Writers' Chasm

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers First book in His Fair Assassin trilogy Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others. Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart? I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga What if the world's worst serial killer...was your dad? Jasper (Jazz) Dent is a likable t...

Road Trip Wednesday is a "Blog Carnival," where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question and answer it on our own blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody's unique take on the topic. This Week's Topic: What was the best book you read in March? I have a confession to make. This month, I sucked when it came to making time to read. This is partly because of school and partly because the book I'm trying to read isn't for me. So, the best book I read in March was... The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins It was my second time reading it, but it was just as good -- if not better -- the second time around it. It called to me whenever I had free time, and even if I didn't.

***SPOILER WARNING*** To give a little background, I've read the entire Hunger Games trilogy and I adore it. I tend to be very loyal to my books and harsh on their movies. This one was no different: I had extremely high expectations. Because of the internal nature of the books, I was worried about how that would translate to film. This movie exceeded all my expectations. It was BRILLIANT. I had a few key scenes that I was desperate to see them get right and they nailed them. The Girl on Fire chariot scene was excellent and so was the interview. I was worried when I saw her interview dress in the previews (being that it looks very little like it's supposed to) but it was actually perfect. The scene with Katniss shooting the apple during her private session with the Gamemakers was spot on. And then, there was Rue. Her death scene shattered my heart. I actually started sobbing when District Eleven gave tribute to Katniss while watching her on the screen. That was beauti...

Road Trip Wednesday is a "Blog Carnival," where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question and answer it on our own blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody's unique take on the topic. This Week's Topic: A long-awaited kiss, a surprise ending, a character's sudden decision… these are the moments that make us smile, gasp, and LOVE a book for the rest of our lives. What is your favorite literary moment? This was a tough one for me. So many moments to choose from! I was going to do top three but then I couldn't narrow it down to three, so here are my top five: 5. **PERCY JACKSON SPOILERS** The moment when Percy Jackson realizes that the Great Prophecy isn't referring to him. It's a really pivotal moment and, to this day, I still look back on that scene in awe. It's the moment when Percy realizes that the destiny he's spent so much time preparing himself for, isn...

I've been having a lot of trouble writing lately. This is partly due to school and partly due to the fact that I've been watching a ridiculous amount of Castle and therefore can only come up with ideas that involve a murder. One night, I really wanted to write so a friend showed me a bunch of sites with writing prompts. I scanned through them until I found one that caught my attention and wrote a short story from it. I love the characters so much that I'm considering writing a whole novel with them. Here are a couple links to the writing prompts that helped me: http://www.creative-writing-now.com/short-story-ideas.html http://www.writing.com/main/view_item/item_id/892558-Writing-Prompts The next time you want to write but can't think of an idea, try looking through the prompts for something that interests you, opening a word document, and just writing for awhile. You never know what might come out of it.

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be answered. In the comments, you can hop from destination to destination and get everybody's unique take on the topic. This Week's Topic: In honor of the release of Kirsten's WANDERLOVE yesterday-- If you could wander anywhere in the world, where would it be, and why? England, Ireland, and Scotland for starters. I've always wanted to go there (to the point where I'm planning to spend some time studying abroad in one of the three). England, in particular, has always fascinated me. Two of my favorite things in the world (Doctor Who and Harry Potter) have come there. Not to mention it's a truly beautiful country. I also really want to go to Austria and just explore the country. I've always wanted to see the Spanish Riding School.

Wanderlove by Kristin Hubbard It all begins with a stupid question: Are you a Global Vagabond? No, but 18-year-old Bria Sandoval wants to be. In a quest for independence, her neglected art, and no-strings-attached hookups, she signs up for a guided tour of Central America—the wrong one. Middle-aged tourists with fanny packs are hardly the key to self-rediscovery. When Bria meets Rowan, devoted backpacker and dive instructor, and his outspokenly humanitarian sister Starling, she seizes the chance to ditch her group and join them off the beaten path. Bria's a good girl trying to go bad. Rowan's a bad boy trying to stay good. As they travel across a panorama of Mayan villages, remote Belizean islands, and hostels plagued with jungle beasties, they discover what they've got in common: both seek to leave behind the old versions of themselves. And the secret to escaping the past, Rowan’s found, is to keep moving forward. But Bria comes to realize she can't run ...

Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler According to Anna's best friend, Frankie, twenty days in Zanzibar Bay is the perfect opportunity to have a summer ling, and if they meet one boy every day, there's a pretty good chance Anna will find her first summer romance. Anna lightheartedly agrees to the game, but there's something she hasn't told Frankie -- she's already had her romance, and it was with Frankie's older brother, Matt, just before his tragic death one year ago. I loved this book so much it hurt. It's a beautiful and amazing book. I haven't been sucked in by a book in quite awhile but this one did it. The characters are fantastic. I'm particularly fond of Frankie's mother, though I kind of wish they'd played a larger part towards the end. I feel kind of bad that Frankie thinks her parents don't care when they really do and she doesn't really find out otherwise. Speaking of Frankie, I think her abrasive personality is one ...