Booklist Starred Review for Vessel!

Ridiculously excited to report that Vessel received its third starred review, in the October 1st issue of Booklist!!!

I'm simply over the moon about this.  It's so wonderful to hear that people are enjoying Liyana's story.  Yay!  And thank you so much to everyone who has shared their kind words about the book.

Vessel
By Sarah Beth Durst
(Margaret K. McElderry; ISBN 9781442423763; September 2012; Fall Catalog)

Liyana is a vessel, the chosen one, nurtured, trained, and offered up by her clan for a great honor: giving her life so their goddess, Bayla, may return to earth to inhabit her body. But the goddess does not return. At the end of her day of sacrifice, Liyana is still alive, her clan having left her alone, disgraced, and in grave danger in the desert. Vessel is the read-alike for your Hunger Games–obsessed teens. From the quest to find the other clans’ spurned vessels, to the two attractive love interests, to the intelligent, independent young heroine, this folkloric fantasy, while harkening to that ever-popular novel and movie, is unique in its own web of clever, complex characters and attention-absorbing adventure. Its setting alone is so vital that it becomes another character, a part of the action. Readers will feel the desert heat, the earth-numbing droughts, the vicious sandstorms and resulting sandwolves, and the bizarre sensations of a goddess living within the body of its human vessel. Brilliantly riveting, Vessel’s only disappointment is its single volume, a fate that relegates Liyana, her lovers, and her friends to their own vessel, a single book.

-- Booklist, starred review

Booklist Review of ICE

The first trade review of ICE is in..... And it's good!!! Snoopy Dance of Joy!!!

My husband is enormously relieved about this. This novel is so very close to my heart, and he didn't want to have to pick a Sarah-puddle up off the floor. Sarah-puddles can be quite icky, and a huge pain to clean up, especially once they get in the carpet.....

The review is from Booklist (the book review journal of the American Library Association), and they call ICE an "enchanting tale" and "a page-turner." Yay!!!

Here's the full review:

"In a twist on the fairy tale East of the Sun, West of the Moon, this enchanting tale tells of Cassie, a young woman who grew up studying polar bears in the Arctic. Cassie, raised by her widowed father and her Gram, was told the fanciful tale of her mother’s promise to the Polar Bear King and banishment to the Troll castle. On her eighteenth birthday, Cassie realizes her mom's story was actually true and makes a promise of her own to the Polar Bear King: if he rescues her mother, Cassie will be his bride. But who is the mysterious Bear and what is his role in saving souls and maintaining the circle of life? Although there is some question as to why Cassie cannot split time between her two worlds, the ending is resolved in a satisfying manner. Told in a descriptive style that perfectly captures the changing settings, Durst’s novel is a page-turner that readers who enjoy adventure mixed with fairy-tale romance will find hard to put down." -- Melanie Koss, Booklist

While we're on the topic of things that inspire Snoopy Dances and prevent Sarah-puddles, I'm thrilled to report that ICE has also received blurbs from two authors whose work I absolutely adore: Tamora Pierce (author of the supremely awesome Tortall and Circle books) and Juliet Marillier (author of the fabulous and beautiful Wildwood Dancing). Here's what they said:

"This beautifully drawn tale captured me in a realm of wonders!" -- Tamora Pierce

"I loved this deeply romantic story." -- Juliet Marillier

Just in case you're curious, my Snoopy Dance is a little like this.

Booklist Review

INTO THE WILD got a nice review today from Booklist, another of those big trade journals that does book reviews. Well, more accurately, the review came out in the June 1st issue, but it wasn't until today that I stumbled upon it. Here's a quote:

"The story is peppered with sly allusions, and Julie is an appealingly reluctant heroine, one whose goodness and bravery come with plenty of wry, contemporary sarcasm." -- Booklist

Click here to read the full review.

And since it's after midnight, I can honestly say that it is now the FINAL WEEK before pub date!

7 days until the Wild is unleashed...