Vixen by Jillian Larkin

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"Young. Wealthy. Defiant. Beautiful. Dangerous. It's 1923... and Anything Goes."
This phrase one reads on the back of the book Vixen by Jillian Larkin summarizes the entire story. It's the Jazz Age in Chicago, and Gloria and Lorraine are best friends who hide nothing from each other. Or do they? Gloria longs to enjoy the flapper lifestyle, but now that she is engaged to the powerful Sebastian Grey, will this be possible? Lorraine secretly desires to climb the social ladder and get away from Gloria's shadow, and she will do anything to get there. Anything. The plot thickens when sweet, innocent Clara, Gloria's cousin from Pennsylvania, arrives to help plan the wedding. But under the conservative dresses and boring pastimes, is Clara really everything that she seems, or are her secrets even deeper and darker than those of Gloria and Lorraine? When boys come into the picture, the bonds between these girls loosen. Secrets are kept, lies are told, friends are betrayed. All in the hope of love or fame. When it comes to achieving these things.... Anything goes.

I am a big fan of the twenties era, I chose this book a bit skeptically. I was afraid it would be a Bright Young Things (by Anna Godbersen) wannabe, but I was wrong. This book is a very good interpretation of the time. The plot was slightly predictable as a whole, but the inner details and plots were fantastic and kept me reading. I was also very impressed by the character development of this book, which is often a problem in teen fiction. I found myself cheering for some characters, and desperately angry at others. I felt like I was in the book, which in my opinion is a sign of well developed characters and a wonderfully written plot. I loved this book and it definitely qualifies as one of my favorites. I recommend it to older teenagers who are looking for an accurate but intriguing story of the times of the flappers.

Jillian Larkin, like me, has been fascinated with the flapper era since her childhood. She lives in New York, and has written a sequel to Vixen, Ingenue, which I look forward to reading. For more information about Jillian Larkin and her books, visit randomhouse.com/teens.

Wildwing by Emily Whitman

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Addy knows she is not meant for a life as a simple maid in a gentleman's home. She wishes to wear the dresses and live the fancy life that her character in the upcoming play, the queen, must live. But when a fight causes her mother to remove her from school to become a maid in the house of Mr. Greenwood, a man who has been slightly crazy since the loss of his son years before, Addy loses her part in the play to a girl who does nothing but taunt her.

Addy reluctantly serves out her duty as a maid, when one day she discovers, of all things, an elevator cab in an abandoned bedroom. She steps inside and is suddenly swept away into a world very different from her own. Here, she is mistaken for the future bride of the lord that lives in the castle Addy recognizes as the ruins she has seen so often in her time. Addy becomes used to the pampered, high life that she lives as Lady Matilda while the lord is still away on business, but then she meets William, the falconer's son, whose stunning blue eyes and love for hawking make Addy wonder if she is really ready to leave her entire life behind and become the bride of this man she has never met, but does she really have a choice?

Once again, I have chosen a book about time travel. What can I say, it fascinates me. This book was no exception. It was wonderful. The characters were very likeable and the plot, although just a little bit predictable, was fascinating, although this could be because time travel is one of my favorite subjects. It wasn't focused as much on the time as it was Addy's desire to be someone different, and using a different time period was her way of becoming that person. The midieval times seemed pretty accurate, but for some reason the 1900s, which is where (when?) Addy is actually from, didn't seem very much like the other books I have read about from that time period. It could be that I have never really read one from that perspective. The end was very surprising to me, and I am sure that this book will be enjoyable for anyone who enjoys books about time travel and finding one's true identity. Overall, Wildwing is a great book that I enjoyed very, very much.

Emily Whitman is an author from Oregon who shares my love for time (and worldly) travel. Her first book, Radiant Darkness, was a #1 Indiebound Pick and I look forward to reading it soon! For more information about Wildwing, Radiant Darkness, and Emily Whitman, visit www.emilywhitman.com,

Stravaganza: City of Masks by Mary Hoffman

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Present day, London. Lucien Mulholland spends his days in a hospital bed receiving vicious treatment for the cancer that has taken over his brain. It makes him so sick that sometimes he wonders what makes him feel worse: the cancer or the chemo. His parents do everything they can to try and make him feel better, and one day his father brings him a little notebook he found in a house he was cleaning out. It doesn't seem like much, but when Lucien falls asleep with the notebook in his hand, he realizes it's a much bigger thing than he could have ever imagined.

Suddenly, Lucien finds himself transported to a different time, different place. He quickly realizes that his hair, long gone because of the cancer treatments, is back, and he feels stronger and healthier than ever, although a little confused. He meets a girl who is not where she's supposed to be, and he is somehow trapped into being in the service of the Duchess of the Island Bellezza, which he comes to realize is very much like the city he knows as Venice. When he wakes up in his hospital bed, he decides all this must be a dream. But when the dreams keep coming back, they become almost more real than his home in London. He meets a man who tells him he isn't dreaming but stravagating. Traveling from one world to another, and all this because of the little notebook his father had given him. Can Lucien handle living in both worlds, thriving in one, barely surviving in another? Find out in this book filled with adventure, magic, and even a little romance.

I picked this book up at the library, not sure what to expect. I was intrigued by the cover, and the thought of travel to a different time and place has always been interesting to me. Though it was a little hard to get into, I loved this book. It was not predictable at all, a very big advantage when it comes to the books I read, and it was so good I couldn't put it down. I read it in a very short amount of time, not because of it's level of difficulty, but because of the storyline that kept me reading. I thought the parallels between Talia of the book and Italy of our world were very interesting, but the two places weren't too similar to be boring. It was a great read and I definitely reccomend it! I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

Mary Hoffman has loved Italy since her first trip there at 14, and she has transferred that love into City of Masks. She has written four sequels to City of Masks, and the sixth one is due to come out in 2012. For more information about Mary Hoffman and her other books, visit maryhoffman.co.uk.

I'm Back!

I am very sad to say that once school started I suddenly became so busy I was completely unable to post anything. On the bright side, I have been reading almost as much as usual and have many books that I can possibly write reviews on in the next few weeks, so hopefully I will have some up soon!
Thanks for following!
Rachel

The Luxe by Anna Godberson

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Manhattan. 1899. Parties, dresses, romance... and betrayal.

In the highest classes of society in 19th century New York, even the closest of friends will turn on each other to obtain what they desire, or hide their darkest secrets. Heiresses Elizabeth and Dianna Holland, Penelope Hayes, and Lina Broud are right in the middle of all of it. Elizabeth is engaged to a man she does not love, and who does not love her, and wants nothing more than to be with Will, the stable boy who has had her heart for years. Penelope wants power and is willing to crush anything that gets in her way, especially her friends. Diana is young and in love with none other than her sister's fiance who claims to love her too. Lina is Elizabeth's former maid who has managed to climb her way up the society ladder in a less-than honest way in the hope of stealing Will's love from Elisabeth. Lies told and believed weave a complicated web for these 4 young women, will their stories end as they hope?

I fell in love with this book as soon as I picked it up. Though at times it is confusing and seems almost to be a 19th century soap opera, it is intriguing and it kept me wanting to read the next one in the series as soon as possible. It is a historically accurate love story whose fantastic plot will never leave you bored, though sometimes a little confused. You will find yourself quickly taking sides with the very developed characters and getting lost in the beautiful setting that is New York City at the turn of the century. The Luxe Series is an amazing couple of books that I recommend to teenage girls.

Anna Godberson has written 3 sequels to Luxe: Rumors, Envy and Splendor, all of which are fantastic books and I highly recommend. She is also publishing Bright Young Things, a book about the roaring 20s, in October, which I look forward to reading.

Impossible by Nancy Werlin

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Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Remember me to one who lives there
She must be a true love of mine.

This is a ballad you are maybe familiar with. It has been written in many versions, and sung by many people. But do the words sound quite right? There is a little change. This is the version the Scarborough women have been singing for generations. For years, they have been under a curse. Mother after mother has fallen into madness after the birth of her daughter because they were unable to complete the impossible tasks in the ballad Scarborough Fair. All this because of the Elfin Knight whose affections were refused by a girl named Fenella Scarborough. Impossible is the story of the girl who refuses to be overcome and resolves to complete the tasks for herself, her daughter, and her one true love. But will she be able to or will the Elfin Knight claim her as his forevermore?

Lucy Scarborough has always lived with her foster parents because her birth mother, Miranda, is completely mad, and has been since Lucy's birth. When Lucy becomes pregnant under difficult circumstances, she finds a journal and a letter written by her mother before she was even born. This letter seems like complete madness. A curse? An Elfin Knight? These things are impossible. But piece by piece things start to make sense, and Lucy finds herself fighting to complete the three tasks required by the Knight to escape being his mistress until the birth of her granddaughter. She starts off determined and confident, but doubt begins to overcome her and she wonders if she will be able to finish what she started. If generations of her ancestors couldn't, why should she be able to? But Lucy has one thing those women didn't have, she has Zach. Zach is so in love with Lucy and just as determined as she is to defeat this curse. Will their love be enough to loosen the impossibly tight grip this evil has on Lucy?

I picked up Impossible partially because of the ballad Scarborough Fair, which I have prepared for a vocal performance, and partially because of a friend who loved it. I will make sure to follow her recommendations from now on because this book was wonderful. Wonderful story, wonderfully written. It kept me on edge constantly and was a fantastic combination of realistic fiction and fairy tale love story. I couldn't put it down! I definitely recommend this book to older teenagers who enjoy a hint of fantasy in books.

Nancy Werlin is an award winning author who has written many novels for young adults. Impossible has won many awards and was nominated for the ALA Book List Top Ten. For more information on Nancy Werlin, Impossible, and her other works please visit nancywerlin.com.

Delay

Hey there!
I've been on vacation for the past while with no internet.
I hope to have a review up by this evening!