.Xpresso Reads.

Review: The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen

2013-05-24T08:30:00.000-03:00

The Moon and More
Sarah Dessen

Genre: YA Contemporary
Publication date: June 4th 2013
by Viking Juvenile

Luke is the perfect boyfriend: handsome, kind, fun. He and Emaline have been together all through high school in Colby, the beach town where they both grew up. But now, in the summer before college, Emaline wonders if perfect is good enough.

Enter Theo, a super-ambitious outsider, a New Yorker assisting on a documentary film about a reclusive local artist. Theo's sophisticated, exciting, and, best of all, he thinks Emaline is much too smart for Colby.

Emaline's mostly-absentee father, too, thinks Emaline should have a bigger life, and he's convinced that an Ivy League education is the only route to realizing her potential. Emaline is attracted to the bright future that Theo and her father promise. But she also clings to the deep roots of her loving mother, stepfather, and sisters. Can she ignore the pull of the happily familiar world of Colby?

Emaline wants the moon and more, but how can she balance where she comes from with where she's going?

-A copy was provided by Penguin Canada for review-

As my first Sarah Dessen novel I was a little worried as it seems people either love her books or don't, so it's a relief that I fall in with her fans. The Moon and More is an especially perfect beach read. It's lighthearted, it's fun, with a great summery atmosphere, and it has enough emotion to keep you fully immersed.

This book is not really about anything at all (and I say this in a positive light), or some may say it's about everything; it's about growing up. It spans one summer in Emaline's life; the last summer before she's off to college which, for a lot of us, is when our life suddenly feels changed. We say goodbye to our high school days, and often to our boyfriend and hometown as well. It's a situation many can relate to, making this book - a single summer in the life of a small town girl - surprisingly engaging. Emaline's dealing with insecurities towards her high school long term relationship, as well as anxiety of knowing she'll be leaving her small niche in a matter of weeks. In addition, she has her biological father to deal with, which lends some emotional family problems into the mix.

Even though the novel is, in a way, romantically inclined, it remains a part that makes up the sum of this story. If I had to pick what was predominant, I would say it's family. With two sisters, a grandmother, a mother, a father and a dad, in an exceptionally small town, Emaline's family is a large part of her every day life, especially that she's working at the family business renting summer houses on the beach (I did envy her job once or twice!). The family dynamics are lively and full of heart. I loved the bond she has with her mother and sisters, and I'm very happy with how the drama with her biological father resolved. It didn't go the direction I expected--which was the cliché perfect ending. It may not have worked out 100% happily, but I feel it was very realistic. Emaline also learned a lot from it which made her able to understand their relationship, and even embrace her situation.

To touch a bit more on the romance: that, too, was much more realistic than the happily ever afters. I actually found it was quite perfect in its own way. We have her high school boyfriend, and an intensely ambitious NYC fella named Theo, though don't worry there is no love triangle. Theo is a little… energetic? He definitely doesn't fit into the small town life Emaline has been so comfortable in, and to be honest he kind of grated on my nerves for most of the book. His power hungry, arrogant attitude makes it kind of hard to like him. His boss, however, which is nothing but a slob and a total bitch surprised me by how much I enjoyed her character. She was just so… loud. Her whole personality was very loud. The same can also be said about Emaline's fashionista best friend and the lazy "boy next door". Oh and her brother, he was just adorable! Honestly this whole cast was very dynamic and spirited. They are easily the best part of the book. It also helps when you're from a small town like them; I could relate to a lot in their lives.

My first Dessen experience was clearly a successful one, and will not my last. Sparkling with warmth and carefree summer days, The Moon and More is the book you bring with you on vacation!

4 Hot Espressos

Book Girls Don't Cry: That Time I Was the Black Sheep

2013-05-23T08:30:00.000-03:00

Inspired by Book Buzzers, Book Girls Don't Cry is a weekly feature where we each discuss/vent/advise on the chosen weekly bookish topic. Don't miss Jenni on Mondays, and Amy on Saturdays:

This week's topic was suggested by Ruby from Feed Me Books Now!!!

I wanted to love you, but...

Sometimes there are books that you are just DYING to love either because it sounds exactly like you type of perfect read, all your friends highly recommended it, or it just has an epically awesome cover (pfft yeah I just by the cover! Sue me!), BUT they don't always pan out. So this week we're talking about books we wanted to love but we just.... didn't. Then the black sheep was born. BAAAAAA. (that was a sheep.... fyi).

Note that most of these I did not hate, I just didn't LOVE like so many (either 3 or 2 stars).

Jellicoe Road
by Melina Marchetta

Abandoned by her mother on Jellicoe Road when she was eleven, Taylor Markham 17, finally confronts her past. Hannah, the closest adult she has to family, disappears. Jonah Griggs, moody stares and all, is back in town. If Taylor can put together the pieces of her past, she might just be able to change her future.

Yeah yeah I know. EVERYONE and their dog loved this one. I mean, 180 of my Goodreads friends read it and their average is 4.62 (note that I rarely see over 3.6; I have very picky friends >.<). So call me disappointed (and a lil scared of the horde) when I didn't love this one. I didn't hate it - I did give it a 3 stars - but I wasn't able to understand the big hurrah about it either. Honestly I did read this 3 years ago, so maybe if I read it now I would get it, but I only remember being confused. Which does make me kind of want to give it another try now that I've read more in the genre (wasn't big on contemp back then).

The Night Circus
by Erin Morgenstern

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 Reves," and it is only open at night.

Another one that is very highly praised. I did understand why some love it as it does have an incredible imagery and fantastic writing, but otherwise I was just so bored. The blurb talks of battles between magicians and fierce competitions and high stakes, hence why I expected something much more exciting. Sure it's flowery but it had nothing to hold me over. It could, however, make an awesome movie which I hear is in the works! [Find my review here.]

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer
by Michelle Hodkin

Mara Dyer doesn’t think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.
It can.
She believes there must be more to the accident she can’t remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.
There is.
She doesn’t believe that after everything she’s been through, she can fall in love.
She’s wrong.

GAH I think some of you know by now that this book was a big load of fail for me so I won't go on and on about it. I jut expected SO much more from it. It was my most anticipated book for what seemed like a very long long from when I saw the cover, then I finally got my greedy hands on it and I was utterly disappointed that it turned into another bleh romance story. [Find my review here.]

Unspoken
by Sarah Rees Brennan

Kami Glass loves someone she’s never met . . . a boy she’s talked to in her head ever since she was born. She wasn’t silent about her imaginary friend during her childhood, and is thus a bit of an outsider in her sleepy English town of Sorry-in-the-Vale. Still, Kami hasn’t suffered too much from not fitting in. She has a best friend, runs the school newspaper, and is only occasionally caught talking to herself. Her life is in order, just the way she likes it, despite the voice in her head.

But all that changes when the Lynburns return.

*Feels Kara's glare* This sounded so up my alley it felt too good to be true, and sadly it was. I remember wishing it was less romantic and more... gothic I guess. But mostly with this one I just didn't feel any connection with the characters which you know can make or break a book. I don't really remember a whole lot from it now, but I do recall enjoying the creepiness of the plot at least. [Find my review here.]

Delirium
by Lauren Oliver

Ninety-five days, and then I’ll be safe.
I wonder whether the procedure will hurt.
I want to get it over with.
It’s hard to be patient.
It’s hard not to be afraid while I’m still uncured, though so far the deliria hasn’t touched me yet.
Still, I worry.
They say that in the old days, love drove people to madness.
The deadliest of all deadly things: It kills you both when you have it and when you don’t.

This one I read pretty recently actually, so I do blame my not being wow-ed by the simple fact that it was my 28312736821767th dystopian this year alone. It wasn't a bad book, it got a 3, but I was just kind of bored for a while.

I'm hoping I didn't get too many death glares from this post! But now it's your turn!

Tell me what book(s) made you feel like the black sheep!

Also, don't forget to leave suggestions for future topics you'd like to see! :)

You know you love me!

Xoxo, Book Girl!

Altered by Gennifer Albin Chapter Reveal + Giveaway

2013-05-22T08:30:00.000-03:00

If you do not know yet how much I loved Crewel you can read my review here (it has giraffe balls)! For the rest of you, you must know how excited I am to be on this chapter reveal tour for its sequel, Altered. On each stop, you will ge part of the 1st chapter until you've read it all! Plus, you get a chance to win an ARC!

*Altered, the sequel to Crewel, does not yet have a cover*

Altered Chapter One (Part 3)

[...Continued from Part 1 at Bewitched Bookworms and Part 2 at Cuddlebuggery Book Blog]

“Clearly the fact that we are in some type of forsaken alternate reality is much less important than your grudge against me, so can we get this over with and move on?” Erik asks. He moves out of the shadows to face his brother. Standing there, they mirror each other, and for the first time I study them as brothers. I’d only just figured out the real reason they were cold to each other at the Coventry: they were both hiding that secret. They’re exactly the same height, something I’d not noticed before, but Jost is bulkier from his work at the Coventry. He’s dressed in casual work clothes, unlike Erik, whose suit, while wrinkly, is still smart. Erik’s hair brushes his shoulders and Jost’s is longer, but although they share the same unruly waves, Erik’s silvery hair is smoothly slicked into place. Jost’s wild dark locks look like you’d expect after as much action as we’ve seen. The one thing that’s exactly the same is their piercing blue eyes.

“Grudge?” Jost laughs, but there’s a hollowness to it. “You think watching my wife, our sister, our mother get wiped from Arras resulted in a grudge?”

“Then why are you here? What purpose does it serve to run to the Guild if you hate them so much for what they did to Rozenn?” Erik demands.

“That’s our problem.” Jost steps closer to him. “You’ve never understood. Even I knew why Rozenn’s brother and his friends were discontent. I know what the Guild is capable of, and so do you. How can you turn a blind eye? You’ve become one of them.”

“Jost, you were at the Coventry for two years, and I never once let it slip you were from Saxun.”

“It would have given away your own secret. You wouldn’t want those officials knowing you were a fisherman’s son,” Jost accuses.

Erik’s jaw tightens. “I never once gave them a reason to suspect your motives, but I’ll be honest with you, I don’t understand what you were waiting for. I expected you to attack them, maybe even kill the Spinster who did it. Anything,” Erik says. “I wouldn’t have blamed you. I stood back, and you did nothing. I actually thought maybe you’d formed some type of twisted dependency on them.”

“That’s not it.” Jost sighs, and the lightest of lines remain on his forehead and around his eyes. “If you understood then you’d know I wasn’t looking for some quick, simple payback. I want to understand how the system operates.”

“How will that help you heal?” Erik demands. “What can you possibly gain?”

“Myself ? Not much. But understanding the system and getting the information into the right hands could do more damage.”

“So that’s it,” Erik says in a quiet voice. “You were plotting treason.”

“And killing Spinsters wouldn’t have been that?” Jost asks, responding to the allegation in his brother’s voice.

“Killing the one responsible would be reasonable,” Erik says. “But destroying the system would undermine the peace the Guild has established.”

“Peace?” Jost echoes with a laugh.

I think of the people who have been ripped, the neatly orga- nized proof in storage at the Coventry, the look of defeat on my father’s face as he tried to shove me into the tunnel the night the Guild came to claim me. No part of me wants to laugh.

Jost grabs my arm. “Ask Adelice. Ask her what it’s like to rip someone from Arras. Ask her if it’s peaceful for them.”

I open my mouth to protest being dragged into the middle of this, but Jost doesn’t wait for me to respond to his point.

“Or better yet, ask me, Erik. Ask me what it was like to see it happen.” Jost’s voice drops down and trails off. None of us speak. “I watched it. I saw her slip away piece by piece. I watched as they took her away from me.”

“I’m sorry,” Erik offers. He sounds sincere, but even I know his words are far from enough.

Jost shakes his head slightly as if to clear his thoughts, and looks out into the dark. “Rozenn was better than any of us. You or me. So was our mother.” He pauses. “And my daughter.” Erik’s shock registers like a slap across the face.

“Daughter?” he mouths. No actual sound comes, but the heaviness of the word presses on my chest, and judging from their expressions, they feel it, too.

“You missed out on a lot when you took off.” Jost’s words are dismissive, but he doesn’t look away from Erik.

“You could have telebounded me,” Erik insists. Now he’s the one who sounds accusatory.

“And what?” Jost asks. “You would have come to visit? You didn’t come when Dad got sick or I got married. I knew where we stood with you when you left to serve the Guild. Your family couldn’t help you move forward politically, so we were of no use to you.

“You wouldn’t have cared,” Jost continues. “You were busy cozying up to Maela, following her orders like the perfect Spinster’s errand boy. Just like you’ve been busy weaseling your way into Adelice’s heart.”

...Read more tomorrow over at The Book Cellar!

Have not heard of Crewel yet? *gasp* Check what you're missing:

Crewel
Gennifer Albin

Series: Crewel World #1
Publication date: October 16th 2012
by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

Enter a tangled world of secrets and intrigue where a girl is in charge of other’s destinies, but not her own.

Sixteen-year-old Adelice Lewys has always been special. When her parents discover her gift—the ability to weave the very fabric of reality—they train her to hide it. For good reason, they don’t want her to become a Spinster — one of the elite, beautiful, and deadly women who determine what people eat, where they live, how many children they have, and even when they die.

Thrust into the opulent Western Coventry, Adelice will be tried, tested and tempted as she navigates the deadly politics at play behind its walls. Now caught in a web of lies and forbidden romance, she must unravel the sinister truth behind her own unspeakable power. Her world is hanging by a thread, and Adelice, alone, can decide to save it — or destroy it.

About the Author

Gennifer's Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

I like coffee. A lot. Writing gives me time to go get a cup without my kids. I like books as much as I like coffee, but it is easier to read with children hanging on you than drink coffee due to the threat of third degree burns. That's why coffee gets top billing in my intro: its unattainability.

I hold a Masters in English with a specialization in 18th century women's studies. While this is a highly marketable area of expertise, I stay home with my kids, which means my 3 year-old son uses correct grammar and doesn't burn down the house.

I have a ridiculously supportive husband who dreams of being included on a book jacket: "The author lives in Kansas with her husband, two children, and a Tuesday cat."

Altered Chapter One Reveal Tour:

Monday, May 20—Prologue and Part One of Chapter One
Bewitched Bookworms

Tuesday, May 21—Part Two of Chapter One
Cuddlebuggery

Wednesday, May 22—Part Three of Chapter One
Xpresso Reads

Thursday, May 23—Part Four of Chapter One
The Book Cellar

Friday, May 24—Part Five of Chapter One
BookYAReview

Giveaway
The lovely people at Macmillan Children's Publishing Group have generously offered up one ARC of Altered (Crewel World, #2) for giveaway.

· Open to US and Canada addresses only
· Full contest terms and conditions found on Rafflecopter

Giveaway ends June 3rd, 2013
Use the Rafflecopter below to enter
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: As The World Dies Untold Tales 3 by Rhiannon Frater

2013-05-21T08:30:00.000-03:00

As The World Dies Untold Tales Volume 3
Rhianon frater

Genre: Adult Horror
Publication date: June 2013

In the third volume of the AS THE WORLD DIES UNTOLD TALES experience three terrifying tales of those who are forced to face the unrelenting and hungry walking dead.

Returning to Texas after celebrating his divorce in Vegas, Rune, a biker cursed with the ability to see ghosts, discovers that the world is being taken over by the hungry undead. Soon he realizes he will have to depend on all his abilities to survive not only the ravenous zombies, but the dangerous men lurking on the back roads of Texas.

Senator Paige Brightman abandoned the Madison Mall and its inhabitants to the hungry hordes, but her journey did not end there. Her attempt to reach the president’s safe haven called Central has far reaching ramifications for her and the people she abandoned.

The final in the three stories reveals the aftermath of the great battle in SIEGE as one woman faces the ultimate decision whether to live or die in a world of the undead.

-A copy was provided by Rhiannon Frater for review-

I'm fairly certain I'm repeating myself when I say I'm in love with this series, but really I don't care! This series rocked my world thoroughly and completely, quickly becoming one of my favorites of all time, if not the favorite. So it's no surprise that these untold tales garner just as much love from me. I rarely read novellas even when they're part of a series, but I'm telling you, these ones are absolutely worth it. They put the cherry on top of an already fantastic series. And for the love of god if this is really your first time hearing me rave about these books, see what you're missing here!

It may not have mattered for the other Untold Tales, but it's pretty important to have read the complete As the World Dies series before you jump into this one as it does have major spoilers of the finale. We begin with Rune's story, a peculiar character at that. Rune is a medium, and you can only imagine what he's had to deal with when most of the world has just been eaten by zombies. Being able to see ghosts gives us an exceptionally interesting POV, especially knowing how this ability helped not only him, but the whole fort as well. And being a character that only appears late in the series, it was great to see what he went through from the beginning of this zombocalypse. Mostly, I love how he has all the looks of a dangerous badass, but he has one of the biggest hearts you will meet in this story. Plus he is extremely intelligent (nothing is more annoying than stupidity in an end of the world scenario).

Following Rune is Senator Paige Brightman's story. GAH! That woman frustrates me to no end. It was all kinds of awesome to see how much of a self-centered bitch she really is, though, but only because you know what becomes of her. This story fills in the gap of what happened to her up until her demise. Her death was exactly what she deserved, and this short story makes it even more satisfying.

The most effective story of this collection for me was, by far, Emma's. Starting right before the zombies come, we see her living the simple life with her 3 year old son and we feel the love she has for him instantly. It's then that I knew my heart was in trouble. I could put myself exactly in her shoes having a carbon copy of her nudist little rascal of my own, which made this story intensely heartbreaking. Heartbreaking to the point where I was forced to hold on to this naive sense of hope that I knew was fruitless, only because it was easier than feeling the pain I knew was inescapable. This is yet another example of just how powerful this series truly is. I have rarely cared about fictional characters this much in my life, let alone in a zombie story. In such a short time, Emma was able to grab just a little corner of my heart. Her strength and fierce determination is simply unreal, plus knowing how important she will become to the characters I have loved throughout makes her an instant favorite. Her story also allows a glimpse into the fort after the ending of Siege which is honestly a real treat.

Every time I read these Untold Tales, all the feelings and raw emotions I had while reading the series get brought back to the surface, making them extremely nostalgic reads. Reading the final volume overwhelmed me with emotion; this time it's truly and irrevocably the end. It's crazy how much I continue to love these characters months later.

5 Hot Espressos

Find my previous reviews of the series, here!

Review: Rush by Eve Silver

2013-05-20T08:30:00.000-03:00

Rush
Eve Silver

Series: The Game, #1
Genre: YA Science-Fiction
Publication date: June 11th 2013
by Katherine Tegen Books

So what’s the game now? This, or the life I used to know?

When Miki Jones is pulled from her life, pulled through time and space into some kind of game—her carefully controlled life spirals into chaos. In the game, she and a team of other teens are sent on missions to eliminate the Drau, terrifying and beautiful alien creatures. There are no practice runs, no training, and no way out. Miki has only the guidance of secretive but maddeningly attractive team leader Jackson Tate, who says the game isn’t really a game, that what Miki and her new teammates do now determines their survival, and the survival of every other person on this planet. She laughs. He doesn’t. And then the game takes a deadly and terrifying turn..

-A copy was provided by HarperCollins for review-

Every single thing about this book annoyed me. It's not a terrible book in theory: the premise is interesting and it has a strong heroine, but its execution left me so incredibly irritated.

Rush starts with a bang when we're immediately lifted into a whirlwind of a plot, one that screams originality and awesomeness up ahead. It was for sure original; awesome, however, it is not. Let's begin with Jackson, and how his character was used in this book. When Miki is pulled into this strange "game" where she's told she's on a mission to rid the earth of aliens before humanity is extinct, Jackson acts as their leader of sorts. It's obvious that he knows everything we want to know, but all he does is dangle it in front of our faces, keeping his conversations eternally cryptic and secretive, filled with non-answers, though he makes sure to hint regularly at his insider knowledge. No that did not make me "intrigued" or "captivated", it made me want to cry because it was not possible for me to find this fictional character in real life so that I could stab his know-it-all self in the face. When Miki would ask him questions, it went a little something like: "So who's on that Committee?" "Committee members." (actual quote) *twitch*

When we finally do get some answers, mostly in info-dump form at random intervals, they were much too underwhelming for the annoyance I had to suffer through to get them. Firstly, the explanations were kind of weird--the kind of weird that makes you roll your eyes and yawn. Secondly, they're underdeveloped, as if after all this time they were still hesitant to try to make sense of this whole deal. Thirdly, they contains holes that left me just as annoyed as not getting any answers at all. For instance, there's no real reason for the whole thing to function like a video game. The hit points, their "health bars", the lingo, etc. It definitely gave the book somewhat of a unique spin, but to be honest all it did for me was make me unable to take any of it seriously.

Even if you ignore the odd love triangle and sudden insta-love, the romance is bland at best. I guess it's hard to like a guy who makes me want to shove my foot in his nose, so I didn't see Miki's appeal for him at all. Shouldn't she be as annoyed with him as I am? Bleh! As for the other guy, well, I finished this book not even 24 hours ago and I don't even remember his name. Lucas? I think? Even his role in the book is disappearing from my memory every minute. He was boring! Wait.. who are we talking about? Oh what about the epic bitch she calls her best friend? Oh.. Mah Gawd! If I have been violent so far in this review, I want to save the good stuff for Carly and slap her silly (which is most satisfying!) This drama queen would get pissed at Miki for growing hair. I could not stand her at all, nor did I find any of this drama necessary to the story. It did not help for character development, it did not help for adding friendship or values to the book; it was just unpleasant.

To end, the book's "huge" cliffhanger is one I have seen attempted several times, which at this point I see as a fruitless attempt at shock since we all know it will turn out fine by the end of the sequel (if not in the first 30 pages). It's the clichéd cliffhanger.

I can summarize this book in one word (I'm just that good!):

UGH!

2 Espressos

Cover Madness Giveaway Hop Sign Up

2013-05-19T13:32:00.000-03:00

When Jenni of Alluring Reads and I got together to do a team giveaway we never thought it would get so popular. To this day those giveaways are the ones who have gotten the most entries and pageviews of all the giveaways I've ever posted on this blog. If you're not familiar with the giveaway you can have a look here. Basically what it is, is we find a bunch of fabulously covered upcoming books (we try to find recently revealed covers) and we throw a giveaway for a chance to win a pre-order of one of the pretties! We've done 3 very successful Cover Madnesses so far, and for the 4th we decided to invite you all along as well!

So this is the dealio:

Sign ups will stay open for 6 weeks, to close on July 1st at 8:00AM EST
The hop will run for 2 weeks from July 1st to July 14th, 2013
Your giveaway post must be live by July 1st at 8:00AM EST (you may post up to 24hrs early)
When your post is live, the linky will be updated with your direct post link.
Your post must include the linky (or a link to either mine or Jenni's giveaway post where the linky will be located)
You may handle your giveaway as you wish as far as how you collect entries and choose a winner (you may have more than 1 winner if you wish).

What you give away:

Through Goodreads, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, or any other means, you find your favorite newly covered book(s) to feature in this giveaway. You can pick just 1 book, or you can pick 30 and let the winner choose--that is up to you. The book cover must have been out for no longer than 6 weeks at the start of the giveaway. This means the winner will most likely be winning a pre-order of the book (we recommend using The Book Depository as it's free to ship anywhere, but you can use Amazon or any book seller, or you can wait until the book is released, buy it locally, and ship it to your winner).

Here is an example of how me and Jenni have done it in the past, feel free to follow the same format.

Want to participate in this awesome? Sign up below with your blog name and who your giveaway will be open to (Example: Xpresso Reads (INTL) and an email will be sent a few days ahead as a reminder and with the linky code, etc.

If you have any questions, ask away in the comments!

If you want to post the button on your sidebar to help spread the word you can use the code below:

After you've signed up, Tweet/Facebook about it so more people can join!

Stacking the Shelves (56)

2013-05-18T22:48:00.000-03:00

Xpresso Weekly is my edition of Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga's Reviews featuring the books I got this week, and I also mention blog news/happenings of the past week.

This week at Xpresso Reads

Oh Em Gee not even 2 weeks before I leave for New York City! Actually, in 2 weeks from today BEA will be over! Who are you most excited to meet (authors)? For me it's def. Holly Black! Time to start packing soon, lovelies! Ok so holy crappers I have a lot of new sign ups for tours and events over at Xpresso Book Tours so go check that out and sign up for stuff! ;) And don't forget to enter the Dare You To prize pack giveaway that went up this week because it's pretty fantastic!

Reviews on the blog this week:

Stacking the Shelves

(Click on covers or title links for Goodreads)
I received for review:

-Everything Breaks by Vicki Grove
-Hidden by Catherine McKenzie

*Big thanks to Simon & Schuster, S&S Audio, All Night Reads, Penguin Books, and HarperCollins Canada for the pretties*

I was gifted
Due to Jenni (Alluring Reads)'s forgetfulness and shopaholicism, she found double copies of these on her shelves and she knew I wanted to read em so she sent them over! Thanks, love muffin! I love your blonde moments! :)

-The Space Between by Brenna Yovanoff
-Shine by Lauren Myracle

Have a great week!

Link me to your book haul! :)

Fresh Batch (May 19th - 25th)

2013-05-18T08:30:00.000-03:00

Exclusively titled for Xpresso Reads, Fresh Batch features the hottest releases of this upcoming week.

Flavor of the week:

The Book of Broken Hearts
Sarah Ockler

Publication date: May 21st 2013
by Simon Pulse

When all signs point to heartbreak, can love still be a rule of the road? A poignant and romantic novel from the author of Bittersweet and Twenty Boy Summer.

Jude has learned a lot from her older sisters, but the most important thing is this: The Vargas brothers are notorious heartbreakers. She’s seen the tears and disasters that dating a Vargas boy can cause, and she swore an oath—with candles and a contract and everything—to never have anything to do with one.

Now Jude is the only sister still living at home, and she’s spending the summer helping her ailing father restore his vintage motorcycle—which means hiring a mechanic to help out. Is it Jude’s fault he happens to be cute? And surprisingly sweet? And a Vargas?

Jude tells herself it’s strictly bike business with Emilio. Her sisters will never find out, and Jude can spot those flirty little Vargas tricks a mile away—no way would she fall for them. But Jude’s defenses are crumbling, and if history is destined to repeat itself, she’s speeding toward some serious heartbreak…unless her sisters were wrong?

Jude may have taken an oath, but she’s beginning to think that when it comes to love, some promises might be worth breaking.

Sarah's Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Sarah Ockler is the bestselling author of novels for teens, including Bittersweet, Fixing Delilah, and the critically acclaimed Twenty Boy Summer, a YALSA Teens' Top Ten nominee and IndieNext List pick. Her latest, The Book of Broken Hearts, hits the shelves in May 2013.

Sarah is a champion cupcake eater, coffee drinker, night person, and bookworm. When she's not writing or reading at home in Colorado, she enjoys taking pictures, hugging trees, and road-tripping through the country with her husband, Alex.

Other releases this week (Click on title links for Goodreads):

*In no particular order* *Purchase links are for The Book Depository*

- The Neptune Project by Polly Holyoke [Purchase]

- Cautious (Disastrous #2) by E.L. Montes [Purchase]

- The Hazards of Skinny Dipping by Alyssa Rose Ivy [Purchase]

- All I Need by Susane Colasanti [Purchase]

- Billy and Me by Giovanna Fletcher [Purchase]

- Thousand Words by Jennifer Brown [Purchase]

- The Fall of Arthur by J.R.R. Tolkien [Purchase]

- Praefatio (Praefatio #1) by Georgia McBride [Purchase]

- September Girls by Bennett Madison [Purchase]

- Transparent by Natalie Whipple [Purchase]

- The Runaway Queen (The Bane Chronicles Part #2) by Cassandra Clare and Maureen Johnson [Purchase]

- All the Summer Girls by Meg Donohue [Purchase]

- Binding Agreement (Just One Night #3) by Kyra Davis [Purchase]

- Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin [Purchase]

- And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini [Purchase]

- Night School (Night School #1) by C.J. Daugherty [Purchase]

- The Resurrectionist: The Lost Work of Dr. Spencer Black by E.B. Hudspeth [Purchase]

- Trophy Husband by Lauren Blakely

- Absent by Katie Williams [Purchase]

- The Dark Shore: Book Two of the Atlanteans (The Atlanteans #2) by Kevin Emerson [Purchase]

- The Temporary Wife by Jeannie Moon [Purchase]

- The Redeemer (Harry Hole #6) by Jo Nesbø and Don Bartlett [Purchase]

So what is everyone excited for this week?

You can support my blog by using this link (also found on sidebar) to shop at TBD

Find previous Fresh Batch posts here!

Review: Thousand Words by Jennifer Brown

2013-05-17T12:58:00.000-03:00

Thousand Words
Jennifer Brown

Genre: YA Contemporary
Publication date: May 14th 2013
by Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Ashleigh's boyfriend, Kaleb, is about to leave for college, and Ashleigh is worried that he'll forget about her while he's away. So at a legendary end-of-summer pool party, Ashleigh's friends suggest she text him a picture of herself -- sans swimsuit -- to take with him. Before she can talk herself out of it, Ashleigh strides off to the bathroom, snaps a photo in the full-length mirror, and hits "send."

But when Kaleb and Ashleigh go through a bad breakup, Kaleb takes revenge by forwarding the text to his baseball team. Soon the photo has gone viral, attracting the attention of the school board, the local police, and the media. As her friends and family try to distance themselves from the scandal, Ashleigh feels completely alone -- until she meets Mack while serving her court-ordered community service. Not only does Mack offer a fresh chance at friendship, but he's the one person in town who received the text of Ashleigh's photo -- and didn't look.

-A copy was provided by Hachette Book Group Canada for review-

The first Jennifer Brown book I read made me an instant fan of her work, and Thousand Words shows me she has more than one story to tell; one she tells admirably. This time, we meet a girl - Ashleigh - who had her life turned upside down when a private picture text to her boyfriend goes viral.

With technology allowing us constant and worldwide communication, sexting is an issue that was not even possible when I was in high school (way to make me feel old!), so stories like these are real eye openers to the damages that an online world can have with a simple error in judgment. Especially to someone as young as Ashleigh who is in an age where you feel invincible, yet mistakes happen, friends often betray each other, and boyfriends rarely last. It also importantly points out how permanent things are online. Once words or pictures, are out there, there is no deleting them, ever. Not only does this book give us a realistic, well handled story of something so very undoable, so scandalous, it also sends an important message to teens who may not realize how easily a situation like this can come about. One thing I'm sure of: it can't be easy to be a teen in these times, where everyone and everything is out in the open. (Ok, I'm not THAT old, we did have the internet -- ICQ anyone? -- but no one really used it much, then. *sigh* pre-Facebook times!)

A past and present POV is how we learn of Ashleigh's story. We first meet her when she's starting the community service she was sentenced to. While she's slowly making a new friend and trying to make due with how tattered her life seems, we get regular chapters that go back to before anything ever happened. This is where we find out what lead to her taking a risk that she will regret for the rest of her life. Past and present POVs don't always work, but for a story like this, I found it to be the perfect way to tell it. We're able to get the emotional and mental ramifications of her ordeal from the start, making it so when we're taken to her past we're left cringing, for knowing what will come of it. It also makes it easy to put ourselves in her shoes, somehow. It's like seeing her regret and humiliation makes her past mental status more accessible. Additionally, we're shown how much growth her character was forced into by going from a girl who had it all (though she wasn't in any way written as a stereotypical mean girl), to someone who only has regret. While some would have become an emotional mess in her shoes, I admired how strong Ashleigh stayed throughout all of it. She does have her breakdowns which are expected, but overall I loved how she becomes stronger for it. It would have been so easy to go melodramatic with this story, but Brown explores a different side: the side where the character does not get overrun with emotional and mental onslaught. Instead, Ashleigh takes back her life and that, to me, is the second most important message of the story. Even when things are at its worse, how you react and take charge of your mistakes are what will make a difference in the end.

Like all Jennifer Brown books, Thousand Words has just the right amount of heart, friendship, family, and emotion; it grabs you, but it remains a quick and easy read nonetheless.

4 Hot Espressos

Book Girls Don't Cry: Best of 2013

2013-05-16T08:30:00.000-03:00

Inspired by Book Buzzers, Book Girls Don't Cry is a weekly feature where we each discuss/vent/advise on the chosen weekly bookish topic. Don't miss Jenni on Mondays, and Amy on Saturdays:

Best of 2013 (so far)

Since we're hitting the half year mark very soon, we decided to do up a list of the best books we've read so far this year, and the top ones we're excited for that are releasing before the year ends.

Let's start with my top 5 books of 2013 so far:

Sins & Needles (The Artists Trilogy #1)
by Karina Halle

Ellie Watt is used to starting over. The daughter of a grifting team, Ellie spent her childhood being used as a pawn in her parents' latest scam. Now she’s much older, wiser and ready to give her con artist life a rest. But returning to the dry desert town of Palm Valley, California means one more temptation than she bargained for – Camden McQueen. Once known as the high school weirdo, Camden is bigger and badder than the boy he used to be and a talented tattoo artist with his own thriving business. Ellie’s counting on Camden still being in love with her but what she’s not counting on is how easily unrequited love can turn into obsession over time. When Camden discovers Ellie’s plan to con him, he makes her a deal she doesn’t dare refuse, but her freedom comes with a price and it’s one that takes both Ellie and Camden down a dangerous road.

This is an adult book and it's absolutely fantastic with some of the best, most realistic characters. Plus the romance puts the woo in swoony (yeah I'm cheesy like that!)

Hopeless (Hopeless #1)
by Colleen Hoover

Sometimes discovering the truth can leave you more hopeless than believing the lies.In this #1 New York Times bestselling novel by Colleen Hoover, author of Slammed and Point of Retreat, Sky meets Dean Holder, a guy with a reputation that rivals her own. Holder has the ability to invoke feelings in Sky she's never had before. In just one encounter he leaves her terrified yet captivated and something about him brings up a rush of memories from the past that she’s worked so hard to bury away.

Sky knows Holder is nothing but trouble and tries to keep him at a distance, but he is adamant about learning everything he can about her. Sky finally caves to his unwavering pursuit, but she soon finds out that Holder isn't the person he's been claiming to be. When the secrets he's been keeping are finally revealed, every single facet of Sky's life changes forever.

My favorite New Adult novel that gutted me and shredded my heart. The sequel through Holder's POV can't get here fast enough!

Game. Set. Match. (Outerbanks Tennis Academy #1)
by Jennifer Iacopelli

Nestled along the North Carolina coast, the Outer Banks Tennis Academy is the world's most elite training facility. In this pressure-cooker environment, futures are forged in blood and sweat, and dreams are shattered in an instant.

Penny Harrison, a rising female star, is determined to win the French Open and beat her archrival, Zina Lutrova. But when her coach imports British bad boy Alex Russell as her new training partner, will Penny be able to keep her laser-like focus?

Tennis is all Jasmine Randazzo has ever known. The daughter of two Grand Slam champions, she's hell-bent on extending her family’s legacy and writing her own happily-ever-after...until her chosen Prince Charming gives her the just-friends speech right before the biggest junior tournament of the year, the Outer Banks Classic.

With a powerful serve and killer forehand, newcomer Indiana Gaffney is turning heads. She’s thrilled by all of the attention, especially from Jack Harrison, Penny’s agent and hot older brother, except he keeps backing off every time things start heating up.

With so much at stake, dreams—and hearts—are bound to break. Welcome to OBX: Where LOVE is a four-letter word, on and off the court.

As a New Adult book this was just so refreshing. Finally a fun, romantic, and original plot with incredible characters to boot! Any Miranda Kenneally fan should give this a try!

The 5th Wave (The Fifth Wave #1)
by Rick Yancey

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother—or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

This is probably one of the only dystopian/end of the world novel I have read this year that I enjoyed. An exciting read and actually original which is SO rare in this genre, now!

If You Find Me
by Emily Murdoch

There are some things you can’t leave behind…
A broken-down camper hidden deep in a national forest is the only home fifteen year-old Carey can remember. The trees keep guard over her threadbare existence, with the one bright spot being Carey’s younger sister, Jenessa, who depends on Carey for her very survival. All they have is each other, as their mentally ill mother comes and goes with greater frequency. Until that one fateful day their mother disappears for good, and two strangers arrive. Suddenly, the girls are taken from the woods and thrust into a bright and perplexing new world of high school, clothes and boys.

Now, Carey must face the truth of why her mother abducted her ten years ago, while haunted by a past that won’t let her go… a dark past that hides many a secret, including the reason Jenessa hasn’t spoken a word in over a year. Carey knows she must keep her sister close, and her secrets even closer, or risk watching her new life come crashing down.

Another one that really got my emotionally involved 100%. I loved the rawness of this story and how, in such a horrifying story, it's really about hope.

And now for the top 5 I'm most excited for that will be coming out in 2013. Note that since any sequels of the ones above are a GIVEN, I will not put them in this list since it would be just all 5 of those.. ;)

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown (The Coldest Girl in Coldtown #1)
by Holly Black

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.

Aaaah Holly Black rocks my face so much! I may just die if I don't read this soon! *faints dramatically*

Made of Stars
by Kelley York

When eighteen-year-old Hunter Jackson and his half sister, Ashlin, return to their dad’s for the first winter in years, they expect everything to be just like the warmer months they’d spent there as kids. And it is—at first. But Chance, the charismatic and adventurous boy who made their summers epic, is harboring deep secrets. Secrets that are quickly spiraling into something else entirely.

The reason they've never met Chance’s parents or seen his home is becoming clearer. And what the siblings used to think of as Chance's quirks—the outrageous stories, his clinginess, his dangerous impulsiveness—are now warning signs that something is seriously off.

Then Chance's mom turns up with a bullet to the head, and all eyes shift to Chance and his dad. Hunter and Ashlin know Chance is innocent...they just have to prove it. But how can they protect the boy they both love when they can’t trust a word Chance says?

I really enjoyed Kelley's other novel and it's s till now very fresh in my mind (for me that's the biggest sign of originality and a book that's memorable) so I know I can expect some awesomeness in here!

Ashes on the Waves
by Mary Lindsey

Liam MacGregor is cursed. Haunted by the wails of fantastical Bean Sidhes and labeled a demon by the villagers of Dòchas, Liam has accepted that things will never get better for him—until a wealthy heiress named Annabel Leighton arrives on the island and Liam’s fate is changed forever.

With Anna, Liam finally finds the happiness he has always been denied; but, the violent, mythical Otherworlders, who inhabit the island and the sea around it, have other plans. They make awager on the couple’s love, testing its strength through a series of cruel obstacles. But the tragedies draw Liam and Anna even closer. Frustrated, the creatures put the couple through one last trial—and this time it’s not only their love that’s in danger of being destroyed.

Based on Edgar Allan Poe’s chilling poem, "Annabel Lee," Mary Lindsey creates a frighteningly beautiful gothic novel that glorifies the power of true love.

Edgar Allan Poe inspired! Yep. That is all.

Parasite (Parasitology #1)
by Mira Grant

A decade in the future, humanity thrives in the absence of sickness and disease.

We owe our good health to a humble parasite - a genetically engineered tapeworm developed by the pioneering SymboGen Corporation. When implanted, the tapeworm protects us from illness, boosts our immune system - even secretes designer drugs. It's been successful beyond the scientists' wildest dreams. Now, years on, almost every human being has a SymboGen tapeworm living within them.

But these parasites are getting restless. They want their own lives... and will do anything to get them.

Mira Grant! She only wrote one of the most realistic zombie stories out there and she is a master at suspense and horror.

The Waking Dark
by Robin Wasserman

They called it the killing day. Twelve people dead, all in the space of a few hours. Five murderers: neighbors, relatives, friends. All of them so normal. All of them seemingly harmless. All of them now dead by their own hand . . . except one. And that one has no answers to offer the shattered town. She doesn't even know why she killed—or whether she'll do it again.

Something is waking in the sleepy town of Oleander's, Kansas—something dark and hungry that lives in the flat earth and the open sky, in the vengeful hearts of upstanding citizens. As the town begins its descent into blood and madness, five survivors of the killing day are the only ones who can stop Oleander from destroying itself. Jule, the outsider at war with the world; West, the golden boy at war with himself; Daniel, desperate for a different life; Cass, who's not sure she deserves a life at all; and Ellie, who believes in sacrifice, fate, and in evil. Ellie, who always goes too far. They have nothing in common. They have nothing left to lose. And they have no way out. Which means they have no choice but to stand and fight, to face the darkness in their town—and in themselves.

Another author that I've loved in the past and proved that she can write something well worth reading, plus this just screams my name!

I see a theme here! Mostly thrillers/gothics to come, and contemporaries have been good to me so far!

What are your top reads and most anticipated books of 2013?

Also, don't forget to leave suggestions for future topics you'd like to see! :)

You know you love me!

Xoxo, Book Girl!

Review: The Beautiful and the Cursed by Page Morgan

2013-05-15T08:30:00.000-03:00

The Beautiful and the Cursed
Page Morgan

Series: The Dispossessed #1
Genre: YA Gothic
Publication date: May 14th 2013
by Delacorte Books for Young Readers

After a bizarre accident, Ingrid Waverly is forced to leave London with her mother and younger sister, Gabby, trading a world full of fancy dresses and society events for the unfamiliar city of Paris.

In Paris there are no grand balls or glittering parties, and, disturbingly, the house Ingrid’s twin brother, Grayson, found for them isn’t a house at all. It’s an abandoned abbey, its roof lined with stone gargoyles that could almost be mistaken for living, breathing creatures.

And Grayson has gone missing.

No one seems to know of his whereabouts but Luc, a devastatingly handsome servant at their new home.

Ingrid is sure her twin isn’t dead—she can feel it deep in her soul—but she knows he’s in grave danger. It will be up to her and Gabby to navigate the twisted path to Grayson, a path that will lead Ingrid on a discovery of dark secrets and otherworldly truths. And she’ll learn that once they are uncovered, they can never again be buried.

-A copy was provided by Random House Canada for review-

Set in beautiful London, 1899, The Beautiful and the Cursed is a unique, violent, sometimes disturbing YA Gothic involving demons, Gargoyles, and… something unexplained that is one of our main characters.

With the appearance of two dead bodied within the first 70 pages, I knew I was in for a good time. Though not a bad thing (for me), this book was a little more violent than I expected. Aside from the initial dead bodies we're treated to gory bodily remains and beastly attacks--which were pretty cool I might add. Hell hounds make for really awesome evil! To protect from these creature are gargoyles; amazingly described as these massive beasts, gargoyles have to protect the humans residing in their estates, and can turn to and from human form. This gargoyle lore - gargoyles not being something I knew very much of - left me kind of in awe. Page makes them both darkly beautiful and monstrous. Their human forms give us century old characters: some are bitter, some are lonely, others revel in the power they possess, but they all carry a certain air of desperation that makes them a little… menacing. Aside from the fantastic visuals of these beasts (including their metamorphosis), London also comes alive in this novel with rich scenery and ambiance. All that in addition to the beautiful prose = A+ on the writing!

The multiple perspectives in this book take us from one sister to another, starting when they find out about their missing brother. One sister - Ingrid - has unexplained powers that have started to materialize, which has everyone perplexed. The other, Gabby, is a little jealous and dealing with feeling helpless in her shadow. Although they are both very determined young women, I'm always partial to the less damsel-in-distress-y types (even though Gabby is set against being such, she still is), so I found Ingrid to be a much more compelling character. The ability to shoot lightning from your fingers (!!) will do that! The sisters are our main POVs, but we also get glimpses into Luc's and Grayson's which come with both good and bad results. Good because we get answers fast: we learn what's happening to Grayson, we find out a lot about the Gargoyles; but bad because for one, we relive some of the same scenes echoed through a sister's POV (which I did not find necessary), and for another, we find out things way before the girls do, therefore making the wait a little monotonous. It doesn't help matters that the plot is not especially fast paced. Sure there are some deaths and intriguing happenings, but the actual plot doesn't start moving until three quarters through. Once this happens though it's a pretty freaky ride until the end.

There is also romance in this novel, and with all the different POVs we get a mix of forbidden love, confused emotions, and even a slight love triangle. I did not find the romance to be the book's best quality, to be honest. I never grew especially connected to any of the couples, nor did I feel a large amount of chemistry between them which always makes the romance a bit bland. It could have been worse.

With excellent imagery and splendid writing, The Beautiful and the Cursed is an original work of Gothic fiction. It takes a little bit to get going, but it is worth it at the end.

Also, I gotta say, the UK cover grasps the book so much better than the froufrou US cover (although the US one is gorgeous, this is just not a froufrou book!)

3 Hot Espressos

Review: Sky on Fire by Emmy Laybourne

2013-05-14T08:30:00.000-03:00

Sky on Fire
Emmy Laybourne
Series: Monument 14, #2
Genre: YA Post-Apocalyptic
Publication date: May 28th 2013
by Feiwel & Friends

The world hasn't ended...yet.

In this sequel to MONUMENT 14, the group of survivors, originally trapped together in a superstore by a series of escalating disasters, has split in two. Most of the kids are making a desperate run on their recently repaired school bus for the Denver airport where they hope to reunite with their parents, be evacuated to safety, and save their dying friend.

But the world outside is dark and filled with dangerous chemicals that turn people into bloodthirsty monsters, and not all the kids were willing to get on the bus. Left behind in a sanctuary that has already been disturbed once, the remaining kids try to rebuild the community they lost. But when the issues are life and death, love and hate, who can you really trust?

-A copy was provided by Raincoast Books for review-

*Spoiler free for the series*

Sky on Fire, the sequel to Monument 14, is more action packed and exciting, but the writing is still filled with irritating quirks that doesn't allow me to give it a higher rating, no matter how much I might have enjoyed the rest--which was actually quite a bit.

Since we're at it, let me tell you what I mean about the writing. I knew from the first book that the author likes to write as if her readers are a little… slow? The first novel was filled with commentaries and unnecessary repetitions to make sure we understood clearly what was happening. This sequel is, unfortunately, not without these redundancies. The best example:

"Right before Castle Rock, there was a long stretch of open highway. ("Open" meaning that there was one clear lane with no obstacles to go around.)"
--Thanks for that, Captain Obvious!

This is an example from book 1:

Niko half dragged me through the hail, down the "aisle" that was not an aisle but was actually the space above the seats (because, remember, the bus was on its side)."
--Ooooh ok, I hadn't caught that when the bus CRASHED and flipped sideways 30 seconds earlier.

Fortunately. these instances only appear a couple of times in each book. However this is not my only complaint on the writing. While reading, there are sentences and… peculiarities that stand out like a sore thumb, which both distracted and annoyed me. Here are some of them and maybe you'll see what I mean:

"They had dirty faces and smelled not good."
--You speak good.

"what I read in her expression went something like: Ah, this dumb kid feels like he's getting pushed around so he's taking a stand on a small, insignificant detail. But I guess if he needs to win this little victory for the sake of his pride, then I will give in."
--That's very facially talented! O_O

"Jean let me rub some toothpaste around on my gums so I wouldn't have breath like I ate a donkey's butt all day."
--Gross! Worst analogy ever!

"He's the worst person I ever met.
1) He had laid a trap for us.
2) We had fallen into the trap.
3) He still had a dad."
--Umm ok, we better watch out for THIS badass villain!

Also, the most dangerous side effect of this chemical: "O monsters"! Yep. *snort*

Aside from this writing, I actually quite enjoyed the rest. With many characters, I was impressed that I was able to easily keep them all straight, and they became people I cared about--though some more than others. I also appreciated the neat way the recap was done with an " in case we die" letter at the beginning. It was only 3 pages, but it completely set me right back to where we had left off as if no time had passed.

This time, the plot was a lot more exciting while still keeping the claustrophobic feel some loved from the first. This is achieved with two POVs: one from the supermarket, another from the outside, which raises the tension in the story, plus it answers the big question of what the outside has been like since this apocalypse. On this note, I found it to be a pretty realistic depiction of how people would act during such a catastrophe: violence and horror caused by other survivors are often the most dangerous of all. Although we still did not get answers as to what brought on the deadly chemicals, we do make some progress with which I was satisfied, knowing the explanations were (hopefully) saved for the final installment. Furthermore, since the outside POV constantly keeps us on edge, I actually enjoyed the more laid-back feel of the others in the supermarket this time, "playing house" as I called it in my review of book 1. It doesn't stay quiet for long there either, however. Overall, it does become a pretty exciting novel and by the ending I was frantically turning the pages with my heart pounding. It's really a shame that the writing puts such a damper on things.

The writing problems I had are not something new to this sequel, so if you loved the first you might not be bothered by it in Sky on Fire either. I did think it was a strong sequel which is rare in itself, and despite my complaints, I'm looking forward to the 3rd - Savage Drift!

*Note that all quotes in this review were taken from the uncorrected proof*

3 Hot Espressos

Find my review of Monument 14, here!

Dare You To Tour Stop: Playlist Song, Excerpt + Giveaway

2013-05-13T08:30:00.000-03:00

Pushing the Limits was one of my favorite books of last year so I am very excited to be on the tour for its companion sequel, Dare You To. I have a short excerpt for you today with a playlist song, plus a fantastic giveaway for you lovely peeps! Thanks to Kismet Book Touring for organizing this tour!

Dare You To
Katie McGarry

Series: Pushing the Limits #2
Publication date: May 28th 2013
by Harlequin Teen

Ryan lowers his lips to my ear. "Dance with me, Beth."

"No." I whisper the reply. I hate him and I hate myself for wanting him to touch me again....

"I dare you..."

If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does....

Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him.

But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all...

Dare You To Sneak Peek & Playlist Song

"Dirt Road Anthem" by Jason Aldean

In the back field that borders three farms, a field party rages without me, Logan, and Chris. Parties are great. They have girls, girls who drink beer, dancing, girls who like dancing, and guys who hate dancing but do it anyway in the hope of laying the girls who drink beer.

Ten minutes into the party, the three of us took on a dare. Actually, I took on a dare. Chris and Logan are along for the ride.

“You can’t pull this one off.” Chris walks beside me as we head toward the cars parked neatly in a line. The full moon gives the field a silver glow and the scent of bonfire smoke hangs in the air.

“That’s because you have no imagination.”

“This is going to be sweet,” Logan says when I head toward a group of defensive linemen enjoying their own private party.

Tim Richardson owns a mammoth-size, ozone-killing truck, which is good, because the four guys sitting on lawn chairs on the back of it easily weigh 275 pounds each. Tim liberates a can of beer from his cooler and tosses it to me. “What’s going on, Ry?”

“Nothing.” I put the cold can on the tailgate. No drinking for me. I’ve got business to take care of…

About the Author

Katie's Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Katie was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan.

Katie is the author of the full-length Young Adult novels PUSHING THE LIMITS and DARE YOU TO, and the e-novella CROSSING THE LINE. Her debut novel, PUSHING THE LIMITS, is a 2012 Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction and an RT Book Reviews 2012 Reviewer’s Choice Awards Nominee for Young Adult Contemporary Novel.

This post is a part of:

Monday, April 29th – Bewitched Bookworms
Tuesday, April 30th - Harlequin Blog
Wednesday, May 1sh – The Irish Banana
Thursday, May 2nd – Review - Tyngas Reviews
Friday, May 3rd –   Evie Bookish

Monday, May 6th -  YA - Bibliophile
Tuesday, May 7th – Review - Real of Fiction
Wednesday, May 8th – Book Swarm
Thursday, May 9th – Review - Book Nook
Friday, May 10th – Alice Marvels

Monday, May 13th -  Xpresso Reads
Tuesday, May 14th – Review - Chapter by Chapter
Wednesday, May 15th – Book and A Latte
Thursday, May 16th – Review - Blog Girl
Friday, May 17th – Supernatural Snark

Giveaway
Thanks to Kismet BT, and Harlequin Teen, I've got two giveaways for you today! The first prize is for the chance win a copy of either of PUSHING THE LIMITS or DARE YOU TO. The second prize is a DARE YOU TO gift bag full of goodies (incl. an iPod nano, iTunes Gift Card, Baseball Jersey, Leather Bracelet and a copy of PUSHING THE LIMITS and DARE YOU TO).

Open to US & Canadian addresses
Giveaway ends May 20th, 2013
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Stacking the Shelves (55)

2013-05-12T00:00:00.000-03:00

Xpresso Weekly is my edition of Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga's Reviews featuring the books I got this week, and I also mention blog news/happenings of the past week.

This week at Xpresso Reads

Happy mother's day!! I hope you're all enjoying your weekend and maybe your gift is an afternoon off like mine? Teehee. Oh and because I said I would mention it weekly--2.5 weeks before BEA! :D

Reviews on the blog this week:

NEW Xpresso Book Tours open for sign ups:

-- Uninvited Leah Spiegel and Meg Summers
-- Waiting for the Storm by Marie Landry
-- Losing Francesca by J.A. Huss

Stacking the Shelves

(Click on covers or title links for Goodreads)
I received for review:

-Gorgeous by Paul Rudnick
-Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg

*An immense thank you to the fabulous Scholastic Canada, HarperCollins, St. Martin's Press, Sourcebooks, AToMR Tours, Louise Rozett, Rhiannon Frater, William Morrow Paperbacks, Random House Children's Books, Month9Books, and Lerner Publishing Group for these pretties!*
--

Happy Mother's Day!

Link me to your book haul!

Fresh Batch (May 12th - 18th)

2013-05-11T08:30:00.000-03:00

Exclusively titled for Xpresso Reads, Fresh Batch features the hottest releases of this upcoming week.

Flavor of the week:

Golden
Jessi Kirby
Publication date: May 14th 2013
by Simon & Schuster BfYR

Seventeen-year-old Parker Frost has never taken the road less traveled. Valedictorian and quintessential good girl, she’s about to graduate high school without ever having kissed her crush or broken the rules. So when fate drops a clue in her lap—one that might be the key to unraveling a town mystery—she decides to take a chance.

Julianna Farnetti and Shane Cruz are remembered as the golden couple of Summit Lakes High—perfect in every way, meant to be together forever. But Julianna’s journal tells a different story—one of doubts about Shane and a forbidden romance with an older, artistic guy. These are the secrets that were swept away with her the night that Shane’s jeep plunged into an icy river, leaving behind a grieving town and no bodies to bury.

Reading Julianna’s journal gives Parker the courage to start to really live—and it also gives her reasons to question what really happened the night of the accident. Armed with clues from the past, Parker enlists the help of her best friend, Kat, and Trevor, her longtime crush, to track down some leads. The mystery ends up taking Parker places that she never could have imagined. And she soon finds that taking the road less traveled makes all the difference.

Jessi's Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Jessi Kirby is a former English teacher and librarian. She lives in Orange County, CA with her husband and two kids, where she writes stories and runs the beach every day. Well, almost every day.

Other releases this week (Click on title links for Goodreads):

*In no particular order* *Purchase links are for The Book Depository*

- Under the Light (Light #2) by Laura Whitcomb [Purchase]

- Eternal Embrace (Darkness Within #3) by Jennifer Turner

- School Spirits (School Spirits #1) by Rachel Hawkins [Purchase]

- Five Summers by Una LaMarche [Purchase]

- Purgatory Reign by L.M. Preston [Purchase]

- Spirit and Dust (Goodnight Family) by Rosemary Clement-Moore [Purchase]

- Inferno (Robert Langdon #4) by Dan Brown [Purchase]

- The School for Good and Evil (The School for Good and Evil #1) by Soman Chainani [Purchase]

- The Forgotten Ones (The Danaan Trilogy #1) by Laura Howard [Purchase]

- Towering by Alex Flinn [Purchase]

- The Rithmatist (Rithmatist #1) by Brandon Sanderson [Purchase]

- The Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Elston [Purchase]

- Pieces of You (Shattered Hearts #2) by Cassia Leo

- Winger by Andrew Smith [Purchase]

- The Rose Throne (The Rose Throne, #1) by Mette Ivie Harrison [Purchase]

- He's Gone by Deb Caletti [Purchase]

- Parallel by Lauren Miller [Purchase]

- Gadget Girl: The Art of Being Invisible by Suzanne Kamata [Purchase]

- The Feud: The Hatfields and McCoys: The True Story by Dean King [Purchase]

- The Beautiful and the Cursed (The Dispossessed #1) by Page Morgan [Purchase]

- Truth or Dare (Truth or Dare #1) by Jacqueline Green [Purchase]

- The Boleyn King (The Boleyn Trilogy #1) by Laura Andersen [Purchase]

- Eyes Wide Open (The Blackstone Affair #3) by Raine Miller [Purchase]

- Trying Not To Love You by Megan Smith

- The Kissing Booth by Beth Reekles [Purchase]

- Formerly Shark Girl (Shark Girl #2) by Kelly Bingham [Purchase]

- Poppet (Jack Caffery) by Mo Hayder [Purchase]

- Firecracker by David Iserson [Purchase]

- The Color of Rain by Cori McCarthy [Purchase]

- The Last Hour (Thompson Sisters) by Charles Sheehan-Miles [Purchase]

- The Cydonian Pyramid (The Klaatu Diskos #2) by Pete Hautman [Purchase]

So what is everyone excited for this week?

You can support my blog by using this link (also found on sidebar) to shop at TBD

Find previous Fresh Batch posts here!

Review: Charm & Strange by Stephanie Kuehn

2013-05-10T08:30:00.000-03:00

Charm & Strange
Stephanie Kuehn

Publication date: June 11th, 2013
by St. Martin's Griffin

When you’ve been kept caged in the dark, it’s impossible to see the forest for the trees. It’s impossible to see anything, really. Not without bars . . .

Andrew Winston Winters is at war with himself.

He’s part Win, the lonely teenager exiled to a remote Vermont boarding school in the wake of a family tragedy. The guy who shuts all his classmates out, no matter the cost.

He’s part Drew, the angry young boy with violent impulses that control him. The boy who spent a fateful, long-ago summer with his brother and teenage cousins, only to endure a secret so monstrous it led three children to do the unthinkable.

Over the course of one night, while stuck at a party deep in the New England woods, Andrew battles both the pain of his past and the isolation of his present.

Before the sun rises, he’ll either surrender his sanity to the wild darkness inside his mind or make peace with the most elemental of truths—that choosing to live can mean so much more than not dying.

-A copy was provided by St. Martin's Griffin for review-

This book takes mind-fuck to a whole new level--and excuse my french, but there is really no calling this one any different.

Charm and Strange is... well it is very definitely strange. This is probably one of the most baffling books I've read. I was unable to stop thinking and questioning and wondering about every single thing that was going on in this book. It felt like it was going to go one route, only to leave me completely bewildered by the direction it did take. While you will likely want to discuss this book the second you turn the last page, once the ending comes, so does clarity. The confusion is not an irritation while reading either, on the contrary, it's a fascinating and spellbinding confusion that keeps you absolutely unable to think about anything else until you have finally come to understand.

There is a pro and a con side to this novel. The big secret of the plot--what dumbfounded and what made this book truly brilliant in my eyes--will unlikely not stay a secret very long. It's one of those spoilers that simply can't be avoided. I can't even tell you why, but by simply glancing at how this book is described in many reviews in the most general of terms could completely change how you'll take the story. However this is not necessarily a bad thing. What you expect from this novel, and what you get from it in the end, will decide what you take from it. If you're expecting a certain type or paranormal tale, or a certain style of storytelling, then you may or may not hate what it actually is. I am probably making absolutely no sense to you right now, eh? If you take only one thing from this review, it's that you should read this book with ZERO expectations of anything--which is how I experienced it. Do not read the book synopsis, do not check out its Goodreads page, don't even check what freaking genre it is, just read it. You will thank me! And PS- this review is 100% spoiler free of any kind! ;)

With that said, it's obvious that this review can't go into very much plot details, so lets talk characters and writing. Both are exquisite. Our protagonist is one of the most complex character studies I have seen in YA literature. He's created with such fine threads that you're truly afraid his instability will crack at any second. We're taken into his past with alternating past/present chapters where we learn of his upbringing, how he became the broken individual we were introduced to. On one hand, this makes you understand his state of mind, turning any dislike for his bizarre, unlikeable personality into sympathy, but on the other hand it can be a little hard to keep track of two different stories. Yes the two stories are interconnected, and they ultimately merge into one, they still remain fairly separate until then; each having independent characters and settings. I think it was extremely important to disclose the story in this manner so I wouldn't want it to be any different, just that it did take me a bit to situate myself every time I picked up the book--as if I needed to feel more confused!

As for the writing, it's unblemished with a prose that is sophisticated yet simple. It doesn't rush nor does it bore. Its prominent feature is its ambiguity. From the very first page everything is cryptically described, from the past, to the family members, to the relationships, to the wolves, and finally to the present. Nothing is freely given, yet everything is left for us to take, to decipher. While some might think this would be hard to get into it's the exact opposite. We're so starved for meaning that it becomes the oil that greases the wheels of this penetrating story.

An exceptionally perplexing novel, Charm and Strange is the type of read where you do not want to move after you're done. You need time to sit and process what exactly you just got through reading. If you want a book that stands out from the rest, this one has its own playing field!

4 Hot Espressos

Book Girls Don't Cry... They Vent on Pet Peeves

2013-05-09T08:30:00.000-03:00

Inspired by Book Buzzers, Book Girls Don't Cry is a weekly feature where we each discuss/vent/advise on the chosen weekly bookish topic. Don't miss Jenni on Mondays, and Amy on Saturdays:

Bookish Pet Peeves!

We are talking pet peeves today! I'm sure you will all have some to share as well and this is my favorite thing to discuss in books so gimme all you got in the comments, loves! I've grown to have very many pet peeves through the years so I will just list the ones that are the most annoying for me.

Insta-Love
Oh hell to the no (and really who doesn't have this as a pet peeve by now?)! What more can I even say about it? Insta-love sucks. An instant attraction is ok, insta-lust is fine, but those relationships that go from zero to "I will die without you" end-all kind of love in 60 seconds never do it for me. I need to believe in the connection they have, or at least understand why they love each other so damn much! "Oh his pecks are so big, I WILL LOVE HIM FOREVER" eeeh, no.

"Teenage" Slang Gone Wrong
Another pet peeve of mine is when authors try to bring their characters to life by trying too hard to make them sound like teenagers. Using way too many swear words, or stuff like "yo" " whassup" and "dude" splattered all over. Obviously slang is common among teenagers, but don't overdo it. The most recent example of this occurred in Period 8. Blah! But hey, at least they're trying to make them sound authentic, unlike my next pet peeve:

Non Contracted Dialogue
This is one that I feel is not very common or doesn't seem to bother many others, but I can't stand it when, during dialogue (inner dialogue included), words are not contracted. Have you ever spoken like: "I do not want to leave. I am waiting until she calls." People--especially teenagers--don't talk like this. It annoys me so hard for some reason. Most often than not I have to DNF these. It's just not natural speech for humans! When it's a very literary read with a rich prose or even a historical novel, I'm (sometimes) ok with this style of writing, but otherwise--if it's just another YA paranormal--then I will use the book to make smores.

Look-Alikes
How many different versions of Twilight have YOU come across since the original? Twi-like books are all the rage, it seems. You would not believe the amount of times I have re-met Edward Cullen! That kid gets around! It's not just Twilight, though, look at Hunger Games look-alikes, or how this New Adult genre is already filled to the brim with "broken lovers with dark pasts" plots. It seems like when something is popular, everyone is trying to get a chance to milk the cow until it's dry instead of using actual imagination and some creativity to write a good book! Give me some originality!!

THE EVIL SENTENCE! <--click!
Speaks for itself!

--

You will see 2 missing common pet peeves from this list: love triangles and cliffhangers. I actually don't mind either when they're not done lamely. Triangles, in a lot of cases, are boring but I simply don't pay much attention to them; I don't loathe them as much as others, I just don't particularly like them. However, they can be done very well in other cases, like in Cynthia Hand's Unearthly series. As for cliffhangers, I find they often give me that final exciting shock that makes the book memorable and, well, shocking. So while I will still want to hurl the book for making me wait to find out what happens, I secretly love the thrill. BUT, like everything in life, it has to be done for the right reasons; gimmicky cliffhangers are a bore.

Your turn! :D
What are some of your pet-peeves?

Also, don't forget to leave suggestions for future topics you'd like to see! :)

You know you love me!

Xoxo, Book Girl!

Waiting on Wednesday (81)

2013-05-08T00:00:00.000-03:00

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine

and spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My pick this week:

The 100
Kass Morgan

Genre: YA Dystopian
Publication date: September 3rd 2013
by Little, Brown Young Readers

In the future, humans live in city-like spaceships orbiting far above Earth's toxic atmosphere. No one knows when, or even if, the long-abandoned planet will be habitable again. But faced with dwindling resources and a growing populace, government leaders know they must reclaim their homeland... before it's too late.

Now, one hundred juvenile delinquents are being sent on a high-stakes mission to recolonize Earth. After a brutal crash landing, the teens arrive on a savagely beautiful planet they've only seen from space. Confronting the dangers of this rugged new world, they struggle to form a tentative community. But they're haunted by their past and uncertain about the future. To survive, they must learn to trust - and even love - again.

I know I know, it's a dystopian novel and I've been bitching the genre out. But hear me out--that synopsis makes it actually sound way cool! No one's been on earth for ages! That could be really cool especially if the setting/imagery is well created. Let me dream, lovelies! Let me dream!

What are you waiting on?

Link me up! :)

Review: Easy by Tammara Webber

2013-05-07T08:30:00.000-03:00

Easy
Tammara Webber

Genre: NA Contemporary
Publication date: November 6th 2012
by Berkley Trade

Rescued by a stranger.
Haunted by a secret
Sometimes, love isn’t easy…

He watched her, but never knew her. Until thanks to a chance encounter, he became her savior…

The attraction between them was undeniable. Yet the past he’d worked so hard to overcome, and the future she’d put so much faith in, threatened to tear them apart.

Only together could they fight the pain and guilt, face the truth—and find the unexpected power of love.

A groundbreaking novel in the New Adult genre, Easy faces one girl's struggle to regain the trust she's lost, find the inner strength to fight back against an attacker, and accept the peace she finds in the arms of a secretive boy.

-Source: Gifted from Jenni at Alluring Reads-

An amazing story involving first loves and true loves, Easy by Tammara Webber is highly emotional as it involves the topic of rape and a dark past, but in the end it remains a very heartwarming love story.

In a story like this the characters--their development and likeable qualities--are the most important, and this is where Tammara excels. As much as Jacqueline is created with tons of layers and a personality you can't help but adore, Lucas' character, with his tattoos, his Harley, and an extremely kind soul, is not neglected with his development one bit. These two characters become real, breathing, living beings that are effortless in getting us to care for them. Even though the chemistry between them is a character in and of itself, with palpable electricity and obvious attraction, the relationship never felt overly embellished, too perfect, or fairy-tail-ish. The imperfections and obstacles they endure make it less of a fantasy romance, and more a romance that you believe could truly happen. As a side but not a lesser character, Erin--Jaqueline's roommate and new best friend--lends the book a nice dash of humour, with my favourite being her amusing relationship advice. Her loyalty and support gives the perfect example of what a true friend should be. Throughout the story, the complexities of these characters become even more exposed as we discover layers that weren't immediately obvious, especially when Lucas' past comes into play, proving once again that character growth is just as important for a story like this to have its full effect.

The college setting is a great aspect to this novel. Having gone to college in business I found the economic chatter amusing and nostalgic. College days is a time in your life that will always stay with you, and while High School will (unfortunately) never be forgotten, college is where we really find ourselves--at least for a lot of us. This is one of the biggest allures of this New Adult genre for me, and this book portrays it perfectly. It's a time where, like Jacqueline, you make new friends, you start learning realities of the real world, and you say goodbye to your high school mistakes. Some darker consequences than what most will have to live through is introduced in this story, however, which keeps the tone of this college life on a slightly darker side than the norm, giving the story a bit of an underlying suspense. It provides it with a little oomph, alongside the romance, without it being overly dramatic to the point where it becomes emotional manipulation. Overall it's a wonderfully told romantic story.

I really have no complaints about this one; I mean, it has your expected "broken character with worst case scenario dark past", but even so, it was beautiful, sweet, romantic, and fantastically crafted. The only reason I hesitate to give a 5 is because of how it compares emotionally to my last 5 star NA read (Hopeless) which was a lot more affecting for me--that one truly gutted me until I was bruised. Easy is more a love story with some dark tones, while Hopeless is more dark tones with a love story. And yes I'm comparing the two because I'm thinking that, for some, whichever of these you will read first might possibly trump the other.

4 Hot Espressos

Review: Doll Bones by Holly Black

2013-05-06T08:30:00.000-03:00

Doll Bones
Holly Black

Genre: MG Adventure
Publication date: May 7th 2013
by Margaret K. McElderry Books

Zach, Poppy and Alice have been friends for ever. They love playing with their action figure toys, imagining a magical world of adventure and heroism. But disaster strikes when, without warning, Zach’s father throws out all his toys, declaring he’s too old for them. Zach is furious, confused and embarrassed, deciding that the only way to cope is to stop playing . . . and stop being friends with Poppy and Alice. But one night the girls pay Zach a visit, and tell him about a series of mysterious occurrences. Poppy swears that she is now being haunted by a china doll – who claims that it is made from the ground-up bones of a murdered girl. They must return the doll to where the girl lived, and bury it. Otherwise the three children will be cursed for eternity . . .

-A copy was provided by Random House UK for review-

Holly Black is one of few who can write something as cute as it is creepy!

Doll Bones is a Middle Grade novel that is full of adventure and friendship--really the only type of MG books I read and enjoy. It's the story of Zach, Poppy, and Alice who have been friends for such a long time that their friendship feels familiar even to us. I immediately felt attuned to their mutual trust and support. Not giving in when the other kids laughed at them for playing with action figures. But then one day the game got a little bit more real, and it involves a creepy ~~devil~~ doll who is made of little girl bones!

"Her clay was made from human bones. Little girl bones. That hair threaded through the scalp is the little girl's hair. And the body of the doll is filled with her leftover ashes."

*shivers* Obviously, there is a fantastic creepy factor to this book, mostly all due to this ~~hell's creature~~ doll, but the fact remains that it is an MG novel so it's the fun kind of creepy-- nothing to give you nightmares over, but still enough to appease the creep fanatics such as myself. A lot of it is due to it being open to interpretation: Did the doll really move itself during the night, or was it the animal who trashed their campsite? This is why movies like The Blair Witch Project became so popular, or why most books are better than movies; imagination can be most powerful. Imagination is what's at the heart of this whole book; it's what brought the friends together from day 1, and it's what turned this story into a fantasy adventure.

If imagination is at its heart, it's the friendship that keeps it beating. These kids, determined and stubborn, go through a fair amount of difficulty to get to where they want to go and, even though there are many arguments and disagreements, they stick up and care for each other until the end. The narrator being Zach, we're privy to what it's like to be a young, hurt, pre-teenaged boy who wishes he could stay a kid for just a little while longer. These kids are 12 year olds, thus are still in that imaginative stage without being too childish. So we get a pretty balanced read with some dangerous happenings, a little thievery, risky antics, but it's all in good fun. To keep things even more interesting, aside from the doll we're kept from forgetting, we get a mysterious and quite disturbing story that surrounds the death of the girl whom she was created from--or so we're told ;)

Delightfully sweet with a deliciously eerie vibe, Doll Bones is perfect for the young at hearts who like to plunge into a fun adventure that has all the innocence of a child's story, but the excellent storytelling any adult can enjoy.

4 Hot Espressos

Xpresso Weekly: Stacking the Shelves (54)

2013-05-05T00:00:00.000-03:00

Xpresso Weekly is my edition of Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga's Reviews featuring the books I got this week, and I also mention blog news/happenings of the past week.

This week at Xpresso Reads

Happy May!! I am so very happy to see more summery weather it's so just happy making, right? I'm also getting all set for BEA with my ladies. Let me know if I can expect to see you there! (I'll probably be mentioning BEA every week until then! >.<). What is new this week? Well I know that it's been pretty giveaway awesome on the blog lately so make sure you have entered to win all the pretties! And did you miss this week's Book Girls Don't Cry? We talked book genres and what we're sick of! Upcoming on the blog is a couple more book tours that I'm going to have dropping by: Sea of Tranquility (Epic read!), Truly, Madly, Deadly, and This Love. I'm getting all set for summer reads! :)

Reviews on the blog this week:

NEW Xpresso Book Tours open for sign ups:

-- Touching Melody by RaShelle Workman
-- Pretty When She Destroys by Rhiannon Frater
-- Catching Liam by Sophia Bleu
-- Program 13 by Nicole Sobon

Stacking the Shelves

(Click on covers or title links for Goodreads)
I received for review:

-Survivor by James Phelan
-The Beautiful and the Cursed by Page Morgan

*Big thank you to Flux Books, Random House Canada, and Kensington Teen for these pretties!*

I was gifted:
The wonderful Nereyda from Mostly YA Book Obsessed gifted me this and Oh Em Gee does it ever sound like my cup of tea! This chick knows me so well already! Thanks, muffin! *hugs*

--

Have a fab week, muffin pies!
Link me to your book haul!

Fresh Batch (May 5th - 11th)

2013-05-04T02:00:00.000-03:00

Exclusively titled for Xpresso Reads, Fresh Batch features the hottest releases of this upcoming week.

Flavor of the week:

The 5th Wave
Rick Yancey
Series: The 5th Wave, #1
Publication date: May 7th 2013
by Putnam Juvenile

The Passage meets Ender’s Game in an epic new series from award-winning author Rick Yancey.

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother—or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

Watch the epic book trailers, here!

Rick's Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Rick is a native Floridian and a graduate of Roosevelt University in Chicago. He earned a B.A. in English which he put to use as a field officer for the Internal Revenue Service. Inspired and encouraged by his wife, he decided his degree might also be useful in writing books and in 2004 he began writing full-time.

Since then he has launched two critically acclaimed series: The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp, for young readers, and The Highly Effective Detective, for adults. Both books are set in Knoxville, Tennessee, where Rick lived for ten years before returning to Florida.

Other releases this week (Click on title links for Goodreads):

*In no particular order* *Purchase links are for The Book Depository*

- Click to Subscribe by L.M. Augustine

- Game On by Tracy Solheim [Purchase]

- Call Me Zelda by Erika Robuck [Purchase]

- Silence (The Queen of the Dead #1) by Michelle Sagara [Purchase]

- Raven Girl by Audrey Niffenegger [Purchase]

- Lost and Found by Nicole Williams

- Icons (Icons #1) by Margaret Stohl [Purchase]

- Fall of Night (The Morganville Vampires #14) by Rachel Caine [Purchase]

- Dead Ever After (Sookie Stackhouse #13) by Charlaine Harris [Purchase]

- If I Should Die (Revenants #3) by Amy Plum [Purchase]

- Invisibility by Andrea Cremer and David Levithan [Purchase]

- Coda (Coda) by Emma Trevayne [Purchase]

- Maid of Secrets (Maids of Honor #1) by Jennifer McGowan [Purchase]

- The Lucy Variations by Sara Zarr [Purchase]

- Chantress (Chantress Trilogy #1) by Amy Butler Greenfield [Purchase]

- The Heiresses by Allison Rushby [Purchase]

- Heart of Iron (London Steampunk #2) by Bec McMaster [Purchase]

- The Other Typist by Suzanne Rindell [Purchase]

- Reboot (Reboot #1) by Amy Tintera [Purchase]

- Down London Road (On Dublin Street #2) by Samantha Young [Purchase]

- The Lake House by Marci Nault [Purchase]

- Inhale, Exhale by Sarah M. Ross

- Doll Bones by Holly Black [Purchase]

- The Savage Blue (The Vicious Deep #2) by Zoraida Córdova [Purchase]

- Blush by Lauren Jameson [Purchase]

- Tremble (Denazen #3) by Jus Accardo [Purchase]

- The Originals by Cat Patrick [Purchase]

- How My Summer Went Up in Flames by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski [Purchase]

- Lost in You by Heidi McLaughlin

- Ours To Love (Wicked Lovers #7) by Shayla Black [Purchase]

- Loki's Wolves (The Blackwell Pages #1) by K.L. Armstrong and M.A. Marr [Purchase]

- True by Erin McCarthy [Purchase]

- Wednesdays in the Tower (Castle Glower #2) by Jessica Day George [Purchase]

- The End Games by T. Michael Martin [Purchase]

- The Summer I Became a Nerd by Leah Rae Miller [Purchase]

- Silken Prey (Lucas Davenport #23) by John Sandford [Purchase]

- The Cursed (League of the Black Swan #1) by Alyssa Day [Purchase]

- Beauty by Nancy Ohlin [Purchase]

- Hopeless (Hopeless #1) by Colleen Hoover [Purchase]

- Nantucket Blue by Leila Howland [Purchase]

- The Grimoire of the Lamb (The Iron Druid Chronicles 0.4) by Kevin Hearne [Purchase]

- Zenn Scarlett by Christian Schoon [Purchase]

- The Week Before the Wedding by Beth Kendrick [Purchase]

- Thorn Abbey by Nancy Ohlin [Purchase]

- Once Upon a Prince (Royal Wedding Series #1) by Rachel Hauck [Purchase]

- The Inquisitor's Wife: A Novel of Renaissance Spain by Jeanne Kalogridis [Purchase]

- Ever Enough by Stacy Borel

- Levitating Las Vegas by Jennifer Echols

- The S-Word by Chelsea Pitcher [Purchase]

- Mystic (The Soul Seekers #3) by Alyson Noel [Purchase]

- Criminal by Terra Elan McVoy [Purchase]

- Fifteenth Summer by Michelle Dalton [Purchase]

- Seven Deadly Sins Vol. 1: Lust; Envy by Robin Wasserman [Purchase]

- Seven Deadly Sins Vol. 2: Pride; Wrath by Robin Wasserman [Purchase]

- The Reluctant Assassin (W.A.R.P. #1) by Eoin Colfer [Purchase]

- 15 Days Without a Head by Dave Cousins [Purchase]

- The Star Shards Chronicles: Scorpion Shards, Thief of Souls, Shattered Sky by Neal Shusterman [Purchase]

- Riptide by Lindsey Scheibe [Purchase]

This week is pretty freaking awesome!
What on top of your wishlist?

You can support my blog by using this link (also found on sidebar) to shop at TBD

Find previous Fresh Batch posts here!

Review: Game. Set. Match. by Jennifer Iacopelli

2013-05-03T08:30:00.000-03:00

Game. Set. Match.
Jennifer Iacopelli

Series: Outerbanks Tennis Academy #1
Genre: NA Contemporary
Publication date: May 1st 2013
by Coliloquy, LLC

Nestled along the North Carolina coast, the Outer Banks Tennis Academy is the world's most elite training facility. In this pressure-cooker environment, futures are forged in blood and sweat, and dreams are shattered in an instant.

Penny Harrison, a rising female star, is determined to win the French Open and beat her archrival, Zina Lutrova. But when her coach imports British bad boy Alex Russell as her new training partner, will Penny be able to keep her laser-like focus?

Tennis is all Jasmine Randazzo has ever known. The daughter of two Grand Slam champions, she's hell-bent on extending her family’s legacy and writing her own happily-ever-after...until her chosen Prince Charming gives her the just-friends speech right before the biggest junior tournament of the year, the Outer Banks Classic.

With a powerful serve and killer forehand, newcomer Indiana Gaffney is turning heads. She’s thrilled by all of the attention, especially from Jack Harrison, Penny’s agent and hot older brother, except he keeps backing off every time things start heating up.

With so much at stake, dreams—and hearts—are bound to break. Welcome to OBX: Where LOVE is a four-letter word, on and off the court.

-A copy was provided by Coliloquy for review-

It's funny how I can not sit through any sports game and stay awake to save my life, but movies and books on the subject, I love! Game Set Match is the perfect example of why; ultimately about sports, the story is really about the characters, the dynamics between players, romances that bloom (what's better than 1 romance? 3 of them! ;), and feeling the excitement of the game by wanting these characters to win so much.

Not into Tennis? Honestly, don't let that deter you at all for one second. No one can be as clueless as me when it comes to how that game is played, but never did I feel overwhelmed, confused, or bored by it at all. On the contrary, I found myself enjoying the tennis matches the most. Jennifer makes you care about the characters so much that the matches become as intense to you as if you were the one playing. You want these girls to win so badly that I was literally holding my breath during one of the big matches. The only complaint is that I wanted to experience more of these games. Some are faded to black, and once or twice they're skipped completely and we just get the end result. This is what happens when matches are written to be so exhilarating, it leaves you disappointed when others were skimmed over. Still, I loved all the energy they radiated; even those we didn't get to see fully were bristling with so much anticipation that in one way it was fun to get treated to the result right away. My blood: it was pumping, dude! *jumps up and down ready to fight a bitch*

The matches wouldn't have been half as fun if there weren't such fantastic characters to root for. We're treated to three amazing point-of-views in this novel; these are 3 determined and confident girls who are attending tennis academy. Each one is dealing with her own difficulties towards the game, some towards other students as well--we get a hint of mean girl-ness caused by jealousy-- we also get romance entanglements, and most importantly, we get great and authentic friendships that bloom between the girls. Penny, Indie, and Jasmine, are all as incredibly likeable as they are genuine. They are the heart of this book. I enjoyed all three perspectives just as much as the other, and even now I have a hard time deciding who I would pick as a favorite--though I've been leaning towards Indy a little. Their voices never had me confused as to which POV I was reading, they're distinct with very different personalities. They're also at different stages in their lives and tennis careers so that we get to experience different degrees of accomplishments as well as the excitement that comes with them.

New Adult = same old same old? Not in this one. This is a story about 3 girls who are dead set on making it big; they are on the path to a very challenging and rewarding career, they're building new friendships, they're experiencing post high-school romance; they are new to adulthood. (Not a one with a dark past! I know, right?) To me this felt like the true meaning of New Adult, sex or no sex. That's right--no sex. These girls are in college, over 17 and independent, and there is definite talk of sex, as well as other mature content like drinking and swearing, yet it doesn't actually have any sexual content. We know they have sex, but we aren't privy of these experiences. From the New Adult I've read so far this does make it stand out in its genre, but I was completely fine with this. To be honest, it wasn't needed. NA is not just "YA with sex" like some think. And while there is romance, it's made part of the book, it doesn't overrule it (the cover might be misleading). I found it to be a perfectly balanced feel-good book, a little reminiscent of Miranda Kenneally's Catching Jordan.

Filled with vivacity, Game Set Match surprised me in the best of ways and turned out to be an absolute favorite. I was filled with pure contentment whenever I sat down to read (which was really only twice since I devoured it in mere hours). It's exactly what I needed at the time. My initial disappointment at the end feeling abrupt was quickly extinguished when I found out it's a planned series--previously thinking this was a stand-alone. There is no cliffhanger, but its made obvious there should be more to the story. My only hope is that we don't have to wait too long!

5 Hot Espressos

Book Girls Don't Cry: Genres - From Hot to Not

2013-05-02T08:30:00.000-03:00

Inspired by Book Buzzers, Book Girls Don't Cry is a weekly feature where we each discuss/vent/advise on the chosen weekly bookish topic. Don't miss Jenni on Mondays, and Amy on Saturdays:

From Hot to Not Anymore!

Book trends! From insta-love to love triangles to vampire romance; trends are vicious, but today we're talking book genres! We want to know what you're tired of, what you can't seem to get enough of, and what you think the future holds!

Tiresome genres are not unheard of. How about dystopias? Anyone? Personally, I am so very tired of this genre, now. I was the biggest fan of dystopias when I began my blog not even 2 years ago, even now I get excited when I hear of a new one coming out (like a habit I can't break), but it seems like those I've read lately have been nothing more than yet another regurgitated dystopian. I've been slowly getting sicker and sicker of the genre for a while now. Either everything has been done, or originality is being put aside for quantity. Within the last year, a lot of dystopians I've read have left me especially underwhelmed with a bad taste in my mouth, even, and it's getting worse, guys! Here are some of the fails I've come upon in the last year (which, if you have not read as many as I did maybe you would enjoy them, but... maybe not.)

Dystopian fails:

Just to make sure I make myself clear:

BLEH!

--
Now for a side note, I do not list dystopians and post apocalyptic books together. To me they're completely different. I know some have different ways of differentiating the two; mine is this: Dystopians are--usually years--after whatever caused the drastic change in their way of life; may it be war, an epidemic, whatever. Society has reformed, and they are living in this changed world, sometimes in the guise of a utopia, and usually amidst a corrupt government--the government are more often than not the "bad guys" of the book/series. For example: The Hunger Games, The Uglies, and all of the above. Those are dystopians.

Post apocalyptic books, to me, are either during, or immediately after the apocalypse where the story is about survival of this world's end as we know it. It rarely includes a government entity, so the "bad guys" in these books are the force behind the apocalypse itself (aliens, zombies, etc--and/or other survivors). For example: As the World Dies, The 5th Wave, Ashfall. While I'm tired of dystopias, I'm still going strong on post apocalyptic novels. To me their vibe is much different, plus they're not as overflowing on the new-releases shelves each week. To conclude:

Dystopian=Refer to above giant word -- Post-apocalyptic=Win!

Julie Kagawa and Teach Mentor Texts posted about this difference and my views and theirs are exactly the same. Anyways, I know some may have different definitions for the genres, but this is mine, and with that said:

Awesome post apocalyptic books I've read in the past year:

What's HOT now?

Contemporaries (esp in New Adult)! I have almost loved every contemporary I've been reading lately--just like I was with dystopias 2 years ago. So maybe this is a bad sign for 2 years from now, but hey I'll enjoy it while I can, eh? ;)

My favorite contemporary reads this year (see how many more there are!? :D):

I want to know what you think! Any genre you're sick of?
What's become your favorite book genre lately?
Let me know your favorite books in it!

Also, don't forget to leave suggestions for future topics you'd like to see! :)

You know you love me!

Xoxo, Book Girl!

In Darkess We Must Abide: Guest Post + Giveaway

2013-05-01T08:30:00.000-03:00

Definitely not a new face on this blog of mine; Rhiannon Frater is here today to talk to us about her new serial--In Darkness We Must Abide. This is a new adult modern Gothic horror serial divided in 3 seasons. The first season includes 5 episodes which you can all enter to win today! :) The 5th episode comes out on May 17th, and the paperback of the full first season comes out on May 24th. (Sorry if this is confusing, she likes to make our lives miserable.)

In Darkness We Must Abide
Rhiannon Frater

Series: In Darkness We Must Abide: The Complete First Season
Genre: NA Modern Gothic Horror
Publication date: May 24th 2013

In Darkness We Must Abide is the epic saga of one young woman caught in the dangerous world of the creatures of the night.

Already living in the shadows due to her albinism, Vanora is just a little girl when her older brother inadvertently unleashes a terrible evil from the family crypt that changes their lives forever.

As she grows up in a world where beautiful deadly beings hunt by night, one captures her eye and her heart. Yet, can she trust the mysterious Armando? For there is a powerful entity plotting to claim her when she reaches adulthood in order to fulfill an ancient prophecy, and her enemy has enveloped her in a web of deceit, casting doubt on all she believes to be true. Soon, she will have to fight not only to save those she loves, but also for her very soul.

Rhiannon Frater delivers a chilling adventure once again with this multi-part epic serial with a dynamic cast, old school vampires, bloody action, a smoldering forbidden love, and a terrifying villain set against the backdrop of a modern day vampire war.

This paperback includes all five episodes of the first season of the serial.

The first episode if currently FREE on Amazon (US), Kobo, and iTunes!

Guest Post, by Rhiannon Frater

What Is a Serial and Why Am I Writing It?
(the answer is not ‘to make Giselle crazy’)

I've been toying with the idea of doing a serial for some time now. Serials actually used to be a quite popular form of reading entertainment in days past. It was rather like watching episodic television. The story was ongoing and the author would release new installments on a regular schedule (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly). Each new part of the story continued the main storyline, while providing plenty of thrills and chills within the installment. I really love the richness of a continuing storyline on shows like Breaking Bad, Charmed, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dexter, and Spartacus, and always wanted the challenge of writing something on par with my favorite series.

After reading an article posted by author Susan Kaye Quinn about converting a full length manuscript into a serial, I realized I had the perfect opportunity to serialize something I've already written.

A very long time ago I wrote a modern gothic vampire epic entitled In Darkness We Must Abide. I loved the story (and still do), but it was very lengthy, well over acceptable word count limits. At that time publishing houses weren’t inclined to buy trilogies or series, and I had no idea how to trim the epic down to an acceptable length. Plus, I lived in the middle of nowhere Texas and had no clue how to actually submit my work properly to the publishing houses (this is back in the late 80’s). I ended up tossing the whole thing in the trunk.

Inspired by the article, I went back to the story (which I had converted to a Word doc about a decade ago), looked it over, and realized that with some revision, the story would make a great serial. I was even surprised out how episodic it already was when I read through it. I immediately knew which sections would be sliced up into episodes and what I needed to do to make them richer and fuller for the enjoyment of my readers.

In Darkness We Must Abide is a massive epic with a dynamic cast, old school vampires, blood, gore, unrequited love, a charismatic lead, a smoldering love interest, and a terrifying bad guy.

Since I dove back into the dark world of In Darkness We Must Abide, I have fallen in love once more with my human heroine, Vanora, and the complex world she inhabits. Already living in the shadows due to her albinism, when she’s just a little girl her much older brother and guardian accidently unleashes an evil that changes her world forever. Growing up human with vampire siblings watching over her, Vanora lives in a twilight world and is continuously torn between the world of the vampires and the mortal world. It’s not until she’s a young woman in her late teens that the complexity of her situation comes crashing down when she falls in love with the mysterious vampire, Armando DeLeon. Soon the true evil that inhabits the darkness begins to erode her faith in what she believes to be true about herself, her siblings, the vampires, and Armando.

The first episode, Death Comes Home, has had over 2,500 downloads since its release in March. It’s free on Kindle, Kobo, and itunes. All the following episodes are .99. The installments are between 10,000 to 30,000 words each.

On May 17th, the episode five, the season finale, will be released in all ebook formats. On May 24th, the entire first season will be released as a paperback. Season 2 begins in June 2013.

About the Author

Rhiannon's Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Rhiannon Frater is the award-winning author of the As the World Dies trilogy (The First Days, Fighting to Survive, Siege,) and the author of three other books: the vampire novels Pretty When She Dies and The Tale of the Vampire Bride and the young-adult zombie novel The Living Dead Boy and the Zombie Hunters. Inspired to independently produce her work from the urging of her fans, she published The First Days in late 2008 and quickly gathered a cult following. She won the Dead Letter Award back-to-back for both The First Days and Fighting to Survive, the former of which the Harrisburg Book Examiner called ‘one of the best zombie books of the decade.’ Rhiannon is currently represented by Hannah Gordon of the Foundry + Literary Media agency. You may contact her by sending an email to rhiannonfrater@gmail.com.

Did you want to take part in the blook blitz and/or review In Darkness We Must Abide?

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Giveaway

There will be 2 winners as follows:

One lucky US/CAN winner will win the paperback of the first season of In Darkness We Must Abide which includes all 5 episodes of the first season!

One lucky INTERNATIONAL winner will all 5 episodes in eBook format of In Darkness We Must Abide.

Giveaway ends May 20th

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