Review: ghostgirl: Homecoming by Tonya Hurley

Hey there! I've got another interesting read for you all. I just finished reading the ghostgirl books by Tonya Hurley. Talk about an interesting take on the afterlife...wow. The most recent book is ghostgirl: Homecoming.

Title: ghostgirl: Homecoming

by Tonya Hurley

Hachette Book Group

ISBN: 9780316113595

http://www.ghostgirl.com/

http://www.tonyahurley.com/

from the publisher's website:

Heaven couldn't be a phone bank, could it?

Charlotte Usher discovers that the afterlife isn't quite what she pictured when she's forced to intern at a hotline for troubled teens. Before she can officially cross over, she'll have to be a source of guidance for one such teen. The problem is she doesn't have much advice to offer since dying hasn't exactly boosted her confidence level.

But when Hawthorne High's leading, love-to-hate cheerleader Petula and her gothic little sis' Scarlet find themselves suddenly resting-in-peace in comas, Charlotte's opportunity to save them will prove to be the risk of a lifetime-for all of them.

my thoughts:

ghostgirl: Homecoming is a perfect continuation of ghostgirl. Charlotte Usher has now crossed over, but so far the afterlife isn't all it's cracked up to be. All of her friends from Dead Ed are so wrapped up in their afterlife reunions and answering their phones at the call center that they never seem to have time for her anymore. Except for the new girl Maddy; Maddy is the only one who seems to be there for Charlotte. That is until Charlotte's friend Scarlet appears in the land of the dead begging for Charlotte's help in saving Scarlet's oh-so-popular sister Petula.

I really like Tonya Hurley's take on the whole afterlife idea. It's unique, and very much a life goes on kind of thing. You might be dead, but there's still work to be done. And while Charlotte (aka ghostgirl) is pretty cool, I've gotta say my favorite character is Scarlet. I like her uniqueness, and that she's willing to be herself no matter what. (Unlike Charlotte, who died trying to be one of the popular girls.) I also like that even though Scarlet and Petula never got along and were about as different as two people from the same gene pool could be, when it came down to it Scarlet was willing to go the extremes to save her sister.

I've also gotta say that ghostgirl and ghostgirl: Homecoming both have excellent endings. The end of ghostgirl: Homecoming even managed to bring a little tear to my eye (not that that's hard to do :) ).

If you like an originial story then I highly recommend checking out Tonya Hurley's ghostgirl books. Oh and stop by ghostgirl.com too. There's a lot of great info on the series there, plus a cool shop where you can get ghostgirl merchandise. There's an awesome ghostgirl shirt that I've got my eye on. :)

And because I'm in a fun mood here's a question for everyone. In the ghostgirl series the students of Dead Ed have nicknames based on their cause of death, like Picolo Pam who choked on her Picolo, or Call Me Sue who took cell phone usage to the extreme, there's even a girl who couldn't stop blogging (better be careful!). What cause of death and resulting nickname would you choose? (if it's too morbid to assign one for yourself you're welcome to create a fictional character)

I'm having trouble thinking of one for myself. If I come up with one later I'll post it in the comments. I need more thought for this one. :)

Another "You Recommend" day

Yeah, sorry I've been missing for the past week. I'm trying to actually get some of the books that I'm supposed to be reviewing read. My little blog is gaining in popularity, which is exciting, but it means I'm suddenly rather behind. So if you are one of the authors or publisher's waiting on a review from me, patience please. :) I'm working on it.

So what's everyone reading these days? Help give me some ideas of what to put in my new, "what to buy" poll. There's still time to vote in it, as well as in my "what should I review" poll. I'll be adding a new review poll shortly. I've already pulled the books to add to it.

Currently I'm working on ghostgirl: Homecoming by Tonya Hurley, up next, I'm not sure, got quite a lot to choose from. :)

You Recommend Wednesday

Ok, so I totally forgot to post a "You Recommend" post last Wednesday. *bad blogger* But here's this week's post. :)

So what's everyone reading these days? What should I be reading?

I'm also thinking of including another, shorter, poll in the sidebar to have you lovely readers help me determine what I should purchase/pre-order with my book money. :) What do you guys think? If I post another poll, will you respond to it? lol

I've Been Interviewed!

I'm kinda late in posting this, but I worked all day and then fell asleep. lol So yeah I'm running behind today.

I've been interviewed today at Romance University. I'm their first bookseller interview, so I'm kinda excited about that. Check it out and feel free to comment.

http://romanceuniversity.org/2009/07/20/a-view-from-the-other-side/

Upcoming Reviews

Here's just a sampling of some of the books to be reviewed here in the upcoming weeks and months.

ghostgirl: Homecoming

by Tonya Hurley

http://www.tonyahurley.com/

http://www.ghostgirl.com/

Hush, Hush

by Becca Fitzpatrick

http://www.beccafitzpatrick.com/

Dead Girl in Love

by Linda Joy Singleton

http://www.lindajoysingleton.com/

Keep your eyes out for these and many more wonderful books coming to Want My YA. :) Don't forget to vote in my poll to tell me what you want me to review for August (or thereabouts).

Eyecatcher: Libyrinth by Pearl North

Well I haven't posted one of these in a while, but here it is. This is one of the most recent books to catch my attention. I just love the cover. :)

Libyrinth

by Pearl North

Tor Teen (Macmillan)

ISBN: 9780765320964

http://anneharris.typepad.com/pearl_north/

From the publisher's website:

Haly is a Libyrarian, one of a group of people dedicated to preserving and protecting the knowledge passed down from the Ancients and stored in the endless maze of books known as the Libyrinth. But Haly has a secret: The books speak to her. When the threat of the rival Eradicants drives her from her home, Haly learns that things are not all she thinks they are. Taken prisoner by the Eradicants, who believe the written word to be evil, she sees the world through their eyes and comes to understand that they are not the book-burning monsters that she has known her entire life.The words of a young girl hiding in an attic—written hundreds of years before Haly’s birth—will spark the interest of her captors and begin the change necessary to end the conflict between the Eradicants and Libyrarians. With the help of her loyal companion Nod, a creature of the Libyrinth, Haly must mend the rift between the two groups before their war for knowledge destroys them all. Haly’s life—and the lives of everyone she knows—will never be the same.

Winners!!!

Thank you everyone who entered the contest to win 1 of 5 copies of Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson. Thanks to the help of the random number generator I'm ready to announce the winners. :)






Since the entry "fee" was joining the Want My YA Yahoo discussion group, I'm listing the winners by their Yahoo username. If your name is listed please send me an email to wantmyya at gmail dot com with your mailing info. I will forward the information on to the lady with the books and it will be all good. If I haven't heard from you by Saturday 7/11, I'll need to select a new winner. Thanks!


And the winners are:


margaymy

cuddlemonstar

michellerowen

jade629ss

val_winkler

Once again, thank you to everyone who entered. I hope you'll stick around and join in all the great discussions over at the Want My YA loop. :)

Missed the contest, but still want to join? Here's the link, check it out:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wantmyya/

Author Interview: Michelle Zink author of the upcoming Prophecy of the Sisters

Yay! It's another author interview. Check out what the lovely Michelle Zink has to say.

1. Tell us a little about yourself.

I’m a mother of four who is also a YA writer. I love music, concerts, reading, hanging out with my kids and teens (and other young people), cooking, learning, traveling… Basically, there’s not too much in the world that doesn’t interest me!

2. What got you sta rted writing? What brought you to YA?

I’ve always been a writer. I was one of those teenagers who wrote angsty poems and short stories, and if you’d asked me back then what I wanted to do when I got older, I would have said, “Write.” Like most people, though, I got sidetracked along the way in search of a well-paying job with good benefits. It wasn’t until I was about thirty and just hating my career that I started thinking about doing something more fulfilling. Even then, it took me a while to organize things so that I could make such a dramatic change, but eventually I was able to start reading again and that naturally brought me back to writing. The YA genre feels almost effortless to me, and I can’t really explain why. I just connect on a gut level to young people, so writing about them and for them just feels right.

3. Tell us about your most recent/ upcoming release?

Prophecy of the Sisters is the first in a three-book series revolving around twin sisters who discover they’re on opposing sides of an ancient prophecy. Unraveling their respective roles – and their commitment to seeing them through – involves a riddle found in an ancient book, an ominous mark, and apocalyptic consequences for the rest of mankind. It’s a very dark, Gothic thriller with supernatural overtones and all the stuff I love about the genre – fantastic old houses with creaky floors, romance, torrential rain, and supernatural elements like séances, legends, and demons. It also features a smart, strong female MC (very important to me) and, let’s not forget, a hunky, swoon-worthy guy!

4. Do you plot out in advance, or just start writing and see where things go from there?

I don’t actually outline, but I have a general idea where I’m going with something when I start. I usually have a document with names and characteristics of the main characters, details of the setting, and a one- or two-paragraph plot summary. Working without an outline means I have to stop sometimes to figure out what’s next – and it definitely means revising heavily on the back end – but=2 0I’ve tried working with an outline and it just killed all my creativity! I just can’t seem to get the atmospheric quality I love in a book unless I let it flow on its own.

5. Many authors have told me their characters talk to them, and sometimes even have different ideas of where the story should go than the author. Do you hear your characters?

I totally hear my characters! And especially because I DON’T outline, my stories often take unexpected (even to me!) turns. I think that’s the thing I love about writing in such an organic manner, and why I’m willing to accept the heavy revising that comes along with it. My stories and characters really take on a life of their own. I feel almost like a vehicle for the story, and when someone asks me why I did this or that in a story, I have to say, “Because that’s what happens!”

6. Who is your favorite character (of your own)?

That’s like asking me to pick a favorite child! Impossible! I love them all for their flaws and strengths – Lia for her strong sense of right even at great personal sacrifice, James for his unwavering devotion, Aunt Virginia for her stoicism, Henry for his inner strength, Sonia for her gentleness, Luisa for her spirit, and even Alice for the vulnerability she tries not to show.

7. What hobbies do you have when you're not writing?

Like any writer, I’m an avid reader. I’m also crazy about music of all kinds and love taking my kids to concerts. There’s just nothing in the world like live music, and my favorite bands include Brand New, Sick Puppies, Coldplay, U2, and Mat Kearney. My other favorite pastimes are traveling and experiencing anything I’ve never experienced before.

8. If you had not become a writer what would you have done instead?

I would have loved to be an actress or a musician, but I probably don’t have the talent! Aside from that, I’d love to try my hand at screenwriting someday, though I guess that counts as writing, too! It’s staaaaaaalking me!

9. Where can readers find you online?

Where CAN’T they find me! Seriously, though, I’m on Twitter quite a lot (for general craziness) and also check into Facebook and Myspace (for email and news) about once a day. My website is www.michellezink.com (everything from book updates to video blogs illustrating random events from my life) and the Prophecy website run by Little Br own is at www.prophecyofthesisters.com (official and fun-type stuff!). Take your pick! I’d love to hear from you! Oh! And I have a Goodreads profile as well.

10. Your turn. What question do you have for readers of Want My YA?

I would love to know what one quality about an author and/or their work turns you into full-fledged, card-carrying, lifetime fans! You know, the kind that makes you tell all your friends and really spread the word about a book and/or its author? That kind! :D Thanks so much for having me! These were fantastic questions and I really enjoyed answering them. Bloggers have changed the dynamic in the publishing world, and I truly value the energy and effort you put into spreading the word about great books!

Thanks so much Michelle! It was great having you here. I can't wait for the release of Prophecy of the Sisters. *sigh* With all of these great titles coming out I'm never going to catch up. lol

You Recommend Wednesday

Hey all! It's Wednesday! That means it's time for you to tell me what to read. What have you read lately that you just can't stop talking about. What's out there that I'm missing out on? What books need to be showing up in my monthy polls?

Bonus question:

Since it's "You Recommend" day I need your help with one more thing. Some of you may know about my pet rat Beatrice. I got her about a month or so ago and I just adore her. Well I've recently purchased a new, much larger cage for her. This means I now have the space to get her a little sister. I haven't found the little sister yet, but assuming the new rat doesn't come with a name already I'm curious as to what ideas you all have for names. Needs to be a girl's name and keep in mind that I like people names, even better if they are literary in nature. (Beatrice is named after the main character in Lisa Mantchev's Eyes Like Stars.)

And just because I can, here's some pictures of my darling Beatrice (if you haven't already seen them on one of the many other places I posted them). Keep in mind that she's in her older, smaller cage in these pictures.

No she's not winking. Her right eye is gone. Not sure why, I'm guessing it was some kind of injury or infection. She lost her eye before I adopted her.