Special Saturday - NTTBF

Last Saturday I spent the day at the absolutely amazing first annual North Texas Teen Book Festival (Twitter - @NTTBFest) with my amazing librarian mother-in-law.

We didn't make it into either of the ticketed events, but the panels were amazing! I tweeted some of the highlights from the ones we went to (first two panels I mentioned instead of hashtagged, but I'll learn one day):

@sarahreesbrenna: "the toaster is a master swordsman!" @NTTBFest Secondary Education panel
— Julia (@byersj09) March 7, 2015 

— Julia (@byersj09) March 7, 2015

#nttbf15 Captivating Fantasies panel pic.twitter.com/UjN5aPTHJL
— Julia (@byersj09) March 7, 2015

#nttbf15 Captivating Fantasies panel: discussing #TheDress, #sweetorsalty, #teaorcoffee, and more #NTTBF15
— Julia (@byersj09) March 7, 2015

#nttbf15 Captivating Fantasies panel: challenges of fantasy: @raecarson "fantasy is still a bad word to some people."
— Julia (@byersj09) March 7, 2015

#nttbf15 Captivating Fantasies panel: "fantasy is a metaphor for exploring the human condition" @tessagratton
— Julia (@byersj09) March 7, 2015

#nttbf15 Thrill Ride panel: pic.twitter.com/vXtWq13RbI
— Julia (@byersj09) March 7, 2015

#nttbf15 Thrill Ride panel: what thrilled you as a teen? Kathy Reichs "skipping school"
— Julia (@byersj09) March 7, 2015

#nttbf15 ThrillRide: what are you afraid of? "There is a room full of ppl that could terrorize this entire panel"(snakes,monkeys,&jellyfish)
— Julia (@byersj09) March 7, 2015 

And while this was happening...

Met and actually talked to authors Carrie Ryan & C. Alexander London. Allie Condie was there too! #ntts2015 #Fangirling #stumblingoverwords
— Denise Byers (@dbyers1977) March 7, 2015 

the wonderful photographer that donated his time and talent to the event took this picture (caught her stumbling on her words!):

@ca_london This was one of my favorite photos from #NTTBF15 ! Thought you might like as well :) pic.twitter.com/tC0676aqlB
— Kristin Treviño (@kristin_trevino) March 9, 2015

To sum up,

Can I just hang out with all the authors from #NTTBF15? They were all just so much fun!
— Julia (@byersj09) March 8, 2015

While we didn't stay for any signings, we did hear from a lot of authors that are now on my to-read list, and I received some inspiration to keep on with what I'm doing. It was also really cool to hear them talk and see that they are just (mostly) normal (and incredibly funny) people. I don't know if events like this even existed when I was in school, but I think I would have loved them, and they are a great opportunity for the "young adults" out there to meet some amazing authors! I absolutely loved this event and WILL be going again.

Feature Friday - Alliances by S. Usher Evans

My Feature Fridays have started to have more of a review tone to them because I thought that might help me understand why I liked what I did, as well as giving others an idea of whether or not they would like it.

This weeks Feature Friday is the second in the Razia Series, Alliances. The amazing S. Usher Evans has done it again, bringing readers an adventure that had me at times laughing, at times tearing up, and other times having all the feels for Razia that are some mix of compassion and empathy and IDon'tKnowWhatElse. If you have not yet read it, Double Life is Book 1 in the series, &&you need to get on that (below may contain some spoilers, you've been warned).

We catch up with Razia about a year after the ending of Double Life. No longer on pirate probation, she's been doing a commendable job bounty-hunting, but getting none of the commendations. She is just as stubborn and unwilling to hear anyone out when they are saying anything she doesn't want to hear. When another female shows up in her territory, it's ON! Despite the unlikelihood of Razia joining forces with anyone, her and Lizbeth begin uncovering an operation much larger than either of them expected, and what they find will send them for a loop. 

Pros:

• Duo of strong women characters with their own set of strengths and weaknesses, as well as readily-equipped with witty banter.
• Idea that being feminine doesn't equal being a whore. (Evans talks about this on her blog, too.)
• Along those same lines, it's nice to have a story whose main character is female and her main interest/concern/motivation is not romance.
• It's a fun/tense adventure!
• Said fun/tense adventure is not without an emotional journey of self-discovery and brutal truth-slaps.
• Nice comic relief.
• I like that we get the results of Razia's searches in tables, it makes it more immersive (probably even more effective when not read on a phone...).

Faux-Cons:

• I don't think I'm going to make it until October to read Book 3...
• There are times you want to reach out and slap Razia and tell her to listen.
• (Putting this here until I can test out my theory that this is device-specific) some of the tables used so that we can see what Razia sees were too wide for the page, not really a con, and not enough to really affect the experience.
• There is a geeky part of me who wishes to delve [even] further into the naming system for the planets, how the time system works, the science of the space travel, and other science-y things. This is good, because that means the story is interesting enough that I want to know more.

Cons:

• I didn't really have any "cons" about this book, but to each their own. :)

Feature Friday - The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden, Book 1) by Julie Kagawa

I'm attending a YA book festival tomorrow, and I thought I might read at least one book by at least one author who would be there (the original plan was much more ambitious, but procrastination, you know?). So I got on my Overdrive/local library account and found The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa was available for electronic checkout, something I absolutely love. What I found was a world I could not leave until I was forced to by the need to sleep and the end of the book.

Picture from Amazon product page (link above)

I really loved this book, and am eager to begin the second (and third!). There were times when it reminded me of Hollowland by Amanda Hocking, which is another book that I enjoyed several years ago. (Typically my YA Paranormal readings are pretty spaced, I just love to read everything!) The protagonist, Allison Sekemoto, has been a survivor all her life, and her choices and way of thinking about her decisions show it. We know, however, the struggles between making some of those decisions and indulging her more emotional side. Those choices become even more difficult as she learns to make them as a vampire. As a vampire, she has to learn how to fit in--again--with humans as she tags along in search of the promised land.

Pros:

• In general, a well-written and entertaining read.
• Not all the characters were likable (really, I don't think most of them were. Sure, most had some endearing feature or another, but not enough to make you really like them).
• Though sometimes not likable, the characters remained interesting and maintained their own presence in the story.
• Interesting relationship between the vampires/humans for survival.
• I thought the Rabids were an interesting species.
• Touched on topics of peer family, morals, and identity.

Faux-Cons:

• There were a few places where a word or phrase felt almost-but-not-quite right. This isn't really a problem, just an observation. I've lost a lot of my grammar-snobbishness over the years in the realization that writing is not one-size-fits-all.

Cons:

• I felt like more about Samurais should have been revealed to Allison, but it's very possible that she learns more in the following books (or maybe it is just for us readers to fully appreciate).

Mindful Monday - My Fantasy Beginnings

This was written (mostly) more than two months ago...

My interest in writing lies mostly in fantasy, and last night as I attempted to drift towards dreamland (it was a very slow journey) I thought about where I got my beginnings with fantasy. 

As a child often left to my own imaginative play, I was always in another world (or another form-think lion or princess), I didn't know I could share my friends :)

Now of course there were the Disney princesses and fairytales that everyone hears, but I mean my own personal interest in fantasy that was chosen by me, not forced by common lore. There are two works that stand out for me as earliest (literary) fantasy choices: Winter of Fire by Sheryl Jordan and The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman. I don't know which one was first, but they are at a similar point in my memory-somewhere around the 4th grade. Somewhere around the 6th grade I sat outside next to the big oak tree out front and read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.I only ever made it through 4 of those (oh the shame! I'm an embarrassment to my generation!).  I don't really recall reading anything else that I would qualify as fantasy, but my memory from those years is a bit difficult to access, so there might have been more. 

Throughout high school my literary interests turned towards thrillers, especially those written by Dean Koontz. Interspersed with my required school readings and teenage interests that might not have been quite so literary, I don't recall indulging in fantasy then, either.

At some point in time, I believe it was just after I graduated, I was finally able to get my hands on and finish the two books that followed The Golden Compass. 

My real, lasting interest became formed most fully when I read A Game of Thrones. I was already living my adult life, away from home and the small-town-mindedness that had previously surrounded me my entire life. I have, since then, been an avid consumer and lover of fantasy. That is also when characters began slipping through hallways in my mind and I began to put them onto paper (or screen).

I still enjoy general fiction, but there is something so exciting about exploring other worlds!

I ought to add that my husband had a great influence on this interest as well, although this post is more about the literary influences. He read these fantasy works alongside me (in fact I think he is the one that brought them home), as well as several series that I have not yet begun. He's also always been a gamer, and there is a ton of fantasy knowledge and lore that comes along with that. He has always encouraged my interest and supported the ideas I throw his way. My interest in fantasy owes him as much credit as it does to the works which influence me. 

So what have I read recently that I consider fantasy?
The Madness Project by J. Leigh Bralick (also check out The Lost Road Chronicles)
Dragonhold by Brian Rathbone (also check out the rest of the Godsland series, here is the first)
Double LIfe by S. Usher Evans--Sci-fi/Fantasy (Book two, Alliances, out in 8 days!)

And what's next on the TBR list that's fantasy?
Crown of Stones: Magic Price  by C. L. Schneider


Of course there are loads more on the lists, but this is a good place to start :)

Julia

Feature Friday - Taylor Swift's Blank Space Performance at the Brits Awards

So it's Friday. But it feels like Wednesday. The first half of the week was spent hiding inside from the ice outside, and today it's snowing! So Friday crept up...but it's still Feature Friday, and this video blows me away.

If you weren't aware, you are now, I'm a Taylor Swift fan. And this performance?! Whoa! I love that she puts her all into whatever she is doing, and this is no exception. I also really like the visual effect when she starts walking out on that long part of the stage. All the dancers, her voice, her smile at the end, the visuals, it's all just incredible.

I want so badly to go see her on her 1989 tour this year, and she is in Dallas TWO DAYS after my birthday. I WILL find a way. Went to the Speak Now tour with my mother-in-law (also around my birthday) and it was just so cool! (I also sent her this video and said it was more entertaining than the entire Superbowl halftime show, just my opinion.) Anyways, enjoy the video. I'm gonna go watch the snow.

Julia

Feature Friday - The Madness Project by J. Leigh Bralick

I just loved this book. I picked it up because I loved the The Lost Road Chronicles by the same author. It only took me a year (exactly) to start reading it after I bought it...because, you know, life. And also because I have to be in the right mood to read, or in the mood to read the right genre. If I'm feeling adventurous, romance isn't going to cut it, and if all I want is a mind-numbing read, fantasy definitely won't do-I enjoy it too much! But there I was, thinking, 'I should read something,' and remembering that I had TMP, and that was all I needed to get started.

I feel like I ought to hand it to Bralick for writing a book that required more than one day to read. It's probably one of the longer books that I've read recently (for pleasure, novels for college not included). Even with its length, the story flew by and I am left wanting the next book in the series.

This cover is a recent update, and I think it is beautiful! And very fitting.

The blurb on Amazon(click to read), which, I have to say, sums it up pretty well. :) 

This fantasy steampunk world is filled with politics and magic.

Prince Tarik has, since the age of 5, been hiding the secret of being a mage. Now that he is 17, his father, King Trabin, has asked him to utilize the magery Trabin despises so much. Tarik has no idea what he's getting into, and finds out that not everything is as it seems.

Hayli is a young mage, struggling with her feeling like she doesn't belong anywhere and learning how to control her shape-shifting ability.

Tarik and Hayli have several run-ins before Tarik is given his mission, and little do they know how large her role will be in its execution.

This story touches on topics of identity, race, and peer family, for sure, as well as disparity between the poor and the rich. It is written in first-person, alternating between Tarik and Hayli, which makes for an interesting read (and also forces you to read the chapter header to know who "I" is). Each of the characters were unique and distinguishable from the others.

So, a break-down:

Pros:

• Good pacing with a great storyline that kept me wanting to read on
• Believable/unique characters
• Interesting setting (I don't think I've read anything steampunk before...)
• Magic system explained enough to make sense but remain magical, and there is definitely more to learn in the upcoming books
• Depth of thought put into Tarik's magic, especially, to be able to accomplish his mission
• Cavnish slang
• Touches on topics related to issues in today's world such as race, poverty, and politics
• There is a line shared between Zagger and Hayli which (to me) was fairly powerful
• Slow-burn romance
• Adventurous and emotional

Faux-cons:

• I want to know the rest of the story, but the other three book aren't out yet

Cons:

• I don't have any complaints about this book

So, there you have it, I would definitely recommend checking out this book if you are looking for an adventure you won't soon forget!

Julia

*still working on my reviewing skills*

Feature Friday - Damsel Distressed by Kelsey Macke

This week's Feature is the YA novel Damsel Distressed by Kelsey Macke, and I was fortunate enough to be able to watch her participate in a forum at YAK fest this year.

Let me just say that while yes, I am an emotional reader, the level of sobbing I did while reading this book was unreal, and kept my son asking me if I was ok. I am, by the way.

First thing, let's look at the beautiful cover. Admire.

Now go to Amazon, and open up the sample. Look at the amazing inside title page.

But wait! Don't close that sample, scroll down to the powerful dedication. (I'm going to play it safe here and not reproduce anything from the book.)

We then find out that there is a soundtrack, with songs written specifically for the book and performed by the Mackes' band, Wedding Day Rain, available on the book's website. How very awesome is that?!

Here is the blurb from Amazon:

Hot girls get the fairy tales. No one cares about the stepsisters' story. Those girls don't get a sweet little ending; they get a lifetime of longing.

Imogen Keegen has never had a happily ever after-in fact, she doesn't think they are possible. Ever since her mother's death seven years ago, Imogen has pulled herself in and out of therapy. When Imogen's new stepsister, Ella Cinder, moves in down the hall, Imogen begins losing grip on the pieces she's been trying to hold together. The only things that gave her solace--the theatre, cheese fries, and her best friend, Grant--aren't enough to save her from her pain this time. While Imogen is enjoying her moment in the spotlight after the high school musical, the journal pages containing her darkest thoughts get put on display. Now, Imogen must resign herself to be crushed under the ever-increasing weight of her pain, or finally accept the starring role in her own life story. And maybe even find herself a happily ever after.

If you've looked at what I suggested, certainly you didn't miss the comedy/tragedy masks of drama, did you? Those aren't just random. The first thing encountered is Imogen exercising her love for dramatic flair, in the form of ranting about princesses and stepsisters to Therapist George. Imogen's voice is immediately distinct. Influenced by her love for musicals, it is silly, snarky, and at times brutally honest. While Imogen is overweight, and that does play a part in the story, it is not the main concern, as Imogen is clinically depressed and fighting to find some kind of light. Just when she thought things were getting better, Carmella, "Ella," her step-sister, moves in.

So, thoughts:

Pros:

• Imogen's unique voice/view of the world. You can definitely see the influence of the theater.
• Macke uses just enough dialect (fish-kick, for example) for the book.
• All of the character's were their own unique identity and had their own presence in the book.
• Just enough comic relief.
• Important issues treated with respect and care.
• Super emotionally moving!
• The perfect capturing of depression is what really turned the knob on my waterworks. For me it is Imogen's idea of the pendulum swing that rings so true. The exhausting swinging back and forth, thinking you have come out just to plunge back in. Maybe it's not a new idea, but it's the first time that I have been exposed to it, and it is so perfect that it hurts to realize how accurate the swing of the pendulum of emotions is.
• Part of my connection to Imogen is that I lost my mom at a similar age, so, bonus waterworks.
• In my experience as an English major, one of the things I found repeated was the idea that "serious" literature was re-readable for the underlying themes, images, ideas, etc., that once the story is read there is still something to merit by reading it again. In my Young Adult Literature class, some of these things that we looked at and were often found in our texts were: non-traditional/broken homes, peer family, and identity (personal, social, cultural, etc.), among other things. Damsel Distressed addresses all of these things with such realistic voice and emotion that it grabs onto your heartstrings and doesn't let go.

Faux-Cons:

• I want to know the story of all the other characters.
• Not a sunshine-happy read. (It is hopeful, though.)

Cons:

• I honestly have no cons about this book.

Thanks for reading, I hope you check this amazing book out!

Julia

(still working on the way I review)