Switch by: Carol Snow

Claire Martin lives in a small beach town called Sandyland. Claire isn't an ordinary girl but the only person other then herself that knows about her "abnormality" is her grandmother who isn't exactly living.

Claire's grandmother, Evelyn, tells her that it's completely normal. That the "switching" is just something that happens when it storms because it happened with Evelyn as well. Claire switches bodies with other girls her age. Evelyn tells her that she can only switch with girls that were born under the same moon as her. Evelyn assures her that she has nothing to worry about. Every time Claire switches Evelyn puts herself into Claire's body to make sure that Claire doesn't get stuck in someone else's body.

Claire switches a few times with some girls from school and every time she goes to sleep and wakes up back in her own body.

One night Claire switches on a light in her closet after walking across brand new carpet and she switches into a strange girl's body. Claire ends up having some difficulties getting back into her own body. She stays in this strange girl's body for a few days. Claire learns a lot while in "Larissa's" body.

This is a really good summer read for young teens. I think I would have enjoyed it a little more if I could have read it while lying on the beach myself! I did enjoy it thoroughly though. I think that Carol Snow did a swell job writing this novel. It is a little shorter than what I'm used to but good just the same.

I would recommend this book to anyone over the age of 13.

~Christy

New Page

Hey guys, we wanted to let you know that we have a new addition to the blog. It's an Events Page!!
Suggested by one of our awesome followers, we thought it was a GREAT idea, so if you look up at the top of our page, directly below our banner you will see the tabs for our pages!!

We will be adding the events that occur in and around our areas ( Ohio and Alabama ) of course we will add some really cool other ones as we come across them. We hope to hear about them in enough of advance to help you guys be able to make it the signings!!

Hope you enjoy the new page!!
- Chrisy and Danielle

Update: Carrie Ryan Book Signing

THE CARRIE RYAN EXPERIENCE... is
........ AMAZING!!!

Today I drove my daughter and my happy self 4 hours to Cincinnati Ohio. We had one purpose in mind, to see Carrie Ryan, author of The Forest of Hands and Teeth series.

Now mind you, I wasn't expecting too much really, just go down there, wait in line, she sign our books, take a photo or two, and then be one our way home. But no, Mrs. Carrie Ryan totally blew me away today.

Not only did we get a short version history on the hows and whys she became and author. She also introduced us to her intense fascination with zombies, and why they really mean a lot to her... BTW moms be careful what your babysitters are letting your kiddos watch on the tele :)

When she first started writing Carrie Ryan had a plan, she even named it, The Ten Year Plan... kinda catchy huh? My first thought of the name... I swear it sounds like a diet I have tried :) The only difference in that diet and Carrie's Plan, hers paid off, and in a humongous way.

Not only did she hit the mark and make New York's Best Sellers list with The Forest of Hands and Teeth, but she did it two more times within just a few years with the companion to her first novel, The Dead-Tossed Waves and it's sequel ( the third in the trilogy ) The Dark and Hollow Places. So this Plan was like no diet I have ever tried, and a huge success for her. Definitely one I am thinking about trying on my own.

If you guys haven't read any of her books yet, GO OUT AND READ THEM... NOW!! :)
If you can't buy them, borrow them, beg for them, plead for them.. they are worth it ( I'm pretty sure your local library will have at least the first two )

Now for a pretty cool surprise, I have some Carrie Ryan, Forest of Hands of Teeth series Post Cards and a couple buttons to give to you guys!! Signed by the lovely lady herself!!

All you have to do is leave me a comment letting me know what you think of the series, even if you haven't read it. Do you think you will love it as much as others out there ( namely me haha ). The first two people to comment get the buttons, since I only have two to give away, but I have 3 postcards. So the lucky person getting the third card will get a cool piece of Middle of the Road swag to go along with theirs :)
-Danielle

Book Review: Demon Glass

First reaction.. AWESOME!!

I loved the first book in this series, Hex Hall, but Ms. Rachel Hawkins blew it out of the water with this one :)
It has everything you could ask for in a teen/YA paranormal book... the perfect book for parents to let their kids read!!!

After an intense year at Hex Hall, Sophie is soo excited for summer to begin, if only she didn't have her upcoming trip to the counsel looming over her. Other than her decision to go through the removal, life has pretty much gotten back to normal. No more demons around school, besides her. No more evil students, no more dark witches doing evil deeds. But just like everything else, all good things must come to an end, and hers comes to an abrupt stop when her father shows up.

The head of the counsel and all round winner of absentee dad of the year 17 years running, Sophie's father is just as stoic as she expected. But he is handsome enough that she can see why her mother fell for him.

She has been expecting her punishment for last years escapades to be dished out, and honestly she just wishes they would go ahead and get it over with, but of course her dad has other plans in mind. He has decided to take her to England with him for the summer. He feels she needs to get a better grip on her heritage as a demon before she really decides to go through the removal, and he wants to finally get to know her.

The trip to Thorne house isn't so bad, especially since Sophie demanded that Jenna come as well. The only thing that really hit her as unexpected was the fact that her father wanted Cal to come along as well. The reason why nearly blows her mind. Once in England Sophie is excited and nervous, she wants to try new things, maybe turn over a new leaf, but she also knows that every siting they have had of Archer has been within London.

With the meeting of two more demon children, and the raids from The Eye ramping up, her summer of relaxing and bonding with dad is quickly becoming a lost dream.

When not only she, but the rest of her family and her friends are betrayed by the ones they thought they could trust, and someone they least expected, the war comes to their front door. If Sophie makes it out of this alive, there is no telling who will still be by her side in the end.
- Danielle

Unearthly by:Cynthia Hand

Unearthly is a very good read! I picked it up at Books A Million just because the back of the book was intriguing and I really liked the cover *teehee*.

This one about Angel-Bloods. Beings that are not full Angel and not full human. Clara is the main character and she is 1/4 angel.

Clara's mother says that every angel is put on earth for a reason. Every angel has a purpose. Something that they are put on earth to do, their destiny. Clara receives her purpose through visions, though she can't understand what she is supposed to do. Her mother moves the entire family from California to Wyoming because Clara sees a Wyoming license plate in her vision. At first her brother is upset and it takes a while for them to get used to the change in surroundings but they manage.

Clara still doesn't know exactly what her purpose is but she knows who it involves, Christian. She finds Christian at school and everyone thinks that she is just obsessed over him.

Christian and all of Clara's friends leave town for the summer and she is forced to spend time with another guy, Tucker. She ends up falling in love with Tucker and breaks the one rule that her mother gave her about being an Angel-Blood, she told a human what she was. After falling in love with Tucker she becomes even more confused about her purpose.

Clara and her mother end up in a battle with a Black Wing (fallen angel) and things don't happen anything like her visions portrayed them to happen. She thinks that she has failed. She thinks that she didn't fulfill her purpose. She finds out the Christian is a lot more than she ever thought he could be but she still doesn't understand her purpose.

**I absolutely loved this book! It kept me on the edge of my seat. I really hope that the next one comes out soon because I know that it can't end like that! LOL Sorry no more spoilers.

Unearthly is a YA read. I would recommend it for anyone over the age of 13.

~Christy

Update: Kati

We would like to say farewell to our fellow blogger Kati this afternoon. She is moving on to bigger and better things in her life.

Many thanks go to her for her contributions here at Middle of the Road, and we want you to know that you will always be welcome back as a guest author at anytime :)

Good luck with each and every future endeavor to attempt!!

-Danielle and Christy

Raised by Wolves by:Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Raised by Wolves...hmmm...really I don't know what to say about this one except that I am truly disappointed! The title, the cover, and the summary on the back of the book, all of it made this book seem very enticing. In my opinion it was a VERY slow read. It took me over a week to read this book with only a little over 400 pages in it. I should have finished it in 3 days! I just couldn't get into it. It never really got interesting until the last couple chapters. I guess if I was still 13 it would have interested me more ;).

-----I picked this book up at my own accord (yes I felt like slapping myself on the wrist after reading it) in my local bookstore simply because it looked like it would be good. I read the summary on the back and it seemed pretty good but I never heard anything about it otherwise.

***Raised by Wolves is most definitely a YOUNG adult read. I would recommend it for anyone that is 13-16 maybe 17 if they haven't read anything more advanced. I think it is really for younger teens.***

Fallen by: Lauren Kate

 

Luce can't figure out how but she knew in her gut that she was respnsible for the death of her friend Trevor. The police and pretty much everyone she knew thought she was crazy when she tried to explain to them what had happened the night he had passed away. (Luce can see "shadows") Luce's parents thought it best to send her to a reform school.                                                                                            Luce seriously started to believe that she had indeed gone crazy after a while. She met Arianne at school and they became friends. Arianne filled her in on lots of things about the school (the dead reds) and the people that were currently attending. Penn, another student, became Luce's best friend who helped her "stalk" Daniel. Daniel showed absolutely no interest in Luce, he flipped her the bird the first time he saw her! Cam on the other hand was really sweet and showed that he cared for her deeply.                                                                                               In the end NO ONE was who Luce thought they were!

***I would reccomend this book for anyone over the age of 13. There were very few "curse" words in select places in the book but overall it is very suitable.***

~Christy

Winner Winner Winner!

The winner for the St. Patty's day contest is Shadowkissed! Congratulations! I hope you enjoy your new book! Please email me at middleroadreviews@yahoo.com with your name, shipping address, and an email I can reach you at NO LATER THAN 10pm central time on March 19th. If you fail to contact me by this time I will be forced to choose another winner.

You have won a NEW copy of The Fallen and Leviathan by Thomas E. Sniegoski.  This is an omnibus with both books in one edition.

Book Review: The Iron King

The Iron Fey have quickly become some of my favorite Ya books. I don't need to tell those who have read this series how addicting they are, but for those of you who are being deprived of this series, go out and get them, they are like the most decadent piece of candy to a sugar-holic :)

The first book brings us into the life of Meghan Chase, a half Fey girl living in the mortal realm. Of course she doesn't know she is half Fey, where would the fun be in that. After her brother Ethan is kidnapped though and replaced with a changeling, things start to go a little haywire.

The notorious Puck, or Robbie Goodfell, as Meghan has always known him, comes to rescue in a rather roundabout way. he lets her in on her little secret. Even though by  doing so he is defying direct orders from the Summer King himself. Puck can't help it, he has to help Meghan no matter the cost.

A trip into Faerie isn't exactly all dancing and parties, When Puck brings Meghan through they have their first run in with the Winter Prince, Ash. Ash is about as beautiful as he is cold, and Meghan feels herself drawn to him immediately.

Saving her brother turns into the biggest ordeal of her life, as Meghan realizes it wasn't her father, the King of the Summer court, or the Winter Court who have kidnapped him, but an all new threat to the Faerie realm. The Iron Fey. And they have decided that they want Meghan  Chase all to themselves.

Tricking Ash into helping her probably wasn't the smartest move she could make, but then again, he left her do it. Mab, the Queen of the Winter Court will be furious once this is all over. But it doesn't matter to Meghan, she needs to save her brother and she will sacrifice herself in anyway possible to get him back.

Even though Ash is cold in the beginning and then constantly throughout the book, he begins to thaw towards Meghan and she lets her heart lead her into directions that she should never go, but she isn't the only one who is falling in Love. Ash the adventure gets more dangerous, Meghan has to decide where her future is going to take her... right after she saves Ethan.

Amazing series!! Anyone and Everyone should read this!!

The Iron King
Winter's Passage ( a novella )
The Iron Daughter
The Iron Queen

The Flash of a Firefly by Amber Riley

This book was sent to me signed by the author. I had never heard of it before but since it is a book and it was free, I had to read it. LOL I'm glad I did.

The Flash of a Firefly is the debut novel by Amber Riley. With only 149 pages, this is a very short read compared to what I am used to.

The beginning of the book is very slow and I almost didn't make myself keep reading, but I am really glad that I did. It got much better once I got into the book good.

Kaden is a vampire who has been living among humans. He owns a nightclub called the Amaryllis. Kaden hasn't bitten anyone in centuries, he lives off of blood from the blood bank.

The "head" vampire, Pheonix, wants Kaden to come to Spain and live as the "prince" of the vampires but Kaden doesn't want to live that lifestyle again. He was lucky to have escaped from Pheonix the first time. Pheonix sends "muscle" to convince Kaden to come back so there is a fight in the end.

Kaden also learns that one of his employees, Max, is part of the Iustitia (vampiere hunters). Max was sent to get Kaden as well but not to kill him. The Iustatia sent Max because they say that Rome is infested with rogue vampires so they need Kaden's help gaining control of the situation.

Kaden falls in love with a human, Lyn, but refuses to admit it throughout most of the book. He has to protect her from his enemies so he has to tell her the truth about what he is. His plan is to have her memories of him and his kind erased before taking her home after he knows that she is safe again. The end is not your typical happily ever after love story romance ending!


*This is a YA novel. Suitable for anyone over the age of thirteen*

~Christy

Surprise Giveaway!

In honor of St. Patrick's day we have decided to host a giveaway! This one is very simple! All you have to do is be a follower on the blog and comment under this post! We don't even care what your comment says just leave one! The winner will be chosen using random.org. Contest will end at 11:00 pm on March 17th! Winner will be announced on March 18th!

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

Blue Moon by: Alyson Noel

Blue Moon is the 2nd installment of Alyson Noel's "The Immortals" series. I must say that Alyson Noel is a wonderful writer. This book was every bit as good as the first installment in the series! I can only hope that the 3rd won't disappoint me :) although I'm fairly sure that it won't! A word to the wise though: while reading these books, don't ever for a minute think that you can guess what's going to happen next, because even though you may guess part of what is about to unravel in this story the outcome most likely won't be what you expect it to be.

The end of this one leaves lots of questions so make sure you have Shadowland (the 3rd installment) at hand as soon as you finish Blue Moon because you will be dying to know what happens With Ever and Damen next!

-----My best friend turned me on to these books and I am so glad that she did, she has such extraordinary taste in books! They are GREAT!***

***Blue Moon is suitable for young adults as well as adults. I would definitely recommend it to anyone over the age of 13. If you haven't read these books you are truly missing out!***
~Christy

Book Review: Switched, by Amanda Hocking

The first book in this three part series is Switched. Amanda Hocking did a great job of bringing us into this world. Introducing us to the characters and letting us get a feel of who they are and their personalities.

Wendy has moved more times than she can count, of course it's always for her benefit. If she could keep herself out of trouble for at least more than a few months then things might be able to settle down and they could live in one place. Her brother Matt and her Aunt Maggie would be absolutely delighted if that would happen, but Wendy just can't seem to do it. For the life of her she can't fit in, she wants to to.. sometimes. She wonders what it would be like to be normal, have normal friends and a normal boyfriend. But she knows that's just not who she is, at least she doesn't try to kid herself.

The newest home is hopefully going to be the last, Matt and Maggie are to the point of begging Wendy to make things work. They try to be as careful as possible with her, they think she is more fragile than she really is. Her whole life ppl have been treating her like a piece of porcelain. Ok, so yeah her mom tried to slice and dice her when she was a kid, big deal, it happens. She knows they only mean the best, but it gets so frustrating at times.

Enter Finn Holmes, the mysterious new boy at her school, he is even newer there than she is. And he seems obsessed with Wendy. He stares at her like there is nothing else in the universe to look at. If it wasn't so creepy Wendy might actually find it sweet. Confronting him doesn't work out exactly as she wants, now he only stares at her when she isn't looking.

The school dance turns into a nightmare when Finn decides it's time to tell Wendy why he is really there and why he has been following her so closely. Once she hears the truth of her Tryelle heritage her life really turns into a whirlwind.

Her life couldn't get more complicated than it already was, or so she thought. Now she is being drug into the middle of a war. A war between tribes of Trolls for that matter, and she seems to be the prize that could make or break it all.

Wonderful wonderful series, and I would def recommend this to everyone who loves a good paranormal series in the YA area. Plus it's something a little different, it's got Tryelle ( beautiful trolls ) instead of vamps, weres, fey.. or anything else we are used to :) I loved these books!!
-Danielle


Switched
Torn
Ascend

Evermore by Alyson Noel

There are no Vamps, Weres, or witches in this one but there are Immortals...good and bad. I don't want to say too much and give away the plot of the story, but I will say that Damen, Ever, and Riley's story is quite a good read. It keeps you on the edge of your seat thoughout the entire book and you never know what to expect next. I can't wait to see what happens with Ever and Damen in the next books in the series.

-----I read this book simply beacuse my best friend told me to. LOL. She has very good taste in books and her suggestions are always good ones. I have bought all four books in this series and the first book in the next one just because I liked this one!

***Evermore is a Young Adult read. I would recommend it to anyone 13 or older. Keep in mind just because it is suitable for young teens doesn't mean it isn't good for adults as well, because I think readers of all ages would love this series***

~Christy

I love him to pieces

Author: Evonne Tsang
Series: My boyfriend is a monster
Publisher: Lerner Publishing Group
Publication Date: April 1, 2011
Pages: 128
How Received: Publisher
Genre: 1.Family & Everyday Life: Love & Romance - Fiction
Rating: 5 Stars

Summary:
Can love survive the zombie apocalypse? Maybe Dicey's first chance at a real relationship was dead from the start. She's the star of her high school baseball team, and Jack's the star of the science program. Her idea of a study session includes sleeping in the sun, and his idea of a good game involves dungeons and dice. But opposites start attracting when they're assigned to be partners in a class project. Now an outbreak of a weird infection—it eats your brains and leaves you hungry for more—might not mean just the end of their first date. It might mean the end of everything. Will their relationship fall apart faster than zombies in the Florida sun, or can Dicey and Jack beat the odds and find a happy ending?


Review:
The drawings are very detailed and yet cutesy. The beginning of the book was sort of confusing but it made up for it in humor! I loved this manga. I loved the fact that the hero was female and how entertaining it was. It was very sweet and tore at the hem of the social status. Also, the pelican post at the end was highly amusing! I can't wait till the next one. I highly recommend this to everyone.


-Kati

Welcome to Middle of the Road

Danielle and I would like to introduce the newest author on Middle of the Road.

We are proud to announce that we have a new author for you all! She will be posting her reviews on her own time just as Danielle and I do. We hope that you all like her reviews as well.

Kati Lear is now officially a part of Middle of the Road reviews. Kati I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Here is Kati's brief biography we will post it to the side of the blog soon as an author biography. This is just to give you a feel of who she is and what to look forward to seeing from Kati. :)

"I'm from Wisconsin, which is where I currently live, Lol Reading is pretty much my life. Although I do love swimming and my pets are also my life, It's easier to tell you the kind of books I don't like then to tell you the kind I do like because I like MANY different kinds of books. I don't like Non Fiction, I don't like history, and i'm getting very tired of vampires...But I still love them If the author can make the book good. My writing style is weird I write as I think would it be out of order or not. I can not think of anything at this time."

Welcome to Middle of the Road Kati! I hope you love it as much as we do!

March Contest!!!

Hey Hey HEY!!!! Here it is, our March contest!! Unlike the February contest, we do not have to meet a quota, so never fear. This time the book we are giving away now is the same book that will be sent to our winner!!! And that book is... The Dark and Hollow Places, by the marvelous Carrie Ryan :)

This was an extra fun contest to think up, and I am really hoping that you guys have fun participating in it!!! I can't wait to see the work you send in :)

Below is the copy of the original post announcing the contest, along with all the details. At the very bottom you will find the link taking you to the form to submit your entries. Good Luck to EVERYONE and let the imagination flow!!!

Now for the details. This contest isn't like any contest we have done before, this one actually requires you to participate :) actively AND be creative. What we want from you guys are mini reviews. Not just any mini review, but ones about the first two books in Carrie Ryan's series, The Forest of Hands and Teeth, and The Dead Tossed Waves.

We will be accepting reviews on either book or both books. The reviews can be no more than 150 in length, and can contain no spoilers. We want these to be YOUR opinion of the book. Of course factual in what the book is about, but in how YOU felt when you read it, how you liked it, the picture it painted in your head, those sorts of things. We want it to be creative, funky, unique... totally YOU!! We will also be accepting the fan art that goes along with your mini review, if you have any, but it's not required.

Not only must you submit this by April first, you must also be a follower on this blog and repost this on your Twitters and Facebooks, leaving us link backs.

How we will pick a winner is, once we receive all the mini reviews, we will sort them and announce the winner. The contest will be open internationally. However, due to the fact that we pay for everything out of pocket and all the rules for shipping, if the winner is outside of the U.S. or Canada, we unfortunately can only send the book, and not the prize pack. Our sincere apologies for that and we hope it doesn't discourage anyone :)

Submit your MINI reviews here :)

- Christy and Danielle

February Contest has Ended...

Okay guys, well here is the deal. Unfortunately we didn't make it to 50 followers in the month of February, *sigh*. I know, I know, we are just as disappointed as you are. Especially since we were hosting a contest to give away a wonderful book to some very lucky person if we made it that far.

But since we didn't make it, we will not be giving away City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare. I really wanted to put this book into someones hands, but we just didn't get the word out there enough. Helping to promote contests like this would be a huge step in getting these books out to the public and in the mailbox of some lucky winner.

BUT, all is not lost. We are not going to leave the ones who did participate high and dry. We are giving away a copy of Beastly, by Alex Flinn. We know this is not the book that was originally up for grabs, but it is better than us not giving away anything since we technically didn't meet the contest requirements :)

If you aren't sure what Beastly is about I will give you a heads up. It is a modern day retelling of Beauty and the Beast, and it is awesomely written. Being super hot, super cool, and super rich.. only makes you hideous on the inside. And when you bully the wrong person, that ugliness can manifest on the outside.

I love this story, from the classic to this new tale. I know others will too!!!

Now after all of that, the moment has finally come to announce the winner...

Drum roll please.....

CONGRATULATIONS faybear_r@hotmail.com
Please send us your mailing address withing 24 hours or else we will be contacting the first runner up!!

Thank you again to everyone who did participate, and maybe next time we can reach our goal, and the outcome will be spectacular. We have a few ideas swirling around upstairs, and some of them are going to come off with quite a bang!!!!
- Christy and Danielle