Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Teen Fiction Tuesday: Cryer's Cross

Cryer’s Cross, by Lisa McMann

Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 232
Reading Level: 12 and up
Enjoyment Level: High


I’m not sure how to intro this one. I went to the event at Blue Willow Bookshop when Lisa McMann was in Houston – I’d never read anything of hers before, but Cryer’s Cross sounded really interesting. I tried to get in contact with her publicist for an interview, but I never heard back. Luckily, Lisa is awesome and she gave me a few minutes of her time anyway (hear the interview HERE). She gave us a great author event full of readings from Cryer’s Cross and her new, upcoming series. And afterward, I read CC and loved it.

From GoodReads:

Kendall loves her life in small town Cryer’s Cross, Montana, but she also longs for something more. She knows the chances of going to school in New York are small, but she's not the type to give up easily. Even though it will mean leaving Nico, the world's sweetest boyfriend, behind.

But when Cryer's Cross is rocked by unspeakable tragedy, Kendall shoves her dreams aside and focuses on just one goal: help find her missing friends. Even if it means spending time with the one boy she shouldn't get close to... the one boy who makes her question everything she feels for Nico.

Determined to help and to stay true to the boy she's always loved, Kendall keeps up the search--and stumbles upon some frightening local history. She knows she can't stop digging, but Kendall is about to find out just how far the townspeople will go to keep their secrets buried...

This is a tense book. Pretty much the whole time, I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. I love that the mystery and creepiness just kept me reading. The story kept me interested and engaged, and offered a few surprises and twists that I didn’t expect.

Kendall is a great character. I love that she has OCD and deals with it the best she can. Even though I don’t have that problem, I could empathize with her. I had no trouble connecting with her personal story. Her quirks really felt like they made her who she is, and although she struggled with the disorder, she would’ve been a different person with a different outcome if she hadn’t had that trial to deal with. I love that the author writes clearly enough to show that our trials help prepare us to handle things we encounter outside of our lives and experience.

I highly recommend this one. It’s great for reluctant readers, too, since it hooks the reader quickly and keeps the tension high until the ending. It’s got a touch of the paranormal, but it’s not overstated or overdone, so readers of straight fiction and of mysteries will like it as well.

Here's your chance to win a signed copy - just follow the guidelines below.

  1. be a blog follower
  2. tweet, blog, or facebook about the contest
  3. leave a comment on this post with a link to your tweet, blog, etc.

You have until May 16th to enter. Sorry, due to major budget cuts, this one is not open internationally. :(


Until next time, go read something!


~ Vilate

9 comments:

  1. I'm a follower :)

    Here is a tweet about the contest:
    http://twitter.com/#!/yanpocky/status/66489142288195584

    yan.pocky(at)gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yay! I've wanted to read this one forever. =) Thanks for the giveaway!

    http://twitter.com/#!/mdesmondobrien/status/66490252583383040

    mdesmondobrien(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  3. I've been DYING to read this book, so thank you SO much for the amazing giveaway opportunity! :D

    http://twitter.com/#!/inluvwithbookz/status/66794209188904960

    ~Hira~
    GFC Follower: ~Enamored Soul~
    Email: Enamoredsoul(at)gmail(dot)com
    Twitter: @inluvwithbookz

    ReplyDelete
  4. I actually wrote on facebook yesterday that Mother's Day & my Birthday is coming up next week. And I only want one book!! That's all. And that was the book. I'm not exactly sure how to do the tweet from here. I don't see a twitter button but I did retweet, if that counts.

    Well here's what I did. I'm an amateur on Twitter.

    http://twitter.com/#!/GCRWanda/status/66829439299883008

    GFC Follower
    Twitter @Gcrwanda
    GCRwanda(at)goodchoicereading(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  5. BTW thanks for the giveaway. I read her whole Wake Series. And I looooved it!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks for the giveaway!

    GFC follower
    Tweet: http://twitter.com/#!/MT0089/status/66901879141056512

    minas_1989(at)hotmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm a blog follower!

    Tweeted:http://twitter.com/#!/ferretvamp14/status/68099130823680000

    Thanks for the awesome giveaway!
    ferretvamp14{at}live{dot}com

    ReplyDelete
  8. Follower and tweeted. twitter.com/kristinashields

    thx for the giveaway!
    spicedice45@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thanks for the chance!

    GFC follower

    tweet - http://twitter.com/#!/DonnaS1/status/70324391359164416

    bacchus76 at myself dot com

    ReplyDelete