Big news and reviews!

This year is flying by. Seriously? It's already June? That means YAtopia has been up and kicking for six months now.

Today I have three things to share, including a mini-review:

1. Our own DJ DeSmyter has his first ARCs of his book, HUNTED, out and about! I was fortunate enough to land one and able to post a review on my personal blog. To summarize:

Blurb:
Seventeen-year-old Lily Atwater has always kept to herself, living a lonely life with her workaholic dad. Not the most thrilling life, but it's quiet and ordinary, two things she's come to expect from living in Victor Hills, Michigan.

When kind and mysterious Alex takes refuge in her home, she is suddenly thrown into his world of were-wolves, a world he wants to keep her safe from. But while the two of them grow closer, a relentless hunter continues his search, stalking the woods with hopes of catching the wolf that got away...

The strength in HUNTED really lies in the characters and their interactions and relationships. Lily was a refreshing female MC. Down to Earth and sweet, but not without her flaws. Alex was the same. It was great to have a good, sweet boy as opposed to the typical bad-boy that has grown pretty common in YA these days. I was rooting for them the whole way, and that's not always something I can do!

For the full review, click here!



2. Speaking of my personal blog, I've relocated from Blogspot over to Livejournal. Anyone using GoogleReader or something similar can simply subscribe to it for continued updates. I hope some of you will drop by and say hello over at my blog's new location. I'll be having a giveaway sometime in the next two weeks, so keep your eyes peeled.



3. I'm exceptionally excited and pleased to announce that my book, HUSHED, has been picked up by Entangled Publishing and will be on shelves this coming winter!





There are no words for how ecstatic (and terrified) I am! Everyone at Entangled has been welcoming and kind, and I look forward to working with them in the coming months.


And, lastly, this week's mini-review!

WARM BODIES by Isaac Marion
R is a young man with an existential crisis--he is a zombie. He shuffles through an America destroyed by war, social collapse, and the mindless hunger of his undead comrades, but he craves something more than blood and brains. He can speak just a few grunted syllables, but his inner life is deep, full of wonder and longing. He has no memories, noidentity, and no pulse, but he has dreams.

After experiencing a teenage boy's memories while consuming his brain, R makes an unexpected choice that begins a tense, awkward, and stragely sweet relationship with the victim's human girlfriend. Julie is a blast of color in the otherwise dreary and gray landscape that surrounds R. His decision to protect her will transform not only R, but his fellow Dead, and perhaps their whole lifeless world.

Scary, funny, and surprisingly poignant, Warm Bodies is about being alive, being dead, and the blurry line in between.

I've always loved any books dealing with zombies (hello, THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH?), but WARM BODIES wasn't exactly your typical horror zombie novel. It puts a zombie as not only the main character, but a sympathetic protagonist and the 1st-person narrator. Not to mention, romance? I was really uncertain about this one, but it was the first e-book I purchased on my new Nook and I wasn't about to let it go to waste.

This book? Absolutely. Amazing. Gorgeous writing and not at all the type of book I thought it would be. Yes, some moments were uncomfortable and squicky, but "R" made the most charming narrator. Marion's writing style is fluid and, at times, poetic without being overwhelming and burying the plot. I can honestly think of no complaints with this book in any way and it is not only one of my all-time faves now, but one I'm already wanting to go back and re-read.


Have a great beginning-of-June, everyone!