A Medina Hill Winner Redrawn!

For my contest Medina Hill, one of the winners, RKCharron, had already won another copy from another blog. So I drew out another winner!

oO Mariana Oo

Please email me your address ASAP to faked_sugartone at hotmail! I have received the rest of the winners' addresses so I will send that off once Mariana contacts me. Congrats!

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Title: Wintergirls
Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Age Group: Older Teens
# of Pages: 278
My Rating: 5/5

Size zero. No fat. No food.

With Lia refusing to take in any calories and her ex-best friend Cassie throwing up whatever she consumes, the are determined to be the skinniest girls. Then, Cassie dies alone in a motel room.

Every single day is a battle to lose more pounds for Lia. She pretends to gain weight by cheating the scale and makes sure to burn whatever she has in her stomach through exercise. She lives life like there is nothing wrong, that being anorexic is okay and that her old friend's death does not bother her. Except nothing is okay in her life at all.

Wintergirls definitely lived up to the hype that all YA reviewers rate it as. Written in a unique and mesmerizing style, Laurie Halse Anderson will keep the readers hooked through Lia's determined and obsessed behaviour as she tries to become skinnier and skinnier.

From the beginning, my attention was instantly grabbed by the author's distinguishing writing style. I like how Lia's guilt is shown through her being haunted by Cassie's ghost. It really brings out the emotions and fears of Lia through the novel. Not only that, but how she is so consumed by anorexia that it is scary but at the same time, addicting. I find her to be a pitiful character, but also so engaging because I am not used to that kind of person.

I thought there might have been a chance for romance because a male character by the name of Elijah appears midway of the story. He is quite a character, with piercings and tattoos and a laid-back but witty personality. Though unfortunately, he plays more of a friend role in this novel. If the author is to write a separate book about Elijah, with an overlap of the experience he had with Lia, I would definitely read it because he is definitely a one-of-a-kind male protagonist.

Anorexia is a rising issue among teen girls in the recent years, with the fact that the media is portraying thin and photoshopped women as beautiful. Anderson tackled the mindset of an anorexic and habitual cutter very well on how they think in such a warped way. Combined with her talented storytelling and memorable characters, Wintergirls is a riveting read I recommend 100%!

Review copy provided by Penguin Group (Canada).

Trailer Tuesday: The Hunchback Assignments by Arthur Slade

Title: The Hunchback Assignments
Author: Arthur Slade
Description: A gripping new series combines Steampunk, spying, and a fantastic Victorian London.

The mysterious Mr. Socrates rescues Modo, a child in a traveling freak show. Modo is a hunchback with an amazing ability to transform his appearance, and Mr. Socrates raises him in isolation as an agent for the Permanent Association, a spy agency behind Brittania’s efforts to rule the empire. At 14, Modo is left on the streets of London to fend for himself. When he encounters Octavia Milkweed, another Association agent, the two uncover a plot by the Clockword Guild behind the murders of important men. Furthermore, a mad scientist is turning orphan children into automatons to further the goals of the Guild. Modo and Octavia journey deep into the tunnels under London and discover a terrifying plot against the British government. It’s up to them to save their country.

I think this series target a slightly younger audience than the general YA fiction audience but it still sounds amazing! Like, steampunk? Not seen very often!

I have seen piles of The Hunchback Assignments at Costco last month and I was like, "Homg, the author added me on Twitter not too long ago!" Haha!

Medina Hill Winners

The winners of Medina Hill have been drawn! If you are a winner, please contact me with your address at faked_sugartone at hotmail, thanks and congrats!

RKCharron
Kelsey
Sara
Golly Golly Miss Holly
CherylS22

In My Mailbox - XLVIII

To do your own In My Mailbox, please check out how to at The Story Siren!

The Borrowed

None

The Bought

None

The Received

The Otherworldlies by Jennifer Ann Kogler
The Espressologist by Kristina Springer
The Girl with the Mermaid Hair by Delia Ephron

Thank you Jessica Secret for The Otherworldlies!

I have already drawn the winners for the 5 copies of Medina Hill but the results are on my other computer. I am having a pretty crappy day and I don't want to go through the hassle to turn on my PC. Please bear with me, I'll have the winners up sometime this week.

I have received an email from Lowell Dempsey who would like me to spread a word to you guys about Motionbox. I know that some YA book bloggers like to upload videos for memes such as IMM or for their own personal thing. If you are one, you might like to check out Motionbox.

"Motionbox makes it easy for individuals and families to upload, edit, store, and share their personal video memories, including those that have been captured in High Definition. In addition to free membership options, Motionbox a subscription-based Premium service featuring HD playback and sharing, unlimited storage, and download capabilities, and a Professional video hosting solution for small businesses and organizations."

Anyone who signs up within November may be one of the three lucky winners to get a free Roku player!

Akira by Katsuhiro Otomo

Title: Akira
Mangaka: Katsuhiro Otomo
Age Group: Older Teens
Series is: Completed with 6 volumes
Volume(s) Reviewing: 1
My Rating: 3/5

After World War III, Tokyo was rebuilt upon what was left of an unknown blast that left the city in ruins.

Two rebellious best friends never thought they would turn on each other. One day, they are biking down the streets with their gang. Until Tetsuo gets into an accident, trying to avoid running over a passerby. With him taken away to be cared for, Kaneda does not know that their friendship will never be the same again. Paranormal activities suddenly arise, secret organizations come out into play, and there is a mysterious and absolutely powerful force that exists to destroy the entire planet.

For all anime and manga fans out there, Akira was known to be one of the biggest series back in the 80s. I could definitely see why it was extremely popular but unfortunately, I am not a fan of it.

With over 350 pages, the first volume of Akira follows a fast-paced action story that revolves mainly around Kaneda as he get dragged into this underground world, trying to understand what had happened to Tetsuo. It is the kind of manga where you would have to read it slowly and take in everything to understand it clearly. I thought the setup was way too shonen for my liking. Kaneda's and Tetsuo's friends were all delinquents along with themselves and they go to a school where no one cares as students disrespect their teachers and so on. Unlike the characters you see today in mangas with colourful hairs and distinctive looks, in Akira all of the characters were portrayed after real people. It got me mixed up who was who because everyone looked somewhat similar.

I noticed that Akira, as an earlier manga, panels were quite American. As in, they do not overlap each other and leads you cleanly to the next picture. I did, however, liked the attention Otomo put into the backgrounds. The time and dedication was really shown in his artwork if you observe the characters' expressions and giant buildings.

I suggest Akira for fans of sci-fi mangas that still work around realism. It is very lengthy and the reader must have patience to read through it to fully enjoy.

Review copy provided by Del Rey.

Little Black Lies by Tish Cohen

Title: Little Black Lies
Author: Tish Cohen
Age Group: Teens
# of Pages: 320
My Rating: 4/5

Going into Anton High is like going to Harvard, except it is a public high school that does not accept you if you do not get in the first year. Unless you are Sara Black, who's father received a janitor position within this prestigious school.

When she first arrives, she has no plan on lying about where she is from. She is from Lundon, but of Massachusetts, not England. At that point on, little white lies start slipping out and she has a hard time stopping herself. Especially when she is in the presence of Carling, one of the popular girls around. Before she knows it, almost everything everyone within Anton knows of her is not true.

It's not that bad, right? As long as no one finds out?

I found Little Black Lies to be quite a refreshing read. The protagonist's home life is not at all grand and dandy. Her father has OCD and her mother left them for Sara's science teacher. She unfortunately is the product of her parents' quick fun time in high school. So with a semi-messed up life like that, she couldn't help but fib... and fib some more.

In the beginning of the novel, I wasn't into it yet since it was not that eventful. Once I was about midway into the story, it started to pique my interest. Sara understood what she was doing was wrong but the web of lies spun out of control because they built upon each other. There were times where I pitied her and other times where I looked down upon what she did. I personally would never befriend her because of her past actions, making me doubt if I could trust her. Though I would not hate her for what she did because as a person, there is always a second chance to fix past mistakes and move on.

I was surprised that the romantic content was not as focused on as much as I thought it would be. Most of the time in realistic novels, there would be quite a bit about the main girl and her crush or whatnot. I found it fresh how the author wanted to focus upon Sara and how she learns more about herself with every action she executes.

I recommend Little Black Lies to those who like the concept of the protagonist trying to adapt by lying her way into a crowd and with interesting ending results.

Review copy provided by EgmontUSA.