Hollyweird [Paperback]

Terri Clark (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 8, 2012

Aly King is about to fall for the fallen

My best friend, Des, and I totally freaked when we won the contest to meet THE Dakota Danvers in Hollywood. But now we’re finding out he’s SO not the angel everyone believes him to be. In fact, Dakota is the son of Satan, wreaking havoc on Hollywood and creating an evil army hellbent on world domination.

Lucky for us, Dakota’s super-cute personal assistant, Jameson, is a fallen angel trying to get his wings back, and he’s working undercover to squash his demon boss’s plan. If Jameson hadn’t taken me under his wing I’d be in serious trouble, because I’m a total newb when it comes to conquering evil. But, truth be told, that sexy angel’s got me all aflutter and may be one temptation I can’t resist.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Terri Clark is the author of the Prism Award-winning young adult novel Sleepless (HarperTeen) and Hollyweird (FLUX). Her short fiction has also appeared alongside that of Ellen Hopkins in the Houghton Mifflin anthology Breaking Up is Hard to Do. Clark earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Northern Colorado and works as a teen librarian near her home outside of Denver. She is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), Romance Writers of American (RWA) and Pikes Peak Writers.

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Product Details

• Age Range: 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Flux; Original edition (May 8, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738719250
• ISBN-13: 978-0738719252
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.6 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,010,198 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Terri Clark feels blessed to demonstrate her passion for young adult fiction as both a teen librarian and author. For as long as she can remember she's been fascinated with the paranormal, so it's little wonder her stories are a bit edgy and twisted. Sleepless (HarperTeen) is about a teen who is stalked in her dreams by a killer and her short story in the Breaking Up Is Hard to Do (HoughtonMifflin) anthology delves into mind-reading. Terri's also been a part of the non-fiction anthology Flirtin' with the Monster (BenBella Books). Her next paranormal, Hollyweird (Flux) will be released May 9, 2012 and she's a participating author in BenBella's The Girl Who Was On Fire Anthology (April 2011). You can visit Terri online at www.TerriClarkBooks.com and at www.facebook.com/terriclarkbooks.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Quirky and Entertaining! May 5, 2012

By Amanda Welling

Format:Paperback

First Impressions: I had just finished reading a super depressing novel when I decided to pull Hollyweird out of my every expanding To-be-read pile in hopes for a pick me up. The synopsis sounded fun and I liked the goofy cover art. Everything about this book seemed very unique and I was hoping for a good laugh to help bring my spirits back up. Well, this book delivered!

Characters & Plot: This novel was everything I expected it to be and I was in a great mood after I finished reading it. Hollyweird is about a girl named Ali who wins a contest, along with her best friend Des and her sister Missy, to go to Los Angeles to meet heartthrob Dakota Danvers. Well, Dakota isn't who Aly thinks that he is. In fact, he isn't a very nice guy since, well, he is the spawn of Satan. It becomes apparent that Dakota is up to no good and he has a plan that somehow involves Aly and her friends. Luckily for Aly and her crew, there is a fallen angel close by who is trying to earn back his wings, named Jameson. Jameson thinks by having Aly help him, together they will be able to bring down Dakota together, and by doing so he will get his wings back.

There was a lot to like in Hollyweird, and it didn't just consist of demons and fallen angels. Other supernatural creatures make some appearances too. The two main characters, Aly and Des, don't really see eye to eye when it comes to believing in the supernatural. Des totally believes in all things paranormal, while Aly is much more reserved and will only believe things when she sees them. There were some pretty comical scenes thrown into Hollyweird that brought up this books entertainment value and I found myself laughing quite a bit. The plot line was very cheesy though and Des could be very annoying at times. There were a few instances of Brand-Name dropping I personally could have done without, but hey! The girls WERE in Los Angeles, after all.

Romance plays into this story just a little bit, but it isn't front and center. I was okay with that because it wasn't necessary to the plot and I liked how it wasn't overdone. Not every single book has to have a plot line revolving around romantic relationships. It was a nice change for me.

Final Thoughts: I breezed through this book in just a few hours. It was short, fun, very cheesy, but a very good read. It's a "feel good" kind of book, which is exactly what I needed when I decided to begin digging into story. It reminds me of a good book to take with you to the beach, which I might just do over the summer time!

4.0 out of 5 stars Wholly Entertaining With Weird Fun December 30, 2012

By Brooke B.

Format:Paperback

I won this book through a giveaway from Library Girl Reads at blogspot.com

This is a cute, funny, fluffy light, easy quick read. The blurb tells it all. Paranormal romance comedy - a genre I haven't heard of until now. Hell, maybe this author just invented it for all I know. It's not hard to see where the story is going but that doesn't really matter. Don't think about it much, just enjoy the ride like a good movie simply for the entertainment factor. I really do recommend this book it's just fun. The soundtrack is through ring tones that leads to the most hilarious literally laugh out loud moment of the book:

"Maybe Zeppelin was a little obvious?"

I could see this transferring well to the big screen. Please, please though for the love of God do the casting right.

If there's a sequel, I'll be checking it out and hoping it lives up to this book.

I think Des was my favorite character. She dress punk/goth but isn't the stereotypical depressed loner who abhors "normal" people who conform. She's the dark humor and I love that since I tend to use that kind of humor as well. I didn't find her made up words annoying. It makes me smirk since living language evolves through time and usage hence calling it "living". I find it funny when people complain about new slang being just made up words that aren't really words. Uh, hello isn't that all language? While Des has a dictionary full of her own lingo I can see how the cliquey-gimmicky feel of it can annoy people. I just don't see it the same way.

Jameson hit the right line for protective but respectful so he didn't come off as a controlling creepy type. I also like the fact his and Aly's forbidden love isn't the most important thing in the thing book. That's just so fake and melodramatic. Jameson is all smirks and sarcastic but he's a good guy that could have gone wrong but didn't.

Aly was nice. I liked her perspective and her insights from her not wanting to be all fan-girly, not wanting to be disillusioned and her caring for those around her. She's the sweet home town girl and she's mostly defined in this book through her pain and relationship with others. I'm hoping she'll come more to life for me in the next book. She's not bad as is, she just felt a bit overshadowed to me. She is smart and not in the habit of doing dangerous stuff head first stupidly. She struggles but not in the classic useless damsel in distress way.

Missy, the dramatic diva sister of Aly is not left to be a 2-D character and has surprising depth to her. It's nice that she wasn't just left to be the antagonistic sister. She grows, or at least her character beneath the glam is revealed and it's a nice touching family moment.

Also, it was so nice for a group to come up with a plan that made sense and that actually worked for a change.

As far as the devil being in the details, I love how Aly and Jameson's names were like the font of the cover in the beginning of their chapters. Aly's font being the "Holly" part and Jameson's font being the "Weird" part.

4.0 out of 5 stars A Fun, Fast, Entertaining Story July 29, 2012

By Library Girl Reads VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

The cover for Hollyweird makes the book look like a fun story and that is exactly what you get. Terri Clark writes believable teen characters who interact with snappy dialogue. Aly and Des may appear to be complete opposites - preppy and rule-following, goth and rule-breaking - but they work together. I love Aly's description of their friendship on the second page of the book, "She is yin, I am yang. Together we are taijitu, the balance of yin and yang." It is this balance of personalities that allows Aly and Des to face evil in Hollywood with both the logic and passion needed to overcome it.

Chapters in the book alternate between Aly and Jameson telling the story. I enjoyed this technique because it allows the reader to see more than either Aly or Jameson can see in the moment. It also gives the reader a chance to know each character on a deeper level and understand more of why they react to each other they way they do based on their individual backgrounds. This gives the romantic aspect of the book a realistic feeling as the characters must sort through a variety of emotions.

Hollyweird is a fast read both because it isn't a long book and because of the quick pacing of the story. The dialogue is peppered with references to contemporary Hollywood shows and stars. Des also invents new words by combining others. It is pretty easy to figure most of these out in context, although Aly also explains some of them to Jameson along the way. Terri Clark offers us the classic battle of good versus evil but she presents it with a personal brand of humor and contemporary style.