I’ve just returned from the ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) conference in St. Louis. Some highlights: I got to room with two fabulous YA writers, Sara Ella and Diana Sharples. Diana is a motorcyclist, drummer, and the successful author of Running Lean. Sara Ella is a fellow Genesis Contest finalist with me. We’ve been penpaling … Continue reading
Maurissa Guibord YA Fantasy The best thing about this book may be the title. I hang out with weavers, so I get the pun. A warp is the yarn that goes on a loom first, the part that goes up and down. The weft is the yarn that goes back and forth. So bingo, Guibord’s … Continue reading
Todd Mitchell YA fiction/ spec fic First, I love the premise. The book takes place backwards. So like the movie Titanic, we already know the boat sinks. Only in this book the disaster at the end, which is really page one, is that a young man with everything going for him commits suicide. The question … Continue reading
Lise Haines YA Pop Fiction I was surprised by this book. I figured it would be some of kind of Hunger-Games-meets-pro-wrestling deal. And it is, but with far more depth and originality than I anticipated. One of the book’s strengths is the world-building. It is set in contemporary America, but in an imaginary subculture based … Continue reading
THE BOOKS OF BAYERN #4 Shannon Hale YA Fantasy Oh, author Shannon Hale, you got me again. I thought you’d fallen so in love with your own characters from the first 3 books of the series, that book 4 would just be an excuse to go hang out with them again. Regardless of a plot. … Continue reading
THE BOOKS OF BAYERN #3 Shannon Hale YA Fantasy Top 3 reasons to read this book: Razo Razo Razo The plot isn’t as tight as in the first two books of this series, nor is the use of theme as poignant. But I don’t care, because Razo is a fantastic protagonist. I love being in … Continue reading
THE BOOKS OF BAYERN #2 Shannon Hale YA Fantasy Enna was a memorable, capable, and loyal best friend from the first book of this series, The Goose Girl. That’s why she’s a natural lead in book 2. Just as Ani (aka Isi the Goose Girl) found the power to speak to wind, now Enna finds … Continue reading
The Books of Bayern #1 Shannon Hale YA Fantasy Only after I turned the last page of Shannon Hale’s book did I look up the original tale of The Goose Girl in Grimm’s Fairy Tales. Maybe my education in fairy tales is incomplete, because I don’t remember this one at all. But I was impressed … Continue reading
Amanda Ashby YA Fantasy There’s a bit of Harry Potter in here. Burtonwood isn’t a school for wizards, but slayers of elemental creatures, such as goblins and fire salamanders. And like The Giver, your future job is assigned to you. Emma, feisty honor student and daughter of a famous dragon slayer, would do anything to … Continue reading
Veronica Roth Teen Dystopia It is hard to define this book. It is 2/3 prequel to Veronica Roth’s popular teen dystopia. The last 1/3 overlaps the timeline in Divergent. It’s all told from the point of view of Tobias, aka Four. A skeptical person will ask, Is this book really necessary? Don’t we already … Continue reading
Sarah E. Morin 