BEA Recap Part 1: The Books

Book Expo America is a book lover's dream, and this year I was lucky enough to be able to attend my 5th BEA since 2009. And this year, I was not only there as press, I was also there as an author signing copies of THE MEMORY OF AFTER in the signing area (dream come true, for reals!).

Like most attendees, I had a list of "must get" books, but what I love most about BEA is the serendipity of discovering new titles. There were so many great finds this year that I ended up bringing back 37 titles with me (not including books I bought at the many bookstores I visited in the city) that I'm excited to read and cover on the blog in the months to come.  Today I'm going to spotlight some of my favorites. (NOTE: I was approved for some of the big BEA titles - such as Jandy Nelson's I'LL GIVE YOU THE SUN and Scott Westerfeld's AFTERWORLDS - on Netgally and Edelweiss and so I skipped getting physical copies to save space)

Top 10 "must get" books that I snagged:

GLORY O'BRIEN'S HISTORY OF THE FUTURE by AS King (Oct 14, 2014, Little Brown) - Luckily I was invited to Little Brown's Brunch Preview where I unapologetically grabbed a copy of this before BEA even started. It's no secret I'm an AS King fangirl, so I'm super excited about GLORY.

SINNER by Maggie Stiefvater (July 1, 2014, Scholastic) - My very favorite thing about LINGER and FOREVER? Cole St. Clair. I've been saying for years that Cole needs his own novel, so when I heard about SINNER, I was struck with major book lust. I braved the galley drop at the Scholastic booth to get my hands on this pretty. I also got to chat with Maggie briefly at the Scholastic breakfast before BookCon (delicious smoothies!)

ISLA AND THE HAPPILY EVER AFTER by Stephanie Perkins (August 2014, Penguin) - this wasn't really at BEA, but it was part of a raffle of all three Stephanie Perkins books at the #YAparty. Amazingly, I won the raffle and instantly became the most hated/envied person in the room. Naturally, I couldn't wait long to read this. My teasers for you? a) It's HOT. Isla and Josh's chemistry is through the roof. b) It's my favorite of the trilogy. c) I can't wait to discuss the ending with you -- squee!

STITCHING SNOW by RC Lewis (Oct 14, 2014, Disney-Hyperion) - A sci-fi fairytale retelling? Sign me up! This debut has been on my radar for some time, and when I heard (thanks Debby!) there were stacks of it sitting in a secret room in the bowels of the Javits (in reality, left over from Book Blogger Con), I dashed over to stash this in my tote.

THE BONE CLOCKS by David Mitchell (Sept 2, 2014, Random House) - Okay, so David Mitchell was signing his newest novel at 2 pm Friday after my own 1 pm signing, so I knew I'd never make it to his line and I was pretty devastated about it. But David also had a panel as part of Book Con on Saturday, and so I went about an hour early to line up for it (making me about #50 in line). A RH publicist gave everyone at the front of the line tickets to pick up galleys at the RH booth after the panel and we trembled with excitement. (Seriously, so much trembling in that line).

The panel between David and his editor was glorious. I loved his advice to "shoplift" from the best writers and his anecdotes about his writing process. And then. After the panel, I made my way to the podium to say hi. I told David it was my birthday (it was) and he gave me a birthday handshake. Here's hoping a tiny bit of his genius rubbed off on me.

ROOMS by Lauren Oliver (Sept 23, 2014, Ecco) - I acquired Lauren's adult debut thanks to our shared agent on a visit to the agency the week before BEA and thus was able to avoid one of her monster lines (I did stand in line for PANIC, however, which turned out to be quite a fun line thanks to Marlon).

MY REAL CHILDREN by Jo Walton (available now, Tor) - I stood in a line to get the hardcover of this signed. It's an adult speculative fiction title about (possible) parallel lives, which is one of my favorite topics right now.

SAM AND DAVE DIG A HOLE by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen (Oct 14, 2014, Candlewick) - I had the pleasure of meeting Mac at the Irma Black ceremony and lunch at Bankstreet College the week before BEA (more about that in a later post), and then I stood in line to meet Jon and get an F&G of their newest collaboration. First of all, Jon is super adorable and took the time to show me a video of his cat lounging while signing my book. (!!!) And the book is adorable too. Both Daniel and I love it and the vaguely sci-fi ending.

I'M MY OWN DOG by David Ezra Stein (August 5, 2014, Candlewick) - David Ezra Stein's INTERRUPTING CHICKEN is one of my top 10 picture book favorites of all time, so I was bummed that his signing was directly after mine and I'd never make his line. But, as luck would have it, we ran into each other in the author green room after my signing, and his lovely editor gave me a front of the line pass for his signing. #authorperks! I'M MY OWN DOG is super cute and funny, too.

THE BOOK WITH NO PICTURES by BJ Novak (Sept 30, 2014, Penguin) - Yep, I was more than an hour early and the third person in line for this (behind the YA book twins), the only celebrity signing line that I attempted. Since it was at the Penguin booth, we weren't really allowed to line up early, so we just sort of hovered. I haven't actually read this yet (because only words, no pictures, ha!), but I'll report back when I do.

Top 5 serendipitous finds:

WE ALL LOOKED UP by Tommy Wallach (March 31, 2015, S&S) - Tommy and I share an editor at S&S and that editor gifted me an early copy of Tommy's debut. Then, at the #YAparty, Tommy was playing piano (he's a singer/songwriter too - check out his forthcoming album "I Meant it to be Sweet"), and we got to chat. That weekend, I went up to Bushwick where he took me to a block party. Fun! The novel looks incredibly intriguing, and I can't wait to dig in.

THE ART OF SECRETS by James Klise (available now, Algonquin) - I stopped by the Algonquin booth on Saturday and since it was so quiet, I got to chat with Editor Elise Howard for quite some time. I told her I only had room for one more book, so she pitched me several and I was won over by her pitch for this. Really all she had to say was "twists" and I was sold.

BAILEY BOAT CAT by Louise Kennedy (Sept 2, 2014, Bloomsbury) - This might have been my favorite random find at BEA. There was a small giveaway stack at the Bloomsbury booth and I was instantly smitten by this cat on a boat. Full color photos throughout of Bailey cuteness.

ONE DEATH, NINE STORIES, short story anthology (August 2014, Candlewick) - This was a booth giveaway and I was instantly attracted by the list of contributors, including AS King, Ellen Hopkins and Rita Williams-Garcia. All 9 stories are linked by the death of one 19 year old named Kevin.

EVEN IN PARADISE by Chelsey Philpot (October 14, 2014, HarperTeen) - Chelsey and I share an agent and since he has such great taste, I must read this! I got to meet her in the author green room after our signings (we were signing at the same time -- rivals!!).



If you want to see my entire book haul, check out my instagram.

Cover Reveal: Endsinger by Jay Kristoff + Giveaway

Time to reveal the cover for ENDSINGER, the last book in the Lotus War trilogy that began with STORMDANCER. 

Breathtaking, isn't it?!

Jay just informed me which chapter contains animal death in KINSLAYER (commence ripping out of chapter 52 ...), so now I can finally get caught up on this series in time for the ENDSLINGER release date of Sept. 23rd!

THE JACKET COPY:

A TREMBLING EARTH
The flames of civil war sweep across the Shima Imperium. With their plans to renew the Kazumitsu dynasty foiled, the Lotus Guild unleash their deadliest creation—a mechanical goliath known as the Earthcrusher, intended to unite the shattered Empire under a yoke of fear. With the Tiger Clan and their puppet Daimyo Hiro in tow, the Guild marches toward a battle for absolute dominion over the Isles.

A BROKEN REBELLION
Yukiko and Buruu are forced to take leadership of the Kagé rebellion, gathering new allies and old friends in an effort to unite the country against the chi-mongers. But the ghosts of Buruu’s past stand between them and the army they need, and Kin’s betrayal has destroyed all trust among their allies. When a new foe joins the war tearing the Imperium apart, it will be all the pair can do to muster the strength to fight, let alone win.

A FINAL BATTLE
The traitor Kin walks the halls of Guild power, his destiny only a bloody knife-stroke away. Hana and Yoshi struggle to find their place in a world now looking to them as heroes. Secret cabals within the Lotus Guild claw and struggle; one toward darkness, the other toward light. And as the earth splits asunder, as armies destroy each other for rule over an empire of lifeless ash and the final secret about blood lotus is revealed, the people of Shima will learn one last, horrifying truth.

There is nothing a mother won't do to keep her children by her side.

Nothing.

GIVEAWAY: 

For a chance to win some kick-ass prizes including the signed trilogy (all three books in hardcover + extras!!) and a hug from Jay, head over to Jay's website and answer the following question:

4. Name the guildsman who betrayed the rebellion at the end of Kinslayer.

Cover Reveal: Kinslayer by Jay Kristoff + giveaway

You may remember how much I enjoyed STORMDANCER - so obvs I'm pumped for KINSLAYER and this cover reveal.

The following summary of KINSLAYER has spoilers for STORMDANCER so read at your own risk:

A SHATTERED EMPIRE  

The mad Shōgun Yoritomo has been assassinated by the Stormdancer Yukiko, and the threat of civil war looms over the Shima Imperium. The Lotus Guild conspires to renew the nation’s broken dynasty and crush the growing rebellion simultaneously - by endorsing a new Shōgun who desires nothing more than to see Yukiko dead. 

A DARK LEGACY 

Yukiko and the mighty thunder tiger Buruu have been cast in the role of heroes by the Kagé rebellion. But Yukiko herself is blinded by rage over her father’s death, and her ability to hear the thoughts of beasts is swelling beyond her power to control. Along with Buruu, Yukiko’s anchor is Kin, the rebel Guildsman who helped her escape from Yoritomo’s clutches. But Kin has his own secrets, and is haunted by visions of a future he’d rather die than see realized.

A GATHERING STORM 

Kagé assassins lurk within the Shōgun’s palace, plotting to end the new dynasty before it begins. A waif from Kigen’s gutters begins a friendship that could undo the entire empire. A new enemy gathers its strength, readying to push the fracturing Shima imperium into a war it cannot hope to survive. And across raging oceans, amongst islands of black glass, Yukiko and Buruu will face foes no katana or talon can defeat. The ghosts of a blood-stained past.

The US cover:

The UK cover:

Jay is also doing a quiz! So if you answer my question over at his blog, you just might win something incredibly fabulous. 

3. What kind of animal is Buruu?

Want a chance to read KINSLAYER early? Enter via this form by May 29, 2013 at 11:59 pm CST. US only.

Apocalypsies Love! Book Review: Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff

The corrupt and ruthless shogun sends Yukiko and her father to hunt down a mythical griffin and bring it back from him to ride into his endless war. And surprise -- they actually find one.  Yukiko and the griffin, Buruu, form an unlikely bond as they stumble upon a resistance movement and a plot to overthrow the government. 

I'm not a big reader of epic fantasy, but something about this novel called to me (maybe because it's a dystopian set in steampunk Japan and Jay just seems so awesome) and I'm glad it did. Because once the story hits its stride, I was consumed by it. The relationships - between Yukiko and her father, the guardsman Kin, the green-eyed samurai, and most especially the griffin - are intense, touching and surprising. It also goes without saying that I want both a griffin and the power of kenning so I communicate with my cats.

STORMDANCER could have gotten the writing badge because Jay's sentences are so perfectly constructed, I had to read many of them out loud just to feel them on my tongue. This happens rarely, and usually only with Lauren Oliver or Laini Taylor's stuff. So respect!! But in the end, I decided to go with the World Building badge because of the way Jay convinced me that this alternate universe Japan exists for reals.

As a special bonus, Jay did a picture book version of STORMDANCER that he sent to his editor when she had a baby. He sent me a PDF and it was just as amazing.  This guy is a multi-talent you guys.  He's going to take our world by storm ;)
 

 

Because Jay is an Apocalypsie (Debut Author 2012), we get an Apocalypsies Love interview today too!

What is your favorite scene in the book?
My absolute favourite scene is the last chapter, but I can’t really talk about it because the Spoiler Police will (justifiably) do the curb-stomp shuffle across my baby-maker. There’s a scene in the treetop ninja village where Yukiko learns what happened to… no, wait… can’t talk about that one, either…

I do really love the hunt for the thunder tiger, and the moment Yukiko first touches his mind. It has mid-air explosions and it makes some people cry, which are two of my favourite things.

What is your favorite line in the book?
“Let me show you what one little girl can do…”

What setting was most fun to write?
Kigen city. It’s this messy collision of steampunk technology and Japanese feudal society. Streets choked with exhaust fumes, beggars in the gutters, clockwork samurai, beautiful geisha girls, sky-ships dragging themselves across a blood-red sky. Suffocating and dangerous and seething with a thousand secrets – it was a lot of fun to write.

Who is your favorite supporting character - one you could see getting a spin-off book - and why?
Michi. She’s a serving girl (or is she?) in the Shōgun’s palace. She’s sarcastic and insightful and an absolute wrecking machine with a sword – just a really cool combination of fanaticism and femininity. She’s the kind of character I’d want to spend more time on in later books but MAYBE SHE DIES IN BOOK ONE AND YOU WON’T KNOW UNTIL YOU READ IT BECAUSE WE ARE NOT AT HOME TO MR SPOILERS HERE.

What has been your favorite part of your publishing journey so far?
Well, holding the book in my hand for the first time was unreal, but everything kinda pales beside finding out people seem to really love reading it. I mean *I* loved it, because it’s my baby, you know? But first reviews have started coming back to us and people are saying just awesome, amazing, humbling stuff. When someone tells you in all honesty “This is the best YA fantasy I’ve ever read”, yeah… nothing really compares to a moment like that.

I might join in the best YA fantasy choir - because HELLO - it's awesome!

STORMDANCER comes out September 1, 2012 in the UK and September 18, 2012 in the US. Find out more about it at the author's website.

See index of all dystopian reviews at Presenting Lenore

FTC disclosure: ARC from publisher after participating in the cover reveal.

Book Review: Living Proof by Kira Peikoff

In the year 2027, The Department of Embryo Preservation has unprecedented authority to audit fertility clinics to make sure they aren't using stem cells for illegal research. Killing an embryo is considered first degree murder. At the same time, another agency monitors pregnant women, giving them huge fines if they endanger their babies in any way during their pregnancy. 

Arianna is a brilliant young doctor whose clinic becomes suspect by the DEP and Trent is sent undercover to expose her suspected crimes. But when Trent falls for Arianna, he begins to have a crisis of conscience. Should be working for the DEP or against them?

LIVING PROOF only partially works for me as a dystopian thriller. It's very plot driven and has a few nice twists, but it's very, very heavy-handed in its pro-science/anti-religion agenda. 

Arianna has MS and is in a race against the clock to find the cure that will save her life. She comes out and says: “[The DEP] is evil to prefer me to die, and the millions of people like me.” (P 177 ARC version). Because the DEP has the power to prosecute based on legislated morality (life begins at conception, therefore stem cell research is murder according to the DEP), they are Arianna's enemy. Fine. I get that she would feel that way. 

But she rails against all religion, saying, “I believe that following your own happiness is what life is about. What makes religion so bad is that it condemns you for caring about exactly that.” (p 155 ARC)  When Trent (who starts out as a very religious character albeit with a few doubts), seems to question his own faith, Arianna tells him: “Your only sin was belief [in God] in the first place.”( P 155 ARC). The other religious characters are portrayed either as God gangsters or as simple-minded fools. How about a little nuance? 

In my opinion, it also suffers from its very narrow focus. How many people in society are personally affected by what's going on in fertility clinics? Yes, it's a moral issue, but it's hardly dystopian.  Much more interesting to me would have been to explore the other agency that has the power to fine pregnant women if they dare to take a sip of wine or smoke.  It is mentioned a couple of times, but stays very peripheral. 

LIVING PROOF is available now. Find out more about it at the author's website.

See index of all dystopian reviews at Presenting Lenore

FTC disclosure: ARC from Amazon Vine

Book Review, International Giveaway & Apoc Love Interview: Article 5 by Kristen Simmons

After war leaves most of the US in rubble, the Moral Statutes have replaced the Bill of Rights and what's left of the country is ruled by the "moral militia".  Ember remembers what life was like before, but she tries to keep her and her single mother from attracting too much attention.  Until the day the moral militia comes to arrest her mother for breaking Article 5 and to haul Ember away for rehabilitation.

Even though we don't find out much about the war, we do get a very clear picture of how extreme legislative morality might look. (And if you enjoy that sort of picture, be sure to check out Hillary Jordan's WHEN SHE WOKE too.)  Combine a zealously conservative leadership with an iron-fist mentality and an army of enforcers to back them up and you might just get a law that says only children born into wedlock are legitimate.  The moral militia weeds out moral criminals and makes a most chilling example out of them.

I enjoyed many of the world-building details here.  For example, Ember's rehab center is run by sadistic modestly dressed women whose favorite punishment is a painful knuckle rapping (shades of Catholic school nuns?).

But where the set-up is very thoughtful, Ember's nature was mostly reactive rather than reflective.  I get frustrated when the plot is propelled by a character acting rashly, which meant I yelled at Ember quite frequently during my reading.  She seemed too clueless about certain things regarding her mother and Chase (the love interest turned soldier that arrests her mother).  I will admit though that her rash actions brought about some genuinely harrowing scenes - so the novel redeemed itself with me.

Because Kristen is an Apocalypsie, we also get an Apocalypsies Love interview today!  Kristen tells us what she especially loves about her book.

What is your favorite scene in the book?

Well, I don't want to give too much away...but it involves a game of truth or dare...and possibly a kiss. I do love kissing scenes.

What is your favorite line?

I love the part where Ember finally allows herself to feel what she feels for Chase, while still recognizing that he's plagued by things she doesn't understand. She says, or rather thinks, "I couldn't speak, but if I could, I would have told him I'd missed him. That I accepted who he had become, with his guilt and his fears. That I would stay beside him as he healed." It's a powerful message for both of them.

What was your favorite setting to write?

I loved writing the Square in Knoxville. It's one of the busiest places Chase and Ember go in the book, and showcases just how bad people have it now. Starving people are everywhere, turning against each other, waiting for scraps of food that may or may not be there by the time they reach the front of the line at the soup kitchen. If our world turned to a dystopia, I could see places like this popping up across the country.

Who is a character you could see getting his or her own book?

Sean, Ember's guard at the Reformatory. He's just trying to survive, like everyone else, but hasn't managed to lose his moral compass like a lot of the other soldiers in the Federal Bureau of Reformation. Plus, some of the things he says and does sort of crack me up.

What has been your favorite part of your publishing journey?

The day my agent offered representation - that still goes down as my greatest day on this publication journey. Prior to meeting Joanna, I'd been on the agent search for a long time, and even after we connected, we didn't sign contracts until after several rounds of revisions. Finally reaching that goal was a huge milestone. I even have my agent contract framed on my wall!

Thanks Kristen!

__________________________

ARTICLE 5 is available now.  Find out more about it at the author's website.  You can also check out Kristen's preview interview from Dystopian August 2011.

Want to read copy?  I have two hardcovers up for grabs! This giveaway is open internationally. You can enter via this form until Feb 10, 2012 at 11:59 pm CST.  Good luck!

View index of all dystopian reviews on Presenting Lenore

FTC disclosure: I received a review copy from the publisher.

Author Interview: Kristen Simmons previews Article 5 + Giveaway

For my spotlight on upcoming dystopian/post apocalyptic fiction series, I interviewed over 20 authors with novels coming out in the genre in 2012/13. These are exclusive first looks at exciting new works. Enjoy!

Author Kristen Simmons is in the Dystopian August hot seat today. Her debut ARTICLE 5 is coming out with Tor Teen on February 14, 2012 – just in time for a post-apocalyptic Valentine’s Day!

Here’s the teaser summary:

New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC have been abandoned.

The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.

There are no more police — instead, there are soldiers. There are no more fines for bad behavior — instead, there are arrests, trials, and maybe worse. People who get arrested don’t usually come back.

17-year-old Ember Miller is old enough to remember that things weren’t always this way. Living with her rebellious single mother, it’s hard to forget that people weren’t always arrested for reading the wrong books or staying out after dark. That life in the United States used to be different.

In the three years since the war ended, Ember has perfected the art of keeping a low profile. She knows how to get the things she needs, like food stamps and hand-me-down clothes, and how to pass the random home inspections by the Federal Bureau of Reformation. Her life is as close to peaceful as circumstances allow. That is, until her mother is arrested for noncompliance with Article 5 of the Moral Statutes. And what’s worse, one of the arresting officers is none other than Chase Jennings…the only boy Ember has ever loved.

The cover:

And the interview:

Why do you think people are drawn to "dark" stories?
Because they mirror the world we live in. They make the "light" more identifiable. They highlight our struggles and put them into the context of a hero's journey. And who doesn't want to be a hero?

If ARTICLE 5 had a theme song, what would it be and why?
Ach! Love it! A5 has a whole playlist actually, but if I had to pick one song, I'd probably pick "Imaginary" by Evanescence.

What fictional character from another book would Ember chose as her best friend and why?
Ember would probably be BFF's with Viola from THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO. I think they'd connect over both being thrown into radically new and dangerous situations after suffering the loss of their families and homes. Plus they'd be able to push each other to do whatever they needed to do to survive.

What are your top 5 Dystopian lit recs and why?
I'm not sure all of these are dystopian...but I'm going to classify them that way anyway:

THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO (the Chaos Walking Trilogy)
LITTLE BROTHER
UNWIND
THE ROAD (it's adult, but it's so, so good)
SHIP BREAKER
THE HANDMAID's TALE
(ok, that's six. Sorry).

What's on the top of your to-do list before the world ends? (you know, in case it ends next year)
Publish this book. Also see a castle. Also dance on Broadway.

How does your novel stand out from others in the genre?
One of the things that makes A5 different from other dystopian thrillers is its place in time. Ember's world is not run by machines or Skynet, there are no hover crafts or futuristic weapons. Her world is much like our own, with similar technologies, communication methods, and social issues. However, within this similar reality exists a very different political structure - a moral regime, governed by a set of faith-based rules which have replaced the Bill of Rights. A5 looks at what might happen to life as we know it should the separation between church and state be dissolved and the punishments for noncompliance be taken too far. And Ember, like all of us, is forced to adapt to that environment while remembering what it was like before everything changed.

Thanks Kristen!

Visit Kristen’s website
Add ARTICLE 5 to your GoodReads wishlist
Kristen is also a part of Brave New Words, a group blog for YA sci-fi debuts in 2012

ALSO! Kristen has an advanced reader copy of ARTICLE 5 she’ll send to anyone in the world. To enter, fill out this form by September 3, 2011 at 11:59 pm CST. I am very envious of the winner!

Author Interview: JA Souders previews Renegade

For my spotlight on upcoming dystopian/post apocalyptic fiction series, I interviewed over 20 authors with novels coming out in the genre in 2012/13.  These are exclusive first looks at exciting new works.  Enjoy!

Today we have Author JA Souders. Her debut RENEGADE comes out with Tor on November 13, 2012 and it sounds just like the sort of twisty tale I love.  So let’s dive in shall we?

Here’s the summary:

Since the age of three, sixteen-year-old Evelyn Winters has trained to be an Enforcer, an assassin in the underwater utopia known as Elysium. Selected from hundreds of children for her ideal genes as Daughter of the People, all her life she’s thought that everything was perfect; her world. Her people. The Law.
 But when Gavin Hunter, a Surface Dweller, accidentally stumbles into their secluded little world, she’s forced to come to a startling realization: everything she knows is a lie. Her memories have been altered. Her mind and body aren’t under her own control. And the person she knows as Mother is a monster.
 Together with Gavin she plans her escape, only to learn that her own mind is a ticking time bomb... and Mother has one last secret that will destroy them all.

ETA the cover:

And the interview!

What do you think draws people to "dark" stories?

Wow, straight off to the hard questions.  LOL.  I think that this is one of those things that there isn’t just one answer; it’s probably a mixture of things.  Maybe it’s because it appeals to our more animalistic side.  Maybe it’s because we’re looking for something to relate to and our world is definitely not a happy fairytale with talking animals and happy ever afters (not that I don’t enjoy a good fairytale :P), or it could be that we’re looking for something that’s worse than we could possibly imagine that brings us to a mostly happy ending to make us feel better about our own situation and that there is something better to look forward to, no matter how bad a position we’re in.  More than likely it’s a mixture of those and more and I could spend hours getting into it all. 

If RENEGADE had a theme song, what would it be and why?

KEEP HOLDING ON by Avril Lavigne. It’s really perfect for the story because as the story progresses Evelyn learns that everything about her is a lie, and to her it feels like a kick in the head over and over.  Just when she thinks she’s got her feet under her again, someone else pulls the rug out from under her again.

What fictional character from another book would Evelyn Winters chose as her best friend and why?

Well, that depends on which Evelyn we’re talking about, but it would probably be Clary Fray from Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments books.  They’ve both had to deal with the fact that their entire world was turned upside down by meeting a boy from a different “world.”

What are your top 5 Dystopian lit recs and why?

HUNGER GAMES would definitely be my top one, then 1984, BRAVE NEW WORLD, ACROSS THE UNIVERSE, ENDER’S GAME. (In no particular order).

What's on the top of your to-do list before the world ends? (you know, in case it ends next year)

Ooh, another hard question!  I think I’d go sky-diving and stuff like that.  If I’m going to die anyway, I might as well die happy.  :D

How does your novel stand out from other dystopian/post apocalyptic fiction out there?

There's a lot that makes my novel different, but it would be spoiler-y to say.  However, the biggest thing that makes it different than everything else is something I can say.  It takes place in an underwater society.  And no it's not about mermaids. LOL. But that would be freakin' awesome, too!

Thank you JA!

Visit JA’s website

Follow JA on Twitter @jasouders

Add RENEGADE to your GoodReads wishlist
JA also posts at Brave New Words, a group blog for YA sci-fi debuts in 2012

Book Review: For the Win by Cory Doctorow

At some point in the (near?) future, MMORPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games) run some of the world’s biggest economies. There are millions who play for fun, and then there are the millions of “gold farmers” in poor countries who play for prestige items for their bosses to sell to the highest bidder. A diverse group of young people from all over the world get caught up in a movement that dares to challenge the status quo, trying to form a workers union across borders while staying at least one step ahead of the muscle (and police) hired by the big bosses and the gamerunners.


Sounds complicated doesn’t it? Aside from this being pitched to me as dystopia (which, honestly, doesn’t actually describe it very well) and being written by Cory Doctorow whose last book LITTLE BROTHER kept me up all night reading, I was skeptical. I have never been the least bit interested in gaming (unless you count a tetris addiction and a brief infatuation with The Legend of Zelda in the early 90s), and FOR THE WIN is long – around 500 pages.

But, while I was reading this, I LOVED every second of it. Doctorow concocts a sprawling narrative following a bunch of different characters (mostly gamers), and some of the time, the storytelling takes a back seat to pages of Doctorow telling you stuff about economic theory, finance, labor unions and confidence scams. While I can imagine this won’t interest everyone, I found it freakishly fascinating (but then, I’ve always had a thing for applied economics).

Doctorow also writes some very compelling scenes, like when Wei-Dong (real name Leonard) smuggles himself and a pimped out shipping container from LA to China or when Lu escapes a police raid into the arms of an underground broadcasting star who features him on her show. I even enjoyed the scenes “in world”, when the characters were on quests to farm gold, even though logically I should probably hate that sort of thing.

And he’s funny! He writes passages like this:

“The rest of the time, Connor’s job was to work on his Fingerspitzengefuhl. That was a useful word. It was a German word, of course. The Germans had words for everything, created by the simple expedient of bashing as many smaller words as you needed together until you got one monster mouth-murderer like Fingerspitzengefuhl that exactly and precisely conveyed something no other language could even get close to.” p 234

It was only after I put the book down, after the spell Doctorow had me under was broken, did I start to think back on some of the weaknesses – such as the uneven character development. Doctorow has a tendency to treat his characters like avatars and switch between them depending on who is most convenient to get his point across at that point in the story, without much consideration for their particular character arc. I kept asking myself questions like, what ever happened to x?

My rating? Certainly not for everyone, but I’ll give it 4 Zombie Chickens.

Find out more, and even download your own free copy (really, Doctorow WANTS you to), at the author’s website.

See index of all dystopian reviews on Presenting Lenore

Book Review: Red by Jordan Summers

I see so many reviews for paranormal romances around the blogosphere that I thought I’d try expanding my reading horizons and see what all the fuss is about. I chose RED (Dead World, Book 1) by Jordan Summers because I liked the tagline (What if Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf turned out to be the same person?) and because it is set in a dystopian future where the ozone is gone, the Earth is scorched, and most of the population lives in highly monitored republics.

Summers dedicates the book to her readers saying, “I wrote RED with the belief that there were other readers in the world like me who enjoy a grittier love story.” Guess that should have clued me in that I was about to have my eyeballs scalded by explicit werewolf sex – in the first chapter, no less.

But I persevered. And I found myself quite liking this story of Gina ‘Red’ Santiago, a field officer with an elite tactical team, who stumbles upon a gruesome crime in Nuria, a border town which is also a hangout for “Others” (super soldiers created during the last world war who turn into paranormal creatures when agitated). As she investigates the crime, she gets romantically involved with the town’s alpha male, Sherriff Morgan Kane. I personally would’ve liked less of the romance and more of the fascinating world-building, but this IS paranormal romance after all!

Strangely enough, Summers plots the story so that the answers to the big questions – who the killer is, Gina’s true nature, will Mike and Raphael’s reunite –are extremely and frustratingly obvious. But her characterizations are surprisingly deep for genre fiction, and I rooted for Gina throughout.

Book 2, SCARLETT, comes out next month. And I just might be a little bit excited to pick it up.

Find out more at www.jordansummers.com

Book Review: First Daughter by Eric Van Lustbader

When President-elect Edward Carson’s daughter Alli is kidnapped, Carson puts his old friend and ATF agent Jack McClure on the case – a case where political alliances are murky, the criminals operate off the grid, and specters from Jack’s past reappear.

If you like the TV series 24, then First Daughter should appeal to you. Jack McClure has quite a bit in common with Jack Bauer. Both are government agents, both neglect a wife and daughter and lose them – one to death and one to estrangement, and both follow their own logic to track down the bad guys. But since the format of this novel is less restrictive than 24 – the action takes place over a whole month instead of one day and there are flashbacks to Jack’s past – we get a deeper sense of what makes Jack McClure tick.

I did enjoy this novel for the most part. The first scene of the book takes place on inauguration day and has serious hooks. (I defy you to put the book down after reading it.) Then we rewind a month to follow the events that led up to this mind-blowing scenario.

The framework of the plot concerns two opposing sides. One is led by a delusional lame duck president who believes he has a direct mandate from God and will do anything to remain in power behind the scenes even after the new president has been sworn in. The other is a shadowy extremist faction of the missionary separatist movement who believes in total separation of church and state and use violence to further their aims. The idea is interesting, but the execution left me confused, wondering exactly what message Author Lustbader was going for. Also, the over abundance of soapy soapbox speeches from both sides tend to slow the pace, not something you strive for in a thriller.

Getting to know Jack’s past and learning how he transformed his dyslexia from a disability to his greatest strength were much more satisfying elements of the story. Also great: The villain was suitably evil, the twists and turns in the search for Alli abundant. And I never saw that end coming.

First Daughter is available in hardcover now.

Book Review: Zoe's Tale by John Scalzi

The hard core sci-fi cover might make you think otherwise, but Zoe’s Tale is chiefly an empowering yet sweet coming of age story about 17 year old Zoe, both player and pawn in a complex interstellar battle between the Colonial Union (the human alliance) and the Conclave (an alliance of roughly 400 alien species). If you’ve read The Last Colony, I guess you probably know how it all turns out since this is apparently a novel with a parallel timeline told from a different perspective. If you haven’t, no matter, as this exciting tale can stand on its own.

Zoe, her adopted parents, her two alien bodyguards and about 2000 settlers from 10 different human colonies are sent off by the Colonial Union to colonize a new planet called Roanoke (and anyone who knows American history will appreciate the irony of the name). As it turns out, the Colonial Union has plans that don’t have the best interests of the colonists at heart. But fortunately, Zoe is not the type of girl who goes down without fight, especially when the lives of her parents, her new best friend Gretchen (with whom she has a great sarcastic rapport) and her new boyfriend Enzo’s lives are at stake.

I like sci-fi, but I’ve never been big on books where alien races make up a big part of the narrative because of all the exposition you normally have to slog through. Author John Scalzi is wise to keep this to a minimum and the aliens he does introduce even manage to be entertaining (picture big spider like creatures at a hoedown and try not to laugh). Don’t let the star trek like premise turn you off, because Zoe, an ordinary teenage girl asked to be extraordinary, is worth getting to know. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Although this isn’t a YA novel, Publisher Tor is actively courting the teen market. And with a heroine as appealing and strong as Zoe, I think they just might succeed.

Zoe’s Tale comes out this Tuesday August 19th.