ARC Review: Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson: Moon Called Volume 1

Author: Patricia Briggs

Genre: Urban Fantasy; Graphic Novel

Release: March, 2011

Source: Netgalley

Rating: 3.5/5

Description: Mercy Thompson inhabits two worlds without truly belonging to either. To the human inhabitants of the Tri-Cities she's an oddity, a female mechanic operating her own garage. To the town's darker residents, werewolves, vampires, and fae, she's a walker, a last-of-her-kind magical being with the power to become a coyote. Mercy warily straddles the fine line dividing our everyday world from that darker dimension... 'till a boy, mauled by vicious werewolves and forever changed by the attack and on the run from those who committed the crime, appears at her door. Now her two worlds are about to collide! Outnumbered and out-muscled, can Mercy possibly save the boy... or even herself?

Review: Mercy Thompson is a one-of-a-kind shapeshifter who can shift into a coyote. She's also a car mechanic who has her own shop. When Mac, a runaway werewolf shows up on her doorstep, Mercy takes him in. Eventually, she saves him from thuggish wolves, killing one of the wolves in the process. Afterwards, she hands Mac over to Adam, the local Alpha wolf. One night, Mercy finds Mac dead and Adam wounded, causing her to search for who's responsible.

What I Didn't Like

• Mercy is half Native American, so I'd think the artist would make her skin color a little browner.
• Sometimes, it was hard to tell the difference between some of the male characters. It tripped me up when I thought the character portrayed was someone only to find that he was someone else.
• The extra chapter at the end. Tho I'm glad I got a look at how Mac came to be, the writing just didn't catch me. And the illustration wasn't on the same level as the illustration throughout the novel.

What I Liked

• Mercy is such a kick-ass character. I'm a sucker for novels with strong heroines...especially when the book shows her vulnerable side (she's not all hard, but soft sometimes).
• I like the fact that I didn't have to read the original novels in order to figure out what was happening. I didn't even know about Ms. Briggs' Mercy Thompson series before seeing this graphic novel.
• Besides the fact that the illustration of the men were confusing at times, I liked the illustrations overall. Great details.

Overall, I liked Mercy Thompson: Moon Called Volume 1; enough to want to read the original series. This book will appeal to those who are already Ms. Briggs' fans as well as new fans.

ARC Review: Kick

Author: Walter Dean Myers and Ross Workman
Genre: Young Adult, Fiction, Middle Grade
Release: February, 2011
Source: Netgalley
Rating: 4/5

Description: For the very first time in his decades-long career writing for teens, acclaimed and beloved author Walter Dean Myers writes with a teen, Ross Workman.

Kevin Johnson is thirteen years old. And heading for juvie. He's a good kid, a great friend, and a star striker for his Highland, New Jersey, soccer team. His team is competing for the State Cup, and he wants to prove he has more than just star-player potential. Kevin's never been in any serious trouble . . . until the night he ends up in jail. Enter Sergeant Brown, a cop assigned to be Kevin's mentor. If Kevin and Brown can learn to trust each other, they might be able to turn things around before it's too late.

Review: Okay, so how cool is it that high school student, Ross Workman, got a chance to write with Walter Dean Myers? He emailed Myers and Myers replied with an invitation to write a story together. I mean, seriously. So. Cool.

And I loved the story they came up with. Kick follows 13 year-old, Kevin Johnson, who gets caught driving a car that belongs to his friend's father. He faces serious charges, but he gets a second chance. Because he is a child of a fallen officer, he's paired with Officer Jerry Brown. The book alternates between Kevin and Officer Brown's point of view. We find that there's more to what happened the night Kevin was caught.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE

• The book is so short...less than 100 pages long.

• The issue of domestic violence isn't resolved. The wife of one of the characters is severly depressed. Not knowing what to do, he tries to beat it out of her. Eventually, she gets help, but he doesn't.

WHAT I LIKED

• Kevin's character. He's seen in a positive light despite the mistake he made (remember there's more to the story).

• I love the sports subplot. While all of this is happening, Kevin and his soccer team is trying to get to the State Cup.

• Kevin's growth from the beginning to the end.

• The fact that Myers teamed up with one of his fans to write a story. Again, how awesome is that?

Despite the fact that the story is short, I truly enjoyed it. The character is 13, which puts the book more at a middle grade level, but the issues are more young adult. The short length may very well work with a generation of kids with short attention spans. And this is definitely a book guys can enjoy.

ARC Review: Losing Romeo

Author: A.J. Byrd
Genre: YA
Release Date: November, 2010
Source: Netgalley
Rating: 3/5

Description: Best Friends Forever - that's Anjenai, Kierra and Tyler. Growing up together in an Atlanta housing project, the girls have always been there for each other. But high school is a whole new world, and the drama is just beginning.

New guys, new gossip, new rivals - Anjenai, Kierra and Tyler have plenty to occupy their time now that Romeo, the football star who almost cost them their friendship, is out of the picture. Or is he?

Straight-A student Anjenai's edgy new makeover is getting the attention of cool, hip-hop stylin' Kwan - and from Romeo, whose girlfriend, Phoenix, will do anything to keep him. Kierra's hectic schedule tempts her to try a dangerous pick-me-up. And Tyler's street-tough image is challenged by some real hardcore girls. Once, the BFFs vowed to stick together through anything. But can they still count on a bond of trust that's been broken before?

Review: I really wanted to like this book. I really did...but it was just ok to me. This is strictly my humble opinion, but it just had too much drama for me. It kind of read like an urban soap opera for teens...and I so don't like soaps. Now, I did keep reading cos I wanted to see what happened, so it kept my interest. And I liked that I didn't really have to read the first book, Chasing Romeo, in order to know what was going on. And I like the idea of bffs sticking together through anything...through thick and thin. I've seen some of the reviews teens are posting, and it looks like a many of them like it. So, maybe it's just me.

2011 Reading Challenges

Obviously my blog has the same look. The new look is coming, I promise. Also, I've been sick with sinuses (ugh), so this week, I won't be blogging as much. Next week, I'll be back in the game!

Now, on to other things. It's that time of year again...time to join reading challenges. Here are a list of challenges I've decided to join. At the end of this post, I'll list the names of some of the books I plan to read and the challenges they belong to. Some of the books qualify for more than on challenge. Now, the thing this year for me is to actually review the books. Last year, I completed most of my challenge lists, but forgot to review. This year, I'm trying to do more book reviews this year.

This challenge is hosted by The Story Siren . The goal is to read at least 12 from new Young Adult/Middle Grade authors.

Ok, I saw this one and knew I had to join! I absolutely LOVE kick ass heroines! Yvonne over at Diva Bookcase is hosting it. All you need to do is read at least twelve books featuring kick ass heroines. The heroines do not have to be the main character, but a big part of the story. The books must be read in 2011.

The purpose of this challenge is for readers to diversify their reading and send a message to publishers: we want more PoC literature and less of white washing of covers. You can sign up here. I'm going for Level 4 or 5.

• Level 1: Read 1-3 POC books
• Level 2. Read 4-6 POC books
• Level 3. Read 7-9 POC books
• Level 4. Read 10-15 POC books
• Level 5. Read 16-25 POC books

This challenge is hosted by Jamie at For The Love of YA. Anyone can join. There are four levels. I'm thinking I'm gonna go for Level 3.

• The Mini YA Reading Challenge – Read 12 Young Adult novels.
• The "Fun Size" YA Reading Challenge – Read 20 Young Adult novels.
• The Jumbo Size YA Reading Challenge – Read 40 Young Adult novels.
• The Mega size YA Reading Challenge – Read 50+ Young Adult novels.

This challenge is hosted at I Eat Words. Books must be MG or YA and all series must have at least 3 books by the end of 2011. I'll start with Level 3.

• Level 1-Trying it Out 3-5 Books
• Level 2-Making an Effort 6-8 Books
• Level 3-Working Hard 9-12 Books
• Level 4-Fully Committed 13-16 Books
• Level 5-Beyond Obsessed 17-22 Books
• Level 6-Addicted and Loving It 23-30 Books

I figured I can get some adult reading in this year, too. This challenge is hosted by Naida at The Bookworm. All you have to do is read at least 5 romance books. Romance can be anywhere from regency romance to YA romance...as long as there's a love story between the two main characters.

CHALLENGE BOOK LIST - There are many more books on my list, but here are a few to start off. In most of the series books, I've already read book one.

* DAC - Debut Author Challenge; KAC - Kick Ass Heroine Challenge; POC - People of Color Challenge; YAC - YA Challenge; YASC - YA Series Challenge; RRC - Romance Reading Challenge

• Iron Daughter - Julie Kagawa (KAC, YAC, YASC, RRC)
• Iron Queen - Julie Kagawa (KAC, YAC, YASC, RRC)
• Kick - Walter Dean Myers & Ross Workman (POC, YAC)
• The Divas: India - Victoria Christopher Murray (POC, YAC, YASC)
• The Divas: Veronique - Victoria Christopher Murray (POC, YAC, YASC)
• The Divas: Aaliyah - Voctoria Christopher Murray (POC, YAC, YASC)
• Here Lies Bridget - Paige Harbison (DAC)
• Vampire Huntress Books (12 in all) - L.A. Banks (KAC, POC, RRC)
• Shadow Walker - L.A. Banks (KAC, POC)
• Manifest - Artist Arthur (POC, YAC, YASC)
• Mystify - Artist Arthur (POC, YAC, YASC)
• Mayhem - Artist Arthur (POC, YAC, YASC)
• Lost Voices - Sarah Porter (DAC)
• Famous - Simone Bryant (POC, YAC)
• Rival - Sara Bennett Wealer (DAC)
• How Lamar's Bad Prank Won A Bubba-Sized Trophy - Crystal Allen (DAC, POC)
• OyMG - Amy Fellner Dominy (DAC, YAC)
• Exorsistah: X Returns - Claudia Mair Burney (KAC, POC, YAC, YASC, RRC)
• Exorsistah: X Restored - Claudia Mair Burney (KAC, POC, YAC, YASC, RRC)
• When The Stars Go Blue - Cardidad Ferrer (KAC, POC, YAC, RRC)