I’m Emily Upton. I’m a 21-year-old college student and I love middle grade and young adult fantasy books.
As a reader, I have only a few requirements when it comes to finding the perfect book: must not be written in present tense, must contain believable and intriguing characters, and is Not About Vampires.
Some things I review here aren’t going to be new. They’re going to be old. They’re going to be the books that I think don’t get nearly enough attention, that ought to be the children’s classics of tomorrow. That said, some aren’t even going to be out yet. Working at a bookstore has its perks, and advance copies of books are one of them. And we couldn’t go without the middling, newly released either.
I have absolutely nothing to qualify me to review books, save for reading a lot and that otherwise useless degree I’m working toward in English with a concentration in creative writing. What I write is purely my opinion and you might not have the same one. I’d love to hear your reviews of the books I’m reviewing, whether you agree with me or not, and if you have any suggestions for books you think I need to read and review, please post them.
I’ll leave ISBNs of the books with each review and I strongly encourage you to take them to your local, independent book store for purchase or order. Without support of these bricks-and-mortar stores we may not have a place to browse through titles in the future. Just look at Borders – which, decidedly a chain, still couldn’t hold up against the tyrannical power of online retailers. Haven’t found your local indie yet? Click this link to see if there’s one near you: http://www.indiebound.org/indie-store-finder
Just a note about the blog name: I am in no way dissing vampires. I have read the Twilight series. I thought they were okay. I was at the Breaking Dawn book release party at midnight in my hometown. But I’m probably not going to reread them. The vampire fad that’s been unleashed upon society simply isn’t my cup of tea. This is a blog for people like me who walk into bookstores and see that the young adult section has turned into a wall of black covers boasting fangs. It’s for people who want to help others pick out the books that aren’t about vampires, and for people who enjoy books about vampires to find something a little different.
Read. Review. Enjoy.
