Unique YA Paranormal: SHIFTING by Bethany Wiggins

Le blurb: 

After bouncing from foster home to foster home, Magdalene Mae is transferred to what should be her last foster home in the tiny town of Silver City, New Mexico. Now that she's eighteen and has only a year left in high school, she's determined to stay out of trouble and just be normal. Agreeing to go to the prom with Bridger O'Connell is a good first step. Fitting in has never been her strong suit, but it's not for the reasons most people would expect-it all has to do with the deep secret that she is a shape shifter. But even in her new home danger lurks, waiting in the shadows to pounce. They are the Skinwalkers of Navajo legend, who have traded their souls to become the animal whose skin they wear-and Maggie is their next target.

Full of romance, mysticism, and intrigue, this dark take on Navajo legend will haunt readers to the final page.

You can read my Afterglow Review of this book here (that's a review written within the hour of finishing the book so you get my rawest reaction).

What's so unique about this book?

• The setting: It's refreshing to see a setting that's a) not a big city and b) feels like a real place, not just generic Small Town America. From the opener, you can feel the author's love of New Mexico in the vivid descriptions of the horizon and the sky. But you can also feel the protagonist's dread at starting over in a barren place like this. Lots of little details combine to draw a clear picture of New Mexico even for people like me who have never spent time there.

• The proactive protagonist: Maggie Mae is not perfect, but she's certainly proactive. After being introduced to the reader as an orphan with a juvie record for showing up naked in the morning streets, Maggie could easily have lounged around her new digs for a while, sulking. I totally would have understood. But she didn't. She went to school on day 1, even without shampoo to wash her hair or decent clothes to wear - no complaining to her new foster mom. And by lunchtime, she had a lead on a possible part-time job. She knows people stare because of her strange looks, and she embraces the loner label even though she'd rather be wearing a different one. Basically, she takes what life gives her and deals with it. She's got guts.

• A real girl: Maggie Mae cries. She doesn't do it to get attention or to manipulate someone. Her crying isn't stigmatized as 'being a girl'. But she's put in horrible situations, and she responds like a real person would. Sometimes she's mad at herself for crying. Sometimes she lets the tears flow. But even though she's been drawn as a tough character, she owns her vulnerability. I got the sense that Maggie just accepted herself in a way that one mean girl antagonist (Danni) didn't. Of course, there's one thing Maggie doesn't accept about herself...

• The paranormal ability: Maggie Mae wishes she didn't shift. This was different from a lot of the paranormal books I read where the character discovers he/she can do something amazing and geeks out about it pretty much immediately. For Maggie, it's kind of a curse and she lives in constant dread of somebody finding her out. But it really is an awesome paranormal ability. There's one shifting scene that had me grinning from ear to ear, even though it didn't actually work out the way Maggie Mae intended. Oh, and one more thing about this: the paranormal didn't swallow the characters. It's an important part of the book, but I didn't feel knocked over the head with it. It's also unique because it's drawn from Navajo legend. Lots of people have heard of Skinwalkers, but I've never seen a novel based on it. That makes this one pretty special. 

• The romance: I saw a review of this book that claimed Bridger was 'the hot guy that inexplicably likes the ordinary girl.' I didn't get that sense at all. I thought the romance was very well-developed. I loved the author's use of gossip to introduce ideas that had a grain of truth but were ultimately false. Maggie Mae catches Bridger's eye first because of her appearance, but it's her attitude and skill on the track field that hold his interest. And then, of course, when he looks closely he sees more of what makes her special (as we all do when we choose to look more closely at someone we're already crushing on). Like everything else in this book, it felt real to me. He struck me as cocky, but in an endearing way. Also, when we get to know him a little better and what he can do, the confidence is not unwarranted. :) The attraction between them makes for some great charged moments throughout.

• The bad guys: are so creepy. Maggie Mae gets attacked a lot by mysterious things. She's strong, but she's not that strong and I pretty much freaked out every time she was pursued by the creepies. And I was suspicious of everyone, for which I give kudos to the author. :) 

So there you go. My breakdown of what makes SHIFTING by Bethany Wiggins a unique YA paranormal. 

Its book birthday was yesterday, so if you head out to your bookstore today, you should be able to go home with it!! Happy reading!

Blogiversary Giveaway Winners!

The prizes, as promised, are

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Break by Hannah Moskowitz

   and The Liar Society by Lisa and Laura Roecker

And the winners are...

HEX HALL to Kathryn Packer Roberts

BREAK to Emy Shin

and THE LIAR SOCIETY to Shallee 

Winners, please send your shipping addy to katrina.lantz (at) gmail (dot) com to accept your prize. Thanks again for all your support and awesome encouragement over the past year of blogging!

P.S.es

Afterglow is launching an epic BEGINNING OF SUMMER GIVEAWAY next week with TEN AWESOME PRIZES including a couple ARCs and one personally signed book. Details to follow if you're following Afterglow Book Reviews.

Angie Cothran wrote about great romance in literature, sharing her notes from Sarah Eden's ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE class at Storymakers.

Christine Fonseca has posted her debut review on Afterglow! She's loving on SHINE by Lauren Myracle, and now I'm dying to read it.  

Top of the TBR Pile: MISTWOOD, FROM THE MIXED-UP FILES, and THE CLEARING

Books I want to hug

This is my just-for-me read right now. My book candy, if you will. I'm just beginning the read, but so far it's been a wild and startling ride. Can't wait to find out more about this mysterious person in the woods. I sort of recently friended Leah Cypess on facebook, and am finding out what a delightful person she is-- the kind of person who spends so much time in the library, the librarians let her check out her books without a card. This makes me even more excited to finish Mistwood. People who read a lot make the best writers!

This is my pre-nap read with my four-year-old. He may be a little young for middle grade, but the rhythm of my reading helps him calm down after a boisterous morning and exposes him to a much wider range of vocabulary than I use daily. ("Wash your hands and stop sitting on your brother!") For vocabulary, this is a great one because it's got this old world feel with allowances counted in cents and children correcting each other's grammar in ways they wouldn't dream now. ("Hide out in? What kind of English is that?" -sister to brother) The story is kind of sad so far from a parental perspective and I missed the chance to read it as a child, but I'm sure children would love the idea of running away with such finesse! 

I'm staring at this lovely book right now. It just arrived in paperback from amazon.com and I can't wait to read it. Anne is something of an inspiration to me for working her butt off through the traditional publishing route and sticking with her novel when it didn't quite fit the lists of publishers.

The blurb sounds so compelling and I've sampled Anne's wonderful writing (she's written a guest post for us at The Best Damn Creative Writing Blog you can read HERE).

THE CLEARING has received great reviews on goodreads.




So you can see I've got my reading palate covered for a while. Now spill! What's on the top of your TBR (to-be-read) pile?

Mystery Agent and Middle Grade Love

Head over to Operation Awesome's Mystery Agent Reveal Party right now...

Come back and read this later. :)

I've got some love for a middle grade book today. It's cute. It's clever. And even though the protagonists are two little girls, it's a book that defies the gender gap.

The Fairy Tale Detectives (The Sisters Grimm, Book 1)

For Sabrina and Daphne Grimm, life has not been a fairy tale. After the mysterious disappearance of their parents, the sisters are sent to live with their grandmother--a woman they believed was dead! Granny Relda reveals that the girls have two famous ancestors, the Brothers Grimm, whose classic book of fairy tales is actually a collection of case files of magical mischief. Now the girls must take on the family responsibility of being fairy tale detectives.

The good news? There's even more of this book to love! I'm counting EIGHT Sisters Grimm books on goodreads (and when we finish reading those, there's a fun book also by Michael Buckley called N.E.R.D.S. that looks like it's right up my--er, my sons' alley).

I'm the mother of two little boys, so maybe it seems odd that I'm all excited about a series written about girl detectives. And I'll admit, when I started reading this book to my almost 4-year-old before nap time, I thought it would be something mainly for me to enjoy as his little head lulled off to sleep. But each page was filled with action and attitude, which boys and girls love just the same. It took him much longer than usual to fall asleep because he was engaged in the story (not that I'm complaining).

Michael Buckley did an excellent job characterizing Sabrina, the older sister, as a brave, distrusting soul who always has their next home cased for escape, should the need arise. She's the perfect body guard for little sister, Daphne, who thinks Great Danes are adorable, and green meatballs are exciting! Together, they navigate a strange new world where everything they read in fairy tales is true... more or less. Daphne's more at home in this world than Sabrina, with her childlike faith and forgiving nature. Ironically, it's Sabrina--normally suspicious of everyone--whose sudden bout of trust gets them double-crossed. And since there's more than one trickster in the story, you'll have a fun time trying to figure out who the double-crosser will be!

With action, humor, and a touching dose of realism in the relationship between the girls and their missing parents, The Fairy Tale Detectives won my heart.

How about you? Read any great middle grade lately?

How Big is Yours? (to-be-read pile, that is)

I'm fessing up about mine.


I don't know why, but these To-Be-Read posts are making me inexplicably giddy. The sight of so many books in one place! It's just breathtaking. Okay, I might have a serious problem.

But I'm not willing to seek help.

Lindsay's and Renae's piles put me to shame. Alas, my TBR pile is scattered around the house--some I read to my son at bedtime (he's three, so he doesn't care if I read him MG fantasy instead of easy readers), some are on the bookcase beside my bed, and some are stacked (not prettily) on top of other books in our living room cases. I'm afraid my husband is going to sign us up for that hoarders show b/c there really isn't enough shelf space to support (pun intended) my habit.

Le sigh. I have two more books coming this week. *adjusts halo* I'm building my library... for the kids.

Here's the picture. Note that one of them is my leather bound Nook, so that represents at least fifty more. :)

How big is your to-be-read pile? Pictures, please! Link to your blog in the comments so I can feel better about my own addiction.

Oh and don't forget all the Operation Awesome fun going on today. 


Like, speaking of TBR piles, someone's is about to get a lot bigger! Michelle's Pleased To Meet You contest has a winner: Kristi!! She won 7 books!! Jackpot! 

And THIS THURSDAY October 28th @ 9pm is our Awesome Query Chat with the fabulous Elana Johnson!!!


Last but not least, Amparo posted one of my favorite Amparoisms: 

My Writing Stages a la Robert Pattinson's Hair

It's illustrated. 


Also (and this will totally warm your heart and maybe make you cry), Lenny says thank you to everybody for the special birthday he had last week. We're all so happy to make you smile, Lenny! I hope this joy lasts you all year!

Exciting new book and an awesome interview

My interview with WriteOnCon's Jamie Harrington is up on Operation Awesome this morning, with a fun little convo about her pink hair in the comments. :)

Also, on Jamie's blog, she's reviewing Across the Universe by Beth Revis. She even posts a link to the first chapter!! And now I'm book hungry.
Check out the cover:

Elana Johnson has a cover!!!

Her book, POSSESSION, comes out next Summer, which is so long a wait! But I'm sure it will be worth it. Just LOOK at her cover!

Run over to Elana's blog to see what all the fuss is about.

You can also to-read it at goodreads.

Why Do Books Excite You? #reading

Mmm, yummy.

That's my question for you today. Why do books get you excited?

I'm thinking about my own crazy behavior lately: staying up all freakin night to finish MOCKINGJAY, then till 3:30am to finish the sequel to EVERMORE; in between times, sifting through the incredible (and copious) contests available right now at WriteOnCon.com. Holy book giveaways, Batman!

And I have to reflect a little on what it is about fiction that gets me so stinking excited...

Is it the new book smell?

Is it the Disney effect?

Is it the unreal other-worldliness?

Is it the prestige of saying, "oh yes, I read that in one sitting, minus bathroom breaks"?

Is it the vicarious thrill of experiencing an adventure through someone else's eyes, ears, mouth, and nose? (Head, shoulders, knees, and toes, knees and toes, knees and toes.)

Is it the sense of completion, that all is right with the world, when the last page is turned and there are no further epilogues to be read?

Why do I love fiction so much?

Why do you?

Late Nights and Good Books: Hunger Games & Paranormalcy

Oh boy! I bet you wish you were me. I'm currently reading

 
An Abundance of Katherines

and tomorrow, a magic mail carrier will bring THESE to my doorstep:


The Hunger Games                           Catching Fire                                 Mockingjay

And I'll get to devour them for the first time, all in a row--no excruciating wait while the publishers get things together. Buwahahaha!!

As if that weren't enough!! Guess what's coming out in a few days (that's also going to appear magically at my door)!!

If you're having trouble, check my sidebar, dudes. It's RIGHT. THERE. Has been for months now. It's...

**drum roll**


Paranormalcy

Despite the ferocious popularity of the dystopian trilogy above, I'm the most excited about Paranormalcy by Kiersten White. I've already glimpsed the first seventy pages per the publisher's website. And now I really, really, really want to know how it ends.

These amazing books are bad for one thing: SLEEP.

I'm not getting much lately, and I can't blame it on my kids (who are angelically sleeping through the night in a shared bedroom these days, thank you very much). No. It's my own fault. Or maybe I should blame the purveyors of awesome themselves: authors.

The other thing keeping me up at night is--if possible--even more exciting! The upcoming launch of Operation Awesome. I'd be remiss if I didn't remind you that this explosive event will take place in two days. September first, here we come!

Get your Nutella ready.