Airhead by Meg Cabot

Meg Cabot fans, watch out! Ms. Cabot has written another fabulous novel that will captivate many readers--keep an eye out for Airhead, which will hit bookstores in June!

**This review is spoiler free!**

Em (that’s short for Emerson, not Emily!) Watson has always been a tomboy, preferring video games to truth-or-dare sessions. She doesn’t have many girl friends, since she’ll take trying to reach the new level of JourneyQuest, over a shopping spree at the mall and slathering makeup on any day! Her only ‘girly’ trait? Having a crush on her best buddy, Christopher, with whom she spends most of her video game playing hours.

Her sister Frida, on the other hand, is one of the “Walking Dead” as Em and Christopher likes to call them—a queen bee wannabe who is obsessed with makeup, cheerleading, and trying to be like the head of the “Walking Dead”—Whitney Robertson. That being said, of course Frida has to go to the new Stark mega-store opening, which will include a performance by the new hot British singer that all “Walking Dead” girls are swooning for, Gabriel Luna. Pushed along by their mom, Em finds herself accompanying her sister to the grand opening—and her life taking a whole different turn.

I was extremely excited when I got an ARC of this book, and just could not put it down! Meg Cabot has created another great novel with an unexpected twist and topic that has not been broached in very many other YA novels (if any!), which made this book all the more interesting! Ms. Cabot’s characters are highly realistic and believable, as usual, making it easy for readers to connect to them and making Airhead a fantastically captivating read! This book has not even hit bookstores yet and I’m already dying for its sequel! Airhead is a must read for all Meg Cabot fans!

Airman by Eoin Colfer

Young Conor Broekhart really has it going for him—he has a smart mother, his father is captain of the guard, he trains and is mentored by a genius by the name of Victor Vigny, he is close friends with Princess Isabella, he is the toast of the town because of his innovative rescue of the Princess, and best of all, he was born in a hot air balloon! Perhaps because he was born in the sky, Conor Broekhart was destined to return to the skies.

Since an early age, Conor looked to the skies, always pondering how he could soar above Great Saltee, his home, thinking up glider and other aircraft designs. Luckily, he is under the tutelage of Victor Vigny, who is no stranger to the skies—in fact, he was in the hot air balloon with the Broekhart family when Conor was born! Conor is taught martial arts, fencing, Shakespeare, among other things, and his fellow student is none other than Princess Isabella. And ever since saving Princess Isabella’s life from a fire by taking to the skies, Conor is the golden boy of the present and future on the island of Great Saltee.

Unfortunately for Conor, his golden days are numbered—at the young age of fourteen, he becomes the witness of the assassination of Good King Nick of the Saltee islands, as well as the death of his mentor, Victor. Both were by the hand of the mad and ambitious Red Cross Marshal, Bonvilain. Young Broekhart is soon entangled in Bonvilain’s webs of treachery as he tries to expose the marshal’s treason, only to find himself locked up in Little Saltee, the prison island, doomed to digging for diamonds in inhumane conditions, for the rest of his life. Bonvilain has accused of him of helping Victor murder the king, and has even managed to get Conor’s father to hate him.

Locked away as “Conor Finn,” young Broekhart won’t be any trouble any more, right? Wrong! There’s trouble for evil brewing up ahead, and as for escaping jail, what better way to do it than to fly? Freedom and vengeance might not be so far away after all…

The adventures of the “swash-buckling scientist” a.k.a. Conor, reminded me strongly of a favorite classic of mine, the Count of Monte Cristo. So if there are any other Count of Monte Cristo fans out there, give this book a try! And I’d also recommend this book to all readers looking for a good adventure! Conor is a very admirable character that stuck to his morals and displayed great strength even in the darkest times! The characters were very well developed in this book, and Airman was quite an enjoyable novel in general. Eoin Colfer fans will love his latest novel!

Twilight Clip!

I just had to post this clip of Twilight after seeing it--I'm so excited for the movie! It looks like they did a pretty good job so far :) I hope they do the books justice. December seems so far away!!

Anyway, here's the clip, which is packed w/ behind the scenes, movie snipits, and interviews! :)


I can't wait for Breaking Dawn either...

Magic Moon by Wolfgang & Heike Hohlbein

Life is rarely easy. Unfortunately, while most fairytales spin exciting and engaging tales, they tend to wrap up a little too nicely—the happy couple and their kingdom live happily ever after; the bad guy(s) are vanquished and the land is forever graced with peace and prosperity; grand parades and celebrations are held for the conquering heroes, who have, once again, returned victorious. While that may sound all good and well and give us warm and fuzzy feelings inside once we’ve completed the book, life tends not to wrap up so smoothly all the time.

Magic Moon is a fantasy book separate from the rest—life and death are part of this novel. You won’t see the storm trooper effect here every time the bad guys come storming in. (Given, the characters make rather miraculous and otherwise impossible escapes sometimes, but not every one gets away). Although the main characters got away a little too easily in sometimes for my taste, I’m glad this book did not let everyone escape unscathed. One can only wish that life could be a ball and that everyone could sail through life, dispelling all problems and obstacles that get in the way. But to read a book that showed that life is not always that easy, but rather, even glorious heroes must face hardships, was refreshing. While Magic Moon may seem like just another fantasy story, there’s more to it, if you’re willing to look just a bit closer.

Kim and his family are stuck by disaster one day when they learn that Kim’s younger sister has slipped into a coma after surgery. Devastated, Kim tries to escape into his comic books, which he loves so dearly, but cannot keep his mind on the adventures of the great space captain, Commander Arcana, while pictures of his sister alone and unreachable on the hospital bed plague his mind. Just when his frustration over his inability to help his sister threatens to overwhelm him, a visitor from another world pays him a visit. Themistokles tells Kim that his sister had been visiting his land, Magic Moon, for a while, but had wandered too far one day, and had fallen to the dark lord Boraas and his shadowy kingdom, which is why her spirit cannot return to Earth. Themistokles asks Kim to come to Magic Moon to help the people get rid of the dark lord Boraas and to free his sister, to which Kim agrees instantly.

Thus, Kim is off on an unforgettable adventure! His journey is bumpy from the start and just to reach Magic Moon, he must find his own way in, and even then, the dangers will not stop. He must escape and outwit Borras and his minions time and time again, if he wishes to save his sister and Magic Moon—can a mere boy outwit cold and cunning foes who hold no value for life?

There were several times when things seemed to come too easily for Kim to be believable, but the last third of the book was fantastic. The ideas and philosophy behind the book was extremely interesting and kept me hooked. It seemed a little sluggish at first, but Magic Moon most definitely got better as I got further along and I absolutely loved the last few chapters. The different ideals that people hold in the land of Magic Moon are very different and interesting—they give you a lot to think about. The one criticism I have (besides the fact that Kim and Co. got away a little too easily on some occasions) was that the obvious was stated many times and there was way too much repetition on certain points, which got irritating. Other than that, Magic Moon was a very interesting read and it’s a book I would recommend to everyone who’s looking for a thought-provoking adventure.

A to Z Challenge!

I joined the A~Z Challenge for 2008!! I hope I can finish it!! :D My goal is to not only read a book for every letter of the alphabet, but to post a review for each of those books as well! :)

In or Out #3 : Sweet and Vicious by Claudia Gabel

Ex-best friends, Nola and Marnie, have been snapping at each other’s throats again. Nola, the formerly timid girl who suffered some nasty effects whenever she was nervous or embarrassed, is starting to discover her fiercer side in her quest for revenge. Gone are her nervousness-induced hive-break out days—Nola is out for revenge!

Meanwhile, Nola’s now sworn enemy, Marnie, is living it up; she’s slid into a new circle of friends and is the newly elected class treasurer! Lucky for her, her new friends are girls in high places, and among them is Lizette, the rich and popular girl that everyone wants to get close to. Marnie feels doubly lucky since Dane, one of the hottest guys in the school, is smitten with her and they keep sharing steamy make out sessions! She only has one thorn in her side—Brynne, who will do anything to ruin her. On second thought, make that two thorns—Nola and her scheming ways and new plots are starting to get to her!

Just when Marnie thinks that she’s had it made, things start heading downhill as she realizes that Dane may be cheating on her and that Lizette loves to keep secrets and often lies without batting an eye—whom can Marnie trust? Both Brynne and Nola and their schemes to drag her down are stressing Marnie out, and Lizette’s boyfriend is messing with her too! With every turn, Marnie’s life is plunging further into chaos!

Nola has her own fair share of problems as she keeps getting confused over her crush, Matt, who actually has a girlfriend, and another hot guy in her life. And not to mention her issues with Marnie! Can she sort out her messy love life, school issues, and problems about Marnie?

Dealing with problems that many teenagers face in high school, Nola and Marnie are trying to out do each other and forget the days when they had been the closest of friends—or are they? Both of them see just how sweet and vicious revenge can really be. Can a group of backstabbing, popular girls really be as good friends to Marnie as Nola was? Will her secret plots to humiliate Marnie really satisfy Nola?

This book may seem a bit cliché, but plenty of high school students deal with the same issues—betrayal, crushes, relationships, clique groups—the works! It’s easy to connect with this book since many of us face the same confusion and dilemmas that Marnie and Nola do. I’m looking forward to the next book to see what happens to Marnie and Nola, since they’re both left in a bit of a jam…

Thanks!

Hey Guys!

I just wanted to thank everyone who has visited my site already & left such nice comments :)
And my thanks to all those lovely sites who have done link exchanges with me!

thank you, thank you, thank you!
Dominique

Jr Book Vault

I opened another branch to this blog--The Junior Book Vault. It's for younger readers :)
Hopefully this'll keep my reviews more organized!

The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor

The story behind it all…

Everyone knows the story about Alice in Wonderland…but what if some of that was true? What if there was more behind the story than it would seem? Step into the looking glass and experience a one-of-a-kind adventure!

Welcome to Wonderland, home of the Queen of Hearts, Genevieve Heart, and Princess Alyss Heart. In the land where the royal family’s most powerful weapon is their imagination, the young princess Alyss is celebrating her birthday when her life is shattered. Her vicious Aunt Redd (still bitter that her sister got the throne instead of her) surprises everyone by storming in and brings Alyss’s life crashing to the ground. After her aunt murders her parents, Alyss is forced to flee for her life, with no one but her protector, Hatter. She must leave behind all that she ever knew—her home, the place where her powers were strongest, dear friends, and her parents.
Hatter and Alyss jump into the Look Glass, not know where they will end up, but the pair is separated during their journey and things begin to look worse than ever. Hatter is lost in a new world where he must search for his charge, and Alyss has gone from princess to pauper. Living with a bunch of other street kids, Alyss must adjust to her new life, and hope that Hatter will find her soon. But as days pass, Alyss’s hope of rescue dims and dims until she is adopted by Reverend Lidell, and forced into a dull life style where all her talk about Wonderland is considered nonsense.

Alyss believes that a golden opportunity has reached her when she meets author Lewis Carroll, who seemingly believes her story and will write a book about it! Perhaps with her story out there, people will finally believe her and she can get home! But Alyss’ dreams are dashed once again when Carroll morphs her story into unrealistic nonsense that leaves poor Alyss back where she started. Can she ever get home?

Alyss must fight on and realize her full potential, so that she, along with old and new friends, can take the steps to fulfill her destiny, and restore order and justice to Wonderland. Can Alyss prove herself worthy of the Wonderland throne? It won’t be an easy path, but rather, a path full of personal demons, danger, betrayal, and lessons to be learned. With such dangerous enemies like her murderous Aunt Redd and her army, Alyss must find the courage to push forth to fulfill her destiny and bring wrong doers to justice or she and her friends will die.

Although this book does tilt slightly towards more action, war, and strategy, it is an enjoyable adventure, nonetheless! The characters are well developed and the story is well written! Those who are looking for action, this is the book for you. This book does have some interesting ideas and points, but it would have been nice to hear more about the lands and environment of Alyss’s world. However, depending on you preference, war or environment, some may enjoy this novel more than others.

I would be very interested in The Looking Glass War's sequel, Seeing Redd, or any of the other books that Frank Beddor has written on Alyss and her Wonderland, if the author/publisher would like to send that over for review as well!

A Note to Authors & Publishers

Promote your book
here @ the Book Vault!

There are plenty of ways to promote your book! And if you're interested in any of them, just send me an email at bookvault @ yahoo.com

Reviews
I love reading books and writing reviews, so I'd be happy to read and do one for your books as well! If you're interested in having your book reviewed, just send me an email and a copy of your book! I can't give you a specific date as to when my review will be up, but I'll drop you a line as soon as I get it up!
All genres are accepted, as are graphic novels and comics!
[edit] I can only accept ARC's or a hard, finished copy of the book. I'm currently not accepting ebooks anymore; life's gotten a little too busy and I'm not a fan of reading long pdf's on a computer screen and I unfortunately do not own a kindle, so ebooks will not be accepted, sorry!

Interviews
If you're interested in giving an interview (I know lots of readers love to get to know the authors of the books they love better (I certainly do!)) that will be posted here, just send me an email! You're more than welcome to do a guest post on this blog as well!

Contests/Giveaways
I would be more than happy to host a giveaway for your book(s) here at the Book Vault! Readers always love getting great books to read and it's a great way to get lots of readers interested in your books! I would love to do a monthly giveaway if enough authors and publishers are willing to donate books and/or prize packs!
And if it works better for you, I can host the contest on this site and direct the winners to you, so that you can send the book(s) directly to them!


Just send me an e-mail if you're interested in any thing that's listed above!
bookvault @ yahoo.com

Grand Opening!

Hey Guys!

I'm Dominique and I think some of you know me from YABC :) I was the 2006 teen reviewer on the lovely YA Book Goddess's site and I love chatting with other YA fans at the forum there!
I finally decided to open a blog to house all my old and new reviews! I hope I can get as many book reviews and interviews up here as time (and school!) permits and hopefully have a giveaway now and then too!
Feel free to leave a comment or drop me a line and I would be extremely grateful if you guys would like to do a link exchange with me! :)

Authors & Publishers: I love reading & writing, so if you'd like a book review, just drop me a line! (bookvault @ yahoo.com)