The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephanie Meyer

BREE TANNER CAN BARELY REMEMBER LIFE
before she had uncannily powerful senses,
superhuman reflexes, and unstoppable physical
strength. Life before she had a relentless thirst
for blood...life before she became a vampire.

ALL BREE KNOWS IS THAT LIVING WITH HER
fellow newborns has few certainties and even
fewer rules: watch your back, don't draw
attention to yourself, and above all, make it
home by sunrise or die. What she doesn't know:
her time as an immortal is quickly running out.

THEN BREE FINDS AN UNEXPECTED FRIEND
in Diego, a newborn just as curious as Bree
about their new creator, whom they
know only as her. As they come to realize that
the newborns are pawns in a game larger than
anything they could have imagined, Bree and
Diego must choose sides and decide whom to
trust. But when everything you know about
vampires is based on a lie, how do you find
the truth?

IN ANOTHER IRRESISTIBLE COMBINATION
of danger, mystery, and romance, Stephenie
Meyer tells the devastating story of the newborn
army as they prepare to close in on Bella Swan
and the Cullens, following their encounter to
its unforgettable conclusion.

Ever since this book was released I would go to the store in attempts of buying it. Money was never the issue. I was more concerned with the effects of my opinions on it changing how I felt about the Twilight Saga. This past Christmas the choice was made for me. My aunt had bought the book for me as a present. That day I read the entire story.

I was happy to return to the Twilight story but focusing on a different character, a different story and even a different perspective. I really enjoyed Stephanies enlightening foreword on her reasoning to include Bree's story in the saga.

During the Eclipse novel and more notably for those who don't bother reading books, the movie, Bree was portrayed as barely even a character to remember. She was also displayed as a weak and timid newly turned vampire. I believe if anyone were to read this book you would quickly change your mind.

I thought it was interesting how the book is layed out with no chapters. This definitely made it more clear how Meyer's didn't want Bree's life thought of as pro-longed but brief, and short like the title states.

Diego, another vampire character, who I don't remember from the books or movies is an addition to the cast of top characters, in my opinion. I think that Fred has the potential for another spin-off story featuring the Volturi.

Overall this added story was written in a new way that the previous Twilight saga was. I also find it comforting to know that she included certain parts from the previous four books to preserve pertinent scenes but specifically planted in Bree's story from her perspective. It's amazing how perspective can play a significant role on how a story evolves or can even change.

We Were Here by Matt de la Pena

When it happened Miguel was sent to Juvi. The judge only gave him a year in a group home-said Miguel had to write in a journal so some counselor could try to figure out how he thinks. The judge had no idea that he'd actually done Miguel a favor. Ever since it happened Miguel's mom can't even look him in the eye. Any home besides his would be a better place to live.

But Miguel didn't bet on meeting Rondell or Mong or on any of what happened after they broke out. He only thought about Mexico and getting across the border to where he could start over. Forget his mom. Forget his brother. Forget himself.

Life usually doesn't work out how you think it will, though. And most of the time, running away is the quickest path right back to what you're running from.

From the streets of Stockton to the beaches of Venice, all the way down to the Mexican border, We Were Here follows a journey of self-doscpvery by a boy who is trying to forgive himself in an unforgiving world.

I had contacted Matt at some point in 2010 and he had so kindly sent me the final hardback copy of this book. The thing that most drew me to this book was the story of troubled youth in a children's home.

This was written so precisely like the age of the character, Miguel. It is amazing how deep into the characters Matt gets to give the reader a complete detail of the individuals. De La Pena's use of racial ethnicities is very profound from the beginning. Miguel's sense of being "alone" hits very close to home. Although a fictional character the scenarios that the kid faces do carry over into reality for a lot of juveniles in the foster care system, such as myself in my younger years. I know from experience.

I definitely felt a compulsion to Mong & Miguel's characters, forming a compassion for both. Rondell is such a sad and depressing character, but there's almost no "life" to him. I did enjoy the fact that the author incorporated real novels into his own fictional one with Miguel finding a passion in novels to escape his reality. As the story progressed my favorite characters revolved from Miguel to Mong to Rondell and back to Miguel.

I think this is a coming-of-age story where group home kids can escape and through their own versions of rites-of-passage become maturing adults.

Favorite quotes:
"You ever wonder why some people get so much darker than others? It's about people's genes, I know. And how all the continents were once connected or whatever. But how did it start? Who was the first person to come out looking all different from everybody else? Sometimes I trip on shit like that."

"By the way, I decided what I like about reading books. When I'm following a character does in a book I don't have to think about my own life."

Past Midnight by Mara Purnhagen

I don't believe in ghosts.
Unfortunately they believe in me.

Let me set the record straight. my name is Charlotte Silver and I'm not one of those paranormal-obsessed freaks you see on TV...no, those would be my parents, who have their own ghost-hunting reality show. And while I'm usually roped into the behind-the-scenes work, it turns out that I haven't gone unnoticed. Something happened on my parent' research trip in Charleston-and now I'm being stalked by some truly frightening other beings. Trying to fit into a new schooland keeping my parents' creepy occupation a secret from my friends and potential boyfriends-is hard enough without having angry spirits whispering in my ear. All I ever wanted was to be normal, but with the ghosts of my past and present colliding, now I just want to make it out of high school alive...

This is an ARC that I had requested from the author. She willingly sent me the novel included with an autograph and a bookmark of the book itself. As I began the story it was quickly acknowleged how fast, comfortable and easy to tead it would be. The beginning actually starts with a deja vu of sorts that you have already been in the story before you begun to read. It also had a feel of "Ghost Hunter's" and "The Ghost Whisperer," even if it was a more adolescent view.

With the exception of my work and school, I sincerely didn't want to put this book down!This is definitely one of my top new favorite series of the year. Chapter 1-15 were gradually paced. Then along comes Chapter 16 and you feel like a catapultation of suspense. Then it guickly slowed down again.

Clearly the novel is fiction. However even ficticiously the drama involved with Avery, Adam & Jared, was very surreal. The loss of someone in your life causes many effects, very rarely do we ever get them reconciled.

The Pickens' resolution I thought was phenomenal. Differentialy tho, I thought the resolution between Avery, Adam & Jared was very minimalistic. Personally I felt it should have been prolonged. Or even resolved in book two which could lead into the exciting new adventure in this series?!

I had a couple favorite quotes in this novel. Here they are:

"...the trick is not to prove something is real, but to prove that it is not real."

"The truth is that the paranormal is normal. It's just a normal we don't understand yet."

"I was a little overwhelmed at the thought that I was surrounded by people willing to walk into the unknown with me."

Thanks again to Mara for the novel, authograph, bookmark and our interview. I sincerely apologize for the delay in the post. I look forward to more adventures with you and the characters in the new series.
xoxo