Quick Announcement!

Tomorrow I'm going to be welcoming a Goodreads friend of mine to the blog.
My friend Isis will be guest-posting about (what else?) YA lit.
I'm really excited to have her here with us. Just wanted to give everybody a heads up.
She has been kind enough to write a really interesting and thought-provoking post, and I hope you all get a chance to check it out!
Isis is an avid reader but as of yet, she is not a blogger, so I hope she has a good experience here tomorrow. I think her voice and thoughts will be a really cool, refreshing addition.
So I hope you all will stay tuned!

HAVEN winners!

Happy belated Valentine's Day!

The HAVEN contest has come to a close, and author Kristi Cook has picked her winners!
Without further ado, this is what she said about our

2nd place winner: Lisa!"Because she looks a lot like I picture Violet looking, and I like the creepy aspect - the whole, "there's more to her than people can see" element."

And this is what Kristi had to say about our

1st place winner: JL!"This person *definitely* needs to get a job NOW in a publisher's art department! Because this is freaking *amazing*!!! It's...perfect! The girl, the colors, the art on the back cover (whoa, that looks just like Winterhaven does in my head!)."


Okay, Lisa & JL...congratulations! Please email me at imaginefocusedreviews@gmail.com and I will get your prizes out to you!

To everyone who entered, thank you so much! I'd love to do more cover contests in the future, so stay tuned!

All I can say is...wow.

You may not have noticed, but the crickets have really been chirping over here at Imagination in Focus. And I do apologize for that.

After the snow melted away and the weather cleared, I realized that, for the past week, I have been in a major reading slump. I've tried to begin the two books I have on my nightstand:

and funny thing is, they seem really interesting. But...I don't know. It's like someone who drinks a lot of Red Bull, then goes off Red Bull like *that*, then tries to go back to drinking it.

The only good news is, I've been writing way more. Yay. My writing blog has seen a lot more action :)

And there's another reason why I've been kind of a bad blogger lately. I've come to that really scary place, over a year, where I'm just not really sure what to say. I can't really figure out how to make anything seem interesting. I've already said that I won't go back to the meme days, yet every thing seems to have been done before. I'll get an idea for a post, but then I'll realize, someone else has already done that. And it looks like copying :S

Plus, a few weeks ago this whole blogging community seemed to explode. I realized that people can be affected by stuff even if they didn't actively take part in it. Honestly, that whole fiasco has me a little nervous about everything. How I write my reviews, what I say, how I write regular, non-review posts...everything. I still plan on keeping this site, but I do want to be upfront and at least offer an explanation for the lack of posts.
Sorry, guys. I'll get better.

Review - JENNA & JONAH'S FAUXMANCE

Jenna and Jonah's Fauxmance - Emily Franklin & Brendan Halpin

Genre: YA Contemporary
# of pages: 240 (pb)
Publisher: Bloomsbury Walker
Recommended for: HS & Beyond

Fans of romance don't need to look any further than the fauxmance brewing between teen idols Charlie Tracker and Fielding Withers—known on their hit TV show as Jenna and Jonah, next-door neighbors flush with the excitement of first love. But it's their off-screen relationship that has helped cement their fame, as passionate fans follow their every PDA. They grace the covers of magazines week after week. Their fan club has chapters all over the country. The only problem is their off-screen romance is one big publicity stunt, and Charlie and Fielding can't stand to be in the same room. Still, it's a great gig, so even when the cameras stop rolling, the show must go on, and on, and on. . . . Until the pesky paparazzi blow their cover, and Charlie and Fielding must disappear to weather the media storm. It's not until they're far off the grid of the Hollywood circuit that they realize that there's more to each of them than shiny hair and a winning smile.

I was pretty much hooked just by the premise of this book. In fact, the first time I even heard the synopsis my mind flashed images of all these Disney Channel stars. Especially those two old teenyboppers from that series that made a little money from a couple years ago, remember? The one where they were apparently a couple in real life too? I wonder if they were faking too!
Okay, so here's the thing: I loved the premise of the story, but the actual story fell a little flat for me.
I actually think the book tried to be more complicated than it needed to be. Very early in the story (before pg 50), the main characters' ruse is exposed and they immediately have to go into problem-solving mode. I think it would have been a better idea to give readers a chance to see the two characters' lives, not only as a fake couple but also as young, on-their-own stars, before pulling the rug out from under their world. I just thought that were was too much action before development. I will say, though, that I liked the way Charlie and Fielding's secret was "outed":
I was expecting the authors to take the cliched easy road, and they actually gave me something I wasn't expecting. So I enjoyed that.
My favorite part of the novel was way too brief for my liking. Here's the thing: so much of the story revolves around Charlie & Fielding's relationship and how they perceive each other to be, verses how they actually are, in real life. When your whole relationship with someone (anyone) is based on assumptions and easy judgments, there's a whole lot that's taken for granted. I was so hoping that the time they spent together, in a secluded beach-house (so California!) would have been a time for raw conversations and deep character exploration. The story could have been simpler and more meaningful, I think, but instead, those scenes accounted for very little of the overall story. In fact, the second half of the book has Charlie and Fielding doing a regional theater production of A Midsummer Night's Dream and somehow realizing (through conversations with other people, not each other) that they're in love after all. I guess the book just didn't really seem like it flowed together well. There was too much plot for such a short book, and the result is that I didn't really feel any connection to the characters.
I always like books told in dual perspectives, because I love being able to see things from multiple viewpoints. In this case, though, I felt like there wasn't enough of a contrast between Fielding and Charlie. They're both intelligent. They both are reasonably responsible for their age. They both are good cooks. They both sing well. They both are in (of course) perfect physical condition. And they both are extremely rude and crass to each other. If the chapter titles didn't say "Charlie" or "Fielding/Aaron" (the character's real name) at the top, I wouldn't know which voice belong to which character...
And now...the romance. Guys, this is a cute, quick read that will be perfect for Valentine's Day. It's lighthearted, it's humorous, it's trendy...it's really recommendable. But is it romantic?
For me, the answer is 'no.' From what I've read in other reviews, the number one thing that most people seem to like was actually kind of off-putting for me, and that was the snappy, bantering and downright mean dialogue between the main characters. If you like snappy, sassy banter, you'll love the exchanges here. For me (who kind of likes sweet, genuine dialogue), reading the things these two said to each other made me cringe. I just can't imagine being able to fall in love with someone who talked to me the way these characters talked to each other. I know I sound like your moms, probably, so I'll leave it at that.
Like I said, Jenna and Jonah's Fauxmance is a light, fun read that will definitely appeal to teens, and the amount of pop culture references were clever and well-placed. Just because the romance didn't work for me doesn't mean it won't be your cup of tea, so give it a try if you'd like :)

Final Grade:

HAVEN Cover Contest deadline extended!

Hey! So because of the crazy weather and everything, I'm pushing back the deadline for the contest from today to SATURDAY, February 12th. That's just a few more days, but who knows, maybe we'll get one or two more in.
We've got some fabulous designs for author Kristi Cook to choose from already, but there's still time for one or two more entries!

CLICK HERE!

To those who have already entered, thank you so much for supporting this contest! I am blown away by the reception this has gotten, and I thank you for helping spread the word!

Thank You, Mr. Jacques

This weekend, one of the most brilliant and beloved childrens/fantasy authors passed away.
Brian Jacques, creator of the Redwall universe, died Saturday at age 71.
I don't know if many of you have had the opportunity to read any of the 22 books in the Redwall series, but if not, I definitely suggest you give at least one a try, in the future.

For me, Brian Jacques was the author who really got me seriously interested in the craft of writing.
I'd written stories off and on as a kid, but it wasn't until I read a few books in the Redwall series that I thought of writing as a serious future possibility. His storytelling style is still hard to put into words: it was didactic and entertaining at the same time, not as lofty as C.S. Lewis, but still sophisticated.
What I learned from Mr. Jacques' storytelling:
1. the heroes journey - the lowly, least-of-these characters who makes a journey of self-discovery and becomes a hero will always be an endearing story for young readers, children and teens alike, mainly because kids know how it feels to be overlooked because of age or lack of ability. Every time one of his characters grew and matured, whether Matthias, Mariel, Martin, Tammo, or any other - I was right there with them.
2. A little something about love. You know what I learned from Brian Jacques' books? Good storytelling does not have to include some dopey designated romance. As a young reader, love stories didn't interest me. I wanted action, and I learned that epic-proportion storytelling was good enough.
3. A little something about death. At ages 10-11, I was reading stories in which characters, sometimes really important ones, died. Being a 'good guy' didn't always guarantee a happy ending, in other words. I know that doesn't sound like much now, but back in the '90s when I was a kid, it was kind of a big deal.
4. Fight scenes. Before I soldiered through the Lord of the Rings series and battled orcs at Helm's Deep and Minas Tirinth, I battled evil rats, weasels, and foxes in the Redwall world.
I wish I could bottle up the energy I felt then and pull it out now that I'm older.

Brian Jacques will always be one of my biggest literary influences. He shaped my reading as well as my writing style. I'm writing this post while in class right now, so I know I don't sound very coherent, but I just wanted to say what a talented, original individual this guy was. I mean, seriously! How many authors do you know who have created a high fantasy world populated by butt-kicking, tough-as-nails anthropomorphic animals? Brian Jacques' work can still be found in both Childrens Fiction sections and High Fantasy sections at bookstores. To have that big of an age span for fans, encompassing both kids and grown-ups (and all of this pre-Harry Potter) speaks to his talent as a storyteller. Since the first Redwall book was published in 1986 until now, loyal fans and newcomers alike have journeyed to an unforgettable world.
We will miss you, Mr. Jacques. Thank you for sharing your imagination with us.Okay so technically that's Reepicheep. But it could just as easily be Matthias or Martin!

"I love book-signings. Kids waiting in line for you to scribble on their new books, haha!"
- Brian Jacques

In My Mailbox [4]

In My Mailbox is sponsored by The Story Siren

Most of our mail/deliveries got interrupted by the massive storm that hit this week, but I did get some goodies:
For Review
Enclave by Ann Aguirre
Fairy Bad Day by Amanda Ashby

Special thanks to Macmillan USA & Penguin!

Bought
Vampire Crush by A.M. Robinson