Look What Came in The Mail

I honestly couldn't wait for In My Mailbox.

It's Holly Schindler's PLAYING HURT!!!!!!!
*dies*

Please ignore the hair, skin, face, everything except the book of awesomeness.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

The Forest of Hands and Teeth

In Mary's world there are simple truths. The Sisterhood always knows best. The Guardians will protect and serve. The Unconsecrated will never relent. And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth. But, slowly, Mary’s truths are failing her. She’s learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power, and about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness. When the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, she must choose between her village and her future—between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded in so much death?

At First Sight:
I have to be honest, I've seen this book around for so long but I was always reluctant to pick it up. Zombies, what? But then I thought, why not? Especially since it has a 'love story' or whatever it said in its blurb. The cover is amazing and the story seemed interesting enough.

My Thoughts:
I was caught right off guard. I hadn't expected such an impact from this book. In fact, it's so hard for me to describe how awesome it is that I'm dividing this post into a few subpoints:

A) Mary as a character and her voice- Mary at first doesn't seem like an impressive character but what really made me want to read more was, not only the premise, but the writing style and voice. It's told in present tense but it's such a hauntingly beautiful voice. I always love angsty/dark but beautiful type of writing and this was it.

B) The Concept: So at first I thought, "Hm...zombies..." but then as I continued reading I actually saw the plausability of it. An infection that spread out and it wiped the face of the eart. That's plausible enough, right? Right. So that's why I wasn't appalled (or at least turned off) by the fantastic-ish concept.

C) The Love Story- If you go into this book thinking that you'll be getting a wonderful love story...you're wrong. Sure, there is one but--and BE WARNED--it is so raw and emotional that it really leaves you thinking for days (at least).

D) The ending- I'm not going to go into detail but it was so surprising, realistic, and exactly the right kind of ending for this novel.

E) IT LEFT ME WANTING MORE.

F) Plus, I couldn't decide between the two boys (or three if you count Jed ;) )

Overall, this story was impressive and realistic. I mean, you can't expect a happy-go-lucky ending in a zombie apocalypse, right? There were a few questions left unanswered (more like a lot) and I hope they are touched upon in the next two books. Either way, I'm pretty satisified (whcih is an understatement).

Plot: 5
Writing: 5
Characters: 5
Cover: 5
Overall Feeling: 5
Average: 5

Enter The Query-Writing Process

As you all know, writing a novel is not just writing it and it's done. You go through revisons (check) and then revise it again (check) but then you go into the tough, confusing, and in my opinion, even more hard job of writing queries that can be presented to prospective agents.

I already narrowed my list to about 7 agents I want to send a query to (at least in the first round). Now I have to really tackle writing a good, attention grabbing synopsis of my book that's short, right to the point, and effective.

I have already posted various blurbs, but like the novel, it needs revising and polishing before it's ready. Also, I have to do further research of the agents so that I can personalize each query and tell them why I think my novel will be a great fit for them.

As I write my first query, I'll post it in here and you guys can tell me what you think. I'm excited. This road to publishing is crazy and I just can't wait to finally be on that car and just go.

Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky

Awaken
Maddie lives in a world where everything is done on the computer. Whether it’s to go to school or on a date, people don’t venture out of their home. There’s really no need. For the most part, Maddie’s okay with the solitary, digital life—until she meets Justin. Justin likes being with people. He enjoys the physical closeness of face-to-face interactions. People aren’t meant to be alone, he tells her.

Suddenly, Maddie feels something awakening inside her—a feeling that maybe there is a different, better way to live. But with society and her parents telling her otherwise, Maddie is going to have to learn to stand up for herself if she wants to change the path her life is taking.

In this not-so-brave new world, two young people struggle to carve out their own space.

At First Sight:
The first thing that caught my eye was the cover and then I read the description over at NetGalley. I am a fan for futuristic/post-apocalypic books with a romance twist and it was natural for me to request this book. I finally got around to reading it a few weeks (maybe months, who knows, I've been so absent from this blogging world I've lost track of time). Unsurprisingly, I was hooked right off the bat.

My Thoughts:
Maddie is like us: dependant on technology to live. And although her world is much more drastic than ours, you really can't mistake the path we're heading to. She lives, breathes, and even socializes through computer screens.

But inside, Maddie's always been some sort of rebel, never fully satisfied with what the cyber-world has given her. All this is proven when Maddie reveals her past.

She meets this boy that seems to change everything for her (again). This boy is the typical swoon-worthy hero named Justin (hey, I now realized that his name has some meaning...) who challenges her to think out of the box and to question what really goes around her.

Filled with romance and adventure, Awaken takes your through a labyrinth of situations, every corner asking you if we're leaving our real lives behind when we enter the cyber-world.

Awaken is an amazing book with a great protagonist, an amazing boy (who's a bit too good for my taste but oh, well), and a plot that really hits home. Although the book can seem preachy (well, it kind of is) you forget about it as you move along and start to unravel the truths about the world Maddie lives in and the world we live in.

In One Sentence:
"Fun, fast, and definitely a must read!"

Plot: 5
Characters: 5
Writing: 5
Cover: 5
Overall Feeling: 5
Average: 5

My first book in the Debut Author Challenge for this year (finally!).

Finally Finished

Hey everyone!

I know I've been pretty apbsent from the blogging world but I have news! I have finished (hopefully) the last round of revisions for my novel, PAPER ANGELS. I'm so happy! Now I will have more time to dedicate to everything else.

I'm changing the look around and I'm definitely going to be more active now.

To Do List

01. Update the Authors page