, to love as much as possible, and to live without restraint. Those Promises become harder to keep when Shelby's father joins the planning committee for the Princess Ball, an annual dance that ends with a ceremonial vow to live pure lives -- in other words, no "bad behavior," no breaking the rules, and definitely no sex.
Torn between Promises One and Three, Shelby makes a decision -- to exploit a loophole and lose her virginity before taking the vow. But somewhere between failed hookup attempts and helping her dad plan the ball, Shelby starts to understand what her mother really meant, what her father really needs, and who really has the right to her purity.

So I've mentioned before that Jackson Pearce's book are usually a hit or miss for me and sadly, this time, it was...sort of both? Maybe? I think more of a miss but let's get my thoughts together.

The book surrounds a girl named Shelby who made three promises to her mother before she died: to love and listen to her father, to love as much as possible, and to live without restiant. I imagine that because she was a child when she made these promises and unaware at the moment of making them that it was going to be the last time she saw her mother, she was traumatized into following them...extremely. So when her father decides they should attend the Purity ball which includes vowing to her father to remain a virgin until marriage, she decides the only loophole is to lose her virginity before the ball. I think this whole plot line was my major problem with the story: I just seemed crazy for me for Shelby to take the promises to the extreme she does. She follows her father's rules so exactly that she doesn't try to reason with him or talk to him. Instead, she just skirts around the issue and goes whatever he says, even if she doesn't want to. I don't think her mother meant to do that and even though Shelby realizes this, I wanted to shake her and just be like: DUH!

But at the same time, I've never experienced something as awful as what happened to Shelby so I don't know how I would react in that position. Shelby was a good character overall: funny and sweet and incredibly loyal, even at a fault. The side characters Ruby and Jonas were my favorite parts about the book and it was lovely seeing them. Ruby was sassy and charming while Jonas  was just so adorable with his list-making and loyalty to Shelby. Also, Pearce knows how to write delightfully awkward and funny scenes. Her writing style is simple and easy to follow while still managing an authentic teenage voice.

The romance isn't the focal point of the novel as it is with most of Pearce's work. It wasn't about Shelby realizing who she wanted in the first place but about Shelby learning that she has to talk to her father and honor her mother's memory the right way instead of doing crazy things. On the other hand, I loved her bucket list. In the end, I ended up skimming the end and just reading the final chapter because I didn't feel like reading the big revelation where she realizes her mom didn't mean what she thought she had meant because I was just like: DUDE, of course she didn't.

Overall, a book that people will enjoy but the plot just didn't work for me.
Happy Reading!

MY THOUGHTS ON AN E-CARD:

YA Books and Cursing: There Are No Asterisks in Real Life

So I was roaming around the lovely Forever Young Adult blog (which seriously guys, is my favorite blog. Go there!) and I saw their post on this article by Brigham Young University about a study on how much cursing there is in Teen Books. These kinds of issues always give me pause because as a teenager, I probably hear an average of...what, 100 or more curse words a day? Walking down the hallway, in class, hell, even from myself (i'm a bit of a potty mouth, to be honest, but i'm working on it).

So instead I want to dissect this article and talk about it because I feel like this is something that is discussed a ton by teachers and parents and authority figures as if I have no idea what the word 'shit' means.

Bestselling authors of teen literature portray their more foul-mouthed characters as rich, attractive and popular, a new study finds.

Books about popular girls? What? Where? I can probably count the number of books I've read where the main character is rich, finds themselves attractive, and popular on..two hands? Maybe even one.

Coyne was intrigued not just by how much swearing happens in teen lit, but who was swearing: Those with higher social status, better looks and more money.
“From a social learning standpoint, this is really important because adolescents are more likely to imitate media characters portrayed in positive, desirable ways,” Coyne said.

I can't really speak for anyone but the reason I curse is because 'frick' is not going to express how i'm feeling at the moment whether it be anger, exasperation, or happiness. I don't really think there's people out there who curse because they think they'll be more popular and look better because of it but you know, I don't know everyone in the world. I do, however, know the people in my High School and this just doesn't make any sense.

I think when it comes to the "dark material" in YA, there are always going to be people who have a problem with whether it be drinking, partying, doing drugs, or anything like that. I've had people comment on reviews of books that I liked saying they didn't like that the character had some drinks at a party. I personally think it's a bit silly: I may not drink but I know plenty, plenty of people who do when they're in a party setting. And yes, I do know people who have had bad consequences from it (I happen to know someone who got alcohol poisoning) but I really doubt it was because of a book they read. In fact, I think it's much more plausible that it was their friends offering them something and not wanting to look like a lightweight. That, I can understand.

“Unlike almost every other type of media, there are no content warnings or any indication if there is extremely high levels of profanity in adolescent novels,” Coyne said. “Parents should talk with their children about the books they are reading.”

This, I actually do agree with. I don't talk to my mom about what I read much but I know that she trusts me enough to know what I am or am not ready for. And while we don't have lengthy discussions about the things I watch (but considering I watch Games of Thrones with her, she knows I know what sex is), I think it's good for teens to go to their parents and talk about things. It's better for a parent to let their kid read what they want and have a discussion about it then force the kid to go behind their back.

But what do you guys think?
Do any of you have kids? Do you let them pick out what they want?
Happy Reading!