Elevated by Elana Johnson

Here's a great YA contemporary romance for all you romance readers. :) I love me a romance, and this one does not disappoint.

Don't be afraid of the fact that Elevated is written in verse. I'll be the first person to admit that I don't like poetry. Nothing wrong with it for those who love it--it's just not my thing. But my lack of love for anything in verse did nothing to stop me from loving this book. It's fantastic.

Here's the premise:


Getting stuck on an elevator with your ex will really get your heart rate ELEVATED...

The last person seventeen-year-old Eleanor Livingston wants to see on the elevator—let alone get stuck with—is her ex-boyfriend Travis, the guy she's been avoiding for five months.

Plagued with the belief that when she speaks the truth, bad things happen, Elly hasn’t told Trav anything. Not why she broke up with him and cut off all contact. Not what happened the day her father returned from his deployment to Afghanistan. And certainly not that she misses him and still thinks about him everyday.

But with nowhere to hide and Travis so close it hurts, Elly’s worried she won’t be able to contain her secrets for long. She’s terrified of finally revealing the truth, because she can’t bear to watch a tragedy befall the boy she still loves.


Elly is stuck on an elevator with the boy she loves but is trying to avoid. How can this not have the romantic tension we all love to read, what we romance readers crave to read? Elana does an amazing job making the scenes come to life and helping her readers feel the tension and desires both to run away from Trav and wrap him up in our arms.

Elana weaves past with present in a brilliant way. I always understood where and when the characters were as Elly's story and secrets unfold. And a few pages in, I forgot the whole thing was written in poetry. The words were so beautiful (and easy for me to understand, because let's face it, the main reason I'm not a reader of poetry is how complicated it can be) that I lost myself in them. 

I loved the characters, loved the story, and tried not to cry at the events that were heartbreaking.

The last one I totally failed at.

I'd rather read this book than eat chocolate. Or should I say, I'd rather read this book THEN eat chocolate, because chocolate and crying kind of go together. :) 

If you love YA and/or romance, you should really try this one. It's worth every minute you take to read it.

Rynn

Insomnia by J R Johansson

I told you about my favorite author ever--now let me tell you about my second favorite author ever. Funny thing is, she's local too. You'd think all my favorite authors would be super famous and known nationally. Nope. I don't think fame makes a great author or a great book.

Great writing does.

I met Jenn Johansson at an LDStorymakers conference (awesome place for writers of any level). Her debut book, Insomnia had not quite been released, but during the book signing, she posted on Facebook that the next two people to come up to her and say "Insomnia's better than nightmares" would get a free arc.

Umm, yeah. My friend and I ran to her the moment we saw it, and that's how I got my copy from an unknown author. Now, I'd done a bad thing by that time already--I'd purchased about $200 worth of books. I know, I know. But I couldn't help myself! They had a large bookstore, and I was there without my husband to stop me!

Yeah . . . it's my own fault. I know.

So the funny thing is, when I got home, I had about twenty books to choose from. But all I could think about reading first was the one book I'd been given for free, and here's why:

Cover:




Back of the book:

Instead of sleeping, Parker Chipp enters the dream of the last person he's had eye contact with. He spends his nights crushed by other people's fear and pain, by their disturbing secrets--and Parker can never have dreams of his own. The severe exhaustion is crippling him. If nothing changes, Parker could soon be facing psychosis and even death.

Then he meets Mia. Her dreams, calm and beautifully uncomplicated, allow him blissful rest that is utterly addictive. Parker starts going to bizarre lengths to catch Mia's eye every day. Everyone at school thinks he's gone over the edge, even his best friend. And when Mia is threatened by a true stalker, everyone thinks it's Parker.

Suffering blackouts, Parker begins to wonder if he is turning into someone dangerous. What if the monster stalking Mia is him after all?

Umm, how does that not sound like an absolutely amazing novel? I read it first and am so glad I did. I loved it! There were a lot of things about this book that could have gone in the direction of every other story out there, but never did. Everything about the plot was different. I did guess the ending, but my husband thinks that's my super power. When lots of people can't guess the ending, I can. That could be the reader or writer in me. However, despite knowing the end, I loved every second of this book. Jenn kept me guessing at many other things, and she did succeed at making me question my ending guess several times.

I've never really tried reading YA Thrillers before, but it seems they're one of my favorite genres. I could not put this book down. I read it in one sitting. Writers dream to make a book so interesting that the reader has to keep turning the pages, and Jenn totally succeeded with Insomnia. This is definitely a "I'd rather read this book than eat chocolate." Oh so much.

Okay, AND the second one is out and the third is coming out this summer, so there's not too much waiting to finish the story. I'd lend you my copy, but my sister has already borrowed it. Go to a library, borrow it, or better yet, buy it. It's worth every penny.

Rynn

The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson

If you're not a fan of Brandon Sanderson, you should be. And if you haven't read any of his books because he's mostly a Science Fiction/Fantasy author and that's not your normal read, there are plenty of books to try. Take it from me. I'm less likely to pick up a Fantasy or Science Fiction and a lot more likely to hang around the YA shelves at Barnes and Noble over speculative romance. I love me a romance.

And Brandon's not known for romance.

So why has Brandon Sanderson become my number one favorite author? Because he's a brilliant writer. He knows how to craft a story that keeps me up all night. And so you know, I LOVE my sleep. I need it not only to stay pretty, but to keep from winning the grumpiest mom and wife in the world award. And Brandon's stories make me want to give up both my beauty and happy demeanor just so I can get in "one more chapter..."

So I'm going to start with The Rithmatist.



Don't let the cover scare you away or the "fantasy" aspect. It's YA, fast-paced, and with enough world-building to please fantasy lovers (like my husband) but not so much that people like me start to skim. Here's the back cover flap:

More than anything, Joel wants to be a Rithmatist. Chosen by the Master in a mysterious inception ceremony, Rithmatists have the power to infuse life into two-dimensional figures known as Chalklings. Rithmatists are humanity’s only defense against the Wild Chalklings—merciless creatures that leave mangled corpses in their wake. Having nearly overrun the territory of Nebrask, the Wild Chalklings now threaten all of the American Isles.

As the son of a lowly chalkmaker at Armedius Academy, Joel can only watch as Rithmatist students learn the magical art that he would do anything to practice. Then students start disappearing—kidnapped from their rooms at night, leaving trails of blood. Assigned to help the professor who is investigating the crimes, Joel and his friend Melody find themselves on the trail of an unexpected discovery, one that will change Rithmatics—and their world—forever.

I loved this book. LOVED! If I had to choose between my favorite chocolate in the whole world or to read The Rithmatist, I would pick to read this book. No doubts. It's fun, creative, fast-paced, and a genre that seems to push the boundaries of normal fantasy. It feels less like the fantasy norm and more like an alternate reality with amazing elements that I could never even dream up. The characters are real. I'm certain they live in this alternate universe that I just can't travel to. They're too realistic not to. And they're interesting. They aren't your average Joe and Susan, yet they're relatable. I also kept guessing at what would happen. I'm pretty good at figuring endings out, as I try to write novels myself, but this one kept me on my toes until the end.

And there is a little romance. Brandon Sanderson, you dog, you! It's nothing intense, and you can tell he's new to the whole writing a romance thing, but it's sweet and it works with the story. It's blossoming slowly and fills my need for anything romantic.

The only bad thing is we're waiting for him to write the next book. And though Brandon can crank out two amazing books in a year, he has many projects. I can't wait for book #2. I'll buy it the day it comes out, even if I have to not eat chocolate for a whole year to pay for it!

Read it, guys. It's really good.

Rynn

Yo to anyone out there looking for a good book

You may notice the lack of posts on this blog. Not to worry! It's brand new and will be up and running starting now.

Alas, I do not have the time to put in a bunch of reviews all the first day. I will, however, put up a new review each week. My reviews will not use the 1-5 star system, but have more of reference to how much I'd rather read the book or eat chocolate.

In order:

• I'd rather read this book than eat chocolate!
• Maybe it's best to consume both at the same time.
• I need some chocolate to help me get through this book. 
• I'll just eat some chocolate. 

I look forward to sharing my thoughts on the many novels out there each week. :)

Rynn