Review: 13 to Life by Shannon Delany

Posted by Teen Guru at 3:05 PM 4 comments


13 to Life by Shannon Delany
St. Martin's Press
June 22nd, 2010
Young Adult & Paranormal
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-60914-6
Available formats: Ebook, Paperback - Pages: 320

Purchase links: Goodreads, Amazon, Author website
Check out my giveaway of 13 to Life here!

Book provided by publisher for this review.




Book Description:

Something strange is stalking the small town of Junction…

When junior Jess Gillmansen gets called out of class by Guidance, she can only presume it’s for one of two reasons. Either they’ve finally figured out who wrote the scathing anti-jock editorial in the school newspaper or they’re hosting yet another intervention for her about her mom. Although far from expecting it, she’s relieved to discover Guidance just wants her to show a new student around—but he comes with issues of his own including a police escort.

The newest member of Junction High, Pietr Rusakova has secrets to hide--secrets that will bring big trouble to the small town of Junction—secrets including dramatic changes he’s undergoing that will surely end his life early.




My thoughts…


Jessie likes to keep to herself yet that doesn’t keep her from daydreaming about her crush, Derek. Ever since the night she’s lost her mother to careless accident, Jessie keeps her days busy taking care of her family and friends. No, Jessie doesn’t care much for changes… But fortunately for her life never asked for her what she wants.


Then like magic a new family moves to Junction and Jessie meets the new guy Pietr Rusakova. Jessie is forced to be the tour guide for Pietr. For some reason there is just something about Pietr that drives her crazy. The sparks are there every time Jessie and Pietr meet face to face. Who could blame a girl when she tries to win over the new hottie of Junction High?


Jessie does just about everything she can to dissuade Pietr from falling for her. Even so far to get Pietr to go for her friend Sarah who’s seems to be crushing on him.


Things get weirder and stranger occurrences just keep on happening around Jessie and Pietr. What are the real secrets surrounding Pietr and his family. There is also the secret of Jessie and her family. I think the key to discovering Jessie’s could possibly be her mother. Unfortunately for Jessie and us her mother is not alive to tell no one.


I love this! I truly love 13 to Life. Definitely a smash hit and the must read book of this summer 2010! Who could not love the angst and drama going on between the Jessie, Pietr and Sarah love triangle. One other potential couple… Max and Amy… I actually LOL when Max was showing Pietr just how to let a girl know a guy is interested in her. What happens next is one of the best OMG moments ever. Way to go, Amy, lol!  If you read only one book this summer than let it be 13 to Life by Shannon Delany. You will not be disappointed..  



I give 13 to Life a rating of 5 out of 5 Pink Kittens!




Review by


Veronica



Review: Pixie Dust by Henry Melton

Posted by Teen Guru at 11:35 AM 0 comments


Pixie Dust by Henry Melton
Publisher: Wire Rim Books
April 1, 2010
ISBN-10: 0980225388
ISBN-13: 978-0980225389
Available Formats: Ebook, Paperback
Purchase Links: Goodreads, Amazon, Author website
For Readers 14+

Book provided by author for this review.







Book Description:

Jenny Quinn’s life was on course for her advanced physics degree until a lab experiment in vacuum decay turned her life upside down. With career hopes destroyed and her professor dead in an unexplained fall, she is forced to cope with a strange change in her own body. With nothing but her own resources, a childhood infatuation with old comic books may be her only guide to help solve the twin mysteries of cutting edge physics and the murder of her professor, before one or the other puzzle gets her killed.







My thoughts...


After a strange yet slow building beginning… Pixie Dust picks up quickly with the non-stop action. Jenny's life changes and not for the good when her professor inexplicably dies after a mysterious fall. She finds herself in a world of trouble. Jenny learns how hard it is to find someone she can trust. Jenny turns to her an old obsession... Comic book and clues to help her solve the mystery of her professor’s death.

Henry Melton is one creative and wildly entertaining author. Never knew how and why authors can drag out the storyline in the beginning… now I do… That is how they get readers sucked in, forcing them to keep on reading the very end.

I admit ... I was wondering why Henry was giving us such a slow start. Then it literally hit me… That was Henry's plan all along to tease me with this and keep me from letting this book go. Boy, am I ever glad I did not give up reading Pixie Dust.

The action, the suspense, and the romance between Shawn and Jenny are just what every reader can wish for in a book.

Thanks to Henry for sending me another of his awesome novels and once again giving me another chance to review them.

I hope this will be a good enough review for my blog readers to check out Pixie Dust and many of Henry Melton’s wonderful selection of books.


I give Pixie Dust a rating 4 out 5 Pink Kittens!


Book reviewed by:

Veronica

13 to Life by Shannon Delany Book Giveaway!!

Posted by Teen Guru at 3:16 PM 36 comments
Hey all. Its been a while. Sorry for being away. But I am back with a new giveaway!

I have (1) Copy of 13 to Life by Shannon Delany to giveaway.






To enter all you have to do is be a blog minion. +4

Tweet the following message: +5

I just enter to win 13 to Life by Shannon Delany at #TeenChannelReviews http://bit.ly/9mkJjW

Blog, Facebook or any other social networks for +4

Become a facebook fan for +5 here

Add all points including this for +1

The giveaway is open to all including those living outside of the U.S and this will end July 10th 2010.

New Trailer:

Posted by Teen Guru at 2:55 PM 2 comments

The Official Trailer for The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader!






Episode Review: Pretty Little Liars

Posted by Teen Guru at 8:34 PM 2 comments
I am newbie when it comes to the Pretty Little Liars series and have never heard of this series until I first saw the promo to television series…


This is my first television review. I hope that you will all enjoy this.






Warning: This review may contain spoilers. Read at your own risk















Pretty Little Liars premiered tonight on
ABC Family Channel.
June 8th 2010

Theme song: Secrets by The Pierces





Meet The Ladies of Rosewood







Don’t Trust Me is playing out the background while it was a dark and stormy night. Four friends are sitting around and hear a noise. They get up and head over to see who it is…

Cue Alison. Girls screamed as Ally jumps out in front of them.

“Friends keep secrets… that are what keeps up close.” says Alison.

The next shot is one of the friends wake up. “Where are Ali and Spencer?”

Spencer walks into the guest house and tells us the friends Ali’s gone and she’s looked everywhere for Ally. Spencer thinks she heard a scream.



One year later. . . . .

Seems like that girls are not the only one that have been keeping secrets… Ali has still been missing and Aria returns with her family and move back into town.

Aria hooks up with a stranger who shockingly turns out to be her new English teacher. *GASP*  And what is even more shocking is that Aria after she discovers who her new teacher is, immediately after, Aria receives a text from “Ali”

I am impressed with the awesome job with the storyline and fresh new talent these girls have. The performances rock and love the mystery that surrounds the girls.

Definitely look forward to unraveling the mystery of behind Ali’s disappearance and murder. The foursome girls all have secrets that they would rather not the world know about it and major props to the writer for giving us the chance by letting us know bit by bit about the characters secrets. Pretty Little Liars is definitely not people of all ages.


With that said can I say that I loved that kiss between Ezra and Aria.

Aria, Spencer, Emily and Hanna all have done things that would shock many.

Questions I thought of…
Who the hell was Ali?
Why was she the way she was?
Whose life did she push too far for Ali to lose her life like this?
What else has Hanna’s mother done to protect her?
Who’s Jenna?
And finally if Ali is really dead… Then who is behind the notes and text messages.


What an awesome way to end the premiere with this quote:


I’m still here, bitches and I know everything.

I rate tonight episode a 4 out of 5 Pinkys


Songs played in tonight’s episode:
Artist: 3OH!3
Song: "Don't Trust Me"

Artist: Colbie Caillat
Song: "I Won’t"

Artist: Ben's Brother
Song: "Beauty Queen"

Artist: The Fray
Song: "Happiness"

Artist: Mozella
Song: "More Of You"

Artist: Michael Rossback
Song: "When Love Goes Well"

Artist: Overnight Lows
Song: "I Got Up"

Artist: Orelia
Song: "Suggestions"
 

Teen Channel Reviews welcomes Shannon Delany's Start Your Day with Serial Tour!!

Posted by Teen Guru at 5:52 AM 15 comments

Welcome to Shannon Delany's Start Your Day with Serial Tour!

Shannon's debut novel (and first in her YA paranormal series) 13 to Life started as a winning cell phone novel written in serial segments. During the tour you can read bits of the book in order. Miss a day? Hop to Shannon's blog http://13toLife.us/blog and check the link to the blog tour calendar in her sidebar.

There will also be a contest that will close at the end of the tour. Winners get a bunch of stuff.



When did you first decide on becoming an author?
I’ve always wanted to pursue writing (and art) but only recently began being somewhat serious by picking up freelancing jobs. As much as I wanted it, I didn’t decide on it at some specific point—I think it was a desire for self expression that just grew.

Was it hard choosing a genre when you first began your writing career?
The genre sort of chose me. I’m currently most comfortable writing with a YA voice and (as for the paranormal) weird stuff tends to happen around me.

Who are some of your favorite authors?
Mercedes Lackey, Orson Scott Card, Neil Gaiman, Maria V. Snyder, Ann Aguirre, Jim Butcher, Anne McCaffrey and Jeri Smith-Ready.


Can you tell us a bit on how 13 to Life and how you came up with it?
13 to Life is a story of teenage love, loss and—oh, yeah—werewolves. It’s not meant to be this heavy paranormal story when our narrator, Jessie, first starts to realize what’s going on around her. It walks readers into the world Jessie’s seeing open up as she sees it open. It’s very much a story of teens, family and real world trouble that deepens into trouble of a paranormal sort as the story progresses. It all developed very organically (written “by the seat of my pants” as some authors say). Two thoughts simply bumped together in my head and I gave that seed room to germinate.

How did you find out that your book was going to get published?
My agent, Stan Soper, told me that one of the editors who was interested in the book wanted to talk to me on the phone. That was probably when it first hit me that the book was very close to getting contracted. I mean, we’d been talking to a few people, but that made it suddenly real.
Who was the first person you told that your book was going to be published?
Wow. I don’t remember. It was probably a girl who was my best friend at the time (because my husband would have been at work). But I might have called him to interrupt anyhow. Huh. I just don’t remember who got the call first.

Are you working on anything right now and if your are... Can you tell us a bit about?
I’m getting ready to finish the first real draft of book 3 in the 13 to Life series. I’ve had a rough draft sitting around for months now but needed time to get back to it. As soon as that’s done it’ll be time for something completely different.

Would you ever, if given the chance... would you ever work with and write a novel with one of your fellow authors?
Maybe, but it would have to be a very unique situation. I get a bit control freaky about things. ;-)

and if you would... who would you like to work with?
Ann Aguirre. I think we’d work well together. Ann and I both fast-drafted novels together (where you write a rough draft in 2 weeks) and when I’m really freaked about something in publishing she’s one of the first people I contact. She’s simply wonderful (and if I was being stupid, I think she’d tell me).

What do you consider some of the harder parts of being a published author?
Finding time to write while trying to promote a book’s release. It’s like there’s never enough time in the day!

What are some of great things about being a published author?
Almost everything’s great about getting published (but I’m repeatedly told I’m one of the lucky few—there are some horror stories out there)!

What do you do on your free time? Do you have any free time?
Ha! Barely! Free time is time I veg out and just let my mind wander and my eyes and ears observe. It’s time I spend refilling my creative well.

What is one thing that always manages to relax you?
Being alone in a quiet house with a few spare moments to let my mind wander to fantastic places I’m writing or will be writing soon.

For information on the previous section, visit Ramblings of a Teenage Bookworm! http://fayeflamereviews.blogspot.com/

13 to Life: Chapter 3, part C (used with the author’s permission)

He had dumped that prima donna Jenny… Everyone knew there was nothing to her but bleach, makeup and some well-structured bras. Maybe Derek realized he wanted a more complete package — someone with a brain. But in the back of my head a voice kept whispering, Does it matter why he’s interested? Be happy he's actually interested!


________________________________________________



Shannon's hosting several contests during the Start Your Day with Serial Tour. The big contest will award one lucky winner with a royal amber pendant, pietersite jeweled bookmark, stuffed wolf, 13 to Life mousepad, pen, tote, signed poster, personalized copy of 13 to Life and both of the 13 to Life pins. All you need to do is comment at 13 of the blogs hosting Shannon during her 30 day tour. Everyone who does so will be entered into a random drawing. Winner may be international.

Shannon Delany info and links:

My main site: http://shannondelany.com/
My main blog: http://13toLife.us/blog
The 13 to Life Series Website: http://13tolifeseries.com/
Link to massive list of where you can buy 13 to Life online: http://tinyurl.com/BuyLinks
 

Serial Tour participants, the first excerpt Shannon's sharing with everyone on this blog tour can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/13toLifePro12  (scroll down a smidge). Each day throughout the month of June Shannon is at another blog or site sharing another serial bit of her story. If you follow along and comment as you go, not only are you entered for great prizes, but also you'll get to read the:
Prologue, Chapter 1, 2 and most of 3 of 13 to Life for free! Watch http://Twitter.com/Shannon_Delany  to know where to hop to next!

Remember to follow the tour each day throughout June to read the next section of 13 to Life free and online!



Wanna just commit and buy? Awesome! Here's a list of places you can go and place your order! Right now (early June) Book Depository appears to have the best deal--if you wanna wait until August for the book! So check out your choices carefully and I hope you love the book!

Winners Annoucement -- Did you win??

Posted by Teen Guru at 8:12 PM 2 comments
So very sorry for the delay. Anyway, here are the list of winners posted below!

The winner of the choose your book (The Iron King or The Body Finder) is...

Kirthi


For The Body Finder Gift Pack giveaway.

The Three winners of the signed poster and book marks are:
mBlogger, Brodie and Kate


The Grand Prize winner is....


Anya..


Congratulations to the winners...

Please send me a email at
theteenchannelreviews at gmail dot com
with your addresses and on the subject line the book or prize you've won.

Thanks to you all for making this awesome!

I will be adding a new giveaway this weekend. So please get your top three choices.. You never know, you just might win them.


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