Review - The Dead and Buried by Kim Harrington

The Dead and Buried by Kim Harrington
Published - January 1, 2013
Publisher - Scholastic Point
*Genre* YA, Ghosts, Mystery
*Rating* 3-3.5

At its basic core, “The Dead and Buried” is pretty much like any other ghost story that I've read in that it has plenty of twists to keep you guessing right until the very end. The author gives you enough hints along the way for you to figure out who was responsible before the grant revelation at the end. The overall fear factor and knowing who the villain is however, did not go far enough to create an environment of chills and spills for my tastes.

As with most, if not all YA novels these days, you have the appearance of a 3-way love triangle between the lead character (Jade Kelley) and two boys (Donovan & Kane) who are polar opposites but went out with the same dead girl (Kayla Sloan). The only redeeming factor about this book when it comes to 3 way triangles is that Jade herself is really not a fan of triangles and definitely chooses the right boy to be with. She’s also not a huge fan of cliques or popularity contests as she finds herself friends with the most unlikely of persons in Alexa Palmer aka Robot Girl.
 
I liked Jade's tenacity of being the new girl in a new school where everyone seems to be filthy rich or has superior SAT scores and cliques are a thing that is absolutely necessary for survival for most of the kids who go to school there. I liked the fact that she didn’t cower when she is forced into finding out who killed the nasty girl (Kayla Sloan) she never met after she threatens Jade’s 5 year old step brother Colby. Jade is also a strange character because she has an obsession with gems of all kinds.

The one thing that I find to be typical with lots of YA novels these days is that the parents somehow find a way to come across aloof and distant to the main character and not realizing or understanding what is happening right under their stuck up noses. In the end, it takes an in your face threat by the ghost girl in order to wake the parental units up from their slumber party and by then it is too late to actually do anything to help the kids out in their time of need.

Would I recommend this book? Sure I would. I would just advise that you should take this book with a grain of salt, and seriously contemplate that this is a ghost, romance story with a mystery twist and not about vampires, werewolves or any other paranormal creature. I would also suggest that you take notes on the different characters that are introduced throughout the book so that you don’t miss the obvious clues as to who the killer really is.

*Recvd from Netgalley 01/30/2013* Published January 1st 2013 by Scholastic Point

Stacking the Shelves 02/16/2013

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books we added to our shelves. It may be physical or virtual (ebook). This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

Thanks for visiting my blog and checking out the books I received over the past week!

I hope you find something to add to your ever growing TBR Pile!

Borrowed from Library

 

 

Received from 

NOTE: If anyone wants to trade for any of these 4 books, please let me know!

I also got a BUNCH of Swag including a T-Shirt, Bag, Pens, etc. Giveaway time!

 

 

Received via Edelweiss via Harper Collins

Katherine Tegen Books

HarperTeen

 

New Cover Loves 02/13/2013

Synopsis

The stakes have risen even higher in this third book in the Hourglass series.
The Hourglass is a secret organization focused on the study of manipulating time, and its members — many of them teenagers -­have uncanny abilities to make time work for them in mysterious ways. Inherent in these powers is a responsibility to take great care, because altering one small moment can have devastating consequences for the past, present, and future. But some time trav­elers are not exactly honorable, and sometimes unsavory deals must be struck to maintain order.
With the Infinityglass (central to understanding and harnessing the time gene) at large, the hunt is on to find it before someone else does.
But the Hourglass has an advantage. Lily, who has the ability to locate anything lost, has determined that the Infinityglass isn't an object. It's a person. And the Hourglass must find him or her first. But where do you start searching for the very key to time when every second could be the last?

Expected publication: July 9th 2013 by EgmontUSA

Synopsis

Mac can’t lose another friend. Even if he doesn’t want to be found.
The ripple effect caused by Mac’s best friend Amy’s murder has driven Mac’s new love, Kyle, to leave Hemlock and disappear from her life forever. But Mac knows that Kyle plans to enroll in a rehabilitation camp, where he can live with other werewolves. She refuses to accept his decision, especially since the camps are rumored to be tortuous. So she sets out in search of Kyle with a barely sober Jason—and Amy’s all-seeing ghost—in tow.
Clues lead Mac to find Kyle in a werewolf den in Colorado—but their reunion is cut short by a Tracker raid. Now Mac and Kyle are trapped inside the electric fences of Thornhill, a camp for young werewolves. As she devises an escape plan, Mac uncovers dangerous secrets buried within the walls of Thornhill—and realizes that the risk to the people she loves is greater than ever before.

Expected publication: September 10th 2013 by Katherine Tegen Books

No Synopsis as of 02/13/2013

Expected publication: September 17th 2013 by Scholastic Press

Synopsis

Baalboden has been ravaged. The brutal Commander's whereabouts are unknown. And Rachel, grief stricken over her father's death, needs Logan more than ever. With their ragged group of survivors struggling to forge a future, it's up to Logan to become the leader they need—with Rachel by his side. Under constant threat from rival Carrington's army, who is after the device that controls the Cursed One, the group decides to abandon the ruins of their home and take their chances in the Wasteland.


But soon their problems intensify tenfold: someone—possibly inside their ranks—is sabotaging the survivors, picking them off one by one. The chaos and uncertainty of each day puts unbearable strain on Rachel and Logan, and it isn't long before they feel their love splintering. Even worse, as it becomes clear that the Commander will stop at nothing to destroy them, the band of survivors begins to question whether the price of freedom may be too great—and whether, hunted by their enemies and the murderous traitor in their midst, they can make it out of the Wasteland alive.
In this daring sequel to Defiance, with the world they once loved forever destroyed, Rachel and Logan must decide between a life on the run and standing their ground to fight.

Expected publication: August 27th 2013 by Balzer + Bray

Waiting on Wednesday 02/13/2013

"Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at “Breaking the Spine”, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. 

This weeks selection is...Transparent by Natalie Whipple

Expected publication: May 21st 2013 by HarperTeen

I am on a total tear when it comes to books from HarperTeen. I absolutely love the new

catalog and releases starting January and ending in June. This is another book that I

am absolutely interested in learning more about. The synopsis sounds appealing and 

the cover is beautiful.

Synopsis

Plenty of teenagers feel invisible. Fiona McClean actually is.
An invisible girl is a priceless weapon. Fiona’s own father has been forcing her to do his dirty work for years—everything from spying on people to stealing cars to breaking into bank vaults.
After sixteen years, Fiona’s had enough. She and her mother flee to a small town, and for the first time in her life, Fiona feels like a normal life is within reach. But Fiona’s father isn’t giving up that easily.
Of course, he should know better than anyone: never underestimate an invisible girl.

What ARE you waiting on?

Stacking the Shelves 02/09/2013 Edition

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books we added to our shelves. It may be physical or virtual (ebook). This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

Thanks for visiting my blog and checking out the books I received over the past week!

I hope you find something to add to your ever growing TBR Pile!

Borrowed from Library

 

Received from Kensington Books

Received from NAL Penguin

Received from Penguin Group (ROC)

Received from Dutton Adult

Purchased, yes, I said PURCHASED, from Amazon.com.

 

Waiting for Wednesday 02/06/2013

"Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at “Breaking the Spine”, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. 

This weeks selection is...In The After by Demitria Lunetta

Expected publication: June 25th 2013 by Harper Teen

Why I'm Waiting on this book. First, it's been compared to Dan Well's Partials which

I enjoyed. Second, it's another YA Dystopian which I'm seriously addicted to.

Lastly, I am on my hands and knees praying that Harper Teens sends me a copy!

Synopsis

They hear the most silent of footsteps.
They are faster than anything you've ever seen.
And They won't stop chasing you...until you are dead.
Amy is watching TV when it happens, when the world is attacked by Them. These vile creatures are rapidly devouring mankind. Most of the population is overtaken, but Amy manages to escape—and even rescue “Baby,” a toddler left behind in the chaos. Marooned in Amy’s house, the girls do everything they can to survive—and avoid Them at all costs.
After years of hiding, they are miraculously rescued and taken to New Hope, a colony of survivors living in a former government research compound. While at first the colony seems like a dream with plenty of food, safety, and shelter, New Hope slowly reveals that it is far from ideal. And Amy soon realizes that unless things change, she’ll lose Baby—and much more.
Rebellious, courageous, and tender, this unforgettable duo will have you on the edge of your seat as you tear through the pulse-pounding narrow escapes and horrifying twists of fate in this thrilling debut from author Demitria Lunetta.

Release Day Review - House Rules by Chloe Neill

I received “House Rules” in advance of my participation in the House Rules Blog Tour (February 5, 2013). I have enjoyed this series from the very beginning, and yes, have had my moments of hesitation in continuing this series after Chloe Neill made a certain decision and then corrected the error of her ways. Nice way of saying that she jumped the shark and put the VW into reverse and made it right again.

I still enjoy reading about Merit and her struggles as well as the emotional baggage that she continues to carry as a fledgling vampire who was forcibly turned. She continues to shine as Sentinel of the House of Cadogan keeping the vampires of Cadogan safe from those who intentionally mean them harm.

Readers of the Chicagoland Vampire series understand that Neill loves to test the relationship and boundaries between Ethan Sullivan and Merit on a book by book basis and House Rules is no exception to that rule. The one thing that Neill does well is give Merit and Ethan remarkable make-up sex while throwing in different characters like Lacey Sheridan and Jonah in the middle of things to make Merit question not only her worth as a vampire, but as a woman as well.

House Rules, in essence, is a murder mystery novel with supernatural aspects and a not so subtle villain if you pay close attention. As with most readers, I am actually hoping that the events surrounding this book mean that the shenanigans with the GP and Darius West are nearly finished now that Cadogan has decided to decertify itself from the GP realm of responsibility and gone Rogue.

Neill now has to deal with the issue of McKetrick and Mayor Kowalcyzk and their continued hatred of the supernaturals that call Chicago home. McKetrick has become even more of a hassle and challenge for Merit after this book. I look forward to the final battle between the warriors and Merit rising up from the ashes in victory.

I’m happy to see that Merit finally found her nerve and actually made good on her promise to Jonah in regards to joining the Red Guard. I like Jonah and hope that he and Merit work together again soon and often. I also think it’s finally time to give Mallory a break. I think House Rules has shown that she knows the errors of her ways and it’s time to let her move on. This book is hopeful that Merit and Mallory will once again become good friends like before she went all evil for two books.

As always, I’m thankful to NAL Penguin for providing me with a copy of this book in lieu of an honest review in return. 

Author - Chloe Neill
Title - House Rules (Chicagoland Vampires # 7)
Publisher - NAL Trade
Release Date - February 5, 2013
Genre - Urban Fantasy, Vampires