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Young Adult reviews from the Bookshop Santa Cruz Staff! Read more Young Adult staff recommendations on our website.

Shiver by Maggie Steivater

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Romeo & Juliet meets Twilight in the woods of New England.
Grace was saved from a wolf attack by one of its own when she was a child. After watching each other from a distance for years, she and the wolf are reunited when a local teen is attacked. Grace’s wolf is injured and appears as a human on her doorstep. Grace’s alienation from her parents sets the stage for this romantic mystery that will have besotted readers carrying the book everywhere, hoping to sneak in just one more chapter.
Readers who enjoy a little paranormal enhancement in their narratives will love this gripping spin on doomed love as told from different characters viewpoints. The characters are complex and relatable and it seems appropriate to root for the wolves who somehow seem to normally live among us.
Shiver is still one of the first books I think of when someone asks me for a book recommendation with adventure and romance. My daughter and I raced through the series together and have since devoured the rest of Maggie Stiefvater’s offerings. Shiver is the first of its Trilogy but Stiefvater has another series, The Raven Cycle, and stand alone titles, The Scorpio Races and All the Crooked Saints. The different series and stand alones are quite distinct in subject matter from each other but I loved them all!

Books Discussion and Signing with Lisa Jensen, Beast

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Lisa Jensen Bookshop Santa Cruz

Books Discussion and Signing with Lisa Jensen, Beast
Tuesday, July 17, 2018 at 7:00pm
at Bookshop Santa Cruz
FREE

Bookshop Santa Cruz welcomes local author Lisa Jensen for a book discussion and signing of her new book Beast: A Tale of Love and Revenge. This book is a great summer read for a range of ages. They say Château Beaumont is cursed. Servant-girl Lucie can’t believe such foolishness about handsome Jean-Loup, Chevalier de Beaumont, master of the estate. But the chevalier’s cruelty is revealed, and Lucie vows to see him suffer. A wisewoman grants her wish with a spell that transforms Jean-Loup into terrifying Beast, reflecting the monster he is inside.

But Beast is nothing like the chevalier. Jean-Loup would never tend his roses so patiently, attempt poetry, or express remorse for the wrong done to Lucie. Gradually, Lucie comes to realize that Beast is an entirely separate creature, with a heart more human than Jean-Loup’s ever was.

Lucie dares to hope that noble Beast has permanently replaced cruel Jean-Loup—until an innocent beauty arrives at the chateau with the power to break the spell.

Filled with gorgeous writing, magic and fierce emotion, Beast: A Tale of Love and Revenge will challenge all you think you know about good and evil, and beauty and beastliness.

“When is beauty shaped by ugliness? When does a simple fairy tale give way to the dark textures beneath its surface? When Lisa Jensen takes it on, that’s when.  Beast: A Tale of Love and Revenge is a love story, and so much more.” — Laurie R. King, New York Times bestselling author of The Beekeeper’s Apprentice and Island Of the Mad

Lisa Jensen is the author of the adult novels Alias Hook and The Witch From the Sea. A longtime film critic with Good Times, her reviews are also posted on Rotten Tomatoes. She lives in Santa Cruz.

This free event will take place in Bookshop Santa Cruz. Chairs are usually set up for open seating about an hour before the event start time.

Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth

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Bookshop Santa Cruz presents Veronica Roth Jan 23 2017

Get your tickets today for Roth’s one and only Northern California event! Monday, January 23rd

Reviewed by Sierra Belgard

In a world where the current is strong, everyone gets a gift. As to what that gift may be is a mystery. Although gifts are not rare, fates are. Many believe that it is only highborn families that receive these unique fates, but it is really the fates that make you highborn.
In the latest story by Veronica Roth, two teenagers whose families are enemies become unlikely friends. Akos is the son of the sitting oracle of Thuvhe and Cyra is the daughter of the Shotet leader. When the Shotet leader dies, his son (Cyra’s older brother) takes charge of the Shotet and kidnaps Akos and his brother. This sets a number of things in motion and creates the improbable friendship between Akos and Cyra. She relies on him for pain relief, he relies on her for security and safety from a brutal family. As the story progresses, their relationship strengthens and they become closer.
As the pages pull you in, your feelings for Roth’s characters twist and turn. Her character description is so vivid that they could be sitting right next to you. This book is a must read and will always have a spot on my bookshelf.

Get Your Veronica Roth Tickets!

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Bookshop Santa Cruz presents international bestselling author Veronica Roth (Divergent) for an in-conversation event and Q&A about her latest novel, Carve the Mark, the first book in her stunning new YA science-fiction fantasy series. This offsite and ticketed event, Roth’s only Bay Area appearance on her Carve the Mark tour, will take place at Santa Cruz High, 415 Walnut Ave., Santa Cruz. Receive a signed copy of Carve the Mark with every ticket package purchase and be entered into our Super Fan raffle: 100 lucky winners will get to meet Veronica Roth, have their books personalized, and take a photo with the author after the event.

Add it to your Wish List–it makes a perfect gift! Buy your tickets in-store or online!Veronica Roth Bookshop Santa Cruz

Great visit by Len Vlahos

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Teen Book Crew reviewer Caleb meets author, Len Vlahos

Teen Book Crew reviewer Caleb meets author, Len Vlahos

Both Santa Cruz High School and San Lorenzo Valley High School were excited to welcome author Len Vlahos today. He presented his debut novel, The Scar Boys, to enthralled audiences at both schools. Len recorded students playing the guitar and will be posting that on his website, lenvlahos.com. He also took questions, shared information on becoming a writer, and answered student questions. It was an inspiring afternoon.

Len Vlahos at Bookshop Santa Cruz

Len Vlahos at Bookshop Santa Cruz

Len Vlahos and Teen Book Crew facilitator Jakeh Hall

Len Vlahos and Teen Book Crew facilitator Jakeh Hall