~Loves to Read~

In The Forests of the Night by Kersten Hamilton

2011-11-18T08:17:00.000-08:00

Title: In the Forests of the Night
Author: Kersten Hamilton
Pages: 288
Publisher: Clarion Books
Release Date: November 22nd, 2011
Source: Netgalley for review

Synopsis:
Teagan, Finn, and Aiden have made it out of Mag Mell alive, but the Dark Man’s forces are hot on their heels. Back in Chicago, Tea’s goblin cousins show up at her school, sure she will come back to Mag Mell, as goblin blood is never passive once awoken. Soon she will belong to Fear Doirich and join them. In the meantime, they are happy to entertain themselves by trying to seduce, kidnap, or kill Tea’s family and friends. Tea knows she doesn’t have much time left, and she refuses to leave Finn or her family to be tortured and killed. A wild Stormrider, born to rule and reign, is growing stronger inside her. But as long as she can hold on, she’s still Teagan Wylltson, who plans to be a veterinarian and who heals the sick and hurting. The disease that’s destroying her—that’s destroying them all—has a name: Fear Doirich. And Teagan Wylltson is not going to let him win.

My Thoughts:

Rarely do I ever love sequels as much as the first book in the series, In the Forests of the Night is definitely an exception to the sequel slump. I’m going to keep this review spoiler free because I don’t want to ruin it for those who have yet to read the amazing-ness that is Tyger, Tyger.

Teagan’s character was so strong, self-less, caring and she was willing to do whatever it took to keep her family and friends away from harm. She’s one of the few female characters that doesn’t have me shaking my head with a “What was she thinking?” Teagan actually seemed to be making the best decisions that will benefit and help the people she cares about even if the choices she makes aren’t easy ones.

Abby was one of the characters I wanted more of in the sequel and Kersten Hamilton definitely had more of Abby’s hilarious ditzy one liners. She definitely brings in the laughs even in some pretty serious and intense situations. Abby is definitely still by Teagan’s side and adjusting to all the craziness that comes along with being Teagan’s friend.

Aiden didn’t really have as strong of a role in this book, but he was still the same old adorable, voice prodigy, Elvis impersonator hater, that I loved from the beginning. I’m hoping he’ll have a greater role in the next book.

The romance is still going strong for Finn and Teagan, but I wasn’t really feeling the chemistry with them as much this time around. It wasn’t until the second half the book where I started seeing the spark come back. It will be interesting to see where these two will end up.

I’ll admit the story was a bit slow to start as we read about the day to day lives of Tea, her family, friends, and the hectic household filled with strange creatures running/flying around. I actually enjoyed reading about their lives and it was a nice build up to when they go back into Mag Mell, which like I said in my review for Tyger, Tyger is a character in itself. The book was filled with so much suspense and drama by the end that the wait for the next book is going to be extremely hard.

The Goblin Wars series is filled with everything I love and I will strongly recommend to everyone who wants a great entertaining read.

Rating:

Mini reviews: Other Words for Love/ Anna and the French Kiss

2011-09-01T08:23:00.000-07:00

Title: Other Words for Love
Author: Lorraine Zago Rosenthal
Pages: 368
Published: January 11th, 2011
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Source: Bought By Me

Other Words for Love is set in 1980’s Brooklyn. It tells the story of teen Ari who is trying to figure out love and discovering the person she is and where she belongs. This book was really different from other stuff I’ve read for one I went into it knowing it was a romance type story which isn’t normally something I would pick up, but there was something that just drew me to it.

We get to know Ari from being a young teenaged girl who hasn’t yet experienced life who falls for any boy that takes notice of her to a being a mature independent young woman. We were given Ari’s day to day life which does sound like it would be kind of dull, but it felt more like I was reading someone’s actual life and experience. It was so easily relatable to me from the friendships, family life, and the boys. Lorraine Zago Rosenthal wrote a great debut and I’ll be looking forward to reading some more from her in the future.

Quote:

"You're better than most girls. And all of this," he said, glancing at my bed, "it's okay if you love somebody. So I can wait until you feel that way."

Rating:

Title: Anna and the French Kiss
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Pages: 372
Published: December 2nd, 2010
Publisher: Dutton
Source: Bought By Me

I’m one of those readers who was really hesitant to read this book even though there were so many raving reviews. Honestly it seemed like it would be a cutesy, cheesy, love story, set in Paris, but boy was I wrong. There was plenty of drama and heartbreak to keep me entertained.

Anna is sent to Paris for her senior year which leads to a lot of complaining in the beginning which got pretty annoying after a while. Who wouldn’t want to be in Paris? Of course her disappointment doesn’t last long when she meets a super cute looking boy named Etienne St. Clair, problem is that cute boy has a girlfriend which leads to plenty of tears and many, many mixed signals between the two of them.

I did enjoy Anna and the French Kiss but Etienne and Anna both had their faults one they both shared was not being able to communicate their feelings for each other. Obviously there wouldn’t of been a story had it been resolved that easily, but still all thir back and forth made me want to yell at them, “You both like each other now go for it!!!”

Overall it was a really addicting, charming, fun, book and Stephanie Perkins is officially on my must buy list of her future releases.

Quote:

"Why is it that the right people never wind up together? Why are people so afraid to leave a relationship, even if they know it's a bad one?"

Rating: .5

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

2011-06-29T08:15:00.000-07:00

Title: Beauty Queens
Author: Libba Bray
Pages: 390
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Published: May 24th, 2011
Source: Bought By Me

Synopsis:

From bestselling, Printz Award-winning author Libba Bray, the story of a plane of beauty pageant contestants that crashes on a desert island.

Teen beauty queens. A "Lost"-like island. Mysteries and dangers. No access to emall. And the spirit of fierce, feral competition that lives underground in girls, a savage brutality that can only be revealed by a journey into the heart of non-exfoliated darkness. Oh, the horror, the horror! Only funnier. With evening gowns. And a body count.

My Thoughts:

I have been waiting for Libba Bray to release a new book for such a long time! So when I heard about Beauty Queens my first reaction was “Must have now!!!” So yeah I pretty much rushed out and got myself a copy on day one and unfortunately finished the book far too soon instead of savoring every single word.

The concept of Beauty Queens is pretty awesome. A plane crash filled with teen beauty queens who are then stranded on an island to fend for themselves, how does that not grab your attention. That’s not all there’s also an evil corporation doing some nasty business, with the main leader being a strange little man who dresses like Elvis, Momo B. Chacha (I kind of emphasized his name in my head every time to sound a bit like Mojojo… random :/)

The girls at first were not so likeable to me. It did take a while for them to grow on me. They were just too shallow, vindictive, and the stereotypical way girls “supposedly” act towards each other by comparing themselves to one another and feeling superior to everyone. As the story goes along though you realize there’s so much more to all of them and I actually found myself to having some similarities to quite a few them which I found pretty interesting. It was great to see how the girls manage to survive on their own and making their own choices for once. By the end, I pretty much loved every single girl even the once that remained pretty ditsy.

Beauty Queens is like Clueless meets Miss Congeniality mixed with a bit of Survivor rolled into one. Beauty Queens is at times hilarious, ridiculous, over the top ludicrous, but it also has some touching moments with a not so subtle women empowerment message which I loved every second of it. I strongly recommend this book meanwhile I will have be patiently waiting for some more of Libba Bray's awesomeness.

Quote:
“I’ve learned that feminism is for everybody and there’s nothing wrong with taking up space in the world, even if you have to fight for it a little bit, and that if you don’t feel like smiling or waving, that’s okay. You don’t have to, and you don’t have to say sorry.”

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

2011-06-27T08:15:00.000-07:00

Title: Across the Universe
Author: Beth Revis
Pages: 398
Publisher: Razorbill
Published: January 11th, 2011
Source: Bought By Me

Synopsis:
Amy is a cryogenically frozen passenger aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed. She expects to awaken on a new planet, 300 years in the future. But fifty years beforeGodspeed's scheduled landing, Amy's cryo chamber is unplugged, and she is nearly killed.

Now, Amy is caught inside an enclosed world where nothing makes sense.Godspeed's passengers have forfeited all control to Eldest, a tyrannical and frightening leader, and Elder, his rebellious and brilliant teenage heir.

Amy desperately wants to trust Elder. But should she? All she knows is that she must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets before whoever woke her tries to kill again.

My Thoughts:

This review is coming four months too late since I’ve read Across the Universe, yet the story and characters are still pretty fresh in my memory. This book definitely had quite the impact on me. It had so much going on from mysteries, romance, adventure, and many shocking twists.

I’ll admit that at first the “sci-fi” kind of put me off since the whole space thing has never really been my thing since I usually associate sci-fi with aliens, probing, and that kind of stuff. To be honest Across the Universe didn’t feel like science fiction other than being in a spaceshift traveling through space. It felt more like a dystopian to me and a quite frightening , controlling, brain washed one at that.

From the very beginning I was hooked. The story starts off in the present with Amy going through a rather scary and vividly described cryogenic process along with her mother and father who will be awoken 300 years into the future to help establish a new world. It was such a painful and terrifying start to a book that had me wincing the whole way through in the you just can’t look away or in this case stop reading.

When Amy is abruptly unplugged 50 years too soon she finds herself in Godspeed, the space ship that was set to land on a new planet. Told in alternating p.o.v’s she forms a bond with Elder the future commander of the ship who feels just as much as an outsider as Amy. When other people start being unplugged and being killed they start to investigate who is doing this and why, only to discover there are many more secrets that are being hidden from them.

Across the Universe had me at the edge of my seat from beginning to end. If you yet to read this fantastic book then you definitely must pick this one up in the near future.

Quote:
“This is the secret of the stars, I tell myself. In the end, we are alone. No matter how close you seem, no one else can touch you.”

Rating:

In My Mailbox (43)

2011-03-27T07:47:00.000-07:00

I finally went book shopping this week! It was so hard choosing what to get, but this is what I finally settled on...

Bought:

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

(I finally got it! I love this cover so I had to get my copy just in case... Plus I've heard the book is awesome so that's an added bonus.)

Warped by Maurisa Guibord

(This book sounds really interesting. I'm curious to find out what the terrible secret is.)

Babe in Boyland by Jody Gehrman

(This book reminds me a bit of She's the Man, so I'm hoping it will be as fun to read as it sounds.)

Haven by Kristi Cook

(I've been reading some positive reviews on this book. It sounds like a good paranormal book on magic.)

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

(There seems to be so much excitement for the sequel to this book, so I had to get it so I could hopefully join in and see what makes this series so great.)

NetGalley:

The Girl in the Steel Corset

by Kady Cross

(I absolutely love this cover!!! This is my first steampunk read and I'm loving it so far.)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren.

The Marbury Lens by Andrew Smith

2011-03-25T12:00:00.000-07:00

Title: The Marbury Lens
Author: Andrew Smith
Pages: 368
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Published: November 9th, 2010
Source: Bought by me

Synopsis:

Sixteen-year-old Jack gets drunk and is in the wrong place at the wrong time. He is kidnapped. He escapes, narrowly. The only person he tells is his best friend, Conner. When they arrive in London as planned for summer break, a stranger hands Jack a pair of glasses. Through the lenses, he sees another world called Marbury.

There is war in Marbury. It is a desolate and murderous place where Jack is responsible for the survival of two younger boys. Conner is there, too. But he’s trying to kill them.

Meanwhile, Jack is falling in love with an English girl, and afraid he’s losing his mind.

Conner tells Jack it’s going to be okay.

My Thoughts:

What drew me to The Marbury Lens were the reviews from readers on how disturbing and twisted this book is. I thought it can’t be that bad, so of course curiosity got the best of me and I just had to see what made this book so disturbing to the point where people were so put off by it. Yes it was a bit psychologically twisted and strange, but it’s not as horrifying as I expected it to be.

The story starts out with Jack, an average teenage boy, leaving a party and getting kidnapped and tortured. Jack somehow manages to escape this sadistic serial killer. After telling his best friend Conner about what happened they plan to get revenge for what was done to Jack. Which ends up ending worse than what they anticipated. After all of this, Jack and Conner head off to London for the summer. Jack is given a pair of lenses that transports him to the world of Marbury. In this world he is with a few younger boys trying to survive a war that is going on. Jack soon becomes enraptured with this other world to the point where he has black outs from real life unsure of how he got to certain places or things he’s done. He has to decide on helping out the friends he has in Marbury and trying to stop the war that is happening or to return to his old life.

I’m still unsure on how I feel about the book especially the ending. It came off a bit Jacob’s Ladder-ish. I was left thinking was it all just a hallucination? Did Jack really escape the kidnapping or he is still being held captive? Is Marbury a real place or is it all in Jack’s head? What is Marbury anyways? So many questions!

The book does contain sexual content, rape, murder, cannibalism, drug use, underage drinking, lots of swearing. I would recommend it to more mature readers. Although I hate having to come up with my own interpretations for endings, I would recommend the book to those who want a dark, twisted, thought provoking story.

Quote:
"What are you looking for, Jack? Something to get away with?
Don't fool yourself, Jack. You haven't gotten away from anything."

Rating:

The Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder

2011-03-24T05:00:00.000-07:00

Title: The Lipstick Laws
Author: Amy Holder
Pages: 240
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Release Date: April 4th, 2011
Source: NetGalley

Synopsis:

At Penford High School, Brittany Taylor is the queen bee. She dates whomever she likes, rules over her inner circle of friends like Genghis Khan, and can ruin anyone’s life with a snap of perfectly manicured fingers. Just ask the unfortunate few who have crossed her.

For April Bowers, Brittany is the answer to her prayers. April is so unpopular, kids don’t know she exists. One lunch spent at Brittany’s table, and April is basking in the glow of popularity.

But Brittany’s friendship comes with a high price tag, and April decides it’s not worth the cost. Inspiring and empowering, this is the story of one girl who decides to push back.

My Thoughts:

I’m sure everyone else thought the same thing when they heard about this book and that was it sounds like Mean Girls! I love Mean Girls so of course I was excited to read The Lipstick Laws. Girl on girl drama in real life sucks, but in the world of fiction it’s always interesting to see how the whole thing is played out. The Lipstick Laws definitely didn’t disappoint when it came to getting revenge on the person who did you wrong.

After April’s only friend in school moves away she is left all alone to blend into the background. That is until she is partnered with Miss Popularity Britney Taylor, she has to choose between following the rules known as “The Lipstick Laws” or be shunned to full loserdom by Britney and her clique.

Britney was the type of girl who let out her insecurities on other girls to make them feel horrible about themselves. I was really hoping that she would have some redeeming qualities, but even when the reasons behind why she was so judgmental, hurtful, and mean were revealed I still had no sympathy for the girl.

There were a few times where I didn’t agree with April’s choices for wanting to be friends with Britney. Especially when that “friend” wanted to control every aspect of her life. April also wasn’t all that innocent when it came to being a bully or self centered. I really didn’t like how she treated Delvin McGerk, a boy she’s known her whole life, just because he wasn’t popular. I also didn’t understand why Delvin would like someone who was rude to him in the first place. It was just a cycle of taking hits just to be liked.

There were so many cringe worthy moments throughout the book. Some were laugh out loud funny, but quite a few made me go “Oh, no!” Many of those moments revolved around April Bowers and her tissue stuffed bras. One event in particular which involved a swimming pool...

If you want a light, fun, quick, read then The Lipstick Laws is the perfect book to read. I’m really looking forward to reading some more books by Amy Holder in the future. I also wouldn’t mind a sequel since the ending did seem like there could be just a tad bit more story to be told. The book does contain some underage drinking.

Quote:
“Gulp. I feel my heart pounding out of my chest. Yes, it’s a fact; I have sealed the deal. I stamped, certified, and lips ticked my life in a package sent through Priority Mail directly to the devil herself… and there’s no turning back.”

Rating:

Teaser Tuesday

2011-03-22T05:00:00.000-07:00

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

The Girl in the Steel Corset

by Amy Holder

"Coming back for more, eh?" Felix grinned at her. "I like a little fight in my girls."

She grinned at him, causing blood to dribble down her chin. "Then you're going to love me." pg14 (e-arc)

I just started this book yesterday and from the few chapters I've read so far it seems like it's going to be one I'll enjoy. It's also my first steampunk read so should be interesting. I really like Finley's character so far. Female characters who can fight for themselves are always awesome.

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

2011-03-21T09:51:00.000-07:00

Title: Whiter
Author: Lauren DeStefano
Pages: 368
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing
Release Date: March 22, 2011
Source: Simon & Schuster Galley Grab

Synopsis:

By age sixteen, Rhine Ellery has four years left to live. She can thank modern science for this genetic time bomb. A botched effort to create a perfect race has left all males with a lifespan of 25 years, and females with a lifespan of 20 years. Geneticists are seeking a miracle antidote to restore the human race, desperate orphans crowd the population, crime and poverty have skyrocketed, and young girls are being kidnapped and sold as polygamous brides to bear more children.

When Rhine is kidnapped and sold as a bride, she vows to do all she can to escape. Her husband, Linden, is hopelessly in love with her, and Rhine can’t bring herself to hate him as much as she’d like to. He opens her to a magical world of wealth and illusion she never thought existed, and it almost makes it possible to ignore the clock ticking away her short life. But Rhine quickly learns that not everything in her new husband’s strange world is what it seems. Her father-in-law, an eccentric doctor bent on finding the antidote, is hoarding corpses in the basement. Her fellow sister wives are to be trusted one day and feared the next, and Rhine is desperate to communicate to her twin brother that she is safe and alive. Will Rhine be able to escape—before her time runs out?

My Thoughts:

Rhine lives in a world where the average life expectancy for females is 20 years and for males 25. Rhine being 16 only has 4 years left so when she is kidnapped and forced into a polygamous marriage. She wants nothing more than to escape this life of enclosure and find her twin brother Rowan.

Before reading Wither I noticed many favored more towards Linden ,the man Rhine was forced into marriage with, but I had a difficult time adjusting to his character. Linden was just so oblivious to what his father was doing which made it hard for me to really like his character because of his ignorance and just believing everything his father said. Speaking of which I couldn’t understand why Housemaster Vaughn was the way he was. I get that he wants to find a cure for his son, but his means of finding it were just so wrong. I had a hard time figuring out his character. Gabriel is part of the triangle between Linden and Rhine. He’s one of the servants and because of this Rhine forms a fast bond with him. I don’t think Gabriel was as well developed in the story as the other characters so I never really saw the connection between the two of them. The whole romantic part of the book didn’t appeal to me as much as it did for others.

What I enjoyed the most was the bond the girls, or sister wives, made with each other. They were all so different yet because of the life they were forced into they managed to become so close. Cecily was the youngest of the girls who just settled with what life had thrown at her and was more accepting to pleasing Linden and his father. Jenna was the oldest and seemed to just completely shut down emotionally towards everything. Rhine came off as the strongest of the three and determined to escape.

The world in Wither wasn’t as detailed as I would think a dystopia should be. I was left with many questions about the world Rhine lives in, which I hope will all be explained a bit more in the next books although it would have been nice to have gotten all that info first.

I found Wither to be a highly enjoyable and addicting book, but like with every other beginning to a series I was left with quite a few questions. I’ll be looking forward to the sequel, in which we will hopefully be introduced to Rowan.

Quote:
“ There are lots of love stories here,” she says. “They either end happily, or everyone dies.” She laughs, but it sounds more like a sob. “What else is there, right?”

Rating:

In My Mailbox (42)

2011-03-12T23:52:00.000-08:00

Won:

Deception by Lee Nichols

I won this book back in January from Amelia Imagination in Focus. I'm hoping to read it soon, I really like the sound of it. Thank you, Amelia.

Review:

The Mind Readers by Lori Brighton

Banana Kiss by Bonnie Rozanski

(I accepted these two for review in Janaury. I've been reading some positive things about The Mind Readers so I'll be looking forward to reading it. Banana Kiss I haven't heard much of, but the story sounds pretty interesting.)

NetGalley:

Hereafter by Tara Hudson

Die For Me by Amy Plum

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

(All of these books look and sound amazing! Can't wait to finally read them.)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren.

Through Her Eyes by Jennifer Archer

2011-03-11T07:55:00.001-08:00

Title: Through Her Eyes

Author: Jennifer Archer

Pages: 384

Publisher: Harperteen

Release Date: April 5, 2011

Source: Book Trade

Synopsis:

Sixteen-year-old Tansy Piper moves with her grandfather and her mother, a horror writer, to the setting of her mother's next book--a secluded house outside of a tiny, desolate West Texas town. Lonely and upset over the move, Tansy escapes into her photography and the dark, seductive poems she finds hidden in the cellar, both of which lure her into the mind and world of a mysterious, troubled young man who died sixty years earlier.

My Thoughts:

Tansy Piper has spent most of her life moving from place to place so that her mother, an author of horror stories, could get a feel for the setting of the book she is currently writing. Tansy has a passion for photography and spends most of her free time taking pictures. When Tansy moves to a small town in Texas with her mom, and grandfather, Papa Dan, who no longer speaks, she starts experiencing some strange things. When she discovers a journal filled with poems, Tansy finds herself immersed in a different time seeing through the eyes of a young girl, Isabel. She slowly finds herself being drawn into this world where her Papa Dan was still a teen and Henry the boy she believes to have written the poems was still alive.

Tansy actually reminded me of myself when I was 15... She was a bit overdramatic, closed off, and complained quite a bit about the “natives” throughout the book. I could, unfortunately, relate to a few of the situations she had gone through. Especially when the best friend, that was left behind starts dating the guy you were semi-dating or in Tansy’s case had a crush on. Tansy became a bit too sensitive and instead of communicating with her friend she just chose to ignore her calls and emails. That part of the story could have easily been resolved, but I’ve been there done that so I can’t really complain since it was pretty realistic for me… I’m sure she’ll be quite relatable to younger teens as well.

Henry was believed to have committed suicide many years ago. When Tansy starts going into the past and becomes Isabel she believes that there’s much more as to what really happened. She starts investigating with the help of 13 year old genius for her age, Beth aka Bethyl Ann, or “Stinky” to the towns people. Tansy starts to question what happened that night to Henry on the bridge and each vision into the past brings her closer to the answer. Without consequences of course, she soon comes to realize the more she visits the past she is bringing a part of that along with her into her time. Beth has to find out the truth before she becomes completely lost to Isabel’s time.

A few of the characters were a bit cliché, the mean girls for one, and the popular jock, Tate, who gave off way too many mixed signals, but other than that they were pretty enjoyable. Papa Dan was surprisingly one of my favorites even though he didn’t say much or well anything at all, but you could really sense how much Tansy loved him and how wonderful he truly was. Beth took a little getting used to with all her Shakespeare quoting, but she was young and smart which made her an outcast to all the high school students. It was nice how Tansy and Beth clicked with one another. Tate, the jock, wasn’t too bad. He definitely kept me guessing as to what kind of person he was and why Tansy saw him in Henry.

Through Her Eyes was an enjoyable and haunting book. Although, it wasn’t as spooky as I expected it to be. I’ll be looking forward to reading some more teen books by Jennifer Archer in the future.

Quote:

“The image in the photograph shimmers, shifts, fades to black-and-white. My hand trembles, and I drop the crystal as the scene in the snapshot broadens and surrounds me…”

Rating:

Chime by Franny Billingsley

2011-03-09T10:00:00.000-08:00

Title: Chime
Author: Franny Billingsley
Pages: 320
Publisher: Dial
Release Date: March 17, 2011
Source: Trade

Synopsis:

Briony has a secret. She believes her secret killed her stepmother, destroyed her twin sister’s mind, and threatens all the children in the Swampsea. She yearns to be rid of her terrible secret, but risks being hanged if she tells a soul. That’s what happens to witches: They’re hanged by the neck until dead.

Then Eldric arrives—Eldric with his golden mane and lion eyes and electric energy—and he refuses to believe anything dark about Briony. But he wonders what’s been buried beneath her self-hatred, hidden in Rose’s mangled thoughts, and whispered about by the Old Ones. And Briony wonders how Eldric can make her want to cry.
Especially when everyone knows that witches can’t cry.

A wild, haunting mystery and romance that is as beautifully written as it is captivating.

My Thoughts:

After the death of her step mother, Briony is left with so much guilt and believes the only way anyone else can be happy is for her to hate herself. She blames herself for the death of her step mother and her twin sister Rosy's mental illness. Briony has to keep this secret to herself because if she reveals it she will be killed, for being a witch.

Briony just broke my heart. She would deny herself many things because she believed she wasn't capable of loving anyone or bad things will happen. I really wanted her to realize she wasn’t a bad person and even though she said she was jealous and didn’t like her sister it was obvious how much she truly cared about Rosy. I loved Briony’s character even though she didn’t like herself all too well.

Rosy's character is one that will forever be young at heart. She was an interesting character. Even though she was perceived to not have an understanding of things Rosy turned out to be the most aware of what was around her than everyone else did. There were many secrets she kept to herself which I was curious to find out what they could possibly be.

The relationship with Briony and Eldric was really sweet. Eldric was someone Briony needed in her life in order to overcome all of the negative feelings she had for herself.

The ending was such a wonderful surprise. For some reason I didn’t see it coming even though it was pretty much hinted at throughout the whole book.

The writing was so beautiful with a somewhat classic fairy tale feel to it, which I absolutely adored! I would highly recommend reading Chime to those who love magic, fantasy, mystery, romance, and oh so brilliant, wonderful, amazing, lovable characters.

Quote:
“ How can you possibly think me innocent? Don't let my face fool you; it tells the worst lies. A girl can have the face of an angel but have a horrid sort of heart."

Rating:

I'm Back! Sort of...

2011-03-08T09:15:00.000-08:00

So first I must say thank you for all your kind comments you all left while I was gone.

I've seriously missed the book blogging world while I was away. I actually haven't finished a single book in the past month. I've started reading plenty I just haven't finished any of them I have around 8 books on my shelf that have only been read half way and just been set aside. I'm hoping to get some reading done soon so that I could have some reviews up by next week. I'll also be stopping by some other blogs to catch up on what's new in the book world. I've already missed so much!

Anyways this will be me for the next week...

Also do any of you have any book recommendations for books released the month of February and March or any other book I must read???

I need to do some serious book shopping this weekend. Thanks.

The Lost Saint by Bree Despain

2011-01-20T07:47:00.000-08:00

Title: The Lost Saint
Author: Bree Despain
Pages: 404
Publisher: Egmont USA
Published: December 28th, 2010
Source: Bought by me

Synopsis:
The non-stop sequel to The Dark Divine delivers an even hotter romance and more thrilling action than Bree Despain's first novel. Grace Divine made the ultimate sacrifice to cure Daniel Kalbi. She gave her soul to the wolf to save him and lost her beloved mother. When Grace receives a haunting phone call from Jude, she knows what she must do. She must become a Hound of Heaven. Desparate to find Jude, Grace befriends Talbot - a newcomer to town who promises her that he can help her be a hero. But as the two grow closer, the wolf grows in Grace, and her relationship with Daniel begins to crumble. Unaware of the dark path she is walking, Grace becomes prideful in her new abilities - not realizing that an old enemy has returned and deadly trap is about to be sprung. Readers, raveous for more Grace and Daniel, will be itching to sink their teeth intoThe Lost Saint.

My Thoughts:

First of all, what’s up with all these we fought so hard to stay together in book 1 and now in book 2 we’re all secretive and lying to each other: New Moon, Crescendo, Beautiful Darkness, "practically every other book 2", etc. and now The Lost Saint. Seriously? It’s like separating and finding new romantic interests are a must in sequels. Because of that it sort of took away from my enjoyment of The Lost Saint. I just didn’t think the new guy brought in or Daniel and Grace being all secretive was necessary other than to add some filler boyfriend/girldfriend drama to get to main plot of the story which was to find the lost saint, Jude.

The Dark Divine I read at super speed. I couldn’t get enough of the characters, mystery, action, and plot. With The Lost Saint it took me much longer to get through and honestly the characters didn’t click too well with me. The plot twists at the end I found rather predictable as well.

There were some things I did enjoy about The Lost Saint. The inner struggle of Grace as she tries to fight the evil trying to take over was really interesting. It was hard not to sympathize with her situation since she had lost her brother to the wolf and saw how much it affected her family. The search for Jude is what kept me interested the most, which unfortunately wasn't focused on as much as I hoped it would be.

Of course, like all other series, The Lost Saint ends in somewhat of a cliffhanger. I found it to be very reminiscent of Shiver. We’ll see how it all comes together in the third book, which I’m really hoping I will find it much more enjoyable than the sequel.

Quote:
“Remember Grace. If you let anger into your heart, it will push out your ability to love."

Rating:

Teaser Tuesday

2011-01-18T07:00:00.000-08:00

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

The Marbury Lens

by Andrew Smith

"I was thinking, What if the world was like that? What if we only saw one surface of it, the outside, but there was all kinds of other stuff going on, too? All the time. Underneath. But we just don't see it, even if we're part of it? Even if we're in it? And what if you had a chance to see a different layer, like flipping a channel or something? Would you want to look? Even if what you saw looked like hell? Or worse?" pg. 134

I'm really liking this book. Some parts are pretty intense, it reminds me a bit of Jacob's Ladder. It's pretty psychologically twisted.

In My Mailbox (41)

2011-01-16T07:00:00.000-08:00

Bought:

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

(I read the first chapter and loved it so I had to get it ASAP!)

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

(I've been hearing many great things about this series and it sounded like something I could enjoy, but it wasn't until I read Amelia's review that finally had me sold. Can't wait to read it!)

The Marbury Lens by Andrew Smith

(I keep hearing how disturbing this book is and there has been some controversy surrounding it so curiosity got the best of me and of course I had to get it.)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren.

Slice of Cherry by Dia Reeves

2011-01-13T11:17:00.000-08:00

Title: Slice of Cherry
Author: Dia Reeves
Pages: 512
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: January 4th, 2011
Source: Bought by me

Synopsis:

Kit and Fancy Cordelle are sisters of the best kind: best friends, best confidantes, and best accomplices. The daughters of the infamous Bonesaw Killer, Kit and Fancy are used to feeling like outsiders, and that’s just the way they like it. But in Portero, where the weird and wild run rampant, the Cordelle sisters are hardly the oddest or most dangerous creatures around.

It’s no surprise when Kit and Fancy start to give in to their deepest desire—the desire to kill. What starts as a fascination with slicing open and stitching up quickly spirals into a gratifying murder spree. Of course, the sisters aren’t killing just anyone, only the people who truly deserve it. But the girls have learned from the mistakes of their father, and know that a shred of evidence could get them caught. So when Fancy stumbles upon a mysterious and invisible doorway to another world, she opens a door to endless possibilities…

My Thoughts:

I didn’t think it was possible for the already twisted and strange town of Portero, Texas to get any weirder than it already was. With Slice of Cherry, Dia Reeves made an even darker, twisted, deliciously gruesome story of two sisters who find joy in grotesquely killing off the bad guys.

Kit and Fancy are the daughters of Portero’s Bonesaw Killer. Being outcasted by everyone the girls share a really close bond and spend all their time together. Fancy wants nothing more than to keep her mother, Kit, and herself together and wants nothing or no one to come between them. When Kit starts spending more time with a boy, Fancy starts to feel left out and ignored which results in letting all that anger out in her "happy place."

The girls were similar by how troubled and disturbed they were, but they both wanted different things. Kit wanted to find love. She was more outgoing and actually wanted to experience life. While Fancy on the other hand was more closed off and just wanted everything to stay the same. When Ilan and Gabriel enter their lives, that's when things start to change. The boys story was just as intense if not more than the girls. They are the sons of the Bonesaw Killer's last victim. Fancy didn't trust them and she absolutely hated Gabriel for taking Kit away from her. It was interesting getting to know a bit more about Ilan and Gabriel and the secrets they were hiding.

I greatly enjoyed Slice of Cherry, but it might not be for everyone especially if you’re squeamish. It actually wasn’t as gruesome as I thought it would be, but there’s one scene in particular that included evisceration that was pretty horrifying so be forewarned. I’m extremely looking forward to reading what Dia Reeves comes up with next.

Quote:
“I’m the Bonesaw Killer’s daughter,” she whispered, almost to herself. “Why would you ever think I was good?”

Rating:

Teaser Tuesday

2011-01-11T07:00:00.000-08:00

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

Wither

by Lauren DeStefano

"Quietly, without looking back, he leaves me to my grief. But instead of tears, when I press my face against the pillow, a horrible, primal scream comes out of me. It's unlike anything I thought myself capable of. Rage, unlike anything I've ever known."

pg. 7 (ARC)

I just started Wither last night so I'm not that far in but it's really great so far!

Vixen by Jillian Larkin

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

Title: Vixen: Flappers #1
Author: Jillian Larkin
Pages: 421
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Release Date: December 14th, 2010
Source: Contest Win

Synopsis:
Jazz . . . Booze . . . Boys . . . It’s a dangerous combination.

Every girl wants what she can’t have. Seventeen-year-old Gloria Carmody wants the flapper lifestyle—and the bobbed hair, cigarettes, and music-filled nights that go with it. Now that she’s engaged to Sebastian Grey, scion of one of Chicago’s most powerful families, Gloria’s party days are over before they’ve even begun . . . or are they?

Clara Knowles, Gloria’s goody-two-shoes cousin, has arrived to make sure the high-society wedding comes off without a hitch—but Clara isn’t as lily-white as she appears. Seems she has some dirty little secrets of her own that she’ll do anything to keep hidden. . . .

Lorraine Dyer, Gloria’s social-climbing best friend, is tired of living in Gloria’s shadow. When Lorraine’s envy spills over into desperate spite, no one is safe. And someone’s going to be very sorry. . . .

From debut author Jillian Larkin, VIXEN is the first novel in the sexy, dangerous, and ridiculously romantic new series set in the Roaring Twenties . . . when anything goes.

My Thoughts:

The Roaring 20’s in Chicago is where Vixen takes place. Flappers, drama, danger, so much controversy, fun! Unfortunately, with Vixen I just couldn’t quite get passed the characters personalities and actions to fully enjoy the story.

Gloria and Lorraine are best friends. They are living the life of luxury where they have everything handed to them, but of course they don’t want the perfect life their parents have to offer them. Instead they force themselves into the life of a flapper filled with speakeasies, boys, pixie cuts, and gangs… When Gloria’s cousin “Country” Clara shows up, Gloria is less than thrilled to have her holier than thou cousin there to make sure Gloria’s high ranked wedding will go according to plan. Clara has a few secrets of her own that are more outrageous than anything Gloria and Lorraine can imagine.

All the drama and controversy sounded like it would be extremely entertaining, which it was, but the girls were just too mean, shallow, envious, and just felt superior to everyone else that I couldn’t enjoy the story as much. Lorraine has to be my least favorite of the girls. She is the most jealous, conniving, spoiled brat, and sets out to ruin Gloria, her “best friend”. I did feel bad for her at one point when she actually tries to be a friend, but that didn’t last long she just went from bad to worst.

Gloria started off similar to Lorraine with feeling superior to everyone, but by the end she actually managed to grow on me and became less self absorbed. I felt sorry for her situation of being forced into marriage when she was falling in love with someone else that her parents or society wouldn’t accept.

Clara was my favorite or at least the most enjoyable of the three girls. She was probably the most fake out of all of them, but she was the only who actually had a reason to be. The mysterious notes she was receiving were what kept me interested the most. I did predict the secrets she was trying to leave in the past, but when, how, and by whom it was revealed was definitely worth the wait.

While I didn’t enjoy this book one hundred percent, it was still an entertaining book filled with so much drama. I’ll be reading the sequel especially since I’m sure the characters have grown up quite a bit and will be more likeable, except for that one which I’m sure will be my Lina Broud (The Luxe) version 2.

Quote:
“ The ghosts of the past were supposed to stay in the past, not haunt her in the present. The only question was: Which ghost was this? And what did it want from her?”

Rating:.5

In My Mailbox (40)

2011-01-09T07:00:00.000-08:00

Bought:

Slice of Cherry by Dia Reeves

(I've already finished it and it's so strange. Really good though!)

Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink

(I've been wanting to read this one for a while and I finally got it. It's been compared to Gemma Doyle books, so I hope it's good.)

The Lost Saint by Bree Despain

(Can't wait to get started on this one!)

Review:

Wither by Laren DeStefano

(Huge thanks to Simon & Shcuster GalleyGrab. I've only heard great things about Wither. I'm really looking forward to reading it.)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren.

Claire de Lune by Christine Johnson

2011-01-06T10:30:00.000-08:00

Title: Claire De Lune (ARC)
Author: Christine Johnson
Pages: 336
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Published: May 18th, 2010
Source: Contest Win

Synopsis:

Torn between two destinies…

Claire is having the perfect sixteenth birthday. Her pool party is a big success, and her crush keeps chatting and flirting with her as if she’s the only girl there. But that night, she discovers something that takes away all sense of normalcy: She’s a werewolf.

As Claire is initiated into the pack of female werewolves, she finds her lupine loyalty at odds with her human heart. Burdened with a dark secret and pushing the boundaries of forbidden love, she will be forced to make a choice that will change her life forever. . . .

My Thoughts:

Claire is celebrating her 16th birthday with a lot of friends from school. Despite the success of the party it all comes to an end when another werewolf attack occurs and they all must leave to stay safe. Claire finds out from her mother that she is also a werewolf which brings a great change and shock into her life,especially, because Claire is dating Matthew, the son of a researcher who captures werewolves in order to “cure” them. Claire has to keep her secret hidden to herself and find the rogue werewolf who has gone on a killing spree before the pack is discovered.

I really enjoyed this book. I actually thought it was going to be a cute, light, werewolf story, but it was darker than I expected. Men are being torn to pieces as we get small snippets from the mind of the bad werewolf. I thought it was really interesting being able to read from that perspective. I did have a small feeling as to who this werewolf could be which I was right about, but even so when it was revealed it was still pretty shocking.

The cute, sweet part of the book was the relationship between Matthew Claire. I really liked Matthew he was nice and caring. I liked how they slowly got to know each other and it wasn’t rushed, which is always great. Claire seemed like a whole different person from the beginning of the book to the end. At times she did frustrate me, especially when she was internally putting down her best friend Emily for freaking out over small things like a boy when Claire herself was dealing with lycanthropy. Other than that Claire was a likeable character who had to deal with so much in so little time.

There’s a mention of a “Goddess” that created the female werewolves, but there wasn’t any mention as to how, when, or why. I was a bit curious of this Goddess. I’m hoping that we’ll learn some more about her in the next books. I would have liked some more background to how the werewolves came to be and why it’s only females.

Overall, Claire de Lune was a quick, light, fun read. If you like werewolves then definitely be sure to check out Claire de Lune. I’ll be looking forward to the sequel, Nocturne, when it comes out.

Quote:
“She didn't feel like her usual self. Being in her regular body didn't feel any better than being a wolf. It was just uncomfortable, only in a different way. Tears welled up in her eyes."

Rating:

Waiting on Wednesday

2011-01-05T07:14:00.000-08:00

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Playing Hurt

by Holly Schindler

Star basketball player Chelsea "Nitro" Keyes had a full ride to college—and everyone's admiration back home. Then she took a horrible fall during senior year. Now a metal plate holds her together and she feels like a stranger in her own family.

That summer, Chelsea's dad hires Clint, a nineteen-year-old ex-hockey player and "boot camp" trainer, to work with her at a northern Minnesota lake resort. As they grow close, Chelsea finds that Clint's haunted by his own tragedy. Will their romance end up hurting them all over again—or finally heal their heartbreak?

Release Date: March 1st 2011

Contemporary isn't a fiction I normally read, but I really enjoyed Holly Schindler's first novel A Blue So Dark. Her writing is so beautifully descriptive. I'm really looking forward to Playing Hurt.

Hate List by Jennifer Brown

2011-01-02T23:51:00.000-08:00

Title: Hate List
Author: Jennifer Brown
Pages: 405
Publisher: Little Brown & Company
Release Date: September 1st, 2009
Source: Contest Win

Synopsis:

Five months ago, Valerie Leftman's boyfriend, Nick, opened fire on their school cafeteria. Shot trying to stop him, Valerie inadvertently saved the life of a classmate, but was implicated in the shootings because of the list she helped create. A list of people and things she and Nick hated. The list he used to pick his targets.

Now, after a summer of seclusion, Val is forced to confront her guilt as she returns to school to complete her senior year. Haunted by the memory of the boyfriend she still loves and navigating rocky relationships with her family, former friends and the girl whose life she saved, Val must come to grips with the tragedy that took place and her role in it, in order to make amends and move on with her life.

My Thoughts:

May 2nd, 2008 was supposed to be like any other average, boring school day for Valerie Leftman, but for her and the students of Garvin High School it will be a tragic devastating day they will never forget.

Hate List is about a school shooting where several students and staff are injured while for others it was death. Valerie and her boyfriend Nick aren’t part of the popular crowd. They get bullied by several other students for looking a certain way and not fitting into the norm that is expected. Valerie and Nick have a “hate list” where they write down all the names of people they don’t like. For Valerie it’s just a notebook filled with names of those she hates, but for Nick it’s much more than that. Unbeknownst to Valerie, Nick takes a gun to school and targets several of the students on the list.

The story starts off 5 months after the shooting as Valerie is recovering from the shooting. Nick’s actions are kind of placed on Valerie which leaves her filled with so much guilt for not having seen what Nick was truly capable of. Her friends leave her, even her own parents don’t trust her. She has to prove herself the whole time not only to others, but to herself as she tries to discover the person she is and finding that trust again.

Jennifer Brown shows us newspaper articles of the shooting and the people who were the most affected by it. We also get flashbacks of what type of person Nick was. We see past the troubled young man who took his life along with others, to the person Valerie knew and loved. It was really heartbreaking. The actual shooting was so raw, intense, and felt so real. It was terrifying, even more so because high school bullying seems to be occurring even more now.

Hate List is a powerful, thought provoking, emotional book that shows how everyone is affected by bullying. I would strongly recommend it to young adult and adult readers.

Quote:
“And then I’d spend about an hour, my room darkening around me, wondering what the hell happened to make me so unsure of who I even was. Because who you are is supposed to be the easiest question in the world to answer, right? Only for me it hadn’t been easy for a very long time. Maybe it never was.”

Rating: .5

In My Mailbox (39)

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

Won:

Vixen by Jillian Larkin

Thanks to Leanna (Daisy Book Chain Reviews) and RandomHouse for this book.

I'm really looking forward to reading this one. It sounds similar to Bright Young Things which I loved so it'll be interesting to see how it compares.

Trade:

Thank you to Ivy (Ivy Reads) for the trade.

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

I read one book by Dessen in high school and didn't really connect with the story, but I've read many positive reviews on TTAF so I figured I might as well give the author another try.

Size 12 Is Not Fat by Meg Cabot

I haven't read Meg Cabot since 5th grade when I got Princess Diaries banned from our class library...

I remember it being a really fun book. I've heard great things about this series so I hope it's as fun as Princess Diaries was.

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren.

100 Books In A Year 2011

2011-01-01T17:21:00.000-08:00

I didn't quite reach my goal of 100 books in 2010, so I've decided to participate in Book Chick City's 100 books reading challenge for 2011 this year.I figured I could read 10 books a month which will get me to my goal of 100. Hopefully, I'll make it this year. *fingers crossed*
1. Vixen by Jillian Larkin2. Slice of Cherry by Dia Reeves3. Chime by Franny Billingsley4. Through Her Eyes by Jennifer Archer5. Wither by Lauren DeStefano6. Across the Universe by Beth Revis7. The Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder8. The Marbury Lens by Andrew Smith9. Beauty Queens by Libba Bray10. Other Words For Love by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal11. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

~*Loves to Read*~

In The Forests of the Night by Kersten Hamilton

Mini reviews: Other Words for Love/ Anna and the French Kiss

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

In My Mailbox (43)

The Marbury Lens by Andrew Smith

The Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder

Teaser Tuesday

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

In My Mailbox (42)

Through Her Eyes by Jennifer Archer

Chime by Franny Billingsley

I'm Back! Sort of...

The Lost Saint by Bree Despain

Teaser Tuesday

In My Mailbox (41)

Slice of Cherry by Dia Reeves

Teaser Tuesday

Vixen by Jillian Larkin

In My Mailbox (40)

Claire de Lune by Christine Johnson

Waiting on Wednesday

Hate List by Jennifer Brown

In My Mailbox (39)

100 Books In A Year 2011

~Loves to Read~