Review: Tyger, Tyger by Kersten Hamilton

Book Description via Goodreads:

Teagan Wylltson's best friend, Abby, dreams that horrifying creatures--goblins, shape-shifters, and beings of unearthly beauty but terrible cruelty--are hunting Teagan. Abby is always coming up with crazy stuff, though, so Teagan isn't worried. Her life isn't in danger. In fact, it's perfect. She's on track for a college scholarship. She has a great job. She's focused on school, work, and her future. No boys, no heartaches, no problems.

Until Finn Mac Cumhaill arrives. Finn's a bit on the unearthly beautiful side himself. He has a killer accent and a knee-weakening smile. And either he's crazy or he's been haunting Abby's dreams, because he's talking about goblins, too . . . and about being The Mac Cumhaill, born to fight all goblin-kind. Finn knows a thing or two about fighting. Which is a very good thing, because this time, Abby's right. The goblins are coming.

Source: Kersten Hamilton (Thank you!)

My Thoughts:

Teagan was the kind of girl who was focused on her studies and on her future. No boys were involved with her because she did not want distractions. But when her cousin, Finn Mac Cumhaill, labeled as ‘Brad Pitt’ by Abby. Teagan’s perfect world turned topsy turvy. Strange things started to happen and soon Teagan found herself believing in cat-sidhe and goblins and doing the least she expected – depending on Finn.

I loved how Teagan was really connected with her family. Teagan’s family members shared a sweet and close relationship with each other. Her baby brother can sing high tunes, her dad has a knack for storytelling and her mother can write and paint vivid scenes with creatures that almost look real. Later, I got to read about the beauty of Magmell and I found out that Tea’s mom had not painted fictional places but real ones which were found in Magmell.

The dark mythology explored in this novel was something I have never read about before. I loved how Hamilton chose to take something so archaic and put it on spotlight. The fine details of creatures of Celtic mythology such as cat-sidhe and goblins were startlingly fascinating but the made me shudder. I remember this scene where I even imagined what the voice of the cat-sidhe was like. It was too scary. But the novel was not just filled with scary stuff, it was also filled with surprises and shocking twists and turns.

The race to save Tea’s father in Magmell from the ruler of the goblins reminded me of Lord of the Rings: the battle of the good versus evil. It gave me a rush. The relationship of hunted and hunter in the beginning of Tyger, Tyger did not remain the same. Mamieo and Finn, together with the other characters kicked goblin butt and helped Tea and her little brother get in Magmell. In their journey to save her dad, little by little, they get to know more about themselves – more than they could ever discover when they were in their world. Secrets were unlocked and promises twisted reality with magic.

Tyger, Tyger is a creepy version of Alice in Wonderland. Hamilton put together bits and pieces to come up with this astonishing, breath-stopping, and suspenseful read. I recommend this to fans of Celtic mythology and Fey (dark Fey perhaps).

Rating:

Waiting on Wednesday (Take Two): Instructions for a Broken Heart by Kim Culbertson

It’s late in the evening now. I just found out that Kim Culbertson, a very sweet author, whose book – Songs for a Teenage Nomad – I gave 5 cupids and loved loved loved…has a new book coming out in May 2011 from Sourcebooks Fire! It’s called Instructions for a Broken Heart. I love Kim’s writing so much. It’s one of my favorites and I’m so eager to read another book of hers.

From Goodreads: Three days before her drama club's trip to Italy, Jessa Gardner discovers her boyfriend in the costume barn with another girl. Jessa is left with a care package from her best friend titled "Top Twenty Reasons He's a Slimy Jerk Bastard," instructing her to do one un-Jessa-like thing each day of the trip. At turns hilarious and heartwrenching, Instructions for a Broken Heart paints a magical Italy in which Jessa learns she must figure out life-and romance-for herself.

From Kim’s Website: Top Twenty Reasons He’s A Slimy Jerk Bastard

Jessa:
To help you get over your trainwreck of an EX, I’ve enclosed 20 envelopes. Each one has a reason why Sean is a jerk and not worth the dirt on your shoes. And each one has an instruction for you to do one un-Jessa-like thing a day.  NO CHEATING!
Ciao! -- C

When Jessa catches her boyfriend, Sean, making out with Natalie "The Boob Job" Stone three days before her drama club’s departure to Italy, she completely freaks.

Stuck with a front-row view of Sean and Natalie making out against the backdrop of a country that oozes romance, Jessa promises to follow all of the outrageous instructions in her best friend's care package and open her heart to new experiences.

Enter cute Italian boy stage left.

Jessa had prepared to play the role of humiliated ex-girlfriend, but with Carissa directing her life from afar, it’s finally time to take a shot at being a star.

Sounds good, yes? 

Waiting on Wednesday: Shattered Souls by Mary Lindsey

Last week, I featured Anna Dressed in Blood. This week’s Waiting on Wednesday pick is Shattered Souls by Mary Lindsey! I was in Goodreads yesterday, checking the list of 2011 YA and MG debuts for new additions!

I tried to look for a longer book description but all I found was the one in Goodreads!

A dark and dangerous forbidden love story about a Speaker who helps lingering ghosts pass to the spirit world and the Protector who has pledged to serve her. Coming December 8, 2011 from Philomel/Penguin.

I love the cover! And just like Anna Dressed in Blood, this one is a ghost story! Forbidden love is present too, one of the things that I look forward in a YA paranormal book. I can’t wait to get more info about this one. Do you like it?

Elevensies Spotted: Beth Revis + Across the Universe

I know I've been bad. I haven't posted any review yet! But they're already drafted! I will post some more tomorrow or maybe later when I get home...But right now, let's focus on today. Today is the book birthday of Across the Universe by Beth Revis! It’s just right to post about her and her fascinating debut on this special day! I spotted Beth sometime last year. Here it is:

What or who inspired you to write Across the Universe?

I came up with the idea of the end of the story first. I think that end came from a lifelong of loving Agatha Christie (particularly THE MOUSETRAP) and having been recently surprised by the end of Megan Whalen Turner's novel THE THIEF. I'm definitely a writer inspired by reading.

What lessons will readers pick up from your novel?

I didn't set out for there to be any lessons at all when I wrote the novel, but I think some people might learn the same things my characters learn over the course of the novel: sometimes, you can't rely on others to save you from terrible things, and if you have nothing else, you should at least have hope.

  

Why write for teens?

Because teen literature isn't about writing for teens at all. The age label is superfluous. YA isn't a reading level, it's a genre in and of itself that stresses interesting characters and a cool plot over symbolism and boring imagery.

What did you focus on in Across the Universe?

I just tried to focus on making an interesting story using beautiful language!

What makes your novel stand out?

It's one of the few YA space sci fi novels out there. Other than ENDER'S GAME and a handful of others, there simply isn't that much space sci fi on the market.

Describe writing Across the Universe in a haiku. (You can skip this, if it's a bit inappropriate)

A girl wakes early

On a ship flying through stars.

Who can she trust there?

Which part was more enjoyable to write? beginning, middle or end? Why?

The end! I knew the end before I knew anything else about the story, and it was so much fun to finally get there.

Someone said that sci-fi reflects, whether intentionally or unintentionally, the concerns of out present society. In Across the Universe, was there a particular concern that was reflected? Why was this reflected?

I think the idea of government control is brought up as a reflection of modern society. We seem more and more willing to hand over control of our lives to the government in return for "protection." But what if we can't trust the government?

Any last words?

Thank you for having me!

Thank you, Beth! Across the Universe is out n.o.w. Go get a copy!

_____________________________________________________

A love out of time. A spaceship built of secrets and murder.

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone-one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship-tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

Teaser Tuesdays: Wake Unto Me by Lisa Cach

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

-Grab your current read.
-Open to a random page.
-Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page.
-BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)  
-Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teaser:

A haunted castle, a handsome young man dead for four hundred years, one heck of a scary portrait of a witch, and a treasure hunt -- not to mention a princess for a roommate! -- all await 15 year old American girl Caitlyn Monahan when she earns a scholarship to a French boarding school.

There are secrets behind the stone walls of Chateau de la Fortune, buried for centuries along with the mystery of who killed Raphael, the charming ghost who visits Caitlyn at night. But as Caitlyn unearths the history of the castle, nothing scares her as badly as the secret she learns about herself, and the reason she was chosen to come to the Fortune School.

And nothing breaks her heart as badly as falling in love with a dead guy.

Maybe Raphael had been a real person, but wasn’t any longer.

A sensation like a cold wet hand slid on Caitlyn’s back.

-Wake Unto Me by Lisa Cach (ARC)

What’s your teaser?