Aug 30, 2012

Blog Tour: Laura Lippman - And When She Was Good



Laura Lippman - And When She Was Good



• Pub Date: August 14, 2012
• Publisher: William Morrow
• Format: Hardcover, 320 pages
• Age Range: Adult
• Source: Publisher

When Hector Lewis told his daughter that she had a nothing face, it was just another bit of tossed-off cruelty from a man who specialized in harsh words and harsher deeds. But twenty years later, Heloise considers it a blessing to be a person who knows how to avoid attention. In the comfortable suburb where she lives, she's just a mom, the youngish widow with a forgettable job who somehow never misses a soccer game or a school play. In the state capitol, she's the redheaded lobbyist with a good cause and a mediocre track record.

But in discreet hotel rooms throughout the area, she's the woman of your dreams—if you can afford her hourly fee.

For more than a decade, Heloise has believed she is safe. She has created a rigidly compartmentalized life, maintaining no real friendships, trusting few confidantes. Only now her secret life, a life she was forced to build after the legitimate world turned its back on her, is under siege. Her once oblivious accountant is asking loaded questions. Her longtime protector is hinting at new, mysterious dangers. Her employees can't be trusted. One county over, another so-called suburban madam has been found dead in her car, a suicide. Or is it?

Nothing is as it seems as Heloise faces a midlife crisis with much higher stakes than most will ever know.

And then she learns that her son's father might be released from prison, which is problematic because he doesn't know he has a son. The killer and former pimp also doesn't realize that he's serving a life sentence because Heloise betrayed him. But he's clearly beginning to suspect that Heloise has been holding something back all these years.

With no formal education, no real family, and no friends, Heloise has to remake her life—again. Disappearing will be the easy part. She's done it before and she can do it again. A new name and a new place aren't hard to come by if you know the right people. The trick will be living long enough to start a new life.

My review:

Laura Lippman's Tess series is one I've read in the past. I've never tried her stand-alone work, and I'm always game for a good stand-alone. Especially an adult one. I read a lot of YA fiction, but this is a GREAT adult novel to pick up! I might say that this would make a great book club novel. It has great themes and discussion elements. It's addicting and curious. It wasn't predictable in the way that I knew how it would all play out, though I did guess at a couple things and get them right. Overall I really enjoyed this book.

What I really liked about this book was that it is so different than anything I've read recently. Who has read a novel recently about prostitutes?? I started reading Nancy Grace's book, but it didn't keep my attention. And I think maybe one of the James Patterson's WMC books might be about hookers. But this is a sex-worker book I will never forget. Heloise's story is interesting, creative, and surprising. She's a fascinating character, and I loved reading about the intricacies of her life and work. I'd definitely recommend this one to a friend. I'd love to try the audio book, too!

Bottom line: Definitely read this complex, addicting novel!

Rating:


4/5 book sharks


Laura Lippman was a reporter for twenty years, including twelve years at The (Baltimore) Sun. She began writing novels while working fulltime and published seven books about “accidental PI” Tess Monaghan before leaving daily journalism in 2001. Her work has been awarded the Edgar ®, the Anthony, the Agatha, the Shamus, the Nero Wolfe, Gumshoe and Barry awards. She also has been nominated for other prizes in the crime fiction field, including the Hammett and the Macavity. She was the first-ever recipient of the Mayor’s Prize for Literary Excellence and the first genre writer recognized as Author of the Year by the Maryland Library Association.

Ms. Lippman grew up in Baltimore and attended city schools through ninth grade. After graduating from Wilde Lake High School in Columbia, Md., Ms. Lippman attended Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. Her other newspaper jobs included the Waco Tribune-Herald and the San Antonio Light.

Find Laura:



Monday, October 3

SUBURBAN MADAM DEAD IN APPARENT SUICIDE

The headline catches Heloise’s eye as she waits in the always-long line at the Starbucks closest to her son’s middle school. Of course, a headline is supposed to call attention to itself. That’s its job. Yet these letters are unusually huge, hectoring even, in a typeface suitable for a declaration of war or an invasion by aliens. It’s tacky, tarted up, as much of a strumpet as the woman whose death it’s trumpeting.

SUBURBAN MADAM DEAD IN APPARENT SUICIDE

Heloise finds it interesting that suicide must be fudged but the label of madam requires no similar restraint, only qualification. She supposes that every madam needs her modifier. Suburban Madam, D.C. Madam, Hollywood Madam, Mayflower Madam. “Madam” on its own would make no impression in a headline, and this is the headline of the day, repeated ad nauseam on every news break on WTOP and WBAL, even the local cut-ins on NPR. Suburban Madam dead in apparent suicide. People are speaking of it here in line at this very moment, if only because the suburb in question is the bordering county’s version of this suburb. Albeit a lesser one, the residents of Turner’s Grove agree. Schools not quite as good, green space less lush, too much lower-cost housing bringing in riffraff. You know, the people who can afford only three hundred thousand dollars for a town house. Such as the Sub­urban Madam, although from what Heloise has gleaned, she lived in the most middle of the middle houses, not so grand as to draw attention to herself but not on the fringes either.

And yes, Heloise knows that because she has followed almost every news story about the Suburban Madam since her initial arrest eight months ago. She knows her name, Michelle Smith, and what she looks like in her mug shot, the only photo of her that seems to exist. Very dark hair—so dark it must be dyed—very pale eyes, otherwise so ordinary as to be any woman anywhere, the kind of stranger who looks familiar because she looks like so many people you know. Maybe Heloise is a little bit of a hypo­crite, decrying the news coverage even as she eats it up, but then she’s not a disinterested party, unlike the people in this line, most of whom probably use “disinterested” incorrectly in conversation yet consider themselves quite bright.

Aug 29, 2012

"Waiting on" Wednesday - Stealing Parker


Hosted by Breaking The Spine, this section will feature future upcoming releases that I personally am excited about. These will generally be coming up later in the year. Let me know what you're looking forward to, or even what you're writing, and maybe I'll feature it here as well.

Miranda Kenneally - Stealing Parker
Pub Date: October 1, 2012
Publisher:  Sourcebooks Fire
Format: Paperback, 245 pages
Age Range: Young Adult

After her mom's scandal rocks their conservative small town, 17-year-old Parker Shelton goes overboard trying to prove that she won't turn out like her mother: a lesbian. The all-star third-baseman quits the softball team, drops 20 pounds and starts making out with guys--a lot. But hitting on the hot new assistant baseball coach might be taking it a step too far...especially when he starts flirting back.

It's no secret that I loved Catching Jordan! It was one of my favorite reads last year. It's also no secret that I read this back in July. Got it at ALA and couldn't help it. Y'all will love this one!! :o) What are YOU waiting for?

Aug 28, 2012

Top Ten Tuesday - Bookish Confessions

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, this feature includes random weekly bookish top tens. This week's list is - top ten bookish confessions. The lovely ladies say it can be anything! "You dog ear, you hated a book  but said you loved it, you have $500 library fines...anything goes!" So here goes my list!

  1. I do NOT dog ear. Maybe this isn't a true confession, but it's definitely the truth. I don't want to hurt the book! Maybe that's crazy, but I just can't bend pages. I'll use just about anything as a bookmark so there are no dog ears in my books!
  2. The spines on books shouldn't be broken. Sure, it would look like a well loved book if it's all worn, but I just don't want to break the spines. I don't want any of my books to even look like they've been read! It's sad but true.
  3. I probably have about $15.00 in library overdue fines. I'm generally okay with library fines because it makes me feel like I'm contributing in a way.. haha.
  4. I absolutely can't stand Catcher in the Rye! I'm not usually shy about it, but I always feel like I have to tell people this.
  5. Usually when everyone loves a good, I'm not so gaga over it. See: Such a Rush and Divergent.
  6. I tend to forget books and plots over time. It can happen really fast, but some books stick with me. Sometimes I can read a book again without even knowing that I've read it. That is good and bad.
  7. I hate re-reading! I don't want to waste time reading a book after I've already read it and know all its secrets.
  8. Now that I've said I hate re-reading, I'll confess that I recently re-read Summer Sisters and couldn't effing stand it. Geesh.
  9. I like nonfiction. This isn't really a huge confession, but I don't think enough people read it. Some of my favorite books this year have been nonfiction! 
  10. I like to read the book first before the movie. And if I see a movie trailer that was a book first, I'll try to read it before I go see the movie if I'm interested. 
Those are my confessions! Let me know what yours are! :o)

Aug 27, 2012

Blog Tour: Patty Blount - Send

Patty Blount - Send



• Pub Date: August 1, 2012
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
• Format: Paperback, 304 pages
• Age Range: Young Adult

To keep his secrets, all he has to do is listen to the voice in his head and just walk away...

On his first day at his new high school, Dan stops a bully from beating up a kid half his size. He didn’t want to get involved. All he wants out of his senior year is to fly under the radar. But Dan knows what it’s like to be terrorized by a bully—he used to be one. Now the whole school thinks he’s some kind of hero, except Julie Murphy, the prettiest girl on campus. She looks at him like she knows he has a secret. Like she knows his name isn’t really Daniel.

Stay or Go
by Patty Blount

Things change. For some of these changes, we’ll camp out and line up a day in advance just for the chance to say we got it (iPhone, anybody?). And others die a lonely little death and we hardly notice. Here’s my list of the things that should stay and the things I wish would just go.

Stay! 

Social networking – My social activities not only planted the seed for a book idea, but connected me to many brilliant people – authors, agents, publishers, editors, celebrities, moms, PEOPLE. That’s the key – it exposed me to different opinions, different belief systems, different lifestyles and opened my mind in the process. 
Flat Screen TVs – Oh, how much do I love being able to hang a TV on a wall?
The surge in popularity of YA fiction – Rowling, Meyer, Collins – It warms my heart to see adults reading young adult fiction and I hope my own book will add to the ranks.
GPS – For someone like me who gets lost in a bathtub, the GPS is the most significant technological advancement of my lifetime.
On Demand, HBO2Go, and DVR --  I work a nine or ten hour day and then come home and write novels. There is no time for TV. That’s why these VCR-less wonders that let me watch what I want when I want are the BEST.
eReaders --  Writers love books. My eReader lets me carry hundreds with me at all times. Plus, it’s a lot easier to turn pages on an eReader when you’re pedaling an elliptical machine than a real book. That encourages me to actually go to the gym.

Go! 

Pants that expose boxers, pants with the crotch down by your knees, baggy pants that hang off your body instead of emphasizing it. I don’t know anybody who finds this sexy so stop. Just stop. Please. I’m begging.
Logos on butts – Juicy? Pink? Ladies, guys don’t need another reason to stare at your butt. Really.
Fake reality TV shows – please, Dear God, MAKE IT STOP.
Teens who sit low in their cars so that it looks like the car is driving itself as they go by.
Text slang in spoken conversation.
Tebowing – I get that you feel blessed and that’s great. But put it in perspective. I find it kind of insulting that God answered your prayers to score that extra point in a game but ignored the prayers of millions of other people praying for things like cures for terminal illnesses, a place to live or a meal to eat.

What do you think? What fads are you crazy about? What fads are on your Can’t Wait Until They’re Gone list?


Technical writer by day, fiction writer by night, Patty mines her day job for ideas to use in her novels. Her debut YA "Send" was born after a manager suggested she research social networks. Patty adores chocolate, her boys, and books, though not necessarily in that order.




Find Patty:

Giveaway Alert!!

Sourcebooks Fire is graciously allowing me to give away a copy of Patty Blount's book, SEND! It's a US/Canada giveaway only. Ends 9/2/12. Use the Rafflecopter form below to enter. Thanks and good luck!

Aug 26, 2012

Blog Tour: Tara Fuller - Inbetween



Tara Fuller - Inbetween



• Pub Date: August 28, 2012
• Publisher: Entangled Teen
• Format: Paperback, 400 pages
• Age Range: Young Adult

Since the car crash that took her father’s life three years ago, Emma’s life has been a freaky — and unending — lesson in caution. Surviving “accidents” has taken priority over being a normal seventeen-year-old, so Emma spends her days taking pictures of life instead of living it. Falling in love with a boy was never part of the plan. Falling for a reaper who makes her chest ache and her head spin? Not an option.

It’s not easy being dead, especially for a reaper in love with a girl fate has put on his list not once, but twice. Finn’s fellow reapers give him hell about spending time with Emma, but Finn couldn’t let her die before, and he’s not about to let her die now. He will protect the girl he loves from the evil he accidentally unleashed, even if it means sacrificing the only thing he has left…his soul.

Tara Fuller writes novels. Some about grim reapers. Some about witches. All of course are delightfully full of teen angst and kissing. Tara grew up in a one stop light town in Oklahoma where once upon a time she stayed up with a flash light reading RL Stine novels and only dreamed of becoming a writer. She has a slight obsession with music and a shameless addiction for zombie fiction, Mystery Science Theater, and black and white mochas. Tara no longer lives in a one stop light town. Now she lives with her family in a slightly larger town in North Carolina where they have at least three stoplights.

Find Tara:
twitter | facebook | goodreads | amazon

Check out my review!!

Giveaway Alert!

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Authors are Rockstars: Lisa Burstein - Pretty Amy

Lisa Burstein - Pretty Amy




• Pub Date: May 8, 2012
• Publisher: Entangled Teen
• Format: Paperback, 304 pages
• Age Range: Young Adult

Amy is fine living in the shadows of beautiful Lila and uber-cool Cassie, because at least she's somewhat beautiful and uber-cool by association. But when their dates stand them up for prom, and the girls take matters into their own hands--earning them a night in jail outfitted in satin, stilettos, and Spanx--Amy discovers even a prom spent in handcuffs might be better than the humiliating"rehabilitation techniques" now filling up her summer. Worse, with Lila and Cassie parentally banned, Amy feels like she has nothing--like she is nothing.

Navigating unlikely alliances with her new coworker, two very different boys, and possibly even her parents, Amy struggles to decide if it's worth being a best friend when it makes you a public enemy. Bringing readers along on an often hilarious and heartwarming journey, Amy finds that maybe getting a life only happens once you think your life is over.

Why is Lisa Burstein a Rockstar

If you haven't read my review for Pretty Amy, don't. I know that sounds crazy, but my review doesn't do this book any justice. In fact, my review makes it sound like I didn't like the book very much. But I gave it 4 stars! I really did like it! And I won't forget it any time soon. Lisa Burstein wrote an amazing book. She has a great presence on Facebook and Twitter. She's funny and clever and honest. Her guest post today made me reminisce all over the place! Plus her blog is awesome. If you haven't seen THIS post, you should definitely read it. She says that she writes to help girls become better people. And that is why Lisa Burstein is a rockstar!!!


Amy's Top Ten Teen Movies
in no particular order because I am really bad at making decisions as you know if you've heard my story ;)

10. Not Another Teen Movie- I am sarcastic and snarky and this movie has all that and more. The scene where she falls through the stairs- so funny!

9. Breakfast Club- I have a thing for bad boys (Judd Nelson anyone?)

8. Ferris Bueller's Day Off- I can admit that I have felt like Ferris' sister more than once. Not because I have a cool brother, but because I have two super cool best friends.

7. 10 Things I Hate About You- Again I have a thing for bad boys (scruffy, angry Heath Ledger...)

6. Clueless- The quintessential ugly duckling that isn't really an ugly duckling story (kind of like me...)

5. Heathers- The best movie about what your wish high school was REALLY like

4. Mean Girls- The best movie about what high school is REALLY like

3. Saved- I love a good story that skewers religion

2. Romeo and Juliet- Literature and Leonardo DiCaprio- Yes please!

1. Superbad- Best friends, partying, laughs, meaningful moments and cops- sounds familiar.



Lisa Burstein is a tea seller by day and a writer by night. She received her MFA in Fiction from the Inland Northwest Center for Writers at Eastern Washington University and is glad to finally have it be worth more than the paper it was printed on. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her very patient husband, a neurotic dog and two cats. Pretty Amy is her first novel. She never went to her senior prom.



Find Lisa:
twitter | facebook | goodreads | amazon


Giveaway Alert!

Entangled Publishing is graciously offering up an ebook copy of Pretty Amy! You definitely want to enter and read this. Many many great reviews on this one, including my own thoughts on this book. This is an international giveaway because it's an ebook :o) Giveaway ends 9/1/12. Questions? Email me at imabookshark at yahoo. Thanks and good luck!!

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Aug 25, 2012

ARC Review: Tara Fuller - Inbetween

Tara Fuller - Inbetween



• Pub Date: August 28, 2012
• Publisher: Entangled Teen
• Format: Paperback, 400 pages
• Age Range: Young Adult
• Source: Publisher

Since the car crash that took her father’s life three years ago, Emma’s life has been a freaky — and unending — lesson in caution. Surviving “accidents” has taken priority over being a normal seventeen-year-old, so Emma spends her days taking pictures of life instead of living it. Falling in love with a boy was never part of the plan. Falling for a reaper who makes her chest ache and her head spin? Not an option.

It’s not easy being dead, especially for a reaper in love with a girl fate has put on his list not once, but twice. Finn’s fellow reapers give him hell about spending time with Emma, but Finn couldn’t let her die before, and he’s not about to let her die now. He will protect the girl he loves from the evil he accidentally unleashed, even if it means sacrificing the only thing he has left…his soul.

This book just makes me want to say AWWWWWWWW! I mean, there's some action, there's some paranormal stuff going on, but basically I love Finn and Emma. It's so hard for them, so you really want to root for them! This was the ARC so it needs some editing, but I really enjoyed this story more than I thought I would! I was actually hooked early on, since little by little information is revealed about the two of them. You learn more and more as you read, and it's addicting. You want to know the rest of the story about them!

The idea of an Inbetween is really interesting. I guess I didn't quite understand why people go there because I thought it was mostly kids who couldn't make an impression one way or the other. It's not Heaven, but it's not Hell. I liked that. There were a couple times were I couldn't quite guess what was going to happen next, but some of this is predictable. It works for the overall picture though, because the end wasn't what I guessed at all!! I'm so eagerly waiting the sequel to see where it takes Finn and Emma!

What I didn't quite like was how Emma started liking Finn before she knew the whole story. Maybe she just couldn't help it because of their past, but that feels like justification. I guess I'm going with that excuse because I really want to like this book a lot. I did! I'm glad I read it. It's very cute. Finn has a lot of "aww" moments. It's obviously unrealistic, but I always enjoy that in a story.

Bottom line: I don't usually do books like this, but I really enjoyed it!! I hope you do, too!

Rating:


4/5 book sharks!

ARC Review: Louise Rozett - Confessions of an Angry Girl




• Pub Date: August 28, 2012
• Publisher: Harlequin Teen
• Format: Paperback, 272 pages
• Age Range: Young Adult
• Source: Net Galley

Rose Zarelli, self-proclaimed word geek and angry girl, has some confessions to make…1. I'm livid all the time. Why? My dad died. My mom barely talks. My brother abandoned us. I think I'm allowed to be irate, don't you?

2. I make people furious regularly. Want an example? I kissed Jamie Forta, a badass guy who might be dating a cheerleader. She is now enraged and out for blood. Mine.

3. High school might as well be Mars. My best friend has been replaced by an alien, and I see red all the time. (Mars is red and "seeing red" means being angry—get it?)

Here are some other vocab words that describe my life: Inadequate. Insufferable. Intolerable.

(Don't know what they mean? Look them up yourself.)

(Sorry. That was rude.)

I'm not sure about the title, but I really enjoyed this one! She isn't as angry as I thought she'd be. That's okay because the story works anyway. Rose is a good, well-developed MC in this novel. She has a LOT of drama going on, that's for sure!

So, I was a tad creeped out by the middle of this one that Rose is only 14 and Jamie is "supposed to be a senior" or something. Rose seemed older sometimes, and at others it was pretty obvious that she was young. I also didn't care for all the "Is he my boyfriend?" crap. I don't like it when people are so clueless and don't find things out for themselves. Again, I know she's young, but it's still irritating.. oh well.

Lots of rage and high school drama in here. Regina makes me want to punch things. I hate bullies! I can't say more without spoiling things. Yeah. Grrr.

Okay, so I sound like I hated this book right now.. but honestly, if I didn't have strong feelings about it, then I wouldn't have liked it as much, right? I read the whole thing in two sittings, so I was pretty into it. I felt for Rose. A LOT. I am patiently waiting for the sequel! Sounds interesting :o)

Bottom line: Totally check this one out!

Rating:


4/5 book sharks


ARC Review: Hannah Harrington - Speechless

Hannah Harrington - Speechless



• Pub Date: August 28, 2012
• Publisher: Harlequin Teen
• Format: Paperback, 288 pages
• Age Range: Young Adult
• Source: ALA ARC

Everyone knows that Chelsea Knot can't keep a secret

Until now. Because the last secret she shared turned her into a social outcast—and nearly got someone killed.

Now Chelsea has taken a vow of silence—to learn to keep her mouth shut, and to stop hurting anyone else. And if she thinks keeping secrets is hard, not speaking up when she's ignored, ridiculed and even attacked is worse.

But there's strength in silence, and in the new friends who are, shockingly, coming her way—people she never noticed before; a boy she might even fall for. If only her new friends can forgive what she's done. If only she can forgive herself.

WOWOWOWOWOWWW. Such a great story. Chelsea is a brave girl with a lot of courage and strength to do what she does. A vow of silence is no joke, and Chelsea doesn't take it lightly. It's interesting to see her grow up over time in this novel. Hannah Harrington really made this story amazing with all the side plots and lessons learned. I read it pretty slow in order to take in every word, and it made me tear up twice. I laughed, I cried, I wanted to take my own vow of silence. I'd read this again right now if I wasn't so backed up on review books. SO SO GOOD.

This book is powerful in a quiet way. And that's no pun or joke. It's serious. It's no joke figuring out who you are in high school. It's serious business when you're 16, knowing who your friends are, what flies and what doesn't with them. I never had this problem since I went to a pretty small school, but I've read enough and heard enough stories to know that kids are ruthless! Teens and young adults can be brutal to one another! This book is a great example.

If you think that's enough, then this novel deals with homophobia and hate crimes. HELLO! These are some of my favorite topics to discuss because they get me SO MAD and riled up that I could spit fire. NO ONE puts their hands on another human being out of hate, with intentions to hurt. Especially when it's unfounded, ignorant, unacceptable hate. Okay, I better get back on track. Here's the deal:

So Chelsea witnesses two guys making out at a party. Since she can never keep her trap shut (plus she's had a bit to drink), she spills the beans. Two of the boys in her crowd of friends decide he's a disgusting animal and go beat him up. Chelsea does the right thing and tells the police, but in turn she loses every single friend and shred of dignity she had at her school. (The back of the book tells you this - it's no spoiler.) But Chelsea has some lessons to learn, like if those friends were ever worth the things she had to do in order to keep them around. I loved this book, but I wish stories like this didn't have to be told. It's so sad, but hopefully people learn from books like this one.

So, full disclosure, this was an ARC copy I received from ALA. I know that it's not the final, finished copy, and there were some editing issues. This time I'm not just talking about weird grammar or missing punctuation. I'm talking about issues with TIME in this book. On day 22 it's apparently Saturday AND Sunday, and then day 24 is Saturday again.. something like that. I tried to stop paying attention to the day headers because they didn't really matter in terms of the story. I kind of wish those would go. Plus I wanted a little more at the end. Like what happens to the guys who beat Noah up. That kind of stuff. It has a great ending, perfect final words, so I'm not too disappointed.

Bottom line: READ THIS THING! Much better than Saving June!

Rating


4.5 / 5 book sharks!


Aug 24, 2012

Week in Review 8/24

WEEK IN REVIEW

I will eventually make a real header for this, but this is a trial run for now! Since Ginger from GReads! is taking a break from TGIF, I'm starting something new on the blog. Check out the video for the explanation and for the new thang! Also.. sorry that the end isn't edited. I swear I edited it, but apparently it didn't work. I'm not editing the video again, so you'll just have to laugh at my lack of editing. ;o) Enjoy! Oh wait.. it looks like the play button is my nose. LOL. Okay.. now, for your viewing pleasure..




Please use the blog archive located to the left of this post to see any of the blog posts mentioned. Thanks!

Aug 23, 2012

Guest Post: Leigh Michael - Annabelle's Story

Annabelle's Story on the Big Screen  
(Guest Post by Leigh Michael)

Not many books see the light of day as feature films. In fact, I once read that the percentage of novels that do is less than 1.7%. This is a quote from over two years ago. Plus, it’s just someone’s best educated guess. Still... it goes without saying that Annabelle’s Story probably won't be coming to a theater near you. I can still dream up who’d be cast in each role though, right?

Take a look below to see who’d play Annabelle, Adrian, and Blake in Sprite (Annabelle's Story Part One) and in Kin (Annabelle's Story Part Two).


Source: Seventeen.com
Annabelle

Name: Elizabeth Olsen
Known for: Martha Marcy May Marlene and Liberal Arts
Height: 5'7"
Age: 23
Why Annabelle?: Her light hair, blue eyes, and fair skin make her the perfect Annabelle look-alike. Elizabeth's innocence is a quality I find endearing, allowing the viewer to grow with Annabelle each step of the way. Not to mention, Elizabeth is a statuesque beauty who could launch bodysuits into the next big thing in high fashion.



Source: IMDb
Adrianus (Adrian)

Name: Christian Alexander
Known for: General Hospital
Height: Hmm, not sure
Age: 22
Why Adrian?: Born in Greece, Christian was made for the role of Prince of Tritonis. Grow out his hair, throw some water on him, and slap on some fins and Christian is transformed into the jovial merman who Annabelle quickly claims as her partner in crime.



Source: Poptower.com
Blake

Name: Jeremy Sumpter
Known for: Soul Surfer and Friday Night Lights
Height: 6'2"
Age: 23
Why Blake?: In Sprite, Blake is described as having "sandy blonde hair, chiseled abs, and a killer smile." From the looks of things, he's already got 2 of the 3. And if I were a betting lady, I'd say those chiseled abs aren't a stretch. He's the perfect "boy next door" with a "bad boy" twist.



Annabelle's Story

Annabelle Walsh thought she had it all. She was the star of her swim team, had a loving family, a great boyfriend, and to top it off, she’d be starting at UCLA in the fall. One day, she’d be referred to as Dr. Annabelle Walsh.

She was living every girl’s dream – until her life was turned upside down. All starting with finding out that she's not just a human, but also a water spirit. Half-human, half-sprite to be exact. Although not just any sprite, Annabelle is prophesied to be the only one who can save both the sprites and mankind.

With a mix of current events, anecdotes from Greek mythology, tidbits of folklore, and Leigh’s own imagination, we join Annabelle in her journey to restore order beneath the sea. Each step of the way her mind, body, and soul are pushed to the limit begging the question, how much can one half-human, half-sprite take?