"Waiting on" Wednesday

"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.



This week's selection is:

WHITE LINES
By: Jennifer Banash
Published By: Putnam Juvenile
Release Date: April 4, 2013
Preorder the Book: Amazon

Goodreads Summary: A gritty, atmospheric coming of age tale set in 1980s New York City.

Seventeen-year-old Cat is living every teenager’s dream: she has her own apartment on the Lower East Side and at night she’s club kid royalty, guarding the velvet rope at some of the hottest clubs in the city. The night with its crazy, frenetic, high-inducing energy—the pulsing beat of the music, the radiant, joyful people and those seductive white lines that can ease all pain—is when Cat truly lives. But her daytime, when real life occurs, is more nightmare than dream. Having spent years suffering her mother’s emotional and physical abuse, and abandoned by her father, Cat is terrified and alone—unable to connect to anyone or anything. But when someone comes along who makes her want to truly live, she’ll need to summon the courage to confront her demons and take control of a life already spinning dangerously out of control.

Both poignant and raw, White Lines is a gripping tale and the reader won’t want to look away.



Why it's wanted:
I love darker contemporary novels, and White Lines sounds like it could be a very powerful story.

Teaser Tuesday (74)

I'm very excited to be one of the many blogs participating in Teaser Tuesdays! TT is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. To participate:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
(Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"There was a brief, collective intake of breath throughout the room. And then...chaos broke out."


p. 170 from FROSTBITE by Richelle Mead
Please share your teasers - post them or link to your blog!

Review: Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

PARANORMALCY
By: Kiersten White
Published By: Harper Teen
Release Date: Aug. 31, 2010
Series: Paranormalcy (#1)
Pages: 335
Genre: Paranormal
Reading Level: Young Adult
Source: Bought
Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads Summary: Vampires. Werewolves. Faeries. Shapeshifters.

Evie's always thought of herself as normal. Sure, her best friend is a mermaid, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she’s falling for a shape-shifter, and she’s the only person who can see through paranormals' glamours, but still. Normal.

Only now paranormals are dying, and Evie's dreams are filled with haunting voices and mysterious prophecies. She soon realizes that there may be a link between her abilities and the sudden rash of deaths, and even worse, that she is at the centre of a dark prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.



You know those books that you have on your shelf for a long time even after everyone has raved about it, and when you finally get around to reading it you wonder what took you so long? Paranormalcy was one of those books for me. The good things I'd heard about it were all true, and the book was so much fun to get lost in.

Evie works for the IPCA, the International Paranormal Containment Agency. She has a unique ability - she can see through the glamours of paranormal creatures, allowing her to identify and get information about paranormal creatures from vampires to werewolves to hags. Evie's been at IPCA for as long as she can remember, but working all the time and being the only teenager there makes for a lonely life. She wants to experience life like the teens on her favorite show, Easton Heights. But when there's a breach at IPCA, paranormals are dying, and there's a strange new boy currently being detained by IPCA, her life suddenly gets a little more exciting. Add to that falling for a shapeshifter and finding herself involved in a prophecy, and Evie realizes her life has never been more para-normal. Can Evie figure out who's killing all the paranormal creatures and figure out if the cute new boy actually likes her?

From the beginning, I was hooked on Paranormalcy because of Evie's voice. She loves pink and going shopping like any teenage girl, but at the same time, growing up around adults and working for the agency has given her a sharp wit. She's direct and sarcastic, which I loved, and her voice makes the whole book fun to read. And everything else made the book more enjoyable. A lot of standard paranormal creatures show up in Paranormalcy; some are what you would expect, but others Kiersten White has put her own spin on, especially faeries. By far one of the most unique creatures was Lend, who despite his abilities is also Evie's first real look into a normal life, one with high school lockers and all. Lend was an all-around good guy, despite what face he was wearing. Contrasted with him was Reth, a faerie and Evie's quasi-ex-boyfriend, and he always seemed to be more than he appeared. While his interactions with Evie had an uneasy feeling, Evie's time with Lend felt comfortable. They actually were friends before anything more happened, and it was so refreshing to see that.

Even during the downtime in this book, there wasn't a dull moment. The pacing was great, letting me finish the book before I even realized the ending was so close. There was a great balance of action, romance, world-building, and humor that left me wanting more of the book even after I'd finished the story. I need more of this world, and I'm very glad that all three books are already out.

Paranormalcy was a fantastic start to this trilogy. I read a preview chapter for the next book, Supernaturally, and right away the stakes are heightened again and I'm dying to know what happens. I can't wait to read more of this story!

Opening Lines (16)

Opening Lines is a new feature here on Portrait of a Book that showcases the first lines of recent and/or upcoming releases. If you're looking for your next read, let these first lines help you decide!



SURFACING
By: Nora Raleigh Baskin
Published By: Candlewick
Release Date: March 12, 2013
Buy the Book: Amazon

A lyrical and deeply moving portrait of grief, blame, and forgiveness, and of finding the courage to confront your ghosts — one truth at a time.

As soon as she was under, Maggie heard the quiet, though every sound was amplified in her ears and in her brain . . . Sound, like shame, travels four times faster under the water.

Though only a sophomore, Maggie Paris is a star on the varsity swim team, but she also has an uncanny, almost magical ability to draw out people’s deepest truths, even when they don’t intend to share them. It’s reached a point where most of her classmates, all but her steadfast best friend, now avoid her, and she’s taken to giving herself away every chance she gets to an unavailable — and ungrateful — popular boy from the wrestling team, just to prove she still exists. Even Maggie’s parents, who are busy avoiding each other and the secret deep at the heart of their devastated family, seem wary of her. Is there such a thing as too much truth?

"The most peaceful memory I have is of when I drown."


MILA 2.0
By: Debra Driza
Published By: Katherine Tegen Books
Release Date: March 12, 2013
Buy the Book: Amazon

Mila 2.0 is the first book in an electrifying sci-fi thriller series about a teenage girl who discovers that she is an experiment in artificial intelligence.

Mila was never meant to learn the truth about her identity. She was a girl living with her mother in a small Minnesota town. She was supposed to forget her past—that she was built in a secret computer science lab and programmed to do things real people would never do.

Now she has no choice but to run—from the dangerous operatives who want her terminated because she knows too much and from a mysterious group that wants to capture her alive and unlock her advanced technology. However, what Mila’s becoming is beyond anyone’s imagination, including her own, and it just might save her life.

Mila 2.0 is Debra Driza’s bold debut and the first book in a Bourne Identity-style trilogy that combines heart-pounding action with a riveting exploration of what it really means to be human. Fans of I Am Number Four will love Mila for who she is and what she longs to be—and a cliffhanger ending will leave them breathlessly awaiting the sequel.

"Beyond the eastern border of Greenwood Ranch, orange poured across the sky, edging the clouds like flame."


PRETTY GIRL-13
By: Liz Coley
Published By: Katherine Tegen Books
Release Date: March 19, 2013
Buy the Book: Amazon

Reminiscent of the Elizabeth Smart case, Pretty Girl-13 is a disturbing and powerful psychological mystery about a girl who must piece together the story of her kidnapping and captivity.

Angie Chapman was thirteen years old when she ventured into the woods alone on a Girl Scouts camping trip. Now she's returned home…only to find that it's three years later and she's sixteen-or at least that's what everyone tells her.

What happened to the past three years of her life?

Angie doesn't know.

But there are people who do — people who could tell Angie every detail of her forgotten time, if only they weren't locked inside her mind. With a tremendous amount of courage, Angie embarks on a journey to discover the fragments of her personality, otherwise known as her "alters." As she unearths more and more about her past, she discovers a terrifying secret and must decide: When you remember things you wish you could forget, do you destroy the parts of yourself that are responsible?

Liz Coley's alarming and fascinating psychological mystery is a disturbing - and ultimately empowering page-turner about accepting our whole selves, and the healing power of courage, hope, and love.

"'Go back now,' a voice said."


17 & Gone
By: Nova Ren Suma
Published By: Dutton Juvenile
Release Date: March 21, 2013
Buy the Book: Amazon

Seventeen-year-old Lauren is having visions of girls who have gone missing. And all these girls have just one thing in common—they are 17 and gone without a trace. As Lauren struggles to shake these waking nightmares, impossible questions demand urgent answers: Why are the girls speaking to Lauren? How can she help them? And… is she next? As Lauren searches for clues, everything begins to unravel, and when a brush with death lands her in the hospital, a shocking truth emerges, changing everything.

With complexity and richness, Nova Ren Suma serves up a beautiful, visual, fresh interpretation of what it means to be lost.

"Girls go missing every day."



Do any of these opening lines grab your attention? What are your favorite first lines that you've read lately?

Review: Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel

DEARLY, DEPARTED
By: Lia Habel
Published By: Del Rey
Release Date: Oct. 18, 2011
Series: Gone with the Respiration (#1)
Pages: 470
Genre: Steampunk
Reading Level: Young Adult
Source: Bought
Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads Summary: Love can never die.

Love conquers all, so they say. But can Cupid’s arrow pierce the hearts of the living and the dead—or rather, the undead? Can a proper young Victorian lady find true love in the arms of a dashing zombie?

The year is 2195. The place is New Victoria—a high-tech nation modeled on the manners, mores, and fashions of an antique era. A teenager in high society, Nora Dearly is far more interested in military history and her country’s political unrest than in tea parties and debutante balls. But after her beloved parents die, Nora is left at the mercy of her domineering aunt, a social-climbing spendthrift who has squandered the family fortune and now plans to marry her niece off for money. For Nora, no fate could be more horrible—until she’s nearly kidnapped by an army of walking corpses.

But fate is just getting started with Nora. Catapulted from her world of drawing-room civility, she’s suddenly gunning down ravenous zombies alongside mysterious black-clad commandos and confronting “The Laz,” a fatal virus that raises the dead—and hell along with them. Hardly ideal circumstances. Then Nora meets Bram Griswold, a young soldier who is brave, handsome, noble . . . and dead. But as is the case with the rest of his special undead unit, luck and modern science have enabled Bram to hold on to his mind, his manners, and his body parts. And when his bond of trust with Nora turns to tenderness, there’s no turning back. Eventually, they know, the disease will win, separating the star-crossed lovers forever. But until then, beating or not, their hearts will have what they desire.

In Dearly, Departed, romance meets walking-dead thriller, spawning a madly imaginative novel of rip-roaring adventure, spine-tingling suspense, and macabre comedy that forever redefines the concept of undying love.



I have to admit that I wanted to read Dearly, Departed first because of the cover. I wasn't sure how I felt about zombies, but I love Victorian novels and heard good things about this book, so I decided to give it a shot. While there were some aspects of the book that I really enjoyed, there were others that left me wanting more.

"'This!' I spun around before him, on a lark. 'All of this! You know...' I stopped, my skirt moving still, and leaned closer to him. 'We never would have met if you hadn't become a zombie. You're a Punk, I'm a Victorian...but here we are, united in death.'"

An orphan in New Victoria, Nora Dearly is at the mercy of her last remaining relative, her aunt. Nora's father was an important scientist in New Victoria, but her aunt has spent most of the family money and plans for Nora to marry well and ensure the family's financial security. But there was more to her father's research than Nora knew - much more. Instead of enjoying her holiday break from school, Nora is kidnapped by an army. And not just any army - an undead army. Nora, thinking all zombies are alike, is overwhelmed by her new surroundings, and terrified of the zombies. But after spending time with Bram, she comes to see that Bram is different. Bram is a friend...and maybe more. However, not all zombies are good, and some are certainly out for destruction. Will Bram's army, along with Nora, be able to do anything to save Nora's home from infection and death?

"As I climbed into the carriage, I once more contemplated my fate, and how the stylus would figure into it. Shoving it violently into my nose would probably be the best way to go. If I did it hard enough, I might be able to stab myself in the brain. A proper student's suicide."

From the beginning, I liked Nora's character. She lived in a Victorian society, but she certainly wasn't demure or a conventional Victorian girl. For instance, she loved war holograms and her sarcasm and wit were amusing throughout the book. Nora had to deal with a lot of tragedy in her life, but rather than withdrawing, she let the losses make her stronger. She isn't willing to be a pushover, and that extends to her best friend, Pam. Their strong friendship was refreshing to see - not even romantic pursuits damanaged their friendship. In addition, even though it was a culture shock for Nora when she was kidnapped, and she was always distrustful of the zombies, she was eventually able to give them a chance. And Bram certainly deserved one. He had his own share of suffering, but despite being a zombie he is always such a gentleman. Even though it seemed to happen suddenly, I loved watching Nora and Bram fall for each other. And some of Bram's fellow zombies were extremely entertaining.

In addition to a wide cast of characters, Dearly, Departed had more points of view than most. Five different characters share their perspective, though Nora and Bram are the main focus. While it was nice to see the complete picture of the story, occasionally it was difficult to follow the story trajectory when some characters had very few chapters from their perspective. However, in spite of this (or perhaps because of this), I felt like the middle of the book dragged. This book is on the long side, and while I loved the beginning - getting into the world and learning the characters - and while I did enjoy the romance aspect that was carried throughout and then the ending of the book, the middle lost my interest. Even still, I think the continuation of this story has definite potential.

"Bram regarded me with soft eyes. He took a deep, chest-expanding breath, and when the air came out, he said, 'I'm dead, Nora.' I slowly reached up and touched his bottom lip. He didn't fight it as I traced his lips, his chin, the top half of his throat. He kissed my satin-robed wrist, over the glove's buttoned opening, and dropped my hand. In that moment, I found him fully, absolutely beautiful."

Dearly, Departed is a different, unique story with a memorable voice for the characters. If you like zombie novels, Victorian romance, or steampunk books, Dearly, Departed is certainly worth reading.

Opening Lines (15)

Opening Lines is a new feature here on Portrait of a Book that showcases the first lines of recent and/or upcoming releases. If you're looking for your next read, let these first lines help you decide!



ORLEANS
By: Sherri L. Smith
Published By: Putnam Juvenle
Release Date: March 7, 2013
Buy the Book: Amazon

First came the storms.
Then came the Fever.
And the Wall.

After a string of devastating hurricanes and a severe outbreak of Delta Fever, the Gulf Coast has been quarantined. Years later, residents of the Outer States are under the assumption that life in the Delta is all but extinct… but in reality, a new primitive society has been born.

Fen de la Guerre is living with the O-Positive blood tribe in the Delta when they are ambushed. Left with her tribe leader’s newborn, Fen is determined to get the baby to a better life over the wall before her blood becomes tainted. Fen meets Daniel, a scientist from the Outer States who has snuck into the Delta illegally. Brought together by chance, kept together by danger, Fen and Daniel navigate the wasteland of Orleans. In the end, they are each other’s last hope for survival.

Sherri L. Smith delivers an expertly crafted story about a fierce heroine whose powerful voice and firm determination will stay with you long after you’ve turned the last page.

"There be seagulls catching the breeze overhead."


STRANDS OF BRONZE AND GOLD
By: Jane Nickerson
Published By: Random House Children's Books
Release Date: March 12, 2013
Buy the Book: Amazon

The Bluebeard fairy tale retold. . . .

When seventeen-year-old Sophia Petheram’s beloved father dies, she receives an unexpected letter. An invitation—on fine ivory paper, in bold black handwriting—from the mysterious Monsieur Bernard de Cressac, her godfather. With no money and fewer options, Sophie accepts, leaving her humble childhood home for the astonishingly lavish Wyndriven Abbey, in the heart of Mississippi.

Sophie has always longed for a comfortable life, and she finds herself both attracted to and shocked by the charm and easy manners of her overgenerous guardian. But as she begins to piece together the mystery of his past, it’s as if, thread by thread, a silken net is tightening around her. And as she gathers stories and catches whispers of his former wives—all with hair as red as her own—in the forgotten corners of the abbey, Sophie knows she’s trapped in the passion and danger of de Cressac’s intoxicating world.

Glowing strands of romance, mystery, and suspense are woven into this breathtaking debut—a thrilling retelling of the “Bluebeard” fairy tale.

"You see, I had a fabulously wealthy godfather."


PANIC
By: Sharon M. Draper
Published By: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Release Date: March 12, 2013
Buy the Book: Amazon

This gripping and chillingly realistic novel from New York Times bestselling author Sharon Draper shows that all it takes is one bad decision for everything to change.

Diamond knows not to get into a car with a stranger.

But what if the stranger is well-dressed and handsome? On his way to meet his wife and daughter? And casting a movie that very night—a movie in need of a star dancer? What then?

Then Diamond might make the wrong decision.

It’s a nightmare come true: Diamond Landers has been kidnapped. She was at the mall with a friend, alone for only a few brief minutes—and now she’s being held captive, forced to endure horrors beyond what she ever could have dreamed, while her family and friends experience their own torments and wait desperately for any bit of news.

From New York Times bestselling author Sharon Draper, this is a riveting exploration of power: how quickly we can lose it—and how we can take it back.

"'Hey, dance boy!'"


POISON
By: Bridget Zinn
Published By: Disney Hyperion
Release Date: March 12, 2013
Buy the Book: Amazon

Sixteen-year-old Kyra, a highly-skilled potions master, is the only one who knows her kingdom is on the verge of destruction—which means she’s the only one who can save it. Faced with no other choice, Kyra decides to do what she does best: poison the kingdom’s future ruler, who also happens to be her former best friend.

But, for the first time ever, her poisoned dart . . . misses.

Now a fugitive instead of a hero, Kyra is caught in a game of hide-and-seek with the king’s army and her potioner ex-boyfriend, Hal. At least she’s not alone. She’s armed with her vital potions, a too-cute pig, and Fred, the charming adventurer she can’t stop thinking about. Kyra is determined to get herself a second chance (at murder), but will she be able to find and defeat the princess before Hal and the army find her?

Kyra is not your typical murderer, and she’s certainly no damsel-in-distress—she’s the lovable and quick-witted hero of this romantic novel that has all the right ingredients to make teen girls swoon.

"The Master Trio Potioners' flat didn't look impregnable."



Do any of these opening lines grab your attention? What are your favorite first lines that you've read lately?

Introducting: Go Indie

There are so many good indie books being published, but sometimes it's hard to know where to start with these books. I'm always interested in recommendations of books that are must-reads but that haven't gotten much press, and I also wanted to help promote indie authors and their works. Hence Go Indie was born. This is a new feature on Portrait of a Book that will showcase some of these indie titles in a variety of ways, from excerpts to guest posts and interviews with indie authors.

Authors: If you're interested in having your book featured as part of Go Indie, fill out this form.

Check back soon for the first official Go Indie feature and for more to follow after that!

Review: Things I Can't Forget by Miranda Kenneally

THINGS I CAN'T FORGET
By: Miranda Kenneally
Published By: Sourcebooks Fire
Release Date: March 1, 2013
Series: Hundred Oaks (#3)
Pages: 320
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Reading Level: Young Adult
Source: ALA Midwinter
Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads Summary: Kate has always been the good girl. Too good, according to some people at school—although they have no idea the guilty secret she carries. But this summer, everything is different…

This summer she’s a counselor at Cumberland Creek summer camp, and she wants to put the past behind her. This summer Matt is back as a counselor too. He’s the first guy she ever kissed, and he’s gone from a geeky songwriter who loved The Hardy Boys to a buff lifeguard who loves to flirt…with her.

Kate used to think the world was black and white, right and wrong. Turns out, life isn’t that easy…

Note: Mature themes, sexual situations, religious discussions.



I loved Miranda Kenneally's first book, Catching Jordan - I was pleasantly surprised to find that the story was about so much more than just football. She did the same in Stealing Parker. Because Things I Can't Forget isn't so focused on sports, everything else that Miranda does so well - friendships, romance, addressing aspects of teenage life other books shy away from - was allowed to take center stage and create a book that really resonated with me.

After a rough couple of months, Kate is looking forward to being a counselor at Cumberland Creek summer camp, the same church camp she went to as a kid. Even though she wishes her best friend was still going to be a counselor with her, and despite the fact that her outdoor survival skills aren't necessarily strong, she's sure she can make it work. Legend has it that every year someone gets a sign from God at this camp, and this year Kate's hoping that it will be her. She never expected to see Matt again - Matt, the first boy she kissed back at this camp years ago. Once again Kate finds herself drawn to him...but how could Matt like someone who did what she did? Kate was expecting everyone at camp to be "good Christian people." But what she finds is that things aren't always black and white, and sometimes you just have to decide for yourself.

"Does being in love mean forgetting everything you know? Or is it about folding that love into your life? Because right now, I have no idea how to balance that.

Love weighs a million pounds."

I have to admit that this book really bothered me at first, just like Stealing Parker did, not because of the religion aspect, but because of how it was portrayed. Kate seemed so narrow-minded, and even though I knew that was the point and certainly her right to believe that way, I found the first few chapters very frustrating. Fortunately, the book changed quickly, becoming more than a book about religion or about summer love at camp. Instead, through Kate, Miranda Kenneally tackled the tougher issues about how to decide who you want to be - not just who, but what kind of person, questioning long-held beliefs, and the self-discovery that can only come when you're in a different environment from that in which you were raised. Kate's time at camp reminded me not only of my own summers spent at church camp as a child but also the first time I was away from home and surrounded by people with vastly different backgrounds from myself, and how I changed as a result. I enjoyed watching her journey and was glad to see her find something that worked for her. Throughout the book there are flashbacks related to whatever Kate is sketching at the moment; I loved how these scenes were incorporated, as they helped show Kate's development as a character.

With one big exception, I really enjoyed the other characters that showed up at Cumberland Creek camp. Parker and Will both played a big role in the book, and it was fun to see them again. Jordan shows up as well, and I enjoyed her talk with Kate. But mostly, there is Matt, the incredibly sweet Matt, who was the first boy Kate ever kissed and who just might want to kiss her again. Matt's a couple of years older, and like Kate, he has things in his past that he'd rather not talk about. But the two always seem so right together. And there is one scene between them that is a definite "awwww" moment. My one character complaint is Megan. I kept hoping that there would be a bigger reason behind her behavior, or some kind of realization and apology, but there was nothing. Perhaps that goes to show that some people don't change. But for everyone else, it's safe to say that the summer at Cumberland Creek takes them to a good place.

Of Miranda Kenneally's three books, Things I Can't Forget is a definite favorite (though it may be more suited to older teens than younger due to some of the situations). You can read it without having read the other two, but really, they are all worth reading. I can't wait to see what she writes next!

"Waiting on" Wednesday

"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.



This week's selection is:

THE COLLECTOR
By: Victoria Scott
Published By: Entangled Teen
Release Date: April 2, 2013
Preorder the Book: Amazon

Goodreads Summary: He makes good girls...bad.

Dante Walker is flippin’ awesome, and he knows it. His good looks, killer charm, and stellar confidence have made him one of hell’s best—a soul collector. His job is simple: weed through humanity and label those round rears with a big red good or bad stamp. Old Saint Nick gets the good guys, and he gets the fun ones. Bag-and-tag.

Sealing souls is nothing personal. Dante’s an equal-opportunity collector and doesn't want it any other way. But he’ll have to adjust, because Boss Man has given him a new assignment:

Collect Charlie Cooper’s soul within ten days.

Dante doesn't know why Boss Man wants Charlie, nor does he care. This assignment means only one thing to him, and that’s a permanent ticket out of hell. But after Dante meets the quirky Nerd Alert chick he’s come to collect, he realizes this assignment will test his abilities as a collector…and uncover emotions deeply buried.



Why it's wanted:
This book has gotten some great early buzz. Besides, who can resist a bad boy?

Teaser Tuesday (73)

I'm very excited to be one of the many blogs participating in Teaser Tuesdays! TT is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. To participate:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
(Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"My voice came from his mouth, disconcerting as always. 'I could ask you the same thing. Are you here to kill me?'"


p. 31 from PARANORMALCY by Kiersten White
Please share your teasers - post them or link to your blog!

Opening Lines (14)

Opening Lines is a new feature here on Portrait of a Book that showcases the first lines of recent and/or upcoming releases. If you're looking for your next read, let these first lines help you decide!



THINGS I CAN'T FORGET
By: Miranda Kenneally
Published By: Sourcebooks Fire
Release Date: March 1, 2013
Buy the Book: Amazon

Kate has always been the good girl. Too good, according to some people at school—although they have no idea the guilty secret she carries. But this summer, everything is different…

This summer she’s a counselor at Cumberland Creek summer camp, and she wants to put the past behind her. This summer Matt is back as a counselor too. He’s the first guy she ever kissed, and he’s gone from a geeky songwriter who loved The Hardy Boys to a buff lifeguard who loves to flirt…with her.

Kate used to think the world was black and white, right and wrong. Turns out, life isn’t that easy…

"Girls like me do not buy pregnancy tests."


LET THE SKY FALL
By: Shannon Messenger
Published By: Simon Pulse
Release Date: March 5, 2013
Buy the Book: Amazon

Franny's supposed to be working this summer, not flirting. But you can't blame her when guys like Alex and Harry are around. . . .

A broken past and a divided future can’t stop the electric connection of two teens in this “charged and romantic” (Becca Fitzpatrick), lush novel.

Seventeen-year-old Vane Weston has no idea how he survived the category five tornado that killed his parents. And he has no idea if the beautiful, dark-haired girl who’s swept through his dreams every night since the storm is real. But he hopes she is.

Seventeen-year-old Audra is a sylph, an air elemental. She walks on the wind, can translate its alluring songs, and can even coax it into a weapon with a simple string of commands. She’s also a guardian—Vane’s guardian—and has sworn an oath to protect Vane at all costs. Even if it means sacrificing her own life.

When a hasty mistake reveals their location to the enemy who murdered both of their families, Audra’s forced to help Vane remember who he is. He has a power to claim—the secret language of the West Wind, which only he can understand. But unlocking his heritage will also unlock the memory Audra needs him to forget. And their greatest danger is not the warriors coming to destroy them—but the forbidden romance that’s grown between them.

"I'm lucky to be alive."


UNREMEMBERED
By: Jessica Brody
Published By: Farrar, Straus, & Giroux (BYR)
Release Date: March 5, 2013
Buy the Book: Amazon

When Freedom Airlines flight 121 went down over the Pacific Ocean, no one ever expected to find survivors. Which is why the sixteen-year-old girl discovered floating among the wreckage—alive—is making headlines across the globe.

Even more strange is that her body is miraculously unharmed and she has no memories of boarding the plane. She has no memories of her life before the crash. She has no memories period. No one knows how she survived. No one knows why she wasn’t on the passenger manifest. And no one can explain why her DNA and fingerprints can’t be found in a single database in the world.

Crippled by a world she doesn’t know, plagued by abilities she doesn’t understand, and haunted by a looming threat she can’t remember, Seraphina struggles to piece together her forgotten past and discover who she really is. But with every clue only comes more questions. And she’s running out of time to answer them.

Her only hope is a strangely alluring boy who claims to know her from before the crash. Who claims they were in love. But can she really trust him? And will he be able to protect her from the people who have been making her forget?

From popular young adult author Jessica Brody comes a compelling and suspenseful new sci-fi series, set in a world where science knows no boundaries, memories are manipulated, and true love can never be forgotten.

"Today is the only day I remember."


WHEN WE WAKE
By: Karen Healey
Published By: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release Date: March 5, 2013
Buy the Book: Amazon

My name is Tegan Oglietti, and on the last day of my first lifetime, I was so, so happy.

Sixteen-year-old Tegan is just like every other girl living in 2027--she's happiest when playing the guitar, she's falling in love for the first time, and she's joining her friends to protest the wrongs of the world: environmental collapse, social discrimination, and political injustice.

But on what should have been the best day of Tegan's life, she dies--and wakes up a hundred years in the future, locked in a government facility with no idea what happened.

Tegan is the first government guinea pig to be cryonically frozen and successfully revived, which makes her an instant celebrity--even though all she wants to do is try to rebuild some semblance of a normal life. But the future isn't all she hoped it would be, and when appalling secrets come to light, Tegan must make a choice: Does she keep her head down and survive, or fight for a better future?

Award-winning author Karen Healey has created a haunting, cautionary tale of an inspiring protagonist living in a not-so-distant future that could easily be our own.

"My name is Tegan Oglietti. One of my ancestors was a highway-man, and another was a prince."



Do any of these opening lines grab your attention? What are your favorite first lines that you've read lately?