2010 Reflection

This has been an intense (just like camping! Get it? Intense? In-tents? Just like-oh never mind.) year for me both with and without books. I graduated high school and went off to college, met a whole new group of friends, attended BookExpo America, went to my first author signing, finished NaNoWriMo...

It's been a great year.

Challenges
I failed epically at the TBR Challenge. Considering the giant pile of books I've had to read this year, you'd think that would have been easier to accomplish, but I kept procrastinating the books I've been procrastinating forever.

I DID complete both the Debut Author 2010 challenge and the Fantasy Reading Challenge. The fantasy one wasn't too difficult - I love fantasy! - and I switched a few titles around on the debut author one depending on what books I could actually obtain.

Next year I'm trying out the YA Historical Fiction challenge, the Debut Author 2011 challenge, and the Steampunk challenge!

Events
I went to my first author signing and to BookExpo America. To say that they were both amazing would be understatements.



Siobhan Vivian and I

Books Read
(List of books I've read this year below.)
My goal this year was to read 52 books - one a week, which I thought was manageable with my constantly adjusting schedule. I did a lot more than that.

Jan - Books 1-5 (10%)
Feb - Books 5-13 (25%)
March - Books 14-21 (40%)
April - Books 22-26 (50%)
May - Books 27-34 (65%)
June - Books 35-44 (85%)
July - Books 45-59 (113%)
Aug - Books 60-69 (132%)
Sept - Books 70-79 (151%)
Oct - Books 80-88 (171%)
Nov - Books 89-90 (173%)
Dec - Books 91-91. (174%)

Nearly double what I set out to read. The last few months I didn't get to read a lot - college! Finals! AHHHH! - but hopefully I'll be able to balance out school and reading a bit more this upcoming year.



It's gonna be a happy new year...



Book List
1. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
2. Graceling by Kristin Cashore
3. Tricks by Ellen Hopkins
4. Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
5. Soulless by Gail Carriger
6. The Field Guide by Tony DiTerlizzi & Holly Black
7. Quatrain by Sharon Shinn
8. Beastly by Alex Flinn
9. Wherever Nina Lies by Lynn Weingarten
10. Prada and Prejudice by Mandy Hubbard
11. The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan
12. Fade by Lisa McMann
13. Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
14. The Pirate Queen by Alan Gold
15. Alice In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
16. Skin Hunger by Kathleen Duey
17. The Pale Assassin by Patricia Elliot
18. Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind
19. Evermore by Alyson Noel
20. Bewitching Season by Marissa Doyle
21. Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder
22. Changeless by Gail Carriger
23. The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor
24. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
25. Cross My Heart And Hope To Spy by Ally Carter
26. Princess Ben by Catherine Murdock
27. The Stolen One by Suzanne Crowley
28. White Cat by Holly Black
29. The Musician's Daughter by Susanne Dunlap
30. The Alchemyst by Michael Scott
31. Perchance To Dream by Lisa Mantchev
32. Gone by Lisa McMann
33. Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston
34. Faketastic by Alexa Young
35. The Season by Sarah Maclean
36. Poisoned Honey by Beatrice Gormley
37. The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong
38. Siren by Tricia Rayburn
39. Secondhand Charm by Julie Berry
40. Bad Apple by Laura Ruby
41. Sea Change by Aimee Friedman
42. Secret Society by Tom Dolby
43. Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
44. Girl Parts by John M. Cusick
45. The Smoke Thief by Shana Abe
46. The Dream Thief by Shana Abe
47. Epitaph Road by David Patneaude
48. The Twin's Daughter by Lauren Baratz-Logsted
49. Firelight by Sophie Jordan
50. The Queen's Daughter by Susan Coventry
51. Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce
52. Ballads of Suburbia by Stephanie Kuehnert
53. Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore
54. Don't Judge A Girl By Her Cover by Ally Carter
55. Nightshade City by Hilary Wagner
56. The Cinderella Society by Kay Cassidy
57. Need by Carrie Jones
58. The Space Between Trees by Katie Williams
59. Rae by Chelsea Rae Swiggett
60. Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
61. Artemis Fowl: The Atlantis Complex by Eoin Colfer
62. Alexis by Alexis Papalia
63. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
64. Other by Karen Kincy
65. Hannah by Hannah Westberg
66. Crusade by Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie
67. Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
68. Jane by April Lindner
69. Antigone by Sophocles
70. Prisoners in the Palace by Michaela MacColl
71. Blameless by Gail Carriger
72. The Wake of the Lorelei Lee by L.A. Meyer
73. Low Red Moon by Ivy Devlin
74. The Awakening by Kate Chopin
75. Cate of the Lost Colony by Lisa Klein
76. A Doll's House by Henry Ibsen
77. Ascendant by Diana Peterfreund
78. Nine Rules To Break When Romancing A Rake by Sarah Maclean
79. Much Ado About Nothing by Shakespeare
80. Extraordinary by Nancy Werlin
81. Branded by Keary Taylor
82. Threads and Flames by Esther Friesner
83. Enchanted Ivy by Sarah Beth Durst
84. Song of the Sword by Edward Willett
85. The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin
86. Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen
87. Sula by Toni Morrison
88. Not That Kind Of Girl by Siobhan Vivian
89. Song Quest by Katherine Roberts
90. The Inferior by Peadar Ó Guilín
91. Shadow Horse by Alison Hart

Favorite Books of 2010

And here it is.

Buttons. Descriptions. And links to the books' (or their authors') website by clicking on the button.

Are you ready?



Favorite Book of 2010
Although I can blame The Season for getting me into historical romances, The Iron King for my reborn love of fairies, and Jane for my refreshed love of Jane Eyre, Soulless wins hands down as my favorite book of the year. I've recommended it to so many people this year, and I absolutely adore the story and the characters. It's being released in Germany, and since I'm taking German I'm going to order the series in German to understand German better - and because I love the series.

Another key sign that it's become my favorite book this year - and one of my favorite of all time - is that I've made fan trailers. Fan art. And already have money put aside for the next two to buy.



Favorite Historical Fiction
Though The Pirate Queen resparked my love of Grace O'Malley and Cate of the Lost Colony was just overall well written, The Season takes my heart. It introduced me to the fantabulous Sarah Maclean (who has since written a few adult romance novels that I adore) and the world of historical Regency romance. And it gave me a new fictional man to *swoon* over.



Favorite Fantasy
This was a particularly hard section for me to judge. Although I adore and often recommend Graceling and The Looking Glass Wars, they definitley weren't my favorites this year. Secondhand Charm charmed me and introduced me to Julie Berry, but I wouldn't call it my favorite.

In the end, it came down to The Iron King, which was one of my top books of the year, and Enchanted Ivy, which I read recently and loved. And though I adore both, The Iron King won - I haven't fought so hard for a team in a long time (PUCK!), and Julie has since become one of my favorite authors to talk to ever.



Favorite Book 'In The Now'
I eliminated Jane pretty easily from this category (though I adore it!) for one reason only - though amazing, it doesn't do an accurate representation of what I think life is like for teens nowadays, which is a big reason I like this category so much. That left Tricks and Not That Kind Of Girl. I adore Ellen Hopkins - I'll read anything she writes - but Siobhan Vivian wins a title from me again with Not That Kind Of Girl. (She won Favorite Book overall last year with Same Difference.)

Not That Kind Of Girl does a great job at just showing how hard it is to survive in high school as a normal teen and the vast amount of people and problems you'll encounter while there. I loved it enough that I had my sister read it - she's entering high school next year - and though she didn't love it as much as I did, she did say it was a good book.



Favorite Debut
While The Iron King is my favorite fantasy, it's not my favorite debut novel. Julie's an amazing author, don't get me wrong! And Rachel Hakwins' Hex Hall is an amazing series that I'm excited for it. But Karen Kincy's Other is one of the few books I went out of my way this year to made sure I read and it lived up to every glowing review I had ever read of it - and I loved it.



Favorite Paranormal
Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes was an amazing book. I adored it. It's my current favorite werewolf book - Soulless aside - and I've sent my ARC around to a few of my friends. But Other wins, because it gives paranormal a glorious new twist. (And also wins for the only book to win more than one category! Yaaaay!)



Favorite Sequel
As much as I love the Hunger Games series, and as much as Jacky Faber will also be my favorite character in any book ever, this category - hands down - go to Lisa Mantchev's Perchance to Dream.

Though I missed the Theatre Illuminata, Perchance to Dream kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading - and now I'm eagerly awaiting my chance to read the third one in the series. So excited!



Favorite New Author
I couldn't choose.
It was too difficult.
FORGIVE ME.



Favorite Cover
Not Firelight, not - there's something off about the sheen on the girl's upper lip. (I love the cover, but she looks a bit sweaty!) And Need is pretty, but nothing spectacular.

Originally I thought I was going to give this to Nightshade, hands down. I love both the U.S. and the U.K. version and was drooling over them for months.

But... I couldn't. Because as much as I loved those covers, it wasn't the reason I picked up the book. Other by Karen Kincy is really cleaning up this time around - I saw the cover and had to have it. It really stands out on the shelf for some reason.



It was a great year for books, and congratulations to all the books who won! Tomorrow I'm going to recap my entire year in books - we'll see how I did, college and all - and then 2011 starts.

I'm psyched.

Waiting on Wednesday: Warped

Because we all have something we're waiting for.

Warped by Maurissa Guibord

Things get weird after Tessa Brody's father buys a dusty old unicorn tapestry at an auction. The wild, handsome creature woven within it draws Tessa, and frightens her too. One day she pulls a silver thread from the tapestry and releases the unicorn. Only he isn’t one at all. He’s William de Chaucy, a young sixteenth century English nobleman with gorgeous eyes, a weird accent and haughty attitude to spare. Will was trapped in the tapestry by Gray Lily, a sorceress who stole the thread of his life and relies on its energy for her eternal youth. Now Gray Lily wants her unicorn back and she’ll do anything to get him.

If that isn’t bad enough “his lordship” de Chaucy seems to think Tessa is someone she’s not: the girl who trapped him so long ago in the forest. Despite the sparky chemistry between them he seems to have the strange idea that she’ll be his undoing once more. Maybe she will. Because there’s a connection, an attraction to Will that Tessa can’t deny. She’s even beginning to dream about events in a forest of long ago. Or is she reliving them? But Tessa knows one thing for sure. She could never be some heartless twit of a virgin who would trap a unicorn.

Series: ---
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: January 11 2011

Okay, tell me that last line doesn't make you want to read this?! Besides, it's unicorns (well, not really) and sexy English lords and magic. SPARKLY unicorn related magic.

I APPROVE.

In My Mailbox - Christmas Wrap Up

Before I start this post, including the ones I have set up, is my 1000th post. That... is shocking. The knowledge that I've written at least one thousand posts in four-ish years. *falls over*




Not pictured: B&N gift card, Jane Eyre DVD, Jane Austen DVD set

Most everything was gifted to me for Christmas by Santa Claus and the family. My book blogger Secret Santa was Tina and she sent me a cute little packet of stuff! My guest reviewer Liz also gave me a few things for Christmas.

My favorite gift wasn't book related (Fable III, how I adore thee!) so I'll stay on topic and talk about the book stuff.

Review:
The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

Bought:
The Lord of the Rings box set

Gifted:
Barnes and Noble gift card
Hunger Games t-shirt
Post Potter Depression t-shirt (order it here)
Hunger Games key chain
Jane Eyre (2006) DVD
Jane Austen DVD box set
The DUFF by Kody Keplinger & some fun swag (thanks Tina!)
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins
Gregor the Overlander & The Curse of The Warmbloods (#3) by Suzanne Collins
Steampunk by Ann VanderMeer & Jeff VanderMeer
Dumbledore's Army button (thanks Liz!)
The Book Lover's Kit (thanks Liz!)


 Hope everybody has had a fantastic holiday season! What was your favorite book related gift?

Shadow Horse

Shadow Horse
Author: Alison Hart
Series: Whirlwind (#1)
Publisher: Random House
How Received: review copy

After assaulting the owner of the horse farm where she works, 13-year-old Jasmine Schuler must face the inside of a courtroom and then juvenile hall. No one believes Jas's charge that the man she attacked had killed her horse. Put into foster care at the Second Chance Farm for abused animals, she remains determined to prove her charge against the wealthy horse owner. The key becomes a horse she rescues.

I've been wanting to read Shadow Horse for a while now - I've been craving a good horse book, and this one managed to deliver me something that brought back my love of horses.

Shadow Horse starts off slowly. I couldn't get into it for the first forty pages, and considering the length of the book, that's a substantial amount. Once we passed that mark - most of which was set up - it picked up rather quickly.

I like Jas a lot. Her honest love of the horses was conveyed easily, and I love how most of her worry was focused on her grandfather and the horses and not on her budding relationship with Chase (which, though adorable, I didn't feel the connection much). Hugh was the man everybody loved to hate, and I loved the side characters - both two legged and four legged.

My favorite part? The animals. All of them had distinct personalities, which I've found some authors have a hard time accomplishing. It was refreshing to see that - being an animal owner and lover, it's good to see all the personalities in play.

Final Comments: All in all, it's a cute book - not difficult to figure out if you've read any horse mysteries before, but easy to read and a great introduction to those just dabbling in horse novels.
Whirlwind or the Thoroughbred series?: Even though the Thoroughbred series is aimed for a younger audience, it's one of my favorite series ever. If you have a younger sister or brother who loves horses, get the first few in the Thoroughbred series for them while you read Whirlwind.

In My Mailbox - Pre Christmas Catch Up

Took yesterday off for Christmas, but while my family Christmas goes on today, here's a vlog for y'all to enjoy.



For Review:
Kindred by Tammar Stein
Selected Shorts And Other Methods Of Time Travel by David Goodberg
The Lost Saint by Bree Despain
The False Princess by Eilis O'Neal
Wither by Lauren DeStefano
Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann
King of Ithaka by Tracy Barrett
The Julian game by Adele Griffin
Lockdown by Alexander Gordon Smith
Solitary by Alexander Gordon Smith

Bought:
Aurelia by Anne Osterlund
Princess and the Hound by Mette Ivie Harrison
I Am Apache by Tanya Landman
Barnaby Grimes - Curse of the Night Wolf by Paul Stewart & Chris Riddell
Wolf Tower by Tanith Lee
The Lost Queen by Frewin Jones
The Seventh Daughter by Frewin Jones
Beyond the Wardrobe - Official Guide to Narnia

Gifts:
Hunger Games swag
The Inferior by Peadar O' Guilin
The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook by Dinah Bucholz
Paper Towns by John Green (given to me by @kathriller)
The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks (given to me by @kathriller)
Richard Armitage autograph (given to me by @silverlynhawk)

Okay! I'm kind of almost almost all caught up on catching you guys up. *wipes brow* Sorry for the lack of Goodreads links; typing all of that just killed my fingers. Haha!



Note: I missed a few things (oi! I need to clean my room) so they'll go up in my Christmas edition.

Giveaway Winner: Entice & Shadow Hills Poster

The winner of Entice is Mandy from TwiMom101's Book Blog!

The winner of the autographed Shadow Hills poster is Chloe!

Thanks for entering, guys.

Feature Friday: Bookcases (21)

Who said storage had to be boring?






You want books under the tree?
I want a tree made of books.



Image found from Flickr. Does it belong to you? Email me, and I'll give you credit!

Friday Fronts - Wondrous Strange

T'was the night before Christmas
And all through the house
Not a fairy was stirring.
Not one poor louse.
The covers were mounted
on the wall with care
so that Nicole could look
and admire their flare.
Just look at the models
and that RED HAIR! (Yes, caps.)
Those fonts and that layout
just makes me want to clap.

Submit Questions: Daisy Whitney (The Mockingbirds) Interview

I am having the wonderful opportunity to conduct an interview with the lovely Daisy Whitney, author of The Mockingbirds! I haven't read it yet, but I have only heard amaaaaazing things about it - and Daisy herself is pretty fantastic. (One look around her website proves it.)

And not only that - but she'll be responding to the questions in a VIDEO. Yes, YOUR QUESTIONS, answered directly BY HER in VIDEO FORM.

Yes, I said your questions! I want you guys to submit questions for Daisy to answer. She'll pick the best three, do a super epic recording, and it'll be up on WORD! You guys have until December 28th to submit the questions before I send them off to her. All you have to do is comment!

What To Do:
Comment with a question for Daisy.

When To Do It:
Anytime between NOW and December 28.

I'm super excited! Are you?

Waiting on Wednesday: The Gathering

Because we all have something we're waiting for.

The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong

Maya lives in a small medical-research town on Vancouver Island. How small? You can’t find it on the map. It has less than two-hundred people, and her school has only sixty-eight students—for every grade from kindergarten to twelve.

Now, strange things are happening in this claustrophobic town, and Maya's determined to get to the bottom of them. First, the captain of the swim team drowns mysteriously in the middle of a calm lake. A year later, mountain lions start appearing around Maya's home, and they won’t go away. Her best friend, Daniel, starts getting negative vibes from certain people and things. It doesn't help that the new bad boy in town, Rafe, has a dangerous secret—and he's interested in one special part of Maya's anatomy: Her paw-print birthmark.

Series: The Gathering (#1)/Darkest Powers (#4)?
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: April 12th 2011

Set in the same world as the Darkest Powers trilogy? Kelley Armstrong writing a new book? The potential of the main character being a werewolf?

So much want!

The Inferior

The Inferior
Author: Peadar Ó Guilín
Series: ? (#1)
Publisher: David Fickling Books
How Received: birthday present

STOPMOUTH AND HIS family know of no other life than the daily battle to survive. To live, they must hunt rival species, or negotiate flesh-trade with those who crave meat of the freshest human kind. It is a savage, desperate existence. And for Stopmouth, considered slowwitted hunt-fodder by his tribe, the future looks especially bleak. But then, on the day he is callously betrayed by his brother, a strange and beautiful woman falls from the sky. It is a moment that will change his destiny, and that of all humanity, forever. With echoes of Tarzan, Conan the Barbarian, and The Truman Show, Peadar Ó Guilín’s debut is an action—and idea-packed—blockbuster that will challenge your perceptions of humanity and leave you hungry for more.

I don't remember why it started, but I needed to read a YA book involving cannibalism. It had something to do with a conversation on Twitter, I remember, but the details are fuzzy. Anyway, this was the only book we could find. I was broke at the time, so I didn't buy it. It went on my wish list.

Wrapping paper? $1. Book? $5. Look on a mother's face when her daughter thanks her for buying the YA book on cannibalism that she's been craving? Priceless.

Guilín wrote an amazingly well crafted novel that far exceeded my expectations. I thought it would be interesting, yes, and imaginative, but I did not expect a book that would leave me hungering (haha!) for more.

Stopmouth was the most interesting out of all of them! However, my favorite character wasn't Stopmouth. I do have a soft spot in my heart for Rockface; he's just adorable and dedicated and goofy.

The world itself was fantastically created. I'm hoping we get to see more of the Roof in the sequel, and maybe see a little more character development for Mossheart. (A small character, yes, but when we were first introduced to her I had hoped that she'd develop into a more interesting character.)

I'd write a longer review, but frankly, you understand that I liked it - and I'm sick while setting this up, and who wants to think too hard while you're sick!?

Overall Rating & Final Comments: 9/10. An amazing world with interesting characters, though I wish there had been more description.
Slogan Comments: "There is only one law: eat or be eaten." Looooove it!

Contest Winner: Hunger Games Redesign Contest

THAT is the winner of the Hunger Games cover redesign contest! I have to say, it is amazing, isn't it?

You can check more of Brian's work out at his deviantArt here. He's quite impressive.

YA Historical Fiction Challenge

I decided to sign up for another challenge. Yes, I know, I'm insane.

But why not? I'm more than capable of doing this one - in fact, the only one that's going to REALLY be a challenge for me is the Steampunk Challenge, and that's just because it's more difficult for me to get all of the books.

The YA Historical Fiction challenge was set up by Sabrina over at YA Bliss and I'm super excited she's set it up. As with all challenges, I'm saying I'm going for the minimum, but in this case, as it's five, my wishlist of reads far exceeds that. Oh well.

I'll be updating this post as I go along! Links on the wishlist lead to Goodreads; links on the list lead to the reviews.

Challenge Wishlist:
Sigrun's Secret by Marie-Louise Jensen
Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce
Betraying Season by Marissa Doyle
Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
Red Queen's Daughter by Jacqueline Kolosov
Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury
Steel by Carrie Vaughn
The Amaranth Enchantment by Julie Berry
Contagion by Joanne Dahme
The Lost Crown by Sarah Miller
Aurelia by Anne Osterlund
King of Ithaka by Tracy Barrett

Challenge List:
01. The Mark Of The Golden Dragon by L.A. Meyer [own, read]
02. The Hunchback Assignments by Arthur Slade [own, read]
03. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare [own, read]
04. Dark Mirror by M.J. Putney [own, read]
05. Fallen Grace by Mary Hooper [own, read]

An Update In The Life: Finals

My last three (three!) finals are tomorrow, and so I'm studying my butt off today. After that, it's a clear shot until the end of JANUARY for winter break.

It's going to be nice. Hopefully I'll be able to catch up on my much neglected reading.

How are YOU?

Favorite Books of '10

It's that time of year again!

I have to figure out what my FAVORITE books this year were. (And I'll even make super spiffy buttons for the winners, in case the authors want them. Because I can.)

And while I'm spending the day exchanging Christmas presents with my friends, I think I'll let YOU GUYS help me decide. See, here's the list - and I want your opinions. Do you agree with my choices? (Granted, it's based on what I read.) And what were YOUR favorite books this year?

Contenders For Favorite Book of '10
Not including sequels.
The Season by Sarah Maclean
Jane by April Lindner
The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
Soulless by Gail Carriger

Contenders For Favorite Historical Fiction
The Season by Sarah Maclean
The Pirate Queen by Alan Gold
Cate of the Lost Colony by Lisa Klein

Contenders For Favorite Fantasy
The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor
Secondhand Charm by Julie Berry
Enchanted Ivy by Sarah Beth Durst
The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Contenders for Favorite Book 'In The Now' (Set In Modern Times)
Not That Kind of Girl by Siobhan Vivian
Jane by April Lindner
Tricks by Ellen Hopkins

Contenders for Favorite 2010 Debut Author
The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
Other by Karen Kincy

Contenders for Favorite Paranormal
Raised By Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Other by Karen Kincy



Contenders for Favorite Sequel
Perchance To Dream by Lisa Mantchev
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
The Wake of the Lorelei Lee by L.A. Meyer

Contenders for New Favorite Author
Though I will read anything they write, I must pick one...
Julie Kagawa
Sarah Maclean
Gail Carriger
Sarah Beth Durst

Contenders for Favorite Cover
Of books I read only... *sigh
Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
Other by Karen Kincy
Need by Carrie Jones
Firelight by Sophie Jordan



What do you think?

Feature Friday: Bookcases (20)

Who said storage had to be boring?



Install a mini fridge and a door to a bathroom, and I'd never leave.



Image found from Flickr. Does it belong to you? Email me, and I'll give you credit!

Friday Fronts - Firelight

My coverwhore is pleased. Fantastically done scales. Brilliant colors. Excellent font. Fantastic placement. Gorgeous model.

This gets my STAMP OF APPROVAL.

Guest Post: C. Lee Mckenzie

C. Lee McKenzie, author of the new The Princess of Las Purgas, is doing a guest post today to talk about her history and her writing.

After her father's slow death from cancer, Carlie thought things couldn't get worse. But now, she is forced to confront the fact that her family in dire financial straits. To stay afloat, her mom has had to sell their cherished oceanfront home and move Carlie and her younger brother Keith to the other side of the tracks to dreaded Las Pulgas, or "the fleas" in Spanish. They must now attend a tough urban high school instead of their former elite school, and on Carlie's first day of school, she runs afoul of edgy K.T., the Latina tattoo girl who's always ready for a fight, even on crutches. Carlie fends off the attention of Latino and African American teen boys, and one, a handsome seventeen-year-old named Juan, nicknames her Princess when he detects her aloof attitude towards her new classmates. What they don't know is that Carlie isn't really aloof; she's just in mourning for her father and almost everything else that mattered to her. Mr. Smith, the revered English teacher who engages all his students, suggests she'll like her new classmates if she just gives them a chance; he cajoles her into taking over the role of Desdemona in the junior class production of Othello, opposite Juan, after K.T. gets sidelined. Keith, who becomes angrier and more sullen by the day, spray paints insults all over the gym as he acts out his anger over the family's situation and reduced circumstances. Even their cat Quicken goes missing, sending Carlie and Keith on a search into the orchard next to their seedy garden apartment complex. They're met by a cowboy toting a rifle who ejects them at gunpoint from his property. But when Carlie finds him amiably having coffee with their mom the next day -- when he's returned her cat -- she begins to realize that nothing is what it seems in Las Pulgas.

Just click read more to read and enjoy!