Waiting on Wednesday (14)

Grace - Elizabeth Scott

*September 16th, 2010 Dutton

A fable of a terrifying near future by critically acclaimed author Elizabeth Scott.

Grace was raised to be an Angel, a herald of death by suicide bomb. But she refuses to die for the cause, and now Grace is on the run, daring to dream of freedom. In search of a border she may never reach, she travels among malevolent soldiers on a decrepit train crawling through the desert. Accompanied by the mysterious Kerr, Grace struggles to be invisible, but the fear of discovery looms large as she recalls the history and events that delivered her uncertain fate.

Told in spare, powerful prose, this tale of a dystopian near future will haunt readers long after they've reached the final page.

I've actually been meaning to feature Grace for a while now. At first it didn't have a cover, so I figured I'd wait. And then I just didn't get around to it right away - but here we are now.

By this point, it's already clear that Elizabeth Scott has established herself as a quite a powerhouse writer, being able to hit different genres beautifully. (I've reviewed her latest release The Unwritten Rule.) It'll definitely be great to see how she tackles speculative/futuristic fiction.

The cover image is very haunting to look at, especially with those wide, staring eyes. The concept sounds different, unique, original. Basically, it'll be really interesting to see how this one turns out.

And there you have it - my pick of the week. What're you waiting on this Wednesday?

*WoW is hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine

In My Mailbox [35] & Burned Goodies

This week's been pretty cool. First I got Burned by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast, which was a complete surprise - but a nice one. So thanks for that! :) What was even cooler was that the bookjacket unfolded to become a poster, actually.

Burned was released on April 27th, 2010, and is the seventh book in the House of Night series by P.C. and Kristin Cast....

"Things have turned black at the House of Night. Zoey Redbird’s soul has
shattered. With everything she’s ever stood for falling apart, and a broken
heart making her want to stay in the Otherworld forever, Zoey’s fading fast.
It’s seeming more and more doubtful that she will be able pull herself back
together in time to rejoin her friends and set the world to rights. As the only
living person who can reach her, Stark must find a way to get to her. But how?
He will have to die to do so, the Vampire High Council stipulates. And then Zoey
will give up for sure. There are only 7 days left… "

The New York
Times-bestselling mother-daughter writing team of P.C. and Kristin Cast again
prove why they have become a major force in teen fiction. With over 3 million
copies of their books in print, a well-publicized film option, an updated
interactive website, daily-growing fan base, the Cast duo will command your
attention with every page turn.

Check out the super-duper trailer:

But wait! That's not all - there are more ways to get in on the fun:
`Read the first chapter
`Download the song
`Visit the official website
________________

And guess what else showed up this week. A signed copy of The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott, which I won over at Free Book Friday, which is hosted by the lovely Jessica Brody. Thanks so much, ladies! Speaking of which, Jessica's book The Karma Club was just released on April 27th as well (and you can win a copy at FBF this week). To celebrate the release, she's also hosting a contest where you can win great prizes like Flip Video Cameras and awesome swag. Pop on by to check it out!

So there you have it - my week in books. What was in your mailbox this week?
& while you're here - don't forget to enter to win a SIGNED copy of Morpheus Road: The Light by D.J. MacHale!

*In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren

The Unwritten Rule Review

The Unwritten Rule - Elizabeth Scott
*March 16th, 2010 Simon Pulse

Everyone knows the unwritten rule: You don't like your best friend's boyfriend.

Sarah has had a crush on Ryan for years. He's easy to talk to, supersmart, and totally gets her. Lately it even seems like he's paying extra attention to her. Everything would be perfect except for two things: Ryan is Brianna's boyfriend, and Brianna is Sarah's best friend.

Sarah forces herself to avoid Ryan and tries to convince herself not to like him. She feels so guilty for wanting him, and the last thing she wants is to hurt her best friend. But when she's thrown together with Ryan one night, something happens. It's wonderful...and awful.

Sarah is torn apart by guilt, but what she feels is nothing short of addiction, and she can't stop herself from wanting more...

Elizabeth Scott's The Unwritten Rule uses written words fluidly and gracefully to weave an achingly beautiful contemporary coming-of-age story.

It's like Scott has an extra sense when it comes to chronicling the tale. The little tidbits of back-story are incorporated into the present-day occurrences perfectly to maximize the effect of them. One of the great things about YA is that oftentimes, they deal with situations that affect today's youth directly, situations that they may experience. Liking your best friend's boyfriend is a tricky situation, regardless of context, but it is something that does happen. Scott tackled this issue head-on and masterfully in The Unwritten Rule, in a way that everyone can understand and relate to.

Which brings me to my next point: credibility. Sarah was brilliantly developed, and it was amazing to see her transition from someone who felt almost inferior, to someone who was willing to stand up for herself and live her life the way she deserved to. Very inspiring journey. The thing is, usually real-life doesn't have one clear protagonist. There are always reasons, and motivations, behind everything, everyone. Scott portrays that in a very real way here. Brianna really comes alive as a real person, because of the context surrounding her character.

Length-wise, The Unwritten Rule is pretty perfectly proportioned; it's a prime example of "start at the beginning, and finish when you get to the end [of the story]." I suppose that technically it could have been a little longer in order to incorporate a little more of [the characters'] lives outside of the primary plot line. At this age, things like college apps, SAT preparations, etc. could have factored in a little too, but that's fairly minor, and it didn't really detract from the story much.

One measure of a novel's success is its ability to make its audience feel, to evoke emotion, to thrust those words off the page and fling them at the readers so that they react. With The Unwritten Rule, this has been done. The emotions come alive, you can empathize with the characters, feel indignance on their behalf, have pride in their decisions. And that's a pretty cool thing, because it draws you into the story.

With realistic characters, fluid writing and a dash of panache, Elizabeth Scott's The Unwritten Rule is a touching exploration of one major unwritten rule.

Goodreads | Indiebound | Elizabeth Scott

In My Mailbox [26]

Brought to you by Alea & Kristi, Lucid Conspiracy presents In My Mailbox #26...

So this week I got the following:

`Gone by Lisa McMann
`The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott
`Nothing Like You by Lauren Strasnick
`The Islands of the Blessed by Nancy Farmer

And I must say, this week's haul was pretty exciting for a number of reasons. First off, I had no idea that these were coming, so it was definitely a little befuddling when the package showed up and lo' and behold, these gems were inside. And of course, the fact that it contained these books - all by such acclaimed authors with great feedback thus far - merely added icing to the cake.

Your turn now though - what was in your mailbox this week?

Elizabeth Scott Party

In honour of Something, Maybe's upcoming release, Elizabeth Scott is hosting a celebration (read - giveaways!) for the 22 days leading up to it.

As it turns out, in addition to numerous other novels, she is also the author of Living Dead Girl, which I came thisclose to snagging an ARC of last year, but alas, I arrived at the meeting a little late and all the copies were gone.

You can bet this 22 - day Countdown Celebration will be tons of fun, so hop on over to for more details.

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