Harper Collins Review!!

-added after the original post- In a strange twist of irony, I realized that this was my 100th post. I was wondering what I was going to do for the post, and then it went by without me noticing.
I guess, though, this was way better than anything I could have thought up alone.
-end of edit-

So, I was set up for a mean review. I was waiting. I was waiting, and I was waiting, and I was waiting. I was waiting to be destroyed.
Ripped to shreds.
In fact, I had my Emo Corner all decked out, ready to collapse inside with a pint of ice cream and some really, really bad literature. That way, I could not only gain ten pounds, which is, of course, EVERY sixteen year old's dream, but I could assure myself that not every published author is fabulous. That would mean I, someday, would have a chance.
So, yeah. I was waiting, eying that corner and considering putting some purple pillows inside and decking it out with posters of Alex Pettyfer.

And so I got the email last week. I frantically went over to Inkpop and checked it out--only to see that they'd accidentally gotten the wrong story and posted THAT review instead.
And let's just say...that review was a tad harsh.
So I knew I was in for it.
And I waited. I waited a little longer. The Emo Corner was now fully decorated.
I got the email in sixth hour today. I was in the middle of a game of Scream (a card game that takes a lot of concentration.) I then proceeded to promptly lose the game and try and load the review.
It wouldn't load.
The girls I sat and played cards with were getting annoyed by my lack of playing-ness.
And I waited while it loaded, still mentally eying my emo corner...
And then I got this.
My Harper Collins Review (Yes. It does need to be capitalized) lies below.

It starts:
Oh, wait, let me tell you a story about this butterfly...
No? You don't want to hear about the butterfly? You just want the dang review?
Reaaallly?
Oh. Fine.
Here it is:

I must commend you for being able to take a subject with the potential to fall into a clichéd category, and putting your own spin on it. There were times when I thought I could predict what would occur next within the story; but I was completely wrong – and I liked that. The surprise proffered upon each chapter, each page even, was so refreshing; it made me hungry to learn more about not only the characters, but what would occur to each one of them. The fact that I felt empathetic towards the characters made me create a bond with them, and establish a friendship between myself and these fictional individuals. That is quite a talent on your part.

You do not waste words within your writing. For some, this can be detrimental, as flowery, overly-described narratives are oftentimes favored; however, in your case, the bluntness found within your dialogue, and within your writing in general, is enjoyable. You get straight to the point, making for a very fast-paced, thrill ride of a tale. Nevertheless, you do not rush through areas that need more thorough explanation – for instance, the romantic relationship that builds between Ash and Ky. To be frank, you know when deeper description is desired by the reader, and required to make the story flow more smoothly; and when it is not.

The characters themselves, I feel, is what truly drives the story. While the plot found in ALTERED is engaging, and definitely an intriguing factor, if it weren’t for the characters, I feel that it could, quite possibly, fall flat. Your strong point is the way in which you craft characters that are believable. At no point did I feel that dialogue between them was forced, or that they were fake in any way. They come off as real people that you may bump into on the street on any given day.

Ash is a fantastic MC. Her desire for normalcy, yet fate of anything but, makes the reader feel for her; and, in a way, shoulder some of the burden that plagues her existence. Which is, oddly enough, one of the reasons why the budding romance between her and Ky is such a welcome addition to ALTERED. The thought that Ash may be able to love someone and have that person love her back is truly such a beautiful concept, considering the abnormalities she has had to face alone throughout her seventeen years. And Ky…let’s just say that female readers are destined to develop a crush on him as his character builds from the first pages to the very last.

Though your characters are your strong point; they have the potential to become your weakness, as well. Ash, Ky, Markal…these are memorable characters who can easily stand alone. Not only are they well-developed; they each harbor unique personalities that are not easily forgotten. The problem is the secondary characters – or rather, the volume of secondary characters.

You introduce so many secondary characters within ALTERED that it can be slightly confusing. Many of these characters flit across the pages as nothing more than names – popping up and disappearing without any true development to their personalities or reason for being there. The problem with these individuals being introduced in the first place is that when they did resurface – if only briefly – I felt the need to backtrack to refresh my memory on who, exactly, they were. I feel that these characters either need further development; or should be removed from ALTERED entirely.

All in all, this is a clever addition to the science fiction genre with the potential to appeal even to those who typically turn their noses up at such subject matter for the sheer fact that you have loaded it with humor, in addition to fantastical elements. This is not your typical, everyday, run of the mill science fiction novel; it is chockfull of personality and heart. Great job!

....
So what do you all think?
The first read through, I gotta say, I was a tad disappointed. I thought I was being patronized, maybe. Surely they were going to be meaner. The problem they pointed at was the problem I recognized. I wanted it ripped to shreds.
And then I realized that these are editors.
They aren't going to be patronizing, because it isn't good business, and that is what publishing is.
And then my mom printed it off.
And I realized that it's over a page. Someone had over a PAGE of good things to say and two paragraphs of bad stuff.

So, I gotta say...
I'm actually pretty pleased.
^_^
Back to the editing board. It's actually not that huge of a job--I've actually been working on this for a while...
I gotta say--I'm excited.
More later.

Want

WANT.
I love these books. And guess what? Richelle Mead is coming to a city near me on Friday.
Guess where I'll be?
IN FREAKING SCHOOL. TAKING FINALS.
---deep and sizzling hatred for school---
(I have no idea what this is, but it was pretty.)
WANT.
WANT WANT WANT.
-sigh-
I'd give a better post, but I have an eleven page math review to finish.
--deep hatred is growing deeper--
Farewell.

Class of 2010

That book?
Yeah.
It made me cry. A lot.
The Sky is Everywhere, in essence, is about a girl who loses her sister.
As someone who generally is pretty fond of her sister, this book sent me into a nasty little spiral of depression.
However. It was very good.
It did get me thinking though.
Yes, I hear the groans. Don't worry, it's not that bad.
The book just got me thinking about my own sister. As of today, my own sister is graduated from high school.

In the book, the MC has to deal with the fact that she's now alone. Her older sister is gone. Now, my sister is still alive, obviously, and she's only going to college a few hours away.
But still.
Like in the book, 'the girls' or 'the kids' or even 'you guys' aren't the same anymore. Not in my family. My entire life, our names have been tacked together.
But now she's going to college.
"Will one of you do the dishes?"
"Does one of the kids one this?"
"Are the girls going together?"
That . . . isn't going to happen anymore.
When there's a bratty waitress, I'm going to have to deal with her. When I go to the movies, I'll be driving myself. If the dogs need to be let out, I'll do it. If I can't find my key, I'll be ringing the doorbell.
And that is scary.
Don't get me wrong. My sister drives me insane most of the time. She can't keep her hands to herself, my eyeliner mysteriously goes missing every time she steps into my bathroom, and she has a really annoying habit of canceling my favorite television shows. Often, I've considered calling the circus and asking if they'd take her away.
But I'm still going to miss her.
And it was still really weird to watch her walk onto a stage--a stage that people kept calling 'the next step in life' and 'the last place we'll all be together'--and then pick up a diploma.
She's never seemed that much older than me. We're only a couple years apart. If she's old enough for a diploma, then that means I'm almost there too.
My Peter Pan syndrome does not approve.
However, the fact that she spent the car ride home poking me and knotting my hair?
Yeah, that helped remedy the problem.
Anyway.
Congratulations, Class of 2010.

Inkpop--new story!

So, I wasn't going to post this. I felt as if it would be kind of pretentious. Then I realized that at least ten of my followers are from inkpop.
Anyway. I have a new story up.
It's a joint story, done with Maggie. It's called Sing to Me, and is about Sirens. If you want the synopsis, I can post that. :P
The link is here.

Stupid friend with stupid book taste

I have a long list of book favorites. They span pretty much every genre. There's the Jacky Faber books, by L.A. Meyer. There are the Immortal Instrument books, by Cassandra Clare, Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, The Percy Jackson books by Rick Riordan and the two Hunger Games stories by Suzanne Collins.
Notice, however, what there really isn't that much of.
That's right.
Realistic fiction. I read a lot of it. In fact, of the author blog's I religiously check, there are probably the most realistic fiction authors (Meg Cabot, Maureen Johnson, Melissa Walker, ect. ect.). However, there aren't too many on my favorites list. I just tend to like fantasy more.
But STUPID MAGGIE is out to change that, apparently.
And she might have done just that (I won't know until about three weeks from now. :P It takes me a while to decide.)
It all comes down to this book.

It. Was. Wonderful.
I wanted to swoon through the book. I wanted to BE the main character at some times, and at other times, was really, really grateful I wasn't. I want a summer house. I want a pair of cute brothers. I want, I want, I want.
(I want my own copy of this book. Ahem. Borders gift certificate, prepare to be used.)
I'm really not sure why I loved this book so much. Yes, it was well written. Yes, it was very cute. Normally, though, I'm so not fond of this kind of story.
*As a note, this is the sequel. However, while I liked the first, I LOVED the sequel.*
This story, however, I adored.
And I want to live in it.
Stupid, stupid Maggie. If only she didn't have good book taste. If only she weren't out to shatter my preconceived notions about books I never would have read. I should hit her with a book.*
But, you know, that might hinder the book trading...
Anyway.
More later.

*Kidding. I love her. She is awesome.
-nods-

Awesomeness!

Thank you Cipherqueen! Now, as the condition of receiving this award, I need to link to as many awesome people as I can think of, regardless of whether or not I think they'll repost or if they've gotten it before. This is just people who I think are awesome--because everyone needs to be reminded that every once in a while.
So.
Here we go.

I award this to Maggie, Maddie, Aspen, Bish Denham, Kendra, Holly Schindler (A BLUE SO DARK IS OFFICIALLY OUT AND GETTING AWESOME REVIEWS!! WOOT!), Myra McEntire, Hilary Wagner (Cipherqueen, I know you tagged her. But she has her cover and her ARC's and RICK RIORDAN REVIEW-HOW AWESOME IS THAT? So yes. I'm re-issuing her awesomeness) and GreenBeanTeenQueen.
Hmm.
I feel as if I'm missing people. Several people.
If I am, comment. I will put you in. Please don't take offense--I'm strapped for time.
Anyway. Someone else awesome, who does not have a blog--
Mi madre. :P It's my mom's birthday today, and she is very awesome. -nods- This is me telling her that. She also bought the aforementioned new Rick Riordan book, which, too, is awesome. Plus she gave me her taste and music and almost gave me her birthday. That deserves something, at least.

More later. Actually, book review later, because stupid Maggie gave me a stupid book of awesome and I want more and I need to rant about that.
So, bye for now. :P

Sweet Sixteen

16 has always seemed like some kind of mystical age to me. When I was younger, it was the age of magic. It's the time when you are supposed to be beautiful, mature, and quite possibly be dating some kind of mythical creature. It's the time when everything changes.

I'm not sure I believe that anymore, but regardless, tomorrow is my sixteenth birthday

.
I was going to post then, but I probably will be busy, so I'm doing it now.

...

Actually, I'm not sure what to say. Normally, I love birthdays. I count down to them for months. I wait and wait for them to arrive. This year, though, it's a tad different. Part of that, I think, is because 15 was a pretty good year by itself.

In the past year, I:

Finished Altered.

Sent out queries and got some responses, both good and bad--and have learned so much.

Started sophomore year and survived.

Got to talk to almost a dozen different authors online.

Got to talk to Holly Schindler in person.

Scored a Harper Collins review by getting Altered to the top five on Inkpop.
Have learned at the same time that getting an A- in English is not panic attack worthy--it just means I need to work a little harder.
Brought home several pretty trophies.
Started this blog.

And that's not even including the fun social stuff. :P All in all, even with school sometimes feeling like it's going to swallow me alive, this has been a pretty good year.

Plus, yesterday, I got this.

Isn't it pretty? Notice the butterfly seats. That would be courtesy of my sister and her friend. My dad is so thrilled that we so quickly girl-i-fied it.
Anyway, though, that's it for now, because it's my birthday and I want to go celebrate. Love!