The Temptress Four Review -- Kiwibox.com

The Temptress Four

By Gaby Triana

HarperTeen

Four out of Five Kiwis

"Yo, Kill, All, Fee!" Sounds like an ancient Mayan sha-woman chant or something. But it's actually a group of four tight-knit chicas-- Yoli, Killian, Alma and Fiona. Before they get a tarot reading from the creepy Madame Fortuna (or as Alma would say, Fartuna), they had to say their "mantra," complete with hands piled in the middle of the circle of friends. Sounds cheesy, but that's what best friends do. And most of the time, the cheesiest moments are the most memorable.

The girls have just graduated from high school and are about to embark upon a week long Caribbean cruise on The Temptress. Fiona suggested the reading as a way to suppress thoughts that the girls would split ways after the trip, but the reading garnered even worse news.

"One of you will not come home..."

Gaby Triana, author of Backstage Pass and Cubanita, wonderfully weaved a story of four teenaged girls facing life-altering decisions into an excellent page-tuner, great for summer reading. The descriptions of beaches, beautiful sunsets, cute boys and bountiful cruise ship dinners had me on Priceline.com checking out the cruise deals by the end of the book.

One of the qualities I found engaging in The Temptress Four was the dialogue. It was lively, yet still natural. This may also be because I found so many similarities between the voice of the main character, Fiona, and my own. But she's so relatable, that I believe many other readers could as well. And if you don't, there are three more characters that cover all the bases.

There's Killian, the uber-hot one who gets all the guys; Alma, the dark one with a wicked sense of humor and an uncanny ability to know all; and last but not least, there's Yoli, the supposedly "good girl," who ends up surprising everyone. Even though the characters reminded me of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants lassies, it didn't make the book any less interesting to read.

Hotlanta Book Review -- Kiwibox.com

Hotlanta

By Denene Millner and Mitzi Miller

Point Publishers

Four out of Five Kiwis

Mirror Louis Vuitton bags, Chanel ballet flats and Saab convertibles. The Duke twins, Sydney and Lauren, live the fabulous life of an upper crust family in Atlanta’s Buckhead. Life couldn’t seem to be any better. But the girls’ lives take a turn in the opposite direction once family skeletons start sneaking out of the closet. Authors Denene Millner and Mitzi Miller weave a suspenseful whodunit story of Dior and deceit in Hotlanta.

Sydney dreams of the socialite life with her “perfect” boyfriend, Marcus, and attending an Ivy League school. Her days are filled with heading the Homecoming Benefit Gala committee, volunteering and her man. But suddenly, Marcus is acting strange. When she finds something that questions Marcus’ faithfulness, Sydney doesn’t know what to think.

Lauren, co-captain of the dance team and most sought after girl in school, has aspirations of being a music video model. But if her mother and step-father found out she went down to the rough West End to audition for the new Thug Heaven video, they would totally kill her. They would then put her another six feet into the ground if they knew she had a boyfriend, Jermaine, down there as well. Its getting hard for her to keep up the lies.

If all that drama isn’t enough, when the girls’ biological father gets out of prison, they start to see that their step-father, Altimus, isn’t really who he seems to be. Because the girls are so different, they don’t always see eye to eye, but these circumstances are showing them they just might have to put the differences aside to get through.

It’s the Gossip Girl of the south.

When reading this book, you might find yourself saying aloud, “Oh, no he didn’t!” So, be forewarned because it gets that juicy. It’s hard not to get sucked into the world Millner and Miller have created. At times, you’re sympathetic for Sydney and other times you want to give Lauren a good shake. All in all, it was a good read. And although this was the first teen novel for the co-authors, I can not wait for the second book of this three-part series, If You Only Knew, coming out in October.

Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian Book Review -- Kiwibox.com

Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

By C.S. Lewis

HarperCollins Publishers

5 out of 5 kiwis!


If you loved The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, you’re sure to love the next installment, Prince Caspian, coming out in movie theatres May 16th. But I suggest you stop by the bookstore before heading to the theater. The beloved Narnia series by C.S. Lewis has sold over 100 million copies and been translated in 41 languages, which means its obviously good reading, and movie versions of books are famous for leaving out juicy plot details (see: Harry Potter).

Prince Caspian begins a year and a half after the Pevensies (Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy) had last left Narnia in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. They are awaiting their train back to school at the train station, when Lucy feels a “magical tug.” Suddenly, they are all transported to a place they’ve never seen before that’s definitely no part of a train station or, for that matter, England.

After some surveying and an important discovery, they rescue a Red Dwarf named Trumpkin, who tells them the story of Caspian the Tenth, the true king of Narnia, and how the true Narnians have been in hiding since the rule of the Telmarines. Their ruler, King Miraz, is an evil, under-handed, mother-shut your mouth and Caspian’s uncle. But family meant nothing to him the moment Miraz had a son of his own to inherit the throne. Caspian had to flee because he found out Miraz was going to have him killed. The Pevensies help Caspian take Miraz down in Narnia’s civil war and restore him rightfully to his throne.

(Most of) the Narnian creatures are fun and will pull on your heart strings, especially mighty Reepicheep. Lewis created a world of characters that generations and generations will continue to enjoy. Its an easy read and a page turner. This edition of the book contains scenes of the movie, so you’ll get a sneak preview before the actual movie comes out.

Fugghedaboutit -- BeautyNewsNYC.com

Fugghedaboutit

By Jan Lee

You may think you know Brooklyn, but you have no idea. To get a grasp, check out the Brooklynites: A Powerhouse Retrospective art exhibit (www.powerhousearena.com/thebrooklynites/) at the powerHouse Arena. And get there quick because the exhibit ends this Sunday, Sept 30th.



Together, Photographer Seth Kushner and Writer Anthony LaSala, native Brooklynites, captured and celebrated the essence of Brooklyn in a book entitled The Brooklynites — a compilation of images, interviews, and essays of BK’s people— both “the famous and the nameless, current residents and former inhabitants”—and places— nearly every neighborhood, from Brooklyn Heights to Brownsville, Bensonhurst to Bedford-Stuyvesant, Bay Ridge and beyond” — collected over a three year time period. Famous notables include Spike Lee, Steve Buscemi, Rosie Perez and Matisyahu. The book, The Brooklynites, also features a foreword by Emmy Award-winning writer and producer Terence Winter, who is, of course, from Brooklyn, and of The Sopranos and Get Rich or Die Tryin’ fame.

The exhibition, curated by LaSala, will feature works from the book, in addition to additional images taken by some of most talented photographers in the industry today, like Andrea Chu, Erica McDonald, painter Robert Goldstrom and Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Vincent LaForet.

Photograph taken by Andrea Chu

Read more about this excellent coffee table piece, especially if you are from Brooklyn, and even take a look inside at the powerHouse website (www.powerhousearena.com), or buy the book now for $35 buckaroos.

Now, count how many times I used the word “Brooklyn.” I don’t think I could ever tire. Brooklyn. Ha.

Also showing at powerHouse Arena is “an exhibition for social justice” documenting genocide, called Darfur: Twenty Years of War and Genocide in Sudan.

What: Brooklynites: A Powerhouse Retrospective art exhibit
When: Open now through Sunday, Sept 30th.
Where: The powerHouse Arena, 37 Main St., Brooklyn, NY


Published: September 2007