Review: Vala: Agendas by J.F. Jenkins

Vala: Agendas

Title: Vala: Agendas
Author: J.F. Jenkins
Publisher: Astraea Press
Genre(s): contemporary romance; young-adult; fantasy, paranormal
Source: e-book – provided by author for honest review

My Rating: **** – 4 Stars

Synopsis (goodreads):

Cheyenne Loveless was just a boring sixteen-year-old girl. Then Denver Collins bit her and everything changed. Her plants start talking to her, she finds out she’s a Nymph, and a witch and the angel of death show up at her doorstep to take her away to the prestigious Vala School and Seminary. Oh, and she has no choice in the matter.

All she wants to do is blend in and return to being invisible, but the more time that passes, the harder that becomes. Plus she’s a daughter of the Divine, an exclusive secret society which rules the world of myth, and discovers she is a key ingredient to an ancient covenant created before she was born. A covenant that will reshape the order of the world.

Adjusting to a new school is difficult enough, but adding on everyone else’s hidden agendas is the icing on the cake. Cheyenne must learn to see through the lies in order to find her place — and possibly even love — in this new world.

My Review:

Once again really good novel! The thing i like about the author is that she is willing to venture out of the comfort zone of the readers. I mean she doesn’t know if her book will sell or if readers will enjoy it, but she is ready to take that risk.

We, as readers, are so accustomed with vampires, werewolves, fallen angels etc  that when i came across this book it sounded different , yet i was apprehensive. I still gave it a shot and i was pleased. It really is a good book.

The characters are really real, apart from the supernatural element that they all possess, their attitudes and their behaviours, emotions everything is something that i could relate to.

I don’t want to reveal anything but the one thing that made me upset about the main character was that she was quick to hate her foster mother and quick to love the parents who had left her. She played the role of the victim in this sense but i really wanted to slap her at that point.

“Waiting On” Wednesday #15

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

This week’s pre-publication “can’t-wait-to-read” selection is:

This week, the theme is YA Paranormal Romance!

 

After Obsession

After ObsessionAimee and Alan have secrets. Both teens have unusual pasts and abilities they prefer to keep hidden. But when they meet each other, in a cold Maine town, they can’t stop their secrets from spilling out. Strange things have been happening lately, and they both feel that something-or someone- is haunting them. They’re wrong. Despite their unusual history and powers, it’s neither Aimee nor Alan who is truly haunted. It’s Alan’s cousin Courtney who, in a desperate plea to find her missing father, has invited a demon into her life-and into her body. Only together can Aimee and Alan exorcise the ghost. And they have to move quickly, before it devours not just Courtney but everything around her. 

Filled with heart-pounding romance, paranormal activity, and rich teen characters to love-and introducing an exciting new YA voice, Steven Wedel-this novel is exactly what Carrie Jones fans have been waiting for. Meet your next obsession.

Published September 13th 2011 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens

Destined

DestinedWhen Psyche receives a prophecy gone horribly wrong, she learns that even the most beautiful girl in Greece can have a hideous future. Her fate? Fall in love with the one creature even the gods fear. 

As she feels herself slipping closer into the arms of the prophecy, Psyche must choose between the terrifyingly tender touch she feels almost powerless to resist and the one constant she’s come to expect out of life: you cannot escape what is destined. 

Destined is a fresh and heartachingly romantic retelling of the Cupid & Psyche myth from debut novelist, Jessie Harrell.

Expected publication: November 17th 2011 by Mae Day Publishing

Elemental

ElementalFor ten years—ever since she was a small child—Ella has been held prisoner. Now that she has escaped, she needs answers. 

Who is she? Why was she taken? And who is the boy with the beautiful green eyes who haunts her memories? 

Is Ella the prophesied Destructor… or will she be the one who’s destroyed? 

Expected publication: May 1st 2012 by Spencer Hill Press (first published June 21st 2011)

Forbidden

ForbiddenSyrie joined forces with her talented son Ryan to co-write her next novel, Forbidden. The book is about a 16-year-old girl who comes into unusual powers, only to discover that she’s half-angel… and her entire existence is forbidden. 

Alec MacKenzie is fed up with his duties to watch and, when necessary, eliminate the descendants of his angelic forefathers. He chose Emerson Academy as the ideal hiding place where he could escape and be normal for once. He hadn’t factored Claire Brennan into his plans… 

Their love is forbidden, going against everything Alec has been taught to believe. But when the threat to Claire’s life becomes clear, how far will Alec go to protect her?

Expected publication: January 24th 2012 by HarperTeen

 

“Waiting On” Wednesday #8

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

This week’s pre-publication “can’t-wait-to-read” selection is:

Try not to Breathe by Jennifer R. Hubbard
Expected publication: 2012
A dark and provocative novel  from the author of The Secret Year.
Ryan spends most of his time alone at the local waterfall because it’s the only thing that makes him feel alive. He’s sixteen, post-suicidal, and trying to figure out what to do with himself after a stint in a mental hospital. Then Nicki barges into his world, brimming with life and energy, and asking questions about Ryan’s depression that no one else has ever been brave enough—or cared enough—to ask.
Ryan isn’t sure why he trusts Nicki with his darkest secrets, but that trust turns out to be the catalyst that he desperately needs to start living again.
Jennifer R. Hubbard has created a riveting story about a difficult but important subject.
Wander Dust by Michelle Warren
Releasing Fall 2011
Ever since her sixteenth birthday, strange things keep happening to Seraphina Parrish.
The Lady in Black… burns Sera’s memories.
Unexplainable Premonitions… catapult her to other cities.
The Grungy Gang… wants to kill her.
And a beautiful, mysterious boy… stalks her.
But when Sera moves to Chicago and her aunt reveals their family connection to a centuries old, secret society, she is immediately thrust into an unbelievable fantasy world, leading her on a quest to unravel the mysteries that plague her. In the end, their meanings crash into an epic struggle of loyalty and betrayal, and she’ll be forced to choose between the boy who has stolen her heart and the thing she desires most.
Wander Dust is the breathtaking fantasy that will catapult you through a story of time and love.
Fracture by Megan Miranda
Hardcover, 224 pages
Expected publication: January 3rd 2012
Eleven minutes passed before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied medical precedent to come back seemingly fine—despite the scans that showed significant brain damage. Everyone wants Delaney to be all right, but she knows she’s far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can’t control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death, or causing it?
Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who recently emerged from a coma with similar abilities. At first she’s reassured to find someone who understands the strangeness of her new existence, but Delaney soon discovers that Troy’s motives aren’t quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a freak of nature—or something much more frightening?
For fans of best-sellers like Before I Fall and If I Stay, this is a fascinating and heart-rending story about love and friendship and the fine line between life and death.
The List by Siobhan Vivian
Expected publication: April 2012

An intense look at the rules of high school attraction-and the price that’s paid for them.

It happens every year. A list is posted, and one girl from each grade is chosen as the prettiest, and another is chosen as the ugliest. Nobody knows who makes the list. It almost doesn’t matter. The damage is done the minute it goes up.

This is the story of eight girls, freshman to senior, “pretty” and “ugly.” And it’s also the story of how we see ourselves, and how other people see us, and the tangled connection of the two.

In My Mailbox #7

In My Mailbox was started by Kristi at The Story Siren.

Giveaway Wins:

Random Buzzers have an ARC giveaway every week. I won this last week:

Passion (Fallen, #3)

Thanks to Ashley from Book Obsession!

Something Like Fate

Bought:

Ex and the Single Girl

Ex and the Single Girl

by Lani Diane Rich

City of the Beasts

City of the Beasts (Eagle and Jaguar #1)

by Isabel Allende

Me and Mr Darcy

Me and Mr Darcy

by Alexandra Potter

A funny and slightly horrific thing happened when i was buying Me and Mr. Darcy. So, this book was in my hand and this woman comes up to me and says, “Is that the second part to Wuthering Heights?” And i’m just looking at her like she’s crazy! I say, “No! Darcy is not in Wuthering Heights and this is a seperate novel.” She just walked away all embarrassed. What the hell!? Have people gone totally ignorant to amazing novels?

Prom Crashers (Simon Romantic Comedies)

Prom Crashers (Simon Romantic Comedies)

by Erin Downing (Goodreads Author)

Open House

Open House

by Jill Mansell

Mary, Mary

Mary, Mary (Alex Cross #11)

by James Patterson (Goodreads Author)

 The Love of Her Life

The Love of Her Life

by Harriet Evans

 Bookends

Bookends

by Jane Green

So, whats in your mailbox? 

 

 

In which i talk about happy endings…in the literary world!

We all know that getting published is a huge thing, at least for those who aspire to be writers with a huge fan base. I know it is for me. Such was the case with a fellow fp (fictionpress) writer. Fictionpress.com is home to a huge number (can’t even say approximately because it won’t do justice to its huge number) of writers who want to get their writing out there, have other writers review them and maybe if they happen to see that their stories are a hit they can explore the boundaries of finding a publisher. In simple words (because i tend to go too much in detail) its an online writing community.

So, the author i am going to talk about today seemed to achieve her wildest dream. I first came across her story His Eyes on Fictionpress.com but it had been too late then because she had taken it down in hopes of getting it published. So, how exactly did i come across her story? For the appreciation of amazing writers there is an awards community called SkoW or Some Kind of Wonderful Awards . They are an original Romance Awards site, particularly geared towards FP writers. So, anyway that was where i found her story, she had won in the category of ‘Best Chemistry – Judge’s Pick’ in Round 4.

award

So, before i bore all of with so much detail let’s finally unveil this author.

Renee Carter

Renee Carter

This is what it says on her ‘about me’ page:

I have been creating stories since I was a child and I finished writing my first chapter book when I was 11. I am currently a junior English major and I have had a short story selected for publication in my college’s annual anthology, Barney Street. I aspire to be a novelist along the lines of my favorite childhood authors, Meg Cabot and Caroline B. Cooney.

My first novel, His Eyes, was originally posted on the website fictionpress.com, which is an online writing community of 500,000 people. His Eyes was popular in the romance genre, receiving 2400 positive reviews and being bookmarked by over 1100 readers. While finishing Masked, my second young adult novel, I am in the process of securing a literary agent.

His Eyes cover His Eyes

What’s the most unlikely way to find love? Babysitting. That is, unless you’re Amy Turner. Amy’s about to graduate from high school when she answers an ad to baby-sit for the summer. She has no idea what she’s getting herself into. Her new job is to “baby-sit” for Tristan Edmund a hot, rich boy who’s her age…and has recently gone blind. Tristan isn’t interested in having her help. Or so he thinks.

Since losing his father and being blinded in a horse show-jumping competition, Tristan spends his days in the dark, refusing to accept his disability. Much to his annoyance, Amy bursts into his life and drags him into the light. But just as the two begin to glimpse something in each other, Tristan’s beautiful ex-girlfriend shows up. Will the temptation be too much, or will Tristan choose the one girl who really sees him?

To read an excerpt of the book go here: http://www.renee-carter.com/hiseyes.html

Her FictionPress page: http://www.fictionpress.com/u/445072/pen-ink

Goodreadshttp://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3075526.Renee_Carter

Her website: http://www.renee-carter.com/index.htm

Now all that needs to happen is that i miraculously find this book in a bookstore here because i am desperate to read it. If you get the chance, don’t pass up the opportunity to read this book 🙂

My silent prayer: “hush, hush” Please let me somehow find this book. Will be forever grateful and will even post a review. 😛