Dreaming of Books

Marissa Meyer is Coming...

2012-01-25T11:55:00.000-08:00

Sorry I haven't been around...I've been really busy with school and actually haven't been online that much lately. Well I just found out about this author event today and am writing this quick post to tell you guys all about it. It's been a couple months since I've been to a signing so I'm suffering from a bit of withdrawal myself and am very excited to find out about this one. Marissa Meyer, debut author and author of CINDER (which was released at the beginning of the month) will be doing a signing at Chapters Burnaby.

Event Details:
Saturday February, 11, 2012, 2:00 PM @ Chapters Burnaby

Is anyone else planning to go? Let me know.

Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick

2012-01-12T08:15:00.000-08:00

Title: Silence (Hush, Hush #3)
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Publication Date: October 2011

Summary (taken from Amazon):

The noise between Patch and Nora is gone. They've overcome the secrets riddled in Patch's dark past...bridged two irreconcilable worlds...faced heart-wrenching tests of betrayal, loyalty and trust...and all for a love that will transcend the boundary between heaven and earth. Armed with nothing but their absolute faith in one another, Patch and Nora enter a desperate fight to stop a villain who holds the power to shatter everything they've worked for—and their love—forever.

Review:

Three months have passed since the end of Crescendo and Nora is found in the cemetery with no recollection of the past five months. She doesn’t know who has kidnapped her and most important of all she has forgotten all about Patch. Nora with her memory loss is very persistent. She wants so bad to know the truth of what happened to her and that drives her to do some not so smart things. She does things that are dangerous--we know its dangerous, she knows its dangerous yet she goes ahead with it anyways. So that’s what frustrated me about her.

The first part of the book I found slow since its rehashing all the things that happened in books 1 & 2 as Nora has forgotten all about it so she’s brought up to date and slowly regains her memories. For Patch, I know that he’s super sexy and way hot so I don’t need to be reminded every time he shows up. I also noticed that Vee was hardly in the book and I thought we would see more of her since Nora has just come back from such a traumatic event.

I’ll probably read the next book if I get the chance to since the ending of Silence was very promising with Nora in a position of power and caught in the midst of a possible revolution.

Rating 3 Stars

* Review copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Other books in the series:
Hush, Hush
Crescendo

The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

2012-01-04T09:01:00.000-08:00

Title: The Future of Us
Author: Jay Asher and Carolyn mackler
Publisher: Razorbill
Publication Date: November 2011

Summary (taken from Amazon):

It's 1996, and Josh and Emma have been neighbors their whole lives. They've been best friends almost as long - at least, up until last November, when Josh did something that changed everything. Things have been weird between them ever since, but when Josh's family gets a free AOL CD in the mail,his mom makes him bring it over so that Emma can install it on her new computer. When they sign on, they're automatically logged onto their Facebook pages. But Facebook hasn't been invented yet. And they're looking at themselves fifteen years in the future.

By refreshing their pages, they learn that making different decisions now will affect the outcome of their lives later. And as they grapple with the ups and downs of what their futures hold, they're forced to confront what they're doing right - and wrong - in the present.

Review:

Reading this book really brought me back to the past. In 1996, I was still in elementary school so I do remember some of the different things mentioned like the Discman or even when my family first got dial-up internet at home…and there was even some references of a couple YA books written in the 90’s too.

The book is written in alternating chapters about two friends, Emma and Josh. Emma is really guarded and never lets herself get too close to someone while Josh on the other hand is so considerate, sweet, and overall a nice boy.

Emma and Josh have such different reactions to knowing about their future and the fact that they have the ability to change it by seeing their Facebook updates. Emma becomes increasingly consumed and frazzled with what she was finding out while Josh went about everything more cautiously. I sort of understand why Emma was so obsessed with her future and making sure it was perfect and that she was happy but the thing is, with Facebook updates it only shows a snippet of the person’s life so you don’t really get a whole picture.

I breezed through this book. It’s a fun and entertaining book to read and while its not life changing, poignant or powerful--what it does have is a great premise that will get you thinking about what you would do in the same situation.

Rating 5 Stars

* Review copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

2011 Year End Wrap Up

2011-12-31T09:51:00.000-08:00

Reading Goals:

I read 115 books this year!!! I was hoping to read at least 130 since that’s how much I read in 2010 and wanted to surpass it. I didn’t but that’s ok since its better than I thought I would do. Of the 115 books two of them were rereads (The Duff and Princess for Hire) and three of them were DNF books.

Reading Challenges:

I finished all the reading challenges I signed up for except the Contemps Challenge. This challenge ended back in August and I read about half the books on the list. I was getting the books from the library to read and it takes a while for my library to get the new releases in so when the challenge ended there were still a lot of books that my library hadn’t acquired yet.

Favourite Book Read:

It’s so hard me to pick since I’m one of those people who forget about most of the story a couple weeks after reading a book. I’m picking a series instead of a book since I finished reading the Vampire Academy series this year and absolutely loved it. I can’t believe it took me so long to pick this series up even though I had a couple of the books for years now.

Reading Goals for 2012:

1. Catch up on series I’m behind on. Off the top of my head this includes The Iron Fey series, The Immortals series, Caster Chronicles, Glass series…

2. Read the books that I have bought or won in contests (because I have a lot of them). I’m really bad about this since I have books that I bought 2-3 years ago that I have still not read yet.

3. Reread The Hunger Games. Why? I read it a long time ago so I really should reread it before the movie comes out in a couple months.

4. Complete the reading challenges I’ve signed up for. I already have some books set aside and ready to be read ;-)

I’m signing off for now but see you all next year!

Waiting on Wednesday (Dec 28)

2011-12-28T10:40:00.000-08:00

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

Enchanted
Author: Alethea Konis
Publication Date: May 2012

It isn’t easy being the rather overlooked and unhappy youngest sibling to sisters named for the other six days of the week. Sunday’s only comfort is writing stories, although what she writes has a terrible tendency to come true.

When Sunday meets an enchanted frog who asks about her stories, the two become friends. Soon that friendship deepens into something magical. One night Sunday kisses her frog goodbye and leaves, not realizing that her love has transformed him back into Rumbold, the crown prince of Arilland—and a man Sunday’s family despises.

The prince returns to his castle, intent on making Sunday fall in love with him as the man he is, not the frog he was. But Sunday is not so easy to woo. How can she feel such a strange, strong attraction for this prince she barely knows? And what twisted secrets lie hidden in his past—and hers?

** Another retelling--I'm in. The cover is gorgeous and I'm interested in how the author will present the story since from reading the summary I feel like it might have a darker undertone to it.

Dark of the Moon by Tracy Barrett

2011-12-16T13:18:00.000-08:00

Title: Dark of the Moon
Author: Tracy Barrett
Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books
Publication Date: September 2011

Summary (taken from Amazon):

Ariadne is destined to become a goddess of the moon. She leads a lonely life, filled with hours of rigorous training by stern priestesses. Her former friends no longer dare to look at her, much less speak to her. All that she has left are her mother and her beloved, misshapen brother Asterion, who must be held captive below the palace for his own safety.

So when a ship arrives one spring day, bearing a tribute of slaves from Athens, Ariadne sneaks out to meet it. These newcomers don’t know the ways of Krete; perhaps they won’t be afraid of a girl who will someday be a powerful goddess. And indeed she meets Theseus, the son of the king of Athens. Ariadne finds herself drawn to the newcomer, and soon they form a friendship—one that could perhaps become something more.

Yet Theseus is doomed to die as an offering to the Minotaur, that monster beneath the palace—unless he can kill the beast first. And that "monster" is Ariadne’s brother . . .

Review:

I practically know nothing about this particular Greek myth. I know there is the big, bad Minotaur, a maze and…maybe someone that kills him???…See I really didn’t know anything so when starting Dark of the Moon I was a little lost.

The story is told from Ariadne, also known as She-Who-Will-Be-Goddess, and Theseus, who is sent to Krete as a offering to the Minotaur. From the summary, it seemed like there would be a romance between Ariadne and Theseus with the big roadblock between being that the Minotaur is Ariadne’s brother so any future for the two is impossible. The story turned out to be light on the romance but what stood out was the world building and immersing the reader in the religion and rituals on Krete.

For me, I wanted to know how Theseus defeats the Minotaur…it did take a long time to finally get there and not as epic as I pictured it in my mind.

I would say that if you really like this myth and know a lot about Greek mythology in general you will like Dark of the Moon more and revel in the twists that Tracy Barrett has added.

Rating 3 Stars

* Review copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Waiting on Wednesday (Dec 14)

2011-12-14T09:06:00.000-08:00

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

The Traitor in the Tunnel
Author: Y.S. Lee
Publication Date: February 2012

Get steeped in suspense, romance, and high Victorian intrigue as Mary goes undercover at Buckingham Palace - and learns a startling secret at the Tower of London.

Queen Victoria has a little problem: there's a petty thief at work in Buckingham Palace. Charged with discretion, the Agency puts quickwitted Mary Quinn on the case, where she must pose as a domestic while fending off the attentions of a feckless Prince of Wales. But when the prince witnesses the murder of one of his friends in an opium den, the potential for scandal looms large. And Mary faces an even more unsettling possibility: the accused killer, a Chinese sailor imprisoned in the Tower of London, shares a name with her long-lost father. Meanwhile, engineer James Easton, Mary's onetime paramour, is at work shoring up the sewers beneath the palace, where an unexpected tunnel seems to be very much in use. Can Mary and James trust each other (and put their simmering feelings aside) long enough to solve the mystery and protect the Royal Family? Hoist on your waders for Mary's most personal case yet, where the stakes couldn't be higher - and she has everything to lose.

** It's been such a long wait for this book and its finally releasing next year. I seriously can't wait to read more of Mary and James.

Mini Reviews: Spirit Bound & Last Sacrifice

2011-12-13T15:53:00.000-08:00

Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead

Just when I think things can‘t get any more crazy--it does and Richelle Mead ups the intensity level in Spirit Bound. The plan to save Dimitri leads Rose, Lissa and Eddie to drastic measures doing something that was unthinkable a couple books back.

With Spirit Bound we’ve seen three different versions of Dimitri now and I’m not liking the depressed, guilt ridden version of him very much. I really hope he’ll be able to get through the guilt and back to his pre-Strigoi days.

The ending (like I’ve said before) is crazy. Something big happens and ends up directly impacting Rose. Thank god I have all the books and don’t have to wait to find out what happens. Right after finishing Spirit Bound I immediately started Last Sacrifice so read on to find out what I think.

Rating 5 Stars

Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead

This is going to be short as I don’t want to spoil too much though those who haven’t read it yet. You can probably guess what ends up happening. I love this series and cannot express and gush about my love for it enough. I did feel sorry for Adrian so hope he gets more love in the new spin off series.

** My review for Bloodlines is already posted and I’m so glad I read the Vampire Academy series before I read Bloodlines.

Rating 5 Stars

New Video for Once Every Never

2011-12-12T21:35:00.000-08:00

There's a new video out with Lesley Livingston talking about Once Every Never, her new book that came out this past summer. You can see my review HERE. Once Every Never is available in bookstores across Canada and is also available for purchase online for US readers.

Blogoversary Winners!

2011-12-12T19:07:00.000-08:00

The two winners for my Blogoversary Contest are...

Jessica and Cass

Congratulations!

(both winners have already been contacted)

2012 Reading Challenges

2011-12-07T19:07:00.000-08:00

Here's the post for all the reading challenges I'm planning on doing next year. I've listed them all in this post which will be easier for me to keep track of and update. I've also included information and links to the host site if you guys are interested in signing up for any of these.

I love this challenge and have taken part every year since I started blogging. This challenge is hosted by Kristi from The Story Siren and the goal is to read a minumum of 12 young adult or middle grade books coming out in 2012 by debut authors. I don't have a set list of books that I'm going to read yet since it changes with what books I get for review or buying.

10.

11.

12.

The goal for this challenge is to read 12 sophomore books releasing in 2012 by YG/MG authors. This challenge is hosted by Chick Loves Lit and she's also included a list of sophomore books. Same with the previous challenge, I don't have a list of book I'm reading yet but will update this list updated as I read the books.

1. Fever by Lauren DeStefano

10.

11.

12.

I did this challenge last year and really and did okay so I'm taking part again. It's hosted by YA Bliss. I'll be doing Level 3 and challenge myself to read 15 historical books.

This challenge sounds perfect for me since I have an insane amount of books that I've bought and haven't read yet. If anyone else is interested in joining this challenge you better hurry since signups close on Dec 15, 2011. There's 10 different hosts for this challenge but you can signup at Evie-Bookish.

I'm going to to the "Friendly Hug" Level and try to read 11-20 books. Here's a couple books I'm planning to read next year (notice most of these are first books in a series):

1. Graceling by Kristin Cashore

2. Fire by Kristin Cashore

3. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

4. Forget You by Jennifer Echols

5. Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

6. The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

7. My Big Nose and Other Natural Disasters by Sydney Salter

8. Girl, Aloud by Emily Gale

9. Squashed by Joan Bauer

10. How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier

11. The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

12. Radiance by Alyson Noel

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

What are some of the challenges you guys are doing?

Epic Fail by Claie LaZebnik

2011-12-06T08:25:00.000-08:00

Title: Epic Fail
Author: Claire LaZebnik
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: August 2011

Summary (taken from Amazon):

Will Elise’s love life be an epic win or an epic fail?

At Coral Tree Prep in Los Angeles, who your parents are can make or break you. Case in point:

As the son of Hollywood royalty, Derek Edwards is pretty much prince of the school—not that he deigns to acknowledge many of his loyal subjects.

As the daughter of the new principal, Elise Benton isn’t exactly on everyone’s must-sit-next-to-at-lunch list.

When Elise’s beautiful sister catches the eye of the prince’s best friend, Elise gets to spend a lot of time with Derek, making her the envy of every girl on campus. Except she refuses to fall for any of his rare smiles and instead warms up to his enemy, the surprisingly charming social outcast Webster Grant. But in this hilarious tale of fitting in and flirting, not all snubs are undeserved, not all celebrity brats are bratty, and pride and prejudice can get in the way of true love for only so long.

Review:

Epic Fail was just the book I needed to get me out of this reading hump I’m in. I finished it in two days which is really great since its been taking me up to two weeks to finish a book lately.

The book takes place in a boarding school in California, one where the wealthy and famous send their children to. Elise Benton and her sister, Juliana, are new to the school and having your mother as the new principal isn’t really winning them any points. Elise’s sister, Juliana, catches the eye of Chase and the sisters start spending a lot of time with both Chase and his best friend, Derek Edwards, who being the son of Hollywood royalty is a hot commodity wherever he goes.

I loved Elise. She speaks her mind, doesn’t conform to anyone else, and best of all she didn’t get sucked into the glitz and glam of her new surroundings. But her mom and little sister were a another story. Elise’s mom is annoying and frustrating both at school and at home. And there were times I wanted to wring Layla’s neck by being so self absorbed and immature.

With Pride and Prejudice retellings/adaptations you basically know what’s going to happen…there will be misunderstandings between Elsie and Derek, Elise’s mother will be a pain and Layla will cause trouble. Well that’s exactly what happened and I loved every bit of it. There were the elements of P & P but Claire LaZebnik put her own spin on things making Epic Fail a fresh, up-beat and feel good read.

Rating 5 Stars

* I bought a copy of this book.

The Twelve Days of Scholastic Canada Christmas!

2011-12-04T18:25:00.000-08:00

Isn't that a great name for a contest? So I got a e-mail from Scholastic letting me know about this contest that they will be running on their facebook page. It starts tomorrow, Dec 5th until the 16th, lasting for 12 days. They will be giving away some of their fall titles so make sure to check daily for what's up for grabs.

Visit the Scholastic Canada Facebook page

Check out this video for a hint of what they are giving away (also you want to watch this since the kids are super cute)

In My Mailbox (Dec 3)

2011-12-03T15:03:00.000-08:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly post about what books we have received that week (via your mailbox/library/store bought). It is hosted by Kristi of The Story Siren and which was inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie.

Next week will be the last week of the semester for me and then I only have finals left so I will have the rest of this month off. I'm planning to do lots of reading and will be updating the blog more frequently.

It's been a soooo long since I've done a In My Mailbox post so here are the new books I've gotten the past couple weeks.

For Review:

Tredoku by Mindome Ltd.

The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

Fever by Lauren DeStefano

Dead to You by Lisa McMann

(Thanks to Simon and Schuster Canada and Penguin Canada for sending these)

Bought:

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

Won:

My Life Undecided by Jessica Brody

Reasons to be Happy by Katrina Kittle

2011-11-17T12:04:00.000-08:00

Title: Reasons to Be Happy
Author: Katrina Kittle
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Publication Date: Oct 2011

Summary (taken from Amazon):

21. Cat purr vibrating through your skin
22. Jumping on a trampoline in the rain
23. Raw cookie dough
24. Getting yourself all freaked out after a scary movie
25. Dancing like an idiot when no one is watching

What happened to the girl who wrote those things? I miss that girl. She used to be bold and fun. Now she's a big chicken loser.
How could so much change so fast?
Let's see, you could be the plain Jane daughter of two gorgeous famous people, move to a new school, have no real friends, and your mom could get sick, and, oh yeah, you could have the most embarrassing secret in the world.
Yep, that about does it.
So, the real question is, how do I get that girl back?

Review:

Katrina Kittle’s portrayal of Hannah struggling with an eating disorder was really realistic especially given that this is a middle grade read. She shows us some of the horrible effects that bulimia has and how it changes the person. It was honest and truthful yet the more I read the more I felt for Hannah and what she was going through…wishing somehow that she can come out of it in the end.

In the beginning when Hannah first started using her “secret remedy” as she called it, I saw her as being so naïve and foolish by not coming clean, talking it out with her mom and hanging out with a group of girls that are not doing her any good. It got worse and worse for her until a she finally takes a trip to Africa with her aunt and that finally opens her eyes to what others are facing and puts everything into perspective.

Reading this book was a learning experience for me as well so its one I definitely recommend to young teen girls as I hope they can learn and take something away from reading Hannah’s story.

Rating 3.5 Stars

* Review copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The Apothecary by Maile Meloy

2011-11-14T19:50:00.000-08:00

Title: The Apothecary
Author: Maile Meloy
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Publication Date: October 2011

Summary (taken from Amazon):

It's 1952 and the Scott family has just moved from Los Angeles to London. Here, fourteen-year-old Janie meets a mysterious apothecary and his son, Benjamin Burrows - a fascinating boy who's not afraid to stand up to authority and dreams of becoming a spy. When Benjamin's father is kidnapped, Janie and Benjamin must uncover the secrets of the apothecary's sacred book, the Pharmacopoeia, in order to find him, all while keeping it out of the hands of their enemies - Russian spies in possession of nuclear weapons. Discovering and testing potions they never believed could exist, Janie and Benjamin embark on a dangerous race to save the apothecary and prevent impending disaster.

Review:

The Apothecary takes place during the 1950’s where there was all the fear over Russians and of communism taking over. Our main character Janie moves from Los Angeles to London with her parents since her parents have become suspected communists in the United States. In her new school she meets Benjamin, the local apothecary’s son, and there starts a series of events that lead Janie to magic, alchemy, and the thrill of flying.

The Apothecary is Maile Meloy’s book for the middle grade audience and would appeal to both boys and girls alike since there is action, magic, and fantasy. Another added touch is that it contains artwork…and who doesn’t like that.

The 1950’s is a period of time that I don’t read a lot of so it was eye-opening to read about the Cold War with the Russians and the constant nuclear threat that was looming overhead. The author played it on the safe side with the story since the characters were always able to get themselves out of trouble and resolve things without too much danger or tension. There were no truly heart stopping moments that go my hands sweating and flipping the pages.

I believe this one is a stand alone but the ending does leave it open for a continuation and more adventures with Janie and Benjamin.

Rating 3.5 Stars

* Review copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Watch the trailer

Two Year Blogoversary Giveaway!

2011-11-12T09:18:00.000-08:00

So this post is a little late since its already November and November is my blogoversary month. Things have slowed down on the blog recently but its been two years and I can't believe I'm still around. I want to thank my followers, readers and all the different people I've met online...And now for the good stuff! I've been lucky enough to go to a couple author signings this year and I've been holding onto some signed books especially for this giveaway.

There will be two winners and two prize packs:

Prize Pack #1

Paperback copy of White Cat (signed)

ARC of Red Glove (signed)

Hunger Games Notebook

Prize Pack #2

ARC of Behemoth (signed)

A copy of Enthralled (signed by Kelley Armstrong, Melissa Marr, Margaret Stohl, and Jennifer Lynn Barnes)

Hunger Games Notebook

Rules for entry:

Please fill out the form to enter.

You MUST be a blog follower to enter

Open internationally and ends December 5, 2011

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

2011-10-31T09:35:00.000-07:00

Title: The Night Circus
Author: Erin Morgenstern
Publisher: Doubleday
Publication Date: September 2011

Summary (taken from Amazon):

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus performers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart.

Review:

Celia and Marco both grew up training differently for the “game” that they are destined to compete against. Les Cirque des Reves was created for just this purpose and how the game will end, no one knows. As the years go by, there is no imminent end in sight and Celia and Marco have fallen in love with each other. Can they free themselves from the “game” and risk endangering everyone that is tied with the circus?

My biggest problem was that the dates do jump around a lot…it can be months and sometime years before we come back to Celia and Marco making it hard to get emotionally invested in the two. The love story part of the book doesn’t start until over halfway through the book and I didn’t exactly feel the connection and sparks between the two. The story isn’t just about Celia and Marco but we get to read about whole array of secondary characters that have been affected and are tied to the circus in one way or another.

The circus itself was like having a dream that I didn’t want to end. Morgenstern’s writing was intricate and detailed yet everything is still shrouded in mystery making me yearn for more. The circus is the battle ground and as the “game” has very few parameters, everything Celia and Marco create in the circus is just one amazing feat after another…if only Le Cirque des Reves was a real; I can see myself wandering through the various tents.

I do recommend The Night Circus if you love rich, detailed settings and descriptions but be warned that the story is slow going as it spans many years.

Rating 4 Stars

* Copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

All Hallow's Read

2011-10-27T17:42:00.000-07:00

Have you guys heard of All Hallow's Read this year? It's this fun campaign started by Neil Gaiman.

Well HarperCollins Canada was totally on board with this idea and offered to send me a copy of a scary book to drop. The drop took place on Octover 25th and I know I'm a couple days late but its better late than never right.

Here's the book that I dropped:

I dropped it right by the entrance at a library close to my house at around 3 o'clock so hopefully a book loving teen who just got off from school will find this book and give it a nice home.

You can still check out the #AllHallowsRead hashtag on twitter to see all the fun and find out what everyone else dropped.

Wildefire by Karsten Knight

2011-10-18T09:14:00.000-07:00

Title: Wildefire
Author: Karsten Knight
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Publication Date: July 26, 2011

Summary (taken from Amazon):

Every flame begins with a spark.

Ashline Wilde is having a rough sophomore year. She’s struggling to find her place as the only Polynesian girl in school, her boyfriend just cheated on her, and now her runaway sister, Eve, has decided to barge back into her life. When Eve’s violent behavior escalates and she does the unthinkable, Ash transfers to a remote private school nestled in California’s redwoods, hoping to put the tragedy behind her. But her fresh start at Blackwood Academy doesn’t go as planned. Just as Ash is beginning to enjoy the perks of her new school—being captain of the tennis team, a steamy romance with a hot, local park ranger—Ash discovers that a group of gods and goddesses have mysteriously enrolled at Blackwood…and she’s one of them. To make matters worse, Eve has resurfaced to haunt Ash, and she’s got some strange abilities of her own. With a war between the gods looming over campus, Ash must master the new fire smoldering within before she clashes with her sister one more time… And when warm and cold fronts collide, there’s guaranteed to be a storm.

Review:

I had really high hopes for Wildefire. I’m a fan of Karsten Knight’s blog, he’s hilarious and I absolutely love his vlogs so I’m thinking that anything he writes I will love. Well it turns out not so much. I’m going to do this review a little differently and list what I liked and didn’t like.

What I liked:

-- Eve: She’s evil but whenever she was in the picture she created lots of drama and crazyness. Ash always seems to be holding back but whenever Eve was around Ash’s character came to life.

-- Colt: He seemed very sweet and genuine. Some of the things he did were a little too lovey-dovey which led to me never once suspecting that he might be hiding something himself.

-- The ending: It was one of those WTH moments for me that came out of nowhere and sets things up for book 2.

What I didn’t like:

-- Ashline: I never fully connected with her. To me she comes off to me as someone who doesn’t really care. She gets agitated and angry easily. With the way she is I was surprised that she even made friends at her new school.

-- Mythology: With the different gods and goddesses from different cultures there just wasn’t enough mythology and things weren’t fully explained.

-- Yes these teens are gods and goddesses with superpowers but the way they used their powers caused a lot of violence. They are still teenagers and some of them were killing for the first time with seemingly no emotion or regret afterwards.

-- Usually I don’t have a problem with the point of view but the third person point of view didn’t work for me. The descriptions were long winded and there was always a disconnect with the characters.

Its one of those books with a great premise but unfortunately the execution fell short. If given the chance I will probably read the sequel. Wildefire is the first book that sets everything up and hopefully in the sequel we will get to the meat of the story *fingers crossed*.

Rating 3 Stars

* Review copy porvided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

In My Mailbox (Oct 15)

2011-10-15T16:57:00.000-07:00

Bought:

The Duff by Kody Keplinger (Review)

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Goliath by Scott Westerfeld

For Review:

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

The Poisoned House by Michael Ford

The Highest Frontier by Joan Slonczewski

Record Collecting for Girls by Courtney E. Smith

Hound Dog True by Linda Urban

(Thanks to Simon & Schuster and Thomas Allen & Son, and Tor Books)

Won:

Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick

I read The Duff at the beginning of this year and really loved it so finally decided to buy a paperback copy of it...and I did reread it last weekend since I had the flu and I loved it just as much the second time around.

I was so excited when I got Clockwork Prince and Silence -- can't wait to read those and find out what happens next to the characters in both series. The Poisoned House looks like a creepy read and just in time for Halloween too.

What's in your mailbox?

Recap of Smart Chicks Kick It and Scott Westerfeld Signings

2011-10-13T07:27:00.000-07:00

Margaret Stohl isn't pictured but she's supposed to be on the other side of Melissa Marr

October's turning out to be a great month for author events in the Lower Mainland. At the beginning of the month I attended the Smart Chicks Kick It tour stop in Burnaby. The authors that were there were Kelley Armstrong, Melissa Marr, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Sara Zarr, Beth Revis and Margaret Stohl. I did have plans to meet up with Alita from Alitareads...it was my first time meeting another blogger and then while we were in line we also ended up meeting Lindsey from Me on Books and Caitlin from whatchYAreading.

There were the usual Q &A, lightning round questions and prizes that included an ARC of Every Other Day, The Calling and a Matched/Crossed poster signed by Ally Condie. I did expect a bigger turnout since the last event held by Chapters Burnaby had 500+ people attending and the lineup was practically out the door. So one of the best author signings I've been to so far. The lineup of authors was incredible, I got a bunch of books signed and I had a great time.

**********

First sorry I don't have any pictures from the Scott Westerfeld signing. It took place at the West Point Grey United Church and the lighting there was very dim so I knew that my cheap/old digital camera wouldn't take the best pictures. The first part of Scott's presentation was similar to the one he gave last year when he came during the tour for Behemoth and even though I've heard it before--parts of it was still very funny. Now that the Leviathan series has come to an end I was wondering what Scott would be working on next. Well it tuns out that there will be a manga of The Uglies series told from Shay's perspective and an illustrated guide for the Leviathan series (he showed us the cover but I've already forgotten what the title is going to be).

For this event Kidsbooks held a contest where if you bought your tickets before a certain date you would be entered into a draw. So after Scott's presentation and the Q & A, Scott picked two names out of a bag and guess what...I was one of the winners. Totally unexpected and here's what I won...

I guess its like a old fashioned telescope--right now I have no idea what I'm going to do with it.

And when I went up to get my books signed, Scott Westerfeld totally remembered my name so that made me happy.

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I'll end this post with a bit of a tease for my followers. Next month will be my blogoversary and I do have some signed books from different authors I've met this year that I've been saving up especially for this contest. So look out for that in a couple weeks :-)

Waiting on Wednesday

2011-10-12T08:55:00.000-07:00

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

Pretty Crooked
Author: Elisa Ludwig
Publication Date: March 2012

Willa’s secret plan seems all too simple: take from the rich kids at Valley Prep and give to the poor ones.

Yet Willa’s turn as Robin Hood at her ultra-exclusive high school is anything but. Bilking her “friends”—known to everyone as the Glitterati—without them suspecting a thing is far from easy. Learning how to pick pockets and break into lockers is as difficult as she’d thought it’d be. Delivering care packages to the scholarship girls, who are ostracized just for being from the “wrong” side of town, is way more fun than she’d expected.

The complication Willa didn’t expect, though, is Aidan Murphy, Valley Prep’s most notorious (and gorgeous) ace-degenerate. His mere existence is distracting Willa from what matters most to her: evening the social playing field between the haves and have-nots. There’s no time for crushes and flirting with boys, especially conceited and obnoxious trust-funders like Aidan.

But when the cops start investigating the string of thefts at Valley Prep and the Glitterati begin to seek revenge, could Aidan wind up being the person that Willa trusts most?

** The story sounds fun as Willa's the modern day Robin Hood at her prep school. I'm sure she'll get into all sorts of troubles that she'll somehow get herself out of.

Vancouver Area Events -- October Edition

2011-10-09T09:12:00.000-07:00

It's another month of awesome author events if you're in the Vancouver area :) I'll be attending the Scott Westerfeld event happening next week and will probably be going to the Maureen Johnson signing as well. Not sure yet whether I should go to the James Dashner signing since I haven't read any of The Maze Runner books (but I do have the first one; just haven't read it yet).

Scott Westerfeld was here last year and he's coming back this year. He will be doing a signing in Vancouver as part of the book tour for Goliath, the last book in the Leviathan series. This is a ticketed event & offsite event so for more details and to purchase your tickets you can check out the Kidsbooks Website.

-- October 11, 2011 at 7:00 PM ~ West Point Grey United Church Sanctuary, 4595 W. 8th Ave, Vancouver

James Dashner is also coming to Vancouver as part of the book tour for The Death Cure, the last book in The Maze Runner Trilogy. This is a ticketed & offsite event held by Kidsbooks so check out their website for more information.

-- October 26, 2011 at 7:00 PM ~ West Point Grey United Church Sanctuary, 4595 W. 8th Ave, Vancouver

It has been announced that by Penguin on twitter that Maureen Johnson will be doing a signing in Surrey on October 29th at 2:00 PM. It'll be at a Surrey Chapters and since there's two different Chapters locations in Surrey, I'm not sure which one its going to be at so I'm still waiting for more information to be released.

John Flanagan, author of the popular Ranger's Apprentice series will be promoting the newest in the series, Ranger’s Apprentice Brotherband Chronicles Book 1 The Outcasts which is releasing November 1, 2011. This is an offsite & ticketed event so visit the Kidsbooks website for more details and to purchase your tickets.

-- November 3, 2011at 7:00 PM ~ Our Lady of Perpetual Help Gymnasium, 2550 Camosun Street (at W.10th Ave.), Vancouver

Is anyone planning on attending any of these?

Goliath by Scott Westerfeld

2011-10-06T07:00:00.000-07:00

Title: Goliath (Leviathan, #3)
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: September 20, 2011

Summary (taken from Amazon):

Alek and Deryn are on the last leg of their round-the-world quest to end World War I, reclaim Alek’s throne as prince of Austria, and finally fall in love. The first two objectives are complicated by the fact that their ship, the Leviathan, continues to detour farther away from the heart of the war (and crown). And the love thing would be a lot easier if Alek knew Deryn was a girl. (She has to pose as a boy in order to serve in the British Air Service.) And if they weren’t technically enemies.

The tension thickens as the Leviathan steams toward New York City with a homicidal lunatic on board: secrets suddenly unravel, characters reappear, and nothing is at it seems in this thunderous conclusion to Scott Westerfeld’s brilliant trilogy.

Review:

Reading Goliath was truly a globe trotting adventure. From Russia to Tokyo and the USA too, the crew of the Leviathan experience it all in the final instalment to Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan trilogy.

Our prince Alek finally puts all the clues together to figure out Deryn’s big secret. And even though Deryn likes Alek now, she doesn’t change for him--she’s still who she is and that’s what I love about her. Bovril wins the award for most adorable character. He says all the right things at the right times and who wouldn’t want a perspicacious loris of their own.

For the ending, its everything that I thought it would be…and after reading the two previous books, how could it possibly not end the way it did. Though in the back of my mind I still think that it happened too abruptly. Its so hard for me to let go and that’s what happened when I got to the ending because I always want to know what happens after.

Steam punk as a genre hasn’t exactly blown up yet in YA so if you’re looking for something different them give this series a try. The alternative history about World War I with the steam punk twist will sure to surprise readers.

Rating 4.5 Stars

* Copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review