Darklight by Lesley Livingston

Darklight by Lesley Livingston

Release Date: December 22, 2009
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 320

Sonny and Kelley are back in Lesley Livingston's second installment of her Wonderous Strange series! Unfortunately, Sonny and Kelley are not together; Sonny is in Faerie and trying to rid the land of the last few members of the Wild Hunt while Kelley is back in New York, acting in productions of Shakespeare's works.

These two star-crossed lovers may be temporarily separated, but they constantly think of each other. Kelley explores her new powers and has the company of the other Janus guards, but it cannot compare to having Sonny's company. However, the two cannot just spend their time pining for each other; there are dark matters brewing on the horizon--can Kelley and Sonny handle all that is to come?

I really don't want to give too much away here, but it was interesting to learn more about some other characters in the latest book in this series! Lesley Livingston's writing style is excellent and enjoyable! However, I do feel like this is a "middle book." Although it is well written, you know that there's going to be one more book, so not everything will be resolved. It's just a portion of the path the characters take as they get closer to the end. An enjoyable novel at points, but not entirely satisfying. Fans of Lesley Livingston's first novel will enjoy Darklight, but will probably be more eager for her third novel when their questions will be answered!

O, Juliet by Robin Maxwell

O, Juliet by Robin Maxwell

Release Date: February 2, 2010
Publisher: Penguin
Pages: 306

William Shakespeare's well-known play, Romeo and Juliet, gets a different spin in Robin Maxwell's O, Juliet. Romeo and Juliet's story takes place during the Italian Renaissance and Juliet Capelletti is a budding poet and lover of Dante's work. Romeo Monticecco is also a lover of poetry and the two meet during a party. Romeo sneaks into the party with hopes to smooth over the tension between his family and Juliet's. The two of course are immediate attracted to each other and long to be together.

However, even as the strained relations between the Capellettis and Monticeccos improve, there still one thing standing in this couple's way: Jacopo Strozzi. Strozzi is Juliet's father's business partner. He is a man who often whines and complains, which does nothing for his already ugly appearance. Unfortunately, Juliet is destined to marry him, as her father and Strozzi wish to

At least Juliet has her good friend Lucrezia, who recently married into the powerful Medici family. The two are educated ladies who share a love of literature. Juliet confides in Lucrezia and has high hopes that Romeo's persistence at easing tensions between the Capellettis and Monticeccos can eventually lead to a marriage to Romeo for love, not a marriage for convenience with Strozzi.

But fate was not destined to be kind to these star crossed lovers; they must keep their love and their activities secret, lest their anyone learns of their trysts. But before long, things go spiraling out of control, and the deceitful Strozzi will do anything to destroy what Romeo has worked for, and to make sure that Juliet and the business will be all his...

I'm still a little conflicted over this retelling of Romeo and Juliet. Although I found O, Juliet enjoyable at points, I was not a big fan of some of how some of the characters were portrayed; Strozzi and Romeo were too fitted for their parts: evil vs. good. Strozzi seemed rather overstated; his ugly appearance and foul disposition was stated over and over again while Romeo seemed just a little too perfect: he was polite and the constant peace-maker. I always saw Romeo as a much more impulsive man who could be rather moody and at times, lustful. However, that is just my interpretation and Maxwell's shows another possibility.

One point that bothered me was that Strozzi received most of the blame for the things that went wrong in this version of Romeo and Juliet. In Shakespeare's version the two youth's impulsiveness and impatience was what often led to the trouble. Although the two star-crossed lovers in Maxwell's version were rash and at times, I would say they were not near the level that Shakespeare's original showed, so the plot seemed driven by Strozzi's scheming as much as by their impulsiveness and tendency for hasty decisions. I am not saying that Shakespeare's version was driven soley by Romeo and Juliet's attitudes as there were other factors as well, but I felt that it had a much bigger role in Shakespeare's original, and had thought that to be one of the points Shakespeare was making about love and young lovers' lust.

All in all, each reader may find Robin Maxwell's O, Juliet more enjoyable or less so that I did, depending on his/her own interpretation of Romeo and Juliet, but you have to give credit to Maxwell for telling her own interpretation of the classic love story.

Bookish Mention & an update

Hi everyone!

It's been a while since I've done a Bookish Mention, but since the Percy Jackson & The Olympians: the Lightning Thief movie came out recently, I've noticed there's been a renewed interest in mythology from the younger readers! Our mythology section has been noticeably more empty since more readers are checking those books out!

Although I have not had the chance to see Percy Jackson yet, I have always been a fan of Greek & Roman mythology. One of the girls I see at the library now and then loves the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series and said she saw the movie three times and loved it! Has anyone else seen it? Thoughts? The special fx looks amazing, but how does the plot hold up?

And for a small update: life has been wayyy too hectic lately. I've been hitting my textbooks and various required readings for writing classes far more often than I've been able to curl up with a good book. That said, I apologize for the lack of updates lately. I'm still trying to adjust to my new schedule! However, I was able to read several books beyond my required english texts during break, so expect a few reviews coming!

thanks for hanging in there with me!
In the mean time, let me know what you thought of the Lighting Thief if you saw it! Should I go watch it or not? Was it worth your ten bucks?

Winners!

Sorry about the delay; everything's been rather busy lately and I haven't been feeling so well.

But without further ado, I present the winners of the last 3 contests , chosen courtesy of random.org!

The 3 winners of The Lonely Hearts Club are:
- Aik
- Briana (The Book Pixie)
- Lindsay Frost (email entry)

The winner of Wish is:
Bani!

The 3 winners of My Soul to Save are:
- Eli
- Abigail (All Things Urban Fantasy)
- Jennifer B. (Cat on the Shelf)

If you are one of the winners, please send me an email at bookvault(at)yahoo.com with your full name & mailing address no later than Sunday (2.22.10) so I can get your prize out to you!
If I don't hear from you by then I will have to choose a new winner.

Congrats to all the winners and thank you sooo much to everyone for entering!
If you didn't win, don't worry, there'll be more giveaways coming up!

My Soul to Save GIVEAWAY!

Here's another chance to win a great book!

Thanks to Chelsy, I have 3 copies of the 2nd book in the Soul Screamers series, My Soul to Save, to giveaway!

Here's a quick synopsis & video:

Book 1 of The Soul Screamers series -- My Soul to Take -- was released this past summer, and readers found out why Kaylee Cavanaugh screams bloody murder when someone’s about to die.

In Book 2 – My Soul to Save – when teen pop star Eden croaks on stage and Kaylee doesn’t wail, she knows something is dead wrong. She can’t cry for someone who has no soul.

The last thing Kaylee needs right now is to be skipping school, breaking her dad’s ironclad curfew and putting her too-hot-to-be-real boyfriend’s loyalty to the test. But starry-eyed teens are trading their souls for a flickering lifetime of fame and fortune in exchange for eternity in the Netherworld—a consequence they can’t possibly understand.

Kaylee can’t let that happen, even if trying to save their souls means putting her own at risk.

Soul Screamers: The last thing you hear before you die.

Don't forget to check out the official Soul Screamers website for more information!

Interested in winning a copy?
Just comment on this post w/ your name & email address!
It's that simple!

Want extra entries?:
+1 if you're a follower
+1 if you post about this elsewhere (just leave me the link!)
Please comment for each extra entry you earn or it will not be counted!

Good luck! Open to US mailing addresses only (no PO boxes, please!)
Ends 2/20/2010

Alexandra Bullen’s guest blog & Giveaway!

Hello everyone!

The Book Vault is hosting Alexandra's next stop for her book tour! Alexandra's novel, Wish, is now available in bookstores!

Today, Alexandra will be doing a guest blog about her writing process! Thanks for joining us!

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What is your writing process?

I’m endlessly fascinated by listening to other writers answer this question. This is probably because my own writing life feels pretty ordinary and boring. I don’t have any quirky habits or weirdly inspirational places to write. I don’t have to write at night, while listening to music, though sometimes I do both. I don’t need absolute silence, but once in a while it helps. The circumstances of my perfect writing atmosphere seem to constantly be in flux, depending on what I’m working on and what feels right at the time.

The only thing that doesn’t change is the writing. I try to do it every day. It doesn’t always work out that way, but I try not to beat myself up about it.

I’ve heard writers say that when they’re stuck, they imagine that they're chained to the desk and not get up until they’ve written through whatever it is in the story that’s holding them back.

I wish I could do that. I’d probably explode first. If I’m not making progress on something, and all of my usual tricks—like re-reading an earlier chapter, or writing an entire scene in dialogue—don’t work, I’ll leave it alone for a bit. The chances that I’m going to be inspired to write are far greater if I take my mind and heart somewhere else.

And then, it’s back to writing. Wherever, whenever, and however it happens…for as long as it happens. I guess, in a way, that’s my process.

What’s yours?

~~~~~*~~~~~

Thanks for taking them time out to let us know a bit more about yourself!
Don't forget to check out the website for Wish and Alexandra's blog!

Giveaway!!

If you're interested in winning a copy of Wish, just comment on this post with your a brief answer to Alexandra's question; what's your writing process? Just tell me one thing about your process--do you like to listen to music while you read? Create outlines and go from there? Don't forget to include your name & email in your post to be entered!

Contest ends 2.12.10, midnight (EST)
One winner will be drawn from all eligible entries
open to US mailing addresses (no PO boxes, please!) only, sorry!

~~~~~*~~~~~

Head over to YA Book Realm tomorrow, 1/28, for the next stop in Alexandra's blog tour, which will include an interview!

The Lonely Hearts Club Giveaway!

Thanks to the lovely Dina, I have 3 copies of The Lonely Hearts Club to giveaway!

Here's a quick blurb for The Lonely Hearts Club:
Penny is sick of boys and sick of dating, so she vows: No more. She’s had one too many bad dates, and has been hurt by one too many bad boys. It’s a personal choice…and soon everybody wants to know about it. It seems that Penny’s not the only girl who’s tired of the way girls change themselves (most of the time for the worse) in order to get their guys…or the way their guys don’t really care about them. Girls are soon thronging to The Lonely Hearts Club (named after Sgt. Pepper’s band), and Penny finds herself near legendary for her non-dating ways – which is too bad, since the leader of The Lonely Hearts Club has found a certain boy she can’t help but like…

Don't forget to visit the author's site here!

Interested in winning a copy? Just leave a comment on this post with your name & email!

Extra entries (please comment SEPARATELY for each extra entry you have earned or you will not receive that entry!):
+1 if you post about this giveaway somewhere (please leave the link!)
+1 if you are or become a follower of The Book Vault

Giveaway ends 2/6/2010 Midnight, EST

Shipping Guidelines: This book giveaway is open to participants with a United States mailing address only (international readers can enter if they have a friend in the States who can accept their prizes by mail.) No PO boxes please!