Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

2009 has come and (almost) gone. It had its ups and downs, but overall, it was a pretty amazing year. Here's hoping that 2010 will be even better!

Cheers :)


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Also, as it turns out, I will be partaking in Project 365 after all for 2010 (it's basically the concept of a photo a day for 365 days). Pop on by Lucid 365 to come keep me company :)

In My Mailbox [27]

Brought to you by Alea & Kristi, Lucid Conspiracy presents In My Mailbox #27...

So this week I got Impossible by Nancy Werlin and a bunch of really sweet Hirobot stickers (from T-U-G) which were purchased with a giftcard won from a contest over at LiyanaLand! Thanks, Liyana. Hope everyone's holidays are going well!

So there you have it, my mailbox. Your turn - what was in yours this week?

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Also, don't forget to go enter the swag giveaway here~

The Dark Divine Review

The Dark Divine - Bree Despain
*December 22nd, 2009 EgmontUSA

Grace Divine, daughter of the local pastor, always knew something terrible happened the night Daniel Kalbi disappeared--the night she found her brother Jude collapsed on the porch, covered in his own blood--but she has no idea what a truly monstrous secret that night held.

The memories her family has tried to bury resurface when Daniel returns, three years later, and enrolls in Grace and Jude's high school. Despite promising Jude she'll stay away, Grace cannot deny her attraction to Daniel's shocking artistic abilities, his way of getting her to look at the world from new angles, and the strange, hungry glint in his eyes.

The closer Grace gets to Daniel, the more she jeopardizes her life, as her actions stir resentment in Jude and drive him to embrace the ancient evil Daniel unleashed that horrific night. Grace must discover the truth behind the boy's dark secret...and the cure that can save the ones she loves. But she may have to lay down the ultimate sacrifice to do it--her soul.

Bree Despain's debut The Dark Divine is, simply put, quite divine. Wholesome with a fulfilling plotline, there's something very satisfying about this book. "A prodigial son. A dangerous love. A deadly secret." (Synopsis) Mystery, drama, intrigue, danger, secrets, lies - The Dark Divine has a little bit of everything for everyone.

Grace Divine, leading lady extraordinaire, is conveyed beautifully through Despain's writing style. Simultaneously simplistic and unique, there's something very raw and earnest - and real - about [Grace]'s voice, making it very distinctive. Grace's innocent naivity and kindheartedness simply makes her the likeable girl-next-door who seems very relatable (albeit with a paranormal twist). The letters from the past could have had the periodic diction and voice tuned a bit further to seem more in time, though.

The best part of The Dark Divine is definitely the way Despain made it different. The major catch of the paranormal aspect - it's amazing that it's been kept under wraps so well. Which makes the adventure readers embark on trying to discover it all that much more exciting. Despain shows intricate foresight and planning with the little clues dropped through foreshadowing and red herrings throughout the course of the novel. From those, readers may or may not be able to figure it out before the characters themselves - and the race and potential for dramatic irony simply adds to the fun.

Daniel, Jude, the Divine parents, Pete, April - again, all very interesting characters. It's great to see Despain's little twists to make them truly her own. For a novel that chronicles a struggle of sorts between good and evil, so to speak, it's wonderful to see that the lines between the two sides have become blurred, which adds to the credibility. There were moments here and there that were sort of sappy and were close to bordering on corny. However, that does seem to be part of the draw of The Dark Divine - all in all, it's a very sweet, hope-inspiring read.

The way an ages-old myth was taken and incorporated in a modern way with a unique twist that's all Despain's own is what makes this novel stand out. The contents are as achingly raw and beautiful as the cover. With captivating writing and a unique plotline, Bree Despain's The Dark Divine is a very enjoyable read.

Goodreads IndieBound Bree Despain

100th Post Contest

Alas, I've been a little absent around the YA blogosphere lately - and I guess you could say that Lucid Conspiracy has been on an unofficial hiatus of sorts. But - it's the holidays now (yay!), so hopefully it's time to get caught up on things. (Apologies if you're still waiting on e-mail replies - will get to them asap :)

I know you guys were all very concerned ;) This also happens to be the 100th post, so what better way to doubly celebrate than by giving away some swag?

A bookmark pack consisting of the following are up for grabs:

^All Unquiet Things by Anna Jarzab
^Fairy Tale by Cyn Balog
^Give up the Ghost by Megan Crewe
^Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Shroeder (autographed)
^Supernatural Rubber Chicken

Before we get to the good stuff on how to win, a linkage love is probably in order. Give up the Ghost was reviewed here, and author Megan Crewe was interviewed here. Fairy Tale's author Cyn Balog was interviewed here, and look for a review of All Unquiet Things by Anna Jarzab early in the new year. You can also pop by Lisa Shroeder's to say hi.

After all that, let's get to the good stuff. Contest open to US of A & Canada. Must be a follower. Please put each entry in a separate comment. If you don't feel comfortable leaving an e-mail, a distinctive name is fine as well. Contest ends December 30th. You get one entry for each of the following:
~Comment (1st one is a freebie entry)
~Twitter followers (@lucidconspiracy)
~Promotion (+1 for each place you link the contest)
~Signing up for SwagBucks through here

Thanks, guys. Unfortunately, it's just a swag prize pack, but it'll help get the holiday spirit going, hopefully. Happy holidays, and enter away :)

LIGHTS

Today's musical feature is pretty special for a number of reasons. LIGHTS (also known as Valerie Poxleitner) is a Canadian synthpop artist. Her music has won a number of awards so far, most notably a Juno. She's been on tour around the States and Canada, and recently I was able to see her perform live in concert!

It was a pretty amazing show - Lights definitely has that extra little something, that charisma, that stage presence that makes for a wonderful performer. The little episodes of comic-esque extra-terrestrial plotline, the beautiful singing live, the vibrant energy... it all made for an amazing event.

There's an aspect of originality with how the little cartoons were intersperced, and the recurring theme of her music being "out of this world". I like it. Basically, she seems like a very fun and friendly person.

One of the other cool moments of the night was when one of the members of Jets Overhead (her opening band - also Canadian and amazing!) told my friend and I that we were "rocking our Lights t-shirts".

IAmLights / Lights MySpace / Lights Youtube / Lights Twitter

I'll share two of her music videos as a sampler. The first is Ice, and the second is February Air (which another friend of mine recently covered - you can check it out here). (The FA video is an old unofficial one - but this version is really cool)