ISBN-13: 9-781402-264559
Publication: March 2013 from Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Series: book 3 in The Cupcake Club
Source: publisher/Netgalley
Rating: 4 ♥ / 5 ♥ – I really liked it

Meet Sadie.

When she’s not mixing it up on the basketball court, she’s mixing the perfect batter with her friends in the cupcake club. Sadie’s definitely no stranger to competition, but the oven mitts are off when the club is chosen to appear on Battle of the Bakers, the ultimate cupcake competition on TV.

But the real battle happens off camera when the club’s baking business starts losing money.

With the clock ticking and the cameras rolling, will the club and their cupcakes rise to the occasion?

Winner Bakes All by Sheryl and Carrie Berk is the third book in the very fun middle grade series The Cupcake Club. The series follows four friends (Kylie, Sadie, Jenna and Lexi) who start a Cupcake Club in fourth grade, that slowly turns into a business. While book one was from club founder Kylie’s point of view, Winner Bakes All is narrated by Sadie (and the girls are now all in fifth grade).

Despite not having read book two, I was easily able to read Winner Bakes All and still highly enjoy my reading experience. It’s great that the series tells each book from a different characters point of view – I liked getting to know more about Sadie. From her fear of ever understanding math (I can relate!) to worries about how much her parents have been fighting lately (divorce??) and the fact that Peace, Love and Cupcakes is slowly making less money, Sadie has a lot on her mind and plate. But she handles everything wonderfully, and is able to help kick butt in the Battle of the Bakers competition that the club enters. I got a laugh out of the descriptions of the competition, the judges and the cupcakes they had to make. And I loved the little nod to Buddy Valestro, the Cake Boss!

This book, and series, is wonderful in how it portrays strong friendships. The girls help each other through their ups and downs and have so much fun. They rely on each other and make a great team. The worries about divorce and learning disabilities like dyslexia in Winner Bakes All (and topics like bullying from the first book) go a long way in helping make the series appeal to a broad range of readers, who will find something and someone to connect with in the stories.

I wouldn’t hesitate to hand Winner Bakes All by Sheryl and Carrie Berk to any of upper elementary students. Most would read it just because a kid like them helped write it! The smooth and descriptive writing, relatable characters and situations and the fun of a group of fifth graders running their own business make this book very approachable. The cupcake recipes found at the end of the book are so tempting to make and a nice touch. A series that combines reading and baking, my two favourite things – how could I not like it? I’m looking forward to book four!

e-ARC provided by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you!

Born of Illusion
by Teri Brown
Publication date: June 11, 2013 from Balzer & Bray

Anna Van Housen is thirteen the first time she breaks her mother out of jail. By sixteen she’s street smart and savvy, assisting her mother, the renowned medium Marguerite Van Housen, in her stage show and séances, and easily navigating the underground world of magicians, mediums and mentalists in 1920’s New York City. Handcuffs and sleight of hand illusions have never been much of a challenge for Anna. The real trick is keeping her true gifts secret from her opportunistic mother, who will stop at nothing to gain her ambition of becoming the most famous medium who ever lived.

But when a strange, serious young man moves into the flat downstairs, introducing her to a secret society that studies people with gifts like hers, he threatens to reveal the secrets Anna has fought so hard to keep, forcing her to face the truth about her past. Could the stories her mother has told her really be true? Could she really be the illegitimate daughter of the greatest magician of all?

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown
by Holly Black
Publication date: September 17, 2013 from Little, Brown BYR

Tana lives in a world where walled cities called Coldtowns exist. In them, quarantined monsters and humans mingle in a decadently bloody mix of predator and prey. The only problem is, once you pass through Coldtown’s gates, you can never leave.

One morning, after a perfectly ordinary party, Tana wakes up surrounded by corpses. The only other survivors of this massacre are her exasperatingly endearing ex-boyfriend, infected and on the edge, and a mysterious boy burdened with a terrible secret. Shaken and determined, Tana enters a race against the clock to save the three of them the only way she knows how: by going straight to the wicked, opulent heart of Coldtown itself.

3:59
by Gretchen McNeil
Publication date: September 17, 2013 from Balzer & Bray

Josie Byrne’s life is spiraling out of control. Her parents are divorcing, her boyfriend Nick has grown distant, and her physics teacher has it in for her. When she’s betrayed by the two people she trusts most, Josie thinks things can’t get worse.

Until she starts having dreams about a girl named Jo. Every night at the same time—3:59 a.m.

Jo’s life is everything Josie wants: she’s popular, her parents are happily married, and Nick adores her. It all seems real, but they’re just dreams, right? Josie thinks so, until she wakes one night to a shadowy image of herself in the bedroom mirror – Jo.

Josie and Jo realize that they are doppelgängers living in parallel universes that overlap every twelve hours at exactly 3:59. Fascinated by Jo’s perfect world, Josie jumps at the chance to jump through the portal and switch places for a day.

But Jo’s world is far from perfect. Not only is Nick not Jo’s boyfriend, he hates her. Jo’s mom is missing, possibly insane. And at night, shadowy creatures feed on human flesh.

By the end of the day, Josie is desperate to return to her own life. But there’s a problem: Jo has sealed the portal, trapping Josie in this dangerous world. Can she figure out a way home before it’s too late?

This is where I will update all my progress this week, as well as answer any challenges!

5/13
Number of books I’ve read today: 1
Total number of books I’ve read: 1
Page count: 144
Books: Winner Bakes All

Challenge
Today was my day to host! I started out my rather full day with the intention to comment on all the poems, but oh my gosh you guys, we’re over 50 entries already! I’m loving that you’re all enjoying the book spine poems. I’ll get them all read by the end of this readathon and will comment on as many as I can without sacrificing sleep or reading time to do so, because they are awesome and deserve comment love!

5/14
Number of books I’ve read today: 28 pages
Total number of books I’ve read: 1
Page count: 172
Books: The Originals, Winner Bakes All

Challenge
One of today’s challenges was hosted by Medusa’s Library. We were tasked with matching a song or playlist with a book. I found this one quite difficult, but really fun! I actually ended up having a song stuck in my head and immediately scrolled through my goodreads “read” shelf trying to find the book I just knew would fit – and I did. There were two that could have worked, actually, but the one I picked gave me the same emotions as the song while I was reading it. (Despite the car on the cover, and the dedication at the end of the song, the book does not revolve around a car accident.)

Song: From Where You Are
by Lifehouse

So far away from where you are
These miles have torn us world’s apart
And I miss you
Yeah, I miss you

So far away from where you are
I’m standing underneath the stars
And I wish you were here

I miss the years that were erased
I miss the way the sunshine would light up your face
I miss all the little things
I never thought that they’d mean everything to me

Yeah I miss you
And I wish you were here

I feel the beating of your heart
I see the shadows of your face
Just know that wherever you are
Yeah, I miss you
And I wish you were here

I miss the years that were erased
I miss the way the sunshine would light up your face
I miss all the little things
I never thought that they’d mean everything to me

Yeah, I miss you
And I wish you were here

So far away from where you are
These miles have torn us world’s apart
And I miss you
Yeah, I miss you
And I wish you were here

5/15
Number of books I’ve read today: 1 (267 pages)
Total number of books I’ve read: 2
Page count: 439
Books: Winner Bakes All, The Originals

Challenge
I didn’t have a chance to sit and do the challenge today, due to work, finishing my second book and the season finale of Supernatural (holy crap). Also baking a birthday cake. What a day! And it’s 12:25am, so I should be getting to bed since I have to be up for work at 6. Night all!

5/16
Number of books I’ve read today: like, 4 pages
Total number of books I’ve read: 2
Page count: 443
Books: Winner Bakes All, The Originals, Requiem

Challenge
Today I participated in the acrostic poem challenge hosted by Harley Bear Book Blog. Too funny, since I just did acrostic poems with a grade four class this week! The book I decided on is: Poison by Bridget Zinn! Fresh in my memory, it wasn’t too hard to find good words to describe it.
P pig named Rosie
O only choice
I inventive
S seers
O outside traveling
N nifty twists

That was fun! So not a lot of reading today – my full to the brim week is almost done, and I am so excited to spend my morning and afternoon doing nothing but reading tomorrow. Night!

5/17
Number of books I’ve read today: 22 pages
Total number of books I’ve read: 2
Page count: 465
Books: Winner Bakes All, The Originals, Requiem, For Darkness Shows the Stars

Update
I always start the week strong, and then work and sleep interfere. Hopefully by tomorrow I can get For Darkness Shows the Stars read.

5/18
Number of books I’ve read today:
Total number of books I’ve read:
Page count:
Books:

Challenge

5/19
Number of books I’ve read today:
Total number of books I’ve read:
Page count:
Books:

Challenge

Welcome to the first challenge of Bout of Books 7.0! Here you will find a challenge that I love dearly – the book spine poem! Haven’t heard of them? It’s easy – using books you have on hand, line up their spines to create a poem out of the titles. There is no theme and no set number of books to use, just do what pops into your head. I’ve got an example for you below:

You CAN use extra words outside of the books titles, BUT, you can only use as many extra words as you have books. So for mine, I used 7 books and so can use up to seven extra words. If you use ten books, you can use up to ten extra words, and so on and so forth. If you decide to participate and create a poem, you will be entered for a chance to win a book(s) of your choice up to $15 CAD from The Book Depository. The giveaway is international, ONLY for Bout of Books 7.0 participants. Have fun!

RULES
- must be signed up for Bout of Books 6.0
- must be 13 years or older to enter
- ends tonight May 13th at midnight CST (1am EST, 2am ADT – my time). That’s only 24 hours!
- number of extra words is = to number of books used
- leave a link to your poem in the comments! Picture can be uploaded to your blog, facebook, twitter, etc. Wherever you’re updating for Bout of Books.

ISBN-13: 9-781423-139935
Publication: March 2013 from Disney Hyperion
Source: Kobo
Rating: 4.5 ♥ / 5 ♥ – I really liked it!

Sixteen-year-old Kyra, a highly-skilled potions master, is the only one who knows her kingdom is on the verge of destruction — which means she’s the only one who can save it. Faced with no other choice, Kyra decides to do what she does best: poison the kingdom’s future ruler, who also happens to be her former best friend.

But, for the first time ever, her poisoned dart…misses.

Now a fugitive instead of a hero, Kyra is caught in a game of hide-and-seek with the king’s army and her potioner ex-boyfriend, Hal. At least she’s not alone. She’s armed with her vital potions, a too-cute pig, and Fred, the charming adventurer she can’t stop thinking about. Kyra is determined to get herself a second chance (at murder), but will she be able to find and defeat the princess before Hal and the army find her?

Every now and again I get the craving for a fun adventure through a fantasy world and Poison by Bridget Zinn filled that craving very nicely. Running with Kyra as she evades capture for trying to kill the her best friend – and Princess – Ariana, had me entertained and intrigued throughout the entire course of the novel.

Despite not having the most elaborate world-building or rules to the potions and magic, Poison still manages to deliver a strong and engaging fantastical mystery with some side romance, great characters and the cutest pig (yes, pig) that I think has existed since Wilbur. The reader enters the story after Kyra’s attempt at assassination had already happened – we don’t know why, or even really who Kyra is except for a 16-year-old Potions Master. As the journey unfolds, so too does the back story. Each detail adds together to eventually tie up the story while setting the stage for the spot-on twists and reveals that appear. I was honestly surprised at some of the bigger plot reveals, and loved the ending. The romance was also slow and sweet, which I am a huge fan of.

I quite enjoyed the main characters of Kyra, Ariana and Fred – the traveler that Kyra comes across while on the run and can’t seem to shake. Kyra is extremely talented, capable, determined and strong, but also vulnerable and lonesome and a little bit worried, though she tries to hide it. I mean, who wouldn’t be nervous after attempting to kill their best friend and future ruler? Fred is just delightful. Funny, sweet, confident and full of surprises, while Ariana is boisterous, head-strong, kind and a little bit sneaky. The three of them play off each other very well and despite the seriousness of what Kyra has done, they find time to joke around and enjoy being in each others company. Even the secondary characters are fleshed out and memorable, creating a wonderful cast to populate Bridget Zinn’s debut fantasy novel.

Poison by Bridget Zinn is one of those fantasy novels to pick up when you want something fun, twisty, magical and engrossing. I’d frequently lose track of time while reading, trying to solve the mystery of why the Princess is a danger to the kingdom, why Fred keeps showing up wherever Kyra is, how Kyra knows what she does and eventually trying to sort out who the main villain really is. It’s a perfect case of, “just one more chapter, I need to know what happens!” And I dare anyone who reads this book to not want more of Rosie the pig. A character in her own right, I never thought I’d think a fictional pig is adorable, but I do. Fantasy fans? Definitely pick this one up. It’s well worth the read!

Poison was provided to me (book of my choice) by Kobo, Inc.. Thank you!

“Waiting On” Wednesday is hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine.

The Oathbreaker’s Shadow
by Amy McCulloch
Publication date: June 6, 2013 from Random House

Fifteen-year-old Raim lives in a world where you tie a knot for every promise that you make. Break that promise and you are scarred for life, and cast out into the desert.

Raim has worn a simple knot around his wrist for as long as he can remember. No one knows where it came from, and which promise of his it symbolises, but he barely thinks about it at all — not since becoming the most promising young fighter ever to train for the elite Yun guard. But on the most important day of his life, when he binds his life to his best friend (and future king) Khareh, the string bursts into flames and sears a dark mark into his skin.

Scarred now as an oath-breaker, Raim has two options: run, or be killed.

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted at The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is ten books for when you need something light and fun. This one was harder than I thought it’d be! You can join in at this post.

1. Pilgrim’s Don’t Wear Pink by Stephanie Kate Strohm
2. The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen

3. Awkward by Marni Bates
4. I Now Pronounce You Someone Else by Erin McCahan

5. Dealing With Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
6. The Hollow Tree by Janet Lunn

7. Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow by Nathan Bransford
8. Angus, Thongs and Full-frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison

9. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
10. How To Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier

“Waiting On” Wednesday is hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine.

Neptune’s Tears
by Susan Waggoner
Publication date: June 25, 2013 from Henry Holt and Co. BYR

London, 2218 A.D.

Seventeen-year-old Zee is an intern empath. She’s focused on her job, poised for a great career — until one day an attractive patient undoes her hard-earned calm. As an empath, she cannot afford such distractions, but neither can she stay away from David, even when she discovers he’s one of a mysterious alien race.

As London comes under attack by anarchist bombings, and as Zee struggles to get a handle on her unusually strong psychic abilities, David starts pulling away. Although Zee’s sure he’s attracted to her, David has secrets he cannot share. But it’s too late for Zee. She’s losing her heart to the gray-eyed alien boy, and she’s determined to follow him — no matter how far it may take her.