Book Infinity

NaNoWriMo... In December!

2011-11-26T14:55:00.000-08:00

To my shame and regret, I didn't participate in NaNoWriMo this year because I spent the entire month of November doing college applications. Really it's a lot of work! But now that I'm (almost) done applying, I plan to sit back and relax during December. Aka, I'm going to start writing again. I have a few new novel ideas that I've set aside for awhile and I'm going to start them up again. I plan to try to write a 50,000 word novel in the month of December. We'll see how that goes. Last year I finished NaNoWriMo at 30,000 words and an almost complete manuscript that I never finished but it was still one of my greatest accomplishments. It gives me the encouragement to try again. I'll probably never return to that one, it was waaaaaay too crappy.

Maybe everyone else will be spending December doing revisions. Or maybe someone would like to join me in attempting to write a novel in December? For me, having 2 weeks off from school will give me plenty of time to sit around my house writing. It's the perfect time of year. Most people are probably super busy around Christmas time, usually it's the opposite for me.

Good luck to anyone trying rapidly to finish up their novels this November!

Book Review: Inheritance by Christopher Paolini

2011-11-25T12:38:00.000-08:00

I'd be very surprised if I still have people reading this blog, it's been so long since I posted. Anyway... I thought this book was worthy of posting about! FYI when I do post, my posts will be a lot less informal without all the links and stuff that used to take me hours. I don't really have the time or want to put in the energy!

A few months ago I posted a general review on Books 1-3 in the Inheritance Series, you can find it here if you're interested in my background going into this book.

I finished Inheritance! I remember when I read Eragon in Elementary school. I can hardly believe these books have been with me all these years, and the last one came out when I was a senior in high school. I guess that means I haven't changed all that much since I still like them just as much. I know a lot of people say that with Harry Potter, but that was a series I never picked up until 2 years ago, so I can't say I grew up with Harry. I did "grow up" through elem/middle/high school with Eragon though.

My one aim in reading this book was to figure out who that green dragon was on the cover. Obviously the 3rd egg would hatch, and the whole book I was waiting for it to happen. It's not really a spoiler to say that it finally did, but I won't say to who. I will say that I am satisfied with it although I think it could've been better.

The ending was great and terrible at the same time. It reminded me a lot of Lord of the Rings (they get in a ship and sail away into who-knows-where...). I would love to discuss it somewhere else as to not give away spoilers here!

If you like the series at all, read this book. If you're a romance lover or a quick read lover or you hated the other books in the series... I would not recommend this to you. For a fan of the series, it was a terrific book that had me glued to it until the very last page. The first half of the book took me a little over a week, then the second half of the book took me 2 days because I was so into the book.

Now, I have about 50 friends who asked me to borrow it. I have a feeling I won't get this book back for while ;p

Reality (it's great)

2011-10-11T16:42:00.000-07:00

Hi, everyone, anyone...

Out of the blue, I got a book in the mail today, and it reminded me that I have a blog.

I got on my blog today and couldn't believe I haven't posted since July. I remember putting those posts up... they don't seem like that long ago! Surely it wasn't 3 months ago?

But the date of that last post- July 8th- was right before a major changing point in my life. I started working 40+ hours a week and I started thinking about college, plus I went on a few vacations... pretty much the pacing of my life changed for real.

You see, I've abandoned my blog before, either for a couple of weeks or months, but I've always thought out it, thought about reading, thought about how I need to get back.

I forgot I have a blog. But I read some great stuff- I read Divergent by Veronica Roth back in July. (And I never even posted about Divergent! It was easily my favorite book of 2011!) I also just finished City of Fallen Angels a few weeks ago- it was also full of awesomeness.

I haven't been writing which makes me sad. Along with my remembrance of blogging I also remembered that National Novel Writing Month is coming up this November! My previous goal had been to finish all my college applications by November 1st, just to get them done with (which is also, coincidentally, my birthday). Now, that is still my goal, but it is so I can have the month of Nov. to get back into writing! I'm really excited for this year, although I didn't win last year (I got to 30,000 words in my novel), I'm hoping for at least a little better this year.

Reality is so much fun when you fully embrace it. Although I wholeheartedly love blogging and love the year I spent doing it, forgetting about my blog was blissful as well. Maybe in November, when college stuff is done, I'll put up a few reviews. (Which would require me to start READING again, haha).

ttyl... hopefully :)

Book Review: Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

2011-07-08T08:11:00.001-07:00

Title: Forever
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Series: The Wolves of Mercy Falls #3
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Release Date: July 12 2011
My Source: Borrowed ARC

Other Books in Series:
Shiver
Linger

***WARNING: Contains mild spoilers for the 1st two books in the series!***

Goodreads Summary:

then.

When Sam met Grace, he was a wolf and she was a girl. Eventually he found a way to become a boy, and their love moved from a curious distance to the intense closeness of shared lives.

now.

That should have been the end of their story. But Grace was not meant to stay human. Now she is the wolf. And the wolves of Mercy Falls are about to be killed in one final, spectacular hunt.

forever.

Sam would do anything for Grace. But can one boy and one love really change a hostile, predatory world? The past, the present, and the future are about to collide in one pure moment - a moment of death or life, farewell or forever.

My Review:
I recommend you read my reviews for Shiver and Linger before this one so you know where I'm coming from. I thought Shiver was ok, but I loved Linger, and that was due to the introduction of actually interesting characters- Cole and Isabel. Not that I don't like Sam and Grace (they have an amazing romance) but I think they work better as side characters and I would be lying if I said I didn't occasionally get bored reading the sections of the book from either one of their perspective because it's the same thing over and over.

The first 100 pages were a little difficult to get through because neither of the two couples were talking to each other- either by choice or not. So it was really slow. But after I got past that part, it was unputdownable!

I love seeing how all of the characters in Mercy Falls have grown. In paticular Isabel- probably my favorite to read her sections- I was frustrated with her for a lot of the book but I was so proud of her when she finally took the stand that she needed to at the end. Sam finally overcame the fears crippling him and I was happy for him too.

There's not a whole lot I can think of saying about this book that isn't reiterated from my reviews of the first two books. If you liked the first two books, you'll like Forever as well. I'm not exactly sure about the title though. I wished the ending could've given us a better definition of what forever was for our main characters- it wasn't a cliffhanger but I would've loved an epilogue or something.

In conclusion, if you like romance and emotion and beautiful writing, read this series! Shiver is my least favorite of the three, but if you make it through that one you'll have a treat to look forward to in the final 2. Though I know there are some that disagree with me and think Shiver is better... I guess that means you'll have to read them and decide for yourself!

4.5 out of 5 stars

Book Review: Entwined by Heather Dixon

2011-07-08T07:40:00.000-07:00

Title: Entwined
Author: Heather Dixon
Series: None
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Release Date: March 29 2011
My Source: ARC from publisher

Goodreads Summary:

Azalea is trapped. Just when she should feel that everything is before her . . . beautiful gowns, dashing suitors, balls filled with dancing . . . it's taken away. All of it.

The Keeper understands. He's trapped, too, held for centuries within the walls of the palace. And so he extends an invitation.

Every night, Azalea and her eleven sisters may step through the enchanted passage in their room to dance in his silver forest.

But there is a cost.

The Keeper likes to keep things.

Azalea may not realize how tangled she is in his web until it is too late.

My Review:
Entwined is a re-telling of the fairy tale The Twelve Dancing Princesses (link to the wikipedia article here if you've never heard the original story- which I hadn't before reading this book). Knowing it was a fairy tale retelling- which is perhaps my favorite genre ever because it's filled with the 2 best things- fantasy and romance- I was so excited to get an ARC of this book.

The main character, Azalea, is the eldest of 12 sisters (all named after flowers or plants and also alphabetical to their birth order which is very clever and cute of the author). She was a fantastic main character because of the way she carried the responsibility of being the oldest unselfishly but struggled with pursuing her own desires. I could relate to Azalea and really rooted for her. Her sisters were also just as charming and 3-Dimensional- Bramble, the second eldest, was a hilarious trouble-maker, and Clover, the third eldest, who was the most beautiful but had speech issues which she worked to overcome. All the younger sisters were very cute and funny as well.

The thing that lacked in this book was a rich world building. I was never sure if we were in the real world or a fantasy land (most likely some combination of the two) and for all the political stuff this book contained it didn't explain much about the kingdom at all. I would've loved to see an in-depth world being built, but it just wasn't there. So I had trouble placing this story and figuring out what the real stakes of losing the kingdom were.

The romance was subtle, but very sweet. Rather than love-at-first-sight, it was a gradual build up that culminated at the end of the book where I couldn't stop turning the pages. I found myself rooting for all 3 of the eldest sisters to find love and squealing in delight over the fairy-tale ending that was not entirely predictable.

One thing I struggled with though was the lack of a plot for about the 1st half of the book- it took me awhile to get into it because all that was happening was the girls mourning their mother's death and hating their father. Even when the plot and conflict arose, I found it seemed very simple and uncomplicated and like the world-building, it could've been way more in depth.

The writing quality itself was relatively simple, so it wasn't hard to read but it wasn't that fantastic or lyrical either.

Overall, I enjoyed the princesses characters and their love interests the most, but I disliked the lack of depth in plot and world building. I would still recommend this book to anyone who likes fairy tale re-tellings, though I would probably recommend a few better ones first. Still, I'm glad I read it and overall I liked it.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Book Review: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

2011-06-09T15:29:00.000-07:00

Title: Anna and the French Kiss
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Series: none
Publisher: Dutton
Release Date: December 2 2010
My Source: Won

Goodreads Summary:

Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris—until she meets Étienne St. Claire: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.

As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near-misses end with the French kiss Anna—and readers—have long awaited?

My Review:

LOVED THIS BOOK! It was super hyped up, so I had high expectations for it, and usually those expectations aren't met. But that was not the case here. I understand why everybody loves it now. It made me like contemporary fiction which is not my favorite genre. So real, so funny, so cute, so laugh-out-loud, so perfect!

Little things bugged me here and there- but nothing that was really a big deal. For example, I actually didn't like St. Clair for awhile because he seemed stuck up. (Maybe I was the only one who thought that!) Paticuarly when he made fun of Anna's friend Dave who I couldn't help but think of one of my own friends when I was reading about him. Even so, but the end it worked out very well. Predictable, yes, but nice.

Anna was a brilliant, funny, and clever narrator but very real and human at the same time. Her obsession with movies was a neat plot element that gave her a lot of character and really contrasted with the types of stories/movies her Dad writes. You can see why they don't get along.

Unlike some contemps, the plot was not boring. It was driven by misunderstandings in relationships- a theme that worked very well and seemed almost Shakespeare-ish. I had to keep reading to see what would happen next with Anna and St. Clair!

If you're looking for a fun, unputdownable read this summer, go buy Anna and the French Kiss (yes- buy it! Don't check it out from the library or borrow it- you'll want to own it so you can read it over and over again!). It's a really, really fantastic read!

5 out of 5 stars

In My Mailbox (Sorta, But Not Really...)

2011-06-04T14:10:00.000-07:00

Since I sort of made an announcement about leaving my blog 2 weeks ago, I've accomplished more reading than I ever would've thought without the pressure of a blog that needs to be updated! It really is sort of a freeing thing not to be obligated to blog and it makes reading so much more enjoyable. And now it's practically summer I'm going to try to find time to review most of what I read.

I reviewed The Liar Society, a 2011 Debut book earlier this week. In addition, I recently finished Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins (already reviewed on Goodreads, hopefully will have it added to the blog soon), along with Entwined by Heather Dixon (another 2011 debut!) and A Spy In The House by Y.S. Lee, and I'm speeding through The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell- I should have it finished soon. And I'm almost finished reading The Great Gatsby for school... who knows, maybe I'll review that too. :p

Another anomaly of my life- besides getting more time to read- is that I've started writing again! I haven't touched my WIP since NaNoWriMo and although I'm still leaving that one be, I started writing some short story fanfiction just for writing practice and I'm starting to outline a new fantasy WIP that I had the idea for awhile ago but haven't had any time to start on. My NaNoWriMo book is certainly not finished but it feels like I don't have anywhere left to go with it. I'll probably come back to it sometime, but I'm moving on for now. I'm so happy to start writing again. I do aspire to be a writer someday, although I'm not going to college for it. For now I'm just going to continue writing and see where it takes me.

I know I labeled this post In My Mailbox. I figured that would imply it was some sort of general update. Not sure why I'm even posting this, I just felt a random desire to.

I haven't actually gotten any books for a very long time (busyness kills) but I have accumulated quite a wish list of books recently released. In fact, I can't believe I don't own some of these yet! I'm been waiting for them to come out for so long. I either need to make some money and go to a bookstore or something........

Divergent by Veronica Roth

dystopian being compared to the Hunger Games that I've been dying to read ever since I first read the blub? YES!

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

I'm being extremely careful to stay away from reviews of this one, but let's face it- can Cassandra Clare do anything wrong?

Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins

And this one's been out for a few months! Why have I been waiting so long?!?

Original Sin by Lisa Desrochers

This one actually isn't out yet, but it releases next week and I'm excited!

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

I've been dying for this book for so long and it's finally out!!!

I know I must be leaving out a few books on this list, but I think if I got every book on this list, I would be happy forever... or that is, until I finished them. This is my ultimate 5- book wish list. Hopefully I'll be getting copies of some of these books soon.

Happy reading anyone who ends up reading this! I'm sorta nervous to see if people still comment on my blog after I wrote that post about practically leaving. (I know a couple of you did on my last book review- THANK YOU!)

Book Review: The Liar Society by Lisa and Laura

2011-05-28T21:41:00.000-07:00

Title: The Liar Society
Author: Lisa and Laura Roecker
Series: Liar Society #1
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Release Date: March 1 2011

Goodreads Summary:

Kate Lowry didn’t think dead best friends could send e-mails. But when she gets an e-mail from Grace, who died mysteriously a year before, she’s not so sure. When the emails continue, Kate is forced to confront her school’s resident druggie, a sketchy administrator, and even her own demons.

As Kate moves closer and closer to the truth, she teams up with a couple of knights-in-(not so)shining armor–the dangerously attractive, bad boy, Liam and her love-struck neighbor, Seth. The three uncover an ancient secret lurking in the halls of their elite private school with the power to destroy them all.

But the truth doesn’t always set you free. Sometimes it’s only the beginning.

My Review:

Kate's best friend died a year ago and Kate's convinced it's not an accident. Through a series of clues, she solves the mystery that involves her best friend and her private school's secret societies. Mystery is an aspect of a book I LOVE- it's something that usually keeps me reading. However, I didn't find there was quite enough suspense or guessing built in in the plot of this book. I felt like I knew the end the whole time, and for the most part I was right.

In addition, the characters felt flat to me. I never really did make sense or get to know Kate, and Liam, the love interest, was described as a "bad boy" but he never really did anything that made him seem bad. If anything, he was just this perfect, sweet guy who happened to be there for no reason at the right time just to be a perfect love interest for Kate. And Seth- he was adorable at times and I was annoyed with Kate for being annoyed with him! Don't get me wrong- I liked Liam better, but I liked Seth a lot too and I don't think Kate gave him enough credit for being her friend who was always there for her.

Even so, it was a cute, funny book with some great dialouge and situations that kept the pace going. It certainly wasn't boring or slow. The mystery, though predictable, was worthy enough to keep my attention.

I know a lot of people have simply loved this book, so don't let my review discourage you from picking this book up and trying it for yourself. I still enjoyed it and would recommend it to readers of mystery and contemporary high school fiction that's not all fluff. Even so, I had high standards for The Liar Society and I don't think they were quite met.

Cover: 4/5 The pink hair is pretty cute! And I think the cover goes with the book very well. Kate has the private school uniform, and it's a mix between fun (pink hair) and dark (black background). But it's also a little boring and I might easily have passed over it in the store if not for the pink hair.

3.5 out of 5 stars

I Never Thought I Would Say This

2011-05-13T14:54:00.000-07:00

I have a confession to make. And I'm not sure if anyone is going to read this post, or if anyone reads my blog anymore. I know it's frustrating when you're following a blogger and they suddenly stop posting. And I feel like I've really let my readers down (if I even have any anymore), so I thought I would explain the situation.

Blogging used to be a lot of fun, something I would make time out of my busy life to sit down and commit to. Even when it felt like I didn't have time, I made the time because I wanted to.

But back when I started blogging, I was a fairly ordinary boring kid with way too much free time. But now I'm moving on with my life and starting to actually DO things. I joined the track team, I auditioned for jazz choir and made it, I got my first job (lifeguarding!), and I got my own car. All in the last few weeks. Not to mention I'm going to college in a year and have been taking ACT/SAT's, planning visits, and worrying. It's not like I wasn't involved in things like this before- I've taken piano lessons for years, sang in treble choir, and I acted in the Fall school play.

But I'm just starting to focus so much more on my actual life that time to sit down and browse the internet and blogs just doesn't feel valuable to me. It used to be my release from the business of everyday life, but now it feels like it's just something I keep putting off. I procrastinate getting on my blog because I don't have anything to say.

I still LOVE reading though. Reading is still my escape- just maybe blogging isn't so much anymore. I guess I'm also getting sick of blogging making reading feel like such a chore- I have to review ARC's, I get daily review requests.... I guess I'm complaining, aren't I? So pretty much I've completely ignored by blog for the last month. (and my blog email, for the most part. I read it but haven't replied to anything in forever.)

I'm not trying to put down blogging, I just don't think it's something I can follow through with anymore. It's way too much of a chore for me, and I need to make time for the other things going on in my life.

I never thought I would say this, honestly. Up until the recent hiatuses I've been taking, blogging was my passion and escape. But now, I really think I'm just a different person. Nothing better or worse, just different.

I'm not deleting my blog or anything. I don't think I could EVER bring myself to do that. I've put so much hard work into it. And I'm not saying I'm going to stop posting, either. Summer is coming up, and even though I have a job I probably will have more time to read. I hope to continue posting reviews after I finish books because critically thinking about a book is still something I love to do, and that is really the main purpose of this blog.

So I'm not going away! But I am moving on.... I guess this is just an apology, if anyone actually reads it. I just had to say something about the way my life is going right now and the future of my blog, which looks pretty narrow.

But I love all the people I've gotten to know and amazing new things I've learned about the book publishing and writing world! And I won't stop stalking a few of my favorite bloggers because I still love to know what kinds of new books are out there. So even if I lay low on my blog perhaps indefinitely (minus hopefully occasional reviews!), I still have had a great experience and I appreciate if any of you have been there to share it with me or have been one of the MANY bloggers I admire!

Book Review: The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan

2011-04-22T18:18:00.000-07:00

Title: The Dark and Hollow Places (Goodreads/Amazon)
Author: Carrie Ryan
Series: The Forest of Hands and Teeth #3
Publisher: Delacorte Books
Release Date: March 22 2011
Other Books In Series:
The Forest of Hands and Teeth
The Dead-Tossed Waves

Goodreads Summary:
There are many things that Annah would like to forget: the look on her sister's face before Annah left her behind in the Forest of Hands and Teeth, her first glimpse of the Horde as they swarmed the Dark City, the sear of the barbed wire that would scar her for life. But most of all, Annah would like to forget the morning Elias left her for the Recruiters.
Annah's world stopped that day, and she's been waiting for Elias to come home ever since. Somehow, without him, her life doesn't feel much different than the dead that roam the wasted city around her. Until she meets Catcher, and everything feels alive again.
But Catcher has his own secrets. Dark, terrifying truths that link him to a past Annah has longed to forget, and to a future too deadly to consider. And now it's up to Annah: can she continue to live in a world covered in the blood of the living? Or is death the only escape from the Return's destruction?

My Review:
The final installment in Carrie Ryan's zombie trilogy did not disappoint, though I don't think it quite lived up to the full awesomeness of it's predecessor.

The strength of this series is the realness of the characters. I really liked Annah- she was strong enough to survive in The Dark City (aka New York as seen in I Am Legend with a few more humans and just as many zombies), and yet she was fragile about her appearance and her scarred face as any girl would be. Though it was a little strange seeing how she hated Gabry, who I've come to know and appreciate after being in her head in The Dead-Tossed Waves.

Here's what I didn't like about this book- and I apologize that I talk about this a lot in reviews- it lacked an engaging plot. I felt like the book dragged on and didn't really go anywhere, even by the end. There were a couple of action scenes, a pretty good romance (I've always loved Catcher, even in the previous book), but that's about it in terms of the plot.

The tone of this book is very dark- the whole world is taken over by zombies- and the whole time I felt like there really was no hope. Carrie Ryan did an amazing job portraying the feeling of aloneness this futuristic world, but I never really felt more than that desolateness. This book lacked other emotions, maybe even the whole series did. It was hard to root for Annah (even though I was) when nobody in the book had hope for the situation and it never really got better. The end was a disappointment just because I knew it was the end of the series and it still left us with hardly any resolution to a solution to any problem. Some people might disagree with me here, or at least that this was bad, but that's how I felt upon the conclusion. It's not like I think every book has to have a happy ending, but I think the ending should mean something more. Also, if you're looking for cheery books, this is not the way to go.

I still liked it a lot though. The characters, world, and emotions were beautifully created. Read this book if you're a fan of Carrie Ryan's previous books. It might not be neccesary to read them first, but I'd recommend it. My favorite of the three is still The Dead-Tossed Waves. I wish we could've got a better resolution to the zombie infested world (or Carrie Ryan would just write us more!).

Cover: 5/5 Creepy but perfect!

4 out of 5 stars

In My Mailbox (21)

2011-04-10T11:33:00.001-07:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi of The Story Siren.

Won:
Born At Midnight (Goodreads/Amazon)

From the Library:
A Spy in The House by Y.S. Lee (Goodreads/Amazon)
The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell (Goodreads/Amazon)

Thanks to: Blkosiner's Book Blog

A pretty OK week for me! Sorry I haven't had any time to post. Don't expect much from me this week either- I'll be out of town for most of it. I'll try to get one review up, though.

What was in your mailbox this week?

Book Review: Awakened by P.C. and Kristin Cast

2011-04-01T05:17:00.000-07:00

Title: Awakened (Goodreads/Awakened)
Author: P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release Date: Jan. 4 2011
Other Titles In Series:
Burned

Goodreads Summary:
At the start of Awakened, the pulse-pounding eighth installment of the bestselling House of Night series, Zoey has returned, mostly whole, from the Otherworld to her rightful place as High Priestess at the House of Night. Her friends are just glad to have her back, but after losing her human consort, Heath, will Zoey—or her relationship with her super- hot Warrior, Stark—ever be the same? Stevie Rae is drawn even closer to Rephaim, the Raven Mocker with whom she shares a mysterious and powerful Imprint, but he is a dangerous secret that isolates her from her school, her red fledglings, and even her best friends. When the dark threat of Neferet—who is coming closer and closer to achieving her twisted goal of immortality—and Kalona returns, what will it take to keep the House of Night from being lost forever, and what will one desperate girl do to keep her heart from being irreparably broken?

My Review:

I cannot give you a concise reason why I continue to read this series. I'm so sick of it, and sometimes I feel like throwing my book across the room, because nothing new ever seems to happen. There hasn't been a new plot development since Kalona in book 4 or 5! I checked Awakened out from the library with not much of an intention in reading it (because my TBR pile is huge!) but I found myself getting sucked in anyway!

The House of Night books aren't terrible. I enjoy them, I just feel like there's so many of them that they should end sometime soon. Awakened didn't do that much for me- it was certainly entertaining and I enjoyed revisting old characters I'd loved, but it lacked an aire of mystery of intrigue in regards to the plot. I think because we get to see from every character's POV we know what they're all up to and it takes away from the mystery or suspense of what the "bad guys" are planning, since we see them plan also.

There were some sad tragic moments in this book though! But it almost seems like they were thrown in there just because nothing else was happening, so the deaths would perk the readers attention again. The death at the beginning (whose name I wouldn't mention for fear of spoilers- but I will say it was a main-ish character) seemed pointless and only thrown in there for tears sake, not to add to the plot.

There are other vampire series I'd recommend before this one... but if you like your vampire series, you should try House of Night. Start at the beginning- the first ones are a lot better. I also want to note I think these books should only be read by the more mature spectrum of YA readers, as there is frequent strong language and a lot of implied sexual content. That's one thing that's bugged me a little throughout the whole series, though I guess it doesn't bother everyone.

3 out of 5 stars

Book Review: Darkest Mercy by Melissa Marr

2011-03-29T07:29:00.000-07:00

Title: Darkest Mercy (Goodreads/Amazon)
Author: Melissa Marr
Series: Wicked Lovely #5
Release Date: Feb. 22 2011
Publisher: HarperCollins
My Source: ARC Tour
Other Books in Series: Ink Exchange

Goodreads Summary:

The Summer King is missing; the Dark Court is bleeding; and a stranger walks the streets of Huntsdale, his presence signifying the deaths of powerful fey.

Aislinn tends to the Summer Court, searching for her absent king and yearning for Seth. Torn between his new queen and his old love, Keenan works from afar to strengthen his court against the coming war. Donia longs for fiery passion even as she coolly readies the Winter Court for battle. And Seth, sworn brother of the Dark King and heir to the High Queen, is about to make a mistake that could cost his life.

Love, despair, and betrayal ignite the Faery Courts, and in the final conflict, some will win . . . and some will lose everything.

The thrilling conclusion to Melissa Marr's New York Times bestselling Wicked Lovely series will leave readers breathless.

My Review:

Darkest Mercy, the last book of the Wicked Lovely series, begins with chaos. The courts are in disorder, people are missing, the regents in all the faery courts are all relatively new at their jobs. Most of the characters from the previous books in the series are back and we see all their stories tie together in the end as they fight the faery called War and struggle to find the neccesary balance between the courts.

I love the faery courts and the faery world Marr has invented. Aislinn, Keenan, Donia, Niall, Seth, Irial... they're all some of my favorite characters. I've gotten to know them over the course of listening to this series on audiobook (though I read an ARC copy of Darkest Mercy) and I like them a lot. It's sad to see their stories come to an end, but I enjoy the way it ended. It was perfect.

The plot of Darkest Mercy was very similar to the previous 2 books in the series, meaning it's slow and almost not really there. There's a couple of small battles and one big battle and that's the whole plot. This is easily my biggest complaint with the series- it's hard to keep reading at times when it's going slow. Still, I consider it worthwhile.

So while at times the series gets a little slow for me, it's very well written and worthwhile to read the Wicked Lovely series. Darkest Mercy (what a perfect title!) put a cap on all the stories and ended the series beautifully.

4 out of 5 Stars

Cover: 4.5/5 Beautiful! I love the covers and book titles in this series. The titles are some of my all-time favorite titles. Wicked Lovely, Fragile Eternity, Darkest Mercy... :)

ARC's for Trade

2011-03-28T08:08:00.000-07:00

If you would like to recieve an ARC that I've already read, I'm very happy to offer it up for trade! I'm willing to trade any of the books below for other ARC copies or finished copies of YA books released around the same time period. (Last year or two.) Just send me an email with your proposition. I will be pretty accepting of anything I haven't read yet and I'll be happy to send you one of my ARC's from the list. This post will be constantly updated as I finish reading new ARC's and give away old ones. I'm going to add it on my sidebar, so feel free to check the list constantly! In my IMM posts I'll also let you know if I've added anything new to the list.

Rival by Sara Bennett Wealer (This is a fantastic book! See my review)

From the Dead by John Herrick (My Review)

Logic of Demons by H.A. Goodman

Manifest by Artist Arthur (My Review)

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White (My Review)

Cloaked by Alex Flinn

The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan

Inheritance Series Book 4: News and Opinions

2011-03-27T06:44:00.000-07:00

I'm here to discuss a paticular book series that I've noticed most people either love or hate... the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini. Information about the last book, aptly titled Inheritance, was just released by Alfred A. Knopf Books For Young Readers.

An excerpt from the press release:

ALFRED A. KNOPF BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS REVEALS
TITLE AND COVER FOR
FINAL BOOK IN CHRISTOPHER PAOLINI’S
#1 BESTSELLING INHERITANCE CYCLE

BOOK FOUR IN THE INHERITANCE CYCLE WILL GO
ON SALE NOVEMBER 8, 2011

New York, NY (March 23, 2011)—Eagerly awaited by millions around the
world, the triumphant conclusion to Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance cycle will
arrive this fall, it was announced today by Nancy Hinkel, Vice President,
Publishing Director of Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers, an imprint of
Random House Children’s Books (www.randomhouse.com/teens). Following the #1
bestselling novels Eragon, Eldest, and Brisingr, the fourth and final book in
the series will be titled INHERITANCE, a fitting designation for the concluding
novel in Paolini’s epic fantasy.

“The burning questions asked by fans
around the world will finally be answered in this last installment,” said
Christopher Paolini. “All will be revealed!”

You might not agree with me, but I am very, very excited for this book! I happen to really enjoy this series. The first and second books were mostly so-so, with a few brilliant moments, but I really enjoyed the third book when I read it two years ago. I've been awaiting the 4th book ever since then. I love any kind of traditional fantasy and I've always thought the dragons were amazing.

Secondly, I've met a lot of people that just seem to really, really hate this series. I understand it might seem like a copy of "Lord of the Rings" or any other traditional fantasy, but aren't they all pretty similar? Yeah, there's magic, dragons, elves, dwarves, and evil ruler... I think this is pretty awesome stuff!

But I do see why people dislike the series. Fans of more contemporary YA books might find some of the length and excessiveness of plot boring (Which it is at times) and the romance shallow (Which it definitely is! It is irritating!). And if fantasy isn't your genre, I wouldn't recommend reading Eragon. I remember begging my sister to read them in junior high (and she's a pretty big reader as well) but she quit halfway through, bored, because she's never liked
fantasy at all.

But I still think the Eragon books present a really facinating world, with flaws in the characters but an interesting plot and as a fantasy lover, I can never get enough of that awesome genre.

Oh, and for a sidenote: A few years ago, after I finished the second book I made a prediction on the color of the third book. I guess it seems pretty obvious that it should be green, but to have my prediction confirmed was pretty awesome. ;)

Anyway, what are your thoughts? Are you a lover or a hater? Are you excited or could you care less?

And while I'm waiting, do you have any good suggestions for other traditional fantasy series? I love to hear about new ones!

Interview w/ Kate O'Hegarty (Mieradome)

2011-03-24T06:52:00.000-07:00

Today I have a special guest here to answer a few questions. Please welcome Kate O'Hegarty, the author of Mieradome for an interview as part of the Mieradome Blog Tour!

Author Bio:
Kate has a Bachelor's Degree in Liberal Arts from Goddard College. She has been an international traveler since she was 7 years old which has helped shape Kate's active imagination and writing style. She currently lives in the Central Valley of California. Mieradome is her debut novel.

********
Bold=Ava
Regular=Kate

Describe Mieradome in 10 words or less.

Faeries. Good & evil with a twist. Dragons. Adventure. Mystery.

What kind of reader do you want to target with your book (age group/preferred genre/etc.)?

I’d like to target young teens 11+ who love fantasy books, but I think the book can also be interesting to older teens too. I think this story really does well in that younger market.

There's a start of a love triangle between Amavia, Garin, and Caiden. Could you tell us the differences between the two and possible who you prefer?

The differences between the two love interests is simple, one guy she is drawn to but doesn’t know much about (Caiden); the other guy she is also drawn to and knows much more about him, but possibly more than she really wants to know about him, as it may not all be good (Garin). Regarding my preference for Amavia, I haven’t one actually. I think things will fall in place for Amavia based on fate, and luck.

I'll add that I'm rooting for Caiden in this scenario! I thought they had a real connection at the beginning and would love to see them end up together.

It's mentioned in the book description, but how did "Alice in Wonderland" influence or relate to your story?

I’ve always been inspired by Lewis Carroll’s story and I like that idea of a young girl going to a strange land and trying to make sense of it all. For Amavia it is about acceptance, ultimately, acceptance of who she really is, whether that is good or evil in the end.

How did you come up with all the interesting and unique names used in the book?

Most of the names are actually surnames that are in use today (people living currently use those names.) Some examples of surnames used in Mieradome are: Amavia (after actress Daniella Amavia), Thewlis (after actor David Thewlis.) Other surnames are Feig and Inocian. Some names I made up, like Naidrau, Ditto (which is based on an inside joke between my sister and I.) My sister is actually the dogsledder Shannon Moana Whetu Hine in my book.

In most "faery tales", there is an underlying message. What do you want your readers to take away from reading Mieradome?

I’d like people to take away from Mieradome a sense of mystery and how we perceive people. The essence of Mieradome is Amavia slowly seeing who she really is, and if it’s possible for her to change that. I want people to look closely and contemplate what they would do if they were in Amavia’s or Aselin’s shoes.

Do you have a favorite character, or one whose scenes are just a lot of fun to write about?

Ditto was one of my favorite characters to write because he’s very much a satire of myself. I grumble a lot when I don’t like something or don’t want to participate in something, and I’m very sarcastic. The scene where Ditto flies from the Twirling Twisted Tower to save Amavia and he’s talking to himself, yep…that’s me all right!

What was the best part of the whole process of getting your book published?

The best part is hearing that people really enjoyed my book. I worked very hard on it for myself, but also that everyone out there got swept away in the story. I hope the book takes people on a grand adventure.

Why did you choose to write about faeries in a fantasy type of setting? (They're one of my favorite mythical creatures!)

I actually didn’t set out to write about faeries. I honestly have never thought about faeries before. But one day I had a dream about an oak tree and a raven, a bright light disappears into the tree and a girl is watching the whole scenario play out in front of her. Ironically, ravens and an oak tree is on my family’s, The Hegarty’s, coat of arms. I thought about what the light was that disappeared into the tree, and being Irish I guessed it was a faerie, and the story just took off from there. It just felt right that faeries were the main characters.

How long approximately did it take to write Mieradome?

It took me about a year to get the bare bones of the story down. I actually started writing on Halloween of 2002. I spent the next years editing & writing more of the story (I have a sequel, The Saskatoon Balloon, planned.) And then ultimately it took 8 years until the book was finally published.

Did you have to do a lot of research on faery myths to incorporate into the story?

I’m Irish and I grew up with the faery myths, it’s part of my cultural tapestry, so I didn’t have to look far to be inspired. My parents actually have a gold horseshoe over our front door and it’s the first thing that goes up in the house when we move. We’re kinda superstitious, so things like the ravens come from the old myths, but also from real life.

At the end of the book there are some very loose ends. Do you have plans for (or have you already written) a sequel? Or is it going to be a series?

Yes, I do have plans for a sequel, which I am trying to finish as we speak! It is called The Saskatoon Balloon, and it will be an even darker book than the first one. The sequel will delve more into Amavia’s true inner self and show how her friends deal with that info once they know. I’m hoping to get it out in the fall of 2011.

Just for fun: If you could spend a day in any place at any time in the past, where would you go and why?

If I could go to any place for a day at any time, I would go to the 1920’s and visit my grandmother and her 3 sisters. I never knew any of them, so it would be cool to hang out with family and see myself through them.

********
Thanks for the interview! If you haven't read my review of Mieradome, check it out! Also, over at Kate's website, you can find a cool video where she explains how she came up with the idea for the book in detail. (I didn't ask her because I'd seen the video!)

Find Kate Online:
Mieradome Website Blog
Twitter

Book Review: Mieradome by Kate O'Hegarty

2011-03-23T05:53:00.000-07:00

Title: Mieradome (Goodreads /Amazon)
Author: Kate O'Hegarty
Series: Mieradome #1
Publisher: Author House
Release Date: Nov. 20 2010
My Source: Accepted from author

Goodreads Summary
Mieradome pulls the reader into a unique fantasy world of faeries and technology, a different take on the Alice in Wonderland concept. The story revolves around a young girl named Amavia who believes she is a human girl, but slowly comes to find she is a faery in the world of Mieradome. Slowly who Amavia was began to unravel to show the truth; the truth that she just may be the evil they need to destroy. This is the first novel in a series, and gives a glimpse of what is to come for the main character Amavia. Fans of the Harry Potter series and His Dark Materials will definitely enjoy this adventure.

My Review:

Mieradome is set in a facinating faery world. Seriously, this book made me want to be a faery much more than any other faery book I've ever read! The faery world of Mieradome is rich with detail and interesting creatures and places I want to go. Amavia is suddenly thrust into this world and realizes her mother was a faery who had dark history in Mieradome and pulled Amavia away from it.

The plot ideas were great, much like traditional, high fantasy with a good vs. evil theme. I also enjoyed the wide assortment of characters. A lot of them weren't as fully fleshed out as I would've appreciated, though.

The writing made this book a bit hard to get through. It could've used a lot of editing, I think, it was a bit hard to follow sometimes. It wasn't an easy read.

Even so, it was worth it in the end. It's not for everyone (such as those looking for fluffy quick reads) but it's still a rich, enjoyable journey that I found myself getting really into. I recommend this book to fantasy fans, perhaps faery fans, though it was a lot more Lord of the Rings plot-wise than Wicked Lovely or The Iron King.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Cover: 4/5 Pretty Nice!

Book Review: 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

2011-03-22T07:48:00.000-07:00

Title: 13 Little Blue Envelopes (Goodreads/Amazon)
Author: Maureen Johnson
Series: Little Blue Envelope #1
Release Date: Oct. 1 2006
Publisher: HarperTeen
My Source: Library

Goodreads Summary:

When Ginny receives thirteen little blue envelopes and instructions to buy a plane ticket to London, she knows something exciting is going to happen. What Ginny doesn't know is that she will have the adventure of her life and it will change her in more ways than one. Life and love are waiting for her across the Atlantic, and the thirteen little blue envelopes are the key to finding them in this funny, romantic, heartbreaking novel.

My Review:

Ginny is a teenage girl who has so far lived a boring life- the only excitement in her life provided by her unconventional aunt. So one day she recieves a mysterious package from her aunt that leads her on a scavenger hunt across Europe, where she learns new things about her aunt and has to take on tasks to challenge all of her fears.

I loved the plot- the settings were facinating and Ginny's tasks seemed like they would be a lot of fun (they were certainly fun to read about!). Reading this book was never boring either- there was always another witty line and a few moments of laugh out loud humor for me. It was a quick read, I couldn't believe it was over when I'd barely started it.

On the other hand, Ginny's character was pretty much nonexistant. By that, I mean it felt like she didn't have much of a personality. We got hardly any background on her life and I didn't feel any real connection to her. She was so shy that I found it difficult to imagine her actually going through with some of these tasks. The other characters though- Keith especially, along with even Ginny's Aunt and Richard, were a lot more well rounded and I enjoyed reading about them.
I also have to add something else that really threw me. What happened to Ginny's parents and why were they letting her traverse Europe alone, without even communicating with them? And why did Ginny never even think about them? This relates to the missing info on Ginny's background as well. I feel like we never really saw Ginny's character grow throughout the course of the story because there wasn't much there in the first place.

Even with the Ginny's character being dull, the book itself certainly wasn't. The plot was entertaining enough that I found myself really enjoying the book. It wasn't until the end that I looked back and realized it was anything less than perfect.

There is a sequel, The Last Little Blue Envelope, which makes me excited because the ending was very open ended. And I wouldn't mind seeing more Keith.

I would recommend this book to fans of fun contemporary stories. It's definitely a lighter read. It reminded me a bit of Dash and Lily's Book of Dares (but one-sided) or Amy and Roger's Epic Detour (but in Europe). If you liked either of those books, I recommend 13 Little Blue Envelopes.

4 out of 5 stars

Cover: 3.5 /5 This cover is the "updated" one, released along with the cover of the sequel. I happen to like this one a lot more than the original cover which is why I used it... but for some reason I still don't love it.

Cover Reveals to Die For (1)

2011-03-21T06:02:00.000-07:00

I love it when new book covers are released. They're always so interesting or beautiful! I don't usually share them on my blog, but I thought it would be something fun to post today and I might do it again in the future. Here are some covers I've seen around the blogosphere in the last week or so. Note: I started making this post a while ago, so some of these aren't that "new" (they're been out for awhile) but I still wanted to point them out!

Also, read the summaries at your own risk. Most of these are sequels, so the summaries may contain spoilers for the first books in the series.

*****
Goliath by Scott Westerfeld (Leviathan #3)

Release Date: September 20, 2011

No Summary Yet

My Thoughts: I don't really like or dislike it. The covers alone of this series probably wouldn't make me pick up the books. I still haven't read the second one Behemoth but I do want to finish the trilogy!

*****
Crossed by Ally Condie (Matched #2)

Release Date: November 1 2011

Goodreads Summary:
In search of a future that may not exist and faced with the decision of who to share it with, Cassia journeys to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky — taken by the Society to his certain death — only to find that he has escaped, leaving a series of clues in his wake.

Cassia’s quest leads her to question much of what she holds dear, even as she finds glimmers of a different life across the border. But as Cassia nears resolve and certainty about her future with Ky, an invitation for rebellion, an unexpected betrayal, and a surprise visit from Xander — who may hold the key to the uprising and, still, to Cassia’s heart — change the game once again. Nothing is as expected on the edge of Society, where crosses and double crosses make the path more twisted than ever.

My Thoughts: Awesome cover! Goes so well with the theme of the book and the first cover, even though Matched was a bit of a let down for me after all the hype. I still want to read Crossed though, and it comes out on my birthday!

*****
Supernaturally (Paranormalcy #2)

Release Date: August 30 2011

Goodreads Summary:
A lot has changed in the six months since Evie escaped from the International Paranormal Containment Agency with her shape-shifter boyfriend, Lend. She finally has the blissfully normal life she’s always dreamed of, including:
1) A real live high school
2) A perfectly ordinary after-school job
3) Her very own locker (and by the way, rusted metal is every bit as awesome as she imagined)

But Evie’s not-so-normal past keeps creeping up on her...and things get pretty complicated when you factor in:
1) A centuries-old, seriously decaying vampire stalker
2) A crazy faerie ex-boyfriend who is the perpetual bearer of really bad news
3) A major battle brewing between the faerie courts where the prize in question happens to be...Evie herself.

So much for normal.

My Thoughts: Another love! I can't wait, and I know it will be just as great as the first book. I love Lend so much...

*****
Beautiful Chaos (Beautiful Creatures #3)

Release Date: Oct. 18 2011

Goodreads Summary:
Ethan Wate thought he was getting used to the strange, impossible events happening in Gatlin, his small Southern town. But now that Ethan and Lena have returned home, strange and impossible have taken on new meanings. Swarms of locusts, record-breaking heat, and devastating storms ravage Gatlin as Ethan and Lena struggle to understand the impact of Lena's Claiming. Even Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals is affected - and their abilities begin to dangerously misfire. As time passes, one question becomes clear: What - or who - will need to be sacrificed to save Gatlin?

For Ethan, the chaos is a frightening but welcome distraction. He's being haunted in his dreams again, but this time it isn't by Lena - and whatever is haunting him is following him out of his dreams and into his everyday life. Even worse, Ethan is gradually losing pieces of himself - forgetting names, phone numbers, even memories. He doesn't know why, and most days he's too afraid to ask.

Sometimes there isn't just one answer or one choice. Sometimes there's no going back. And this time there won't be a happy ending.

My Thoughts: I love the title of this book. The cover I don't like quite as much as the others in the series just because I don't really like yellow... I'm always talking about how I'm DYING to read this series because I love good long epic books, and I even own TWO copies of Beautiful Creatures, but I haven't gotten around to picking it up yet.

*****
Vanish by Sophie Jordan

Release Date: Sept. 6 2011

Goodreads Summary:
To save the life of the boy she loves, Jacinda did the unthinkable: She betrayed the most closely-guarded secret of her kind. Now she must return to the protection of her pride knowing she might never see Will again—and worse, that because his mind has been shaded, Will’s memories of that fateful night and why she had to flee are gone.

Back home, Jacinda is greeted with hostility and must work to prove her loyalty for both her sake and her family’s. Among the few who will even talk to her are Cassian, the pride’s heir apparent who has always wanted her, and her sister, Tamra, who has been forever changed by a twist of fate. Jacinda knows that she should forget Will and move on—that if he managed to remember and keep his promise to find her, it would only endanger them both. Yet she clings to the hope that someday they will be together again. When the chance arrives to follow her heart, will she risk everything for love?

In bestselling author Sophie Jordan’s dramatic follow-up to Firelight, forbidden love burns brighter than ever

My Thoughts: I own Firelight and I'm excited to read it. I like this cover a lot, it matched the first book but is still unique!

*****
Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Release Date: Sept. 29 2011
Goodreads Summary:
In this companion novel to Anna and the French Kiss, two teens discover that true love may be closer than they think.

For budding costume designer Lola Nolan, the more outrageous the outfit—more sparkly, more fun, more wild—the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins move back into the house next door.

When the family returns and Cricket—a gifted inventor and engineer—steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

My Thoughts: I really like this cover! Awesome purple hair. And other than really disliking the name Lola, I have high hopes for this book! I haven't read Anna yet, but it's sitting on my shelf...

*****
Enshadowed (Nevermore #2)

Release Date: Jan. 24 2012

Goodreads Summary:
While Varen remains a prisoner in the dream-world, Isobel is haunted by his memory. He appears to her in her dreams and soon, even in her waking life. But is she just imagining it? Isobel knows she must find a way back to Varen. She makes plans to go to Baltimore. There, she confronts the figure known throughout the world as the Poe Toaster—the same dark man who once appeared to Isobel in her dreams, calling himself "Reynolds."

Isobel succeeds in interrupting the Toaster's ritual and, in doing so, discovers a way to return to the dream-world. Soon, she finds herself swept up in a realm which not only holds remnants of Poe's presence, but has also now taken on the characteristics of Varen's innermost self. It is a dark world comprised of fear, terror, and anger.

When Isobel once more encounters Varen, she finds him changed. With his mind poisoned by the dream world, he becomes a malevolent force, bent on destroying all—even himself. Now Isobel must face a new adversary, one who also happens to be her greatest love

My Thoughts: Well, once again I haven't read the first book, but I love this cover just as much as I love the first one! Hauntingly beautiful!

*****
Lost In Time by Melissa de la Cruz (Blue Bloods #6)

Release Date: Oct. 4 2011

No Summary Yet

My Thoughts: Out of all the covers on the list, this one is my least favorite. I'm a fan of this series, but this cover is just weird for me. I feel like I would get a lot of weird looks reading it! I'm still excited for the book, though.

In My Mailbox (20)

2011-03-20T12:13:00.000-07:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren where we share all the books we've gotten over the last week. Or in my case, last month or so...

For Review:
The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan (Goodreads/Amazon) (ARC)
The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter (Goodreads/Amazon) (Netgalley eARC)
Die For Me by Amy Plum (Goodreads/Amazon)(Netgalley eARC)
Starcrossed Josephine Angelini (Goodreads/Amazon) (Netgalley eARC)

Bumped by Megan McCafferty (Goodreads/Amazon) (Netgalley eARC)
Hereafter Tara Hudson (Goodreads/Amazon)(Netgalley eARC)
The Atomic Weight of Secrets or The Arrival of the Mysterious Men in Black by Eden Unger Bowditch (Goodreads/Amazon) (Netgalley eARC)
Priscilla the Great by Sybil Nelson (Goodreads/Amazon) (ARC)
The Manufactured Identity by Heath Sommer (Goodreads/Amazon) (ARC)
Darkest Mercy by Melissa Marr (Goodreads/Amazon) (Publisher ARC Tour)

Wow, that's quite a lot of books (mostly because a lot of Netgalley books, and the fact that I haven't done one of these post in awhile). I'm so excited about The Dark and Hollow Places! I love Carrie Ryan's zombie trilogy. The other books are all super exciting as well, but I'm sad because even though I got all these awesome books I can't download them to my kindle until Netgalley fixes the Kindle button... so I'm not sure if I'm up to reading them on my computer or not. We'll see...

Won:
Daughter of Xanadu by Dori Jones Yang (Goodreads/Amazon)

Thanks to:
Kat @ A Myriad of Books
Netgalley
Delacorte Press (Random House)
HarperTeen
Harlequin Teen
Bancroft Press

Note: In the past month I've also checked out a variety of library books that I'm not posting because I've already returned most of them and I can't even remember all of them.

Fixing Delilah Winner!

2011-03-19T19:00:00.000-07:00

I'm officially ready to get back into blogging. I've got so much stuff to post, I just can't wait! So to celebrate, I have one lucky winner of a hardback copy of Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler!

This prize goes to...

Rachel (entry #47)

Congratulations! I've emailed you already. And thanks to everyone who entered and followed!

For those of you who didn't win, I hope I can console you by promising reviews of a few surprise books in the next week or two. I've finished a lot of great reading recently!

I Will Start Reviewing Books Again... I Pinky Promise

2011-03-13T12:46:00.000-07:00

I've never taken this long of a blog hiatus in my life as a blogger, but I've really needed the break. I've gathered a ton of awesome stuff to post though. I might be out of things for another week or so (even though I will be announcing the Fixing Delilah winner on Wednesday or Thursday). But don't worry, this isn't permanent! I've finished a couple of good books recently and can't wait to have reviews up for y'all, and a couple more blog tours I'll be participating in as well.

(But I will return relatively soon- I promise!!!)

Giveaway! Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler

2011-03-01T05:35:00.000-08:00

I'm not dead, I promise. I haven't even been too busy for blogging neccesarily... just too busy for reading. And I haven't wanted to post memes and such instead of book reviews. I hope I'll get back into the swing of reading though- I'm just in a little slump! (It doesn't help that track season started, so practice after school has been killing me...)

Anyway, enough of my rambling. You're probably reading this post because of what the title says: Giveaway! So here it is: I've had this book for a month or two now, but I have two copies of it, so I've been intending to have a giveaway for the second copy. I've yet to actually read it (even though it's been on my sidebar as currently reading for a week or two) but I've heard great things about Sarah Ockler. And this giveaway is sort of an "apology" to my regular readers because I've been lacking in posts. So you must be a follower!

Fixing Delilah (Goodr eads/Amazon) by Sarah Ockler

Things in Delilah Hannaford's life have a tendency to fall apart.

She used to be a good student, but she can't seem to keep it together anymore. Her "boyfriend" isn't much of a boyfriend. And her mother refuses to discuss the fight that divided their family eight years ago. Falling apart, it seems, is a Hannaford tradition.

Over a summer of new friendships, unexpected romance, and moments that test the complex bonds between mothers and daughters, Delilah must face her family's painful past. Can even her most shattered relationships be pieced together again?

Rich with emotion, Sarah Ockler delivers a powerful story of family, love, and self-discovery.

Giveaway Rules:

You must be at least 13 years old
You must follow this blog!
Please only fill out the form ONCE.
You can have a total of 5 entries (all on the one form).
US only (I really am sorry about this :( It's a money thing. I still love you international people!)
Contest deadline: March 15th

Enter Here

In My Mailbox (19)

2011-02-20T05:28:00.000-08:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren.

Won:
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (Goodreads/Amazon)
The Iron King by Julie Kagawa (Goodreads/Amazon)
The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa (Goodreads /Amazon)
The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa (Goodreads /Amazon)
...and a bunch of awesome swag!

From the Library:
Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr (Goodreads/Amazon)
Awakened by P.C. and Kristin Cast (Goodreads/Amazon)

Thanks to:
Casey @ The Bookish Type
Heather @ Book Savvy

Book Review: Rival by Sara Bennett Wealer

2011-02-19T07:17:00.000-08:00

Title: Rival (Goodreads/Amazon)
Author: Sara Bennett Wealer
Series: None
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: Feb. 15 2011
My Source: Recieved from Publisher

Goodreads Summary:
What if your worst enemy turned out to be the best friend you ever had?

Meet Brooke: Popular, powerful and hating every minute of it, she’s the “It” girl at Douglas High in Lake Champion, Minnesota. Her real ambition? Using her operatic mezzo as a ticket back to NYC, where her family lived before her dad ran off with an up and coming male movie star.

Now meet Kathryn: An overachieving soprano with an underachieving savings account, she’s been a leper ever since Brooke punched her at a party junior year. For Kath, music is the key to a much-needed college scholarship.

The stage is set for a high-stakes duet between the two seniors as they prepare for the prestigious Blackmore competition. Brooke and Kathryn work toward the Blackmore with eyes not just on first prize but on one another, each still stinging from a past that started with friendship and ended in betrayal. With competition day nearing, Brooke dreams of escaping the in-crowd for life as a professional singer, but her scheming BFF Chloe has other plans. And when Kathryn gets an unlikely invitation to Homecoming, she suspects Brooke of trying to sabotage her with one last public humiliation.

As pressures mount, Brooke starts to sense that the person she hates most might just be the best friend she ever had. But Kathryn has a decision to make. Can she forgive? Or are some rivalries for life?

My Review:
Rival is a contemporary high school novel that focuses on friendships rather than romance, as so many contemporary novels do these days. Brooke and Kathryn are total opposites, but also similar in so many ways. They're the best of friends and the worst of enemies- and they're also competing for the same scholarship that they both need.

Wow! I was really impressed by this novel. It was so easy for me to connect to that the pages just kept turning. I was so immersed in the story and the characters. Both Brooke and Kathryn are wonderfully written characters. I couldn't decide who I was rooting for, it was so easy to understand both of them, but also why they both hated each other. Awesomely written, I loved the rivalry and friendship. Since the story was told in alternating voices between Brooke and Kathryn, occasionally who was narrating became a bit confusing, but this was just a tiny problem, it wasn't too bad.

There were small amounts of romance, but it wasn't the focus. I liked this portrayal of high school- it's not all about guys, it's also about friendships, and even things like scholarships. Very well done.

My one complaint was the ending. It was fine and predictable, but didn't wrap up as much as the story I would've liked. It could've had an epilogue or something to wrap the story up better.

Being a long-time choir nerd who's always competing to be in the best choir or to get the solo, so I completely could understand how good friends can turn into bitter rivals in a second. I also appreciated the musical terms defined at the beginning of each section. I'm not sure if others who aren't into music as much would appreciate these details, but I'm sure they would enjoy this book anyway.

I really enjoyed this stunning, relatable, contemporary debut by Sara Bennett Wealer. It's a pretty quick, easy read and I recommend it if you love great characters who are so real you don't know if you love or hate them but you can't forget them, or contemporary high school stories that aren't entirely focused on romance.

4.5 out of 5 stars

Cover: 4.5/5 Very pretty flower with piano keys- completely relates to the book! And I really love it!

Waiting On Wednesday: Between Shades of Gray

2011-02-16T05:55:00.000-08:00

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Between Shades of Gray (Goodreads/Amazon) by Ruta Sepetys

This book releases on March 22, 2011.

Goodreads Summary:
Lina is just like any other fifteen-year-old Lithuanian girl in 1941. She paints, she draws, she gets crushes on boys. Until one night when Soviet officers barge into her home, tearing her family from the comfortable life they've known. Separated from her father, forced onto a crowded and dirty train car, Lina, her mother, and her young brother slowly make their way north, crossing the Arctic Circle, to a work camp in the coldest reaches of Siberia. Here they are forced, under Stalin's orders, to dig for beets and fight for their lives under the cruelest of conditions.

Lina finds solace in her art, meticulously—and at great risk—documenting events by drawing, hoping these messages will make their way to her father's prison camp to let him know they are still alive. It is a long and harrowing journey, spanning years and covering 6,500 miles, but it is through incredible strength, love, and hope that Lina ultimately survives. Between Shades of Gray is a novel that will steal your breath and capture your heart.

Why I'm Anticipating:
Historical fiction... World War II... Debut Author... Yes, Please! I saw this book while browsing through the 2011 Debut Author list, and now I'm super excited to read it. Looks awesome.

Old Favorite Review: Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix

2011-02-15T06:00:00.000-08:00

Title: Running Out of Time
Author: Margaret Peterson Haddix
Series: None
Publisher: Scholastic
Release Date: 1995, republished in 2004

Goodreads Summary:

Jessie lives with her family in the frontier village of Clifton, Indiana. When diphtheria strikes the village and the children of Clifton start dying, Jessie's mother sends her on a dangerous mission to bring back help. But beyond the walls of Clifton, Jessie discovers a world even more alien and threatening than she could have imagined, and soon she finds her own life in jeopardy. Can she get help before the children of Clifton, and Jessie herself, run out of time?

My Review:

In elementary/middle school, my favorite author was Margaret Peterson Haddix. All of her books were so different. They were almost always sci-fi/dystopian/thrillers, and I devoured all of the strange new world concepts she presented. Haddix gave the first introduction to what has now become my favorite genre.

I debated which one of Haddix's books to feature for an Old Favorite Review, and decided on one of my favorites, Running Out of Time. Look for some of her other books as Old Favorite Reviews in the future.

When I read this book, the first thing I thought was that the plot was very similar to M. Night Shamalyan's The Village, but with more of an action/adventure feel than horror/thriller. (Well, to be honest, I read this in 5th grade where I probably didn't think that in depth about it, but looking back on it that's why I think now, anyway.)

This is a really fun and intense book, with such a facinating story concept. I really loved it. It was published back in the 90's, so it's a little outdated (I remember thinking it was outdated back in the early 20's!), with the technology and what year the book is set in. But it's still a really awesome book!

I would definitely recommend Running Out Of Time to younger fans who want to get into the dystopian/alternative world-within-a-world type books.

A General Post on Book Reviews...

2011-02-14T05:08:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentines day... though this is probably my least-favorite Holiday (not that I hate it, there is chocolate involved!), but still don't expect me to post something too happy today. I've been wanting to post this post for awhile, and decided to do it day since I didn't have much else today, and it is a Holiday so I need something special. ;)

I apologize in advance if this post is boring, because it probably will be. But I want to post a few of my thoughts because I feel like I should say them somewhere. I guess I'm just explaining a few of the thoughts that have been going through my head about this blog...

I'm not a very "well known" blogger, I guess I would say. And I've only been blogging for about 8 months (and it does not feel like that long!), so that's understandable. So I don't come across a bunch of stuff that I think other more well known bloggers have to deal with (aka animosity towards things they post or their reviews, etc.) This doesn't really concern me right now, which is great.

But I still have a little issue. And here's where I might just be complaining a bit, so feel free not to listen. Most blogs I read (and love) are constantly reviewing ARC's or freshly released books. In turn, they get a lot of followers and commenters, and their blogs are very appreciated. People enjoy reading reviews on new releases.

I don't blog just to get followers and commenters, but seeing comments on my book reviews kind of makes me feel like putting the time I put into my blog is worth it. Book reviews are the most important thing I post on this blog, that's my sole object as a book blog is to review books and share the opinions I'm abounding with after I finish a book.

I don't get ARC's from publishers very often (I've recieved I think a total of 3, ever), but this doesn't bother me because I have a wonderful local library system that has just about every book you could ever want. I get 90% of the books I read from the library, and I have no problem with this. I love my local library, and usually go there at least 2 times a week.

As a result, I tend to read a lot of on the shelf books that have been out for awhile. (I just read Something, Maybe and Ink Exchange, which are both older books.) I love spreading the word about good books that aren't neccesarily new releases. (Though I review new releases as well!) I also love it when I see other bloggers who review older titles. I've just noticed those reviews don't get as many comments/views and such.

The shelf life of a book has absolutely no relation to it's awesomeness as a book. It seems really obvious, but I hope people don't forget it. ARC and new releases are great- in no way am I dissing them and people that review them all the time. I still love to get new releases and advanced copies just as much as the next person. I like my blog to have variety- new releases and older releases.

I feel like I might be saying this just because I don't have a lot of access to ARC's and money to buy new releases. Maybe that's the truth... I guess I rarely email publishers for ARC's because I feel guilty when I know I have a huge resource of books at my local library that are completely free and that I know I will enjoy just as much. But I'm not complaining that I don't get ARC's often. I'm completely okay with that, as I hope you've realized from what I just said.

On a sort of different note, I also updated my Review Policy. I mainly added stuff surrounding the fact that I read for PLEASURE. Recently, I've started to think reading is becoming like a chore sometimes. (I have to read now, because I have to get this book review up by Monday... blah, blah...). I hate this feeling because it makes reading a lot less fun. Sometimes I think I enjoyed reading more before I started blogging. In an attempt to go back to that enjoyable feeling, I'm going to stop forcing myself to read books I'm genuinely not interested in. Now, I'm only taking review requests for books I think I'll like, and I'm not guarenteeing that I will finish and review the book if I don't like it. (Authors and publishers- don't let this stop you from sending me your review request though! I still accept a large majority of the requests I recieve, and usually end up enjoying them immensely.)

I love reading and reviewing books. It's a lot of fun and makes the whole deal worthwhile when people read my reviews and share their thoughts. It's why I started this blog in the first place and why I continue. That's the most important thing here, really, I think.

I understand if that was completely boring, or if you didn't read that whole thing, or if you completely bypassed this post altogether. But I feel better after having said a few of my thoughts. Please don't take offense if you're a blogger who reviews a lot of ARC's. I completely understand that a lot of people get them without even asking, or even if you do ask for them, I'm not saying that's wrong. (I do it sometimes, too.) I'm kind of just wondering if people appreciate the older books, too.

-Ava

Book Review: Bloody Valentine by Melissa de la Cruz

2011-02-12T08:58:00.000-08:00

Title: Bloody Valentine
Author: Melissa de la Cruz
Series: Blue Bloods Novella
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH
Release Date: December 28, 2010
Other Books In Series:
Blue Bloods
Masquerade
Revelations
The Van Alen Legacy
Misguided Angel

Warning: Summary and review contain MAJOR spoilers for books 1-5. Read at your own risk!

Goodreads Summary:

Vampires have powers beyond human comprehension: strength that defies logic, speed that cannot be captured on film, the ability to shapeshift and more. But in matters of the heart, no one, not even the strikingly beautiful and outrageously wealthy Blue Bloods, has total control. In Bloody Valentine, bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz offers readers a new story about the love lives of their favorite vamps - the passion and heartache, the hope and devastation, the lust and longing. Combined with all the glitz, glamour, and mystery fans have come to expect, this is sure to be another huge hit in the Blue Bloods series.

Also, witness the bonding of Jack and Schuyler.

My Review:
As this is a novella, I'm not going to judge it against other books and rate it. When a series has a novella, I typically don't read them at all because they're usually rather disappointing- I'd rather not read a mini story, I would prefer a whole book.

This book enforced that belief for me. It wasn't bad, I was just a bit irritated with how short each story was! That is the point of a novella though, so I can't really complain.

This book is told in three parts: The first story is about Oliver, Schuyler's Conduit and best friend. His story is one of being healed over his love for Schuyler, since he knows they'll never be together. I expected it to be more of a romance- it wasn't, really. I want to see Oliver fall in love with someone, not just be cured by magic. This story did do one positive thing though- it introduced a character who will be coming up in Melissa's new adult series, The Witches of East End, which I'm assuming is set in the same world as the Blue Bloods, but about witches. It certainly got my attention and I'm now looking forward to that series as well as the continuation of Blue Bloods.

The second story goes back in time, explaining how Allegra, Schuyler's mother, fell in love with a human, which was how Schuyler was born. I liked this story at first, but completely didn't understand the ending. Wouldn't her choice in the end have prevented Schuyler from being born and Allegra going into a coma at all? Maybe there's going to be a further continuation of her story later. I also really didn't like her love interest, Bendix, because he felt very flat, and so did the whole romance. I think this was because the story wasn't more than 40-50 pages long.

The third story was the best and most appropriate for the length. It merely described Schuyler's and Jack's bonding, and a small ordeal with European Venators that had to be overcome before the ceremony. It was probably my favorite because Schuyler and Jack were characters we already knew, and the shortness felt appropriate because it was meant just to tell a small part of their journey together, as opposed to Allegra's story where 40-50 pages was supposed to convey Allegra's and Bendix's whole relationship.

If you're a Blue Bloods fan, I'd recommend the novella, but don't have high expectations for it. I figure you might be able to skip it entirely and just go onto the next book in the series when it releases.

Blog Tour: Guest Post w/ Melissa de la Cruz (Bloody Valentine)

2011-02-10T05:36:00.000-08:00

Today I have a guest post from author Melissa de la Cruz. This is a part of the Bloody Valentine blog tour, celebrating the release of the latest Blue Bloods novella Bloody Valentine. (Which I will have a review of tomorrow!)

Author Bio:
Melissa de la Cruz is the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of many critically acclaimed and award-winning novels for teens including The Au Pairs series, the Blue Bloods series, the Ashleys series, the Angels on Sunset Boulevard series and the semi-autobiographical novel Fresh off the Boat.
Her books for adults include the novel Cat’s Meow, the anthology Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys and the tongue-in-chic handbooks How to Become Famous in Two Weeks or Less and The Fashionista Files: Adventures in Four-inch heels and Faux-Pas.

She has worked as a fashion and beauty editor and has written for many publications including The New York Times, Marie Claire, Harper’s Bazaar, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Allure, The San Francisco Chronicle, McSweeney’s, Teen Vogue, CosmoGirl! and Seventeen. She has also appeared as an expert on fashion, trends and fame for CNN, E! and FoxNews.

Melissa grew up in Manila and moved to San Francisco with her family, where she graduated high school salutatorian from The Convent of the Sacred Heart. She majored in art history and English at Columbia University (and minored in nightclubs and shopping!).

She now divides her time between New York and Los Angeles, where she lives in the Hollywood Hills with her husband and daughter.

Books I’ve Read in 2010: What I Read That I Loved Lately By Melissa de la Cruz

Half Empty: David Rakoff

Funny and sardonic and subtle and cutting, Rakoff writes diamond-sharp barbs at the idiocy of life. I loved his story about Olivia Goldsmith, the author of The First Wives Club, who died from plastic surgery, and how horrible she was to work with, and how she treated everyone who worked for her publisher with such high-handed drama. It’s a reminder of how you’ve got to keep grounded in this business, because everyone will talk about you if you’re a diva.

Rat: Fernanda Eberstadt

About a fourteen-year old girl living in the grimy part of the South of France, and how she journeys to save her brother and find her father whom she’s never met. A great great heroine, very brave, reminded me a lot of Mattie Ross from True Grit. Girls who had to deal with a lot in a young age and be wiser than the adults around them. Just a fabulous book.

I Shudder: Paul Rudnick

Paul Rudnick can do no wrong in my book and “I Shudder” is campy, hilarious, laugh-out-loud, a total riot. I loved the story about the crazy coke-snorting producer in Miami and how “Sister Act” (which he wrote) got made.

The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook: Ben Mezrich

The movie was great, and I wanted more, so I read this. Great story, Mezrich makes everything so thrilling. Really fun stuff, and I love stories about smart overachievers.

The Privileges: Jonathan Dee

One of those books that stay with you, about a young ambitious couple in New York and their journey to the top of the hedge-fund pile. I love a literary soap opera.

True Prep: Lisa Birnbach

The sequel to the Official Preppie Handbook, a book I read when I was 13, and treated as a guidebook. I had no idea it was a satire, and I grew up in the Philippines, we had no idea what Nantucket was, but we wanted to be part of it. At least I did. I love this update. According to this book, I can now consider myself a preppie (Prep school, Ivy League, check). Success!

Squirrel Meets Chipmunk: David Sedaris

Sedaris can do no wrong, and this is so mean and true and funny you cannot miss it.

Imperial Bedrooms: Bret Easton Ellis

No one does spooky LA noir, deep ennui and Hollywood savagery like Easton Ellis. I loved Less Than Zero, and I love this sequel. Creepy and haunting and beautifully written. He told my agent he liked Blue Bloods, and even tried to option it when it first came out, and I still find it such a great compliment. I’ve forgotten why it didn’t work out but it’s still thrilling to know he liked it. One of my literary heroes. And when I first moved to LA I met the “real” Blair, his high school BFF who inspired the character. She was really nice! I met Blair! Can you imagine? Still tickles me.

Await Your Reply: Dan Chaon

One of the best books I’ve read in ages. The plot is perfect, and it’s rare to read a literary novel that has such a tight structure. Rave, rave, rave. A real masterpiece and a wonderful book about brotherhood, love, loss, the lies we tell ourselves. One of those books you can’t describe because you don’t want to give the secret away, you can only say “YOU’VE GOT TO READ THIS!”

The Maze Runner: James Dashner

I met James at a conference in Texas, and he had the cutest most enthusiastic boy fan and it intrigued me to pick up his book. An old-fashioned cool sci-fi story, told with imagination and gusto. Also from the YA aisle I heartily recommend the highly entertaining books from my friends Ally Carter (Gallagher Girls) and Elizabeth Scott (my favorite is Perfect You) and my fellow Smart Chicks alums: Melissa Marr’s Wicked Lovely series, Alyson Noel’s Immortals, Kelley Armstrong’s Darkest Powers, Kami Garcia and Margie Stohl’s Beautiful Creatures, Carrie Ryan’s The Forest of Hands and Teeth, Rachel Caine’s Morganville Vampires. So much good stuff!

I have a ton of books on my TBR pile.

I still have to read Franzen’s Freedom, a couple of the new Julia Glass books (Three Junes was one of my favorite books ever). I want to catch up on my Edith Wharton (I never read The Buccaneers) and the new Laura Lippman. I want to read Swamplandia, I’ve heard such great buzz, and I’m looking forward to reading Allie Condie’s Matched and Beth Revis’s Across the Universe.

Thanks so much so the post, Melissa! I know I'll be checking out some of those book recommendations. Especially Rat... doesn't that one sound awesome? And I agree about Across the Universe- I have it sitting on my shelf and can't wait to get to reading it!

Find Melissa online:
Website
Twitter

(I have linked all of these books to their Goodreads pages.)

My Most-Read Authors

2011-02-10T04:39:00.000-08:00

I was inspired to write this post by Kristi of The Story Siren, who wrote one first. It was such an interesting idea, I had to copy it!

Thanks to Kristi, I learned there is a place on Goodreads where you can see your "Most Read" Authors. That is, the authors of whom you have read the most of their books. I was really surprised by how some of my favorite authors aren't even on this list, while so-so authors are.

I'm not sure this is entirely accurate, since often, especially with series, I neglect to mark all of the books as read- something I've been trying to fix, but I may have missed a few!

1. Suzanne Collins

8 books. No surprise there... she wrote two of the best series ever, The Hunger Games and Gregor the Overlander, which I've read all the books in both of those series.

2. J.K. Rowling and P.C. and Kristin Cast

7 books each. I bet you can guess which ones J.K. Rowling's were. And for P.C. Cast, that would be her vampyre series, House of Night, in which I have read all but the most recent installment, Awakened.

3. Scott Westerfeld

6 books. Includes the Uglies series (one of my favorites), plus a few of his other books, So Yesterday and Leviathan.

4. Stephenie Meyer, Melissa de la Cruz, Rick Riordan

5 books each. A vampire series, another vampire series, and a Greek God series. I am surprised by how many of these authors on this list have written vampire series! The only one left I need to read it Vampire Academy, which I've heard is awesome.

5. Cassandra Clare and Anna Godbersen

4 books each. Cassandra Clare... I love her Mortal Instruments and Clockwork Angel series. And I've read all 4 Luxe books by Anna Godbersen, which are great historical fiction.

6. Cornelia Funke, Christopher Paolini, Gail Carson Levine, Libba Bray

3 books each. I find it funny that all four of these authors were ones I read LONG before I started blogging. Mainly books I enjoyed in elementary/middle school.

I'm stopping there, because I have TON of authors whose books I've read only 2 or 1 of. Here's the weirdest thing I've learned from this: Every single author on this list, with the exception of Melissa de la Cruz, I started reading before I started blogging. I think this is because now I read so many more Debut authors and review copies than getting into series the way I used to.

The other thing I've learned is that I need to read more! I really just should and that's all there is to it.

Waiting On Wednesday: Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton

2011-02-09T04:45:00.000-08:00

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton

This book releases on May 24, 2011.

Goodreads Summary:

For Nick Pardee and Silla Kennicot, the cemetery is the center of everything.

Nick is a city boy angry at being forced to move back to the nowhere town of Yaleylah, Missouri where he grew up. He can’t help remembering his mom and the blood magic she practiced – memories he’s tried for five years to escape. Silla, though, doesn’t want to forget; her parents’ apparent murder-suicide left her numb and needing answers. When a book of magic spells in her dad’s handwriting appears on her doorstep, she sees her chance to unravel the mystery of their deaths.

Together they plunge into the world of dark magic, but when a hundred-year-old blood witch comes hunting for the bones of Silla’s parents and the spell book, Nick and Silla will have to let go of everything they believe about who they are, the nature of life and death, and the deadly secrets that hide in blood.

Why I'm Anticipating:

2011 Debut... plus Tessa Gratton writes with Maggie Stiefvater and Brenna Yovanoff at Merry Sisters of Fate... both of whom are amazingly talented writers! I have no doubt Ms. Gratton will be just as talented and amazing in her debut. I can't wait!

Book Review: Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr

2011-02-08T05:40:00.000-08:00

Title: Ink Exchange
Author: Melissa Marr
Series: Wicked Lovely #2
Release Date: May 1 2008
Publisher: HarperTeen
Previous Books In Series:
Wicked Lovely
My Source: Library (audiobook)

Goodreads Summary:

To 17-year-old Leslie, the tattoo is a thing of indescribable beauty, a captivating mark that she must make her own. But this subtle web of eyes and wings brings with it a transformation that no sweet young girl would ever imagine or welcome. Like its predecessor, this stand-alone sequel to Wicked Lovely plunges its youthful heroine into a faery world of almost constant peril. A tantalizing urban fantasy that won't let go.

My Review:

I listened to this book on CD, but I don't believe that affected my review or perception of the book. It was a good choice of a book to listen to- the narrator's voice wasn't annoying at all, and it was easy to follow, so I would recommend the audiobook, if you prefer to listen to books rather then read them (something I rarely do).

This is the second book in the Wicked Lovely series. I read the first book, Wicked Lovely, over two years ago, and I don't even remember most of it, though I didn't really love it, I didn't hate it either. I've been meaning to pick up the second one ever since then, and now I finally have.

This book is strange, not a typical YA romance story at all, which I really liked. The plot focuses around Leslie, who has a terrible past that always haunts her. She chooses to get a tattoo that draws her to Irrial, the king of the dark faery court. Figuring out how the faery courts work was a little confusing, probably since it's been a little while since I read the first book. I definitely recommend reading that one first even though this is a companion novel, not a sequel. It deals with some pretty intense stuff. I felt like Leslie was only a pawn in the true plot, she had no real say in anything that happened, except the ending. The conflict is really about Irial, the king of the Dark Court, and Naill a faery of the summer court whose alleigences are tested once he finds himself assigned to guarding Leslie. Naill was easily my favorite character, he was tortured and confused, but powerful too. I loved what happened at the end with Naill.

I would caution that this book is very dark, and I would not recommend it to anyone looking for a lighter faery read. It seems like there's no moral standard in the faery world, and this proves quite disturbing at times. There was no resolved feeling by the end of all the drama either. It was like the end came and Melissa Marr said, neither side is good or bad, nobody wins, the end. I get the point, but I like having more of a resolved feeling.

It's difficult to explain, I just feel like nothing really happened with the plot- most of the book was the same things happening repeatedly. It became predictable and sometimes boring. I didn't love any of the characters enough to make the tensions worth it. The romance was flat too- I didn't see why Irial, or Naill, was ever really attracted to Leslie. And she was such a messed-up girl, it just worked weirdly.

Overall, I just wasn't really impressed, but in that way, it was a lot like Wicked Lovely. If you enjoy darker paranoraml fey stories, this is a decent series. I'll probably get the 3rd book on CD also.

3 out of 5

Cover: 3.5/5 Pretty standard, not hugely attention grabbing, but decent.

In My Mailbox (18)

2011-02-06T12:30:00.000-08:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren.

Recieved:
Nomansland by Lesley Hauge
Firelight by Sophie Jordan

From the Library:
Past Midnight by Mara Purnhagen
Torment by Lauren Kate
Something, Maybe by Elizabeth Scott (see my review)

I didn't mention in the video, but I also got an e-book of In The Storm by Karen Metcalf for review.

Thanks to:
Amelia at The Authoress
An Unknown Person... (Watch the video for explanation!)

Happy Reading everyone!

Why the Love Triangle?

2011-02-05T06:25:00.000-08:00

I was tempted to call this post "In Defense of the Love Triangle" but I thought that might turn some people away. In all honesty, I'm not defending the Love Triangle, but I'm looking at it from maybe a different angle. It just seems like everybody complains about them- which I completely understand. Anyway, on to the post...

Love 'em or hate 'em, they're always there, in the books we hate and the books we love. And I've seen plenty of bloggers complain- er, talk about- the overuse of the love triangle. But does anybody ever question WHY the love triangle is so popular?

Did it start with Twilight? That's what a lot of people like to think. While Twilight capitalized on the love triangle, I'm pretty sure Stephenie Meyer didn't invent it.

A little while ago, I came across a blog post on this very subject by Carrie Ryan, author of a fantastic series The Forest of Hands and Teeth which contains a love triangle. She does a great job of explaining the real purpose of a love triangle. I'll share just a little bit of the post, though I encourage you to check out the whole thing if you've read her books and don't mind the spoilers you'll find there:

To me, that's the essence of a love triangle -- each man is a viable choice for the heroine but each speaks to a different part of who she is. The heroine isn't choosing between two men, she's choosing who SHE wants to be and that will dictate who the right match is.

There you have it, thanks to the fabulous Carrie Ryan! I think this is why love triangles are so popular in YA- they allow the heroine to choose between who she wants to be in the end, and allow for that side of her character to grow.

I'm not saying they aren't overused, though. It would still be really nice if authors could start coming up with new ways to grow and change their characters, without involving the choice to be between two boys. But I'm also pretty sure you can't claim you HATE books with love triangles. They can be an awesome asset to a book.

Having said that, I hesitate more to pick up a book when it's clear there's a love triangle from the summary. (Example: Unearthly by Cynthia Hand. I've heard so much about the love triangle, that I'm not all that interested because it seems so generic.)

And sometimes I think there's a love triangle when there doesn't need to be. Example, Personal Demons by Lisa Desrochers. I'm one of those people who LOVED Luc, but couldn't even understand why Frannie was ever even attracted to Gabe with Luc around. Sure, I get the point was making the choice between Heaven and Hell, but while reading the book, I didn't feel like Gabe or Luc represented either on of them, actually. And a lot of people wished for Gabe's POV, while I just wished he would leave! This might just be me, though! It was still a great book, I just wish it didn't have a love triangle, it would've been even better.

But on the other hand, I could make a decent size list of books that are good because of the love triangle. The H unger Games and Nightshade are two prime examples.

It's also frustrating as a reader to have to make the choice between two great guys (à la Nightshade) but it's even worse to see the guy who doesn't get chosen be left off on their own. I am so sad for characters like Simon in City of Bones and Oliver in Blue Bloods- I hope both of them get some of their own romance in the upcoming installments of their respective series!

Bottom line: When it comes to love triangles, they're WAY overused, but... I still like a lot of books with them anyway, because it's hard to deny they usually make for a great plot device and source of choice and growth for the heroine.

Please, share your thoughts! I'd love to hear them. :)

Book Review: Something, Maybe by Elizabeth Scott

2011-02-03T04:54:00.000-08:00

Title: Something, Maybe
Author: Elizabeth Scott
Series: None
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: March 24, 2009
My Source: Library

Goodreads Summary:

Everyone thinks their parents are embarrassing, but Hannah knows she's got them all beat.

Her dad made a fortune showcasing photos of pretty girls and his party lifestyle all over the Internet, and her mom was once one of her dad's 'girlfriends' and is now the star of her own website.

After getting the wrong kind of attention for way too long, Hannah has mastered the art of staying under the radar . . . and that's just how she likes it. Of course, that doesn't help her get noticed by her crush. Hannah's sure that gorgeous, sensitive Josh is her soul mate. But trying to get him to notice her; wondering why she suddenly can't stop thinking about another guy, Finn; and dealing with her parents make Hannah feel like she's going crazy. Yet she's determined to make things work out the way she wants only what she wants may not be what she needs. . . .
Once again, Elizabeth Scott has created a world so painfully funny and a cast of characters so heartbreakingly real that you'll love being a part of it from unexpected start to triumphant finish.

My Review:

I've read one other book by Elizabeth Scott, Living Dead Girl. Needless to say, that book and Something, Maybe couldn't be more different. While I loved and was terrified by Living Dead Girl, I knew Something, Maybe was a completely different genre and style. So I was nervous and excited to read more by Elizabeth Scott. I hate to say, I don't think this nearly lived up to her previous book, though it still had the some of the same awesome writing stuff.

Hannah, for having such non-normal parents as can be, is a very real character. She goes through quite a transformation in the course of the book, and it was great to watch. Unfortunately, I was really annoyed with her character for the first half of the book, because it really felt like she wasn't opening her eyes to stuff that should be obvious all around her. By the end, I liked her a lot more, but even then, she still annoys me a bit. I get that she was the worst dad in the world and a mother who loves her but is very non-traditional or motherly, but that doesn't mean she has to be so closed off to looking pretty, having friends at school, or being noticed by anybody. I get that she changed over the course of the book, but it really drove me crazy in the beginning.

Josh is the guy for 3/4 of the book Hannah calls her "soul mate". Yeah, this annoyed me too, when there was another guy (Finn) who was actually her friend and actually obviously liked her, it just took the whole book for her to see it. The love triangle was extremely predictable, even though there was one minor twist towards the end, it was easy to see coming.

But Finn, oh how I loved Finn. Even though so much of this book drove me crazy, I really, really, really love him. He was simply the perfect guy- that's all there was to it. But this made me dislike Hannah even more- he was so perfect for Hannah but she never noticed him throughout the whole book, she was just focused on Josh for no reason! But the end was very, very cute.

The plot about her father, Jackson James, was predictable too. I get why she hated him, but I guess I felt like nothing really happened there, either. She didn't really learn anything new about him by the end.

Well, this book was pretty short and a very easy read. It wasn't boring, just kind of annoying. I still liked it, but nothing more than that, and probably only because of Finn. I think I'm going against the grain with my semi-dislike. A lot of people loved this book a lot more than I did. I would recommend it for contemporary teen romance fans (a genre I unfortunately rarely read anyway).

3 out of 5 stars

Cover: 4/5 Simple, but pretty! Love the colors.

What's Happening...

2011-02-01T08:05:00.000-08:00

First of all, I want to apologize for my lack of presence in the blogging community in the past few days... It might continue for a couple more days, but I promise I'll be in full swing once the weekend comes, and I'll schedule a bunch of posts and be on top of everything again. I've been out of town, and busy, so yeah. I haven't even finished a book in the last week. So sad I know!

But I wanted to share that starting today, I will be participating in the Loving the Reviews Challenge, hosted by Blokosiner's Book Blog and Sniffly Kitty's Mostly Books. What you do is review books all through the month of February, and subsequently enter giveaways. That's it!

I'm pretty excited to start! Anybody else participating?

Book Review: Misguided Angel by Melissa de la Cruz

2011-01-28T05:23:00.000-08:00

Title: Misguided Angel
Author: Melissa de la Cruz
Series: Blue Bloods #5
Publisher: Disney/Hyperion
Release Date: October 26, 2010
Other Books In Series:
Blue Bloods
Masquerade
Revelations
The Van Alen Legacy

Warning: Summary may contain mild spoilers for books 1-4 of the Blue Bloods series.

Goodreads Summary:
After inheriting the dark Van Alen Legacy, Schuyler fled to Florence with her forbidden love, Jack. Now the two of them must embark on the mission Schuyler was destined to complete: to find and protect the five remaining gates that guard the earth from Lucifer, lord of the Silver Bloods.

Back in New York, Mimi has been elected Regent of a crumbling coven. Struggling with her heartache over the loss of Kingsley and with her overwhelming desire to destroy Jack, she must focus all of her energy on a perilous new threat. Vampires are being abducted and their captors are planning to burn them alive online…for all the world to see. Help arrives in the form of Deming Chen, a Venator from Shanghai, who must untangle the web of deceptions before the killers strike again.

As the young vampires struggle for the survival of the coven, they uncover a deadly secret, a truth first discovered by Schuyler’s mother during the Renaissance but kept buried for centuries. And as the Blue Blood enclave weakens yet further, fate leads Schuyler to a terrible choice that will ultimately map the destiny of her heart.

My Review:
Misguided Angel is one of my two favorites of the series so far (along with Revelations). I think I'm alone in saying this- all the other reviews I've read have regarded it as a plotless "filler book". The format changes from the previous books- instead of a rotating perspective between the three female leads, the book is divided into 3 sections. Part 1: Jack and Schuyler in Florence. Part 2: Mimi in New York. Park 3: A new character- Deming Chen, also in New York. Bliss is completely gone from this book, but will be reappearing later in a spin off series.

If you're a fan of the Schuyler-Jack romance, you might me a bit disappointed by this book because they aren't mentioned after the first part. I was never hugely invested in their romance, and I found the first part easily the most dull section of the book.

In part 2, we see Mimi, who has been elected Regis (leader) of the New York Coven (a choice I LOVE!). Mimi is one of those characters I used to hate, then I loved-to-hate, and now I think I just love. She's powerful and manipulative, but not as shallow as she used to be either.

But the reason this book is one of my favorites of the series was because of the new character Deming Chen. She's a 17 year old venator from Shanghai, and she's seriously awesome and talented. Deming's part of the book is a huge murder mystery. A blue blood student has been murdered, and the video of her burning was posted on the internet for the red bloods (humans) to see. Deming goes undercover at Duchesne and using awesome detective skills to solve it. The twists in the murder mystery are crazy! It reminded me of a TV show episode- right when the crime was solved, it wasn't! I hope we see more of Deming Chen in the next books in the series.

I don't know if a lot happened to advance the overall plot of the series, but I still think this was a good addition to the series. One other little thing I've noticed a couple times throughout the series that has bugged me are nods to pop culture references, without actually saying the title of the Movie/TV Show being referenced. For example, Deming observes there are no "slushie facials" in American high school, like in "American TV shows". An obvious reference to "Glee", if you've seen the show, but Deming doesn't actually say the show name. A really small thing, but I noticed it nonetheless.

The worst part of the book was the length- it was too short. Only 265 pages and felt even shorter. I think if it would've been a longer book, the plot could've been a lot more developed and clearer. This was one of those books I had to pay very close attention to the plot so I wouldn't get confused.

I've been tearing through this series... I'm very sad I've come to the last one that's currently out. (With the exception of the novella Bloody Valentine). I can't wait for the sixth one Lost In Time to be released!

4 out of 5 stars

Edit: I forgot to mention- there is no random modeling plot tangent!!! This is probably why this was one of my favorites in the series. That part really bugged me....

Waiting On Wednesday: Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins

2011-01-26T06:00:00.000-08:00

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins

(I'm not posting the summary because it contains HUGE spoilers for those of you who haven't read Hex Hall yet, and I don't want to give anything away about that awesome book.)

I haven't posted a WoW in awhile, but I really NEED to read this book, and I figured this would be a great way to share it with everybody! I just finished Hex Hall earlier this week, and I am so stoked for the next book in the trilogy! I've heard this book is even better than the first one from the ARC reviews circulating around the blogosphere. I CANNOT WAIT to read it! Anybody else excited from Demonglass?

Old Favorite Review: Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism

2011-01-26T05:11:00.000-08:00

Title: Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism
Author: Georgia Byng
Publisher: Harper Trophy
Release Date: April 1, 2004
Titles In Series:
Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism
Molly Moon Stops the World
Molly Moon's Hypnotic Time Travel Adventure
Molly Moon, Micky Minus, & the Mind Machine
Molly Moon & the Morphing Mystery

The Review:

The Molly Moon series by Georgia Byng was one of my favorites around the time of 5th or 6th grade. The story revolves around British orphan Molly, who lives in a cruel orphanage where's she's constantly bullied until she discovers a book of Hypnotism in the local library. She reads the book, and very quickly learns how to hypnotize people herself.

Molly uses her new power to go on the ultimate adventure a pre-teen girl could imagine. Of course, there are others out there that want to get a hold of her hypnotism book and use it for less-than-innocent means. Molly is a smart and hilarious girl who uses her wits (along with her pug Petunia) to deflect them and have a fun time, and learn some lessons too.

But hypnotism is only the first book in the series. In each successive book, Molly learns another supernatural power, and consequently deals with others who have the same power and want to use if for their own evil benefits.

There are 5 books in this series (so far), but I only read the first 2 (I didn't even know there were more until sitting down to write this reveiw!). The first book could've been a stand alone though, then it could've been a series of two, and I was amazed to find there were more. I don't know if the sucessors are as good as the first two, because they wrapped up the plot pretty well.

Though it may sound like it, this series is not all just fluff. The plot was so epic and intense in both of these books. The first book revolved around Molly going to New York City and performing on Broadway. In the second book, where she can freeze time, she goes to Los Angeles and gets into the Academy Awards, all while foiling an evil billionaire who has been using hypnotism to make a ton of money. Cheesy at times, yes, but a lot of fun and intense situations.

Being a book about an orphan, one part of the plot is Molly searching for her parents, who she does eventually find, also one of my favorite parts.

I devoured this fun series when I was younger, I read the first two books at least twice if not more. I think if I re-read them, I would enjoy them just as much. This series is Middle Grade, but still awesome. I don't know if the last three books in the series are as good as the first two, but I might have to read them and see for myself.

Preview it from Harper Trophy

Book Review: Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

2011-01-25T06:00:00.000-08:00

Title: Hex Hall
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Series: Hex Hall #1
Publisher: Hyperion
Release Date: March 2, 2010
My Source: Library

Goodreads Summary:

Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father--an elusive European warlock--only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters.
By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tagalong ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire student on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect.

As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her.

My Review:

Sophie Mercer is a hilarious, sarcastic, and completely relatable MC who really made this book so good. Her world isn't entirely unique- paranormal creatures (Vampires, shapeshifters aka werewolves, and fey) called Prodigium, live in our modern human world, managing to escape detection of their magical powers from the clueless humans. Something I've seen in plenty of paranormal/urban fantasy books, but still providing a decent setting.

Witches and warlocks though, are something not found too often in paranormal stories. (Though they're not completely uncommon of course- Harry Potter, The Mortal Instruments, and other big series include them). Sophie has known she's a witch- the daughter of a normal mother and a warlock father. After a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, she is sentenced to Hecate-or Hex- Hall, a school for misbehaving Prodigium teens.

This story is fast moving and it doesn't take long for the plot of a murder mystery at Hecate to spring into action. The story keeps you guessing the whole time, but comes to a satisfying ending. It's not really a cliffhanger, because the mystery is solved, but it still leaves a lot of open ends and more mystery for the next books in the trilogy. This is my preferred way to end the first book of a series- it was done very well.

As I mentioned at the beginning, I loved Sophie's character. Unlike a lot of other girl MC's I've read about, she was completely unafraid to stand up to the "popular" girls when they made fun of her friend and offered her to join their group. She was loyal to her friend and roommate Jenna, and helped her out, even when no one else would. She wasn't flimsy in her decisions, but she was also kind and understanding. Sophie is the kind of girl you'd either want to be, or have as a best friend, and I think she'd be a lot of fun to hang out with.

There was a romance, which I didn't connect with as much as I would've liked, but it wasn't like what the heck?!? either. It made sense, even though I would've liked to see more growing tension and interactions between Sophie and Archer, and seen her grow to like him a little more, instead of it being an instant thing.

This is a light, humorous paranormal story that reminded me a lot of other 2010 debut, Paranormalcy. Completely different plot, but similar feel and humor. I read it mostly in one sitting, I didn't want to put it down. Best word to describe it: Fun. But serious at the same time, with a great murder mystery plot. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys fun paranormal/fantasy stories like Paranormalcy. This is a awesome debut and beginning of a trilogy. I'm really looking forward to seeing where this goes!

4.5 out of 5 stars

In My Mailbox (17)

2011-01-23T20:33:00.000-08:00

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren.

Won:
Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Fall For Anything by Courtney Summers
The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard
Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan

From the Library:
Across the Universe by Beth Revis
Choker by Elizabeth Woods
Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr (audio book)

Thanks to:
Alisia Leavitt
DeRaps Reads

Week In Review

Reviews Published:
From the Dead by John Herrick
The Van Alen Legacy by Melissa de la Cruz

Currently Reading:
Mieradome by Kate O'Hegarty

Upcoming Reviews:
Misguided Angel by Melissa de la Cruz
Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Book Review: From the Dead by John Herrick

2011-01-22T07:41:00.000-08:00

Title: From The Dead
Author: John Herrick
Series: None
Publisher: Segue Blue
Release Date: August 31, 2010
My Source: Accepted from author

Goodreads Summary:
A preacher's son, a father in hiding, a guilty heart filled with secrets: When Jesse Barlow escaped to Hollywood, he hungered for fame--but eleven years of failure result in a drug-induced suicide attempt. Revived at death's doorstep, Jesse returns to his Ohio hometown to make amends with his preacher father, a former love, and Jesse's own secret son. But Jesse's renewed commitment becomes a baptism by fire when his son's advanced illness calls for a sacrifice--one that could cost Jesse the very life he regained. A story of mercy, hope, and second chances, From The Dead captures the human spirit with tragedy and joy.

My Review:

This is not the type of book I typically read. It's not Young Adult, but when I recieved a pitch to review it from the author, I was immediately drawn in by the summary. I felt like I just had to read it. And I am so glad I did! This book was so good, I think more people should know about it and read it.

The first third of the book focuses around Jesse's life in California that slowly spirals into awful desolation. He left home at 18, eleven years ago, but has failed to make it as an actor. The Hollywood section of the book was my least favorite part- I understand it was needed to set the stage of Jesse's life, but it was very long, and sort of boring and hard to get through.

Once I got to the part where Jesse returns home, I started tearing through the pages, unable to stop, it was so good. The relationships were so well built, characters fleshed out, and tensions very real. It's the story of the prodigal son, returning to his preacher father, and comfronting trials he never knew he left behind- namely, the son he never knew he had.

I was really surprised by the relationship between Jesse and his son Drew. So many moments made me smile, and the whole thing was so genuine. I loved the parts where they were together, it was just beautiful. Jesse's sister Eden was another great character who I really could connect with, and I loved their sibling relationship. And Chuck, Jesse's father, was pretty cool too.

I could analyze this book from a Christian fiction perspective, but I wouldn't classify From the Dead as Christian fiction. Sure, there were Christian themes, but this book wasn't preachy, and author John Herrick was certainly not afraid to portray the world as it is- in all the very awful detail. There is plenty of language and some situations that would not be portrayed in the same way in typical Christian fiction, paticularly in the Hollywood section of the book. For this reason, I would only recommend this book to older teens and adults. Having said that, even though this was an adult book, I think older teenagers would enjoy it, as I certainly did.

The writing itself wasn't anything spectacular, but it was fairly what I was expected. But the ending had me hanging on the edge the whole time. Very nice suspense.

Overall, if you're into books with great characters, realistic life portrayals, and adult contemporary fiction, this is a book you have to read. The only other book I've read that it reminded me of was My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult- if you liked that, you'll probably like this one; there were similar themes. Not 5 stars because of the slow first part and excessive strong language with I'm not a huge fan of, but still 4 stars because of the fantastic second part.

4 out of 5 stars

New Button and Other Minor Changes

2011-01-21T14:18:00.000-08:00

I'm super excited about this, so I wanted to share it with all my followers...

FINALLY I made a new button that matches my blog!

I've had the old one since I had my old blog design back in November (it was brown and blue). That one didn't match my new design at all, but I haven't had time to create a new one that does. Now it actually matches my design! Feel free to add it to your sidebar. :)

I've also changed my logo on Goodreads and Twitter also, to match the new design.

In addition... In the past month, I've also added quite a few new pages to the top of my blog, along with a new navigation bar last week. I have a 2011 Challenges page, which I update frequently whenever I finish a book. There's also a new About Me/Contact page, where I list a bunch of my favorite books, movies, music, and stuff to do, if you want to get to know the person behind this blog a little better.

I didn't have anything else to post about today, so I figured I'd share this with y'all. :)

P.S. My finals are over! Sooo happy! I also finished Misguided Angel today and will also have Hex Hall finished and reviewed soon.

Book Review: The Van Alen Legacy

2011-01-20T10:36:00.000-08:00

Title: The Van Alen Legacy
Author: Melissa de la Cruz
Series: Blue Bloods #4
Publisher: Disney/Hyperion
Release Date: October 6, 2009
My Source: Library
Other Books In Series:
Blue Bloods
Masquerade
Revelations

Warning: May contain mild spoilers for those who haven't read the books 1-3 of the series.

Goodreads Summary:

With the stunning revelation surrounding Bliss's true identity comes the growing threat of the sinister Silver Bloods. Once left to live the glamorous life in New York City, the Blue Bloods now find themselves in an epic battle for survival. Not to worry, love is still in the air for the young vampires of the Upper East Side. Or is it? Jack and Schuyler are over. Oliver's brokenhearted. And only the cunning Mimi seems to be happily engaged.

Young, fanged, and fabulous, Melissa de la Cruz's vampires unite in this highly anticipated fourth installment of the Blue Bloods series.

My Review:
The fourth book in the addicting Blue Bloods series, The Van Alen Legacy continues in the format of it's predecessors, in telling the story switching between 3 teenage vampire girls- Schuyler, Bliss, and Mimi. It takes place a year after the 3rd book, a time gap which makes the beginning hard to get into. Schuyler and her best friend Oliver have been on the run from the Conclave for over a year. Bliss can't remember much of the past year- she's being possessed and used by a mysterious Visitor who inhabits her mind. And Mimi has been traveling the world with Kingsley to investigate what happened in Rio.

The first half of this book felt like a let down to me- probably because of the year that passed, it was hard to get back into the characters. It was just so slow moving. Bliss, Schuyler, and Mimi were all in completely different parts of the world on different missions. It took me awhile to read through this part.

It picked up once all the characters returned to their home of New York City. It became addicting and interesting. The plot was as crazy good as ever again, and tension of the Silver Bloods, the sinister evil vampires who are trying to pretty much destory the world, was there again. The plot was so intrinsic that it was a little difficult to follow at times. I'm still not sure if I got it all, because I read too quickly sometimes. So much is going on though, and that's a good thing.

My new favorite character is Mimi- her story is easily the most interesting and I love her romantic relationships with a certain person I won't mention, I don't want to give anything away! Schuyler is torn between her best friend Oliver and her forbidden love Jack, and I felt SO bad for Oliver the whole time. I really hope something good happens to him at the end of the series.

This book is getting a slightly lower rating than the previous two because the first half was so much less entertaining than the previous books, but thankfully it picked up and turned out much better by the second half.

Out of all the vampire series I've read, I think plot-wise Blue Bloods is definitely the winner. I'll definitely be reading more of this series, besides the plot, I need to see Mimi end up with the person I really, really, really think she's going to. ;)

3.5 out of 5 stars

Teaser Tuesday (5)

2011-01-18T05:01:00.000-08:00

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

•Grab your current read
•Open to a random page
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
•Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Today's teaser comes from one of my current reads, Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins. (I currently have 3 books I'm reading right now- Hex Hall, From the Dead, and Misguided Angel- I keep switching back and forth for no reason, they're all really good!)

"When someone tells you somebody's been murdered, laughing is probably not the best response. You know, for future reference."
-pg 54 of Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Random Blogging Update: I want to apologize for the lack of regular posting the last couple of days, and want to warn you guys that my postings might continue to be sparse in the next week or so because it's finals week for me. (Yeah, our school is kinda lame, we have finals after Christmas break.) Anyway, I hope to get back in the full swing of blogging after Friday is over.

In My Mailbox (16)

2011-01-16T12:00:00.000-08:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren.

These are all the book I've recieved in the past two weeks.

From the Library:

The Van Alen Legacy by Melissa de la Cruz

Should be posting a review of this one sometime this week, along with the 5th one in the series Misguided Angel.

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

I've heard great things about this book- looks like a great dystopian!

Bought:

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

I've been wanting to read this for about FOREVER.

Rampant by Diana Peterfreund

Two words: Killer. Unicorns.

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Another one I've heard so much great stuff about, I can't wait to read it.

I bought these last 3 books with a Barnes and Nobles giftcard I got for Christmas. They're all books I've been wanting to read since before I started blogging, so now that I own them hopefully I'll get around to it soon.

Happy reading everyone!

Book Review: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

2011-01-14T06:21:00.000-08:00

Title: Delirium
Author: Lauren Oliver
Series: Delirium #1
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: Feb. 1 2011
My Source: Netgalley
My Rating: 4/5

Goodreads Summary:

Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love - the deliria - blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the governments demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.

But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.

My Review:

This is a dystopian novel that takes place in a world where love is a disease. It's called the deliria- when you turn 18 the citizens have a procedure that "cures" them. Put simply, it deprives them of almost all emotion in order to spare them from pain. Lena has always believed fullheartedly in the cure, until she meets a rebellious boy named Alex from "The Wilds", the lands outside the cities, who teaches her the truth.

Lauren Oliver, whose debut novel Before I Fall I absolutely LOVED, has done a fantastic job of creating a perfect dystopian society. The concept of erradicating love was interesting- and terrifying. It reminded me alot of another great series- the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld, where people have a procedure when they turn 16 to make them Pretty, except this time they cure them of love.

I was so eager to read this novel, but halfway through I started thinking this book wasn't quite as good as I expected. While I loved Lauren Oliver's writing, the plot was so slow moving, almost nonexistant, that I found myself getting a bit bored. Lena and Alex were good characters, but it's hard to be extremeyl invested in a book with only good characters and not much of a driving plot. You'd like with Lena's operation coming up, there would be a bit more urgency, but instead, half of the book is just her deciding whether she wants to conform to society and have the operation or not. At least, that was my feeling for the first 3/4 of the book. I liked, but didn't love it.

Towards the end, it started to pick up, as Lena's operation got closer and she started to feel the urgency. And then, right when I didn't expect it- BAM! Huge shocking ending. This book brought me to tears. My visualization of the last two pages are still burned clearly in my mind every time I think about this book. When I was done, I set it down and thought, wow, that ending was the Lauren Oliver I loved.

Though I really liked it, a large majority of this book was slow moving, and didn't hook me at first. I understand that was neccesary - it developed Lena's character. I did appreciate seeing a real change in her through the course of the book- it was believable and real.

This book I was reminded of another recent release- "Matched" by Ally Condie (which was good too). The writing style was different, but the pacing was similar. The difference between Delirium and Matched was that I connected much more with the characters so much more in Delirium, especially towards the end. (I loved the ending of Delirium much more than Matched.)

If you like dystopian stories like Matched or Uglies, you have to read Delirium. And if you're a fan of Lauren Oliver's first novel- while I didn't like this one quite as much, she still has the same great writing style that I love. Definitely a book to look for in this new year.

4 out of 5 stars

Cover: 3.5/5 The title/author fonts are beautiful, and I like the face behind the words, I'm just not a fan of the color. Light blue doesn't really go with the book in my opinion, not to mention I personally don't find it a very aesthetically appealing color either. Maybe that's just me, though! I've seen black versions (other country releases) that I like much better.

Old Favorite Review: Gregor the Overlander Series

2011-01-11T06:34:00.000-08:00

Title: Gregor the Overlander (and series)
Author: Suzanne Collins
Series: Underland Chronicles
Publisher: Scholastic
Release Dates: 2003-2007

Titles in Series:
Gregor The Overlander
Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane
Gregor And The Curse Of The Warmbloods
Gregor And The Marks Of Secret
Gregor and the Code of Claw

Goodreads Summary for Gregor the Overlander:

When eleven-year-old Gregor follows his little sister through a grate in the laundry room of their New York apartment, he hurtles into the dark Underland beneath the city. There, humans live uneasily beside giant spiders, bats, cockroaches, and rats—but the fragile peace is about to fall apart.

Gregor wants no part of a conflict between these creepy creatures. He just wants to find his way home. But when he discovers that a strange prophecy foretells a role for him in the Underland's uncertain future, he realizes it might be the only way to solve the biggest mystery of his life. Little does he know his quest will change him and the Underland forever.

Rich in suspense and brimming with adventure, Suzanne Collins's debut marked a thrilling new talent, and introduced a character no young reader will ever forget.

My Review:

I read the Gregor the Overlander series back in 6th grade, and back then it was one of my all-time favorites. I still own all of them, and it's only appropriate that I write the first "Old Favorite" Review based on this series. Gregor the Overlander was Suzanne Collins debut novel, and we all know her as the amazing writer of The Hunger Games. I was a fan of hers long before the HG came out because of the Gregor series (and that's why I read the HG in the first place before all the buzz!).

These books focus around Gregor, who is eleven years old at the beginning of the series. Through falling down a vent in his apartment's laundry room, he discovers a land underneath New York City- where humans with pale skin who have never seen the sun live, along with gigantic, talking versions of rats, beetles, bats and other creatures, some friendly, some vicious.

He discovers he is the warrior predicted in an ancient prophecy, and in each book fulfills another prophecy written about him, perhaps not in the way he originally thought it would be fulfilled. He find

The plot style reminds me a lot of JK Rowling, where each book is full of truly shocking twists that generally conclude each book, but still leaving some connections between the sequels. It's a lot like Harry Potter also with a seemingly ordinary boy who discovers he's not-so-ordinary, and he has to become a hero he didn't know he could be.

There's a fair amount of everything- action, tension, tragedy (be prepared for awful, tearful deaths!), and a bit of romance, though not a ton since it is primarily for middle schoolers.

I remember loving this series so much, and I wonder if I went back and read them if I'd love them all the same. I remember my favorite books was the 3rd- Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods. It had the most mind bending twist for me. I read the prophecy section over and over, even long after I finished the book, even turning it into a song in my head (because yes, I was that strange kid). This was one of the first urban fantasies I'd ever read, and it definitely made me love reading!

I'd recommend this book to fans of series such as Harry Potter, and especially younger readers, since I enjoyed it when I was younger, but I think I would still enjoy it very much if I read it again now. And even better that it was written by Suzanne Collins, who we all know is a fantasticly brilliant writer!

Giveaway Hop/Create-A-Sequel Winners

2011-01-10T05:52:00.001-08:00

Thanks so much to everyone who entered the Giveaway Hop giveaway! I had a ton of entries, and ended up breaking 400 followers! I can't believe I have that many. I will have a HUGE giveaway event planned for when I get 500 followers, though that may be in a while.

The winner for the Reading Resolutions Giveaway Hop is:

Kailia Sage

I also had another fun challenge going on, called the "Create-A-Sequel" Challenge, where you had a come up with a simple sequel idea to be entered for a giveaway. Though I didn't have as many entries as the previous giveaway, it was a lot of fun to read what answers people gave. Due to the fact that they almost certainly contain spoilers for any book you choose to write about, I decided I won't be posting the results.

The randomly chosen winner of the Create-A-Sequel Challenge is:

Elena

Thank you all for entering/following on twitter/friending on Goodreads! I really appreciate it and happy reading!

"Old Favorite" Reviews

2011-01-08T10:07:00.000-08:00

I'm going to start posting a feature occasionally called "Old Favorite Reviews", which is the same thing as a regular book review, except it will be of a book I read in Elementary/Middle School that I loved to death.

I won't be rereading them (usually), the reviews will just be based on my memory from way back when, and therefore they'll probably be a lot shorter. I just want to spread the word about some awesome books I used to love.

Sharing these books are important to me because without them, I never would've loved reading nearly as much as I do now! Most of these books fall into the category of Middle Grade- something I don't read often anymore, but I think is still a very important category to be discussed.

I know a lot of my followers are YA fiction fans, but I also want to encourage younger readers to pick up MG books, and who knows, maybe some older people would like these books too (I know I still love them!).

I hope this is a worthwhile feature. I know I've been wanting to find a way to spread the word about some of my favorite books growing up that still hold a special place in my heart. (Not to be too cheesy or anything!)

It won't be a regular thing- just whenever I feel like posting one. Look for the first review coming soon.

And I even designed a nifty little button to go along with it! This will be posted on every "Old Favorite" Review.

Book Review: Dash and Lily's Book of Dares

2011-01-07T08:00:00.000-08:00

Title: Dash & Lily's Book of Dares
Authors: Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
Series: None
Publisher: Knopf Books For Young Readers
Release Date: October 26 2010
My Source: Library

My Rating: 4/5

Goodreads Summary:

“I’ve left some clues for you. If you want them, turn the page. If you don’t, put the book back on the shelf, please.” So begins the latest whirlwind romance from the New York Times bestselling authors of Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist. Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions? Rachel Cohn and David Levithan have written a love story that will have readers perusing bookstore shelves, looking and longing for a love (and a red notebook) of their own.

My Review:

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares is a fun story about two teenagers who leave clues for each other across New York City and get to know each other by writing in a read notebook. The story switches between the two characters perspectives, each which was written by a different author- Rachel Cohn wrote Lily's chapters and David Levithan wrote Dash's. These two authors have two books they've collaborated on in the past, but based on reviews I've read I wasn't interested in either (though Nick and Norah has been made into a movie). This one sounded different though, so I gave it a try since I'm sort of on a contemporary kick right now.

This book takes place at Christmastime, which I didn't even realize when I started the book. Even though it's Holiday-themed, it could easily be read any time of year (I read it in January, and still loved it!).

Dash and Lily were two very quirky characters, but I loved both of them. They were intelligent, cynical at times, and very unique. Not what you might typically find in a book, and they had their own similaries and differences between them that complemented really nicely. Lily is a misfit who doesn't fit in with other girls, loves her family and Christmastime, and has a really fun personality. Dash is bookish and snarky, but a loyal friend (and he hates Christmastime). Lily is very innocent and immature at times, but it didn't annoy me. Dash is more experienced in life in general. I really loved the characterization (if you can't tell). I think the real magic why the characters worked so well was Cohn and Levithan's writing. It flowed seamlessly, though the characters were different. Reading a book written by two different authors was a neat experience.

My biggest complaint- There isn't a whole lot of plot going on at all, except the dares in the notebook, which don't actually take up the whole book. A lot revolves around the dares, but I think most of Lily's parts were about her family, and Dash's more about his friends. (This was okay, though) A few of those times it felt like it was dragging a bit, so some readers who prefer action and plot might feel bored. I also wish the ending might've been a little better wrapped up... we never really figure out some things. I would've liked to see what their relationship turned into once the notebook adventures were over (we saw the beginning, but I'd love to see more). It was still a very cute and ending that fit the book well.

My only caution for younger readers would be that there was a fair amount of strong cursing, which, though it wasn't used often, the few times it popped up was very strong. Like I said, there wasn't very much though. Other than that it was generally appropriate for all ages.

If you like cute, contemporary (Holiday) stories, this is a book you have to look for. If you like romances told from both perspectives, this book is a superb example of that too.

4 out of 5 stars

Cover: 5/5 I LOVE this cover! I think I picked this book up because of the cover. It's so colorful and happy looking, and I think it's one of my favorites.

Giveaway Updates!

2011-01-06T05:28:00.000-08:00

I have a lot of giveaways going on right now, and the purpose of this post is to sum them up!

Create-A-Sequel Challenge- ends TODAY AT MIDNIGHT
Go enter this!!! It's simple- you just make up your own idea for a sequel to any book that doesn't have one and tell me about it. It doesn't have to be long or complicated, just a sentence or two (or more if you'd like). You can win your choice from a list of books on that post.

Misguided Angel Giveaway- ends 1/15
This is an awesome giveaway of the 5th Blue Bloods book! So enter it!

Reading Resolutions Giveaway Hop: Personal Demons- ends 1/9
This is a cool giveaway because it's part of a blog hop... enter my giveaway, then check out all the other blogs on the linky list too!

Teaser Tuesday (4)

2011-01-03T16:32:00.000-08:00

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading . Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

•Grab your current read
•Open to a random page
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
•Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"Nobody ever checks out Godfather III. Especially when it's misfiled. Do you want another clue? If so, find Clueless. Also misfiled, where sorrow meets pity."

- pg. 25 Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan.

This sentence (or sentences, I guess I broke the rules with more than 2 sentences), is one of the clues from the Dares in this book! I just started this book, but I'm loving the creativity in the clues! It's really good so far.

Reading Resolutions Giveaway Hop

2011-01-03T00:01:00.000-08:00

This giveaway is now closed!

Are there any books you wished you could've read in 2010? Debut authors, maybe, who you never got around to reading their debut? I have some good news for you... you can still read them in 2011! Ok, lame joke, I know. But I know in 2011 I plan on reading a lot of books I never got around to in 2010, along with a bunch more new releases, of course.

I figured an appropriate way to begin the new year would be to give away a book that made my Top 10 of 2010 List. Number 9 on the list was Personal Demons by debut author Lisa Desrochers. I highly enjoyed this book and would recommend adding it to your 2011 reading list if you haven't read it already! To give one person that opportunity, I'm giving away 1 ARC copy as part of the Reading Resolutions Giveaway hop.

See my review of Personal Demons before you enter!

Goodreads Summary:
Frannie Cavanaugh is a good Catholic girl with a bit of a wicked streak. She has spent years keeping everyone at a distance—-even her closest friends—-and it seems as if her senior year is going to be more of the same . . . until Luc Cain enrolls in her class. No one knows where he came from, but Frannie can’t seem to stay away from him.

What she doesn’t know is that Luc is on a mission. He’s been sent from Hell itself to claim Frannie’s soul. It should be easy—-all he has to do is get her to sin, and Luc is as tempting as they come. Frannie doesn’t stand a chance. But he has to work fast, because if the infernals are after her, the celestials can’t be far behind. And sure enough, it’s not long before the angel Gabriel shows up, willing to do anything to keep Luc from getting what he came for. It isn’t long before they find themselves fighting for more than just Frannie’s soul.

But if Luc fails, there will be Hell to pay . . . for all of them.

Giveaway rules:

You must be at least 13 years old
Please only fill out the form ONCE.
You can have a total of 4 entries (all on the one form).
US only
Deadline: January 9

Note: This is a used, ARC copy that's been sitting on my shelves for awhile, but still in great condition!

Enter Here

And once you've entered, stop by all the other blogs in the hop!

In My Mailbox (15)

2011-01-02T14:28:00.001-08:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, showcasing all the books recieved in the previous week.

I recieved a few books via NetGalley, but with the amount of library books/hard review copies I recieved, I'm not going to share them here.

For Review:

Mystify by Artist Arthur

I've already had this one from Netgalley for awhile, but I finally got a hard copy! :)

Thanks Artist Arthur!

Bloody Valentine by Melissa de la Cruz

The latest Blue Bloods novella. I originally thought it was the next book in the series and am slightly disappointed to find it's only a novella, but I'm still very excited to read it.

Thanks to the publicity dept of Hyperion!

From the Library:

The Twin's Daughter by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

An interesting sounding story with what sounds like an amazing plot, and it's historical fiction. I can't wait to read it!

Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

Already read and loved it, see my review.

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

This is one of those books I "wished I'd read" in 2010. I look foward to reading it in 2011!

Ice by Sarah Beth Durst

This is a retelling of one of my favorite fairy tells ever (East of the Sun and West of the Moon). While I don't expect it to live up to East by Edith Pattou, I'm anxious to read it!

What did you get in your mailbox this week?

Book Review: Revelations by Melissa de la Cruz

2011-01-02T07:10:00.000-08:00

Title: Revelations
Author: Melissa de la Cruz
Series: Blue Bloods #3
Publisher: Hyperion
Release Date: October 28 2008
My Source: Library
Other Books In Series:
Blue Bloods
Masquerade

My Rating: 4/5

Goodreads Summary:

Have you ever wondered what secrets lurk behind the closed doors of New York City's wealthiest families? They're powerful, they're famous... they're undead.
Schuyler Van Alen's blood legacy has just been called into question--is the young vampire in fact a Blue Blood, or is it the sinister Silver Blood that runs through her veins? As controversy swirls, Schuyler is left stranded in the Force household, trapped under the same roof as her cunning nemesis, Mimi Force, and her forbidden crush, Jack Force.

When one of the Gates of Hell is breached by Silver Bloods in Rio de Janeiro, however, the Blue Bloods will need Schuyler on their side. The stakes are high; the battle is bloody; and through it all, Carnavale rages on. And in the end, one vampire's secret identity will be exposed in a revelation that shocks everyone.

My Review:

The third book in the Blue Bloods series, Revelations follows the same pattern as the books in the previous series. Very rich New York vampires, trying to make sense of the Silver Blood crisis that's threatening to destroy them all.

In previous reviews I mentioned getting irritated with the flat characters. Even though it still bothers me, I've seen some change in them. Previously, I thought Bliss had no personality because in the first book she was just Mimi's sidekick who had an unhealthy and random obsession with Dylan. But now I think she's acutally becoming her own character, and she's not nearly as boring to read about. So in that sense, this book was getting better.

The POV is the same as previous books- 3rd person, alternating between Schuyler, Bliss, and Mimi- but documents are randomly thrown in there, transcripts of random conversations that took place during other characters during Masquerade that explain the background of the plot twists in the previous book. I really like this, how the resolution of the plot of the previous book is well explained, with some questions still left open.

I've mentioned before this series isn't deep or extremely well written, but it's fun and I couldn't enjoy reading it more. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for an entertaining vampire plot, who just wants to read something for fun. That's what it is to me and I really enjoy reading it.

I read Revelations immediately following Masquerade, the second book in the series. Now I'm dying to get my hands on the fourth book. It's just plain addicting. This book gets 4/5 stars and I'd recommend it if you liked the previous books and are looking for a fun read without a whole ton of substance (but not without any).

Farewell 2010, It's Been A Good Year!

2010-12-31T10:34:00.000-08:00

I didn't read nearly as much as I wished I did this year... Next year will be a lot better, I promise!

My Top 10 Reads of 2010 (that I reviewed on my blog):

Yes, I actually did rank them in order. They are not neccesarily 2010 releases, though most of them are.

1. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
2. Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
3. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
4. Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
5. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
6. Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken
7. Linger by Maggie Stiefvater
8. Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce
9. Personal Demons by Lisa Desrochers
10. Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

About 75% of those are debut authors. Lots to look forward to in the years to come!

Most Anticipated Books of 2011

Delirium by Lauren Oliver (I'm currently reading this, but figured I'd mention it anyway since it's good!)
City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare
Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
Stolen Nights by Rebecca Maizel
Forever by Maggie Stiefvater
Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer
Wither by Lauren DeStefano
Entwined by Heather Dixon
Divergent by Veronica Roth
Sweetly by Jackson Pearce
Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting
The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan
Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton

And so many, many more!

2010 was good, but 2011 can only get better! (Let's hope so :))

100 Books In A Year Challenge

2010-12-31T10:16:00.001-08:00

This is my 3rd and final challenge I will be participating in for 2011! I heard about this challenge from Nat at The Book Girl, so thanks so much. :)

100 Books in A Year is hosted by Book Chick City.

I will be keeping track of each book I read in the "challenges" tab I recently added at the top. The books I read for this challenge will be crossovers from my other two challenges too. (You can tell I like challenges!)

Book Review: Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

2010-12-30T08:51:00.000-08:00

Title: Amy & Roger's Epic Detour
Author: Morgan Matson
Series: none (finally!)
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Release Date: May 4 2010
My Source: Library

My Rating: 5/5

Goodreads Summary:

Amy Curry thinks her life sucks. Her mom decides to move from California to Connecticut to start anew—just in time for Amy's senior year. Her dad recently died in a car accident. So Amy embarks on a road trip to escape from it all, driving cross-country from the home she's always known toward her new life. Joining Amy on the road trip is Roger, the son of Amy's mother's old friend. Amy hasn’t seen him in years, and she is less than thrilled to be driving across the country with a guy she barely knows. So she's surprised to find that she is developing a crush on him. At the same time, she’s coming to terms with her father’s death and how to put her own life back together after the accident. Told in traditional narrative as well as scraps from the road—diner napkins, motel receipts, postcards—this is the story of one girl's journey to find herself.

My Review:

This is a road trip book. Amy, who just finished her junior year of high school, is forced by her mother to drive across the country- from California to Connecticut- with a 19 year old guy named Roger, the son of her mother's friend she's never met. Her family is moving, and her mom needs the car and Amy across the country. Roger comes along to drive, because Amy refuses to drive ever since her dad died in a car crash, only 3 months earlier. But they deviate- alot- from Amy's mother's planned route, and end up taking a unique way to see the country, stopping by lots of places that really make the trip.

This is one of those stories you think is just going to be a cute, fun story, but ends up being a lot more than that. Amy is dealing with a lot of grief from her belief that she killed her father in the wreck because she was driving. The way she comes to terms with it and learns to move on with her life through her experiences on the road trip felt so realistic and I really connected with Amy and her emotions. Roger isn't without baggage either, throughout the trip he comes to terms with his past too.

The love story Matson wrote couldn't have been more perfect, either. It felt so realistic- Amy and Roger had chemistry from the beginning, creating some awkward moments and funny, realistic situations that as I reader, I could definitely relate to. I liked that they didn't get together right away- it takes awhile, though you know it's going to happen the whole time. (I mean, it's even obvious because of the front cover). I was just waiting for it, and when it finally happened, I squealed with delight.

This book made me laugh out loud a few times and smile at others. (I loved Roger's explorer obsession and "Edmund and Hillary Udell"... read it to know what I mean.) I was so into this book I just could not put it down. It's one of those rare stories you just really connect with and love.

I think my favortie thing about this book was the way the story was told using photos, receipts, flyers, hotel check-in confirmations, and other road trip paraphernalia. Most of the book was regular narrative, with this things popping up occasionally. And did I mention this whole book had playlists? Roger has a great taste in music and makes a bunch of fun playlists that I'm thinking about putting together and listening to myself.

This book convinced me that I need to read more contemporary fiction! I'm kind of feeling done with paranormal for a little while (Doesn't mean I'll stop reading it, though)- I still love fantasy and everything, but contemporary can portray stories of human experiences just as well.

Overall, this is probably the first contemporary fiction I've given a 5/5. I just can't find anything wrong with it! I would certainly read it again, maybe even on a road trip. ;)

Cover: 5/5
This is SO cute and portrays the book exactly. Love it.

Misguided Angel Giveaway

2010-12-29T05:49:00.000-08:00

I have one new hardback copy of Misguided Angel by Melissa de la Cruz to giveaway to a lucky reader! This is the 5th book in the Blue Bloods series. I highly recommend this series and if you want to get the latest book- this is it!

My reviews of previous Blue Bloods novels: Blue Bloods Masquerade

My Blue Bloods Series Fantasy Cast

I won't be posting the summary here for fear of spoiling it for those who haven't read the series.

EDIT:

Sorry guys, I'm an idiot and I forgot to post the rules! I hope this doesn't effect those of you who have already entered.

Giveaway rules:

You must be at least 13 years old
Please only fill out the form ONCE.
You can have a total of 4 entries (all on the one form).
US only (sorry international followers- go enter my Create-A-Sequel Challenge!)
Contest deadline: January 15

Enter Here

Out With A Bang Read-A-Thon List

2010-12-29T05:00:00.000-08:00

Starting today is the Out With A Bang Read-A-Thon! It's hosted by The Bookish Type and Book-Savvy.

Here's what their sites say about the Read-A-Thon:

The Readathon will run from December 29 - 31 and participants will be reading as many books as they can during that time! This Readathon is mainly to finish off the fabulous debuts for the Debut Author Challenge, but participants don't have to focus on that category if they have non-debut books that they would like to finish before 2010 ends.

This is the 2nd Read-A-Thon I've ever participated in, and while the last one wasn't too successful, I have virtually no plans for the next few days, so I hope to get a ton of reading done!

Here is my list of books I hope to read in the next 3 days:

Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

From The Dead by John Herrick

Entwined by Heather Dixon

Minder by Kate Kaynak

Logic of Demons by H.A. Goodman

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Once A Witch by Carolyn McCullough

Mystify by Artist Arthur

I'll see how many of those I can get through- though the list is subject to change because I can be pretty ADHD when it comes to reading sometimes.... haha.

I'm excited to get started!

2011 Blogging and Reading Goals

2010-12-28T09:30:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again... New Years Resolutions. I'm pretty goal-oriented, so I actually appreciate a time to set new goals for myself. And a lot of the time, I do end up accomplishing them.

With inspiration originally from The Story Siren, and other blogs I've seen doing it, I have decided to make a list of my own blogging and reading goals for 2011. Hopefully I'll get at least some of them accomplished!

1. Read 100 books
I figured this was a good number, especially considering how many other things I do. And I know I need to read more, I just do. Does anyone know if there's a challenge for reading 100 books in 2011? I haven't seen one but I'd love to join. Please let me know!

2. Become more active on Twitter
I'll admit it- I'm very shy on twitter. I always hesitate to start conversations and don't update often either. I think Twitter is a great resource that I've failed to utilize to be social, hopefully that will all change.

3. More Interactive Discussion Posts
I hope to have posts to get my readers involved more and to have more content instead of just memes and reviews. The couple discussions I have held so far have gone really well, but I'd love to do more! (I shamelessly stole this resolution from Melissa at I Swim For Oceans. I just liked it so much! :))

4. Comment on Blogs I Follow
This is almost as bad as the Twitter one... I hardly ever do it, and I know I really should. I read a lot of them, just never take the time to comment!

5. Improve My Design
There's a couple things I want to fix about my design, but I'm hopelessly inadequate. My navigation bar is completely messed up and overlaps my header. My twitter and RSS feed buttons are all different sizes... ahhh! So yeah, I sorta need help I think. Stupid blog design, haha. It's not that bad though.

Did you create a list? Link it up at My World... In Words and Pages.

Book Review: Masquerade by Melissa de la Cruz

2010-12-28T09:10:00.000-08:00

Title: Masquerade
Author: Melissa de la Cruz
Series: Blue Bloods #2
Publisher: Hyperion
Release Date: May 1 2007
My Source: Library
My Rating: 4/5

Goodreads Summary:
Schuyler Van Alen wants an explanation for the mysterious deaths of young vampires. With her best friend, Oliver, Schuyler travels to Italy in the hope of finding the one man who can help—her grandfather. Meanwhile, back in New York, preparations are feverishly underway for the Four Hundred Ball, an exclusive gala hosted by the city's wealthy, powerful, and unhuman—a true Blue Blood affair.

But it's at the after-party, a masquerade ball thrown by the cunning Mimi Force, that the real danger lurks. Hidden behind the masks is a revelation that will forever change the course of a young vampire's destiny.

Rich with glamour, attitude, and vampire lore, this second installment in the Blue Bloods saga will leave readers thirsting for more.

My Review:
Blue Bloods is a vampire series following 15-year-old Schuyler Van Alen who discovers she's a vampire, but not just any vampire. She learns that the Blue Bloods are a group of elite and super rich New Yorkers, but they're also vampires, she whether she likes it or not, she's one of them.

This book also follows Bliss and Mimi, two of Schuyler's fellow vampires and acquaintances. They all have their own interconnecting storylines going on, and it's told in 3rd person POV switching between the 3 girls.

The best part about this book was the plot and mystery. I won't take the time to explain it here, but the stakes are high and there are plenty of mysteries that come to light as the books progress.

As with the first book, there were plenty of details on exactly what every character was wearing, and sometimes, how much they cost. The character development is really lacking though- the only character I ever felt like I was really in their head was Mimi. Schulyer was ok, but Bliss was a very flat character with virtually no personality.

There were also a few weird unneccesary plot tangents, but they were very short. A subplot that started in the first book was Schulyer and Bliss's modeling careers. It added nothing to the book except a chance to describe a few more outfits. I really felt like this made no sense for Schulyer''s character. I didn't understand her because I never thought she'd be a model... but that's just kind of how this whole series is.

One more thing- this book implies that it will be about the Masquerade ball. In reality, the ball lasts for about 3 pages towards the beginning and is only mentioned a couple of times after that, and has really no significance to the plot. The summary is misleading.

You can tell I have a lot of issues with this series, but I absolutely cannot stop reading. This book was short and I read it in a day. I guess I'm calling this my "guilty pleasure" reading, because even though I have so many problems it's still such an entertaining read.

I would recommend this book if you're looking for a series of quick, juicy and entertaining reads. Don't expect a lot out of this series, but you'd be surprised by how quickly you tear through them. This book deserves 4/5 stars.

Cover: 4/5
It goes with the rest of the series just fine, but like I said, none of this book is really about a Masquerade.

Blue Bloods Series Fantasy Cast

2010-12-28T08:29:00.000-08:00

If you haven't heard me talk about it yet, Blue Bloods is the latest series I'm obsessed with. While reading, I've had actors in my head for a lot of the main characters, so I've created a fantasy cast for the Blue Bloods Series by Melissa de la Cruz. Check back later this week for a giveaway of one of the books in the series!

I'm only on the 3rd Blue Bloods book, so my cast won't include any characters introduced afterwards (if there even are any). Please don't mention anything spoiler-y about the characters in the comments!

Schulyer Van Alen- the outcast who's suddenly thrust into the spotlight in the vampire world. Pretty, but in a natural, not a flashly way like Mimi. Played by...

Dakota Fanning. I think she would be absolutely perfect if she dyed her hair darker. Plus, she actually looks 15, like Schuyler is. She has the right look of fragileness combined with smarts, and she's a fantastic actress.

Bliss Llewellyn- the beautiful new girl. Curly red hair, tall, and gorgeous. Played by...

Rachel Hurd-Wood. I don't know if she's perfect, but she's the only one that came to my mind. She's pretty, and has the long curly red hair going (It's not curly in this picture, but is in others). As a bonus, she's only 20 years old.

Jack Force- very handsome, but also wise. The vampire twin, or soulmate, of Mimi, though he is starting to fall in love with Schulyer instead. Played by...

Chad Michael Murray. I know he's too old, but this is a fantasy cast, right? I couldn't get him out of my head for Jack throughout the whole book. I just think he's perfect.

Oliver Hazard-Perry -the human best friend of Schuyler. Ordinary looking. Played by...

Jamie Bell. He looks a little too old, but I just love him, and once again, it's a fantasy cast! His hair in this picture reminds me of Oliver for some reason. This pick I'm least solid on though- if you have any other Oliver suggestions let me know! I was having a hard time finding anyone who looked like Oliver in my mind.

Mimi Force- the blonde, beautiful, controlling and manipulative, ultra rich girl who always wears the latest fashions and shuns those that don't. Jack's vampire twin, or soulmate. Same blonde hair as him. Played by...

Alyson Michalka. I think a lot of actresses could play Mimi, but I like Alyson because she looks like that girl that has everything. And I could see her with Chad Michael Murray looking like a stunning couple.

Dylan Ward- the Blue Blood who was mysteriously transformed by the Silver Bloods... also Bliss's crush/love. Played by...

Justin Chatwin. I don't really like Dylan's character, I find him dull, but I find Bliss pretty dull too. But Justin is spot on to how I imagined Dylan.

Kingsley Martin- poses as a high schooler, but is actually a bit older. Very good looking and mysterious. We're unclear whose side he's really on... (at least at the point in the book where I'm at!) Played by...

Zac Efron. From the second Kingsley was introduced I had Zac in my head, and the more I read the more perfect I realized he was. He's got the good looks, he's the perfect age, and I think he'd play the mysterious hot guy really well. :)

What do you think about my picks? Do you have any of your own suggestions to add?

Book Review: Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

2010-12-27T07:32:00.000-08:00

Title: Linger
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Series: The Wolves of Mercy Falls #2
Release Date: July 13 2010
Publisher: Scholastic Press
My Source: Bought
My Rating: 4.5/5

***Warning: This review contains spoilers if you haven't read Shiver. Read at your own risk!***

Goodreads Summary:
In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabel, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.

My Review:
Linger is the sequel to Shiver (read my review here). Sam was a werewolf who couldn't stay a human, but now he's permanently a human. I thought Shiver ended really nicely. I liked it, but I couldn't see how a sequel would be interesting, and therefore did not jump to read Linger. Shiver just ended very nicely on it's own. Not to mention the fact that I wasn't terribly impressed with Shiver. It lacked a really interesting driving plot and the characters were very predictable.

So that's why it took me forever to get around to reading this one. I am so glad I did! I thought this book would be a rehashing of Shiver, but the other way around (Grace turning into a wolf?). But it wasn't, thank goodness. Here's what made the book amazing for me: Cole and Isabel. Cole was a new character and Isabel was a supporting character that shifted into a main character. We got to hear from both of their points of views in this book.

Both Cole and Isabel presented entirely unique voices and thoughts on the werewolf conflict. The characters were extremely well developed and unique, and I loved and hated them both at the same time. I think this whole book could've been told about just the two of them- those were the good parts.

The adorable romance between Sam and Grace was the highlight of Shiver. It didn't develop much more in this book, but it was still nice to have there on the side. I loved it how both Sam and Grace really wanted to be with each other forever and were even plausibly thinking about getting married. (Not right away of course, but in the future). It was realisitic to me that they wanted this because that's what real people do when they're in love- they want to get married. It felt like a real romance.

There wasn't a lot of plot or action going on here, and this is probably the first book where that didn't bother me. I got so lost in reading about the characters I didn't care about action. Credit to Maggie Stiefvater for being such an amazing writer to make me not care about action. That certainly doesn't happen often.

I'm debating on 4 and 4.5 stars on this one, but I think I'll go with 4.5 stars because it was better than Shiver. I recommend this one if you liked Shiver- or even if you didn't.

Cover: 3.5/5
It fits the book, but I don't think I would've picked up this book on cover alone. Though I do like the color scheme of the series and the words of the book being printed in each book's color.

In My Mailbox Christmas Edition

2010-12-26T12:27:00.000-08:00

Hey guys- welcome to my Christmas edition of IMM where I share all the wonderful gifts I recieved this Christmas.

Oh yeah, IMM is hosted by the wonderful Story Siren (even though she's taking a break until the new year).

Without further ado, here is my vlog:

From Library:

Anastasia's Secret by Susanne Dunlap
Masquerade by Melissa de la Cruz
Revelations by Melissa de la Cruz
The Juliet Club by Suzanne Harper
Once a Witch by Caroline MacCullough

Recieved as a present:

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
A KINDLE!!!

Merry Christmas everyone! (Yeah, I know it's the day after Christmas but I'm still in the spirit :))

I'm taking a break from Fun Weekly Findings for now because all I would post about is awesome stuff about my new kindle (did you know it does so much stuff?!?- surfing the web, playing MP3's... besides reading books of course too :)).

SHIVER giveaway winner!

2010-12-24T09:37:00.001-08:00

I have two lucky winners of a paperback copy of the book SHIVER by Maggie Stiefvater!

Drumroll please.....

Here they are:

Ammy Belle

Indigo

Congrats! I've emailed you both and be sure to send me your address and I'll get them shipped out as soon as possible.

And thanks once again to the publisher for giving me these copies to give away. :)

If you didn't win, there is still a chance to win something else! Enter my Create-A-Sequel Challenge (it's super easy!). This is an INTERNATIONAL giveaway too!

Create-A-Sequel Challenge (And International Giveaway)

2010-12-22T04:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Create-A-Sequel Challenge!

This is part of First Come, Second Served, hosted at Down the Rabbit Hole.

What you have to do:

1. Choose a book that DOES NOT have a sequel. It can be a sequel itself, or even the last book in the series. There needs to be no plans for a sequel out yet, or if there a sequel in the works (not released yet) and very limited amount of information on it, you can use that book too as long as you ignore the sequel that is in the works when creating your challenge idea. For more information on what books might work, see below.

2. Take this book and write a short description of your own idea of what the sequel should be. By short, I mean mimimum of a few sentences and maximum of a few paragraphs. It has to be completely from your own imagination- no influence from a real sequel that is being made.

3. Fill out the form below to submit your idea!

Some things to keep in mind:

Examples: You could write a sequel to Lauren Oliver's Before I Fall, a book that does not have a sequel, and create your own idea of what would happen next. You could also write a sequel for a book such as City of Glass, which, though there is a sequel in the works, there is a very limited amount of information released about it, so your idea would have to be completely original with an original title. You could also write a sequel to a book such as Breaking Dawn, which, though it is a sequel itself, there are no plans for a follow up novel.
You have to name your book idea! There is a required spot on the form.
The sequel can be more of a companion-novel. It doesn't have to feature the same narrator or main characters, just some of the same characters.
Don't think too hard about it- it doesn't have to be the perfect idea, it's just for fun.
After submitting your idea, feel free to post it on your own blog if you have one! (But you do not need a blog to participate.)

If you have any questions, feel free to ask me in the comments section.

This is entirely just for fun and intended to work your creativity skills! I am absolutely in no way intending to make the authors' own work seem unimportant or invalid. Please give all credit deserved for the ideas/characters in the books to the fabulous authors who wrote them!

What You Can Win:

Your choice of a book listed below from The Book Depository

Important Giveaway Info:

Open internationally (where ever The Book Depository ships)
All winners will be chosen randomly!
You must have a legitimate original sequel idea (see my rules above)- if not you will be disqualified from winning the giveaway.
If you win, you get only 1 book- either the first book in a series or it's sequel, your choice.
All Sumbissions Must Be In By January 5th

Books or Their Sequels to Choose From If You Win (These are some of my personal favorites/books I'm dying to read):

Pick only one book, either the first one or it's sequel.

Fallen or Torment by Lauren Kate
Shiver or Linger by Maggie Stiefvater
Gone, Hunger, or Lies by Michael Grant
Any book from The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Iron King or The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa
The Luxe, or any book by Anna Godbersen
Any book from the Gemma Doyle series by Libba Bray
Any book from the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld
Life As We Knew It or The Dead And The Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Any book from the Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr
Prophecy of the Sisters or Guardian of the Gate by Michelle Zink
City of Bones, City of Ashes, or City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
Rampant or Ascendant by Diana Peterfreund
Hush, Hush or Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick
Any book from the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead
The Maze Runner or The Scorch Trials by James Dashner
Perfect Chemistry or Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles
Beautiful Creatures or Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Any book from the House of Night series by P.C. and Kristin Cast
Wondrous Strange or Darklight by Lesley Livingston

I hope that gives you enough books to choose from! I know it is a very long list. :)

ENTER HERE

Winners will be chosen randomly, but I can't wait to read what people come up with! And remember, this is purely for fun. (I might possibly post some of the best ideas, though). All credit for the characters and worlds go to the authors!

Teaser Tuesday from MASQUERADE

2010-12-21T09:34:00.000-08:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

•Grab your current read
•Open to a random page
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
•Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"Like all of the girls assembled, Bliss couldn't take her eyes off him.
As though he could feel her stare, he turned around and looked her directly in the eye.
And winked."

-pg 137, Masquerade (Blue Bloods #2) by Melissa de la Cruz

I'm reading this book as part of First Come, Second Served Month!

Author Interview with Artist Arthur

2010-12-17T04:13:00.000-08:00

I read Manifest a couple of weeks ago and loved it! (see my review here). Today I have the priveldge of posting an interview with the author, Artist Arthur. Manifest is her debut YA novel.

Author Bio:
I am the first born and only girl in my family, and six and nine years separate me and my two brothers. Needless to say, I was alone quite a bit. But being alone gave me plenty of time to indulge my imagination in the world of books. One of the first novels I read was a young adult series that traced the lives of two teenagers in high school, Sweet Valley High. Reading those novels I thought I could do better, and so my quest to write entertaining stories began.

Being an introvert, it took me a long time to feel comfortable enough to let others read my work. How long? Well, the first person to read a story I wrote was my husband. Since then, I’ve been writing professionally for almost nine years now. But it was my daughter who encouraged me to write a book for teens—just one of the reasons I love her so dearly.

I live in Maryland with my husband and three children. If you take away the opinionated teenagers, family drama, overflowing bookshelves and DVDs, my life is pretty boring. But don’t take those things away, since they’re my inspiration.

Manifest Goodreads Summary:
When fifteen-year-old Krystal Bentley moves to Lincoln, Connecticut, her mom's hometown, she assumes her biggest drama will be adjusting to the burbs after living in New York City.

But Lincoln is nothing like Krystal imagined. The weirdness begins when Ricky Watson starts confiding in her. He's cute, funny, a good listener—and everything she'd ever want—except that he was killed nearly a year ago. Krystal's ghost-whispering talents soon lead other "freaks" to her door—Sasha, a rich girl who can literally disappear, and Jake, who moves objects with his mind. All three share a distinctive birthmark in the shape of an M and, fittingly, call themselves the Mystyx. They set out to learn what really happened to Ricky, only to realize that they aren't the only ones with mysterious powers. But if Krystal succeeds in finding out the truth about Ricky's death, will she lose him for good?

_______________________________

Interview

Bold=Ava Regular= Artist Arthur

I love the cover for Manifest and I think it really fits the book. Did you have any say in it?
No, unfortunately I didn't. I just sent a description of Krystal and this is what they came up with. I love it too!

What kind of research did you have to do in order to get a background for the mythology in the Mystyx series?
I've always loved Greek Mythology so I have tons of books on the subject. When I started to plan this series I knew I wanted the mythology elements to play a big role.

What made you chose the setting be the town of Lincoln, Connecticut?
My thought was for a small coastal town that was all but forgotten until these strange things begin to happen. I'm always trying to take readers to a place they've never been so I finally decided a fictitional town would be a great option.

If you could have any Mystyx power what would it be?
Telepathy. There's so much dishonesty in the world I think, for at least a day, I'd like to know what people are truly thinking.

Describe your writing process- do you have a special place and time you write?
My preference is to write early in the morning, when hubby and kids are asleep because its so quiet and my creativity can really flow. However, I usually end up writing throughout the day either typing or handwriting scenes. If I'm in a deadline crunch I'll write in the evenings but that's usually family time.

If you could have one of your characters from Manifest over for dinner, who would it be?
Wow, three months ago the answer would have come quickly...Jake. Today, there's a few of them I'd like to sit down and chat with. LOL So, I guess I'd have to say Lindsey, because I'm dying to know how her story unravels.

Where did you get your inspiration for this paticular story?
A couple of places or things -- my daughter is an avid reader of YA paranormal so she had plenty of ideas and at one time during my teen years I felt like the outsider so I kind of wanted to explore a world where outsiders could save the day.

Favorite book(s)? Movie(s)? TV show(s)?
I love books, romance & young adult, so I have too many favorites to list. Grease is my all-time favorite muiscal, but Love Jones is my favorite movie. I'm so behind on TV shows, but I Love Lucy, Charmed and Bones are at the top of my list.

What is one thing your readers would be surprised to learn about you?
That I'm really shy. I know, I say that now and people are like, "Nah, no way." But it's true, an introvert I am.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

To Read the Sequel?

2010-12-16T06:38:00.000-08:00

While participating in First Come, Second Serve month, which features reading sequels to books we've loved, I've thought of an interesting question. I'm curious what other think of it because this question has come up with in my own reading life quite a bit recently.

If you didn't like the first book in a series (but didn't outright hate it either) is it worth reading the sequel?

I have asked myself this on multiple occasions. Every time I finish a book and only rate it 3/5 stars, I always say I am still excited to read the sequel, because I am. But then I buy the sequel and check it out from the library and find so many other books that I want to read more, so I never get around to reading that sequel. I feel like I'm wasting time that could be spend reading something much for valuable and better.

The idea of First Come, Second Served was to narrow our TBR pile of sequels. I only put sequels on my list that I think I'm genuinely excited to read, but others I didn't include because I wasn't sure if I really wanted to read the sequel in the first place. It got me thinking, and this post was born.

If the first book isn't very good, can the sequel still be amazing? I really have yet to come across any like this, but please share with me. I'm so divided on this subject right now, I don't know if it's worth my time to pick up sequels I'm not expecting much from.

Recently, I have come across a few sequels that I'm not sure if I should pick up. If you love any of these books, let me know so I should read them.

Should I read any of these:

Torment by Lauren Kate

See my review of Fallen
Besides another awesome cover, I'm not sure if there's anything in this book making it better than the first, and I don't really want to take the time to go through another huge book.

Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

See my review of Shiver
Before you start hating me- listen!!! I know so many people who love Linger and Shiver. So that's why I'm really going to give Linger a chance. I even liked Shiver, a lot. I'm currently reading Linger, but I've been reading it for a week and a half now, and I am still on page 50. Somehow I keep finding myself reading other books and wondering if Linger is worth it...

Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr

I read Wicked Lovely a long time ago, way before I had a blog. Looking back, I probably would've rated it a 3/5.
I checked this out from the library probably 3 times now but have never read it before it was due. I still really want to read it, but I'm not sure if it's worth it.

Sequels I will most likely never read:

Blue Moon by Alyson Noel

Ehh... Evermore is not a book I would ever want to read again. Nothing original at all and I couldn't stand the characters.

Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld

See my review of Leviathan
I've seen a bunch of great reviews for Leviathan, but once again, it just wasn't for me, so I'm not interested in the sequel, though in this case I believe it will probably be better than the first.

I want to hear some other opinions- comment on this discussion! Have you ever read a sequel WAY better than the first book, or decided simply not to continue a series/read a sequel? We all have but I'm curious- what books in paticular?

End of 2010 Survey

2010-12-15T16:30:00.000-08:00

Since 2010 is almost over, I figured this survey would be a nice way to wrap up my year. I still feel like I just started my blog even though it's been over 5 months, so it's hard for me to pick some of these, but I'm doing my best. This survey was created by The Perpetual Page Turner.

Note: A lot of these books link to my reviews, but since I started by blog in July, I have a lot of books on this list I read before I started blogging and therefore don't have reviews for.

1. Best Book of 2010?

I know I've praised it a million times before on this blog, but I am in love with Before I F all by Lauren Oliver. One of my new all time favorites.

2. Worst book of 2010?

I hate to say a book is terrible, I really couldn't stand Evermore by Alyson Noel (I read it before I started my blog). Out of all the ones I reviewed, even though I gave it three stars, I did not like Fallen by Lauren Kate at all.

3. Most Disappointing Book of 2010?

Matched by Ally Condie. Don't get me wrong- I did enjoy this book a lot (I gave it four stars), but I was just expecting SO much more. I didn't really talk about this much in my review because I didn't want to give the impression that I didn't like the book, because I did. But it had so much potential and hype that just wasn't fulfilled.

4. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2010?

Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel! I was expecting nothing going into this. It looked like just another vampire book. I wouldn't have bought it, but I borrowed it, and I was so glad I did! It was a completely new take on vampires (something very hard to find these days) and a wonderful one!

5. Book you recommended to people most in 2010?

I always recommend The Hunger Games trilogy of course, but another series I was telling my friends about was City of Bones by Cassandra Clare (and now, Clockwork Angel which was just as good). Even though I read them a year ago, I still love them so much!

6. Best series you discovered in 2010?
I haven't discovered a whole ton of series, but I guess I really like Julie Kagawa's Iron Fey series (The Iron King and The Iron Daughter).

7. Favorite new authors you discovered in 2010?
John Green is awesome, I discovered him earlier this year. Maggie Stiefvater and Carrie Ryan are also great new authors I read this year.

8. Most hilarious read of 2010?
Percy Jackson series... totally awesome.

9. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2010?

Mockingjay! And the whole Hunger Games series easily takes this one.

10. Book you most anticipated in 2010?

Once again- Mockingjay hands down. I didn't anticipate anything else nearly as much as this one.

11. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2010?

It seems like almost every book has another stunning cover! So here's a few beautiful covers (regardless of how I felt about the book)- Fallen by Lauren Kate, Halo by Alexandra Adornetto, and Paranormalcy by Kiersten White.

12. Most memorable character in 2010?

I'm in love with Wayland North from Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken. :)

13. Most beautifully written book in 2010?

I love the Maggie Stiefvater's writing in Shiver. The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff was very well written also.

14. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2010?

Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott... this book made me FEEL so much emotion.

15. Book you can't believe you waited UNTIL 2010 to finally read?

I read The Princess Bride earlier this year- I've always loved the movie but I was so glad I read the book! I loved it!

Book Blogging in 2010 (optional)

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2010?

I just started blogging this year, so all of them!

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2010?

Looking back at a bunch of my old reviews, I realized I've gotten a lot better at writing reviews since when I started my blog! Just looking through some of my recent ones, I think my review for Elixir by Hilary Duff was pretty good, well written and everything.

3. Best discussion you had on your blog?

I'm not sure if it counts as a discussion, but I've had a lot of really cool posts. One was Gina's Guest Post: 9 Most Costume Inspiring Stories. It's Halloween themed, but it's still an awesome post and I encourage you to check it out! A more "discussion" related post was the Team Gale post I had back in August. That was a lot of fun to write and there were some great comments.

4. Most thought-provoking review or discussion you read on somebody else's blog?
There's so much, I couldn't name just one!

5. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?

Down the Rabbit Hole's YA Love Triangle Week was awesome.... that's all that comes to mind right now.

6. Best moment of book blogging in 2010?

There's a bunch of awesome moments, but I'd probably say when I started actually recieving books in the mail from publishers/authors (which was really just a few weeks ago).

7. Best bookish discover (book related sites, book stores, etc.) ?

Book Blogs! Seriously, I knew blogs existed but I'd never imagined people would have a blog entirely devoted to books. I discovered some of my first ones in April this year, then started mine at the end of June.

Book Review: Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

2010-12-13T17:31:00.000-08:00

Title: Nightshade
Author: Andrea Cremer
Series: Nightshade
Publisher: Philomel
Release Date: October 19, 2010
My Source: Library
My Rating: 5/5

Goodreads Summary:
Calla Tor has always known her destiny: After graduating from the Mountain School, she'll be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Laroche and fight with him, side by side, ruling their pack and guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But when she violates her masters' laws by saving a beautiful human boy out for a hike, Calla begins to question her fate, her existence, and the very essence of the world she has known. By following her heart, she might lose everything— including her own life. Is forbidden love worth the ultimate sacrifice?

My Review:
Nightshade didn't catch my eye at first. It looked good, but nothing special. The summary hardly does the book justice. For me, it was just another paranormal that I was looking forward to, but not dying to read or anything.

Well, then it was released and suddenly a bunch of 5 star reviews starting popping up everywhere. Five stars? I could hardly believe another werewolf book could be this good. Am I getting cynical about books? I hope not.

If I am, Nightshade changed all that for me. I was expecting something good, but Nightshade blew me away! This book was amazing! Best paranormal book of the year and it really made me want to be a werewolf, or should I say, Guardian.

Calla is the alpha female of her new wolf pack, and she kicks butt. But then she falls in love with Shay, a human, but soon learns there's more to him than she originally thought. At the beginning I didn't really connect with Shay too much and I thought their relationship moved a little fast. But as the book progressed, I started to love him!

Ren is the alpha male Calla is supposed to be with- under the orders of her pack's rulers, the Keepers. Unlike Shay, I liked Ren from the very beginning. I honestly think I could go either way- Ren or Shay. They were both great male characters. I can't wait to see more of them in the future!

The plot, though a little predictable (the second half especially), reminded me of a good dystopian. Plenty of suspense and aboslutely impossible to put down. It ended with a cliffhanger- something I sometimes love and sometimes hate- this time I think it worked very well. I can see a great set-up for the next book already.

I'm so glad I read this. I've been in a bit of a slump, disappointed in a lot of YA paranormals. But this book was everything I've been looking for in other books and just couldn't find.

I finished this 450-page book in 2 days...it was impossible to put down. Definitely deserves 5 stars! I'm going to be buying this one and reading it over again before the next book comes out. :)

In My Mailbox (14)

2010-12-12T13:04:00.000-08:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren.

Here's all the books I received this week:

For Review:

Rival by Sara Bennett Wealer ARC (Thanks HarperTeen!)

Won:

Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler (Thanks Confessions of a Bookaholic and Sarah Ockler)

From the Library:

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

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Week In Review:

Reviews I Posted:

The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

Currently Reading:

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

Upcoming Reviews:

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

And while you're here, stop by my giveaway for Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater. It's part of First Come, Second Served Month, where we're reading sequels for the whole month of December. (I'm reading Linger right now, I should have it finished but I'm behind...)

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Fun Weekly Findings

This is a new feature I'm going to be doing where I am going to share one new thing I discovered this past week- it can be absolutely anything, from a new word I learned, to a new cover release I found, to a new book blog I discovered, or anything else. It's going to be a fun way for me to share cool new stuff- bookish or non-bookish! I will share only one thing or many, whatever I feel like.

1. I only have one thing to share this week but it's awesome news if you haven't heard it yet. They have officially chosen the actress to play Clary in an upcoming City of Bones movie! Cassandra Clare posted about it on her blog here.

Clary will be played by Lily Collins (she was in The Blind Side). I can see her as Clary, I think she's a great choice! (With red hair, of course). I can't wait for the movie to come out, though I'm nervous at the same time because I think it would be very easy to screw it up like some other movie adaptions of novels I've seen.

What do you think of the casting choice?

YA Historical Fiction Challenge

2010-12-11T14:47:00.000-08:00

In 2011, I hope to explore more of one of my favorite genres- historical fiction. So I'm joining YA Bliss's Historical Fiction Challenge!

The goal? Read 15 Historical Fiction books in 2011. (I'm going for Level 3!)

This list is subject to change, and as I read find more Historical Fiction books, I'll add them to this post.

1. Bright Young Things by Anna Godberson
2. Vixen by Jillian Larkin
3. In the Shadow of the Lamp by Susanne Dunlap
4. Faithful by Janet Fox
5. Daughter of Xanadu by Dori Jones Yang
6. Cate of the Lost Colony by Lisa M. Klein
7. A Spy in the House by Y.S. Lee
8. The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell
9. Revolution by Jennifer Donnelley
10. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
11. The Season by Sarah Maclean
12. No Shame, No Fear by Ann Turnbull
13. A Sweet Disorder by Jacqueline Kolosov
14. The Betrayal of Maggie Blair by Elizabeth Laird
15. The Last Full Measure by Ann Rinaldi

Anybody else participating in this challenge?

Book Review: The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

2010-12-10T18:16:00.000-08:00

Title: The Replacement
Author: Brenna Yovanoff
Series: The Replacement #1
Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: Sept. 21 2010
My Source: Library
My Rating: 3.5/5

My Review:

Mackie Doyle is not one of us. Though he lives in the small town of Gentry, he comes from a world of tunnels and black murky water, a world of living dead girls ruled by a little tattooed princess. He is a Replacement, left in the crib of a human baby sixteen years ago. Now, because of fatal allergies to iron, blood, and consecrated ground, Mackie is fighting to survive in the human world.

Mackie would give anything to live among us, to practice on his bass or spend time with his crush, Tate. But when Tate's baby sister goes missing, Mackie is drawn irrevocably into the underworld of Gentry, known as Mayhem. He must face the dark creatures of the Slag Heaps and find his rightful place, in our world, or theirs.

My Review:

I didn't realize how long it has been since I've posted a review. Allow me to apologize. :) Especially since I finished The Replacement about a week ago.

Maybe it's due to the fact that I haven't written a review in a while that this review is a bit unconventional. Or maybe it's just because The Replacement was not a very conventional book.

World building- I loved it so, so much. The small town of Gentry seems so typical at first, but we soon learn that dark secrets keep the whole town running. Weird things happen there all the time but the citizens are so ignorant, only believing what they want to, to avoid facing the dark truths. Yovanoff does an absolutely beautiful way of conveying this sense in her writing, characters, and the way the town is described. It's all very vague at first, which may bother some people, but I didn't mind it, because as the book progressed it became much more clear.

Mackie Doyle was amazing and I loved him. It was such a unique perspective to hear from. He wasn't supposed to live when he was younger, yet by the love of his family, especially his sister, he did. I also loved reading about Tate, Drew, Danny, and all the other supporting characters.

This book had so many good elements, but I had one issue that is a bit difficult to pin down exactly: it was too put-down-able. It took too long to really get to the plot and besides Mackie's charm, I found it hard to find something to keep reading. The resolution of the plot was fairly simple, and it all ended well, almost too well.

According to Goodreads, this is the first of a series called "The Replacement", so I'm expecting there to be sequels, though that is a bit disappointing for me because for some reason I think this book would be better as a stand alone. It wrapped up it's own story really well.

I almost don't want to rate this book, because I feel like I can't compare it to others. I didn't love it or hate it, it was just there somewhere in the middle. I'm giving this book a 3.5/5 rating, though I debated for a while about giving it a 4. I've read a lot of other people's reviews and they all love this book, so I would recommend it!

I want to caution anyone, I was surprised by the amount of strong language and f-bombs that frequently showed up in this book. It wasn't a ridiculously extreme amount, but if it bothers you this may not be the book you'd want to pick up.

Funny story- while I remember this- when I checked it out from the library the first time a section of 25 pages was missing from the middle, and it was a brand new book. I didn't realize they were missing until getting about a fourth of the way through it, and I was very upset! I finally got another copy though. Thinking back, this was a such a weird thing to come across in a brand new book and I think it makes this book all the more creepy. Maybe the Lady or some other creature cut them out? No, wait, they can't handle scissors. Metal. ;)

Cover: 5/5
It conveys such a creepy tone that really fit this book. Sharp metal objects hanging over a baby crib? Perfect.

Waiting On Wednesday: Ripple by Mandy Hubbard

2010-12-08T04:00:00.000-08:00

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Ripple by Mandy Hubbard

Release Date: July 21 2011

Goodreads Summary:
Lexi is cursed with a dark secret. The water calls to her, draws her in, forces her to sing her deadly song to unsuspecting victims. If she succumbs, she kills. If she doesn’t, the pain is unbearable. To keep herself and those she cares about safe, she shuts herself off, refusing to make friends or fall in love—again. Because the last time she fell in love with a boy, he ended up dead.

Then Lexi meets Cole. Against her better judgment, she finds herself opening up again, falling in love when she knows she shouldn’t. But when she’s offered the chance to finally live a normal life, she learns that the price she must pay to be free of her curse is giving him up.

In Ripple, Mandy Hubbard spins a sea-ravaged tale of melancholy beauty, and the choices one girl makes between land and waves, love and freedom, her future—and her heart.

Why I'm Excited:
Mermaids/Sirens are probably the one paranormal genre I have yet to read a lot of books in, but the one I have read I loved. I've heard great things about Mandy Hubbard too though I have yet to read any of her books. This book looks amazing and the cover really caught my eye- I love the girl's dress, the stormy sky, the sea in the background... I hope the book is just as good!

What's your pick this week?

Teaser Tuesday

2010-12-07T17:24:00.000-08:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

•Grab your current read
•Open to a random page
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
•Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teaser:

"It reminded me of the warm spring days taht used to unfold me from my wolf form, days when I was so happy to get my fingers back.
It seemed so wrong to be alone right now."

-pg 171 of Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

If you love Shiver, you have to read Linger! I'm so glad I'm finally getting around to reading it. And if you haven't read Shiver yet, get a chance to read it by entering my giveaway here!

Shiver Giveaway

2010-12-07T04:00:00.000-08:00

I'm giving away 2 paperback copies of Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater, as part of First Come Second Served Month!

Goodreads Summary:

the cold.
Grace has spent years watching the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—watches back. He feels deeply familiar to her, but she doesn't know why.

the heat.
Sam has lived two lives. As a wolf, he keeps the silent company of the girl he loves. And then, for a short time each year, he is human, never daring to talk to Grace...until now.

the shiver.
For Grace and Sam, love has always been kept at a distance. But once it's spoken, it cannot be denied. Sam must fight to stay human—and Grace must fight to keep him—even if it means taking on the scars of the past, the fragility of the present, and the impossibility of the future.

Shiver is an awesome book I read awhile ago-see my review here! If you haven't read it yet, here's a perfect opportunity to get started on The Wolves of Mercy Falls series.

Giveaway rules:

Please only fill out the form ONCE.
You can have a total of 4 entries (all on the one form).
US only
You must be a follower of Book Infinity.
Contest deadline: December 21

To enter: Fill out the form here.

Giveaway generously supplied by Scholastic, Inc.

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. THANKS FOR ENTERING!

First Come, Second Served Month

2010-12-06T05:12:00.000-08:00

Welcome to First Come, Second Served Month! To see a master list of all the giveaways and interviews happening this month, go here.

I will be reading one sequel a week. This week I will be reading Linger by Maggie Stiefvater.

Goodreads Summary:
In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.

Linger is book 2 of The Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy, the sequel to Shiver. I'm excited to start reading it!

If you're participating, link your reviews of sequels up over at Down the Rabbit Hole at the end of each week. (You don't have to sign up to participate or anything, either, just enter the giveaway by posting a review!)

Book Infinity

NaNoWriMo... In December!

Book Review: Inheritance by Christopher Paolini

Reality (it's great)

Book Review: Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

Book Review: Entwined by Heather Dixon

Book Review: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

In My Mailbox (Sorta, But Not Really...)

Book Review: The Liar Society by Lisa and Laura

I Never Thought I Would Say This

Book Review: The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan

In My Mailbox (21)

Book Review: Awakened by P.C. and Kristin Cast

Book Review: Darkest Mercy by Melissa Marr

ARC's for Trade

Inheritance Series Book 4: News and Opinions

Interview w/ Kate O'Hegarty (Mieradome)

Book Review: Mieradome by Kate O'Hegarty

Book Review: 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

Cover Reveals to Die For (1)

In My Mailbox (20)

Fixing Delilah Winner!

I Will Start Reviewing Books Again... I Pinky Promise

Giveaway! Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler

In My Mailbox (19)

Book Review: Rival by Sara Bennett Wealer

Waiting On Wednesday: Between Shades of Gray

Old Favorite Review: Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix

A General Post on Book Reviews...

Book Review: Bloody Valentine by Melissa de la Cruz

Blog Tour: Guest Post w/ Melissa de la Cruz (Bloody Valentine)

My Most-Read Authors

Waiting On Wednesday: Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton

Book Review: Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr

In My Mailbox (18)

Why the Love Triangle?

Book Review: Something, Maybe by Elizabeth Scott

What's Happening...

Book Review: Misguided Angel by Melissa de la Cruz

Waiting On Wednesday: Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins

Old Favorite Review: Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism

Book Review: Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

In My Mailbox (17)

Book Review: From the Dead by John Herrick

New Button and Other Minor Changes

Book Review: The Van Alen Legacy

Teaser Tuesday (5)

In My Mailbox (16)

Book Review: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Old Favorite Review: Gregor the Overlander Series

Giveaway Hop/Create-A-Sequel Winners

"Old Favorite" Reviews

Book Review: Dash and Lily's Book of Dares

Giveaway Updates!

Teaser Tuesday (4)

Reading Resolutions Giveaway Hop

In My Mailbox (15)

Book Review: Revelations by Melissa de la Cruz

Farewell 2010, It's Been A Good Year!

100 Books In A Year Challenge

Book Review: Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

Misguided Angel Giveaway

Out With A Bang Read-A-Thon List

2011 Blogging and Reading Goals

Book Review: Masquerade by Melissa de la Cruz

Blue Bloods Series Fantasy Cast

Book Review: Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

In My Mailbox *Christmas Edition*

SHIVER giveaway winner!

Create-A-Sequel Challenge (And International Giveaway)

Teaser Tuesday from MASQUERADE

Author Interview with Artist Arthur

To Read the Sequel?

End of 2010 Survey

Book Review: Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

In My Mailbox (14)

YA Historical Fiction Challenge

Book Review: The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

Waiting On Wednesday: Ripple by Mandy Hubbard

Teaser Tuesday

In My Mailbox Christmas Edition