Meet the Newbies: Julie Eshbaugh

Meet the Newbies is a blog event dedicated to introducing you to the “newbie” published debut authors. In this event, expect to learn more about the authors, their books, and silly fun facts! Check out the full Meet the Newbies lineup here.

Julie Eshbaugh is a local author, and I've had the immense pleasure of meeting her on multiple occasions! She is such a wonderful friend and an amazing supporter of APCB. Her debut historical fantasy novel, Ivory and Bone, is a sweeping tale that will grab you from the very start. Here is Julie!

Author Most Likely to One Day Live in a House Built of Books

Nickname: Jewels

First Day of School: June 7, 2016

Homeroom: HarperTeen

Grade: Historical Fantasy

Extracurricular Travel, wandering through museums, staying up way too late reading, binge watching TV with the family

Favorite Class: English

Favorite Quote/Motto: "Make good art." Neil Gaiman

Meet the Newbies: Kerri Maniscalco

Meet the Newbies is a blog event dedicated to introducing you to the “newbie” published debut authors. In this event, expect to learn more about the authors, their books, and silly fun facts! Check out the full Meet the Newbies lineup here.

Kerri Maniscalco is such a kind and hilarious author. She makes me want to eat pizza on a daily basis, and her gif-usage is unparalleled! I'm currently reading her debut novel, a historical mystery novel, Stalking Jack the Ripper, and it's spectacular. This is definitely a book that should be on your watch list, so here is Kerri!

Author Most Likely To Be A Stormtrooper for Halloween

Nickname: Kerri Sunshine
First Day of School: September 20, 2016
Homeroom: jimmy patterson/Little, Brown
Grade: YA Gothic Horror
Extracurricular Activities: Reading, Sherlock Fangirl Club, Model Crime Investigation, Forensic Science Lab, School Journalism, Bookstagram Photography.
Favorite Class: Muggle Studies
Favorite Quote/Motto: “Our doubts are traitors, And make us lose the good we oft might win, By fearing to attempt.” — William Shakespeare

ARC Review: Ivory and Bone

Author: Julie Eshbaugh
Series: Ivory and Bone #1
Genre: YA Fantasy
Page Length: 384 Pages
Publication Date: June 14th, 2016
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: ARC 
Goodreads | Amazon

The only life seventeen-year-old Kol knows is hunting at the foot of the Great Ice with his brothers. But food is becoming scarce, and without another clan to align with, Kol, his family, and their entire group are facing an uncertain future.

Traveling from the south, Mya and her family arrive at Kol’s camp with a trail of hurt and loss behind them, and hope for a new beginning. When Kol meets Mya, her strength, independence, and beauty instantly captivate him, igniting a desire for much more than survival.

Then on a hunt, Kol makes a grave mistake that jeopardizes the relationship that he and Mya have only just started to build. Mya was guarded to begin with—and for good reason—but no apology or gesture is enough for her to forgive him. Soon after, another clan arrives on their shores. And when Mya spots Lo, a daughter of this new clan, her anger intensifies, adding to the already simmering tension between families. After befriending Lo, Kol learns of a dark history between Lo and Mya that is rooted in the tangle of their pasts.

When violence erupts, Kol is forced to choose between fighting alongside Mya or trusting Lo’s claims. And when things quickly turn deadly, it becomes clear that this was a war that one of them had been planning all along.

Meet the Newbies: Lindsey Klingele

Meet the Newbies is a blog event dedicated to introducing you to the “newbie” published debut authors. In this event, expect to learn more about the authors, their books, and silly fun facts! Check out the full Meet the Newbies lineup here.

The Marked Girl seems like a wonderful blend of contemporary and fantasy. I've heard great things about the book, and here is the author, Lindsey Klingele!

Author Most Likely To Ask the Cafeteria Lady Where She Stashes the Extra Ranch Dressing

Nickname: Linds

First Day of School: June 21, 2016

Homeroom: HarperTeen

Grade: Fantasy

Extracurricular Activities: Reading, Drawing, Competitive Hanging Out on the Couch with my Dog

Favorite Class: Would it make me look more interesting if I said something here other than English? Ah well, I can’t lie

Favorite Quote/Motto: “We’re all stories, in the end. Just make it a good one, eh?” - The Doctor

Parents in YA

Today I want to talk about parents in YA. Do you notice how often parents are either completely ignorant or just plain not there in YA books? I know not all parents are wonderful, but I'm often appalled by the constant portrayal of parents in YA as horrible people...

I love my parents. Of course we don't see eye-to-eye on everything, but they are always present in my life and always there to support or give helpful advice. The parent figures in YA tend to fall into these three tropes:

5 Reasons Why You MUST Read "Made You Up"

Author: Francesca Zappia
Series: N/A
Genre: YA Contemporary
Page Length:  448 Pages
Publication Date: May 5th, 2015
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Source: eARC via Edelweiss (Thanks Harper!)
Goodreads

Reality, it turns out, is often not what you perceive it to be—sometimes, there really is someone out to get you. Made You Up tells the story of Alex, a high school senior unable to tell the difference between real life and delusion. This is a compelling and provoking literary debut that will appeal to fans of Wes Anderson, Silver Linings Playbook, and Liar.

Alex fights a daily battle to figure out the difference between reality and delusion. Armed with a take-no-prisoners attitude, her camera, a Magic 8-Ball, and her only ally (her little sister), Alex wages a war against her schizophrenia, determined to stay sane long enough to get into college. She’s pretty optimistic about her chances until classes begin, and she runs into Miles. Didn't she imagine him? Before she knows it, Alex is making friends, going to parties, falling in love, and experiencing all the usual rites of passage for teenagers. But Alex is used to being crazy. She’s not prepared for normal.

Funny, provoking, and ultimately moving, this debut novel featuring the quintessential unreliable narrator will have readers turning the pages and trying to figure out what is real and what is made up.