Book Review: Salt & Storm by Kendall Kulper

Salt & Storm
Kendall Kulper

Salt & Storm
Kendall Kulper
Published: September 23, 2014
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Age Demographic: YA Historical Fantasy
Pages: 416

A sweeping historical romance about a witch who foresees her own murder--and the one boy who can help change her future.

Sixteen-year-old Avery Roe wants only to take her rightful place as the witch of Prince Island, making the charms that keep the island's whalers safe at sea, but her mother has forced her into a magic-free world of proper manners and respectability. When Avery dreams she's to be murdered, she knows time is running out to unlock her magic and save herself.

Avery finds an unexpected ally in a tattooed harpoon boy named Tane--a sailor with magic of his own, who moves Avery in ways she never expected. Becoming a witch might stop her murder and save her island from ruin, but Avery discovers her magic requires a sacrifice she never prepared for.

To PreOrder Salt & Storm by Kendall Kulper 

please visist: Amazon & B&N

(I received an eGalley of Salt & Storm from the publisher's via Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review which I have provided here on the blog and on Goodreads.)

Beautifully written and hauntingly bittersweet, Salt & Storm , will captivate you with its imaginative world and memorable characters. For a debut young adult historical paranormal world, based on loose facts surrounding whaling in the late 1860's, Kendall Kulper knocked it out of the park. There was never a moment when I was bored or uninterested in what was going on in Avery's world. The pain and heartache that went along with her sacrifice at wanting to become the witch, tore at my heart and made me ache with the desperate longing that she felt. You cannot imagine a life so filled with pain, loss, terror, and heartache, such as the one created here. 

I fell in love with the history and life that Kulper breathed into the world of whaling, the lifestyle the townspeople lead, and the history of the Roe Witches on Prince Island. It was deeply rich and incredibly intriguing, watching the the events take place through Avery's eyes, and aching while she longed to get back to her grandmother and that little cottage that her mother took her away from. I was completely fascinated by the fishermen and their superstitions and the lengths they would go to in order to obtain some charm or form of magic that would keep them safe and ensure that they brought back a bountiful amount of goods. In a genre so full of readily available paranormal stories of witches that heavily focuses on the magical aspects, this story was unique in the way that Avery would have to experience insurmountable pain in order to become the witch she was destined to be. It gave this dark chilling fantasy an interesting and original edge, that it needed to keep me buried in the pages. 

Avery is a little different, in the fact that she's a plucky, quick-witted, and determined young woman. She knows that she was born to be the next witch to care for Prince Island and all of the people who live there. She also knew that her mother had put a curse on her, when she had taken away from her grandmother, that was so strong that it wouldn't allow her to return and it would keep anyone from being able to help her. Filled with rage and hatred for her mother, she will stop at nothing in order to ensure that she becomes the next witch and to break her mother's curse, so she can get back to her grandmother. Able to read dreams and tell people their future, she soon meets a beautiful dark skinned man with tattoo's she later discovers hold magical powers of their own. 

Tane is filled with rage, pain, and revenge brewing deep inside of him. Half-dead and on a mission to seek out and kill every man possible that slaughtered his family and destroyed his own island, he is told by this shaman that he will meet a witch and she will be able to help him. That witch is Avery and when he first approaches her to read his dreams and tell his future, he tests her, which does little more than annoy her. Later on down the line, when she is desperate enough and he has convinced her that he will be able to help her break her mother's curse, the two make a bargain with one another. She'll read his dreams and tell his future and he will set about helping her to break the curse. These two were wonderful to read about, with their witty banter, the frustration, the attraction, and the love that poured forth from them were amazing. One of the things that I personally loved, was getting to see Avery through Tane's eyes, and seeing her become the strong woman that he kept telling her she was.

Where Kulper really impressed, was the relationship between Avery and her mother, and the reason her mother had taken her away from her grandmother and that little cottage Avery longed to get back to. It wasn't until closer to the end of the novel that I decided that I didn't hate Avery's mother as much as her mother hated herself. I could see why she had done the things that she did out of love and protection for her daughter, even though it was hard for Avery to see that for herself. Those last few moments Avery spent with her mother, were some of my favorite moments in the book itself. It was just beautifully written and filled with so much bittersweet pain and sorry. The sacrifice that her mother ended up making for her at the end, definitely caused me to tear up a bit. Sweet pain and misery is how you become the witch, there is no choice at the end of the day, your future is set and whatever is going to happen will eventually happen. It was wonderful to see that the Kulper brought this point home in such a poignantly and embittered way. 

Salt & Storm is a wonderfully intense novel, that is just as gorgeous and wonderfilled, as the poetic lyrical way the Prince Island and the sea were illustrated. If you enjoy novels where the author doesn't shy away from putting their characters through sheer hell, then this is the book that you should be reading. I would strongly recommend it, if you enjoy historical paranormal fantasies, that are dark, illusive, dangerous, and full of twists and turns. It was truly one of my favorite reads this year and it is definitely on my auto-buy list, once it's released.

Kendall Kulper

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Kendall Kulper is the author of SALT & STORM, a Young Adult historical fantasy to be published by Little, Brown in September 2014. She grew up in the wilds of New Jersey and currently lives in Boston with her economist husband, Dave, and Abby, her chronically-anxious Australian Shepherd.

Don't forget to check out her Tumblr, as well!!!

Wishful Wednesday featuring Salt & Storm by Kendall Kulper

Wishful Wednesday was inspired by Waiting on Wednesday and Desperately Wanting Wednesday by Breaking the Spine and Parajunkee.

Wishful Wednesday is my own little version of "Waiting On Wednesday". Every week, I'll pick an upcoming book that I'm anticipating the release for and showcase it here on the blog. This week, that book is going to be Salt & Storm by the talented Kendall Kulper. This is her debut novel and already I'm drawn in by the intensely intriguing synopsis. I mean, this looks like it's going to be absolutely fabulous. I'm lucky enough to have an eGalley of this for review that I have already read and reviewed on Goodreads and already I was asolutely sucked into the world that Kendall Kulper has created. 

Guys, dark fantasy, magic, elements, romance...and dangerous twists and turns at every available opportunity. How could you want to miss out on a book this amazing! This one is definitely on my auto-buy list. I'm discovering that I love fantasy and dark fantasy more and more than I usually do. 

Salt & Storm by Kendall Kulper

Expected Publication: September 23, 2014

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Age Demographic: YA Fantasy
Pages: 416

Sixteen-year-old Avery Roe wants only to take her rightful place as the witch of Prince Island, making the charms that keep the island’s whale men safe and prosperous at sea. But before she could learn how to control her power, her mother, the first Roe woman in centuries to turn her back on magic, stole Avery away from her grandmother. Avery must escape from her mother before her grandmother dies, taking with her the secrets of the Roes’ power.

When Avery awakens from a dream foretelling her own murder, she realizes time is running short—for her and for the people of her island, who, without the Roes, will lose their ships and the only life they know.

With the help of Tane, a tattooed harpoon boy from the Pacific Islands, Avery plots her escape from her mother and unravels the mysteries of her mother’s and grandmother’s pasts. Becoming a witch may prevent her murder and save her island from ruin, but Avery discovers it will also require a sacrifice she never expected—one she might not be able to make.

To PreOrder a copy of Salt & Storm by Kendall Kulper visit Amazon & Barnes&Noble!

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Kendall Kulper is the author of SALT & STORM, a Young Adult historical fantasy to be published by Little, Brown in September 2014. She grew up in the wilds of New Jersey and currently lives in Boston with her economist husband, Dave, and Abby, her chronically-anxious Australian Shepherd. 

Also, don't forget to check her out on Tumblr.

Book Review: Lies My Girlfriend Told Me by Julie Anne Peters

Lies My Girlfriend Told Me
Julie Anne Peters

Lies My Girlfriend Told Me
Julie Anne Peters
Published: June 10, 2014
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Age Demographic: YA LGBTQ 
Pages: 256

When Alix's charismatic girlfriend, Swanee, dies from sudden cardiac arrest, Alix is overcome with despair. As she searches Swanee's room for mementos of their relationship, she finds Swanee's cell phone, pinging with dozens of texts sent from a mysterious contact, L.T. The most recent text reads: "Please tell me what I did. Please, Swan. Te amo. I love you."

Shocked and betrayed, Alix learns that Swanee has been leading a double life--secretly dating a girl named Liana the entire time she's been with Alix. Alix texts Liana from Swanee's phone, pretending to be Swanee in order to gather information before finally meeting face-to-face to break the news.

Brought together by Swanee's lies, Alix and Liana become closer than they'd thought possible. But Alix is still hiding the truth from Liana. Alix knows what it feels like to be lied to--but will coming clean to Liana mean losing her, too?

To Purchase Lies My Girlfriend Told Me by 

Julie Anne Peters please visit: Amazon & B&N

(Note: I received an eGalley of this book for review from the publishers via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, which I have provided here and on Goodreads.)

Lies My Girlfriend Told Me , is a beautifully written LGBTQ young adult novel, that I could not put down until I finished the last page. Julie Ann Peters wrote some wonderfully developed and realistic characters that just kind of had this way of staying with me, even after I'd finished the book and put it down. It's always a breath of fresh air, when I find that an author has taken care to write their young adult characters in such a realistic way, that they actually think, talk, and act like the teenagers they're meant to be within the setting of the story. I had no problem immersing myself into this story and feeling for both Alix and Liana. I was intrigued with Liana's character from the moment that she was introduced in the book and somehow ended up feeling a little protective of her, because she was this sweet, charismatic, and charming young woman. 

This is just a gorgeously written story of love, betrayal, lies, relationships, and just being a teenage girl dealing with other issues and school at the same time. It isn't a book that was written just to fit some quote unquote agenda, it is just the way it reads - a book about a girl who's girlfriend dies and she has to deal with that and the lies that she uncovers and the love that hides beneath it. It's simply beautiful and breathtaking, I just don't know how else to describe it, other than to say that. One of the best things that Peters does with this story, is illustrate the ending of an unhealthy relationship and highlights the beginning of another more beautiful and mature healthy one. This is something that needs to be written into more young adult contemporary romance novels, because all too often there are way too many unhealthy ones and readers are just expected to accept them as the norm. 

I have to say that I was quite pleasantly charmed with how beautiful and sweet Liana was and her reaction to Swanee's death and the way she had to find out about it, absolutely broke my heart. She'd been lied to, led on to believe in someone that had become so unreal to her and virtually didn't exist in one sense, and forced to deal with a death that she nor anyone else ever really saw coming. I will admit that I was slightly disappointed in Alix for pretending to be Swanee, while she was texting Liana, because she sort of played a roll in the "duping" as well. All alarm bells rang out that this wrong on so many levels, but on the other hand I appreciated the knee-jerk reaction as well because it was something that rang true to being a young teenage girl who had just found out that her girlfriend who had recently passed away, was seeing another girl without being clued in. It doesn't excuse it, but it sort of explains her actions in a way. 

The relationship build up between both Alix and Liana, as they go to know each other over the time they spent together, was a little too fast for my liking. Although, under the circumstances given Swanee's death, and the fact that they were each grieving separately and together in a sense, I can sort of let that go a bit. I would have loved to have gotten to see a little bit more of their friendship blossoming, before they went straight into their relationship. However, the fact that they were healing together in their own ways and each helping to heal the other, making their romantic relationship a more healthy and stable one than their previous ones with Swanee, did make my heart smile a little. It was sweet and endearing in a lot of ways that made total and complete sense. I just loved these two together and appreciated how amazing they were.

The lie that Alix was keeping from Liana, bothered me throughout the novel, when I felt like she had a few different moments where she have come clean and just been honest with her in the beginning. The fact that she was falling for her, feeling bad about having developing feels for her, and dealing with other issues wasn't enough for me to be okay with this aspect. I get that she didn't want to hurt Liana, but keeping something like this from her when she pretended to be Swanee, was even more hurtful than actually doing it because she essentially broke what little trust had been built up between them once she finally did tell her. Again, this where I felt a little more protective of Liana than Alix, because this is the same way that Swanee had hurt and deceived her with lies. So, I could see why she was so angry and hurt by what Alix had done, but I do have to give Alix some credit for finally telling her and for understanding why Liana didn't want anything to do with her at that moment. 

When Alix finally started bonding with her little brother and becoming more responsible at home, that's when I really started to like her a great deal more. It was sweet watching her in those later chapters, how she was with her baby brother, and helping her parents out when they needed it. Getting to see her grow up and deal with her issues, instead of just lash out in typical anger and frustration, was amazing. I was especially proud of the fact that she was trying her best to be a good friend to Joss and help her to get the help that she needed in dealing with Swanee's death. When it finally came out that Joss was with Swanee when she died, I was truly heartbroken for her to have to deal with that. The guilt that she carried around eating at her, was incredibly sad and no one should have to deal with that, least of all a young teenage girl. So much of who Swanee was and the things that she had done, which readers were told through memories the characters had, was full of pain, lies, betrayal, and I wonder if there was any love there at all. Honestly, with the way that Swanee was raised and the few glimpses that we had been given of her mother, I'm not sure that she was ever taught to love at all or knew what it was. 

The characters and the story this book had to tell has definitely left an everlasting mark on my heart. And this is such a powerfully written and beautifully heartbreaking story full love, pain, loss, betrayal, and so much more. If you're looking for a contemporary romance that is going to make you feel all the feelings, then Lies My Girlfriend Told Me is the book that I would recommend to you. Just give it a chance and let these characters charm you, the way that they charmed me. 

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Julie Anne Peters was born in Jamestown, New York. When she was five, her family moved to the Denver suburbs in Colorado. Her parents divorced when she was in high school. She has three siblings: a brother, John, and two younger sisters, Jeanne and Susan.

Her books for young adults include Define "Normal" (2000), Keeping You a Secret (2003), Luna (2004), Far from Xanadu (2005), Between Mom and Jo (2006), grl2grl (2007), Rage: A Love Story (2009), By the Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead (2010), She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not... (2011) and I Hope You Dance (2012). Her young adult fiction frequently deals with LGBT issues.

Book Review: Iron Hearted Violet by Kelly Barnhill

Iron Hearted Violet by Kelly Barnhill

Expected Publication: October 9, 2012

Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers

Age Demographic: YA Fantasy

Pages: 432
ARC: Provided for review by ATW ARC Tours.

“The end of their world begins with a story.
This one.”

In most fairy tales, princesses are beautiful, dragons are terrifying, and stories are harmless. This isn't most fairy tales.

Princess Violet is plain, reckless, and quite possibly too clever for her own good. Particularly when it comes to telling stories. One day she and her best friend, Demetrius, stumble upon a hidden room and find a peculiar book. A forbidden book. It tells a story of an evil being -- called the Nybbas -- imprisoned in their world. The story cannot be true -- not really. But then the whispers start. Violet and Demetrius, along with an ancient, scarred dragon, may hold the key to the Nybbas's triumph . . . or its demise. It all depends on how they tell the story. After all, stories make their own rules.

Iron Hearted Violet is a story of a princess unlike any other. It is a story of the last dragon in existence, deathly afraid of its own reflection. Above all, it is a story about the power of stories, our belief in them, and how one enchanted tale changed the course of an entire kingdom.

To Purchase Iron Hearted Violet by Kelly Barnhill visit: Amazon & B&N

Fairy tales usually end with happily-ever-after's.

This one doesn't.

Beautifully deceptive and filled with dark intrigue, this is a story of power, wonder, and fear. Kelly Barnhill fills her pages with unique wisdom, charm, and most important: the power of belief. Iron Hearted Violet is a story that will stay with reader's as they traverse the pages and immerse themselves into a world unknow, a world unlike any other told in the rich span of fairy tales. It's deeply forbidden and dripping with a uinque enchanting originality.

Princess Violet is just a bit too clever for her own good and a little reckless, when it comes to telling stories. One day, she and Demetrius (her best friend), find their way into a hidden room where they soon discover a forbidden book. Deep within its tattered old bindings, together they find a world unknown to them - a world where a terrifying evil being is trapped - a world where the Nybbas have ensnared within their world. Once discovered, Violet and Demetrius decide that this dark beguiling world of wonder and terrifying evil simply cannot be real...Until they begin to hear the whispers calling to them from afar. Together, with the last known dragon to exist terrified of his own shadow, they hold the key to freeing the Nybba's or causing their demise. It all depends on the way they tell the story, because after all...stories are known to make their own rules.

The power of belief in this story is bound to change an entire kingdom and it rests in the hands of one young princess who is far too clever for her own good, a mischevious tag-along best friend, and an anceint terrified dragon - the last of its own kind. The Iron Viloet is an entraning story full of wonder, surprise, adventure, and suspense that will appeal to those of all ages. Who doesn't love fairy tales, especially one's that aren't like any other they've ever been told before? Kelly Barnhill's wonderous descriptive and imaginative details leap to life off of the pages and possesses the power to tug reader's into the mysterious and darkly enchanting world she's created. Unconventional and splendidly original at its best, The Iron Violet is a story that will wow any reader who dares to take the unlikely journey told.

The end is exactly where it begins and it's full of whimsical delight, uncanny humor sure to bring life to the story, and wonderful adventure. The story Kelly Barnhill tells takes on a life of its own and soon becomes richly captivating and completely enchanting. She gives it wonderful edge by depicting the villians as they should be in any story, truly terrifying and downright villianous. It's such a refreshing change of pace, to witness them being truly evil without appearing as sympathetic as some who have come before them in young adult literature. The fantasy aspect of Iron Hearted Violet is beautifully written and will appeal to anyone who enjoys evil beings ensnared in vastly different and unique world between the pages of a book. Anyone who enjoys reading in general, will be able to appreciate this aspect.

Kelly Barnhill has elevated young adult and middle grade fantasy to a higher level and has definitely set the bar high. Fairy tales will not be the same again.

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I'm a writer, a mom, a wife, a dog owner, a reader, a thinker, a hiker, a friend, a runner, a teacher, a listener, terrible gardener, a lover of nature. Sometimes I'm all of these things at once.

I'm also a former bartender, former park ranger, former waitress, former church janitor, former kosher meat slicer, former wild-eyed activist, former wildland firefighter, former coffee jerk, former phone-book delivery girl and a former dull-eyed office slave. Sometimes I am still these things. Sometimes all at once.

Book Review: Altered by Jennifer Rush

Altered by Jennifer Rush

Published: January 1, 2013

Publisher: LBYR

Age Demographic: YA Dystopia

Pages: 336

When you can’t trust yourself, who can you believe?

Everything about Anna’s life is a secret. Her father works for the Branch at the helm of its latest project: monitoring and administering treatments to the four genetically altered boys in the lab below their farmhouse. There’s Nick, Cas, Trev . . . and Sam, who’s stolen Anna’s heart. When the Branch decides it’s time to take the boys, Sam stages an escape, killing the agents sent to retrieve them.

Anna is torn between following Sam or staying behind in the safety of her everyday life. But her father pushes her to flee, making Sam promise to keep her away from the Branch, at all costs. There’s just one problem. Sam and the boys don’t remember anything before living in the lab—not even their true identities.

Now on the run, Anna soon discovers that she and Sam are connected in more ways than either of them expected. And if they’re both going to survive, they must piece together the clues of their past before the Branch catches up to them and steals it all away.

To Purchase Altered:  Amazon

Altered is an astonishingly intriguing debut novel filled with incredibly mystery and a wonderfully engaging plot line sure to captivate any reader. The twists and turns are brilliantly clever and will whisk readers away on a whirlwind story, that barely slows down enough for one to catch their breath. Jennifer Rush pens an unexpected and entertaining young adult debut sure to capture the hearts of many. It's full of cutting edge originality and is a breath of fresh air, for a young adult genre filled with so many similarities.

Altered is such a phenomenally character and action driven young adult novel, that will definitely rank high on the list of must-read's for 2013. There is truly magnificent character development, engaging action, and fantastic plot that will draw readers in and keep them glued to their seat. The whole concept of the book, is well thought out and intriguing. Each of the guys come with their own unique character traits and appealing qualities about them that make them shine and stand out in their own separate ways. It's incredibly fast-paced and unpredictable in a lot of amazing ways.

Altered is addictively wonderful and superbly written. Hats off to Jennifer Rush for creating such an imaginative, mysterious, and terrifically written attention grabbing debut novel that readers will simply not want to put down until they've finished the last page. It is the perfect novel filled with many amazing qualities that any book should be full of. Romance, action, adventure, enjoyable characters, and intrigue fill the pages with so much wow factor that readers will be clamoring for the next installment. This is the perfect read for any sci-fi fantasy or hardcore dystopian fan. Incredibly unputdownable!!!

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Jennifer Rush lives in a little town on the shoreline of Lake Michigan with her husband and two children. She grew up wanting to be an Egyptologist, but realized she hated the desert and declared herself a writer instead. She won her first writing award in the fourth grade (a Mickey Mouse pencil was the prize) and has been crafting stories ever since. In her free time, she likes to read, Photoshop, and consume large amounts of caffeine.

Her debut YA, ALTERED, will release January 2, 2013 from Little, Brown.

Her debut middle-grade, BOT WARS, will release March 21, 2013 from Dial Books for Young Readers. It's written under the pen name J. V. Kade.