Awesomesauce Trailers

Wow. Thanks for the astounding response to my previous post! It's heartening to see that so many of us have noticed and want the same things in contemporary YA. And I know that authors are definitely taking note! Maybe those editors who purportedly recommend that their authors kill off parents or "beautify" their acned characters will think twice about their decision to perpetuate YA tropes that we readers note and are tired of.

On a far lighter note, I am going to share with you some cool trailers that some kind publicists have alerted me to. The first is one for Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready, a paranormal YA coming out from Simon Pulse on May 4--omigoodness that's a week from today!



I'm in the middle of reading this fabulously well-written book right now (would read more but it's dark now and this book is seriously creeping me out cuz I'm a wimp), and what can I say? Jeri is no adult urban fantasy author "dumbing down" her writing for the YA genre. The characters are three-dimensional and non-cliched, the world-building is full, the major plot conflict is steadily growing but the pace is not plodding, and I'm going to have to stop here because I don't want to expend all the phrases I want to use in my review. Needless to say, awesomesauce.

The next is for Claire de Lune by Christine Johnson, also coming out from Simon Pulse later in May:



I haven't started this book yet, but it came in the same shiny silver-foiled package as Shade, which by the transitive/proximity property must mean that it is awesome too, no? Also, the background music is so...well, would "rad" be an acceptable way of describing it?

The last is Part One of a series of teaser clips for the fifth book in Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series, Spirit Bound. I love this series incredibly much, but I haven't read the fourth book yet, so I'm shielding myself from this teaser trailer and instead providing you a link to its Youtube page. Check it out! (I accidentally peaked, and the quote that came up was just...whoa. Brought back the VA magic for me.)

Now, morning, can you come so I can return to reading Shade without my fear of ghosts?

Review (SS1): Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Vampire Academy, Book 1

Tags: YA, paranormal, vampires, sex

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Summary

This is no ordinary vampire world you’re stepping into. Rose Hathaway is a dhampir, a half-vampire, half-human being who is sworn to protect the lives of the Moroi, mortal vampires whose blood is especially desirable by the Strigoi, the evil immortal vampires. Rose has a unique bond with her best friend Lissa, a Moroi princess. The bond was what told her that being at Vampire Academy among the guardians and the other Moroi and dhampirs wasn’t safe, and so two years ago they escaped and have been on the run ever since.

At the start of their senior year, however, Rose and Lissa get caught and it’s back to the pointless social politics of the Academy they go. In between classes, house arrest (as punishment for escaping), and grueling training sessions with the extremely hot Russian guardian Dimitri, however, Rose begins to sense that danger is surrounding Lissa, that she is not who she thinks she is. Lissa has a rare power that could destroy her, and only Rose can protect Lissa from herself…and others who might want to use her for their own benefits.

Review

Now this is the kind of YA paranormal series that I like. Butt-kicking, whip-smart female protagonists; dangerously sexy and complicated love interests; cutthroat high school drama; and an elaborately imagined alternative world…what more could you ask for?

All of the characters, not just the main ones, are great. They have personality, they make biting remarks, they sharpen their claws, spread rumors, manipulate. The Academy is, in a way, like Gossip Girl for vampires: the class politics underlining this series makes it more than a just-for-paranormal-entertainment read. Dhampirs whose life mission is to protect the royal Moroi? An exchange of blood between dhampires and Moroi being dirty and disgusting? The Moroi’s conscious decision to hide from, not fight, the bloodthirsty Strigoi? Come on. There’s plenty to be discussed in this book, as well as plenty to be entertained about.

And speaking of entertainment. The Gossip Girl reference is accurate, more so because of the sexuality that runs through the book. Vampires themselves are already attractive creatures; throw in a couple of hot guys, smart girls, and impossible romances, and you’ve got drama and heartbreak enough to satisfy your cravings. Most books get their strength through either character development or plot; VAMPIRE ACADEMY does both.

This book is class drama for the paranormal set, Twilight done right (in a sexually realistic kind of way). Pick this up and you’ll be sucked immediately into its enchantment. I doubt you will be disappointed.

Similar Authors

Melissa de la Cruz (Blue Bloods series)

Stephenie Meyer

Writing: 4/5

Characters: 5/5

Plot: 5/5

Want more? I am dying to get my hands on the next in the series. Dying.

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5