This or That with Lani Woodland

I got that chance to ask Lani Woodland a few this or that questions.  I love this type of interview because it put the person on the spot.  Plus, you learn some things you might not have known (or thought to ask )!  Lani is the author of The Yara Silva Trilogy (Intrinsical and Indelible), which I highly recommend!

American Idol or Dancing with the Stars? So You Think You Can Dance (sorry it's my favorite reality show)

Computer or Television? Computer ( I can watch TV on the computer)

Sandals or Sneakers? Sandals

The Simpsons or Family Guy? The Simpsons

Coke or Pepsi? Dr. Pepper :)

Spring or Fall? Spring

Call or Text? Text

Math or Science? Gah! Niether. Literature.

Lip Gloss or Lipstick? Lipgloss

Rain or Shine? I love the sunshine but rainy days are nice once and a while too.

Coffee or Water? Water with lemon

Fly or Read Minds? Wow. That's a hard one. Read minds, I think. My husband would want the ability to fly so I could catch a ride with him. :)

Harry Potter or Twilight? Movies? Harry Potter. Books? I enjoyed both series.

Skydive or Bungee Jump? Neither but I do love roller coasters.

Ocean or Mountains? Ocean. I love putting my toes in the water and burying them in the sand.

Crunchy or Creamy Peanut Butter? Crunchy.

Pink or Blue? Blue.

Read the Book or Watch the Movie? Read the book.

Swedish Fish or Gummi Bears?  Gummi Bear

Truth or Dare? It depends who I'm playing with. :) Usually I would pick truth.

Lani Woodland has been an avid reader since elementary school when she first discovered the Babysitters Club and Sweet Valley Twins series. In sixth grade she began writing plays and recruiting (with force when necessary) her friends to act them out. Most of these early works were inspired by She-Ra, the epitome of girl power to her young self.

She graduated from BYU with a BS in Family Science. Lani has always loved scary stories, and has a hard time enjoying any book without at least a little romance in it. She lives in Southern California with her husband, their two children and a large collection of board games. She has worked as a spot-welder, babysitter, janitor, photographer, gymnastics coach, and movie extra. She enjoys bonfires at the beach, hole-in-the-wall restaurants, speed talking, chocolate as a cure-all, and the word "precisely".

Review - Indelible (The Yara Silva Trilogy #2) by Lani Woodland

Title: Indelible

Author: Lani Woodland

Series: 2nd (Intrinsical)

Pages: 416

Published: September 27, 2011 by Pendrell

ISBN: 9780982729724

Source: Arranged Tour

Description: Yara is beginning to understand just how much her life will change now that her Waker abilities have emerged. She has come to terms with the fact that seeing ghosts is part of her life, but she isn't ready to let being a Waker dictate her choices. All she wants is a ghost-free senior year with her boyfriend, Brent, and her best friend, Cherie. But Yara soon discovers that there are more dark secrets in her school's history than just the curse she broke. While an angry ghost makes Yara question everything she thought she knew about spirits, she and Brent learn that there are long reaching consequences to last year's adventures. As new enemies emerge and old ghosts resurface, Yara finds herself in the center of another deadly mystery, and this time she has to contend with the living as well as the dead.

I Give This ...

 

I love it when I enjoy a sequel more than the first!  And that's saying a lot because I really liked Intrinsical.  The cast of characters remains true to themselves and the storyline is fantastic.

I didn't think it was possible to like Yara any more than I already did.  But, she's just a great all around character.  She's still struggling with what she is.  I think because her abilities appeared so suddenly, she really trying to escape what she was born to do.  She tries to take the easy way out sometimes, and doesn't truly believe that she can help the ghosts.  I still really enjoy her friends and her family.  They really do fill out the story well. 

I liked how the story involved the living just as much as the dead.  It seems there's a secret group hidden in the school and they crave more power.  The founder of the school was hiding the secret to this ability from his own sons, and this group is determined to find it.  His wife's ghost is guarding the key to all of it.  And she's seems to have it in for Yara.  I was intrigued by how violent she could get towards Yara.  I enjoyed learning a little about how the group worked and what they believed they could eventually do.  It was creepy how much they knew about Yara and Brent.  They used their weaknesses against them to get exactly what they wanted. 

I think my favorite parts involve Yara and Brent together.  I really enjoy their relationship.  I liked watching them interact with each others families (even though Brent's parents don't seem to like Yara).  I like how they try to protect each other, even if it's really not what they other person needs.  I love how devoted they are to each other, but not in an over the top way.

I really just enjoy this series.  There's way to much to try and cover in a short review.  I'm looking forward to the last in the series!

Intrinsical (The Yara Silva Trilogy #1) by Lani Woodland

Title: Intrinsical

Author: Lani Woodland

Series: works as stand alone but 1st in series

Pages: 298

Published: Available now from Pendrell Publishing

ISBN: 9780982729700

Source: Arranged Book Tour

Description: Sixteen-year-old Yara Silva has always known that ghosts walk alongside the living. Her grandma, like the other females in her family, is a Waker, someone who can see and communicate with ghosts. Yara grew up watching her grandmother taunted and scorned for this unusual ability and doesn't want that to be her future. She has been dreading the day when she too would see ghosts, and is relieved that the usually dominant Waker gene seems to have skipped her, letting her live a normal teenage life. However, all that changes for Yara on her first day at her elite boarding school when she discovers the gene was only lying dormant. She witnesses a dark mist attack Brent, a handsome fellow student, and rushes to his rescue. Her act of heroism draws the mist's attention, and the dark spirit begins stalking her. Yara finds herself entrenched in a sixty-year-old curse that haunts the school, threatening not only her life, but the lives of her closest friends as well. Yara soon realizes that the past she was trying to put behind her isn't going to go quietly.

I Give This ...

 

This is an odd review for me to write.  I really enjoyed this book overall and couldn't put it down.  But, at times it was slow paced and then other events happened so fast I wondered what the heck was going on.  

 The biggest plus for this story is the cast of characters.  I absolutely loved all of them.  I liked Yara from the start.  I liked her family history and how she was trying to get away (or deny) from who/what she is.  I loved her best friend Cherie.  I found it so interesting that she was so devoted to investigating the very things Yara was so determined not to see.  They complimented each other so well, that it was no wonder they were best friends.  I also really enjoyed their romantic interests in the story.  They are completely realistic.  I love that Steve and Brent are best friends as well.

I also really enjoyed the paranormal elements of the story.  I liked that Yara can see ghosts.  I loved the Cherie believes and can't see them and tries to help Yara come to terms with her abilites.  I loved that the school is haunted and may even be cursed.  I liked how we learn about this and the history of the "spirit" that haunts the school.  Some of the scenes are down right creepy and left me wondering if I should really be reading it late at night with all the lights off.

It's hard to discuss what I had difficulty with without giving away what I feel are spoilers.  There are two specific events concerning Yara that happened so fast that it left me really wondering what was going on.  I actually had to go back and reread.  I think it's just me though, because those events don't seem to confuse anybody else.  Plus, the time frame in between those two events is slow.  We learn a lot about what is going on, but not much happens.  

But, overall I really enjoyed the story.  It's just the right mix of ghosts, paranormal, real life events, and romance.  The book has an overall dark feel to it that works really.  I'll definitely read the next one!