Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Hitting Shelves Today! [12] (Credit to Iceybooks)




City of a Thousand Dolls
by Miriam Foster
Goodreads




Etiquette & Espionage
by Gail Carriger
Goodreads




Scarlet (Lunar Chronicles #2)
by Marissa Meyer
Goodreads




The Whole Stupid Way We Are
by N. Griffin
Goodreads

COVER REVEAL!: Eternal by Kristi Cook

THERE’S NO HIDING FROM DESTINY…

In the final book of the Winterhaven trilogy, Violet McKenna and her friends find themselves right in the middle of a vampire war. The stakes have been raised, the danger unavoidable now. As the Warriors’ senior year draws to a close, not everyone makes it out alive. Who will be left standing at the end of it all? Will Aidan be a part of Violet’s future, or is he just a specter of the past?






About The Author


YA author Kristi Cook is a transplanted southern gal who lives in New York City with her husband and two kids. Her YA debut, HAVEN, was released in Feb. 2011 by Simon Pulse.

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WOW #13

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


Title: Our Soung
Author: Jordanna Fraiberg
Expected Publication: May 7th, 2013
Overview: Olive Bell has spent her entire life in the beautiful suburb of Vista Valley, with a picture-perfect home, a loving family, and a seemingly perfect boyfriend. But after a near-fatal car accident, she’s haunted by a broken heart and a melody that she cannot place.

Then Olive meets Nick. He’s dark, handsome, mysterious . . . and Olive feels connected to him in a way she can’t explain. Is there such a thing as fate? The two embark on a whirlwind romance—until Nick makes a troubling confession.

Heartbroken, Olive pieces together what really happened the night of her accident and arrives at a startling revelation. Only by facing the truth can she uncover the mystery behind the song and the power of what it means to love someone.

Monday, January 28, 2013

Hitting Shelves Today! [11] (Credit to Iceybooks)




Prodigy (Legend #2)
by Marie Lu
Goodreads




The Madman's Daughter
by Megan Shepherd
Goodreads




Nobody but Us
by Kristin Halbrook
Goodreads

ARC Review (#13): Pivot Point by Kasie West

Title: Pivot Point
Author: Kasie West
Expected Publication: February 12th, 2013
Rating: 5/5
OverviewKnowing the outcome doesn’t always make a choice easier . . .

Addison Coleman’s life is one big “What if?” As a Searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It’s the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. When Addie’s parents ambush her with the news of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with—her father, who is leaving the paranormal compound to live among the “Norms,” or her mother, who is staying in the life Addie has always known. Addie loves her life just as it is, so her answer should be easy. One Search six weeks into the future proves it’s not.

In one potential future, Addie is adjusting to life outside the Compound as the new girl in a Norm high school where she meets Trevor, a cute, sensitive artist who understands her. In the other path, Addie is being pursued by the hottest guy in school—but she never wanted to be a quarterback’s girlfriend. When Addie’s father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound, she’s unwittingly drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she holds dear. With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which reality she’s willing to live through . . . and who she can’t live without.

WOW, I am just really speechless at this moment.  West's debut is just phenomenal.  She has so much creativity and imagination and she jam packed it all into this one book.  My mind is literally blown right now.  I honestly had my doubts about this book when I had received it but there is not a doubt in my mind now that everyone SHOULD READ THIS!

I loved Addie as the main character.  She was just so relatable.  She's funny in her own way, she's witty, she's snarky, she's everything all jammed into one character.

Pivot Point follows Addie through these two alternative lives that she has to pick from.  Her parents are getting a divorce and she has to pick: Mom or Dad?  Of course, both lives feature boys.  With her mom, she gets to be with the high school quarterback, Duke, and seems to be in a perfect relationship.  With her dad, she gets to be with Trevor, a kind hearted, caring, loving person and their relationship is just adorable by the end.

I have to honestly say at the beginning I was Team Duke.  I though that Trevor just didn't seem like the right guy for Addie and didn't seem to show much interest in her.  He seemed to be focus on one of the other minor characters.  But as the story progressed, I became increasingly suspicious of Duke and totally switched to Team Trevor by the end.

I thought at the beginning that having this ability to Search your future sounded really great and I must say at first, I really wanted to have this ability.  But by the end, I saw the way it really takes a toll on your life and how it can really show you the bad side of things.

I also loved West's ability to connect the two worlds together and you could totally see the similarities between the two choices and their similarities.

THE ENDING! I must say, I did not see the ending coming.  West slapped me in the face with all of the ending.  I never saw what was coming.  West did leave us with a "sort of" cliffhanger.  I say "sort of" because most of everything is really resolved, but then Addie's dad offers up something for Addie and I can't wait to see what happens.

According to Goodreads, there is going to be a book #2 and I honestly can't wait to 2014 to read it!!!  GAHH!

An Except from Addie and Trevor:
"What if this is a Search?"
I stiffen.  "What?" 
"Have you ever though about that before?  What if now, this very moment, isn't set in stone.  What if you're just seeing a vision of what could be?"

Recently Added to my TBR list: Dear Cassie by Lisa Burnstein

Dear Cassie
by Lisa Burnstein
Expected Publication: March 5th, 2013
Overview: What if the last place you should fall in love is the first place that you do?

You’d think getting sent to Turning Pines Wilderness Camp for a month-long rehabilitation “retreat” and being forced to re-live it in this journal would be the worst thing that’s ever happened to me.

You’d be wrong.

There’s the reason I was sent to Turning Pines in the first place: I got arrested. On prom night. With my two best friends, who I haven’t talked to since and probably never will again. And then there’s the real reason I was sent here. The thing I can’t talk about with the guy I can’t even think about.

What if the moment you’ve closed yourself off is the moment you start to break open?

But there’s this guy here. Ben. And the more I swear he won’t—he can’t—the deeper under my skin he’s getting. After the thing that happened, I promised I’d never fall for another boy’s lies.

And yet I can’t help but wonder…what if?

Saturday, January 26, 2013

IMM #12 and Stacking the Shelves #5




From YA Book Exchange:
Darker Still by Leanna Renee Hieber

Bought:
Deadly Cool by Gemma Halliday
Crash by  Lisa McMann
Vesper by Jeff Sampson
Defiance by C.J. Redwine



Friday, January 25, 2013

Review (#12): Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Title: Shatter Me (Shatter Me #1)
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Published: November 15th, 2011
Rating: 5/5
Overview: Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war– and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

I've wanted to read Shatter Me for quite a long time and I have no idea what took me so long to read it! This was a fantabulous read and took me a matter of a couple days to get through it.  It is so fast paced and descriptive.  So much that it draws you in and when you start reading, you cannot put it down!

Juliette was such a likable character!  She's so different from many of other main characters that seem to resemble someone else.  You can definitely tell at the beginning of the book how the isolation from other people has effected her, she has some almost "crazy" qualities to her.  The way she repeats words and numbers shows the the isolation had definitely effected her.

Juliette is kept in an asylum and is kept in a room that resembles a jail cell, barely ever getting out to use the bathroom or shower.  She also usually only gets on meal a day.  I can't even imagine how that would feel and it has to be a lot harder on Juliette seeing what she is already going through.  Not being able to touch anybody?  That's so hard on her.  How would she start a family?  How would she love anybody?

Then there comes Adam, the only one that has really seen past her power and seen her for her.  He is just a great guy and I love how they don't meet and just instantly fall in love.  They've both loved each other for a long time but just haven't confessed.  The scenes between Adam and Juliette are so STEAMMMY! GAHHH! They made my heart thud just reading them!!

I loved the setting of Omega Point.  It just seemed like a great place and we were barely there to see it yet.  I can't wait to learn more about Omega Point and the people that are there!

There really wasn't a cliffhanger but Mafi did set it up so that we definitely start to see what is happening in the next book.  And I'm perfectly fine with that.  I love cliffhangers in series, but an ending wasn't so bad.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

WOW #12

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


Title: Frozen
Authors: Melissa De La Cruz & Michael
     Johnston
Expected Publication: September 17th, 2013
Overview: Set in 111 C.D., one hundred and eleven years after a Catastrophic Disaster has wiped out 99% of humanity and left the earth covered in ice, this new series introduces readers to a ragtag group of friends and the dawning of a new time. The world of reason, of mathematics and science, is ending, and a new civilization is being born from the ice: a world of magic and mayhem, sorcerers and spellcraft.

FROZEN is the first in a trilogy and is set to release in Spring of 2013

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Hitting Shelves Today! [10] (Credit to Iceybooks)




Boundless (Unearthly #3)
by Cynthia Hand
Goodreads




Cinders and Sapphires
by Leila Rasheed
Goodreads




Everbound (Everneath #2)
by Brodi Ashton
Goodreads




Nobody
by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Goodreads




The Archived
by Victoria Schwab
Goodreads

Saturday, January 19, 2013

IMM #11 and Stacking the Shelves #4



Bought:
Poison Princess by Kresley Cole
The Forsaken by Lisa Stasse
Insurgent by Veronica Roth


Thursday, January 17, 2013

Review (11): Breathe by Sarah Crossan

Title: Breathe
Author: Sarah Crossan
Rating: 4/5
Overview: Inhale. Exhale. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe . . . The world is dead. The survivors live under the protection of Breathe, the corporation that found a way to manufacture oxygen-rich air.

Alina has been stealing for a long time. She's a little jittery, but not terrified. All she knows is that she's never been caught before. If she's careful, it'll be easy. If she's careful.

Quinn should be worried about Alina and a bit afraid for himself, too, but even though this is dangerous, it's also the most interesting thing to happen to him in ages. It isn't every day that the girl of your dreams asks you to rescue her.

Bea wants to tell him that none of this is fair; they'd planned a trip together, the two of them, and she'd hoped he'd discover her out here, not another girl.

And as they walk into the Outlands with two days' worth of oxygen in their tanks, everything they believe will be shattered. Will they be able to make it back? Will they want to?

I knew since I saw the cover of this book and read the synopsis that this was going to be on my must read list.  This alternate world where there are no tree and everyone has to pay for there air sounded so interesting to me.

Breathe has two main settings: the Pod and the Outlands.  The Pod is the "safe" place because it's where all the air is, but it's run by a deceiving Ministry.  After the Switch, there are no trees left on Earth, or are there?  Outside the Pod, there seems to be no chance for survival, no air, no nothing.  So, everyone has no choice but to live inside the Pod, they know no difference.

Bea, Quinn, and Alina are the main characters.  Bea is known as an auxillary, someone who is basically poor and don't have enough money to pay for their air.  Quinn is a Premium, the rich.  Premiums can do basically anything they want and have enough air.  They can exercise, make love, etc.  Alina is known as a RAT, someone who is in the Resistance and against the pod.  Alina knows a lot more than Bea and Quinn do.

Alina is such a high strung and fearless person that I fell in love with her immediately.  I just felt a connection with her.  Bea is so loving and caring that she seems like the perfect human-being.  And Quinn, I didn't really like him at first.  Like, he couldn't see this perfect Bea in front of his eyes and was so caught up in Alina that he almost ruined what he had with Bea.

Crossan does great creating this alternate universe and goes through so much detail laying out this whole world.  She gives great descriptions and places the reader right in the middle of the action.  I could almost see every aspect of this new world.

Breathe is a definite must read for people that are looking for an interesting dystopian novel and are ready to be sucked into a world that isn't real.

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

WOW #11

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



Title: The Nightmare Affair
Author: Mindee Arnett
Expected Publication: March 5th, 2013
Overview: Sixteen-year-old Dusty Everhart breaks into houses late at night, but not because she’s a criminal. No, she’s a Nightmare.

Literally.

Being the only Nightmare at Arkwell Academy, a boarding school for magickind, and living in the shadow of her mother’s infamy, is hard enough. But when Dusty sneaks into Eli Booker’s house, things get a whole lot more complicated. He’s hot, which means sitting on his chest and invading his dreams couldn’t get much more embarrassing. But it does. Eli is dreaming of a murder.

Then Eli’s dream comes true.

Now Dusty has to follow the clues—both within Eli’s dreams and out of them—to stop the killer before more people turn up dead. And before the killer learns what she’s up to and marks her as the next target.

Monday, January 14, 2013

Review (10): Shadow Kiss (VA #3) by Richelle Mead

CAUTION: THIS WHOLE POST MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS TO THE FIRST TWO BOOKS!!


Title: Shadow Kiss (Vampire Academy #3)
Author: Richelle Mead
Rating: 4.5/5
Overview: It's springtime at St. Vladimir's Academy, and Rose Hathaway is this close to graduation. Since making her first Strigoi kills, Rose hasn't been feeling quite right. She's having dark thoughts, behaving erratically, and worst of all... might be seeing ghosts.

As Rose questions her sanity, new complications arise. Lissa has begun experimenting with her magic once more, their enemy Victor Dashkov might be set free, and Rose's forbidden relationship with Dimitri is starting to heat up again. But when a deadly threat no one saw coming changes their entire world, Rose must put her own life on the line - and choose between the two people she loves most







Wow, I've never read a series that provokes so many emotions within myself.  I never thought that a book could even bring out so many emotions.  I felt sad, happy, fear, excited, nervous, etc.  I didn't think this series could get any better but of course, Richelle has proved that it definitely can.

At first, when I was nearing the end of the book, I thought that there really wasn't a climax or a big action scene.  But, Richelle was just waiting to bring all the good action out at the end.  The ending was phenomenal.

I know a lot of people have said they are Team Adrian but so far, I am still Team Dimitri.  Even after what happened at the end of this book, I am still hoping that there is some way that Dimitri and Rose can be together.  I know its a big stretch after what happened to Dimitri, but I am hoping there is still a way.  I envy their relationship so much and I know it's not easy for them but I think that is what makes it seem so glorious.  The love and care they feel for each other is just so unreal and I wish I had that.

The ending of this book was a definite cliffhanger and oh boy, how I love those.  Richelle does it perfectly too and it's great.  She provokes so many feelings and does it so expertly. The last about 100 pages had be so emotional and I was crying like a big baby.

Thursday, January 10, 2013

What's Next (#8)

What's next is a weekly meme hosted by Icey Books so that you guys can help me decide what to read next!!!

Title: Belles
Author: Jen Calonita
Overview: Fifteen-year-old Isabelle Scott loves her life by the boardwalk on the supposed wrong side of the tracks in North Carolina. But when tragedy strikes, a social worker sends her to live with a long-lost uncle and his preppy privileged family. Isabelle is taken away from everything she's ever known, and, unfortunately, inserting her into the glamorous lifestyle of Emerald Cove doesn't go so well. Her cousin Mirabelle Monroe isn't thrilled to share her life with an outsider, and, in addition to dealing with all the rumors and backstabbing that lurk beneath their classmates' Southern charm, a secret is unfolding that will change both girls' lives forever



Title: Breathe
Author: Sarah Crossan
Overview: Inhale. Exhale. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe . . . The world is dead. The survivors live under the protection of Breathe, the corporation that found a way to manufacture oxygen-rich air.

Alina has been stealing for a long time. She's a little jittery, but not terrified. All she knows is that she's never been caught before. If she's careful, it'll be easy. If she's careful.

Quinn should be worried about Alina and a bit afraid for himself, too, but even though this is dangerous, it's also the most interesting thing to happen to him in ages. It isn't every day that the girl of your dreams asks you to rescue her.

Bea wants to tell him that none of this is fair; they'd planned a trip together, the two of them, and she'd hoped he'd discover her out here, not another girl.

And as they walk into the Outlands with two days' worth of oxygen in their tanks, everything they believe will be shattered. Will they be able to make it back? Will they want to?

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

WOW #10

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


Title: The Program
Author: Suzanne Young
Expected Publication: April 30th, 2012
Overview: In Sloane’s world, true feelings are forbidden, teen suicide is an epidemic, and the only solution is The Program.

Sloane knows better than to cry in front of anyone. With suicide now an international epidemic, one outburst could land her in The Program, the only proven course of treatment. Sloane’s parents have already lost one child; Sloane knows they’ll do anything to keep her alive. She also knows that everyone who’s been through The Program returns as a blank slate. Because their depression is gone—but so are their memories.

Under constant surveillance at home and at school, Sloane puts on a brave face and keeps her feelings buried as deep as she can. The only person Sloane can be herself with is James. He’s promised to keep them both safe and out of treatment, and Sloane knows their love is strong enough to withstand anything. But despite the promises they made to each other, it’s getting harder to hide the truth. They are both growing weaker. Depression is setting in. And The Program is coming for them

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Hitting Shelves Today [9] (Credit to IceyBooks)




Crash
by Lisa McMann
Goodreads




Doomed
by Tracy Deebs
Goodreads




Just One Day
by Gayle Forman
Goodreads




Paper Valentine
by Breanna Yovannoff
Goodreads




Through the Ever Night
by Veronica Rossi
Goodreads

Saturday, January 5, 2013

IMM #10 and Stacking the Shelves #2



Bought:

Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan
Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
Partials by Dan Wells

What did you guys get this week?

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Review (9): Eve and Adam by Michael Grant and Katherine Applegate

Title: Eve and Adam
Authors: Michael Grant and Katherine Applegate
Rating: Did Not Finish Book
Overview: And girl created boy…

In the beginning, there was an apple—

And then there was a car crash, a horrible injury, and a hospital. But before Evening Spiker’s head clears a strange boy named Solo is rushing her to her mother’s research facility. There, under the best care available, Eve is left alone to heal.

Just when Eve thinks she will die—not from her injuries, but from boredom—her mother gives her a special project: Create the perfect boy.

Using an amazingly detailed simulation, Eve starts building a boy from the ground up. Eve is creating Adam. And he will be just perfect... won’t he?



I'm not really going to write a bad review because I honestly did not finish the book.  So, I can't really say if it was good or bad, but I must say, of what I read, I really didn't find this book that interesting.  I read a little over 50 pages and honestly could not get into the book.  I was so bored and I absolutely hated Solo narrating.  His parts seemed irrelevant really.  And Eve, I just didn't like her either.  She seemed, I don't know, insecure and childish really.  She seemed to also ramble on a lot of the time about more irrelevant stuff.  I didn't really like the writing style either.  I just couldn't connect with it. 

I know this is a pretty lame review but I can't really comment on much because I didn't read much.  And like I said, I'm not going to write a bad review, just tell you what I thought of what I read.