¡Lunes Libro Fantástico!: Replay by Robin Brande

  

I know I said I wasn't going to blog this summer, but when you read a book so great, you just have to share it, well, stuff happens :) The book in question is REPLAY by Robin Brande. For those of you who have recently joined, Robin is by far one of my favorite YA authors (see reviews for OPERATION ERASE, CAUGHT IN THE PARALLEL, INTO THE PARALLEL). She doesn't disappoint with her newest YA, REPLAY. 


From robinbrande.com:
Cara Campbell thought she had it made: star athlete, popular student, winner. But when she dies during surgery, she sees something she knows no one would ever believe. The doctors manage to revive her, but what happened during those 42 seconds of death has changed everything.

Now Cara is having a hard time adjusting to her former life. None of her friends or accomplishments matter anymore. What does matter is the face she saw as she came rushing back into her body. That face belongs to David Mayer, a brainy outcast who dislikes Cara even more than she does him.

As Cara sorts through the ramifications of her near-death experience, and struggles to overcome her fear of telling everyone what really happened, she discovers a path she never realized lay ahead of her.

And as Cara is about to learn, there are no coincidences.

From me:

I LOVED Replay! I gasped, cried, and cheered in all the right places. It was completely honest and raw. I felt what Cara felt. More importantly, I felt for her. One of the facets of Robin Brande's multi-talented writing is how she's never afraid to go "there". Pulls no punches. Doesn't matter whether it's morality (rape, loss of innocence, abuse) or spirituality (God, church, philosophy, science) - she shows it how her characters see it. So courageous! She takes something that's not mainstreamed, like time-travel or reincarnation, and makes it not just plausible, but real. Replay is a tense, romantic, fast-paced read that should be at the top of your summer book list!

What parents should know: there is some adult language including a few big bombs, and also mature, but not explicit, talk about sex and rape. 

REPLAY is available as an e-book through Kindle, Nook, and Smashwords, and as a paperback.

Happy reading and ¡Buen Provecho! 

¡Lunes Libro Fantástico!: OPERATION ERASE by Robin Brande

One of my most favoritest YA writers, Robin Brande, has branched into Middle Grade territory with her new Secret Security Squad Series. Yay! She kicks if off with Book One: OPERATION ERASE.

From http://www.robinbrande.com/: Darby Langdon has a plan for taking out the bullies in her junior high. But she’ll need a team of specialists to do it: the gamer, the actress, the scientist, the football player, the inventor, and the bookworm. Each of them has a secret that makes them perfect for what Darby has in mind. Now if only her plan would go as perfectly . . .

Of course Darby's plan does not go perfectly, but to my great joy, OPERATION ERASE surely does! With a pitch-perfect tween voice, conflict, and sweet crushing, Robin Brande's MG debut is a fun, fast read that not only entertains but also gives hope to all facing the joys and horrors of junior high. Robin Brande tackles bullying with an unflinching eye and a creative, non-violent solution. How effective it is remains to be seen since this is a planned series, but as the situation goes from bad to worse, I cannot wait to find out! SECRET SECURITY SQUAD is available as an e-book from Kindle, Nook, Smashwords (which supports ePub and other formats), and as a paperback.

Happy Reading and ¡Buen Provecho!

El fantástico book two: CAUGHT IN THE PARALLEL by Robin Brande

Oh, you lucky, lucky reader! Due to my need to fill up my word tank, I have another fantastic book to recommend. A sequel to my gushy review (yes, I'm a gusher) from last week's INTO THE PARALLEL. I present to you the equally lovable book two in the Parallelogram series: CAUGHT IN THE PARALLEL by the always wonderful and much anticipated Robin Brande. If you haven't finished book one yet, you may want to skip the following description to avoid spoiling some cliff-hanging surprises.

SPOILER ALERT: From robinbrande.com: In a desperate move to save her parallel self from certain death, high school science genius Audie Masters managed to bend the laws of physics. But now she’s trapped in the wrong universe, with no sign that her scheme to save her alternate self, the famous teenage explorer and adventurer Halli Markham, actually worked.Until she can sort out the physics of what went wrong, Audie has to pretend to be Halli–and fool everyone from Halli’s parents to the guy who’s in love with her. And meanwhile there’s her own life Audie would like to reclaim, including Daniel, the only one who knows the truth about who she really is. Is Halli still alive? If so, where is she? And can Audie ever find her way back to her own universe, her own family–her own life?


ALERT END. Whew! Now you may read on for a spoiler-free review.


When reading a series, you oft times expect book two to be the weakest. Not with Robin Brande at the helm. Book two is every bit as brilliant as the first one! Smarter, more romantic and fantastical, and new, just as authentic teen characters as before.  Ms. Brande displays her world building chops by taking us to another dimension, all while showing how this new world and what is happening in it is all technically possible through real quantum physics. I was so invested in the story and characters from the first book, that I hit the ground running with this one, starting it at 8pm Friday night and finishing by 11am Saturday morning. The story never slows, but propels you further into a new world full of questions and betrayals - you never know who to trust. Since Audie doesn't know what's going on, neither do we, so we get to experience that most wonderful aspect of reading - the joy of discovery. And Ms. Brande serves it up expertly, delivering new discoveries and newer, more perplexing questions, setting us deliciously up for book three. I cannot wait!!


The e-book edition is available now for $4.99 from Smashwords (which supports all e-book and PDF formats), Kindle, and Nook. The paperback edition will be out shortly. You can even visit robinbrande.com for an excerpt. But I say skip it and go right for the whole book - you won't want to stop reading.


Wishing you happy reading this Christmas season, and as always, ¡Buen Provecho!

¡El Libro Más Fantástico! INTO THE PARALLEL by Robin Brande

Every time Robin Brande comes out with a new book, my heart jumps. I love her writing; it's like wrapping yourself in a soft blanket on a chilly night - warm and comforting. So with great pleasure, I introduce you to INTO THE PARALLEL, book one of her new Parallelogram series. And what a great kickoff it is!

From robinbrande.com: High school senior and amateur physicist Audie Masters has discovered what no other physicist has been able to prove: that parallel universes do exist, and there is a way to journey into them. She also discovers something else: a parallel version of herself, living the kind of life Audie never could have imagined for herself. Now Audie is living that life, too, full of adventure, romance, and reality-bending science. It’s all more than she could have hoped for–until something goes wrong.

As usual, Robin Brande's spot-on teen voice rings true and pulls you back to those wonderful, confusing and arduous times. Her characters leap off the page and into your heart. Audie's whip-smart comments and heart-felt honesty left me in tears more than once. And smart only begins to describe not only the main character, but also the writing. The science used here is grounded in real quantum physics and related in a way even I could understand. I felt my IQ rise from page one: after reading, I understood more of the jokes on the Big Bang theory. The romance is clever, never condescending, and had me falling in love right along with Audie. The only negative - having to wait for the next book to satisfy this cliffhanger of an ending. And I mean that in the best way possible. I simply cannot sing enough praises for this wonderfully imaginative, smart, and exciting YA novel. This will make a perfect gift for that beautiful, smart girl in your life. Even better - for you!

INTO THE PARALLEL is available as an e-book for $4.99 from Smashwords (supports Kindle, ePub, and other formats), Kindle, and Nook, and as a paperback for $13.98.

More than ever, happy reading and ¡Buen Provecho!