GIVEAWAY! Win TWO Books by Jennifer Lynn Barnes!

I am so pleased to be able to offer up a great little prize pack to one of my lucky followers!

Up for grabs are two great books by Jennifer Lynn Barnes!  In case you are unfamiliar with her work, she is the author of more than ten books, including the popular Raised by Wolves trilogy (Raised by Wolves, Trial by Fire, Taken by Storm), and the two books offered up today!

 The winner will receive a hardcover copy of her latest release, NOBODY, which is a Sci-Fi/Paranormal unlike anything else I've read (read my review HERE), AND a paperback copy of the fabulous EVERY OTHER DAY, which is a Paranormal Thriller with a truly kick-ass heroine (read my review HERE). 

To learn more about Jen, you can visit her BLOG or view some of her videos at EgmontUSA's YouTube Channel.

This giveaway is open to followers with mailing addresses within the US and Canada, and ends Sunday, February 17th.

Best of luck!

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ARC Review: Nobody by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Publisher:  EgmontUSA

Publication Date:  January 22nd, 2013

There are people in this world who are Nobody. No one sees them. No one notices them. They live their lives under the radar, forgotten as soon as you turn away. 

That’s why they make the perfect assassins.

The Institute finds these people when they’re young and takes them away for training. But an untrained Nobody is a threat to their organization. And threats must be eliminated.

Sixteen-year-old Claire has been invisible her whole life, missed by the Institute’s monitoring. But now they’ve ID’ed her and send seventeen-year-old Nix to remove her. Yet the moment he lays eyes on her, he can’t make the hit. It’s as if Claire and Nix are the only people in the world for each other. And they are—because no one else ever notices them.

(Courtesy of Goodreads)

When I got the review request for Nobody, I was really excited.  I had only ever read one of Jennifer Lynn Barnes's books, Every Other Day, and I LOVED it (read my review HERE).  I was super-excited when I received it in the mail, and then I went to Goodreads to mark it as a "Currently Reading" book, and stopped dead in my tracks...  There were some downright awful reviews on this book, and many were from bloggers I know and respect.  That left me torn.  Do I read it because I've already committed to it, even though I really don't want to now?  Do I just skip it, and read something else?  What to do?  Clocking in at 400 pages, it was a book I was really reluctant to bother with if I was going to hate it...  Well, the conscientious side of me won out- I accepted the review request, and I was going to keep my word, and at the very least, read it...  Well, I'm glad I did, because I really liked Nobody (I also affirmed my policy to not post reviews of 2-star and lower books on my blog for fear of turning off someone who might have loved the book I hated).  I didn't love it quite as much as I did Every Other Day, but I thought it was a great, entertaining story that was well worth the time spent, even at 400 pages.

I found the premise of Nobody quite intriguing.  Basically, Nobodies are people that go through life without the world around them noticing that they are even there.  They aren't physically invisible, but they might as well be.  They can even commit murder in a crowd of people without anyone even processing that they were present.  No witnesses, which makes them perfect assassins...  Nix is a Nobody and has been trained his entire life to be just that.  He is unparalleled at what he does, until he is sent to take out Claire.  Claire is also a Nobody, although she has gone through life without knowing this.  All she knows is that people, even her parents, don't seem to notice her.  Then one day she gets this feeling that someone is watching her- a feeling utterly foreign to her- and she sees her would-be assassin, and he sees her.  They REALLY SEE each other, and that doesn't happen to either, EVER.  Because Nix is so thrown by this realization, he botches the attempt, and the story moves forward from there...  We learn there are other types of people besides Nobodies; There are Nulls, who are their opposite- larger than life, charismatic, and can bend anyone to their will without any effort at all.  Then there are the Sensors, who are the only ones who can see Nobodies and Nulls for who what they are.  The Institute has a long history of using Sensors to keep the normal people, the general public, blind to such abnormalities.  The Institute, however, is rife with corruption and secrets, and as things unfold in this book, it becomes a very compulsive read, and I found it nearly impossible to put down for a variety of reasons.  The plot moved quickly and made sense of what could have come across as nonsensical if it hadn't been so expertly executed.  Claire and Nix were great characters, and both grew on me tremendously as the story progressed.  Some reviewers complained about their inability to connect with either of them, but I think that was part of the appeal for me.  It's hard to connect with a person who has never really experienced any kind of human connection.  That person is going to seem somewhat flat to people who have had the joy of human bonding and the myriad of emotions that go along with it.   I found myself really absorbed in the growth both characters showed through experiencing a bond with another human for the first time.  I enjoyed seeing things through their eyes, feeling how they felt going through life alone and unnoticed, and then finding  one another, and for the first time feeling seen, and more importantly, feeling connected.  Normally, I detest insta-love or attraction, but in this case it is more than reasonable.  This book isn't all romance though.  Not even close.  It is action, conspiracy, mystery, and a full on story of survival.  Anyone who enjoys a fast-paced sci-fi adventure, that really makes you wonder if things aren't always as they seem, will enjoy Nobody.  I honestly can't, for the life of me, figure out why the negative reviews...

My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ 

Grade Level Recommendation:  This book was graphically violent at times, and there was some sex, although not graphic in nature, by any stretch.  I would say this book is best suited for grades 7 and up (ages 12+), although as a more liberal parent, I would gladly allow my 6th grader to read it.

**Please enter my GIVEAWAY for a hardcover copy of NOBODY and a paperback copy of EVERY OTHER DAY by clicking HERE!!  Ends Sunday, February 17th.  USA/Canada**

Review: Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Publisher: EgmontUSA

Publication Date:  December 27th, 2011

Every other day, Kali D'Angelo is a normal sixteen-year-old girl. She goes to public high school. She attends pep rallies. She's human.

And then every day in between . . .She's something else entirely.

Though she still looks like herself, every twenty-four hours predatory instincts take over and Kali becomes a feared demon-hunter with the undeniable urge to hunt, trap, and kill zombies, hellhounds, and other supernatural creatures. Kali has no idea why she is the way she is, but she gives in to instinct anyway. Even though the government considers it environmental terrorism.

When Kali notices a mark on the lower back of a popular girl at school, she knows instantly that the girl is marked for death by one of these creatures. Kali has twenty-four hours to save her and, unfortunately, she'll have to do it as a human. With the help of a few new friends, Kali takes a risk that her human body might not survive. . .and learns the secrets of her mysterious condition in the process.

(Courtesy of Goodreads)

The synopsis above does not do this book justice.  It's accurate, sure, but it's so much more than what it implies.  This story is an entirely different take on the paranormal, and it was quite refreshing.  Lately I've been wary of anything in the paranormal genre because of all the garbage that followed on the heels of Twilight's success, but there are some good ones out there, and this is one of them.

Going into this book, I was not even thinking about it going in the direction that it did, and I was so pleasantly surprised.  I am a science-nerd, and this book spoke to the girl with the Genetics degree.  I can't really say more without major spoilers, but it is great how this story comes together.  This book does not start out slowly, and the pace only quickens as the story progresses; by the final third of the book, you will not want to stop reading for any reason.  House burning down?  Keep reading and hope the fire department arrives before the smoke and fire reach your room.  That seriously would have been me once the secrets started unraveling.  Of course, the story can't really make a book without characters, and the characters in this one are very well drawn.  Kali is a great kick-ass heroine.  Honestly, I wish this book had come out a few months ago, because I think she could have had a real shot at the YA Sisterhood Heroines Tourney.   Another kick-ass character is Skylar.  She was my favorite character of all of them; quirky, sweet, and totally comfortable in her own skin.  Mean girl Bethany was okay after awhile, but she definitely has some growing to do.  Then there's Skylar's never-ending number of brothers... I loved that.  It was  like, "Need a doctor? Good, Skylar's brother's a vet.", "Need a cop. Cool, Skylar's brother's FBI.", "Need a hot boyfriend type to keep bitchy Bethany in line? Lucky for you, Skylar has a brother who already fills that role!".  Hilarious on its own.   I really enjoyed the characters and thought the development of them was great; their flaws and strengths revealed nicely, and at the right times.  As for romance, there's not a whole lot.  There is a boy, Lev, who is like Kali, but the story really doesn't have room for romance, and thankfully, Jennifer Lynn Barnes doesn't try to cram it in to please the Twilight crowd. 

I went into this book thinking that it was a stand-alone, but judging from the ending, I'm guessing it's the first in a series.  I don't see any evidence of that on Goodreads or anything, but the door has definitely been left wide open for it.  I, for one, will be happy if the story continues because there is definitely potential for greatness.  I would love to see where Kali's abilities take her and how things play out with Lev.

Honestly, there was only one thing about the story that I hated, and I'm not going to mention it because it would be a total spoiler.  If you've read the book, I'm sure you're aware of what I am referencing, if not, you will when you get to that part...

My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★  

Grade Level Recommendation:  Very violent and gory.  Does have some language.  If it was made into to a movie, it would carry a PG-13 rating.  I'm going to say that it is appropriate for 7th grade and up (ages 12+).