Some changes on the horizon...

If you haven't already, we'd love it if you'd head over to Chanelle's post from last week and chime in!

In a little more than a month, YAtopia will be celebrating its one year anniversary. We've had a ton of posts, pitch sessions, interviews, and a couple of guest posts, all of which were absolutely awesome. And, to celebrate our anniversary, we'd like to switch some things up a bit. Which is why we'd love your opinion to know what all of you would like to see more (or less!) of.

In other news, Happy Thanksgiving this week to those who celebrate! And those who don't, well, never hurts to be thankful for things every day of the year, right?

To wrap thing ups, have a few quick reviews of some stuff I've been reading:

This is an extraordinarily moving novel about coming to terms with loss. The monster showed up just after midnight. As they do. But it isn’t the monster Conor’s been expecting. He’s been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he’s had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming. . . .

This monster, though, is something different. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor. 

It wants the truth.

Review: First of all, like many others when I first saw this cover, I was expecting horror. Even when I read the blurb, I expected horror. But after reading through some of the GR reviews, I was able to go into this book knowing what to really expect.

I loved the artwork. It reminded me of the 'Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark' books I loved as a kid. Eerie and beautifully done inkwork-looking art.

The story itself was short and I got through it in less than two hours. I wasn't sure what I would think of it, but...yeah, I cried. Three or four times, even. My heart broke for Conor and his mom. It's hard to explain everything I loved without spoiling the entire book, but even for as short as it was (125 pages in the ebook version for $10), it was well worth it.

This is going on my top fave reads of 2011 list.

When a strange boy tumbles down a river embankment and lands at her feet, seventeen-year-old adrenaline junkie Deznee Cross snatches the opportunity to piss off her father by bringing the mysterious hottie with ice blue eyes home.

Except there’s something off with Kale. He wears her shoes in the shower, is overly fascinated with things like DVDs and vases, and acts like she’ll turn to dust if he touches her. It’s not until Dez’s father shows up, wielding a gun and knowing more about Kale than he should, that Dez realizes there’s more to this boy—and her father’s “law firm”—than she realized.

Kale has been a prisoner of Denazen Corporation—an organization devoted to collecting “special” kids known as Sixes and using them as weapons—his entire life. And, oh yeah, his touch? It kills. The two team up with a group of rogue Sixes hellbent on taking down Denazen before they’re caught and her father discovers the biggest secret of all. A secret Dez has spent her life keeping safe.

A secret Kale will kill to protect.

Review: Exciting and unique, TOUCH definitely stands out among all the other paranormal romance out there in young adult land. Kale was such a charming and adorable love interest, and I even had a soft-spot for Alex. While there wasn't exactly a love-triangle going on, I thought the way Dez reacted to both boys was spot-on and didn't leave me wanting to strangle her for being indecisive. She knew what she wanted, but sometimes fell back into old habits. Something I think so many teens have done.

Dez was a fun, kick-ass narrator. She was determined and brave, but not without her faults. It was refreshing to have a female lead who wasn't either a.) so down on herself despite the fact all the guys are all over her, or b.) gorgeous and well aware of it. Dez was confident, but aware of her flaws. She knows her strengths and how to flaunt them..

Jus' writing is lovely and flows well, and the humor is always giggle-worthy. Kale really was the highlight out of all the characters, what with his clueless remarks about the world and everything in it. I just wanted to give him a hug. (Despite this, though, I thought all the characters were well-formed and a lot of fun. I hope one particular character whose name I can't say gets more page-time next book.)

I haven't been into a lot of paranormal lately, but this was an exception I'm glad I got to read.