Review: The A-Word by Joy Preble

The A-Word

A Sweet Dead Life Novel

by Joy Preble

Publication Date: May 13, 2014

Published by Soho Teen

Pages: 272

Source: Publisher for Review

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Jenna Samuels is about to turn fifteen. It's been almost a year since her stoner brother, Casey, bit the dust. Almost a year since he returned as her guardian angel, along with his "angel boss," Amber Velasco, the hot twenty-something former EMT. Almost a year since Casey and Amber used up their one-time-only angel power of flight to save Jenna from the evil Dr. Renfroe, swooping down to catch her as she tumbled off the balcony at the Houston Galleria. In short, a lot of A-word shenanigans and a mostly happy ending.

Except now Casey's begun to wonder why he's still hanging around—not that he minds protecting Jenna. She's a handful, but there's got to be a bigger picture, right? Something to distract him from his on again/off again, doomed relationship with cheerleader Lanie Phelps, who has no idea her boyfriend is, well, dead. After all, he can't use his angel wings anymore. Neither can Amber.

Enter Bo Shivers, Amber's "angel boss"—a mysterious A-word guy Jenna and Casey didn't even know existed. Whiskey-guzzling. Handsome in a grizzled way. Unpredictable. Okay, make that crazy. Bo lost his angel wings in an earthly flight a long, long, long time back—and he's been a thorn in Angel Management's side ever since. But Bo knows something is coming. Something big. Something that was worth forfeiting wings for Jenna... something that might just change everything for everyone.

My Thoughts

I signed up to participate in The A-Word tour because I'm always enjoy discovering new authors. I had not read any of Joy's books before, and this one sounded like it would be really entertaining. It was after I had been accepted to participate in the tour that I realized it was the second book in a series. I was so worried that I needed to read the first book to understand the background and what was going on. Thankfully when I did start reading The A-Word, it gave me enough background to catch-up and know what was going on and it can be read as a stand-alone.

The A-Word was an all out hilarious read. Jenna is a character that has a wicked sense of humor and I looked forward to reading whatever would come out of mouth next. She tells her story journal-style which helps move the pacing along and "catches" the reader up on things they might have missed. I liked this style of storytelling.

Some of my favorite moments were between Jenna and her brother, Casey. Their sibling banter was entertaining because they would give each other a hard time,  but you could tell there was so much love between them. I enjoy reading stories about siblings, and this one was made even more special because of Casey's role as Jenna's Guardian Angel. It wasn't the obligation that he felt to protect her, but there was an immense amount of pressure from it too. 

I enjoyed the mysterious parts of The A-Word as well. Why were these angels keeping all of these secrets from each other and why don't they know the sources of their powers? What is the larger power at hand? And when Jenna gets in the mix of it all, how can they keep it from her? The thing is, they can't - she's a curious girl and wants to figure it out and that is what made The A-Word enjoyable and entertaining.

I'm happy to have discovered this book and this new-to-me author. Liking the book so much and Joy's style of storytelling and her characters, I must go back and read the first book in the series, The Sweet Dead Life.

Disclaimer:  I received this ARC from Soho Press in exchange for my honest review.  I was not compensated in any way other than the ARC provided. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

Review: Liv, Forever by Amy Talkington

Liv, Forever

by Amy Talkington

Publication Date: March 11, 2014

Published by Soho Teen

Pages:280

Source: ARC from Publisher

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When Liv Bloom lands an art scholarship at Wickham Hall, it’s her ticket out of the foster system. Liv isn’t sure what to make of the school’s weird traditions and rituals, but she couldn’t be happier. For the first time ever, she has her own studio, her own supply of paints. Everything she could want.

Then she meets Malcolm Astor, a legacy student, a fellow artist, and the one person who’s ever been able to melt her defenses. Liv’s only friend at Wickham, fellow scholarship kid Gabe Nichols, warns her not to get involved, but life is finally going Liv’s way, and all she wants to do is enjoy the ride.

But Liv’s bliss is doomed. Weeks after arriving, she is viciously murdered and, in death, she discovers that she’s the latest victim of a dark conspiracy that has claimed many lives. Cursed with the ability to see the many ghosts on Wickham’s campus, Gabe is now Liv’s only link to the world of the living. To Malcolm.

Together, Liv, Gabe, and Malcolm fight to expose the terrible truth that haunts the halls of Wickham. But Liv must fight alone to come to grips with the ultimate star-crossed love.

My Thoughts

Amy Talkington's debut novel Liv, Forever is a book that I could not put down. It kept my attention throughout. It is an unusual ghost story filled with mystery and romance.

Liv's death happens early on in the book. I thought there would be more self-pity and constant questioning as to why it had to happen to her or why did it have to happen just as she was beginning to fall in love. The fact that the story didn't go that route made me like it even more. There was so much more happening and an interesting back story to Wickham Hall and the ghosts of Wickham Hall that there wasn't time to focus on that. There was a larger mystery to be solved. 

Early on, readers will see that Liv isn't the only one who died an untimely death. We are given the back stories of other girls who now haunt Wickham Hall. Every few chapters there is a different girl's tale of how her life came to an end. This upped the creepiness factor of the book because it was told from the girl's perspective. And the girls begin to make appearances around Gabe and Liv, and more frequently once Liv becomes one of them.

I was always worried that Malcolm was going to be the sinister villain. He had all of the trappings - he was "the big man on campus", good-looking, admired by everyone, and a Wickham legacy. He was easily likeable, so of course I thought he was too good to be true. When was he going to betray Liv? When would we see his true colors? He always kept me guessing.

Liv, Forever was a book that I couldn't wait to finish, not that I wanted it to be over, but rather so I could share it with my friends. There is nothing more satisfying than when you are reading a book and while reading you know exactly who you want to share it with because they will absolutely love it. Liv, Forever is one such book. I'm definitely going to share it with my book club because it is a book that offers a lot to be discussed.

Disclaimer:  I received this ARC from Soho Teen in exchange for my honest review.  I was not compensated in any way other than the ARC provided. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

Amy Talkington is an award-winning screenwriter and director living in Los Angeles. Before all that she wrote about music for magazines like Spin, Ray Gun, Interview, and Seventeen (mostly just as a way to get to hang out with rock stars). As a teenager in Dallas, Texas, Amy painted lots of angsty self-portraits, listened to The Velvet Underground and was difficult enough that her parents finally let her go to boarding school on the East Coast. Liv, Forever is her first novel.