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When You Were Mine by Rebecca Serle

Review of When You Were Mine

When You Were Mine by Rebecca Serle

Title & Author:
When You Were Mine by Rebecca Serle
Publisher:
Simon Pulse
Publication Date:
05/01/2012
Pages:
334
Source:
Finished copy from publisher

In this intensely romantic, modern recounting of the greatest love story ever told, Romeo’s original intended—Juliet’s cousin Rosaline—tells her side of the tale.

What’s in a name, Shakespeare? I’ll tell you: Everything. Rosaline knows that she and Rob are destined to be together. Rose has been waiting for years for Rob to kiss her—and when he finally does, it’s perfect. But then Juliet moves back to town. Juliet, who used to be Rose’s best friend. Juliet, who now inexplicably hates her. Juliet, who is gorgeous, vindictive, and a little bit crazy…and who has set her sights on Rob. He doesn’t even stand a chance. Rose is devastated over losing Rob to Juliet. This is not how the story was supposed to go. And when rumors start swirling about Juliet’s instability, her neediness, and her threats of suicide, Rose starts to fear not only for Rob’s heart, but also for his life. Because Shakespeare may have gotten the story wrong, but we all still know how it ends…. – Goodreads

Rebecca Serle‘s debut When You Were Mine is a sure sign of awesomeness to come from the author. I went through a huge range of emotions while reading When You Were Mine, and even when I was so enraged I almost chucked it at the wall (more on that later), I was still thinking, “Man, this is a damn good book.”

After reading When You Were Mine, I will never look at Romeo and Juliet the same way again. Just like after seeing Wicked in the West End, I’ll never look at the Wizard of Oz the same way. Rebecca Serle did such a freaking fantastic job of taking Romeo and Juliet into modern times and putting a spin on it – and telling it from Rosaline’s point of view.

I loved Rosaline as a protagonist, and her two best friends Charlie and Olivia. Sure, Charlie and Olivia were pretty shallow at certain points, but in the end they were loyal and loving and really came through for Rosaline. Rosaline was so hopeful and happy about Rob and then just crushed and seriously – so many sobs throughout.

Juliet was SUCH A BITCH. I cannot explain to you guys how much I wanted to chuck my book across the room anytime she was mentioned. A conniving, backstabbing, boyfriend stealing bitch. Of course, Rob isn’t blameless and man, I hated him too – even though I fell for him hard in the beginning. I knew what was coming but I couldn’t believe how fast he fell for her. Such an asshole but I just. I can’t. Because it’s Romeo and Juliet, you know? I have so many conflicting feelings.

Can you guys see how many feelings I felt while reading When You Were Mine? I was swoony and happy and then irritated and then enraged and then indignant and swoony again and then crushed and GAH. When You Were Mine is such a roller coaster.

Guys, When You Were Mine by Rebecca Serle is an unbelievably fantastic debut. Rebecca Serle was able to tell such a powerful story that made me feel SO MANY different things and I loved that. Even though I hated it, haha! Seriously, check out When You Were Mine for a powerful contemporary that’s certain to stir up emotion.

Giveaway of When You Were Mine

Yup, okay, I loved When You Were Mine by Rebecca Serle so freaking much, I’m giving away a copy!

Rules

1) US only – so sorry!
2) 13 years or older
3) Winner has 48 hours to respond to my e-mail


a Rafflecopter giveaway

While you’re here, you can subscribe to my feed :)

 

The Immortal Rules -HURRAH. I LOVED Julie Kagawa’s The Iron Fey series SO MUCH – and I’m not a big fey person. But that series rocked! And now Julie Kagawa has come out with a series about vampires? I know she’s going to make me like them!

And one lucky US/Can person can enter to win a copy of The immortal Rules! Check out this cool Q&A and giveaway!

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

Amazon | Goodreads | Author Website | Author Twitter
In a future world, Vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity.

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.

Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked—and given the ultimate choice. Die… or become one of the monsters.

Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.

Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.

But it isn’t easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what—and who—is worth dying for. – Goodreads

An interview with Julie Kagawa, author of The Immortal Rules

After writing the Iron Fey series for so many years, how difficult was it to immerse yourself in a futuristic world filled with vampires, rabids and an enslaved human race?

It was…very different. I think the hardest thing for me was the fact that this story does take place in the real world — a futuristic, vampire-infested world, but the real world nonetheless. Things had to make sense, for example: how far can a large group walk in a single day if there were no roads, they were going through thick woods, and there were children in the group? I had to have logical reasons for everything; I couldn’t just make something work “because of faery magic,” lol.

Just like Meghan Chase in the Iron Fey series, the main character in The Immortal Rules, Allison Sekemoto, is a “take charge and kick butt” kind of girl. Is this intentional? What woman – real or fictional, alive or deceased – do you look up to or admire?

Yes, Allison comes from a very different world than Meghan Chase. Meghan’s upbringing was pretty normal; Allison grew up among vampires and monsters, where every day was a fight to live, so she couldn’t afford to be weak. While Meghan had to learn to “take charge and kick butt,” Allison’s first impulse is stab first, talk later.

As for female role models, the first that comes to mind–when it comes to kicking vampire butt, anyway — is Buffy Summers. Thank you, Joss Whedon, for making me love feisty, snarky, heroines who can dust all sorts of nasties but who also look good in a cheerleading outfit. ;)

You mention in your acknowledgements in The Immortal Rules that at the beginning of your writing career you promised yourself you wouldn’t write a vampire book. What changed your mind?

Well, there were already so many really good books about our favorite bloodsuckers, so many stories and ideas, I thought I didn’t have anything new to add to the masses. I was actually toying with a post-apocalyptic YA novel when my agent mentioned I might want to try writing a vampire series. I wasn’t intrigued with the idea at first, but then I thought about combining vampires with the post-apocalyptic novel and then rest sort of fell into place.

Allison claims she hates vampires and believes they are monsters yet when faced with a choice of die or become one, she becomes a vampire. Would you have made that same decision?

Me personally? No. I’m like Zeke in the belief that there is something better waiting for me beyond this life, and I just have to do my best until it’s time for me to go. Besides, I love pizza and Mountain Dew too much to give it up.

Who do you think the most complex character is in The Immortal Rules?

Probably Kanin, Allie’s sire. He’s a vampire who has made his peace about being a monster, yet chooses to live by his own set of moral rules. He warns Allison about getting too close to humans, yet he does not kill unless he absolutely has to. He is tormented about something in his past that he refuses to share with anyone. He is certainly the most mysterious of all the characters, if not the most complex.

How many books will be in the Blood of Eden series? When will the next book be coming out?

At the moment, there are three books planned, with the second coming out sometime next spring, after the release of the new Iron Fey series this fall.

Before you starting writing full time you were a professional dog trainer. Do the professions share any similarities?

Lol, well you have to think on your feet a lot. And some of the small dogs could be compared to tiny snapping goblins, but writing requires less dodging skills, though perhaps the same amount of creativity and problem solving.

When starting a new series, like Blood of Eden, do you have the entire series mapped out in detail or do you let the story develop book by book?

I have a high point that I write toward in each story; I know this and this has to happen, but getting from point A to point B usually develops as I go along.

What book have you read and re-read, and read yet again?

Any of the Harry Potter books.

Favorite song to play when writing a fight scene?

My “favorites” change daily. Right now its “Awake and Alive” by Skillet.

Worst job?

Working a kiosk in the mall during Christmas. It sold glass figurines, and the maneuvering space around the hundreds of very breakable merchandise was quite small. I was like a bull in a china shop.

Best vacation spot?

Walt Disney World

Sweets or salty?

Sweet.

One thing most people don’t know about you – and would never guess!

I used to play the flute when I was a kid. I was really good at it too, but my instructor stopped teaching to have a family, and I never went back to it.

Giveaway of The Immortal Rules

Want to win a copy of The Immortal Rules? Look no further! Simply follow the simple rules and fill out the Rafflecopter thing and you’re all set!

Rules

US/Can only
13 years or older
Winner has 48 hours to respond


a Rafflecopter giveaway

While you’re here, you can subscribe to my feed :)

 

Mermaid/men books and I don’t usually get along too well, but The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Cordova sounds delightfully intense and original! Check out this interview with the author and be sure to enter the giveaway!

Also check out this pre-order giveaway over at The Story Siren for a cool t-shirt and an original mermaid painting!

The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Cordova

Amazon | Goodreads | Author Website | Author Twitter
For Tristan Hart, everything changes with one crashing wave.

He was gone for three days. Sucked out to sea in a tidal wave and spit back ashore at Coney Island with no memory of what happened. Now his dreams are haunted by a terrifying silver mermaid with razor-sharp teeth.

His best friend Layla is convinced something is wrong. But how can he explain he can sense emotion like never before? How can he explain he’s heir to a kingdom he never knew existed? That he’s suddenly a pawn in a battle as ancient as the gods.

Something happened to him in those three days. He was claimed by the sea…and now it wants him back. – Goodreads

An interview with Zoraida Córdova, author of The Vicious Deep

What were you doing when you got THE call from your agent? Your reaction?
Sleeping! I knew it had to be important since she was calling so early.

Where did your idea for mermaids originate? What makes yours original?
My mermaids follow a royal caste, for the most part. Everyone is governed by the Sea King. The court travels all over the world, from coast to coast on the enchanted island of Toliss. It’s similar to Avalon in that it’s shrouded by mist. It is also what causes the storm in the beginning of the book.

Years ago, to prevent mermaids from being seen by humans, the king took away their shifting abilities. Only members of the court, given a special mark, can shift back and forth from fins to legs.

Be honest – how many times have you been to Coney Island? What do you like to do there?
I’ve lost count. I went more frequently two summers ago, while I was in the thick of writing The Vicious Deep. I like sunbathing, riding the Wonder Wheel, and eating food that couldn’t possibly be good for you.

If you could be the author of any published book, which would it be and why?
That’s a tough one. I guess, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues.

What comes next for you, after The Vicious Deep and The Savage Blue? Any ideas floating around that you can share?
I have something planned for Tristan after The Savage Blue. After that, some minor characters from the first book have caught my eye and whisper their stories to me.

Giveaway of The Vicious Deep

Want to win a copy of The Vicious Deep? Look no further! Simply follow the simple rules and fill out the Rafflecopter thing and you’re all set!

Rules

US/Can only
13 years or older
Winner has 48 hours to respond


a Rafflecopter giveaway

While you’re here, you can subscribe to my feed :)

 

Teen bookie? I’ve heard all I need to hear to know that Wanted by Heidi Ayarbe is a book I need to read! Check out this interview with Heidi Ayarbe and be sure to enter to win some cool stuff!

To view more posts on the tour, check out the list here!

Wanted by Heidi Ayarbe

Amazon | Goodreads | Author Website | Author Twitter
A one-word text message: That’s all Michal “Mike” Garcia needs to gather a crowd. Mike is a seventeen-year-old bookie, and Sanctuary is where she takes bets for anyone at Carson High with enough cash. Her only rule: Never participate, never place a bet for herself.

Then Josh Ellison moves to town. He pushes Mike to live her life, to feel a rush of something — play the game, he urgest, stop being a spectator.

So Mike breaks her one rule. She places a bet, feels the rush.
And loses.

In an act of desperation, she and Josh — who has a sordid past of his own — concoct a plan: The pair will steal from Carson City’s elite to pay back Mike’s debt. Then they’ll give the rest of their haul to those who need it most. How can burglary be wrong if they are making things right?

WANTED will thrust readers into the gritty underbelly of Carson City, where worth is determined by a score, power is derived from threat, and the greatest feat is surviving it all. – Goodreads

An interview with Wanted, author Wanted

 

Your books tend to be on the darker side of contemporaries. What is it about these stories that appeals to you?

It’s a bit strange that I do write about such dark topics since, honestly, I had a great childhood, good friends, liked high school (gasp! Though I’d never go back), and had a great relationship with my family in a stable home. I think stories are interesting when you take “normal kids” (who’s normal, right?) and throw extraordinary circumstances at them to see how they’re going to work things out. So the stories I write, I write for the characters. I love character-driven stories and creating characters I admire, dislike, like, and kind of wish I could be like. (Especially the rebellious characters. I was such a walk-the-line kid!)

If you could be the author of any already published book, which would it be and why?

I would love to have written Going Bovine (by the very extraordinarily talented Libba Bray). It’s smart, funny, a phenomenal modern-day-Don Quijote-on-acid-kind-of-a-novel. The ULTIMATE road trip! Every page had me in awe. I simply loved every single word in that novel and so admire Libba Bray for taking a huge risk like that and in doing so creating some of the most memorable characters in fiction (a Viking God yard gnome, a punk angel, a death-obsessed dwarf, and a kid dying of mad cow disease). Truly brilliant.

What’s your writing process like? Are you super organized or do you just kind of wing it all?

It’s changed over the years. I’m much more methodical now. I have a real bugger of a time with plot arcs. (Remember that thing they taught us in fifth grade? Initiating event, rising to climax, climax and denouement? It’s true. You’ve gotta do that!) So I’m more aware of my weaknesses as an author and how I can spot my plot holes (pun intended) before I finish the novel and have to rework it from scratch which takes LOADS OF TIME. My strength, though, no doubt, are revisions. Revisions get me revved up and excited. Sometimes all I need is one word or comment from an editor to get my mind reeling and racing … like they’ve found the missing pieces that I needed. The first draft is the hardest to get done, so I always tell writers to move forward. You can revise to the death. (I would) But if you don’t finish that first draft, you’ll have NOTHING to revise.

What was the most challenging aspect of writing Wanted? The easiest/most fun?

Uff. The bookie part was HARD. Though I’m from Nevada, I’ve never gambled. And sports betting is way more complex that I thought. I spent a lot of time on online sites and enlisted the help of a couple of friends who actually bet. I didn’t lose too much money! ;-) I needed Michal to be believable. She’s a bookie. You can’t hack your way through writing a bookie. It was easier to find information on how to break into houses, safes, and where to look for petty cash (true! I went to e-how for a lot of that stuff) than the sports stuff.

I LOVED creating Michal and how sincere and flawed she is. She’s so real to me. She’s just a regular girl who just wants to feel like she’s worth something, never realizing how amazing she is. And I really loved creating Moch, Josh, Simon … the cast of characters that surround Michal. So I guess the easiest part of WANTED was imagining these amazing characters and how they’d interact.

Do you have anything in the works for your next book? Any details that you can share?

Yes! I’m super excited. I’m working on The Story of Us for Philomel. I’ll be working with Tamra Tuller and am so looking forward to it. It’ll be out in 2014. It’s a very different book for me because it involves a creepy mystery, geocaching, a girl with post traumatic stress disorder, secrets, and even a love interest. (Yes, the only kissing scene I’ve written, to date, involves Michal (from Wanted), mortally wounding Josh in a botched kiss attempt.) I’m really excited about The Story of Us and the challenges I’m facing to pull off what I hope I can pull off. *terror sets in*

Giveaway

Thanks so much to Heidi for stopping by! She’s also throwing in some cool prizes for giveaway! The first prize is a swag pack (consisting of bookmarks, signed bookplates, Colombian coffee and candy, and maybe a few surprises) PLUS a signed copy of Compulsion. The second prize is a signed copy of Compromised.

How do you enter? Check out these rules and then just click the rafflecoper stuff :)

Rules:

US/Can only
13 years or older
Winner has 48 hours to respond to my e-mail


a Rafflecopter giveaway

While you’re here, you can subscribe to my feed :)

 

ALRIGHT. I am geeking out right now. See, here’s the think, Jen has been telling me how AWESOME the Morganville Vampire series by Rachel Caine is and how I seriously need to go read it. And I finally did – and she’s RIGHT. I love it! They’re dark and engaging and swoonworthy and oh-so-good. So I’m thrilled to be a part of this tour.

Scroll down for my review of the fourth book, Feast of Fools, as well as an interview with Rachel Caine, and an opportunity to win a signed copy of Feast of Fools and a signed Black Dawn bookmark!

Here are the rest of the blogs participating in the tour -

April 20: Page Turners Blog (Glass Houses)
April 21: A New Kind of Ordinary (The Dead Girls’ Dance)
April 22: Book Splot Reviews (Midnight Alley)
April 24: Book Monster Reviews (Lord of Misrule)
April 25: My Overstuffed Bookshelf (Carpe Corpus)
April 26: Miss Vain’s Paranormal Fantasy (Fade Out)
April 27: The Story Siren (Kiss of Death)
April 28: Awesomesauce Bookclub (Ghost Town)
April 29: Confessions of a Bookaholic (Bite Club)
April 30: Literal Addiction (Last Breath)
May 01: Mundie Moms (Black Dawn release day)

Wanted by Heidi Ayarbe

Amazon | Goodreads | Author Website | Author Twitter
In the town of Morganville, vampires and humans live in relative peace. Student Claire Danvers has never been convinced, though, especially with the arrival of Mr. Bishop, an ancient, old-school vampire who cares nothing about harmony. What he wants from the town’s living and its dead is unthinkably sinister. It’s only at a formal ball, attended by vampires and their human dates, that Claire realizes the elaborately evil trap he’s set for Morganville. – Goodreads

 

 

 

 

 
 


Review of Feast of Fools

GUYS. I read the first four of the Morganville Vampires series in the past 24 hours or something ridiculous, and I’m kind of on a Morganville Vampires high! And Feast of Fools, by far, has been my favourite so far!

For one thing, the plot. I mean, the plot was intense in all of the previous Morganville Vampires books, but in this one in particular I really enjoyed it. Maybe it was the addition of the new characters, not to mention the character growth we see from the ones we already know, AND THAT ENDING. Damn, that ending.

And BISHOP! He is one of the most convincingly evil bad guys I’ve ever come across. He was such a jerk, but I thought his character was very interesting and well-developed.

Of course, this wouldn’t be a proper vampire book if there wasn’t a certain amount of swoon. And swoon there was. I loved Shane, of course, and I’m kind of sort of falling for Myrnin. I mean, more so than in Midnight Alley. Because he was fun in Midnight Alley, but in Feast of Fools he’s just…brilliant.

Basically – I should have picked up the Morganville Vampires series a lot earlier. Feast of Fools was my favourite of the Rachel Caine books I’ve read so far, but I can’t wait to continue reading and see which book usurps it! Check out this series if you haven’t already.

Rachel Caine, author The Morganville Vampires

What kicked off the concept for this book?

I really had a vision this time around for Bishop’s big welcome party, and the image of it being a costume party with an evil twist was what set the whole book in motion. (However, clearly, no party is safe to attend in Morganville, ever.)

Which character do I think stood out in this book, and why?

This was the book in which Myrnin really brought the crazy (literally) to the party, with his choice of Harlequin and Pierrot costumes for himself and Claire; I think he really solidified into a character who was both fun to read and dangerous to know.

Five things I loved about writing this book:

A. Monica. There was something fun about having her be so blindly happy about getting invited to the biggest party in town, only to discover that she was just the prettiest pig at the barbecue.
B. I thought it was a nice, gut-wrenching twist for the vampire Ysandre to be able to compel Shane to her will, and basically hijack him as her date to the vampire party. Mean, but fun.
C. The spiraling-inward dance between Shane and Claire really starts heating up in a big way, and man, that was super fun to write.
D. Getting into Eve’s family life (toxic as it was) … I thought it was interesting to see how her background really influenced how she grew up into the girl we know.
E. Myrnin’s oscillation between crazy and vulnerable really was a huge challenge to write, and I love a challenge. Also, I love to write the crazy.

Five things I didn’t love about writing this book:

A. This book came at a hard time in my life, so there’s a little shadow of that in it for me — but then again, it also wrote itself very easily, so that was a balance!
B. I wanted to make Bishop even more of a threat, but there were limits to how much I thought I could do without going over the edge. So holding back is a bit of a regret.
C. I think this is the first book where I began really think about where the plot was heading, and it was quite difficult, once I’d done that, not to rush it into a definite conclusion
D. I didn’t like Bishop. He was unpleasant to write, but effective as a villain, I thought. (Mostly he was unpleasant because there was a lot of nasty backstory to him I never put into the story!)
E. That was a really mean cliffhanger. Okay, that’s true, but I actually like writing cliffhangers, so maybe that was cheating when I put it on this list.

If I could do this book over, what would I do differently, and why?

I think this is the first book I’ve written where I wouldn’t honestly change much, if anything. I was really quite satisfied with how it came out!

Favorite quoted passage from the book:

Myrnin: “I think I’m getting better.”
Claire: “I don’t think so. I wish that was true, but …”
He shoved a Tupperware container between the bars of the cell. “Here.”
Claire froze, eyeing the container doubtfully. “Umm … what is that?”
“Brain tissue.”
“What?”
Myrnin adjusted his glasses and looked at her over the tops. “I said, brain tissue.”
“Whose brain tissue?”
He looked around the cell, eyebrows raised. “I haven’t a lot of volunteers in easy reach, you know.”
Claire had a horrible thought. She couldn’t actually bring herself to say it.
Myrnin gave her an evil smile. “We are testing the serum, are we not? And so far, I am the only test subject?”
“How can you … I don’t think I want to know.”
“Truly, I think that’s best. Please take it. I’m giving you a piece of my mind.”

What I learned from this book:

I learned that however nice the printed invitation might be, sometimes it’s better just to stay home. Also, that sometimes, a book just comes out in one nice, clean draft. VERY RARELY.

Fun research moment:

I had to research the process by which illegal drugs are created, so I could describe the process of creating and drying the crystals that Myrnin takes as an antidote for his vampire dementia. This is trickier than it seems. I think I’m still on quite a few watch lists.

Giveaway

Thanks so much to Rachel Caine for stopping by! I’m so glad I got a chance to finally pick up the Morganville Vampires series and read it.

Penguin is also so kindly giving away a signed copy of Feast of Fools and a Black Dawn bookmark!

How do you enter? Check out these rules and then just click the rafflecoper stuff :)

Rules:

US only
13 years or older
Winner has 48 hours to respond to my e-mail


a Rafflecopter giveaway

While you’re here, you can subscribe to my feed :)