Beautiful Dead by Eden Maguire sounded so promising. A town with an unusually high death rate amongst the teens at the local high school, and some creepy goings on nearby that soon lead teenager Darina to discover that the four most recently deceased teens are back from the dead, in search of closure. Amongst them?... Continue Reading →

It's Raining Cupcakes is author Lisa Schroeder's first non-verse novel and her first for Middle Grade readers -- but I seriously doubt this will be her last. Talk about a smashing success! It's Raining Cupcakes tells the story of 12-year-old Isabel, who wants nothing more than to escape the small Oregon town where she's lived... Continue Reading →

Fans of vampire fiction know that Edward and Bella have it pretty tough in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. And how about the drama plaguing Buffy and vampire-with-a-soul Angel in the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer? These dramatic, star-crossed romances pale in comparison to the troubles facing Lucas and Bianca in Claudia Gray's best-selling Evernight... Continue Reading →

I must confess; when it comes to various takes on the Arthur legend, I'm a bit of a non-traditionalist. I prefer the likes of Monty Python & the Holy Grail and Disney's The Sword in the Stone to more traditional retellings. However, despite my penchant for the ... goofier ... versions of the tale, I... Continue Reading →

As some of you may know (or will come to know), I also write the Portland Books Examiner column on Examiner.com and will sometimes share my articles here on Novel Novice. Today, I want to direct you to my latest book review for Cezanne's Quarry by Barbara Corrado Pope. Though not a YA book, I... Continue Reading →