{Review} Always Emily - Michaela MacColl

Always Emily by Michaela MacColl
Genre: YA Historical Fiction
Release Date: Apr 8 / 2014
Publisher: Chronicle Books

Emily and Charlotte Brontë are about as opposite as two sisters can be. Charlotte is practical and cautious; Emily is headstrong and imaginative. But they do have one thing in common: a love of writing. This shared passion will lead them to be two of the first published female novelists and authors of several enduring works of classic literature. But they’re not there yet. First, they have to figure out if there is a connection between a string of local burglaries, rumors that a neighbor’s death may not have been accidental, and the appearance on the moors of a mysterious and handsome stranger. The girls have a lot of knots to untangle—before someone else gets killed.

{Review} The Impossible Knife of Memory - Laurie Halse Anderson

The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson
Genre: YA Contemporary
Release Date: Jan 7 / 2014
Publisher: Viking Juvenile

For the past five years, Hayley Kincaid and her father, Andy, have been on the road, never staying long in one place as he struggles to escape the demons that have tortured him since his return from Iraq. Now they are back in the town where he grew up so Hayley can attend school. Perhaps, for the first time, Hayley can have a normal life, put aside her own painful memories, even have a relationship with Finn, the hot guy who obviously likes her but is hiding secrets of his own.

Will being back home help Andy’s PTSD, or will his terrible memories drag him to the edge of hell, and drugs push him over? The Impossible Knife of Memory is Laurie Halse Anderson at her finest: compelling, surprising, and impossible to put down.

{Review} Sekret - Lindsay Smith

Sekret by Lindsay Smith
Genre: YA Paranormal / Historical Fiction
Release Date: Apr 1 / 2014
Publisher: Roaring Book Press

An empty mind is a safe mind.

Yulia's father always taught her to hide her thoughts and control her emotions to survive the harsh realities of Soviet Russia. But when she's captured by the KGB and forced to work as a psychic spy with a mission to undermine the U.S. space program, she's thrust into a world of suspicion, deceit, and horrifying power. Yulia quickly realizes she can trust no one--not her KGB superiors or the other operatives vying for her attention--and must rely on her own wits and skills to survive in this world where no SEKRET can stay hidden for long.

{Weekly Craving} March 2014 #4

Weekly Craving is a weekly feature where I show you what's newly released on my TBR

{Mini Review} Don't Even Think About It - Sarah Mlynowski

Don't Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski
Genre: YA Contemporary / Paranormal
Release Date: Mar 11 / 2014
Publisher: Delacorte Press

Contemporary teen fiction with romance, secrets, scandals, and ESP from the author of Ten Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn't Have).

We weren't always like this. We used to be average New York City high school sophomores. Until our homeroom went for flu shots. We were prepared for some side effects. Maybe a headache. Maybe a sore arm. We definitely didn't expect to get telepathic powers. But suddenly we could hear what everyone was thinking. Our friends. Our parents. Our crushes. Now we all know that Tess is in love with her best friend, Teddy. That Mackenzie cheated on Cooper. That, um, Nurse Carmichael used to be a stripper.

Since we've kept our freakish skill a secret, we can sit next to the class brainiac and ace our tests. We can dump our boyfriends right before they dump us. We know what our friends really think of our jeans, our breath, our new bangs. We always know what's coming. Some of us will thrive. Some of us will crack. None of us will ever be the same.

So stop obsessing about your ex. We're always listening.

*A copy was provided by the publisher for review*

Thank you to Random House and Netgalley!

Don't Even Think About It is a pretty light and fun contemporary about what happened to a class of kids that got telepathy from vaccine. The way the story was narrated was quite different with "we" and "us", but it was easy to get used to. When the students suddenly developed ESP, everyone can suddenly listen in on everyone's thoughts and that way all the secrets were revealed. My favourite characters were probably BJ and Olivia. BJ was an interesting character because he didn't actually think differently than he acts. Olivia is quite and shy but now she's forced to share what she thinks with everyone. She also learns to be more open and grew as a person. I'd recommend this to people who just wants to read something short and fun!

{Review} Nil - Lynne Matson

Nil by Lynne Matson
Genre: YA Dystopia
Release Date: Mar 4 / 2014
Publisher: Henry Holt

On the mysterious island of Nil, the rules are set. You have one year. Exactly 365 days--to escape, or you die.

Seventeen-year-old Charley doesn’t know the rules. She doesn’t even know where she is. The last thing she remembers is blacking out, and when she wakes up, she’s lying naked in an empty rock field.

Lost and alone, Charley finds no sign of other people until she meets Thad, the gorgeous leader of a clan of teenage refugees. Soon Charley learns that leaving the island is harder than she thought . . . and so is falling in love. With Thad’s time running out, Charley realizes that to save their future, Charley must first save him. And on an island rife with dangers, their greatest threat is time.

{Weekly Craving} March 2014 #3

Weekly Craving is a feature where I show you what's newly released on my TBR