Marianne has a new novel coming out in May, called PEACEMAKER and it’s been listed on BuzzFeed’s Most Anticipated SFF and Fantasy books for 2014.

We had to share this link with you! President of Girls Above Society channels her inner Katy Perry to send the message to teens and tweens to be be confident.

Here at the Escape Club we totally support Lauren’s endeavour. And were thrilled to hear Ali Brustofski’s version of Katy’s song.

Penelope (Lo) Marin has always loved to collect beautiful things. Her dad’s consulting job means she’s grown up moving from one rundown city to the next, and she’s learned to cope by collecting (sometimes even stealing) quirky trinkets and souvenirs in each new place–possessions that allow her to feel at least some semblance of home.

But in the year since her brother Oren’s death, Lo’s hoarding has blossomed into a full-blown, potentially dangerous obsession. She discovers a beautiful, antique butterfly pendant during a routine scour at a weekend flea market, and recognizes it as having been stolen from the home of a recently murdered girl known only as “Sapphire”–a girl just a few years older than Lo. As usual when Lo begins to obsess over something, she can’t get the murder out of her mind.

As she attempts to piece together the mysterious “butterfly clues,” with the unlikely help of a street artist named Flynt, Lo quickly finds herself caught up in a seedy, violent underworld much closer to home than she ever imagined–a world, she’ll ultimately discover, that could hold the key to her brother’s tragic death.

Hardcover, 325 pages  Published February 14th 2012 by EgmontUSA

Not only does Lo develop a hoarding obsession upon her brother’s death, she also develops ticks (part of an obsessive-compulsive disorder) that make her daily life harder. She finds companionship in a solitary boy Flynt whom does random jobs around town to make money, mostly painting. Their friendship soon develops into more and they confide in each other.

The writing slowly builds up the suspense as Lo digs herself deeper into the ugly side of town. As the story gets more intense, her obsessive-compulsive disorder becomes more aggressive as well. Lo is searching for answers and it seems that every corner she turns, Flynt is there. He is familiar with the area and the people she is looking for as she searches for answers about her brother’s life. His death makes her feel incomplete and searching for answers is all that keeps her going. Her school life, home life and friends are all feeling her remoteness.

When Lo learns of the death of a local strip dancer, she begins to be obsessed with the woman. She buys some of Sapphire’s things from a seller at a stand and begins to feel that Sapphire is guiding Lo to help her find her killer, and why she died. This gets Lo in deep with the dangerous people involved in the business. They do not want her around asking questions and when trouble hits closer to home, Lo turns to Flynt. But Flynt has been hiding secrets of his own.

The Butterfly Clues is a Contemporary Young Adult novel that deals with heartbreak and mental illness with the main plot driven by the murder mystery of Sapphire. 

My favorite part about this book that I think others would enjoy is the unique ness of the main character. She is not only grieving from the loss of her brother, but also struggling with the confusion of a first love. We get to see her step out of her comfort zone and we all need a reminder to be brave every once in awhile.

Here at the Escape Club, we are ridiculously excited to announce that Marianne’s nephew has his first solo book out. Meet Dr Andrew Whitehouse!

WIN A COPY OF THE BOOK!

Here’s Andrew’s bio: 

Andrew Whitehouse is Winthrop Professor at the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research at The University of Western Australia. He currently directs a team of researchers who investigate the causes of and treatment for autism.

His work has garnered worldwide media interest, and has been profiled in TIME, The New York Times, CNN, and the BBC among others. In 2011 he was named a Western Australian Tall Poppy of the Year; in 2012 he was a finalist in the prestigious Eureka Award; and in 2013 Andrew was named ‘one to watch’ in The West Australian’s list of 100 most influential Western Australians.

He trained as a speech pathologist at Curtin University before completing his PhD in psychology at UWA. He arrived back in Australia in 2009 after a number of years at the University of Oxford where he was the Scott Family Junior Research Fellow at University College.

And here is the book blurb:

Do mobile phones and bicycles kill sperm? Do pregnant women really suffer from baby brain? Do violent video games cause aggression? Does sugar make kids hyper?

Professor Andrew Whitehouse of the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research poses those questions that make you gasp, snigger and ponder; the questions that you’ve thrown around over a coffee with friends, without ever reaching a conclusion.

In a wonderful combination of stories from modern parenting, tales from history, and scientific research, Andrew Whitehouse busts open thirteen of the best myths around, and provides reassurance and light relief from the challenges of parenthood.

Before I say anything at all, I would like to apologize for my negativity in this review, and just because this book didn’t really tickle my fancy, it might tickle yours. I just want to give my honest opinion, nothing else.

I was asked to review Breathe on digital audio, and when I realized it was by Abbi Glines, I couldn’t turn down the offer. I’ve read many reviews where people were raving about her stories, the characters featured within, and her writing style. I’ve been meaning to pick up some of her books, and when Breathe was offered to me, I couldn’t resist.

I was excited to finally get it started and see what everyone in the blogging world was talking about… but my excitement was a bit short lived.

Audio books are perfect for listening to when your hands are full, when you’re writing book reviews, or doing chores, etc. So yes, I do read other books in between, while I listen to audio books, because I can’t carry my computer everywhere I go. But while listening to Breathe I read a total of three other books!

I read The Vincent Boys also by Abbi Glines and loved it, while listening to Breathe (not at the same time, but you know what I mean)! It gave me motivation to continue listening to the audio book.

Breathe follows the story of an average teenage girl named Sadie, and a teenage boy rock star named Jax. Sadie isn’t only taking care of herself, she is also taking care of her pregnant mother. Jax is done with his tour, and is ready to spend his summer away from the cameras and fans, hanging out with his family in private. But for Sadie things aren’t that easy, bills are due, and Sadie has to go to work at a mansion, hoping to fill in for her mum.

One thing that really bothered me about Sadie was that before she even met Jax, she was constantly telling herself that he was this rich spoiled guy who is used to girls’ attention, and that she’ll do anything she can to avoid him. But I think we all know that this never works out, or ends up happening.

The two seem to always be around each other and throughout Breathe the two teenagers confess their love. They hit a few bumps in the road, and work them out again later.

To me, Breathe felt a bit forced; the story (poor girl, rich guy), and the romance. Having read The Vincent Boys and falling head over heels for it, I found Breathe didn’t match up as well. The relationship between Sadie and Jax was too much instant love and overall the flow in the story, and the background between the two main characters felt a bit rigid.

I really liked the entire idea behind the story. The synopsis pulled me in but the execution of the idea wasn’t really to my liking.

Again, I apologize for all the negativity but I just wanted to give an honest review. I have heard rumors though, that the rest of the Sea Breeze series is good, so I’ll probably give it another shot, and see how it goes!