I GotBooks signed in Huntington Beach!!! I got to meet Tahereh Mafi, Cynthia Hand, 0Veronica Rossi, and Brodi Ashton! They were so funny and they chatted politely when it was time for the face to face signing. So, I am going to review all of their books that I read on here in return.
And, we can all be looking forward to a Kenji POV from Tahereh!
I asked all of them how they made their villians, and this is how they answered:
Cynthia Hand on Samjeeza: "I didn't do a lot of research into angels until I got closer to the end of my book, but I knew that I wanted there to be a villan there that was sort of complicated. I was reading the book of Enoch, which is kind of the go-to angel mythology. I saw that name and thought, 'That's an interesting name.' There were just a bunch of really cool myths around that particular character. Some where he was kind of a good character and some where he wasn't. I think that is important in a villian, to know that they have sort of a level of complexity and that they're not so predictable and evil all the time, and that's where he came from.
Tahereh Mafi on Warner: Yeah, I'd have to agree, it's really important to create a villian who's not super easy to hate, because then it's just a caricature of 'This is evil, here's the clear person who you're not supposed to like.' It's more interesting when you feel sympathy. You're a little confused, and it's like 'Wait but... what are your motivations, why are you thinking what you're thinking?' It's like life, it's very complicated.
Brodi Ashton on Cole: When I very first started writing Everneath, Cole was not the villian. He was the love intrest. It turned out later that I really loved putting him as the villain. He used to be the love intrest-that's a great place to find a villian, right girls?
Veronica Rossi on Sable: I would second everything that's been said and add Kelly Slater. For some reason I don't ever have an actor or actual person that inspires my characters, but I really see Kelly Slater as Sable for some reason.
Interviewer: Is Kelly Slater the the surfer?
Veronica Rossi: Yeah, he's the pro surfer. He's got these ice blue eyes, shaved head, and for some reason I was like 'Oh my gosh, that's what my villain looks like!' Maybe I just explained why I have tons of pictures of Kelly Slater on my phone-No, I'm kidding, I don't. The image of him-I'm sure he's a really nice guy-helped me to find Sable as the villain.
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi is first on the list! This is my favorite book of all time, not including the second in the series, Unravel Me.
Juliette is a troubled teen. Except she doesn't have normal teenager problems, like which clothes she should wear or which guy she should date. She has a power. And her power isn't the one that superheroes have, it's the one that villans get blessed with. She can kill people with her touch. But she doesn't want it. It isn't a blessing, it's a curse.
Warner is the leader of sector 45, and he takes Juliette from the asylum to use her power to torture traitors.
The writing style is amazing, it's like looking into a crazy person's mind and seeing not only the craziness but so much human too. She has great morals, even if she doesn't believe so.
I recommend this book for anyone who's thirsty for a great young adult novel.
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| Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi |
Boundless by Cynthia Hand is the third in the Unearthly series, and the final. This is my second favorite series, and all goes to-excuse the pun-Hell in this book. Nothing's right. Clara's trusting Samjeeza with her life, Clara and Angela grow apart, and Tucker is a complete jerk. I feel like there should have been more romance throughout the book with Christian and Clara, but there was a lack of romance. 
Under The Never Sky by Veronica Rossi lacked something. I'm not sure what it was, but it just didn't keep me captivated as it should have. Some parts were good and others just weren't. I may or may not continue in the series, it all depends, but it's definently not on my priority list right now.
Everneath by Brodi Ashton wasn't amazing. It was good. I like mythology, and this delivered. I just hate it when they girls think that since they boys have done one bad thing (that they MUST do to SURVIVE) that they are a horrible person no matter what, no questions asked. This is when I start to get annoyed with the girly, because she's too stupid to see beyond her original judgement of the boy. It just bothers me, so much that I clap whenever something goes wrong for her.
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Everbound by Brodi Ashton was better than the first. The main character goes on a journey with Cole-the antagonist-to find her love in the Everneath, not knowing the whole time that he's playing her, trying to get on her good side and trick her. Poor girl. Never even saw it coming. So many more reveals, so much more action, so much more story. It was incredible. I will definently be reading the next in the series!
