Character Interview with Chase from Article 5

Hi Zoe,

Thanks for taking the time to ask Chase a few questions today. I…um…well, I’m just going to apologize now. He can be a little curt. He’s under a lot of stress you know, what with the soldiers coming after him and Ember and all. He’s really worried about her. Anyway, he’s agreed to play nice, but if he gets a little short, you’ll know why.

Take care!

Kristen

Paperback or hardcover? Paperback for sure – easier to carry. When I was in Chicago, after the bombs dropped, they set up this mobile library at one of the Red Cross Camps. That’s where I picked up FRANKENSTEIN. It’s Ember’s favorite.

Hey, don’t tell her I said that, okay? She’s got a lot on her mind…I don’t want her feeling weird about it…I mean, it’s just a book. She probably doesn’t even remember us talking about it anyway. That was a long time ago.


Coffee or tea? Tea? What is this? England? The borders are closed, last I checked. I’d take some coffee if you’re offering. Put it in a to-go cup. I can’t stay all that long. Running for my life here.


Chocolate or vanilla? Hard to say. They both sort of remind me of her. Damn, did I just say that? What’d you put in this coffee?


Walk or run? When the FBR’s tailing you, you don’t walk, you run. Got it?


Morning or evening? Morning. Better visibility. More people around, easier to blend in. Evening’s are dangerous. That’s all we need – some soldier snagging us on a curfew violation.


Cats or dogs? What the hell use is a cat? A dog can bite someone, and bark if someone’s coming. Definitely a dog.


Beach or pool? I’m sorry, does this look like a vacation to you?


Pen or pencil? Now we’re talking. The truth is, it doesn’t matter. Both of them can be used in self-defense. Remember, quick, deliberate moves. Go for soft spots – the eyes, the mouth, the groin. If you get in trouble, hit fast and hard and then get out.


Hot or cold? What do you…wait, is this about Ember? It’s hard to tell with her. Sometimes I think it’s like before, and everything’s good. Other times…I don’t know. It’s complicated.

Why? Did she say something?


Bath or shower? Is this about Ember? Because if so…I uh…I’m pretty sure that’s not your business.

Are we almost done? Man, it’s hot in here. Crack a window or something.


Science or art? Art. I was in chemistry when the air sirens hit. Chicago was bombed for three straight days, so no, science class doesn’t exactly hold fond memories for me.


Single or attached? Right. So, I’ll be going now. Thanks for the coffee. What’s that supposed to mean, anyway? Single or attached. Like am I dating or something? Listen, nobody dates. Not anymore. And definitely not with all that’s going on. Single or attached. What kind of interview is this, anyway? More like a monthly inspection. Don’t worry, I’m compliant officer.

…

…

Attached. On my part anyway.

We done here?

Thanks so much to Chase (and Kristen!) for stopping by. Click here to follow the rest of the stops on this tour.

Series To Keep Reading

So before I started reading YA, I never really read many series. But it seems to be a popular format in the genre, or maybe I was just reading the wrong kind of adult books, and now I'm in the middle of a billion (+/- a billion) series. Some of these series are complete, many aren't. Still, I figured it would be fun to make a list of the series I love enough to continue reading. A lot of them seem to be around book 2, and I'm terrified of book 2s because they might have endings like Catching Fire, so I may be unintentionally avoiding them until book 3 is out. But they are still awesome and should be noted.

Also, I really like lists. This is no particular order.

1. Requiem by Lauren Oliver (Delirium #3, release date: February 2013)
2. Insurgent by Veronica Roth (Divergent #2, release date: May 1st 2012)
3. Fever by Lauren DeStefano (The Chemical Garden #2, Released)
4. A Million Suns by Beth Revis (Across the Universe #2, Released)
5. The Calling by Kelley Armstrong (Darkness Rises #2, release date: April 10th 2012)
6. Rebel Heart by Moira Young (Dust Lands #2, release date: October 30th 2012)
7. Just For Fins by Tera Lynn Childs (Fins #3, release date: July 3rd 2012)
8. Promised by Caragh M. O'Brien (Birthmarked #3, release date: October 2nd 2012)
9. Fallout by Ellen Hopkins (Crank #3, Released)
10. Flock by Wendy Delsol (Stork #3, release date: September 11 2012)
11. Waking Storms by Sarah Porter (Lost Voices #2, release date: July 3rd 2012)
12. The Blood Keeper by Tessa Gratton (The Blood Journals #2, release date: August 28th 2012)
13. Underworld by Meg Cabot (Abandon Trilogy #2, release date: May 8th 2012)

Are there any series you are in the middle of and want to finish? Any book 3s you're anxiously awaiting? There are so many other series I want to start, but part of me feels like I should wait until I finish, or at least catch up on, a few of these. Do you have the same dilemma?

Guest Review: Graveminder by Melissa Marr

Prior to reading Graveminder, I’d already read Melissa Marr’s Wicked Lovely series, which I really enjoyed. She has a beautiful writing style, one that’s straightforward, yet compelling. Graveminder is set in a completely different world from Wicked Lovely. Where instead of faeries, they have to worry about the dead being put properly to rest....and you don’t really want to see what happens when they aren’t, but hey, without that...there wouldn’t be a story, would there? :P

I don’t read many books that could be categorized as horror, but with Graveminder, while it was a darker story, I never once categorized it as being “horrific.” It isn’t over-the-top or gratuitous, which “horror” often is in mind, although maybe that’s just the movies. :P Anyway, I think that even people who aren’t big fans of horror would still like this one. Personally, I prefer to watch my horror movies rather than read about them, but with Graveminder, I really didn’t mind reading about it. Not only is Graveminder full of action and darker aspects that intrigue the reader, it’s also got a complicated romance which keeps it from getting too dark.

I liked getting to read Bek’s story. She was a fantastic narrator, and I really liked her. She was strong, independent, and while she may have protested too much at times, I loved how dedicated she was to Maylene, especially since they weren’t actual blood relatives. I also loved Byron, the undertaker. ;) They had some amazing chemistry, and the way their past was revealed was convoluted and given to the reader in parts, which I actually really enjoyed. I liked that there was some mystery in their past, and it kept me compelled with the romance aspect. There was also an element of mystery surrounding the graveminding aspect. It took a while for the truth of it to be revealed, for Bek to figure out what she doing...and also to figure out how Maylene, her grandmother, was killed, and the most convoluted and mysterious part of it all...who was the one responsible for it.

The most fascinating aspect of the story for me, aside from the romance (which I’m always a sucker for), was the history of the Graveminders and Undertakers. I liked learning about them, Mr.D, and the tradition behind why they did their duties, and the intricacies that were involved between the Graveminders and Undertakers. I’d definitely read another book about Graveminders and Undertakers just so that I could learn some more. :P

Overall, Graveminder is a fabulous story that will keep you on your toes, and while it differs from Melissa Marr’s Wicked Lovely series, I think that fans that enjoyed the series will also enjoy this one. If you’re a fan of original supernatural and paranormal stories, you’ll love this one, and it will definitely pique your interest if you like reading about reinventions of the afterlife.


This book was reviewed by Ambur from Burning Impossibly Bright- you can check out more of her awesome book reviews here. Thanks Ambur, this sounds like a creepy and exciting story, and I'm always a sucker for a good romance too :)

2 Memoir Giveaway

Enter to win The Source of All Things by Tracy Ross (1 paperback copy)
and
Agorfabulous!: Dispatches from My Bedroom by Sarah Benincasa (1 SIGNED copy)

There will be 2 separate winners. Open to the US only. Good luckk!

Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver

 

Lauren Oliver is an author of many talents, she began her career by publishing a contemporary YA novel (Before I Fall), followed up with the first novel in a dystopia trilogy (Delirium) and her most recent novel, Liesl & Po, is a middle-grade story that takes place in a world with similarities to our own only filled with all kinds of magic. Liesl is a young girl whose father has just died, leaving her in the care of a stepmother who locks Liesl in the attic where her only escape is to draw. Then one night Po, a ghost from the Other Side, appears and the two form an unexpected friendship. At the same time, Will, an equally lonely alchemist’s apprentice a botches an important delivery which will have important consequences for Liesl and Po, ultimately drawing the three of them together on a remarkable journey.

Liesl & Po is the magical kind of book that even if it is intended for a younger audience, is filled with a warmth that will enchant the reader regardless of age. This is the kind of timeless story, like Roald Dahl, which will be just as powerful in fifty years as it today. Also like Dahl, this is a story about children, in which the adults are rather one-dimensional villains but that works within the context of the book, as it is reminiscent of a traditional fairy tale.

Oliver’s writing is amazing, lyrical with poetry in just the right places, and complimented by beautiful black and white sketches done by Kei Acedera. It is Oliver’s amazing ability with words that makes Liesl & Po into such an incredibly whimsical story, one that flows smoothly and is filled with pure, young, emotion.

This is a novel that confronts the difficult issue of death and grief in a way that neither minimizes nor sensationalizes it, but rather takes an honest and simple look at one little girl and the astonishing journey she takes.

Ultimately, Lauren Oliver has completely won me over as a reader- she could write a restaurant menu or instructions for installing a television and I would rush to the store to buy it. As a writer, Oliver has a unique and powerful perspective, which she is able to share with astonishing clarity because of the eloquence of her writing, on full display in her timeless and magical novel, Liesl & Po.