*Blog Tour* Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff

Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff
Release Date – January 8, 2013
Publisher Website - Penguin/Razorbill
Publisher Social Media -  Twitter
Pages -   368 pages
My Rating- 3.5/5
**Received from publisher for review**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

The city of Ludlow is gripped by the hottest July on record. The asphalt is melting, the birds are dying, petty crime is on the rise, and someone in Hannah Wagnor’s peaceful suburban community is killing girls.

For Hannah, the summer is a complicated one. Her best friend Lillian died six months ago, and Hannah just wants her life to go back to normal. But how can things be normal when Lillian’s ghost is haunting her bedroom, pushing her to investigate the mysterious string of murders? Hannah’s just trying to understand why her friend self-destructed, and where she fits now that Lillian isn’t there to save her a place among the social elite. And she must stop thinking about Finny Boone, the big, enigmatic delinquent whose main hobbies seem to include petty larceny and surprising acts of kindness.

With the entire city in a panic, Hannah soon finds herself drawn into a world of ghost girls and horrifying secrets. She realizes that only by confronting the Valentine Killer will she be able move on with her life—and it’s up to her to put together the pieces before he strikes again.

Paper Valentine is one of those novels that you dive into thinking it's one thing, and it ends up being something else all together Paper Valentine reads less like a murder mystery and more like a story of acceptance. Hannah is having to accept that her friendships are changing, and she's having to come to terms with Lillian's death. It's a story of growing up, changing, and embracing the things that hurt you so that you come out the other side stronger.

Paper Valentine is my first experience with Brenna Yovanoff's beautiful writing. Everything I have heard is true. It's poetic, lyrical, and simply wonderful. It's her writing that makes the character's feeling seem all the more resonate, and deep.
This is the story of a friendship. A best friendship that is complicated in the way that highschool friendships are. Lillian and Hannah's friendship is written in such a real and honest way. The flaws, and imperfections each character has are reflected in the nature of the friendship. Lillian's haunting feels more like both girls can't let go, and how much they miss each other is clearly evident. Lillian pushes Hannah, and as a result Hannah becomes stronger, and more self assured.

Finnegan Boone, the bad boy who is surprisingly gentle. He's everything Hannah's friends would want her to stay away from, including Lillian. He's also part of Hannah's journey to taking those first steps towards becoming who she is supposed to a. A self that makes decisions based on what she wants, not others. Their relationship felt authentic to the highschool experience. There are no big declarations of love, no grand gestures. Just a simple moment of kindness, and a connection that leads to wanting to spend time together
The murder mystery does provide a creepy backdrop and contrasts well with Lillian's haunting of Hannah. It provides many chills, and truly horrific. The killer does feel a little rushed and out of nowhere. This novel really is more about Hannah and her journey than the murders themselves, and I feel more time should have been spent on that plot. The killer's motivations are terrifying and well plotted, I just wish a certain character would have been more developed. I did enjoy the surprise element was I was expecting the killer to be someone else based on the clues and hints.

A murder mystery that is so much more. A thoughtful story about what it means to loose someone, and how a girl said goodbye to her best friend, got her first kiss and genuinely grew up during a summer of fear and sadness.

Immortal City by Scott Speer

Immortal City by Scott Speer
Release Date – April 3, 2012
Publisher Website – Penguin/Razorbill
Publisher Social Media - Twitter
Pages - 336 pages
My Rating- 8/10
**obtained from publisher for an honest review**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Jackson Godspeed is the hottest young Angel in a city filled with them. He's days away from becoming a full Guardian, and people around the world are already competing for the chance to be watched over by him. Everyone's obsessed with the Angels and the lucky people they protect--everyone except for Madison Montgomery.

Maddy's the one girl in Angel City who doesn't breathlessly follow the Angels on TV and gossip blogs. When she meets Jackson, she doesn't recognize him. But Jackson is instantly captivated by her, and against all odds the two fall in love.

Maddy is swiftly caught up in Jackson's scene, a world of glamour, paparazzi - and murder. A serial killer is on the loose, leaving dead Angels' wings for the police to find on the Walk of Fame. Even the Guardians are powerless to protect themselves in the face of this threat … and this time it's up to Maddy to save Jackson.

The novel opens with someone driving recklessly down a sharp turning road. The guy is pushing the limits because he can; he is protected by an angel. These are not the Angels that you’re used to. These Angels are considered celebrities by the public. They protect people but do it for a price. If you lucky enough to afford this protection, and be assigned an Angel you can take the risk. For the other, less fortunate people, you won’t be as lucky. The first chapter make you aware of the glaringly unfair advantage the rich and powerful have.

Jackson is the hottest, and most talked about Angel in all of Angel City. He also happens to be one of the youngest Angels to be commissioned as a Guardian. He is followed by paparazzi, on the cover of many magazines, and the dream guardian of girls (and women) all over the world. Jackson is a little full of himself, but it doesn’t come across as annoyingly so. He has had people tell him how special, wonderful and good looking he is and it’s hard not to let that go to your head. Jackson is also very focused. His duty is very important to him. The protection he is assigned is going to be his number one priority and he takes it very seriously. He’s been training is whole life for this. It’s this part of his personality that I really liked. He’s doing what he thinks is right and is trying to not disappoint anyone. He has a huge weight of expectations on his shoulders, and the pressure might just prove to be too much for the young angel.

Madison is immediately likeable. She’s just a girl who wants to get through high school, get into a college and get out of Angel City. She doesn’t have time for boys, parties, and especially has no time to obsess over the Angels like everyone else. Her parents died when she was young and she lives with her Uncle and they are just trying to survive. Maddy wants nothing to do with Jackson when she first meets him. Something that is made even more clear when she goes on her first date with him. His world and her world do not mix, and Maddy isn’t really interested in trying to fit into it. I loved that she didn’t just fall at his feet. I can totally see why Jackson would pursue her because she offered him something he didn’t have before - a chance to be seen as Jackson instead of JACKSON GOODSPEED.

This novel is much grittier than I was expecting. It’s filled with the darker side of LA but infused with Jackson’s “celebrity” lifestyle. The author uses rain, darkness, and an overall feeling of dread to keep the flim  noir feel throughout the novel. I can picture the detectives in trench coats, and old Hollywood glamour.

The author has a background in directing. This comes through in his writing and as a result this novel practically screams to be made into a CW TV show. So many of the scenes are laid out in a way that you can not only visualize the surroundings but it leaves you with a feel of the scene. The first time we are introduced to the horror of angel wings on the Walk of Fame is chilling, and set up to be a striking image. The blood, mixing with the grittiness and rain in LA back dropped against the glamour of the Angels is almost a metaphor for the novel itself.

The twists and surprises in the novel were actual surprises. There were a few I could see coming, but plenty of things caught me by surprise. The angel serial killer part of the storyline was quite well done. The killer’s reasoning is believable, and the systematic way it was being done was chilling. The motivation behind it had turned into something darker, and that often drives people to extremes. I was happy to say that I did not figure out the killer before it was revealed but upon reflection the clues are there.

Scott Speer mixes danger, glitz, glamour, romance, and adds a huge dash of crime noir to create something really unique. This book may not be for everyone, but I fully enjoyed the atmosphere, characters and surprises the author created.