Glitch by Heather Anastasiu

Glitch by Heather Anastasiu
Release Date: August 7, 2012
Publisher: St Martin’s Griffin
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 320

Summary: In the Community, there is no more pain or war. Implanted computer chips have wiped humanity clean of destructive emotions, and thoughts are replaced by a feed from the Link network.

When Zoe starts to malfunction (or "glitch"), she suddenly begins having her own thoughts, feelings, and identity. Any anomalies must be immediately reported and repaired, but Zoe has a secret so dark it will mean certain deactivation if she is caught: her glitches have given her uncontrollable telekinetic powers.

As Zoe struggles to control her abilities and stay hidden, she meets other glitchers including Max, who can disguise his appearance, and Adrien, who has visions of the future. Both boys introduce Zoe to feelings that are entirely new. Together, this growing band of glitchers must find a way to free themselves from the controlling hands of the Community before they’re caught and deactivated, or worse.

In this action-packed debut, Glitch begins an exciting new young adult trilogy.

My Thoughts: This was a weird book. Not a bad weird, just different weird. We are introduced to Zoe who lives in the Community.  Order is taken seriously and you must obey the order to the core.  Zoe starts glitching and she has to hide it. She doesn’t want to be de-activated. She also meets two other glitchers named Adrian and Max. Adrian and Max were unique in their own special way, and each boy wanted to be with Zoe and discover what they could be. They could experience anger, pleasure, and love and all the other things that make us human.

Zoe and the boys,  along with others want to break out and join the Resistance. The Resistance basically lives on the surface and they get to have their own thoughts and opinions and live life the way they want too.

As Zoe struggles for her feelings and tries to keep her glitches hidden, she has a lot of tough decisions to make.

Glitch was a neat book. I liked it a lot but it wasn’t the easiest book to get into. It took some time to really learn the lingo and to go with it. I can see how this book might turn some people off. It was difficult to really relate with at times.

I did enjoy the characters and learning more about each one. I liked seeing what each power was and how they could use it.

The plot was neat too. It won’t be everyone’s favorite book of the year but I’m sure it will please some readers.

Overall: Glitch was a weird debut, not in a super great way but not in a bad way either. It was unique to say the least.

Cover: Like it! It’s beautiful! The colors are outstanding. 

What I'd Give It:

One For The Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

One For The Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Release Date: May 10, 2012
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 256

Summary:  A moving debut novel about a foster child learning to open her heart to a family's love

Carley uses humor and street smarts to keep her emotional walls high and thick. But the day she becomes a foster child, and moves in with the Murphys, she's blindsided. This loving, bustling family shows Carley the stable family life she never thought existed, and she feels like an alien in their cookie-cutter-perfect household. Despite her resistance, the Murphys eventually show her what it feels like to belong--until her mother wants her back and Carley has to decide where and how to live. She's not really a Murphy, but the gifts they've given her have opened up a new future.

My Thoughts: Man, oh man I usually do not read books that have no romance whatsoever but One For The Murphys was a wonderful debut even without any!!!

We are introduced to 12 year old Carley. Carley lived with her mother and her mothers new husband. Her life hasn’t been perfect but it is what it is. One night, her mother’s husband attacks her and her mother. Her mother ends up in the hospital and she ends up in foster care. With a family with a mother, father and three boys. No girls at all!

Carley gets to the foster family and she must adapt quickly but she can’t. She does act up at first. She doesn’t know how to act in a “real” family. Her mother was never that affectionate and just seeing this family interact stuns Carley. Carley starts school and meets a new friend. This friend is basically the complete opposite of Carley (but really she isn’t all that much different).

As the weeks go on, Carley gets to really know and like the Murphys. She finally feels like she has a home. But then her mother wants her back.

Man, I enjoyed this one. It was such a fast and quick read but it was heartwrenching. The struggles she faced but she was so darn brave through it all.

This novel made me want to cry but I also wanted good things for Carley. I wanted her to be happy. I wanted her to be at home. I loved the relationship she developed with the family. I loved how she played heroes and helped with basketball. I loved it.

One For The Murphys is a wonderful debut and everyone should read it. I usually read YA romance but this one was out of my comfort zone and I still enjoyed it so very much.

Overall: Wonderful. Great. Sad. Heartbreaking. But so worth every single tear!

Cover: Love the cover. When I first saw the cover, I was intrigued. I just had to read this one.

What I'd Give It:

Survive by Alex Morel

Survive by Alex Morel
Release Date: August 2, 2012
Publisher: Razorbill
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 272

Summary:Hatchet meets Lost in this modern-day adventure tale of one girl's reawakening

Jane is on a plane on her way home to Montclair, New Jersey, from a mental hospital. She is about to kill herself. Just before she can swallow a lethal dose of pills, the plane hits turbulence and everything goes black. Jane wakes up amidst piles of wreckage and charred bodies on a snowy mountaintop. There is only one other survivor: a boy named Paul, who inspires Jane to want to fight for her life for the first time.

Jane and Paul scale icy slopes and huddle together for warmth at night, forging an intense emotional bond. But the wilderness is a vast and lethal force, and only one of them will survive.

My Thoughts: Honestly, I didn’t love Survive like I thought I would. It was an alright read and a fast one at that. We are introduced to Jane who wants to kill herself. Her father killed himself so she knows she has to follow in his footsteps. She’s wanted to do it for a while now and has even tried too but she hasn’t had a plan.

She now has a plan and she’s going to do it on the way home to see her mother for Christmas. She’s going to take pills and do it on a plane so when the plane lands, she’s dead.

Jane’s plan gets seriously messed up when the plane crashes as she’s ready to take the pills. Everyone on board is killed except her and her seatmate Paul. I liked Paul but I never fell in love with him like I should have. He seemed real, just not real enough to me.

I really did like the idea behind this book, I thought it could be interesting but depressing, but I just didn’t feel like Jane really knew herself very well. She went from having a plan and being determined to take her life, to wanting to live. It’s almost as it happened overnight. Maybe because she was trapped in the wilderness and she realized how precious life was, I don’t know.

The moments between her and Paul were bittersweet and I enjoyed them. I enjoyed seeing things from his perspective.

Overall: Survive was an ok read, but I just never connected to the characters or the plot very well.


Cover: I like how alert the girl seems. Also like how big her eye seems.

What I'd Give It: 

Dark Frost (Mythos Academy #3) by Jennifer Estep

Dark Frost (Mythos Academy #3) by Jennifer Estep
Release Date: May 29, 2012
Publisher: Kensington
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 336

Summary: I’ve seen so many freaky things since I started attending Mythos Academy last fall. I know I’m supposed to be a fearless warrior, but most of the time, I feel like I’m just waiting for the next Bad, Bad Thing to happen. Like someone trying to kill me—again.

Everyone at Mythos Academy knows me as Gwen Frost, the Gypsy girl who uses her psychometry magic to find lost objects—and who just may be dating Logan Quinn, the hottest guy in school. But I’m also the girl the Reapers of Chaos want dead in the worst way. The Reapers are the baddest of the bad, the people who murdered my mom. So why do they have it in for me?

It turns out my mom hid a powerful artifact called the Helheim Dagger before she died. Now, the Reapers will do anything to get it back. They think I know where the dagger is hidden, but this is one thing I can’t use my magic to find. All I do know is that the Reapers are coming for me—and I’m in for the fight of my life.

My Thoughts: OH WOW! Dark Frost sure does start out with a bang!

We are back with Gwen and her group of friends!  Carson, Daphne, Logan and Gwen are visiting a museum (along with plenty of other students from Mythos) when all hell breaks loose.  Reapers come in and a fight breaks out! A lot of people are killed.

Dark Frost focuses on Gwen and her psychometry magic and how she can use it. It focuses on Loki and how he’s going to find a way to make his way into their world again. And kill everyone he can get his hands on! It focuses on Logan and Gwen’s relationship and all the drama at Mythos Academy. And it focuses on the Reapers and how they plan to kill Gwen and everyone she knows.

Estep sure does know how to draw a person into the story. I was so into it, I fell asleep reading and got back up the next morning to finish this novel! It was so freaking good. Even though some parts are predictable, I still couldn’t stop reading!

Gwen and Logan together= HOT! I want more of him right now! I need the next in the series!

And that wolf! I want a pet wolf! I was so happy to see her back in Gwen’s life.

Dark Frost made me laugh out loud and have to try to explain to my boyfriend why I was laughing! But it also made me cry, and the boyfriend also asked me why I was crying over a novel! I couldn’t help it, but a few tears ran down my face. I’m sure you know the part I’m talking about! Poor poor girl.

Dark Frost was full of action and mystery and I felt like I left this novel knowing more about Mythos Academy, and what Gwen will have to face next.  The last page of the book I did feel a little down. I was like, thats it??? NOOOOOO!!!

Overall: Loved it! I just love this series so much! I adore it. If you're looking for a fun series with unforgettable characters, please start this one now!

Cover: Like it.  I don’t love these covers, but they are ok.

What I'd Give It:

Ditched by Robin Mellom

Ditched by Robin Mellom
Release Date: January 3, 2012
Publisher:Hyperion Book CH
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 288

Summary: THERE'S A GIRL.
Justina Griffith was never the girl who dreamed of going to prom. Designer dresses and strappy heels? Not her thing. That said, she never expected her best friend, Ian Clark, to ask her.

AND THERE'S A BOY.
Ian, who always passed her the baseball bat, handle first.

Ian, who knew exactly when she needed red licorice.

Ian, who promised her the most amazing night at prom.

THEN THERE'S A DITCH.
But when Justina is ditched, figuratively and literally, she must piece together--stain-by-stain on her thrift store dress--exactly how she ended up dateless...with only the help of some opinionated ladies at the 7-Eleven.

To get the whole store, Justina will have to face the boy who ditched her. Can losing out at her prom ultimately lead to finding true love.

My Thoughts: Oh, Justina how I loved your story!  I loved hearing your side in a gas station in your eyes.

We are introduced to Justina who has been ditched, at her own prom. It's early morning, she has no car, is  moneyless, purseless, and all alone. She ends up in a gas station telling two other women her story.  It all starts off with her feelings for Ian, her best friend, and the prom date from hell.

She had her prom so planned out. She picked out the perfect dress (perfect for her), the perfect shoes, even the perfect boy. It all starts out with Justina telling them about the way she went and picked out the dress with her mom and dyed the shoes to match. She was asked by Ian, and she was excited to go. Very excited to finally be able to reveal her feelings for him once and for all.

Justina is the kind of girl who has to limit herself. She limits herself on how much money she spends on clothes every week at the thrift store, she limits herself on what she eats, and how she eats it. She hasn’t always been this way, she had quite the reputation but she’s a changed girl. She’s very goal oriented.  And Ian, oh Ian, I can’t say much about him but he was swoonworthy!

We learn every detail of the night through Justina’s eyes from each and every stain on her dress, and every moment that counts. We even get to experience eating the gas station food with her and the pre-prom party. And we get to learn more about her tattoo! Neato!  I loved learning the stories behind those stains!

Ditched was a fantastic story. I loved it so much! I can see both sides to this story. I can see why Justina wanted everything to be perfect but I can see why Ian acted the way he did too.

I really enjoyed Ditched a lot. It was a short fast read and I could see myself reading another 200 pages of this and still being interested.  I’m not a flashback kind of girl but I really loved this one.

Overall: I can’t wait to see what Mellom writes us next! She sure does know how to tell an interesting story!  Not everyone will enjoy this one I’m sure because its contemporary, and the plot basically focuses on her time at prom. It won’t be a novel for everyone, but it was the perfect novel for me!

Cover: Love it! Her dress is awesome, I actually like it! And love how everything is so blue! And even love the background. Neat cover!

What I'd Give It: