Holiday Hop Winners!!!!!

The winners of our Holiday Hop giveaway are:

Mary Ward and Kim!!

Congrats to everyone who entered and to everyone who supports the X-treme Readers by reading and sharing our blog!!!

Winner!!!!!!

The winner of our The Pledge giveaway is Angie!!!!!

Thank you so much to everyone who entered!!!!

New Giveaway!! Win a Copy of The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she's spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It's there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she's never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed. 






To celebrate the release of Kimberly Derting's new novel The Pledge we are giving away one copy of the book along with some cool Pledge swag, including a laminated passport to the country of Ludania signed by Kimberly Derting!!  This contest is open to US residents only.

Review by Landis: Go Ask Alice

This groundbreaking classic is more compelling than ever for today's readers. A sensation when it was first published and a perennial bestseller ever since, this real-life diary charts an anonymous teenage girl's struggle with the seductive--and often fatal--world of drugs.












5 out of 5 stars

In Go Ask Alice, you look through the eyes of a young girl with drug addiction.  A normal girl with a loving family, friends, a home, who looses herself in the high.  This story is touching, dark and unexpected.  Through this book, you will understand the physical and emotional effects drugs have.

The first time she used drugs, it was accidental. Just a game at a friend’s house involving LSD.  She swore she’d never do it again, but that vow was soon overlooked.  Next thing you know it, her and a friend are runaways in San Fransisco, struggling just to survive.  After a while, they realize that they can’t live on their own, and went back home, promising each other that they were both done with drugs.  Again, that promise was broken.  She finds herself lonely and broken, once again.

Not long after her 16^th birthday, she is found facedown in her bathroom, dead.  You will feel her pain, her struggle, page after page.  Each entry more unbelieveable than the one before. This story is unforgettable. 

New Review At Daisy Chain Book Reviews

The summer after junior year of high school looks bleak for Alton Richards. His girlfriend has dumped him, he has no money and no job, and his parents insist that he drive his great-uncle Lester, who is old, blind, very sick, and very rich, to his bridge club four times a week and be his cardturner. 
     But Alton's parents aren't the only ones trying to worm their way into Lester Trapp's good graces. There is Trapp's longtime housekeeper, his alluring young nurse, and the crazy Castaneda family.
     Alton soon finds himself intrigued by his uncle, by the game of bridge, and especially by the pretty and shy Toni Castaneda, as he struggles to figure out what it all means, and ultimately to figure out the meaning of his own life.


Check out my review at Daisy Chain Book Reviews!!!!

Spooktacular Giveaway Winners!!!!!!!

We have our winners!!!!!  Congrats to Emma from the Our Books, Our Voice Blog and Holly S.

They have each won a copy of Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick and a Halloween swag pack!!!!!

Our next giveaway is coming up in 2 weeks.  We will be giving away a copy of Kimberly Dertings new novel The Pledge along with some cool swag signed by Kimberly Derting herself!!

Review by Steffani: Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

When Brittany Ellis walks into chemistry class on the first day of senior year, she has no clue that her carefully created “perfect” life is about to unravel before her eyes. She’s forced to be lab partners with Alex Fuentes, a gang member from the other side of town, and he is about to threaten everything she's worked so hard for—her flawless reputation, her relationship with her boyfriend, and the secret that her home life is anything but perfect. Alex is a bad boy and he knows it. So when he makes a bet with his friends to lure Brittany into his life, he thinks nothing of it. But soon Alex realizes Brittany is a real person with real problems, and suddenly the bet he made in arrogance turns into something much more.  In a passionate story about looking beneath the surface, Simone Elkeles breaks through the stereotypes and barriers that threaten to keep Brittany and Alex apart






4 out of 5 stars

Simone Elkeles' novel Perfect Chemistry is a heart warming and very suspenseful story. Alex Fuentes and Brittany Ellis are the most unexpected couple at Fairfield High School, located in a suburb of Chicago. It is a book you don't want to put down.

Brittany Ellis tries to be perfect for her family, although her family is far from perfect. She is the captain of the pom pom squad and has the perfect boyfriend, Colin Adams. They make up the Golden Couple and without each other the world would be "whacked" out of alignment. Fairfield is also home to some members of the Mexican gang the Latino Blood. Alex Fuentes is one of the most feared members.

From the first time Brittany and Alex encounter each other, there is a reaction of personalities, both of them hiding something from the rest of the world. Simone Elkeles does an extraordinary job of showing that two people can be the ultimate couple, especially when it is not expected.

Read our interview with Simone Elkeles below!!

How did growing up in the suburbs of Chicago influence the plot and setting of Perfect Chemistry?

Perfect Chemistry is loosely based off of Highland Park High School, which was my rival high school growing up.  The setting is definitely familiar to me, because it’s close to where I grew up.  There is a big Hispanic community on one side of “the tracks” (yes, there are literally tracks separating the town) and kids who live in mansions on Lake Michigan on the other side.  They all go to the same high school, and I thought it would be great to see what would happen if two people from different sides fell for each other.  I’m a girl who was born and raised in the Chicago suburbs.  I know Chicago – it’s in my blood!  I think it’s hard to write about Chi-Town unless you’ve lived here.

What was your inspiration in creating the Fuentes brothers and how did you manage to make them so irresistible? 

Seriously, Alex was first based off of this Mexican guy who works at my bagel store.  Besides making the best bagels in the Chicagoland area, he’s got charisma and swagger that can’t be ignored.  You can’t help but focus on him when you walk in the store.  When he smiles, you smile right along with him.  I think the Fuentes brothers are so irresistible because they’re not only super hot looking, they’ve also got the biggest hearts.  When they love, they love with all of their heart and soul.  It’s also super sexy to be so dedicated to your family that you’d do anything for them – even sacrifice yourself.  I think you fall in love with Alex, Carlos, and Luis Fuentes for different reasons because they’re so different- I’m so thankful my fans love them as much as I do!

Have you done any work with teens affected by gangs?

Yes.  I have spoken with boys at juvenile detention centers in the United States, and I also have fans that have been in gangs.  I met with some of them for research on Chain Reaction and it was definitely eye-opening and heartbreaking at the same time. These teens have been through so much, and have seen too much violence in their young lives – more violence than anyone should see in a lifetime!

What advice do you have for teens who find themselves in the same situations as Alex and Carlos?

My fans who relate to Alex and Carlos find themselves wanting to be like Alex and Carlos – they want to clean up their lives and be a hero.  It’s not easy to do, but it’s definitely possible!  I hope my books give inspiration to teens in those situations.

How long did it take to write each of the Perfect Chemistry novels?

Perfect Chemistry I wrote in four months, but kept rewriting it over five years.  Rules of Attraction took about 4-5 months. Chain Reaction I re-wrote three times over nine months.  

Is there a certain process you go through when writing the books?

Nope.  I don’t write off of an outline, so I just write “Chapter 1” and start typing.  The stories usually come to me as I’m writing them.  Sometimes it’s easier to write at my office where I have no distractions, and sometimes I have to go to a coffee shop where I welcome the background noise. I have no specific process.  Because I had a harder time writing Chain Reaction, I cut pictures out of magazines to represent each character and glued them to a poster board to help me.

Are there any plans for a movie based on Perfect Chemistry? I know we would love to see one!

My film agent, Michelle Weiner at CAA, thinks Perfect Chemistry would make a great television series.  Cross your fingers that a film or series is made, because I’d love to see my characters come to life on the big or small screen!

Can you tell us a little about what it was like on the set of the Chain Reaction book trailer?

It was amazing, surreal, and super emotional. Seeing my characters come to life, as I’d always imagined them, is completely mind-blowing.  I was giddy and dorky the entire time, loving every single second of it.  It was also stressful, because we had to film it in one day instead of the planned two days (long story) so all the scenes had to be done quick and we had to move on to the next scene/location before we lost any daylight.  I loved working with my longtime friend from high school Pete Jones who directed the trailer, and producer Judd Nissen really put the pieces together in such a quick timeframe I have no clue how he did it – I was really thankful for his expertise.  Watching the Director of Photography Dean Bushala on set was amazing- he’s seriously a genius with a camera and I’d love to work with him again.  If you were there, you wouldn’t know it was just a book trailer- you would have thought you’d walked on set of a major motion picture. 

The covers of the Perfect Chemistry books definitely add to their appeal and the cover of Chain Reaction is by far the hottest.  What did you think when you first saw it?

I thought the cover for Chain Reaction was hot, and I loved that Nikki looked Hispanic, but I didn’t know how I’d incorporate that shower cover scene into the book.  I got the cover before I wrote the book, which is the same thing that happened to me with Rules of Attraction.  I love the covers for the Perfect Chemistry series – they’re edgy and sexy just like the books!

Now that the Perfect Chemistry trilogy is completed what can your fans expect next?

I’m going to be writing a story about a girl who falls for a boy who just came out of rehab.  The story will hit close to home, because when I was a senior in high school I met and started dating a boy who’d just come out of rehab and had been an alcoholic/drug addict since he was 12 years old.  It will not be auto-biographical, but I assure you a lot of it will be first-hand knowledge of what it’s like to date a recovering alcoholic/drug addict as a teen.  I still remember going to Cocaine Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous meetings before our dates.  The boy taught me how to live hard, laugh hard, and love hard –something I still carry to this day. I probably wouldn’t be writing romance if it weren’t for that relationship, where I loved so deeply and our relationship became so intense the boy became part of my soul.

Spooktacular Giveaway is closed :)

Thank you so much to everyone who participated in our giveaway!!  We went from 50 to 113 followers in 7 days - WOW!!!!!  The X-treme reading class will meet tomorrow and draw the winners!!!  I hope everyone had a Happy Halloween!!

AWESOME Deal On Gregg Olsen's Envy - Today only!!!!!

If haven't gotten your copy of Gregg Olsen's debut YA thriller Envy yet, here is a deal you cannot pass up!!  Today ONLY Barnes and Noble will be selling Envy for 50% off!!!!!

Click this link to get your coupon!!!   http://www.barnesandnoble.com/email/Print_nav.asp?PID=39676

If you missed my review of Envy click HERE to read it!!!

Review: Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen

Halley has always followed in the wake of her best friend, Scarlett. But when Scarlett learns that her boyfriend has been killed in a motorcycle accident, and that she's carrying his baby, she's devastated. For the first time ever, Scarlett really needs Halley. Their friendship may bend under the weight, but it'll never break--because a true friendship is a promise you keep forever. (Goodreads.com)


3/5 stars


Reviewed by Megan

Sarah Dessen’s novel Someone like You shows how far love can go, it has ups and downs, trust and forgiveness. When Scarlett’s world is turned upside down, Halley is finally needed to be the stronger friend. This book is a life lesson and shows how important trust and friendship truly is.

High School juniors, Halley and Scarlett, are inseparable best friends, doing everything together, everyday.  When Scarlett falls in love with a boy, Michael, over the summer, Halley was pretty much the third wheel, but never minded. Michael and Scarlett fell in love and a day after taking their relationship to the highest level, he died in a motorcycle accident.  Little did Scarlett know, until later, that she was carrying his baby.  Her life from that point on would never be the same.

Halley always depended on Scarlett to help her solve her problems, but now with Scarlett on the other end, Halley is needed more than ever. Halley also gets her first boyfriend, despite her mother’s protests and her life is changing as well.   She becomes defiant with her parents and they forbid her from seeing him. Halley refuses to listen until a frightening car crash changes everything between them and love was lost.

Once again, Sarah Dessen does not disappoint.  She wrote a novel that is so relatable when you read between the lines.  Her book showed maturity, self-discovery and how to overcome challenges you thought you would never have to face.  As she said in the book, “Life is an ugly, awful place not to have a best friend.” That says everything, and with being in such a harsh, judgmental world, you need one. Someone like You has such a deep message that makes it unforgettable.

Check out this awesome fan made book trailer for Someone Like You:

For more info about Sarah Dessen's books and appearances click HERE to visit her website.

New Review at Daisy Chain Book Reviews!!!

For my full review of Lara Chapman's Flawless head on over to Daisy Chain Book Reviews!!!

Ember by Carol Oates

When Candra Ember wakes up in hospital after a dangerous encounter with a red-haired woman, she is shocked to discover that seeing a winged boy wasn’t her imagination. Candra is exposed to a world of rivalry and sacrifice she never knew existed, and the aftermath of a war to save humanity thousands of years ago. Soon she finds herself relentlessly stalked by Sebastian, a beautiful and arrogant Watcher Angel and romantically pursued by his darkly seductive rival, Draven. Ultimately, dubious about her own goodness, Candra’s very existence compromises a tentative peace in the city of Acheron. (Goodreads.com)


4/5 Stars


Unfortunately, due to user error and a family emergency my original review seems to be lost at the moment, so I am going to have to write you a new one.  I apologize for the delay in getting this out to you all.


If you are a fan of paranormal romance who is looking for a story that will pull you in and never let go, then Ember if definitely a book you won't want to miss!  Carol Oates not only creates an alternate world that is both vivid and engrossing, but her characters are ones that you will want to know everything about.  While the romance takes a little while to pick up the tension that is created between Candra and Sebastian makes putting the book down quite difficult.  
The plot itself is expertly written.  The twists and turns add to the mystery of who Candra really is.  Besides being a great romance Ember is also a story of self discovery, as Candra comes to grips with her own purpose.  I am a sticker for strong female protagonists and loathe a weak main character.  Candra, while naive and young, is also strong and beautiful.  I loved the way in which she was written and the fact that I truly cared about what would happen to her.  As for Sebastian and Draven?  They definitely had my attention.  Hot is about the best word I can use to sum those two up.
Luckily, Ember is the first in a series, so now that all of the groundwork is laid I cannot wait to find out what happens next!  Hopefully the wait won't be too long!!!!

Meet the X-treme Readers!!!

The school year has finally started and it is time for the X-treme Readers to take over their blog!!!!!  Their first assignment is to post a comment on this post introducing themselves and describing what they like to read.  I've already met a few new students, and I know a few more from past classes.  I can tell this is going  to be a great group and a fun year!!

Tomorrow I will be bringing all of the books that authors have sent me over the summer for review.  These books will have priority for reviews and you should see them soon.  I will send e-mails when they are going to post.  Thanks for your patience!  The response to this blog and my class has been overwhelmingly huge and positive and I would like to thank everyone for their wonderful comments :-)

Please be sure to check back in a few days to meet the X-treme Readers!!!

Happy Reading,

Jen

Interview With Chain Reaction Author Simone Elkeles!!

Being from Chicago and going to high school in the same area as author Simone Elkeles (at the same time) has made her Perfect Chemistry trilogy one of my favorite reads.  I definitely can relate to the characters, settings, and situations.  What I truly love about Simone's books is the way my student's relate to them.  I cannot keep Perfect Chemistry and Rules of Attraction on the shelf!  Teens who are not even in my classes come to me asking to borrow these books!  Unfortunately, we have come to the end of the Fuentes brothers saga with the recent release of Chain Reaction, the third installment of the Perfect Chemistry trilogy. Luckily, we were able to have Simone Elkeles take some time out of her busy schedule to answer a few questions about her awesomely hot books!  Read on to find out more about Perfect Chemistry, Chain Reaction, and what is next in store for her growing number of fans.

How did growing up in the suburbs of Chicago influence the plot and setting of Perfect Chemistry?

Perfect Chemistry is loosely based off of Highland Park High School, which was my rival high school growing up.  The setting is definitely familiar to me, because it’s close to where I grew up.  There is a big Hispanic community on one side of “the tracks” (yes, there are literally tracks separating the town) and kids who live in mansions on Lake Michigan on the other side.  They all go to the same high school, and I thought it would be great to see what would happen if two people from different sides fell for each other.  I’m a girl who was born and raised in the Chicago suburbs.  I know Chicago – it’s in my blood!  I think it’s hard to write about Chi-Town unless you’ve lived here.

What was your inspiration in creating the Fuentes brothers and how did you manage to make them so irresistible? 

Seriously, Alex was first based off of this Mexican guy who works at my bagel store.  Besides making the best bagels in the Chicagoland area, he’s got charisma and swagger that can’t be ignored.  You can’t help but focus on him when you walk in the store.  When he smiles, you smile right along with him.  I think the Fuentes brothers are so irresistible because they’re not only super hot looking, they’ve also got the biggest hearts.  When they love, they love with all of their heart and soul.  It’s also super sexy to be so dedicated to your family that you’d do anything for them – even sacrifice yourself.  I think you fall in love with Alex, Carlos, and Luis Fuentes for different reasons because they’re so different- I’m so thankful my fans love them as much as I do!

Have you done any work with teens affected by gangs?

Yes.  I have spoken with boys at juvenile detention centers in the United States, and I also have fans that have been in gangs.  I met with some of them for research on Chain Reaction and it was definitely eye-opening and heartbreaking at the same time. These teens have been through so much, and have seen too much violence in their young lives – more violence than anyone should see in a lifetime!

What advice do you have for teens who find themselves in the same situations as Alex and Carlos?

My fans who relate to Alex and Carlos find themselves wanting to be like Alex and Carlos – they want to clean up their lives and be a hero.  It’s not easy to do, but it’s definitely possible!  I hope my books give inspiration to teens in those situations.

How long did it take to write each of the Perfect Chemistry novels?

Perfect Chemistry I wrote in four months, but kept rewriting it over five years.  Rules of Attraction took about 4-5 months. Chain Reaction I re-wrote three times over nine months.  

Is there a certain process you go through when writing the books?

Nope.  I don’t write off of an outline, so I just write “Chapter 1” and start typing.  The stories usually come to me as I’m writing them.  Sometimes it’s easier to write at my office where I have no distractions, and sometimes I have to go to a coffee shop where I welcome the background noise. I have no specific process.  Because I had a harder time writing Chain Reaction, I cut pictures out of magazines to represent each character and glued them to a poster board to help me.

Are there any plans for a movie based on Perfect Chemistry? I know we would love to see one!

My film agent, Michelle Weiner at CAA, thinks Perfect Chemistry would make a great television series.  Cross your fingers that a film or series is made, because I’d love to see my characters come to life on the big or small screen!

Can you tell us a little about what it was like on the set of the Chain Reaction book trailer?

It was amazing, surreal, and super emotional. Seeing my characters come to life, as I’d always imagined them, is completely mind-blowing.  I was giddy and dorky the entire time, loving every single second of it.  It was also stressful, because we had to film it in one day instead of the planned two days (long story) so all the scenes had to be done quick and we had to move on to the next scene/location before we lost any daylight.  I loved working with my longtime friend from high school Pete Jones who directed the trailer, and producer Judd Nissen really put the pieces together in such a quick timeframe I have no clue how he did it – I was really thankful for his expertise.  Watching the Director of Photography Dean Bushala on set was amazing- he’s seriously a genius with a camera and I’d love to work with him again.  If you were there, you wouldn’t know it was just a book trailer- you would have thought you’d walked on set of a major motion picture. 

The covers of the Perfect Chemistry books definitely add to their appeal and the cover of Chain Reaction is by far the hottest.  What did you think when you first saw it?

I thought the cover for Chain Reaction was hot, and I loved that Nikki looked Hispanic, but I didn’t know how I’d incorporate that shower cover scene into the book.  I got the cover before I wrote the book, which is the same thing that happened to me with Rules of Attraction.  I love the covers for the Perfect Chemistry series – they’re edgy and sexy just like the books!

Now that the Perfect Chemistry trilogy is completed what can your fans expect next?

I’m going to be writing a story about a girl who falls for a boy who just came out of rehab.  The story will hit close to home, because when I was a senior in high school I met and started dating a boy who’d just come out of rehab and had been an alcoholic/drug addict since he was 12 years old.  It will not be auto-biographical, but I assure you a lot of it will be first-hand knowledge of what it’s like to date a recovering alcoholic/drug addict as a teen.  I still remember going to Cocaine Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous meetings before our dates.  The boy taught me how to live hard, laugh hard, and love hard –something I still carry to this day. I probably wouldn’t be writing romance if it weren’t for that relationship, where I loved so deeply and our relationship became so intense the boy became part of my soul.

Thank you so much Simone for answering our questions!!  Chain Reaction is available now at bookstores everywhere.  (I just saw it at the Lake Geneva Target!!)

Want to watch the Chain Reaction book trailer?  Click HERE!!

Chain Reaction is HERE!!!! And so is Simone Elkeles!!!!

First of all, if you have not read the first two Perfect Chemistry novels by Simone Elkeles I highly recommend that you do - NOW!!!!!  Rarely does a book come along that appeals to everyone, but Perfect Chemistry and Rules of Attraction have been breaking age, ethnic, and gender barriers since they were released.  Now the third installment of the Perfect Chemistry series, Chain Reaction, is set to do the same!  Be sure to check back here at X-treme Readers on Monday to read an interview with Simone Elkeles about her books and also find a link to the Chain Reaction book trailer!

Don't panic X-treme Readers - I have our classroom copies of Chain Reaction, but this time I get to read it first!!!

I am posting this now because I will be out of town (although I have yet to start packing) and away from technology on Monday, so I have scheduled Blogger to auto-post on the blog.  Not being the most tech savvy blogger, I am a little nervous that I messed up.  I just realized that I forgot to preview the post, sigh . . .

Also, the X-treme Readers will be making their debut on the blog the week of Sept. 7th!!!  Hopefully once they take over the blog things will be a lot smoother :-)

Have a great weekend and don't forget to check back on Monday!!!!

Guest post by Soul Quest author Amy Maurer Jones!!!!

The Soul Quest Trilogy – Amy’s writing debut, Soul Quest is a Young Adult Paranormal Romance novel. The completed work is 71,749 words and is the first book in a trilogy.

Synopsis for Soul Quest:
            Do you remember how horrified you were about the idea of attending high school? I remember ticking off those last miserable days of my summer vacation following my eighth grade year. Maybe you don’t, maybe you were one of those people. You know who I’m talking about, people like Melissa Small, the distinguished District Attorney, Larry Small’s daughter, popular, gorgeous... and absolutely terrifying to someone like me, Liv Glyn. No, I am far from measuring up to the standards required to make Melissa’s crowd. I’m not even close. I’m just a simple man’s daughter, mostly tolerated by my peers with average looks. If this isn’t depressing enough for you, stay tuned, it gets worse.
            I was commanded with spirit at birth by the Great Spirit, Hala. I know, it sounds crazy but it’s true. If you think it's difficult being a teenager, try being a teenager who was born destined to save the world from soul sucking Daevas and their mutant progeny Aengels.
            There are four of us. My companions of spirit are Laith, Brayan and Meena. Melissa Small is Laith’s step sister and she is always meddling where she doesn’t belong, further complicating our lives. To make matters even worse my best friend Jedd is apparently aware of things that are typically undetectable to ordinary humans. So, I have to lie to Jedd, the boy who has been my constant standby since the third grade, to shield him from the horrible and very dangerous truth. Did I mention that I think I’m falling in love with him? The term awkward doesn’t even begin to cover it, trust me.
            Welcome to the mess that is my life.

 The Inspiration for The Soul Quest Trilogy

Soul Quest was inspired by a really weird dream. My hubby is a night owl and loves to stay up late watching the History Channel. I had this dream about a little boy standing in the middle of mirrored room. The little boy looked just like my son when he was 3 years old. He had cute chubby cheeks, curly blond ringlets and beautiful hazel green eyes.

The little boy was watching images flicker on the mirrored walls in the room. The mysterious mirrors showed images from historical disasters such as Hitler's dictatorship, Martin Luther King Jr. and Kennedy's shootings and Nine Eleven... you get the gist. Anyway, it had a major impact on me. The next day I asked my husband what he was watching on television the night before. He said it was a special episode on the History Channel dedicated to the worst events in history. He acknowledged all of the above mentioned tragedies were a part of the episode.

I suppose as a mother the dream was symbolic of the wrath of the world posing a threat against my children. So, I decided to turn it into a positive thing. In this effort my little boy became Hala, the Great Spirit. Hala is a being as old as time, a spirit who resembles a child in physical form.  Before I knew it, a quest for justice against evil began. Since I work with teenagers it was only natural that they became the heroes in the plot. The basis of the book is good verses evil but I tried to weave into the underlying tone that life is about choices, good and bad.

- Amy Maurer Jones, author of The Soul Quest Trilogy

Review: Envy by Gregg Olsen

Murder is such a dirty word…

New York Times bestselling adult true crime author Gregg Olsen makes his YA debut with EMPTY COFFIN, a gripping new fiction series for teens based on ripped-from-the-headlines stories…with a paranormal touch.

Crime lives--and dies--in the deceptively picture-perfect town of Port Gamble (aka “Empty Coffin”), Washington. Evil lurks and strange things happen--and 15-year-olds Hayley and Taylor Ryan secretly use their wits and their telepathic “twin-sense” to uncover the truth about the town's victims and culprits.

Envy, the series debut, involves the mysterious death of the twins' old friend, Katelyn. Was it murder? Suicide? An accident? Hayley and Taylor are determined to find out--and as they investigate, they stumble upon a dark truth that is far more disturbing than they ever could have imagined.

Based on the shocking true crime about cyber-bullying, Envy will take you to the edge--and push you right over. (goodreads.com)

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

When I found out via Daisy Chain Book Reviews that one of my favorite true crime authors was now delving into the world of young adult fiction I was way excited!  Who better to weave together true crime, mystery, and paranormal fantasy into a fast paced young adult novel than Gregg Olsen?  For years young adult mysteries have languished being replaced with the ever -popular paranormal romance.  While these books have had elements of mystery in them they are mainly focused on the romantic entanglements of humans and otherworldly creatures such as vampires and werewolves.  What happened to just a good old-fashioned mystery?  One where you have to piece together clues and sort through the red herrings to figure out who-dunnit?  Now that Gregg Olsen has entered the YA fray with Envy, the first installment of his Empty Coffin series, there is a fresh new voice that expertly encompasses all of the elements of a “can’t put the book down” mystery mixed with all of the things we love about YA novels. 

Port Gamble, Washington is not your average scenic small town.  Bad things happen there.  Behind the historic homes and beautiful beaches there is evil, and the first thing one learns is that evil never takes a holiday.  Things were not going well for Katelynn Berkley.  She was depressed and lonely, shutting herself off from everyone who once cared about her.  Former friends Taylor and Hayley Ryan knew that Katelynn needed help, yet they had a difficult time accepting that Katelynn’s unexpected Christmas evening demise was actually a suicide.  First there was the manner in which Katelynn supposedly used to kill herself, an espresso machine in the bathtub.  Next, were the cryptic messages they were sure Katelynn was sending them from beyond the grave.  Messages they felt would unlock the mystery behind Katelynn’s untimely death.  As twins, Taylor and Hayley share a psychic connection beyond the boundaries of normal sibling relationships.  They have kept the extent of their connection a secret from everyone except each other.  How would anyone else be able to understand that they can catch glimpses of the past and future and possibly receive messages from the dead?  Their gift has been something that they never gave much thought to until the death of their former friend.  Taylor and Hayley want to know the truth behind Katelynn’s death and agree to use their abilities in solving what they come to believe is her murder. 

The idea of psychic twins might seem a little far-fetched, but Gregg Olsen does a masterful job of creating a subtly to their messages that makes the storyline completely believable.  The messages Taylor and Hayley receive are little more than feelings and glimpses they get when they come into contact with something that belonged to Katelynn.  These bits of information are what help to propel them in their quest to discover the truth about Katelynn’s death.  The cast of characters who reside in Port Gamble are brilliant.  Every family has a secret they wish to keep hidden.  This not only adds to the creepy factor of the story, but also sets up numerous plotlines for future installments.  One of my favorite characters was Starla Larsen.  Her name alone is genius.  What better name than Starla for a girl who feels that she is better than everyone around her and will stop at nothing to get what she wants.  Starla is the proverbial “mean girl” in the story and she plays the part well.  A villain the reader will relish to learn more about. 

One of the things that make Envy an engrossing story is the way in which Gregg Olsen weaves fact with fiction throughout the book.  While Port Gamble and its residents are his own creation the plot is loosely based on the true story of Megan Meier.  Megan was thirteen years old when she committed suicide after being horrifically cyber bullied.  Her case brought attention to the cruelty that can be perpetuated by both teens and adults through the various social media outlets many of us innocently enjoy.  By using what he knows best, true crime, Olsen creates a story that keeps the reader captivated until the very end.  Some of the plot choices he makes are extremely bold and refreshing in that he chose not to soften the events of his story just because it is being written for a young adult audience.  There are more than a few OMG moments throughout Envy!

While Katelynn’s story comes to a satisfying resolution not all loose ends are tied up in the final chapters of Envy.  The second novel in the series, Betrayal, is set for release in the fall of 2012 and promises to deliver on some of the edgier themes touched upon in the first book.  Might we see the very first well -done young adult serial killer novel?  I hope so!  Gregg Olsen definitely has the experience and talent to tackle a topic of that magnitude.  I definitely recommend Envy for any reader who loves to be scared, but you might just want to sleep with the light on! 

Envy is set for release in September 2011.  Click HERE to watch the trailer!