The Time Travel Project is a new regular feature in which Ana reads Time Travel novels, new and old. More on the feature here. Title: The Girl from Everywhere Author: Heidi Heilig Genre: Speculative Fiction, YA, Time Travel Publisher:…
Young Adult
Though I applaud Ruta Sepetys’s attention to historical detail and her dedication to shedding light on the important true story of the largest maritime disaster in history, Salt to the Sea somehow falls short of true emotional resonance. Title:…
Deceivers and Reclaimers clash in The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman–a tantalizing opening to a brand new trilogy. Title: The Dark Days Club Author: Alison Goodman Genre: Speculative Fiction, Historical Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Young Adult Publisher: Viking Books…
Old School Wednesdays is a weekly Book Smuggler feature. We came up with the idea towards the end of 2012, when both Ana and Thea were feeling exhausted from the never-ending inundation of New and Shiny (and often over-hyped)…
Passenger by Alexandra Bracken – A Time Travel Project Review
Passenger by Alexandra Bracken, is the first review of The Time Travel Project. …
Today we are thrilled to host the brand new cover reveal for Sarah Porter’s upcoming new novel, Vassa in the Night. Inspired by the Russian folktale Vassilissa the Beautiful, Vassa in the Night will be published by Tor Teen…
Decoding the Newbery: Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! by Laura Amy Schlitz
In this episode of Decoding the Newberry, Catherine Faris King reads Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! by Laura Amy Schlitz Decoding the Newbery is a monthly column in which Newbery Medal winners are examined and deconstructed by regular contributor and…
Old School Wednesdays Joint Review: The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
Old School Wednesdays is a weekly Book Smuggler feature. We came up with the idea towards the end of 2012, when both Ana and Thea were feeling exhausted from the never-ending inundation of New and Shiny (and often over-hyped)…
Joint Review: STAR WARS Moving Target by Cecil Castellucci & Jason Fry
As we continue down the road to Star Wars: The Force Awakens, we read a brand new Princess Leia adventure–and we LOVE it, precious. Title: Moving Target: A Princess Leia Adventure (Journey to STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS) By:…
An A.I. on a powertrip defines the rules of rulership in the future…and it’s pretty badass. Title: The Scorpion Rules Author: Erin Bow Genre: Speculative Fiction, Dystopia, Post-Apocalypse Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books Publication Date: September 2015 Hardcover: 384…
A spectacular, gut-wrenching beauty of a book. Title: Illuminae Author: Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff Genre: Science Fiction, Epistolary Novel, Young Adult Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers Publication Date: October 2015 Hardcover: 599 Pages This morning, Kady thought…
A trilogy ender that is solid…until its hugely problematic resolution. Title: Earth Flight Author: Janet Edwards Genre: Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Young Adult Publisher: Pyr Publication Date: September 2015 Hardcover: 300 pages Jarra never wanted to be a celebrity.…
YA Horror – Review Round-up: A MADNESS SO DISCREET; DAUGHTERS UNTO DEVILS; THE DEAD HOUSE
Welcome to Halloween Week 2015! Over the course of the week, you will hear from guest authors, bloggers, and your very own Book Smugglers about all things Halloween–including reviews of horror novels and films, essays on the genre, and…
Welcome to Halloween Week 2015! Over the course of the week, you will hear from guest authors, bloggers, and your very own Book Smugglers about all things Halloween–including reviews of horror novels and films, essays on the genre, and…
It’s Friday Monday and we are over at Kirkus! Today, Ana reviews The Shadow Behind the Stars, the sophomore novel by Rebecca Hahn featuring the three fates from Greek mythology. It’s a beautiful, haunting novel. Go HERE for the…
While atmospheric and loaded with potential, Nightfall falls short of the mark in terms of scares or general plot cohesion. In plain words, Nightfall is readable, but ultimately a forgettable disappointment of a novel. Title: Nightfall Author: Jake Halpern…
Book Review: Zeroes by Scott Westerfeld, Margo Lanagan and Deborah Biancotti
At the end of the day, Zeroes was an ok read – with really great, fun parts but underwhelming on the whole. Given the premise and the authors involved, I am afraid I was expecting a lot more. Title:…
True Grit meets gold speculation in this YA western adventure. Title: Vengeance Road Author: Erin Bowman Genre: YA, Western Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers Publication Date: September 1 2015 Hardcover: 336 Pages Revenge is worth its weight in…
In which Rebecca Hahn talks about writing The Shadow Behind the Stars. “Inspirations and Influences” is a series of articles in which we invite authors to write guest posts talking about their Inspirations and Influences. In this feature, we…
It’s Friday! And we are over at Kirkus! Today, Ana reviews the excellent The Accident Season by Moira Fowley-Doyle…. and recommends other excellent read-alikes. Go here to read the review and list.…
I don’t know that I ever read anything quite like A History of Glitter and Blood, a novel so edgy and dramatic and dark and uneasy and different and so, so weird, it almost exists on a realm of…
It’s Friday Tuesday, which means we are over at Kirkus for our regular weekly column! Today Thea reviews The Death House by Sarah Pinborough. This book…was not what I thought it was. Think: The Fault in Our Stars meets…
Don’t be deterred by the ill-advised cover or the generic book description; The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall is a smart, emotionally powerful ghost story with a ton of heart–and one of the best ghost-perspective novels, not to mention…
In which Frances Hardinge talks The Lie Tree, one of Ana’s favourite books of 2015. “Inspirations and Influences” is a series of articles in which we invite authors to write guest posts talking about their Inspirations and Influences. In…
In which we take a look at the first YA novel by Kate Elliott Title: Court of Fives Author: Kate Elliott Genre: Fantasy Publisher: Little, Brown Publication Date: August 18 2015 Hardcover: 448 Pages In this imaginative escape into…