Guess who my favorite authors are....

by Brittany Geragotelis

Check out the second in my new video series and can discover some of my favorite authors! Happy Thursday!

5x5,
B.

Review: Sweetly by Jackson Pearce

by Brittany Geragotelis

courtesy of Jackson Pearce

Last year, I read a book that blew my mind. Sisters Red took the old fairy tale of Little Red Riding Hood and gave it a modern twist, and the result was something magical and action-packed. It was by far one of the best books I'd read in a long time and I instantly developed an author crush on the book's scribe, Jackson Pearce (Check out an interview I did with her about Sisters Red here).

Well, Jackson's back with another fairy tale adventure, this time taking on the story of Hansel and Gretel. Considered a companion novel to Sisters Red, her new book Sweetly did not disappoint.

photo credit: Little Brown

Twelve years ago, Gretchen, her twin sister, and her brother went looking for a witch in the forest. They found something. Maybe it was a witch, maybe a monster, they aren’t sure—they were running too fast to tell. Either way, Gretchen’s twin sister was never seen again.

Years later, after being thrown out of their house, Gretchen and Ansel find themselves in Live Oak, South Carolina, a place on the verge of becoming a ghost town. They move in with Sophia Kelly, a young and beautiful chocolatier owner who opens not only her home, but her heart to Gretchen and Ansel.

Yet the witch isn’t gone—it’s here, lurking in the forests of Live Oak, preying on Live Oak girls every year after Sophia Kelly’s infamous chocolate festival. But Gretchen is determined to stop running from witches in the forest, and start fighting back. Alongside Samuel Reynolds, a boy as quick with a gun as he is a sarcastic remark, Gretchen digs deeper into the mystery of not only what the witch is, but how it chooses its victims. Yet the further she investigates, the more she finds herself wondering who the real monster is, and if love can be as deadly as it is beautiful.

Though Sweetly had a completely different feel and voice than Sisters Red (and considerably less action), I enjoyed it immensely. Gretchen is both believable and endearing and it's easy to identify with her loss and fear. And Jackson does a beautiful job of building the relationships between the characters. My only gripe came when I found out who/what the witch really was...it just didn't seem to fit the story. Even so, the book was wonderfully written and should definitely top everyone's Must-Read list for 2011. Sweetly will be released in August 2011!

5x5,
B.

New Book Announcement!

by Brittany Geragotelis

photo credit: Little Brown

Happy Friday all! And in honor of this momentous occasion (Hey, it's been a long week for me. The weekend definitely counts as momentous!), I have some exciting news!

I just found out that one of my favorite writers, Jackson Pearce, author of Sisters Red, a reimagining of Little Red Riding hood, has dipped back into the fairy tale world and written a new novel. Sweetly takes on the classic story of Hansel and Gretel, with a deliciously darker twist.

The advanced reader's copy should be on my desk any day now and I can't wait to get lost in Pearce's world of love and loss again!

5x5,
B.

Little Red Riding Hood's no sissy!

by Brittany Geragotelis

Before I get into my review of Sisters Red, I have to say how sad I've been about what Sandra Bullock is going through right now! Sandra's always seemed like such a sweet, girl-next-door type...so undeserving of this kind of drama. It has to be unbelievably horrifying and painful to be going through what she's experiencing right now. Being cheated on by the person you love (and exchanged promises/vows not to sleep with anyone else) is devastating enough (What other way can you show someone that you don't care about them or their feelings than by cheating on them!? Seriously people, it's not that hard to keep it in your pants!), but when it's done in such a public way and EVERYONE (and their moms) know about the deception...It's just got to be so hard. Argh!!! (I'm shaking my fist in the air at Jesse)

photo credit: Hodder Children's

Speaking of dogs (the wild kind, not the cheating kind), a little while ago I read a book that had me howling! I was sent an advance copy of Jackson Pearce's new book Sisters Red and all I've got to say is: Wow!

Based loosely on the folktale Little Red Riding Hood, Sisters Red is one of the best reimaginings since Wicked! Seriously...I was hooked from the very beginning and was entertained until the last page.

Here's the gist: After Scarlett and Rosie March witness the murder of their grandmother at the hands of a werewolf, they vow to spend their lives trying to rid the world of the wicked creatures. Along with a local boy from a family of woodsmen, they begin to track down a group of wolves who have begun to gather in their quiet town. Something big is coming and before they know it, the three hunters have become the "hunted."

photo credit: Jackson Pearce

In a world where you can't pick up a book without reading about a vampire (and admittedly, the occasional werewolf), reading something that was as creative as Sisters Red was such a breath of fresh air! The book's told from the perspective of both sisters (alternating chapters), with distinct voices for each. The sisters are both so cool in their own ways...and they have really awesome weapons (how often does a heroine carry around her own hatchet!!!! I mean, could you be more hard-core?). And Pearce even throws in a love story!

I have to admit, there haven't been very many books in the past few years that have really impressed me....but Jackson Pearce has done it! On another note, I could totally see this being made into a movie——man, it would be SO kick-ass!


The book's out in June, so put it on your summer reading list!

5x5,
B.