OpenBookSociety.com needs your help. We are looking for dedicated individuals to help keep this site running smoothly and help it grow.

Have you ever wanted to write your opinion on anything you’ve watched or heard? Have you ever wanted to be part of a team that brought news to others? If so, you should join our team.

Job openings:

• YA Book Club & Normal Book Club chapter summary writers. – Read a few chapters, write a summary and come up with interesting questions.
• Author Chat manager – conduct an author chat once a month.
• Podcast hosts/Radio Show Hosts
• Supernatural TV Recap & Review (Heroes, Fringe, Supernatural, Ghost Whisperer, Medium, Smallville etc.. you name it we recap it.)
• Marketing – contacting affiliates, inquire for more info
• News blog posters (writing experience helpful, but not required) – Post current news to our blog via Wordpress (we will teach you if you don’t know it)

Fun, Creative & Speak your mind type jobs:

» OBS Speaks Out Writers – write articles on anything relating to a supernatural media
» Top 5/10 – come up with lists of the Top 5 or Top 10 for anything you can think of
» Movie Reviews – watch a supernatural movie and say what you thought
» Book Reviews – read a supernatural book and say what you thought
» Quizzes – come up with fun quiz questions for any supernatural media out there
» Casting Couch – recast your favorite shows, movies, books etc.

If you are interested in any of the above positions, please fill out our contact form here.

Please make sure you can devote about an hour a day to OBS before you apply. It’s a pretty fun volunteer job. We’re a tight knit team and we work together.

Thanks!

See our about us page for all the staff openings.

Fallen Angels is the new vampires. At least at OBS it is, because that’s what we are all reading. Check out the review of Fallen by Lauren Kate.

Brought to you by OBS staff member Britta

Summary
There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.

Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce–and goes out of his way to make that very clear–she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.

Dangerously exciting and darkly romantic, Fallen is a page turning thriller and the ultimate love story.
Source: http://laurenkatebooks.net/

Review
I absolutely loved this novel!

Lauren Kate weaves a story that reads like a classic gothic novel, with ’shadows’ and mysteries behind every turn. The voice is also very fresh, mixing classic undertones with playful banter that keeps the novel flowing.

Luce Price’s story is intriguing, because she is forced to attend Sword & Cross, a boarding school for wayward teens, after she’s blamed for the murder of one of her loved ones. She has been haunted by ’shadows’ that threaten the lives of those around her, from a young age. Her inability to comprehend what the ’shadows’ are and where they come from, cause her parents and psychologists to label her: mentally unstable.

It’s interesting to observe how Luce interacts with the people around her in this new environment. She sets her sights on, Daniel Grigori, a guy who’s completely unwilling to let his guard down. He’s rude and standoffish upon meeting her. Yet she still feels strangely familiar with him, and continues to have surreal dreams that lead her to question who, and more importantly, what he really is. The love story is written in a way that both romance lovers, and realists can appreciate. It’s not too much, but just enough to make you want to continue reading! Meanwhile, she is continually pursued by, Cam, a guy who’s overtly interested in her. Maybe too interested.

Lauren Kate does an awesome job of weaving the setting of Sword & Cross, a place that holds great civil war history, and the harshness of a prison. She has a way of describing that makes the school come alive as a character in its own right. Another great plus, is that she created a cast of characters that are so well rounded, it’s hard not to be interested in each of their stories.

Overall, I rate this novel 10 out of 10 for a love story that’s packed with supernatural twists, intriguing characters, and loads of surprises in the end! I look forward to the sequel, Torment, coming out this Fall.

You know the saying… don’t judge a book by its cover? Well I usually do. Maybe it’s my artist sensibility, but good covers usually mean good books (because well published authors usually hire professional artists). This book has an incredibly appealing cover that gives you a sense of the duality and a character at odds. Let’s see what our reviewer thought.

Brought to you by OBS staff member Katlyn

Summary
The past Janeal thought had burned away is rising from the ashes.

Years ago, the Gypsy Kumpania where Janeal Mikkado lived was attacked by outsiders. With her best friend about to be consumed by a fire, Janeal had two options: try to save her friend–at serious risk to her own life–or disappear with the million dollars that she had just discovered . . .

But the past is quickly coming back to haunt her. Both the best friend and the boyfriend that she was sure were dead have reappeared in her life, as has someone who knows about the money. There’s a debt to be paid for the money she found, but there’s an even greater debt she must face–and if the chaff isn’t burned from her own heart, it will consume her.
Source: http://www.teddekker.com/

Review
Ted Dekker and Erin Healy join forces again after their co-author debut novel, Kiss. Dekker and Healy merged separate ideas into a cohesive novel full of suspense and the choices that people make to survive.

After reading the synopsis for Burn, I thought I had some general idea of where the book would go. I was wrong. These characters took me on a thrill ride that had me hooked until the last page.

The major theme of this novel was choices. The choice between right and wrong. And the choice between surviving and risking your life to save another. These just touch the tip of the iceberg the make up the difference choices that each of these characters face in the wake of a devastating tragedy.

The characters that Dekker and Healy seamlessly created were fantastically shaped. They were deep and complicated, but each were honest and true down to their soul. Janeal was responsible for so much pain and heartache at a young age that she turned into a hard, stubborn, and strong woman who had to make terms with the decision that has haunted her since that day. With the discovery of the two survivors, her best friend and boyfriend, Janeal sets off on a journey to attempt to exonerate herself from the many wrong-doing she committed. Robert and Katie each handled the tragedy in different ways and shaped their lives accordingly.

I don’t want to spoil too much of this book, but I highly recommend this adventure for the twists and turns that will make your head spin and keep you wanting more.

One thing I have to say that really resonated with me was the cover of this book. Before starting to read it, I was enticed by the visual of this woman who is seemed to be made up of fire and ice. You will just have to go out and get the book to understand the significance of this amazingly artistic cover.

I really love books that have angels in them, no idea why, but there’s something about their celestial manner and heavenly heiarchy that just makes them so good, or so bad.

Brought to you by OBS staff member Katlyn

Summary
Seventeen-year-old Teagan McNeel falls for captivating Garreth Adams, her guardian angel come to earth. But where there is light, dark follows, and now she is torn between one angel’s sacrifice and another angel’s vicious ambition that threatens not only her life, but the lives of everyone she knows.
Source: http://www.jennifermurgia.com/

Review
Jennifer Murgia’s debut young adult novel, ‘Angel Star’, was a marvelous, fast-paced adventure of a young girl faced with a new awareness of non-human beings and the danger surrounding her knowledge. Murgia explores symbolism and the existence of ‘guardian angels’ that will take you on a journey of a lifetime.

One aspect of ‘Angel Star’ that I highly enjoyed was the picture that Murgia painted with her words. The details that she illustrated were very concise and specific without being overdone. I appreciated the world that she created and I felt welcome to jump right in for the ride.

Along with being in the young adult genre, ‘Angel Star’ explored teenage issues, such as insecurities, bullies, best friends, and first love. All Teagan wanted was a regular high school experience, since growing up without a father made her home-life not so normal. She lacked an outward confidence that her best friend, Claire, made up for during the constant harassment by most popular girl in school. And first love, le sigh, in walks in Garreth, her Guardian Angel (literally). But with light comes the dark to balance it out, and Garreth opens Teagan’s eyes to a frightening truth and dilemma that only she can undertake.

I adored the characters that were portrayed in this book. Teagan was so easily identifiable as the normal girl that just tried to survive adolescence unscathed. Claire was so likable as the fun-loving partner in crime that challenged Teagan’s boundaries each day. And I was absolutely smitten with Garreth. He was the most perfect angelic love interest. His unwavering love for Teagan was sweet and charming.

On the other spectrum was the mysterious and provocative dark side that threatened to tear Teagan from her world and her new-found love. She had to learn to use what she has buried inside of her to save what matters most in her life. But the dark side explores passion and the excitement of danger that overwhelms and confuses her during this momentous situation.

The fight between light and dark consumed me while reading, I was not sure at any point what would happen. As a whole, I really enjoyed this book. The concepts that Murgia introduced were so creative and fresh that I was on my toes the whole time. This story had so many twists and surprises I was completely mesmerized and never wanted the story to end! This story left a big cliffhanger and I cannot wait to read the next installment called ‘Lemniscate’.

Openbooksociety.com is hosting it’s MONTHLY contest! This is a simple contest — all you have to do is: JOIN THE FORUM!

We held this contests a few months ago, and it was a success! Since it’s so easy for anyone to do, we decided to make it a monthly contest!!!

Here is a little about the contest and more information:

I know what you’re thinking, how can a chance at winning an awesome prize be so easy?? All you have to do is join the OBS forum and INTRODUCE YOURSELF on the forum, then you will be automatically entered for a drawing of a fabulous prize! Also, the winner of this contest gets to choose their prize!! We here at OBS like to give you options, so, the winner will get to choose from serveral utterly amazing books.

I would like to take a minute to tell you why becoming a member will be rewarding even if you don’t win the prize! Here is what our members get to enjoy and participate in:

OBS Elite Affiliate “Novel Novice” looking for Teens help!

About Novel Novice:

At Novel Novice you will find profiles of our featured book titles, Book of the Month specials, contests, book-related projects, downloads for your favorite books, videos, author interviews, book reviews and much more.

We will also provide a variety of resources and tools for readers, students, teachers and parents alike. We invite students to share their projects and essays, and we welcome teachers who wish to show off the hard work of their own students. We also invite teachers to send us their lesson plans for books appropriate for teen readers.

This is a place where teens and young adults can come to find great new books to read, and share their own reading recommendations.

This is a place where students can show off their work related to books and literature.

This is a place where teachers can share resources, class projects and ideas.

This is a place where parents can come for tips, resources and tools to help encourage their teens to read

Here is what Novel Novice is seeking:

Novel Novice (www.novelnovice.com) is looking for Teen Contributors!

Novel Novice is looking for a teen contributor to give his or her perspective on the world of YA lit. Possible contributions include (but certainly not limited to):

• Writing book reviews
• E-mail interviews with authors
• Essay/project topics
• Featured book suggestions
• Reporting on trends

Since Novel Novice is a nonprofit, we don’t pay our contributors, but we can offer valuable experience, networking and professional references. (We’d probably look good on a college application or a job resume!)

Applicants should love reading, have a good grasp on grammar and writing and be willing to contribute new ideas. Experience with WordPress is a plus.

If you’re interested, send an e-mail to clumzbella@yahoo.com  with your name, age and a paragraph telling us about yourself (this is your chance to brag about how many books you’ve read, career goals and grades you’ve earned!)

Read more about Novel Novice need HERE