Review: Girl Stays in the Picture by Melissa de la Cruz

Girl, Book 1

Tags: YA, scandal, deception, fame, acting, guilty pleasure, St. Tropez, summer

Rating: 3 out of 5

Summary

Devon is the biggest teen star around, but ever since her stint in rehab, she needs the success of her starring role in a promising movie to make sure her career doesn’t tank. Devon’s friend and the producer’s daughter Livia underwent surgery to lose almost 200 pounds, and she’s finally beautiful and desired by boys. And fresh-faced Alabama beauty Casey follows her friend and star, Summer, to Saint Tropez, where she’s co-starring in what just happens to be the same movie that Devon’s in and Livia’s father is producing.

But no sooner has everyone gathered in the beautiful south of France than do things begin to deteriorate. Devon finds that her role in the movie has been made less and less important, while more lines and screen time are given to Summer, whose acting is mediocre but whose nastiness is sure not. And she’s having trouble staying out of, well, trouble, especially when her ex and a Greek shipping heir enter the picture. Meanwhile, Livia’s dealing with a bland boyfriend she’s supposed to want to die for, while juggling emotions with a local male friend. And Casey, in between realizing that she has feelings for the movie’s sensitive male lead, sees her role become more “slave” rather than “personal assistant/friend.”

Summer in St. Tropez—will anyone make it out unscathed?

Review

Melissa de la Cruz sure knows how to delight readers looking for a guilty-pleasure read, despite the predictable plot and formulaic characters. GIRL STAYS IN THE PICTURE has everything we could want out of this type of book: sympathetic yet glamorous characters, hot boys, scandals and deception, romance, and exotic locale and costumes.

The changing POV allows readers to embrace Devon, Livia, and Casey as our own friends—friends to which glam and dramatic things happen, of course. We’re meant to cheer for and cry with our beautiful, yet vulnerable, protagonists as they maneuver the dangerous waters of fame and fortune.

However, Melissa’s novels are beginning to blend together in my head. “Tried and true” does not necessarily work best in the book world. Devon’s insecurities clashing with her reputation, Livia’s body image issues, and Casey’s innocent beauty—are things reminding you of THE AU PAIRS yet? The climax of the story involves lots of broken hearts, breakdowns, and revelations of secrets…only to all be resolved in an ending that would’ve been completely saccharine had it not been for the cliffhanger ending (which works kind of well in this case).

Similarly, the boys in GIRL are not as well developed as they can be; they seem to be vague incarnations of every girl’s dream boy, with no true personalities of their own. I would’ve loved more backstory and development of the romantic relationships. I was also rather put off that everything came together so neatly in the end for everyone. Much as we know that these three girls’ stories are not even close to reality, except the pretend one that’s in our head, would it hurt to leave just a little bittersweetness in the story?

That being said, I enjoyed GIRL STAYS IN THE PICTURE for its fast and furious peak into the lives of the rich and famous. Melissa de la Cruz remains my go-to author for guilty-pleasure reads, and this series starter will not disappoint those looking for exactly that.

Similar Authors

Zoey Dean

Cecily von Ziegesar

Writing: 3/5

Characters: 3/5

Plot: 3/5

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5

Review (SS5): Lament by Maggie Stiefvater

Tags: YA, fantasy, faeries, love, deception, music

Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary

Deirdre Monaghan is just your average super-talented harpist. Then a boy walks out of her dreams and straight into her life. Deirdre knows that the attractive and slightly dangerous Luke Dillon is no human, but she is hardly prepared for what he is: the faerie queen’s soulless assassin, a human who rejected her and is now forced to kill all she believes is a threat to her.

Luke was sent to kill Deirdre, but neither of them anticipated falling in love with each other. Now, Luke is risking his life to save hers, but Deirdre is not going to let the evil faerie queen walk all over her and destroy her and her family, friends, and loves. Maybe Deirdre is more of a threat to the queen than she herself thought…

Review

Maggie Stiefvater is going to be the rising voice of YA faerie fiction, I can tell. She writes brilliantly, the story is intricate yet satisfying, and, most of all, her characters are the kind you’ll want to fall in love with or be.

We are thrown right into the story from the very beginning, which is confusing for about the first half of the book, as we do not know Luke’s unspeakable history or his connection to Deirdre and the amount of danger she is in. Fortunately, Maggie Stiefvater’s writing totally makes up for that: Deirdre’s narrative tone can be described as “irreverent:” she’s a witty and self-deprecating observer who still manages to pull kick-butt abilities out of thin air as if she’d been born to do it all along.

The characters are truly what make this book. Deirdre is your ideal female protagonist, and Luke her heartbreakingly dazzling male counterpart. Even secondary characters—such as James, Deirdre’s wisecracking best friend, and Una, a bold faerie—take on full shape and importance. It didn’t matter how confusing the beginning was, because once I really got into the book, it was impossible to put down, that’s how deep my connection to the characters was.

LAMENT leaves off on a bittersweet note, and I can’t tell you how eager I am for the release of BALLAD, a companion book. If I could devour Maggie’s writing as food all day, I would. Instead, I will be content to reread LAMENT over and over again, desperately waiting for what she has to show us next.

Similar Authors

Holly Black

Melissa Marr

Writing: 4/5

Characters: 4/5

Plot: 4/5

Want more? Do you even have to ask? Yes!

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5

Cover discussion: 3.5 out of 5 - I love this so much more than its original cover, particularly the falling green clovers on the black background.

Flux / Oct. 2008

Review (SS4): Evernight by Claudia Gray

Tags: YA, paranormal, vampires, boarding school, vampire hunters

Rating: 2 out of 5

Summary

Bianca Olivier’s parents are new teachers at the boarding school Evernight Academy, and Bianca just knows that she has to get out of Evernight. The students are distant, sophisticated, and creepy; Bianca feels like she doesn’t belong.

Then she meets Luke. He makes her feel complete, and it’s not long before they are inseparable. But Luke acts mysterious sometimes, and Bianca can’t figure him out…until disaster strikes. Suddenly, old family secrets are revealed, and the two young lovers’ lives may be in grave danger.

Review

The first reaction I had when I finished this book was, wow, I’m glad it’s over. That doesn’t bode well for the first sentence of a review, but I’m going to try to explain why EVERNIGHT gave me a headache and had me rolling my eyes through every page.

Don’t get me wrong: there are some good parts to this book. I really liked the concept of a boarding school for vampires; the gothic towers and rooms of Evernight reminded me vaguely of Hogwarts, which was cool. The idea that Gray presents readers of a world where immortal vampires are constantly struggling to fit in, and need to be taught technology, was intriguing, although not as well developed as it could’ve been.

I really liked the tension between vampires and the human vampire hunters, even though the motivations for the vampire hunters’ actions were not well explained. And finally, I was a fan of the huge twist halfway through the book that everyone likes to talk about. Books with unreliable narrators are difficult to pull off, and Bianca’s revelation to us was shocking, yet satisfying at the same time.

However, EVERNIGHT fell flat in all other aspects. Bianca was difficult to like: she constantly feels the need to tell readers things about herself and the world around her, things that we didn’t need to know—like the fact that she’s supposedly shy, even though there’s no indication of shyness beyond the general awkwardness of adolescence among a new crowd—or could have inferred in the hands of a more skilled writer. Similarly, none of the other characters were interesting, least of all Luke. I rolled my eyes at the stilted dialogue and forced attraction between the two, felt my eyelids start to slide shut at the unbearably slow pace of the novel.

I read EVERNIGHT for the express purpose of finding out what that plot twist was, but it wasn’t worth it. Lovers of vampire lit might be interested in the world that Gray has tried to spin, but newcomers to the genre would be better off with other vampire series, such as Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy.

Similar Authors

Richelle Mead (Vampire Academy)

Stephenie Meyer

Aprilynne Pike

P. C. Cast (House of Night)

Writing: 2/5

Characters: 2/5

Plot: 2/5

Want more? No thanks.

Overall Rating: 2 out of 5

Cover discussion: 2.5 out of 5 - Well, I don't have a problem with it. I like the glossy-on-matte monochromatic look/feel--even if it doesn't have anything to do with the story.

Review (SS3): The Treasure Map of Boys by E. Lockhart

Ruby Oliver, Book 3

Publication Date: July 28, 2009 (Random House)

Tags: YA, high school, drama, friendship, angst

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Summary

Now in the second half of her junior year, Ruby Oliver seems to have reached a sort of satisfying plateau in her social standing. No longer a social standing after the incident with the boyfriend list in sophomore year, Ruby now has several friends, of both genders—but, alas, she still does not have a boyfriend!

This is not to say that she doesn’t have any prospects. A school bake sale she runs prompts several guys to participate, and to maybe show an interest in her. Roo also can’t decide how she feels about her ex, Jackson, newly single after breaking up with Roo’s ex-best friend, sending her more gifts and always hanging around her. And finally, she has trouble interpreting the actions of Noel, her friend and someone she may like.

But then things get worse—much worse. And suddenly Roo is back in a position of trying to figure out who her true friends are, and whether or not she is a good person after all.

Review

E. Lockhart’s Ruby Oliver books are, quite simply, some of the best studies of high school platonic and romantic interaction that ever exist. What I love about Roo and the books about her are how thoroughly and realistically complex the characters are. Teens do a lot of crazy things in high school, and there are never easy explanations for their motivations. Similarly, Roo is constantly trying to analyze her behavior and decide whether she is being a normal teenage girl or a horrible person.

This kind of three-dimensional psych study isn’t just limited to Roo, however. All of the other people in Roo’s life—with the exception of the adults—are prime candidates for loads of discussion. What makes them do what they do? Are they right to put so much blame on Roo for things going badly, or are they themselves also partially at fault? All the questions that teens subconsciously must answer in high school, and yet rarely have the ability to voice as clearly as Roo does.

The excellence doesn’t stop there, either! E. Lockhart not only creates wonderful characters, she also writes humorously. Roo has a habit of using footnotes liberally to either go off on tangents that usually involve cinema knowledge or to make a funny and/or informative note. The result is a book that is easy yet fun to read.

Due to E. Lockhart’s insightful observation about the behaviors of teenagers in a small school, as well as Roo’s admittedly dramatic life, the Ruby Oliver books would make great presents for teen girls who read a lot of manga but not many actual novels. The situations involving friends and love interests will be familiar to them, and the language will be accessible and enticing. And at the same time, there are plenty of smarts in this book to win anyone’s heart. If you want to relive those painful high school years of confusing and crazy emotions, this is a great series to pick up.

Similar Authors

John Green

Megan McCafferty

Diana Peterfreund

Michele Jaffe

Writing: 5/5

Characters: 5/5

Plot: 4/5

Want more? Yes--not only because I love Roo, but also because the ending just begs for another saga to be written.

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Cover discussion: 4 out of 5 - I love these covers! If you've read the previous Ruby Oliver books, you'll know that they're all pretty similar, with the white backgrounds, unassuming font, and the one simple "toy". Love it. They look great together, and they're definitely recognizable.

Review (SS2): Wings by Aprilynne Pike

Tags: middle grade, YA, fantasy, faeries, trolls, love triangle

Rating: 1.5 out of 5

Summary

15-year-old Laurel has just entered public school for the first time after always being homeschooled. Besides for normal teenage issues such as trying to make friends and getting close to a boy named David, Laurel also has to worry about a mysterious growth on her back, which suddenly blossoms into an actual flower!

With the help of a familiar-looking fairy named Tamani, Laurel learns that she is, in fact, a fairy with the very important job of protecting her adoptive family’s land from possession by the trolls. The trouble is, her parents seem intent on selling the land, and even more so when tragedy strikes. Now, Laurel must face this set of seemingly unbelievable facts about herself and the world in order to protect the ones she loves, as well as the ones she may love.

Review

What a disappointment. WINGS garners attention as being similar to Twilight, but let’s just say that the over-hyped vampire series is still a lot more interesting than anything this book has to offer.

Where do I even begin? The characters lack personality or appeal. Laurel has not a stitch of mental or physical strength on her. Her choice of actions have no validity or sense. The love triangle between Laurel, David, and Tamani is extremely contrived: I sensed no attraction at all between any of the three, no real reason why the boys would like Laurel the bland “heroine,” and no appeal in the caricatures of the boys, David the goody-two-shoes good friend, and Tamani the “dangerously attractive and mysterious” fairy (adjectives placed in quotes because, uh, he’s not. At all). If you’re trying to copy off the popularity of the Twilight love triangle, at least develop the males well enough that readers are encouraged to take sides. There will be no Team David or Team Tamani here: there will be a Team Run-Away-As-Fast-As-You-Can!

The concept of fairies being similar to plants was fairly interesting; my favorite parts of the book are when David geeks out and begins doing all sorts of scientific experiments on Laurel to prove to her that she is a plant. It was quite fascinating, all of the ways that Pike came up with to link fairies to plants! Unfortunately, the story lacked everything else: engaging dialogue, plot, movement. The word that sprang to mind most when I read this book was “contrived;” it felt like we readers were told how we were supposed to feel about the characters and their predicaments instead of actually letting us feel anything. Anything that readers needed to know about the plot was explained in endless pages of stationary dialogue, which I wouldn’t even mind if not for the fact that the dialogue feels forced and the characters are not explaining anything of worth or interest to me anyway.

Alas, it seems like I and other reviewers can blither and blather all we want; the audience (and publishers) clearly know what they want, and that’s some more Twilight spin-offs. Seriously, though, if you’re looking for some more fantasy love triangles and fairy wars etc., don’t check here. It won’t be long before you’ll be wondering about how you can get a refund on your time.

Similar Authors

Stephenie Meyer

Melissa Marr

Maggie Stiefvater

R. J. Anderson

Writing: 1/5

Characters: 1/5

Plot: 2/5

Overall Rating: 1.5 out of 5

Cover discussion: 2 out of 5 - It's... pretty, I guess. And cute, sorta. But, um, what does it have to do with the story? Can anyone tell me?

Series Summer 2009 Book #2

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

Series Summer Giveaway Results + WINNER!

Wow, who's idea was it to give ten extra entries for recommendations? You guys would've done the same had I given you less entries for doing so, right? Right? :) Seriously, though, thank you SO much for the nudges. I had an amazing time looking through them, seeing the trends, and figuring out what to read next!

Here are the results of the voting:

36.5 Vampire Academy / Richelle Mead You guys have GOOD taste! I just finished this. Rating: 4.5, review here.

31.25 Wings / Aprilynne Pike Scratch the "good taste" compliment. xP - Rating: 1.5, review here

29.75 Evernight / Claudia Gray Rating: 2, review here

27.25 Marked (House of Night, Book 1) / P. C. Cast and Kristin Cast Rating: 2.5, review to come

25.5 Fire / Kristin Cashore AMAZING. I can't wait to put my review up. Rating : 5

23 The Vampire Diaries / L. J. Smith

20.25 Poison Study (Study, Book 1) / Maria Snyder Rating: 5. One of my favorite books now. Review to come

20 Dead Until Dark (Sookie Sackhouse, Book 1) / Charlaine Harris

20 You Are So Undead to Me / Stacey Jay

20.5 -1 Flowers in the Attic (Dollangangers, Book 1) / V. C. Andrews

18.75 Maximum Ride / James Patterson

17.75 Lament / Maggie Stiefvater SO good.

17 Kiss Me Kill Me / Lauren Henderson

16.5 Ironside / Holly Black

15 Strange Angels / Lili St. Crow

14.25 Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty / Jody Gehrman

14 The Amber Spyglass (His Dark Materials, Book 3) / Philip Pullman

13.75 Nobody’s Princess / Esther Friesner

12.25 Dead is the New Black / Marlene Perez

12 3 Willows: The Sisterhood Grows / Ann Brashares
11 The Blue Sword / Robin McKinley

11 Night World No. 1 / L. J. Smith

10.75 Eon: Dragoneye Reborn / Alison Goodman Rating: 4.5, review to come

10.5 The Devouring / Simon Holt

8.25 Skin Hunger / Kathleen Duey

8 The Thief / Megan Whalen Turner

7.25 The Faerie Path / Frewin Jones

7.25 Hatter M: The Looking Glass Wars / Frank Beddor

7 Into the Wild / Sarah Beth Durst

6.75 The Treasure Map of Boys (Ruby Oliver, Book 3) / E. Lockhart I'm still in love with the Ruby Oliver series, thank god. Rating: 4.5, review here

6.25 Kitty Kitty / Michele Jaffe
6 The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Eighth Grade Bites / Heather Brewer

6 Dealing with Dragons / Patricia Wrede

6 Kissed by an Angel / Elizabeth Chandler

6 The President’s Daughter / Ellen Emerson White

5.25 The Grand Tour / Patricia Wrede and Caroline Stevermer

5 Cycler / Lauren McLaughlin

5 Dreamhunter / Elizabeth Knox

5 The Perilous Gard / Elizabeth Pope

4.75 Homecoming / Cynthia Voigt

4.75 Under the Rose (Secret Society Girl, Book 2) / Diana Peterfreund Rating: 4.5, review to come

4.5 River Secrets / Shannon Hale

4 Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane (Underland Chronicles, Book 2) / Suzanne Collins

4 The Hunter’s Moon (Chronicles of Faerie, Book 1) / O. R. Melling

4 Succubus Blues / Richelle Mead

3.25 Dragonsong / Anne McCaffrey

3 Flora Segunda / Ysabeau Wilce

3 Friend Me: Books 1-3 of the Mates, Dates… Series / Cathy Hopkins
2.25 Ruler of the Realm (Faerie Wars, Book 3) / Herbie Brennan

2 -1 The Society of S / Susan Hubbard

1 Skulduggery Pleasant / Derek Landry

1 Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time / Lisa Yee
1 The 13th Reality: The Journal of Curious Letters / James Dashner

1 -1 Foundling (Monster Blood Tattoo, Book 1) / D. M. Cornish

In the Serpent’s Coils / Tiffany Trent

It seems like everyone loves vampires, as they rank pretty high up on the list. Thanks again, everyone! I know I've already read some on the list, but otherwise I can read in the approximate order in which you suggested them to me--give or take "breaks" for ARCs or other things that catch my eye (I'm A.D.D. like that). I will be marking Series Summer reviews with SS# to make them stand out, and so you can check up on my progress if you want. I'll be reading at least one book a week--probably more because with all my commuting time between work, I have been finishing a book a day!

And for the moment you're all waiting. After calculating all the entries, the winner, out of over 3000 entries (yes, 3000. Told you I'm not doing the +10 thing next time) is:

#465 stargirlreads!

Congratulations! I've emailed you, so get back to me with your mailing address and I'll send your prize out to you.

Thanks to everyone else who voted and helped me out with my TBR pile! I had so much fun doing this that I'll definitely be doing this once a season. Look out! :)

YA Book Carnival GIVEAWAY: Series Summer Celebration!

Lauren of Shooting Stars Mag had this fantastic idea to host a YA Book Carnival! Check out her post for more detail. This whole week of June 21-27, you can enter contests featuring YA lit-related prizes. So why WOULDN'T you check it out?

I am celebrating YA Book Carnival and the start of my self-determined Series Summer 2009 with a giveaway of ALL SIX (6) of the books in Meg Cabot's Mediator series. If you haven't read this series yet, I'm not sure where you've been. It tells the story of Susannah Simon, who gets into a whole lot of trouble because she can see ghosts... and there's one hot ghost in particular that she can't seem to see enough of. This is great fun serial paranormal reading the way only Meg Cabot can do it, and I highly recommend you check it out.

  

  

To enter this giveaway, I need your help. What is Series Summer 2009, you ask? With my TBR shelves threatening to take over my entire room, I've decided to enlist your help in helping me choose what to read every season. For Summer 2009 I will be reading books in series. They may be the first book in the series, the last (which I haven't gotten around to yet), old, new... everything goes, as long as they are part of the series!

Enter by telling me which books from the lists below you think I should read. Nudge or recommend as many books as you want; you can give up to one point per book, but you can also give half- and quarter-points to other books you think I should read but not as immediately as the full-point books.

Series Summer 2009 Books:

REALISTIC
3 Willows: The Sisterhood Grows / Ann Brashares

Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty / Jody Gehrman
Cycler / Lauren McLaughlin
Flowers in the Attic (Dollangangers, Book 1) / V. C. Andrews
Friend Me: Books 1-3 of the Mates, Dates... Series / Cathy Hopkins

Homecoming / Cynthia Voigt
Kitty Kitty / Michele Jaffe
The President’s Daughter / Ellen Emerson White
Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time / Lisa Yee
The Treasure Map of Boys (Ruby Oliver, Book 3) / E. Lockhart

Under the Rose (Secret Society Girl, Book 2) / Diana Peterfreund

MAGIC
Kiss Me Kill Me / Lauren Henderson
Kissed by an Angel / Elizabeth Chandler
Nobody’s Princess / Esther Friesner

FANTASY - DRAGONS, FAERIES, AND MORE
The 13th Reality: The Journal of Curious Letters / James Dashner
The Blue Sword / Robin McKinley
Dealing with Dragons / Patricia Wrede
Dragonsong / Anne McCaffrey
Eon: Dragoneye Reborn / Alison Goodman
The Faerie Path / Frewin Jones
Fire / Kristin Cashore
Flora Segunda / Ysabeau Wilce
Foundling (Monster Blood Tattoo, Book 1) / D. M. Cornish
The Grand Tour / Patricia Wrede and Caroline Stevermer
Hatter M: The Looking Glass Wars / Frank Beddor
The Hunter’s Moon (Chronicles of Faerie, Book 1) / O. R. Melling
Into the Wild / Sarah Beth Durst
Ironside / Holly Black
Lament / Maggie Stiefvater
The Perilous Gard / Elizabeth Pope
Poison Study (Study, Book 1) / Maria Snyder

River Secrets / Shannon Hale
Ruler of the Realm (Faerie Wars, Book 3) / Herbie Brennan
Skulduggery Pleasant / Derek Landry
The Thief / Megan Whalen Turner
Wings / Aprilynne Pike

PARANORMAL - ZOMBIES, VAMPIRES, ETC.
The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Eighth Grade Bites / Heather Brewer

Dead is the New Black / Marlene Perez
Dead Until Dark (Sookie Sackhouse, Book 1) / Charlaine Harris
Evernight / Claudia Gray
In the Serpent’s Coils / Tiffany Trent
Marked (House of Night, Book 1) / P. C. Cast and Kristin Cast
Night World No. 1 / L. J. Smith
The Society of S / Susan Hubbard

Strange Angels / Lili St. Crow
Succubus Blues / Richelle Mead
Vampire Academy / Richelle Mead
The Vampire Diaries / L. J. Smith
You Are So Undead to Me / Stacey Jay

SPECULATIVE OR DYSTOPIAN
The Amber Spyglass (His Dark Materials, Book 3) / Philip Pullman
The Devouring / Simon Holt
Dreamhunter / Elizabeth Knox
Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane (Underland Chronicles, Book 2) / Suzanne Collins
Maximum Ride / James Patterson
Skin Hunger / Kathleen Duey

(I know there are a TON of books but any nudges you've got to spare would be exceedingly grateful! You can see why I'm nearly being devoured by my TBR books...)

You get one (1) entry for leaving your name and email address, but you get ten (10) entries for voting on which books I should read this summer. (So you should vote. Clearly. Duh.) For extra entries:

+1 if you follow me (and let me know)

+1 if you spread the word about this giveaway and tell me

+1 if you put me on your blogroll

Giveaway ends on Sunday, July 5, 2009. This is an INTERNATIONAL giveaway--because I seriously need help determining my Series Summer reading list. And even if you don't want to enter the giveaway, you should still contribute some votes for books you think I should read! Thanks, and let the voting begin!