2011 Debut Author Challenge: 2/12

The third annual Debut Author Challenge hosted by The Story Siren.

2011 Debut Author Challenge: To read at least twelve novels from debut Young Adult or Middle Grade Authors.

This is book 2/12

The Water Wars by Cameron Stracher

Goodreads summary:
Vera and her brother, Will, live in the shadow of the Great Panic, in a country that has collapsed from environmental catastrophe. Water is hoarded by governments, rivers are dammed, and clouds are sucked from the sky. But then Vera befriends Kai, who seems to have limitless access to fresh water. When Kai suddenly disappears, Vera and Will set off on a dangerous journey in search of him-pursued by pirates, a paramilitary group, and greedy corporations.
Timely and eerily familiar, acclaimed author Cameron Stracher makes a stunning YA debut that's impossible to forget.

My thoughts: 5/5
I love the cover; it's very eye-catching. (Sorry, I couldn't resist.)

It starts off slow giving the reader a chance to know and care about what happens to the main characters; Vera, Will, and Kai - something a lot of books fail to do - but it quickly becomes very fast-paced and full of perils. Even the minor characters are interesting as you learn if they are friend or foe.

Be sure to read it with a tall glass of ice water handy, it can be a very dry read. (No, I couldn't resist that one either!)

Friday56: Water Wars

Rules:
* Grab the book nearest you.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find any sentence that grabs you.
* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or if you do not have your own blog you can post on Freda's comment section.
* Post a link along with your post back to Freda's Voice

Closest Book: Water Wars

Author: Cameron Stracher

Page 56: Everyone knew there was no water for miles, he insisted.

"Waiting On" Wednesday: Vampire Mine

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Vampire Mine - Kerrelyn Sparks
Publication: March 29, 2011

From Goodreads:

Nothing on earth can make this vampire fall in love . . .

After 499 years of existence, Connor Buchanan has arrived at an inescapable conclusion: he is a cold-hearted SOB. He's been watching his friends—those poor romantic fools—plummet off the cliff into love like a dazed herd of sheep. But not Connor. He knows that love leads to nothing but heartache.
Until Marielle . . .
She is an angel cast down from heaven for disobedience. Trapped in mortal form, she finds a protector in Connor, a Scottish vampire haunted by a dark past. Marielle hopes to heal his broken heart and earn her way back home, but suddenly she has these . . . feelings. This strange yet pleasant physical yearning—for a vampire! Is this the work of a demon luring her into hell, or has this angel found heavenly bliss?

Teaser Tuesdays: The Lost Saint

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

~*Grab your current read
~*Open to a random page
~*Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

The Lost Saint (The Dark Divine #2) by Bree Despain

Tears stung behind my eyes, but I forced them back. Bursting out crying right now wasn't going to convince anyone that I was the pinnacle of control.

~* page 146

2011 Debut Author Challenge: 1/12

The third annual Debut Author Challenge hosted by The Story Siren.

2011 Debut Author Challenge: To read at least twelve novels from debut Young Adult or Middle Grade Authors.

This is book 1/12

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Goodreads summary:
Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.
Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone-one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship-tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.
Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

The book comes with a reversible cover with a map of the ship:
The end flap has a picture of Amy while she was frozen and how Elder first saw her:


My thoughts: 5/5
This isn't an easy to read book; it leaves you feeling disturbed yet hopeful.
The plot has plenty of twists and it twists the reader along with it.
It is truly an emotional ride, especially with Amy's and Elder's alternating POV and their on-going trails as they cope when secrets start to unfold within the confines of the ship.



The people onboard are supervised by Eldest and his protégé, Elder. The people are organized into three groups; Keepers, Shippers, and Feeders as indicated by the levels of the ship. All live in harmony until their lives are disrupted when someone new and different awakens.

Explore the ship, Godspeed - HERE

I highly recommend "Across the Universe" by Beth Revis to anyone who likes sci-fi and futuristic stories.

"Waiting On" Wednesday: Red Glove

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Red Glove (Curse Workers #2) by Holly Black
Publication: April 5th 2011

The cons get twistier and the stakes get higher in Red Glove, the sequel to White Cat.

Teaser Tuesdays: The Amaranth Enchantment

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

~*Grab your current read
~*Open to a random page
~*Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

The Amaranth Enchantment by Julie Berry

Papa and Mama and I were dancing, round and round in the ballroom. I arched my back and let Papa's strong arms carry me, while overhead the gilt chandlier spun.

~* page 55