Book Nerds Across America

  

 

You've seen me post on here time and time again about many great author events and signings that I (Flo) am fortunate enough to attend. Let me tell you, a large number of these happened at my favorite bookstore in Miami: Books and Books. Next Monday, October 12th they are bringing us the Fierce Reads Fall 2015 tour and we all are super excited! So for this week, a few of the Books and Books South Florida Bloggers are going to spotlighting the authors on our blogs. (Check out some of other others: Owl Always be Reading, Books & Swoon, Bookcrastinators In Wonderland, Dapper Animals blog, and Once Upon a Twilight.)

Today, we have the opportunity to ask Josephine Angelini a few questions about Firewalker. Without sharing spoilers, I have to say this book left me with some massive feels at the end! Here's Josie:

So, if you remember, I (Flo) decided to take the plunge into Read. Sleep. Repeat's #ARCAugust this year! I had some books that I really wanted to get read ahead of their release dates, so this was a perfect challenge.

The quick update: I did it! And then some!! My original goal was to read 3 ARCs. I did so, and I even managed to throw in an extra one I've been wanting to read as well! Let me pat myself on the back for a minute! *pat, pat*

How did you do? Remember, regardless of how you fared against your goal, you succeeded simply by going for it in the first place! Here are my #ARCAugust reviews:

Hello, Goodbye, and Everything In Between by Jennifer E. Smith: http://www.booknerdsacrossamerica.com/2015/08/hello-goodbye-and-everything-in-between.html

Firewalker by Josephine Angelini:  http://www.booknerdsacrossamerica.com/2015/08/firewalker-by-josephine-angelini.html

Serpentine by Cindy Pon:  http://www.booknerdsacrossamerica.com/2015/08/serpentine-by-cindy-pon.html

...and the BONUS one, Everything, Eveything by Nicola Yoon: http://www.booknerdsacrossamerica.com/2015/08/everything-everything-by-nicola-yoon.html

See you all next year for #ARCApril!

This picture of me and Josephine Angelini from back in 2012 is one of my favorites. So cute!

Book Summary
Worlds divide, magic slays, and love lies in the second book of Josephine Angelini’s The Worldwalker Trilogy.

"You think I’m a monster, but my choices, as ruthless as they seem, are justified."

Lily is back in her own universe, and she's ready to start a new life with Rowan by her side. True, she almost died in the Pyre that fueled their escape from New Salem, and must hide her magic for the safety of everyone she cares about, but compared to fighting the Woven, the monstrous creatures inhabiting the alternate Salem, life is looking pretty good.

Unfortunately, Lillian, ruthless ruler of the 13 Cities, is not willing to let Lily go that easily. If she can’t persuade Lily to return to her world, she will force her to come back by doing away with the ones she loves.

Picking up right where Trial By Fire left off, Firewalker is another sexy, fast-paced, heartbreaking thrill ride from internationally bestselling author Josephine Angelini!

Flo's Review
As usual, I have to start off my review of Josephine Angelini's book talking about how much I and the other Book Nerds love her. It's like a habit now. Lol! But we do. What a sweetheart! 

Here's our review of Trial by Fire.

Firewalker is interesting in that it addressed the issues I had with Trial by Fire, but it also didn't at the same time. My main thing with Trial by Fire is that I felt that while the concept was cool, it took a lot of explanation that detracted from the action in the story. I figured that now that the world -- or in this case, worlds -- have been established, Firewalker would just be action. Well, yes and no. A lot of things happened, but it still felt like we were getting a lot of exposition. Some new characters take on central roles in the story and need to be taught. This was a useful refresher for me, as it's been over a year since I was in Lily's world, but it brought the same slower feel of the first story into this one.

Another thing I wanted from this book was to learn more about Lillian and why she did what she did. My wish was granted. We get the full story and, without giving anything away, it's not black and white. Lily explains in frustration to Lillian that she has to know the full story because they are the same person and she (Lily) wants to know whey she (Lillian) would make the choices she made. This idea of Lily and Lillian being the same person is explored from many different angles in the story and that was pretty cool. This also extended to other characters, and I really liked reading about it unfolding in different ways. 

Speaking of other characters...we see a lot of "the other side" with many of the major players in this book. As in, we saw them one way in Trial by Fire, but now we are seeing another side of them in Firewalker. Sometimes this is good (yay!) but sometimes it is not (sad day!)

Now that Lily is not simply learning what she is and who she is, she can take the next step in character growth: she can start really becoming her true self. She grows a lot in this book as a leader and is confronted with difficulties because of it. How she handles these situations is what sets her apart as her own person and is leading her to her full potential.

So, there's Rowan and there's Tristan...but can we talk about Breakfast?! #TeamBreakfast! I absolutely adored his character. If I didn't think Una would kick my butt in .2 seconds, I would be all over that.

Of course we are left at the start of something new and (what looks like) big at the end of the book. I have no idea what book 3 will be about, but I am looking forward to where it will take us and how everything will be resolved.

Thanks so much to Macmillan for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

 

Book Summary
This world is trying to kill Lily Proctor. Her life-threatening allergies keep her from enjoying experiences that others in her hometown of Salem take for granted, which is why she is determined to enjoy her first high school party with her best friend and longtime crush, Tristan. But after a humiliating incident in front of half her graduating class, Lily wishes she could just disappear.
Suddenly, Lily is in a different Salem—one overrun with horrifying creatures and ruled by powerful women called Crucibles. Strongest and cruelest of them all is Lillian . . . Lily's other self in this alternate universe.
What makes Lily weak at home is what makes her extraordinary in New Salem. In this confusing world, Lily is torn between responsibilities she can't hope to shoulder alone and a love she never expected. 

Flo's Review
The Book Nerds love us some Josephine Angelini! She is super adorable and super sweet and we loved the Starcrossed series! So we were very excited to get our hands on Trial By Fire at BEA this year. (Especially Jacque, who had flight issues and literally walked into the hall and straight to this line.) We decided to wait to review it until around its publication date. 

It's a very cool concept. Lily Proctor is a teenager in Salem, Massachusetts. She had a Very Bad Day and the next thing you know -- voila! She is in alternate universe. And the crazy thing is, a version of herself exists in this universe! In fact, it is she who pulled Lily here. And not only Lily -- her mother, sister, and best friend also exist in this alternate universe. Craziness!

But for some reason, I had a bit of a hard time getting through it. I think that while this alternate universe is a a really cool concept that I like, it also took a lot of exposition to set it up. I mean, there was action and things happened, but it really was a lot of Rowan just explaining things to Lily. And I understand why, because by the end I really did feel like I had a strong sense of the world -- like I was there. I am looking forward to how this plays out for Lily and Rowan. And even more so -- I am super curious to know more about Lillian. I think that's another thing I was missing. We learn at the beginning (and later as well) that she feels like she did what she had to do -- but why?! I really wanted to get into her head, and I really hope we get to do that in the next book.

Jacque's Review:

I have to agree with Flo that the concept is great.   Witches are the rulers of the cities in the new universe.  They can convert heat into energy to power the cities, grow food, heal the sick, etc.  Josephine did a remarkable job of incorporating the history of the Salem Witch Trials into this very unique story.  As much as I wanted to love this book, it was a slow read for me.

A good story, in my opinion, is built around the relationships between the characters.  For a large portion of this book there were trust issues, so the relationships were slow to develop.  Also, Lily had a lot to learn about witchcraft and how things worked in the new world.  This required a lot of detailed explanation which at times was lengthy and confusing.

On a positive note, I did find the ending to be very exciting.  If the sequel picks up where this book left off, we should have a continuous progression to the story without all of the history lessons.  I also hope there will be more to the romance to help keep the pages turning.  If both of those things happen, I think it was well worth persevering through Trial By Fire.  This series has a lot of potential and I look forward to seeing what will happen next.

I debated long and hard on this week's fictional boyfriend.  I had three or four excellent choices to select from, but I ultimately settled on Lucas Delos. (Probably because I am wearing my Team Fate/Delos T-shirt at this very moment.)  Lucas is from Josephine Angelini's Starcrossed series.  Brace yourself...here is a picture Josie shared with her followers showing her vision of Lucas. 

Lucas is a Demigod, a direct descendant of Apollo.  He is over six feet tall and has exceptional strength.  He is one of the few demigods who can fly.  He is able to manipulate gravity to make himself light as a feather or as heavy as a rock.  Fortunately, Helen has these same qualities and abilities. 

In addition to these, Lucas is a Falsefinder.  He can tell when someone is not telling the truth, which for some reason did not work to his advantage during the first two books.  Helen's mother told them a whopper of a lie and he fell for it hook, line, and sinker.  Apollo is the god of light, which provides Lucas with the ability to bend light.  This particular skill comes in handy during the second book in the series.

Lucas and Helen do not experience love at first sight.  In fact, they actually try to kill each other.  The fates cause members of different Greek houses to want to kill one another.  After a particularly brutal battle between the two, they were able to settle their debts to each other's house and they are freed from the wrath of the fates.

We quickly discover that Lucas is not all looks.  He is very sweet and caring.  He is very protective of Helen, but he is not at all controlling.  He is very supportive of Helen and puts her needs ahead of his.  While it crushes him to see the effects the underworld is having on her, he realizes this is something she needs to do.  He doesn't interfere, but he does think of a ways he can help.

A couple of quotes for you:

"Even if it kills me, staying awake and seeing you... is better than any dream." - Helen to Lucas

"If other men were houses, Lucas was her Home." - A quote from Dreamless

I am anxiously awaiting a happily ever after to Lucas and Helen's relationship, which may never come.  Josie hinted that this is a Greek tragedy and not everything will end the way we may hope.  I am keeping my fingers crossed that she was not referring to Lucas and Helen when she made that statement.  We will find out on May 28, 2013 when the final book in this trilogy, Goddess, is released.

 

Dreamless resumes where Starcrossed left off.  Hector is now an outcast and cannot interact with his family without the furies trying to make them kill one another.  Lucas and Helen are still under the false impression that they are cousins and are struggling to suppress their feelings for each other. 

Helen is descending to the underworld each night with hopes of finding the furies and putting an end to the blood debts, which have been plaguing the Scions for ages.  It is even more important to her now that she has seen first hand the impact the furies have had on Hector and the rest of the Delos family. She is determined to fulfill her obligation as the Descender, but it is taking its toll on her physically and mentally.  She is alone in the underworld and wandering aimlessly.  Even though Casandra, the Oracle, is trying her best to research history, they can't quite determine how to bring happiness to the furies. 

One evening, she encounters another person while in the underworld.  She later finds out that Orion was sent by her mother to assist and protect her because he, too, can descend into the underworld.  This is where the love triangle comes into play.  Lucas and Helen are adamant about their need to move on...so Josie has to throw a hot guy, the descendant of Aphrodite, into the mix.  I really enjoyed this new character, but I am still TEAM LUCAS 100%. 

I enjoyed how Josie gave Claire and Matt, Helen's long time BFFs, a larger role in this book.  I am excited to see how their relationships and roles within the Demigod world will continue in Goddess, the final book in this series.  There were a lot of new Gods, Goddesses, and mythological creatures mentioned throughout the book.  I actually found myself at Barnes and Noble one afternoon browsing a National Geographic book on Greek Mythology in order to get a better understanding of all of the characters. Josie did a REMARKABLE job of weaving Greek Mythology throughout the story without overwhelming the reader.  She has set up an explosive conclusion to this series, which is scheduled to be released in May of 2013.

Mary's Review


WOW! Josephine really knows how to give a girl a heart attack! Seriously!

I could not put this book down once I started it.  I felt so bad for Helen.  She was having to go into the Underworld every night trying to figure out the Fates.  Finally, she sees someone down there with her. A new character, Orion, who is helping her in the Underworld.  He was sent by Helen's mother to help her.

Now, I cannot forget Lucas.  (I am TEAM LUCAS).  Even though I think Orion is a awesome friend to Helen, Lucas will always hold her heart.  I just wish Helen's mother would tell the truth! The one thing that I DID NOT LIKE: Lucas' attitude problem.  I understand why he has it, but I am so over it!

Just like Jacque's review I LOVE how Josie can weave in the Greek Mythology into the story and not make it sound so "old world".  Like I have always said, she is an amazing author!

Now, I am counting the days till Book 3!!!

The BookNerds were very excited to read Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini.  The love for Helen and Lucas runs strong from the BookNerds. We were even more excited when we were granted an interview from Josephine herself. 



The BookNerds would love to thank Josephine Angelini for taking the time out her very busy schedule to answer our questions.  We will be looking forward to Book 2 soon!

MARY'S REVIEW

When I read the book description about Starcrossed on GoodReads, I knew that I had to read this.  I just can not help myself when it comes to love stories!  Helen is a character that you feel so sorry for.  Her mother leaves her when she is a small child, she lives on an island with only one friend, and she runs track and works in her father's hardware store.  Then literally in just a few chapters everything changes.  Lucas moves onto the island and Helen's world is turned upside down.  Helen tried to kill him the first time she met him and has no clue why.  The twist of this book is the Greek Mythology tie in.  The details and back stories are written to make you feel every breeze and pain with Helen, I loved it! I am a huge fan of Greek Mythology and I love how it was all tied together.

FLO'S REVIEW
It took me a little while to get into this one. The first hundred pages or so were a lot of background and explanation. I understand that we needed to set the scene for the events to come, but I felt it was a lot of, "And here's something weird happening to Helen that she doesn't understand!" [Describe for awhile.] "Oh, and here's something else weird about Helen that she doesn't understand!" [Describe for awhile.] And so forth. It was only once Helen started learning who she was that the story took flight. (If you've read the story, you will understand what I did with my wording there. ;-) From that point on, I was hooked. Like I have heard many people say, I absolutely fell in love with Lucas. He was such a dedicated and loving character. For the last third of the book, new developments were happening rapidly and I kept going, "OMG!" (I really did. Just ask Mary. Every time I did it, I sent her a message about it and she nicely keep telling me, "Oh, it's getting good!") With the world already set up, I can only guess that the next book in the trilogy will be even better because we will get to jump right into the action.

Jacque's Review:
Having taken 4 years of Latin in high school I was familiar with some of the Greek mythology this story was based upon, but this is the first Greek fiction I have ever read.  I LOVED it.  Helen grew up on Nantucket (a small island in Massachusetts) and was always aware of the fact that she was different, but never understood why.  While Helen and her friends had an interesting dynamic, the story didn't really take off until the Delos family arrived on the island.  I enjoyed discovering Helen's unique abilities along with her and sharing in Lucas and Helen's developing relationship.  From mortal enemies to destined lovers, I couldn't help but root for them.  I was absolutely devastated by some of the twists that took place the last third of the book.  The readers become aware of at least one lie that greatly impacts the characters, but they have yet to discover it.  How many other lies they have been fed has yet to be determined.  Angelini left me completely thirsting for Dreamless, which is scheduled to be released in May 2012. (For those who have read the book, the pun is intended.  I'm just following in Flo's footsteps.)  I can only hope that over the course of the next two books the lead characters will unravel the lies, Helen and Lucas will conquer the Demigod world together, and the Delos family (including Helen) will live happily ever after. Is this too much to ask for? I don't think so.  It is fiction after all.

So, I hinted at the beginning of the week on Monday that the point of Greek Week was to tease our July Read Along. So, are you ready to find out what that is?! Ok then. Without further adieu, the BookNerds July Read Along is....


"How do you defy destiny? Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different she is—no easy task on an island as small and sheltered as Nantucket. And it's getting harder. Nightmares of a desperate desert journey have Helen waking parched, only to find her sheets damaged by dirt and dust. At school she's haunted by hallucinations of three women weeping tears of blood . . . and when Helen first crosses paths with Lucas Delos, she has no way of knowing they're destined to play the leading roles in a tragedy the Fates insist on repeating throughout history.As Helen unlocks the secrets of her ancestry, she realizes that some myths are more than just legend. But even demigod powers might not be enough to defy the forces that are both drawing her and Lucas together—and trying to tear them apart." (from Goodreads)

And while I'm at it, let's announce the other two books for July! Our Friday Movie/Book read is....

"On the Road chronicles Jack Kerouac's years traveling the North American continent with his friend Neal Cassady, "a sideburned hero of the snowy West." As "Sal Paradise" and "Dean Moriarty," the two roam the country in a quest for self-knowledge and experience. Kerouac's love of America, his compassion for humanity, and his sense of language as jazz combine to make On the Road an inspirational work of lasting importance. Kerouac's classic novel of freedom and longing defined what it meant to be "Beat" and has inspired every generation since its initial publication more than forty years ago." (from Goodreads)


Finally, our Sunday Mystery Corner for July is...


"Welcome to our genetic world.
Fast, furious, and out of control.
This is not the world of the future-it's the world right now.

Is a loved one missing some body parts? Are blondes becoming extinct? Is everyone at your dinner table of the same species? Humans and chimpanzees differ in only 400 genes; is that why an adult human being resembles a chimp fetus? And should that worry us? There's a new genetic cure for drug addiction-is it worse than the disease? We live in a time of momentous scientific leaps; a time when it's possible to sell our eggs and sperm online for thousands of dollars; test our spouses for genetic maladies and even frame someone for a genetic crime. We live in a time when one fifth of all our genes are owned by someone else, and an unsuspecting person and his family can be pursued cross-country because they happen to have certain valuable genes within their chromosomes. . . . Devilishly clever, Next blends fact and fiction into a breathless tale of a new world where nothing is what it seems, and a set of new possibilities can open at every turn. Next challenges our sense of reality and notions of morality. Balancing the comic and bizarre with the genuinely frightening and disturbing, Next shatters our assumptions, and reveals shocking new choices where we least expect. The future is closer than you think. Get used to it." (from Goodreads)

We hope you will join us for one, two, or all three of our July reads!