Mundie Moms

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Book Review-Radiance


By Alyson Noel
Published By Square Fish/MacMillian
To Be Released On: August 31st, 2010
Source-The Publisher
4 Stars- Great read, go pick it up

Riley Bloom left her sister, Ever, in the world of the living and crossed the bridge into the afterlife—a place called Here, where time is always Now. Riley and her dog, Buttercup, have been reunited with her parents and are just settling into a nice, relaxing death when she's summoned before The Council. They let her in on a secret—the afterlife isn't just an eternity of leisure; Riley has to work. She's been assigned a job, Soul Catcher, and a teacher, Bodhi, a curious boy she can't quite figure out.

Riley, Bodhi, and Buttercup return to earth for her first assignment, a Radiant Boy who's been haunting a castle in England for centuries. Many Soul Catchers have tried to get him to cross the bridge and failed. But he's never met Riley... (back of ARC)

Riley Bloom is a cute, feisty, sassy 12 year character that I completely adored in Radiance. She's learning how to cope with crossing over into the Here, after the accident and leaving her sister Ever behind. With her dog Buttercup at her side, Riley begins to learn more about herself, and realizes that her life wasn't all she thought it was. Now she has the task as a Soul Catcher, and with the help of Bodhi, and Buttercup, she will be helping other's cross over the bridge, that she herself didn't want to cross.

Riley is such a great, refreshing character and I loved her voice. She has some great inner monologues that made me laugh out loud. She quickly finds out other people in the Here can hear can hear what she's thinking. So when she meets "Dorky" Bodhi, she'll quickly learn to stop thinking things about him, as he can hear her. Bodhi's character is great, as he can dish it right back to Riley. Together they have great chemistry. I liked that while Riley stayed true to herself through the book, I liked seeing her grow more. She starts off questioning who she is and feeling trapped that she's in the Here. She misses being alive and wanting to be back with Ever, but once she realizes that her life was really all about her trying to be like her big sister (and what 12 yr old doesn't want to be like their big sister for the most part), she let's go and lives in the Here and Now.

Bodhi and Riley make for a great pair as he's her guide and will teach her how to be a Soul Catcher. What I love about Bodhi is that he wants to teaches Riley a lesson about respect, and he doesn't fill Riley in on their task, as she thinks she knows it all. So when she completes a task he thought she would fail, they both learn to respect each other a little more. The two them together had me laughing out loud. What 12 yr girl wants to get told what to do by a 14 yr old boy!?!

I really enjoyed Radiance. While it's a spin off from Alyson's Immortal series, you don't need to read Evermore to understand what is happening. It's the first in a middle grade series, but I'd definitely recommend YA fans of Alyson Noel to pick it up. I'm looking forward to finding out what happens next with Riley and Bodhi.

Find out more about Radiance on Alyson's site here http://www.alysonnoel.com/radiance/
and the publisher's site http://us.macmillan.com/radiance-1

CWA Celebrations Day 8: Clockwork Angel Play List (Part 1)


I am so excited to share this Mundie Moms exclusive, Cassie's Clockwork Angel playlist!! This is the first of a two part post, which will have the complete Clockwork Angel playlist. We have been looking forward to finding out which songs Cassie listened to and why she choose the songs she did. I hope you enjoy the playlist as much as we have. You'll find all Cassie's comments are italicized and color coded to make them stand out more.

Playlist for Clockwork Angel:

Yes, despite the fact that this is a historical novel, the playlist is contemporary. I'm a contemporary writer and you have to go with the music you love if it's going to get you into the right space to write, even if it's anachronistic! So below, the songs on the CA playlist and why they meant something to me about Clockwork Angel:

1) Jesus and Mary Chain, Head On

This particular song reminds me of Will, especially the lines:

"I'm taking myself to the dirty part of town
Where all my troubles can be found"

given his midnight wanderings through the bad neighborhoods of London, it seemed to fit.

2) "The Drugs Don't Work" The Verve

This one makes me think of Jem, for clear reasons for those who have read the book. And also about the scene with Will and Jem in the carriage when Will is thinking about what would happen to him if Jem died.

"Now the drugs don't work
They just make you worse
But I know I'll see your face again
'Cause baby, if heaven calls, I'm coming, too
Just like you said, you leave my life, I'm better off dead "

3) "I'm A Vampire" Future Bible Heroes

This one can't help but make me think of Camille.

"The sun will never touch me
I abhor its filthy light
I am the mistress of the damned
And of the children of the night
I have all the love I need
It is your blood I crave
I am the bitch goddess from beyond your grave."


4) The One I Love, Greg Laswell

Will again.

"but i should probably say that i'm unsure why i'm running
running away from
the only thing i want
yeah, i should probably say that i'm unsure why i'm running
running away from the one i love"

5) Alive Alone, The Chemical Brothers

I listened to this while I was writing about Tessa in the Dark House, when she thinks "If no one cared about you at all, did it matter if you were alive or not?":

"And I'm alive/And I'm alone/And I never wanted to be either of those things."

6) London, 1888 by Momus

"It's London 1888
And I have learned the game of chess
I have a club, it's on the Strand
I'm a dishonourable man
And Tokyo is far away
The English wear a poker face
The latest craze is called 'Croquet'
I am a stranger here"

This song is about a Japanese nobleman out of his element in Victorian London — it reminded me a little of Jem, though Jem is Chinese, being out of his element when he first arrived in the city; it also reminds me of another character, someone very well-traveled, who is British but doesn't really think of Britain as home, talking about his sense of disconection and amorality despite all his money, the decadent life he can afford, and his "Club," of course.

7) This is the Thing, Fink

Another song that reminds me of Will and the core dilemma that makes him behave as he does.

"And the things that keep us apart
Keep me alive
And the things that keep me alive
Keep me alone"


I've put together the list of songs that I could find, so you can enjoy listening to them here

Get a playlist! Standalone player Get Ringtones

Thank you Cassie for sharing your playlist with us!! Tomorrow we'll have the second half to Cassie's Clockwork Angel play list. Enjoy!

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by The Story Siren and was inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie! We share the books we've received this past week for review, borrowed from friends or the library, received as a gift and/or bought for both Mundie Moms and Mundie Kids (our Children's Book Review Site).

For Review:
* Love Sucks by Melissa Francis (just released) by HarperTeen, from publisher
* Change of Heart by Shari Maurer, published by Westside Books, from the author

Bought:
* I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore
* The Hollow by Jessica Verday (paperback)
* Kiss Me Deadly by Trisha Telep
* Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel

Gifted:
* Beautiful Darkness button, won from Caster Girls (Thank you so much!)
* Beastly Journal, from a friend *don't laugh, you know you want one!* lol

For Mundie Kids

Reviews:
* Number One Kids & Big Whopper by Patricia Reilly Giff, published by Random House Kids, will be released on August 10th, 2010, from the publisher
* Hurricane Mia, A Caribbean Adventure by Donna Maria Seim, released June 2010, from the author
* The Aristrobrats by Jennifer Solow, to be released September 2010, published by Source Books, from author/publisher

Bought:
* Bob Books, Advancing Beginners Set 2

Thank you to HarperTeen, Random House, Donna Maria Seim, Shari Maurer, Castergirls and to my "you know who are" friend, for all the great reads and gifts this week.

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