Before I get to my book blog...

REMINDER: Only a couple more days to win a SIGNED ARC of UNDER THE NEVER SKY!!! Contest ends this weekend. Details here. 

Another REMINDER: Check the YA Muses on WriteOnCon for a chance to win a 5-way critique from us. 

Ok, now on to the meat'n'potatoes...

I was 16 or 17 when I read THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS while camping at a desert Utah lake in mid-July. I stayed up most the night, huddled inside a sleeping bag even though it was at least 184^oC (which is a lot hotter than 184^oF, mind you). If I stuck my head out for a breath of fresh air, my flashlight would draw every moth in the four-corners to attack my face. And we all know what moths are to that story. My heart is beating double time just typing about the experience. It scarred me for life.

Thus began my personal manifesto to avoid both moths and horror. My friends start to tell me I should watch DEXTER, but stop themselves, murmuring ‘too scary.’ Yes, I’m sorta a wimp when it comes to the gruesome genre (though I love Stephen King’s more fantasy/creepy stuff like THE DARK TOWER series), but when I saw Rick Yancey’s THE Monstrumologist  on the shelf, I had to read it, even if it was obviously horror.

You see, the author, RickYancey, wrote the Alfred Kropp books – all-time favorites of mine. Plus, he received a 2010 Printz Honor for THE Monstrumologist  . The final push came from reading the description.

From Amazon.com:

These are the secrets I have kept. This is the trust I never betrayed. But he is dead now and has been for nearly ninety years, the one who gave me his trust, the one for whom I kept these secrets. The one who saved me . . . and the one who cursed me. So starts the diary of Will Henry, orphan and assistant to a doctor with a most unusual specialty: monster hunting. In the short time he has lived with the doctor, Will has grown accustomed to his late night callers and dangerous business. But when one visitor comes with the body of a young girl and the monster that was eating her, Will's world is about to change forever. The doctor has discovered a baby Anthropophagus--a headless monster that feeds through a mouth in its chest--and it signals a growing number of Anthropophagi. Now, Will and the doctor must face the horror threatening to overtake and consume our world before it is too late. The Monstrumologist is the first stunning gothic adventure in a series that combines the spirit of HP Lovecraft with the storytelling ability of Rick Riorden.

This tale plops you down in the middle of a Victorian horror/mystery and an amazing new world. A place where the monsters are more than just vehicles for terror, they’re a fully realized species to be studied – a strange predator that preys on us, the reader. The characters, especially Will Henry and the doctor, are complex and unique. The writing is done with a hand so delicate that it’s a crime to skim over the gruesome sections, though I often wanted to. Everything about THE Monstrumologist  is horribly enthralling. 

Now, Rick Yancey has come out with a sequel, THE CURSE OF THE WENDIGO and I’m going to have to read that too. *Shudders*

At least there aren’t any moths in it.

Wait, there are no moths in it.

Right?

RIGHT?

I’d been looking forward to reading LEGEND since I first heard about it months ago. You know what? It was awesome.

Here’s a synopsis from Goodreads:

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths - until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias's death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

Full of nonstop action, suspense, and romance, this novel is sure to move readers as much as it thrills.

From me… I feel compelled to bust out some bullet points, so here goes. Why LEGEND is legendary, or at least, why it seriously rocks:

• It switches POVs between Day and June, which not only allows the reader to spend time with equally intriguing characters, but gives the reader such a broad view of the fascinating world that Lu built.
• It’s fresh! How many military, espionage-ey, post-apocalyptic-ey YA books have you read? I haven’t read too many. Not like this one, anyway. LEGEND felt like a breath of fresh air.
• The pacing was awesome.
• LEGEND will work great for boy readers. It’s very action-oriented, and the romance is sweet and understated.
• The theme of brotherhood (and sisterhood) (so, siblinghood) is strong. I loved this about LEGEND. At its core, it’s about love of family. This theme is very well handled, from start to finish.

In short, if you like books that are full of action and heart, you will love LEGEND. It's a while still before this one hits the shelves, but be ready for it in November. The word pre-order comes to mind.

Check out what the rest of the Bookanistas are up to this week:

WE INTERRUPT THIS BOOKANISTA BROADCAST…to celebrate WRITE ON CON! For some fun writer insights and pep talks, click along to…

Christine Fonseca , Beth Revis , Jessi Kirby and Stasia Ward Kehoe

And, we know you MUST have your Thursday Bookanista reviews so here you go!

Shana Silver serves up a Maureen Johnson double feature of The Last Little Blue Envelope & The Name of the Star

Scott Tracey is awed by Anna Dressed in Blood

Bethany Wiggins howls over How to Take the Ex Out of Ex-Boyfriend

Carrie Harris is in a frenzy over Stupid Fast

Gretchen McNeil is spellbound by Witch Eyes

Carolina Valdez Miller and Shelli Johannes-Wells are passionate about Possess

Matt Blackstone blogs From Bedside

Isn't it pretty?  I love this cover!

The Mephisto Covenant: The Redemption of Ajax by Trinity Faegen is a book that surprised and delighted me.

The summary:

Sasha is desperate to find out who murdered her father. When getting the answer means pledging her soul to Eryx, she unlocks a secret that puts her in grave danger—Sasha is Anabo, a daughter of Eve, and Eryx’s biggest threat.

A son of Hell, immortal, and bound to Earth forever, Jax looks for redemption in the Mephisto Covenant—God’s promise he will find peace in the love of an Anabo. After a thousand years, he’s finally found the girl he’s been searching for: Sasha.


With the threat of Eryx looming, Jax has to keep Sasha safe and win her over. But can he? Will Sasha love him and give up her mortal life?

The concept, centered around a group of dark men in need of redemption is reminiscent of J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood, a very adult paranormal series.  And like Ward's series, this book does not back away from sex.  This book is not for younger readers of YA, but for the rest of us, um, yeah, it's pretty hot.

Jax is a great hero, with just the right amount of mystery and flaws.  Sasha has a unique character arc that I can't reveal without spoiling the plot, but is fun to watch it unfold once you understand what's happening and how that influences her actions.  And while it's not surprising that Jax does find his redemption (not a spoiler-it's in the title) there are plenty of twists along the way. 

This book is expected to hit shelves September 27, and it's the perfect book to curl up with as the air turns cool in October.

*Per FTC rules, I received this ARC after I requested it from the publisher.

Just a quick interruption of our regularly scheduled programming, here.  But we wanted to let you all know that you can see us on writeoncon.com tomorrow afternoon at 5:30 p.m. EDT.  We'll be talking about critiques and critique groups and giving away a 15-page critique to one commenter.  So come by and say hello!

And if you haven't been to Write On Con before, you are in for a treat.  A three-day, full-on children's writer's conference online and absolutely free of charge. Amazing agents, brilliant editors and a bevy of authors.  The best part?  You can participate in your pajamas.

Every once in a while a book comes along that startles, surprises, and uplifts in ways that wouldn't have been thought unimaginable. ORCHARDS, by Holly Thompson, did that for me.

It is the story of Kana Goldberg, a Jewish-Japanese-American, who is sent to Japan to live with her relatives for summer after the suicide of an eighth-grade classmate. While Kana attends four weeks at a Japanese school, works in her uncle's orange tree farm, and struggles with the rigid structure of rules and civility demanded by the society, she also reflects on depression, bullying and grief, trying to make sense of the events of the previous spring.

Thompson has written her book in spare and flowing verse, the structure of which reflects perfectly the beauty and order of the orchards in which Kana works.  It simplifies, but doesn't dilute, the trauma experienced by the friends of a suicide. If anything, it makes the reader’s experience all the more intense, because we have to imagine intimately what it would feel like in ourselves.

I found this book on the YA shelves and wondered why a 14-year-old protagonist would be featured there. I've always heard that children and teens like to read about characters who are older than themselves. But Thompson's book is so emotionally riveting that I personally would've found it difficult to read had I been younger than twelve. It is a rare book that makes a young character absolutely universal.

ORCHARDS is a quiet book can be a very quick read, but its themes and images resonate for a very long time.

Summer is quickly coming to an end, and if you're like me, you're wondering where in the world it went. Unlike me, however, you might still have one last precious day or two of vacation to spend by the pool (or beach, or lake) with a good book. This week the Muses turn their attention to great summer book recommendations and I start the week with TEXAS GOTHIC by Rosemary Clement-Moore.

Any book set in the Texas hill country with a hot cowboy riding across the opening scenes is definitely going to catch my attention. Throw in a good dose of humor, a ghostly mystery and a starred Kirkus review--and you've got the perfect summer read. Of course, having grown up in Texas, I am a bit biased. I loved the characters, the landscape and the history. According to Rosemary's blog, "The setting is an eyes-open love letter to the place I grew up, not perfect, but beautiful and full of people and things that, good or bad, you won't find anywhere else." I completely agree and, even if you're not from Texas, you'll love this funny, spooky story.

From Amazon:

Amy Goodnight's family is far from normal. She comes from a line of witches, but tries her best to stay far outside the family business. Her summer gig? Ranch-sitting for her aunt with her wacky but beautiful sister. Only the Goodnight Ranch is even less normal than it normally is. Bodies are being discovered, a ghost is on the prowl, and everywhere she turns, the hot neighbor cowboy is in her face.

Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews, May 15, 2011:
"This engaging mystery has plenty of both paranormal and romance, spiced with loving families and satisfyingly packed with self-sufficient, competent girls."