BEA NEWB NOTES: Authors I MUST See

I'm headed to BEA 2013!

 

I've got my registration confirmation and my hotel room. So, now what?? This will be my first time there, and I always approach new experiences the same way - research, research and more research. And, the more research I do about this amazing event, the more overwhelmed I feel. So, I plan to break down my schizo thoughts in an attempt to:

A.  Get organized

B.  Gather comments from seasoned BEA professionals

So, today, I want to talk about the authors I would give my right arm to see. Have you taken a look at the list of authors who will be appearing in the author signing area? This was me when I saw it:

Yeah. Pretty freaking excited. So, now comes the arduous task of whittling down my list to the authors that are a top priority and trying to maintain some semblance of decorum and professionalism when I don't get to see them all. Because, I am realistic. I do know that I won't see everyone I want to, despite planning this thing within an inch of its life. So, this is my Dream Team. My Ultimate Wish List.

1. Richelle Mead - This kick ass chick is numero uno on my list. She lives on the west coast, so seeing her is going to be difficult at any local events. Plus, she wrote the Vampire Academy series and is in the middle of the Bloodlines series, two HUGE obsessions of mine. I expect to see some ARCs of her new series, Gameboard of the Gods there, but if the BEA author signing list is correct and she has The Fiery Heart available, I might just hyperventilate myself into a coma.

2. Diana Gabaldon - I've been a huge fan of Diana Gabaldon's for a long time. She's another west-coaster, so I don't know when I might have another chance to see her. She should be signing the latest book in the Outlander series, Written In My Own Heart's Blood, which is a MUST for my bookshelf.

3. Jennifer L. Armentrout - Jennifer Armentrout doesn't live too far from me. In fact, I've seen her twice before. But, she's signing Frigid, which isn't due out until November. I really want that book. And, I think Jennifer is pretty frikkin' awesome, so I love any chance I have to get some face time with her.

4. Cinda Williams Chima - I have loved everything written by this woman. Her fantasy series, The Seven Realms, is the best I've ever read. When I heard she was going to continue the Heir Chronicles series, I was so stoked. When I heard that she was going to be signing copies of The Enchanter Heir at BEA, I totally fangirled.

5. Rick Riordan - Greek mythology is one of my favorite things to read, and the Percy Jackson series is one of the most creative and entertaining adaptations of Greek mythology I've ever read. I already have plans to hear him speak at the Children's Author Breakfast. My goal is to get his John Hancock of one of his books - specifically The Serpent's Shadow!

So, there you go - my favorites list. Wish me luck as I make my plans to stalk my favorite authors (in completely socially-acceptable ways, of course!)!

REVIEW: The Collector (Dante Walker #1)

The Collector (Dante Walker #1), by Victoria Scott
Published March 25, 2013
Publisher:  Entangled Teen
Format: paperback - I own
Genre:  YA, PNR
To Buy:  Amazon * Barnes & Noble

 Rating:  4.5 STARS

(From Goodreads) He makes good girls...bad.

Dante Walker is flippin’ awesome, and he knows it. His good looks, killer charm, and stellar confidence have made him one of hell’s best—a soul collector. His job is simple: weed through humanity and label those round rears with a big red good or bad stamp. Old Saint Nick gets the good guys, and he gets the fun ones. Bag-and-tag.

Sealing souls is nothing personal. Dante’s an equal-opportunity collector and doesn't want it any other way. But he’ll have to adjust, because Boss Man has given him a new assignment:

Collect Charlie Cooper’s soul within ten days.

Dante doesn't know why Boss Man wants Charlie, nor does he care. This assignment means only one thing to him, and that’s a permanent ticket out of hell. But after Dante meets the quirky Nerd Alert chick he’s come to collect, he realizes this assignment will test his abilities as a collector…and uncover emotions deeply buried.

I have a new book boyfriend. His name is Dante Walker. 

There are so many things that I loved about The Collector. First and foremost was the main character. Dante Walker is such an ass. Really - he is a big jerk. He is beyond arrogant. He's a mean SOB. And, he's a male slut. I guess it's only fitting, since he's a demon from Hell sent to Earth to stain the souls of the pure enough so that they can be claimed by Hell when they die. 

The best part about this book is watching Dante change. Of course, the catalyst is a girl. But, unlike in most books, the change isn't immediate. It takes a good long while. Dante's thoughts about this girl are less than pleasant when he meets her. In fact, I believe he mentions that she "got hit with the ugly stick." But, somewhere along the way, his opinion of her starts to change - very reluctantly, I might add. 

So many times, especially in YA books, there's insta-love or insta-change, and it's frustrating, because that just doesn't happen in real life. Life is hard and inconsistent and tiring. Typically, people don't just fall in love the second they lay eyes on someone. And people doesn't just change their outlook on life after one encounter with someone else. It's a nice thought, which is why, presumably, these themes are prolific in YA fiction. There was no insta-love or insta-change in The Collector. And, that was AWESOME. 

Did I mention yet that this is written entirely from Dante's POV? Another score for the win column. Male POVs are my favorite, and something tells me that Dante's thoughts and actions were a lot more interesting and titillating than Charlie's anyway. 

The lines are constantly being blurred in The Collector. The "bad guys" are not always bad. The "good guys" are not always good. What seems to be the right move is most definitely not. I was kept guessing, which plowed me through this book very quickly. 

If you want a new twist on the typical angels/demons book, you definitely must read The Collector. I admit, angel books are not really my thing. But, The Collector was definitely my thing.   

REVIEW: The Goddess Inheritance (Goddess Test #3)

The Goddess Inheritance (Goddess Test #3), by Aimee Carter
Published February 26, 2013
Publisher:  Harlequin Teen
Format: e-book provided by Edelweiss
Genre:  YA, mythology
To Buy:  Amazon * Barnes & Noble

 Rating:  3.5 STARS

(From Goodreads) Love or life.
Henry or their child.
The end of her family or the end of the world.
Kate must choose.

During nine months of captivity, Kate Winters has survived a jealous goddess, a vengeful Titan and a pregnancy she never asked for. Now the Queen of the Gods wants her unborn child, and Kate can't stop her--until Cronus offers a deal.

In exchange for her loyalty and devotion, the King of the Titans will spare humanity and let Kate keep her child. Yet even if Kate agrees, he'll destroy Henry, her mother and the rest of the council. And if she refuses, Cronus will tear the world apart until every last god and mortal is dead.

With the fate of everyone she loves resting on her shoulders, Kate must do the impossible: find a way to defeat the most powerful being in existence, even if it costs her everything.

Even if it costs her eternity.

I'm not sure what it is about series enders lately, but they've just not been living up to my expectations. Perhaps it's that I've set my own bar so high that it's difficult for a book to meet such lofty goals. The Goddess Inheritance is the last in the Goddess Test series, and I wanted it to be epic. With the cliffhanger in Goddess Interrupted, I expected no less. So, yes, I did expect big things. 

There was a lot to like. Henry is the most unique version of Hades that I've ever seen, and I kind of love that about him. He's so unexpected. In the first two Goddess Test books, Henry was very reserved and hid his feelings a lot. In The Goddess Inheritance, Henry shows his hand more. We see more love toward Kate. More frustration toward Walter and his siblings. More anger toward Cronus and Calliope. 

Kate has come into herself, and although I had some problems with her reactions to some situations, I did like that she stepped up when she had to and grew a pair of brass ones when it came to Walter and the rest of the Council. It was about time!

James is still one of my favorite characters in this series. He lent some much needed comic relief. But, when he has to, James can be serious and emotional. He's not just a goof, and that rocks my socks. 

When my problems enter is in the actual story. The birth of Kate's baby was so anticlimactic. I wanted so much more from that aspect of the book. Based on the end of Goddess Interrupted, I figured that the birth would be a monumental event. It wasn't. 

There was too much popping back and forth between Olympus and Cronus' island, I thought. I sort of thought that it was supposed to have been hard to get to Cronus. Yet, James, Kate and Henry bounce back and forth several times with little to no effort. It was off-putting and confusing. 

There were also some continuity issues. In one scene, Kate snatches her baby up to protect him, and a few pages later, she's saying that she's never held him yet. We're introduced to this crazy lethal knife in the beginning, which can seriously injure and even kill Gods. Yet, when Kate is pierced with it - nearly to her heart - she's bouncing around and fighting with gusto in the very next paragraph. 

All-in-all, I liked The Goddess Inheritance. It just felt like, since it was the finale of the series, that it should've been AMAZING.