Spy Hard, with a Vengeance

18 Sunday Mar 2012

Posted by in Ally Carter, Author, Mystery, Spy, YA, Young Adult

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Move over James Bond…

The thrill of a good spy story can be addicting. Which pretty much explains the huge box office draw for the James Bond and Bourne Identity films. Yeah, I’m right there with you. I admit it. I’m hooked. But even so, it kind of bothered me that the heroes were always guys. The women were beautiful … but not much else. That was how it rolled in high stakes espionage.

That is … until the Gallagher Girls.

…Make room for the Gallagher Girls!

The spy game totally changed when the Gallagher Girls hit the scene. Exceptional young women who attend a top-secret all-girl school … for spies.

But don’t let their ages and keen fashion sense fool you. Sure they can completely change their appearance with nothing but a pair of nail clippers and a little shoe polish. These girls can kick butt and take names in fourteen different languages, while making change for a dollar in eight currencies and factoring in the exchange rates. In short, they’re tough and have the smarts to match.

Take Cammie “The Chameleon”…  At the age of seven, she helped her father design a Trojan horse to infiltrate a former Soviet nuclear missile silo that had been take over by terrorists. Now at fifteen, she’s twice the match for 007. And her Gallagher Academy classmates are equally talented, because they have to be. They’re not in a game … they’re up against pros who mean business. These girls put the estrogen in espionage, with a vengeance.

But as spooky smart as they are (you try acing molecular regeneration, conversational Swahili, and Advanced Encryption & You in the same semester!) they are still teenagers grappling with love, loss, and betrayal. Except they deal with all that on top of heart-stopping life and death stakes that reach national proportions. If you haven’t read this series yet, get started NOW! The Gallagher Girls are AWESOME!

Ally Carter (a total Gallagher Girl!) is the mastermind of this exciting and fun series. The fifth book, Out of Sight, Out of Time released last week. In honor of the release, I’m hosting a SPY-TACULAR Giveaway on Wednesday, so stop by! The lucky winner will receive a signed copy of Out of Sight, Out of Time, by Ally Carter.

  • If you’ve read the Gallagher Girls series, who’s your favorite character?
  • For those who haven’t, who’s your favorite spy?

I LOVE hearing from you!

Another Jekyll, Another Hyde

16 Friday Mar 2012

Posted by in Mystery, Paranormal, Supernatural, YA, Young Adult

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Review Redux ~ YA Litwit

Of all the reviews I’ve read this week, this is the book I’d move to the top of my to-be-read pile … if it were out. A real edge-of-your-seat paranormal mystery that hits the stores March 27th. Can’t wait!

What book are you excited about reading next?

Another Jekyll, Another Hyde, by Daniel and Dina Nayeri

Publisher: Candlewick Press
Publication Date: March 27th, 2012

An elusive stalker is targeting Marlowe kids – and something unearthly has gotten into its wealthiest student – as the Another series builds up to a fiendish finale. When his billionaire father marries French governess Nicola Vileroy, high society is all abuzz – but Thomas, the most popular student at Marlowe, is just plain high. Ever since his girlfriend Belle dumped him, he’s been spending less time with old friends and more time getting wasted at clubs. But after someone slips him a designer drug one night – and his stepmother seems to know way too much about his private life – things really start to get scary. As Thomas’s blackouts give way to a sinister voice inside his head, and as news of a vicious hate crime has students on edge, Thomas comes to the sickening realization that Madame Vileroy has involved him in a horrifying supernatural plan. How can he muster the strength and will to stop it? The pulse-quickening climax revisits Jekyll and Hyde as a current-day cautionary tale laced with a heady dose of paranormal intrigue.
(Courtesy of Goodreads)

Read Karis Jacobstein’s review at YA Litwit.

Monsters we love to hate…

11 Sunday Mar 2012

Posted by in monsters

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Yes, monsters. And don’t go all girly on me. You liked them too. Admit it.

We’ve all been fascinated with monsters from the time we were at least three. Huddling under the covers with a flashlight, telling scary stories when our parents thought we were asleep. Yeah, you remember.

I got to wondering exactly what makes “horror” such a big market in film and fiction after reading a blog post by Tim Kane on the Five Most Common Misconceptions About Classic Movie Monsters. Monsters have been an uber-hot commodity for a looooong time. Way before Buffy or Twilight, that’s for sure.

But why?

Why do we conjure up grotesque creatures only to hurry through dark streets, afraid they’ll jump out of the shadows?

As soon as I asked myself this, the answer hit me like a stake through the heart (OK, maybe that’s just a tad melodramatic). Alfred Hitchcock once said that the scariest things are the things we can’t see. Monsters put a face on our fears, and once they have form we can conquer them.

The simple fact is … we need monsters. The hero’s light shines brightest when it’s contrasted against the greatest darkness. Enter …  the monster.

Great stories require terrible villains, and Monsters are the perfect casting call. Nothing tests a hero’s strength like a monster. What would Harry Potter’s story been without Voldermort?

A badass monster generates conflict in epic proportions. Our hero has to dig deep to surmount superhuman obstacles, rising above fear and character flaws to save the day. Remember Indiana Jones going into the pit of snakes, his worst nightmare?

We pay good money to go on the journey with our hero (monsters and all), because along the way we glimpse what it would be like to conquer our own inner demons and triumph in the end.

So yeah, monsters are awesome. You’ve gotta love to hate them.

What’s your favorite monster from film or fiction?