The Springsweet by Saundra Mitchell

Review of The Springsweet

Title & Author:
The Springsweet by Saundra Mitchell
Publisher:
Harcourt Children’s
Publication Date:
April 15, 2012
Pages:
275
Source:
ARC from Lynn, purchased finished copy

Heartbroken over the tragic death of her fiancé, seventeen-year-old Zora Stewart leaves Baltimore for the frontier town of West Glory, Oklahoma, to help her young widowed aunt keep her homestead going. There she discovers that she possesses the astonishing ability to sense water under the parched earth. When her aunt hires her out as a “springsweet” to advise other settlers where to dig their wells, Zora feels the burden of holding the key to something so essential to survival in this unforgiving land. Even more, she finds herself longing for love the way the prairie thirsts for water. Maybe, in the wildness of the territories, Zora can finally move beyond simply surviving and start living. – Goodreads

I read The Springsweet by Saundra Mitchell several months ago and I still can’t get over how amazing it was.

If you’ve read The Vespertine, you know how beautiful Saundra Mitchell’s writing truly is – and The Springsweet was even better. I mean, my biggest complaint with The Vespertine was that I wanted to know more about what happened to Zora, and voila, a whole book about Zora!

I loved Zora Stewart. I may or may not have loved her more than Amelia, I plead the fifth. I just thought Zora was amazing and going through so many hard things yet still managed to awesome. And her elemental power things were super cool, and helpful to the community she lived in.

Also, I loved the setting! Old western, Little House on the Prairie like times? Sign me up! I thought Saundra Mitchell described the setting and reflected the emotion of the time beautifully.

Seriously – if you’re looking for a beautiful historical fiction with paranormal elements, here you go! The Vespertine and The Springsweet by Saundra Mitchell are some of my favourite books that I’ve read in the past few years, and I am dying to read Aetherborne.

Other books in the series

The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell

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Revived by Cat Patrick

Review of Revived

Title & Author:
Revived by Cat Patrick
Publisher:
Little Brown
Publication Date:
May 08, 2012
Pages:
336
Source:
Southern Book Bloggers

As a little girl, Daisy Appleby was killed in a school bus crash. Moments after the accident, she was brought back to life.

A secret government agency has developed a drug called Revive that can bring people back from the dead, and Daisy Appleby, a test subject, has been Revived five times in fifteen years. Daisy takes extraordinary risks, knowing that she can beat death, but each new death also means a new name, a new city, and a new life. When she meets Matt McKean, Daisy begins to question the moral implications of Revive, and as she discovers the agency’s true goals, she realizes she’s at the center of something much larger—and more sinister—than she ever imagined. – Goodreads

I hadn’t read Cat Patrick’s first book, Forgotten, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect from Revived. But the concept sounded pretty awesome, so I gave it a shot.

And man, I am so glad I did! Revived by Cat Patrick is legit. I was surprised by how hooked I got! Revived wasn’t really something I expected to pick up and wanted to keep reading until I finished, but Daisy dug her claws in. Revived definitely has a unique concept for YA and I loved the science aspect of it all, plus I got super giddy during some romantic bits.

I loved the plot of Revived by Cat Patrick. It was mysterious and dealt with some heavy science. I loved Daisy and her indecisive loyalty and her attempts to figure out what exactly is going on.

And Daisy. I loved Daisy in general, and her first real friends, Matt and Audrey. Speaking of which, Matt is a GREAT name for a first love because I know a ton of people (including myself) who first fell for a guy named Matt. But that’s beside the point. I loved Daisy and Matt together, and I loved Daisy and Audrey’s friendship – and man, did I cry while reading Revived.

Seriously – if you’re looking for a fun sci-fiish book with giddy romance and beautiful friendships, go check out Revived by Cat Patrick. It’s a quick read and thoroughly engaging.

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Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine. It’s a weekly meme that allows bloggers to talk about what upcoming book they’re most looking forward to read :)

Lauren Oliver + middle grade = THE BEST. What else could I ever want in a book?

The Spindlers by Lauren Oliver – 10/02/2012

When Liza’s younger brother Patrick’s soul is stolen by the evil Spindlers, spider-like creatures who live underground, she knows she must set out on a heroic quest to the world Below to rescue it.

Goodreads | Amazon

I mean, seriously. Doesn’t The Spindlers book look freaking awesome? What are you guys waiting for? Let me know!

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Until I Die by Amy Plum

Review of Until I Die

Title & Author:
Until I Die by Amy Plum
Publisher:
HarperCollins
Publication Date:
May 08, 2012
Pages:
357
Source:
Giselle

Kate and Vincent have overcome the odds and at last they are together in Paris, the city of lights and love.

As their romance deepens there’s one question they can’t ignore: How are they supposed to be together if Vincent can’t resist sacrificing himself to save others? Although Vincent promises that he’ll do whatever it takes to lead a normal life with Kate, will that mean letting innocent people die? When a new and surprising enemy reveals itself, Kate realizes that even more may be at stake—and that Vincent’s immortality is in jeopardy.

In Die for Me, Amy Plum created a captivating paranormal mythology with immortal revenants and a lush Paris setting. Until I Die is poised to thrill readers with more heart-pounding suspense, spellbinding romance, and a cliff-hanger ending that will leave them desperate for the third and final novel in the series. – Goodreads

I read Die for Me by Amy Plum on a long plane ride back from London, and I didn’t enjoy it as much as I wanted to. But I picked up Until I Die anyway, mainly because hello, it takes place in Paris!

And guys, I have to say – I got so into Until I Die! I thought it was so much better than Die For Me, perhaps because I wasn’t stuck in an uncomfortable seat thousands of miles in the air.

I was way more impressed with Kate in Until I Die. She was determined and strong and she wanted to solve things for herself, rather than wait around for people to tell her what to do, which I loved. I always admire protagonists that refuse to be doormats just because they love a boy.

There were some bits of Until I Die which dragged on a bit, in terms of all the information given at one time, but the story itself (not to mention how proud I was of Kate for figuring things out) definitely pushed me through that.

The romance was much more believable to me in Until I Die as well. Perhaps because I wasn’t watching them fall for each other, but just seeing them together was a different experience. A better one, I thought.

Can I just ask – am I the only person who finds that they want the protagonists to get together with someone totally different than the love interest? And I don’t mean in a love triangle this is supposed to be hard kind of way, I just mean a random friend and I’m like SHE SHOULD GET TOGETHER WITH HIM! In the case of Until I Die, I’m referring to Jules. But I think this usually happens to me with paranormal romances.

But anyway. If you found yourself on the fence with Die For Me – or if you loved it – I highly recommend picking up Until I Die by Amy Plum. I enjoyed it so much more than the first – Until I Die was full of action and twists and a headstrong protagonist, not to mention a gorgeous setting.

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Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard

I am full of happy feelings whenever I think about Wanderlove. Everything about this book resonated with me and I think you should go read it. Right now. Immediately. My full review can be found here.

Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill

Okay, Meant to Be is ME. Basically, I have a sneaking suspicion that Lauren Morrill sat down and was like “Hmmm, let me take all of the elements of Tara and put them into a book.” And voila, there was Meant to Be.

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson

SOB SOB SOB. Also, SO MUCH LOVE for Second Chance Summer. It was just absolutely stunning. My review is more of a sentence than anything, but you can find it here.

Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen

GUYS. Scarlet has Robin Hood and swords and a badass female protagonist and also, did I mention Robin Hood? Because he’s definitely swoon worthy. My full review is here.

May B. by Caroline Starr Rose

May B. was my first novel in verse EVER, or rather that I can remember (I’m sure I read one or two as a kid), and it was brilliant and emotional and powerful – also, set during the prairie times, which is AWESOME. Full review here.

Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock

GUYS. Hemlock totally re-changed my mind about werewolves. I thought I was over them and then BAM. Such an epic book. Full review here!

Child of the Mountains by Marilyn Sue Shank

Child of the Mountains is stunning and quiet and powerful. A very moving historical fiction. My full review can be found here.

7 Clues to Winning You by Kristin Walker

7 Clues to Winning You is legit the PERFECT pick-me-up. I had so much reading it, my bad mood was completely gone! My review is here.

Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood

Born Wicked has WITCHES. Swoon worthy boys and WITCHES. My full review can be found here.

Awkward by Marni Bates

I loved Awkward! Fun and cute and HILARIOUS. I need more from Marni Bates! My review is here.

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