Wizard of Time

Wizard of Time
Author: Sue Owen
Publication date: May 10 2011






Summary:
moreJosh, Digger and Meri were rudely ported out of their time and far into the future by the Wizard. King Arthur’s sword, Excalibur, is missing from its timeline. Without the sword in its proper place in history, everything from that point forward could change. Josh and his new found friends must find a way to return the sword to Arthur that won’t upset the timeline. However, the Bard’s have other plans. They want to rule time. They would do anything to stop the return of the sword. Is it murder to eliminate a timeline so that person was never born?
Follow Josh and his friends back in time to Camelot. Meet the Lady in the Lake, the King’s nephew and Merlin. Rejoice as things go right and cry when a dear friend is erased from time. Did they do something wrong? Can it be fixed or was the Sword’s Journey the catalyst to the world’s demise?




Review:

Time Traveling books are pretty rare and unique. I haven’t read many time traveling books, but each time I love them more and more.

The Sword’s Journey was a surprise to me. This isn’t usually a book I would normally read, but this book was good. I loved every word of it.

The Sword’s Journey was about 3 teens from different periods who are all brought through a portal and in the way distant future. Their mission is to take King Arthur’s sword and go into the past and return it to him.

This whole book was fun and thrilling, I loved the characters. The three main characters were perfect in the book. I thought it was cool that the author gave each teen an animal that watches over them and helps them out. It was cool learning about the different powers they had and how they figured it all out during the way.

There were a few parts that were confusing, and some intense scenes that made me wanting more and more of it. This book was over to soon. I really can’t wait for the next installment. I really want to know what was in those books and why they were each of their names. Hopefully that will be in the next book!

4/5 stars

Starcrossed

Starcrossed
Author: Josephine Angelini
Pages: 514
Publication Date: May 31 2011






Summary:
How do you defy destiny?

Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different she is—no easy task on an island as small and sheltered as Nantucket. And it's getting harder. Nightmares of a desperate desert journey have Helen waking parched, only to find her sheets damaged by dirt and dust. At school she's haunted by hallucinations of three women weeping tears of blood . . . and when Helen first crosses paths with Lucas Delos, she has no way of knowing they're destined to play the leading roles in a tragedy the Fates insist on repeating throughout history.

As Helen unlocks the secrets of her ancestry, she realizes that some myths are more than just legend. But even demigod powers might not be enough to defy the forces that are both drawing her and Lucas together—and trying to tear them apart.



Review:

I have read some good reviews and some bad reviews and I went into this book thinking that it wasn’t going to be that good, I can’t possibly think of words to describe how amazing this book was.

I’m a sucker for forbidden romance, or any romance for that matter. This book was so different yet so amazing! I found myself becoming trapped in the world of demigods and mortals, trapped inside the story and as I read the book I wanted to figure out more and more of what was going to happen.

And then an unbelievable twist comes along and I just want to throw the book across the room and never look at it again….but that would be book abuse and I wouldn’t dare do it no matter how frustrated I get. Then I read on and learned the truth and the deceit ugh it made me want to punch something or somebody.

I was expecting something horrible to happen because when the book first came out I read everyone’s reviews and status’s  and I knew that at some time or another some twist was going to come and I wasn’t going to like it. Well that twist came and went and I am highly anticipating the next novel. I need to invent some kind of time machine.

The only thing I didn’t like was the whole Greek Mythology thing. I know nothing about Greek Mythology and while learning some of it in this book I found myself wanting to skip over some of the parts, I didn’t but I don’t remember anything about it.  There was a lot of history involved in Starcrossed and I did become confused at parts. I can’t imagine being Helen, having to learn all that at once.

And while I did love the story and characters there was one character that I didn’t feel connected to, and it was Helen. I think that the author should have picked a different name for the main girl, I don’t know but whenever I try to picture Helen, I always pictured her as kind of an older lady. And I’m not saying this to be rude to anyone but every time Helen’s name came up I just couldn’t picture her as this beautiful goddess of a girl, it was always an older lady. Mostly I think because of one my relatives name is Helen and I kind of picture her but I just couldn’t picture Helen for the life of me.

This isn’t really that great of a review mainly because it’s hard to put this book into words, I loved it, it was amazing, there were some frustrating parts but  I got over that and I am going to the bookstore the second the next book in the series comes out!

4.5/5 stars

In My Mailbox #12

Flyaway

Flyaway
Author: Helen Landalf
publication date: December 19 2011
pages: 182





Summary:
Fifteen-year-old Stevie Calhoun is used to taking care of herself. But one night, her mom, who works as an exotic dancer in a downtown Seattle nightclub, never comes home.

That’s the night Stevie’s life turns upside down.

It’s the night that kicks off an extraordinary summer: the summer Stevie has to stay with her annoyingly perfect Aunt Mindy; the summer she learns to care for injured and abandoned birds; the summer she gets to know Alan, the meanest guy in high school.

But most of all, it’s the summer she finds out the truth about Mom.

FLYAWAY is the story of a teen girl’s struggle to hold on to what she’s always believed, even as her world spins out of control.




Review:

Flyaway was nothing like I expected it to be, honestly I didn’t think I was going to like it, but I ended of loving it.

This book was difficult to read at times just because the sorry excuse for her mother was acting like her daughter was nothing, Stevie loves her mother unconditionally until she doesn’t come home for 3 days, after 3 days her rich condescending aunt Mindy comes and takes her to her house. Stevie hates it there, she wants to go back home and wait for her mom to come home.

Aunt Mindy doesn’t believe she is coming back and takes Stevie in and gives her a better life. Stevie always heard nasty things about Mindy from her mom; she acts all perfect, with her perfect life and perfect house.

Stevie hates Drake, he knows what he and her mom are up to, so she’s goes to house and peers through the window and sure enough there is her mother with Drake doing drugs. She knows her mother has problems; she just wants to be with her and help her.

Stevie’s character grew throughout the book; she was strong as she dealt with her crappy life. I loved Aunt Mindy, she loved and cared for Stevie, even if all Stevie did was disrespect her, she was so forgiving.

I definitely cried in this book, it was so sad yet there was a happy outcome, Stevie might have had a bad life but there were people who cared about her and wanted to be there for her.

Helen’s writing was definitely emotional, and the subject of this book made me realize that there are kids and teenagers who have to deal with parents who are addicted to drugs or alcohol and they have no idea what to do.

Makes me want to go out there and help every one of them. I definitely recommend this book to everyone. When this comes out in December be sure to buy a copy!

4/5 stars

Then I Met My Sister

Then I Met My Sister
Author: Christine Hurley Deriso
pages: 269
publication date: April 8 2011






Summary:
Shannon has been the backdrop of my life since the moment I was born.

Summer Stetson lives inside a shrine to her dead sister. Eclipsed by Shannon's greatness, Summer feels like she's a constant disappointment to her controlling, Type A momzilla and her all-too-quiet dad. Her best friend Gibson believes Summer's C average has more to do with rebelliousness than smarts, but she knows she can never measure up—academically or otherwise.

On her birthday, Summer receives a secret gift from her aunt: Shannon's diary. Suddenly, the one-dimensional vision of her sister becomes all too solid. Is this love-struck, mom-bashing badass the same Shannon everyone raves about? Determined to understand her troubled sister, Summer dives headfirst down a dark rabbit hole and unearths painful family secrets. Each revelation brings Summer closer to the mysterious and liberating truth about her family—and herself.




Review:

I ordered this book from the library just for its cover, I marked it on my to-read pile a long time ago but never really read the synopsis of it until closer to when it came out, this cover is one of the most beautiful covers I have seen in a long time.

Summer was born after her 17 year old sister died, ever since she was little she felt like nothing, everyone would say how great and beautiful Shannon was but they never really paid attention to Summer.

On summer’s birthday, her aunt hands her a book, Shannon’s diary to be exact. She didn’t want to read it, didn’t want to read about how perfect and nice Shannon’s life was.  Until she actually starts reading it, and finds out the truth about who Shannon really was.

I loved this story, for one there was Gibs, Gibs is such a sweet guy, and definitely cute, he helped Summer through a lot and Gibs saw the real Summer, not the shadow of her sister. I hate when characters don’t see the obvious crush that the other has on them, she was so oblivious and in her own self-pitying world that she didn’t see what was right in front of her.

The only thing I didn’t like about this book was summer’s attitude towards the whole situation. Throughout the whole book all she would do is pity herself, “oh I’ll never be like Shannon” “oh poor me”.  I don’t like characters that pity themselves and make it all about them.

Gibs was there for her the whole time, whatever she asked he did, whatever crazy idea she had he would go along with. Until Gibs wanted to talk about something else besides Summer’s dead sister, that’s all Summer talked about, she was obsessed!

I’m glad that everything turned out all right in the end, everything came together nice and her mom changed, Summer changed, the whole family did a complete turnaround. I did enjoy reading this book and I hope to read more of Christine’s books in the future.

4/5 stars

Pure

Pure
Author: Julianna Baggott
pages: 431
publication date:February 12 2012





Summary:
A dystopian novel about a society of haves, who escaped an apocalypse in a futuristic dome-covered city, and have-nots, who survived the nearly destroyed outside world. The have-nots are almost entirely marked or mutated in some manner.

PURE centers around the story of Pressia, a 16-year-old survivor with a doll’s head fused into her left hand, and Partridge, an unmarked Pure who has escaped the Dome to find his mother, certain that she has survived the cataclysm.



Review:

Pure is an amazing dystopian novel that will capture readers, creating a world where survival is the only thing they know!

I read the plot and how people compared this book to The Hunger Games and I was like oh no, not another dystopian novel compared to The Hunger Games. Seems to me like mostly all dystopian books are compared to The Hunger Games, and I loved The Hunger Games trilogy  but I don’t think this book was anything like it. Of course every dystopian novel pretty much has the same concept but with creative plots, but I was surprised at how different Pure was to most of the dystopian genre. 

I hate to compare books to another but this book really reminded me of the Gone series. All the deformities, survival of the fittest, it was a thrilling read.

There was a lot of surprises and near death experiences, this book had it all.

There are two types of people, the pure who live in the dome, most people in the dome are perfect and have the life they always wanted, that is all of them except for partridge. Partridge’s father is the boss of the dome, one of the creators, the guy that runs everything.  Partridge wants out. He doesn’t like being in the dome he wants to get out and that’s exactly what he does.

Then there’s Pressia, she doesn’t live in the, she lives on the outside, with everyone who didn’t get to the dome in time, all of them have some kind of deformity. She has always wanted to be in the dome, with the normal people, they have everything she doesn’t.

Her 16^th birthday is coming up, and when your 16^th birthday comes she has to turn herself in to the OSR. She hides away and tries to stay away from the OSR. They will come looking for her soon but for now she has to hide.  Then she meets Bradwell. He’s well past 16 and has been surviving on his own since he was 9.

Bradwell, Pressia and Partridge embark on a journey to finding out secrets and going on a journey that could end up killing them.

I can’t wait to read the next one, although I’ll have to wait a year and a half to read the next one. Also there making Pure into a movie! I’m interested in how they’re going to do that though. Can’t wait to see what happens next!

4/5 stars

#100 blogfest

Martin king is doing a 100 blogs in 30 days challenge, Today he is visiting my blog and posting a childhood memory:

ps: you can find his new book on amazon for $2.99 on the kindle





We all love to dream. Even now as adults we maybe dream about winning the lottery or being a sports star. Or could it be we dream about becoming an a ballerina or author? Even older still, we dream about getting that six pack or back or discovering a miracle plant and growing our hair again. We might chuckle, but we all do it, we have our dreams.
It was no different back when we were children. Dreams were fuelled by the books we read which in turn energised our imaginations. Asterix the Gaul might have not been everyone’s cup of tea, but having a magic potion that would make us invincible...now I wanted a piece of that.
I remember reading about Brear Rabbit and how clever he was. That in turn made me imagine I could outsmart anyone. Then one day I was caught by three bullies who were going to take me some place and duff me over.
I had to think... ‘What would Brear Rabbit do – I know I will pretend I’m not bothered and then the moment they relax their guard, I’ll outrun them.’ So that is what I did, I acted without a care in the world I was going to get a good beating. One bully had one arm and one the other, but as soon as they slackened off, they were no match for yours truly.
Perhaps you dreamed about having super powers. And no, I keep telling you, I’m not going to tell you the story of me running down the street with a blanket tied around my neck like a cape.
The common denominator for our dreams and wonderful imagination – books! So keep reading and, if you’ve not picked up a book in a while, now’s a good time to do it. And do you know what; perhaps your dreams might come true after all.
These blogs are all about fun and sharing. Thank you for reading a ‘#100blogfest’ blog. Please follow this link to find the next blog in the series: http://martinkingauthor.com/blog/7094550076

My life undecided

My Life Undecided
Author:Jessica Brody
Pages: 296
publication date: June 7 2011






Summary:
PLEASE READ THIS! MY LIFE DEPENDS ON IT!

Okay, maybe that was a bit melodramatic, but I’m sorry, I’m feeling a bit melodramatic at the moment.

Here’s the deal. My name is Brooklyn Pierce, I’m fifteen years old, and I am decisionally challenged. Seriously, I can’t remember the last good decision I made. I can remember plenty of crappy ones though. Including that party I threw when my parents were out of town that accidentally burned down a model home. Yeah, not my finest moment, for sure.

But see, that’s why I started a blog. To enlist readers to make my decisions for me. That’s right. I gave up. Threw in the towel. I let someone else be the one to decide which book I read for English. Or whether or not I accepted an invitation to join the debate team from that cute-in-a-dorky-sort-of-way guy who gave me the Heimlich Maneuver in the cafeteria. (Note to self: Chew the melon before swallowing it.) I even let them decide who I dated!

Well, it turns out there are some things in life you simply can’t choose or have chosen for you—like who you fall in love with. And now everything’s more screwed up than ever.

But don’t take my word for it, read the book and decide for yourself. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll scream in frustration. Or maybe that’s just me. After all, it’s my life.



Review:

I have had this book on my list and sounded so good, plus I could relate because this book was all about Brooklyn’s blog, as a fellow blogger I was excited to read it, then it showed up in my mailbox mysteriously. I know it came from a publisher but I had no idea why I got it. But I’m not complaining.

I read it and loved it but I felt like there should have been more parts about her blog, there were pretty many parts but I think it would have been better if there would have been more blog parts.

Brooklyn always makes the wrong decisions, and then she ends up in jail, when she gets out her parents ground her for life, but before she is grounded she creates a blog, posting about decisions in life. What book should she pick for English class? Should she join the debate team? Should she go to this one club? All those are questions she asks her fellow blog followers, they then vote for which decision she should make.

All I have to say is that she got a lot of followers really quick, soon everyone from school is talking about this mysterious blog and what should happen next. Then she has to make the ultimate decision should she go out with this guy that is one of those guys that know they are handsome or a nerdy guy who seems to have a crush on her, she asks her blog! Why would she do that!!!

I feel like somebody who can’t make their own decisions no matter how bad they are at making them should be treated like a kid. I don’t feel like they should have the responsibility of doing adult things if they can’t make their own decisions in life.

Thankfully she figures that out by the end of the book, I feel like she should have been older, she’s only 15 and she’s tossed between two guys, what has happened to our society.

This is a super cute, fast paced book and I love the cover of the book, so simple yet it’s perfect. This is the second book of Jessica’s; I can’t wait to read what she has in store for use next!

4.5 stars

The Rites and Wrongs of Janice Wills

The Rites and Wrongs of Janice Wills
Author: Joanna Pearson
Pages: 214
publication date: July 1 2011






Summary:
For anyone who's ever survived a rite of passage or performed a mating dance at Prom . . .

The Japanese hold a Mogi ceremony for young women coming of age. Latina teenagers get quinceaneras. And Janice Wills of Melva, NC ... has to compete in the Miss Livermush pageant.

Janice loves anthropology--the study of human cultures--and her observations help her identify useful rules in the chaotic world of high school. For instance: Dancing is an effective mating ritual--but only if you're good at it; Hot Theatre Guys will never speak to Unremarkable Smart Girls like Janice and her best friend, Margo; and a Beautiful Rich Girl will always win Melva's annual Miss Livermush pageant.

But when a Hot Theatre Guy named Jimmy Denton takes an interest in Janice, all her scientific certainties explode. For the first time, she has to be part of the culture that she's always observed; and all the charts in the world can't prove how tough--and how sweet--real participation and a real romance can be.

Funny, biting, and full of wisdom, this marks the debut of a writer to watch.




review:

I got 2 copies of this ARC so I gave one to my friend and while I was over at her house we both read it, it’s more fun reading the same book with friends, that way you can discuss it along the way. I did enjoy reading it but the only thing about the ARC copies was there was some empty spots in the book that said it was for artwork, I have to go to the bookstore and find out what the pictures looked like!

The Rites and Wrongs of Janice Wills is about a nerdish girl who loves anthropology, she lives breathes and sleeps anthropology, she even writes about anthropology about her classmates, she’s smart and a fun character to read about. I loved Janice and all her embarrassing moments.

Janice is also an observer; she hates the spotlight, much like myself and observes her classmates. Then she enters the livermush pageant, for her research. Then while she’s participating in it she starts changing a little bit. Then she starts to like the thing that she detests the most, being in the spotlight.

So many embarrassing moments for poor Janice, but she lives through them without too much humiliation.  Normally I wouldn’t read something like this, but I really did enjoy reading this.

Although before I read the synopsis of it I thought Anthropology was about bugs and I thought that maybe this book wasn’t for me, but then I figured out that it has nothing to do about bugs.

It was interesting to learn about different cultures while reading this book. There were some interesting facts in this book and I am so glad that Anthropology had nothing to do with bugs.

This book was quirky and fun, a fast paced book with a lovable character. I think it would be cool if the author could create a little story about 10 years into Janice’s future.

3/5 stars

In My Mailbox #11

Thanks to all the authors and scholastic who sent me these books to review :)



leave a comment with a link to your IMM

Between the Lines

Between the Lines
Author: Tammara Webber
publication date: April 29 2011







Summary:
When Hollywood It Boy, Reid Alexander, arrives on location to shoot his next movie, his goals are the same as always—film another blockbuster hit and enjoy his celebrity status to the fullest while doing so. His costar is a virtual unknown with whom he had blazing hot chemistry during her auditions. The universe is lining up nicely to grant whatever he wants, as usual, until he’s confronted with unexpected obstacles on location like a bitter ex-girlfriend and a rival for the first girl to spark his genuine interest in years.

Emma Pierce just got her big break after more than a decade of filming commercials for grape juice, department stores and tampons, and more recently, bit parts in made-for-TV movies. Nailing the lead role in a wide-release film sent her agent, father and stepmother into raptures, and should have done the same for her. The Problem? Emma is experiencing a building desire to be normal, and starring in a silly, modernized adaptation of one of her favorite novels—opposite the very hot Reid Alexander—isn’t going to advance that aspiration.

Graham Douglas doesn’t fear playing the part of a nerdy dimwit; when it comes to choosing film roles, if it pays, he’ll do it. Besides, his friend Brooke Cameron snatched up the role of the bitchy hot girl and could use his help as a buffer, because her ex is the star. Graham has no problem keeping a handle on the situation, until he finds himself attracted to Reid’s costar, Emma, the girl Reid is pursuing full-throttle with his standard arsenal of charm, good looks and arrogance.



Review:

I first saw this book on goodreads, I saw someone mark it as to-read. I read the synopsis of the book and I knew I was going to like me, not only that but the cover is absolutely adorable.

Between the Lines is about a girl named Emma who gets cast into the leading role in the modern pride and prejudice movie, this is her first big break, the biggest role she had to play and better yet her co-star is none other than Reid Alexander. He is a famous bad boy and girls go nuts over him.

I really liked the POV’s between Reid and Emma, you got to see the thoughts of both characters, and understand there character. From the beginning I hated Reid. I hate guys who are cocky and perfect and know it.

My favorite character was Graham, he was sweet and you can’t help but fall in love with him, each scene with him I wanted to scream at them to get together already, but Reid intervened and he got to Emma first.

Emma is a very strong character, just the way she carries herself shows confidence, she is strong, smart and best of all she doesn’t fall for people’s tricks.

This book is definitely relatable to teens and adults out there. Whenever I read books that talks relates to their acting career or reality TV show It shows you what happens behind the scenes, besides watching the movies and thinking everything is perfect and that celebrities have perfect lives.  The ending wasn’t your typical cookie cutter predictable ending. There was definitely a twist.

I’d say that Between the Lines is borderline YA/Adult. This book had drama, twists, romance and love triangles, I loved every second of it and I can’t wait to read the second that comes out in October 2011!

5/5 stars

Redheart

Redheart
Author: Jackie Gamber
pages:275
publication date: April 6 2011





Summary:
Enter the lands of Leland Province, where dragon and human societies
have long dwelled side by side. Superstitions rise sharply, as a severe
drought strips the land of its bounty, providing fertile ground for the
darker ambitions of Fordon Blackclaw, Dragon Council Leader, who
seeks to subdue humans or wipe them off the face of the land.

As the shadow of danger creeps across Leland Province, a young dragon
named Kallon Redheart, who has turned his back on dragons and
humans alike, comes into an unexpected friendship. Riza Diantus is a
young woman whose dreams can no longer be contained by the narrow
confines of her village, and when she finds herself in peril, Kallon is the
only one with the power to save her. Yet to do so means he must confront
his past, and embrace a future he stopped believing in.

A tale of friendship, courage, and ultimate destiny, Redheart invites
readers to a wondrous journey through the Leland Dragon Series.





Review:

It took me forever to get through RedHeart. I am reviewing it per author request and I was almost going to quit 100 pages in, but I didn’t want to let the author down so I kept trudging through. It took me a couple weeks and many books later to read through the first half of the book but…..

After I got through the first half of the book I flew through the last half, the first half of the book got 1.5 stars but by the end of the book I rated it 3.5 stars. I really loved it and can’t wait to read the second book in the series.

One thing about this book though is how Riza seems like a teenager, I forgot if they said her age but there was this other guy who gave her a place to stay and everything and then he fell in love with her and the way they described him in the book was old with some gray hair and beard. It kind of grossed me out, because she was so young and he was so old, and then Kallon the dragon fell in love with Riza, it just seemed like Riza attracted the wrong kind of Males.

I was glad to be able to dive into the fantasy land of dragons; you usually don’t see a lot of dragon books out there, I did enjoy this book once I got into it and I hope that if you decide to read RedHeart you get past those 100 pages and finish this great fantasy novel

3.5 / 5

Shut Out

Shut Out
Author: Kody Keplinger
pages: 273 pages
publication date: September 5 2011





Summary:
Most high school sports teams have rivalries with other schools. At Hamilton High, it's a civil war: the football team versus the soccer team. And for her part, Lissa is sick of it. Her quarterback boyfriend, Randy, is always ditching her to go pick a fight with the soccer team or to prank their locker room. And on three separate occasions Randy's car has been egged while he and Lissa were inside, making out. She is done competing with a bunch of sweaty boys for her own boyfriend's attention.

Lissa decides to end the rivalry once and for all: she and the other players' girlfriends go on a hookup strike. The boys won't get any action from them until the football and soccer teams make peace. What they don't count on is a new sort of rivalry: an impossible girls-against-boys showdown that hinges on who will cave to their libidos first. And Lissa never sees her own sexual tension with the leader of the boys, Cash Sterling, coming.

Inspired by Aristophanes' play Lysistrata, critically acclaimed author of The Duff (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) Kody Keplinger adds her own trademark humor in this fresh take on modern teenage romance, rivalry and sexuality.



Review:

I heard so many rave about how great this book and I got a copy in my mailbox and started reading it, I couldn’t stop reading it, it felt the book was one magnet and my eyes were another. I was drawn to the book and literally didn’t stop reading till it was finished.

Shut Out is about a soccer and football team rivalry. For over 10 years the soccer team and football have been going at each other every fall, it’s been going to long that no one even knows what started it, they just keep on hating each other.

Lissa has had enough of the hatred the soccer and football team have against each other she gets all the girlfriends of both teams and starts a strike; no one can have any sexual activity with each other until the rivalry is over. That is until it goes on for more weeks than planned, the boys still aren’t getting along and Randy and Lissa aren’t as they used to be.

Soon Lissa becomes attracted to Cash Sterling, one of the soccer players, he seems to flirt with her every second, just like he does any other girl in the school but he actually kisses her and she’s as confused as ever.

I loved Cash, he was so sweet and perfect in every way, I really don’t like when authors make characters perfect but it’s just fit. Randy is such a jerk, even before he did what he did to her I hated him. Sure he seemed like a good boyfriend but he wanted one thing and one thing only.

I didn’t like Lissa, she was to bossy and for some reason I didn’t like her at all. That still doesn’t stop me from wanting to give this book a million stars, the only thing I didn’t like about this book was that it all revolved around sex between teenagers, I mean aren’t parents and teachers teaching us that this is a bad thing and for some reason I felt like this book condoned it just a little. But besides that I loved it.

Definitely recommend this book to everyone, everyone should read this when it comes out in September!

5/5 stars

Waiting on Wednesday #15

waiting on wednesday is a weekly event
hosted by breaking the spine






This week's book I can't wait for is:

A Million Suns
Author: Beth Revis
publication date: February 2012



Book #2 in the Across the Universe series.



Summary:
When Elder learns harrowing news about the space ship Godspeed, he and Amy must work together to unlock a puzzle that was set in motion hundreds of years earlier, all the while dealing with the romance that’s growing between them and the chaos that threatens to tear them apart. It all boils down to one mind-bending conclusion: They have to get off this ship.


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Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have)

Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have
Author: Sarah Mlynowski
Pages: 368 pages
publication date: June 7 2011






Summary:
2 girls + 3 guys + 1 house – parents = 10 things April and her friends did that they (definitely, maybe, probably) shouldn't have.

If given the opportunity, what sixteen-year-old wouldn't jump at the chance to move in with a friend and live parent-free? Although maybe "opportunity" isn't the right word, since April had to tell her dad a tiny little untruth to make it happen (see #1: "Lied to Our Parents"). But she and her housemate Vi are totally responsible and able to take care of themselves. How they ended up "Skipping School" (#3), "Throwing a Crazy Party" (#8), "Buying a Hot Tub" (#4), and, um, "Harboring a Fugitive" (#7) at all is kind of a mystery to them.

In this hilarious and bittersweet tale, Sarah Mlynowski mines the heart and mind of a girl on her own for the first time. To get through the year, April will have to juggle a love triangle, learn to do her own laundry, and accept that her carefully constructed world just might be falling apart . . . one thing-she-shouldn't-have-done at a time.



review:
This was a fun and fast paced book, so many people have told me how much they loved it, I had to get my hands on a copy right away.

At first I was really into the book but then by the end I don’t think I liked it as much as I thought I did, it was definitely 4 stars for me but I was hoping for the amazing 5 star book.

I felt like punching the main girl only because she kept lying and digging herself in a giant hole, but I honestly have to say that this book would never happen in real life, first of all, no way would any kid get away without the parents meeting, I mean she was really sneaky and kept making up excuses as to why her dad couldn’t meet Susan, I mean really, my dad would insist that he talk to her in person first, second of all I don’t think a parent would give me $1,000 dollars each month, he would tell me to go out and get a job.

Then there’s her whole mom thing, her mom knew the whole time, and being the good mom she was kept it quiet from her dad, what kind of mom would do that? She and her mom are “best friends” but come on, even a mom has to take some responsibility, and I was annoyed with her mom too!

But bad things aside I really did enjoy reading this book, at times I was biting my nails ready for her to get caught, they definitely thought of everything that’s for sure, and somehow everything worked out.

At the end I would have liked to hear what the dad said when she told him, I would have liked to hear him get mad or ground her or something but the book ended right there, I was a little disappointed about that but I will get over it.

Sarah did create a wonderful story that has people wanting more of her writing; I have read Gimme a Call by her and I liked it but this one was even better! I loved reading about April’s life of lies. Can’t wait to see what else Sarah writes.


4/5 stars

Sweetly

Sweetly
Author: Jackson Pearce
pages: 310
publication date: August 23 2011





Summary:
Twelve years ago, Gretchen, her twin sister, and her brother went looking for a witch in the forest. They found something. Maybe it was a witch, maybe a monster, they aren’t sure—they were running too fast to tell. Either way, Gretchen’s twin sister was never seen again.

Years later, after being thrown out of their house, Gretchen and Ansel find themselves in Live Oak, South Carolina, a place on the verge of becoming a ghost town. They move in with Sophia Kelly, a young and beautiful chocolatier owner who opens not only her home, but her heart to Gretchen and Ansel.

Yet the witch isn’t gone—it’s here, lurking in the forests of Live Oak, preying on Live Oak girls every year after Sophia Kelly’s infamous chocolate festival. But Gretchen is determined to stop running from witches in the forest, and start fighting back. Alongside Samuel Reynolds, a boy as quick with a gun as he is a sarcastic remark, Gretchen digs deeper into the mystery of not only what the witch is, but how it chooses its victims. Yet the further she investigates, the more she finds herself wondering who the real monster is, and if love can be as deadly as it is beautiful.



Review:

After reading Sisters Red last year I fell in love with Jackson Pearce’s writing. I LOVED Sisters Red, that’s why when the ARC of Sweetly came in the mail I was excited to start it. I was very disappointed. For some reason Sweetly didn’t match up to my expectations.

Ansel and Gretchel have been kicked out of their house by their step-mom, they leave and get stranded in a little town that doesn’t have many people, and it doesn’t help with all the crazy rumors spreading around.

They find Sophie, the chocolate maker and the girl that most of the town hates, there’s been rumors that she’s the one who made the girls disappear. Ansel and Gretchel help around the house and live with Sophie, Ansel falls in love, and Gretchel becomes suspicious, while she falls in love the town outcast.

The whole time I knew something was up with the way Sophie was acting and all throughout the book they showed signs here and there of suspicious activity and I knew something was up but both Ansel and Gretchel were too dumb to realize it for the longest time. 

I’m glad Gretchel figured it out, and did what she did, but we didn’t find out what was really up with Sophie and the whole disappearance thing until the end of the book. While reading it I became frustrated because I couldn’t figure it out and they weren’t figuring out anything, finally after about 300 pages I found out, that was the longest suspense moment for me.

I don’t know about you but while reading Sweetly I started drawling from hearing about all that chocolate and candy. I craved chocolate so bad, and we had none, then mom came home with some chocolate and I all but pounced on top of her to get it. For those of you who are allergic to chocolate I totally knew what you feel like. While reading about chocolate and candy throughout the entire book (and let me tell you, there was always a talk about it, I became so hungry for it, but we had none.

All chocolate and sugar aside I did enjoy Sweetly, I haven’t really read much about the Hansel and Gretel story when I was younger but I remember most of the story to be able to incorporate it into the book while reading it. I heard somebody say that  some of the characters in Sisters Red were slyly put into this book, but it was such a long time ago that I read Sisters Red that I had no idea what part it was at.

I can’t wait to read about what Jackson Pearce writes next.

3/5 stars

In My Mailbox #10

Quote for today

Someone posted this one facebook so I though I should share it with you guys, enjoy!

When I woke up this morning, I asked myself, "What is life about?" I found the answer in my room...the fan said, "Be cool." The roof said, "Aim high." The window said, "See the world!" The clock said, "Every minute is precious." The mirror said, "Reflect before you act." The calendar said, "Be up to date." The door said, "Push hard for your goals." The floor said, "Stay grounded." And most importantly, the toilet said "don't take any shit"....

Ashes, Ashes

Ashes,Ashes
Author: Jo Treggiari
pages:341
publication date: July 1 2011






Summary:

A thrilling tale of adventure, romance, and one girl's unyielding courage through the darkest of nightmares.

Epidemics, floods, droughts--for sixteen-year-old Lucy, the end of the world came and went, taking 99% of the population with it. As the weather continues to rage out of control, and Sweepers clean the streets of plague victims, Lucy survives alone in the wilds of Central Park. But when she's rescued from a pack of hunting dogs by a mysterious boy named Aidan, she reluctantly realizes she can't continue on her own. She joins his band of survivors, yet, a new danger awaits her: the Sweepers are looking for her. There's something special about Lucy, and they will stop at nothing to have her.




Review:
I have never been disappointed with a dystopian novel yet, each one is different and original and I love the dystopian genre very much.

Lucy is a loner, she is one of the lucky who hasn’t died from the black plague, everyone in her family had died, she’s all alone, living in the woods, with a homemade shelter, minimal food and water, and lives each day to the fullest, knowing that any time she could die.

Then one day she meets Aidan, she is instantly irritated at his “cool” behavior, she smells like she just crawled out of the sewer while he smells like soap. Aidan saves her life from wild dogs, he tells her he lives in a place called “The Hell Gate” she sees the water at the river rising higher and she knows that a tsunami is coming. She gathers her stuff and heads off to The Hell Gate. There she finds Aidan and many others living in tents and getting by way better than she had.

While she figures out what to do next she stays, while she is there “sweepers” come and raid there area, they take some people each time they come. But the one person they are looking for is Lucy, even though she doesn’t know it yet, Lucy is special, they’re out for her blood.

Every time I read novel like this, I always wish I could communicate with the characters or help them in some ways, it would be awesome to be able to actually interact with the characters while I’m reading about them.

I’ve had “Ashes, Ashes” for awhile now just sitting on my desk and now I finally finished, I really wish I would have read this sooner. I should know better, I always hold off on the really awesome books.

This book was suspenseful and full of action and romance, I did predict the betrayal of a certain character, but I was just as confused as Lucy and Aidan about Dr. Lessing, was she good or evil? If you want to know the answer to this question, go out and pick up a copy of it!



4/5 stars

Wintertown

Wintertown
Author: Stephen Emond
pages: 305
publication date: December 5






Summary:
Every winter, straight-laced, Ivy League bound Evan looks forward to a visit from Lucy, a childhood pal who moved away after her parent's divorce. But when Lucy arrives this year, she's changed. The former "girl next door" now has chopped dyed black hair, a nose stud, and a scowl. But Evan knows that somewhere beneath the Goth, "Old Lucy" still exists, and he's determined to find her... even if it means pissing her off.

Garden State meets Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist in this funny and poignant illustrated novel about opposites who fall in love.



Review:
WinterTown Is one of those weird books where you don’t quite know if it’s you like the book or not, while reading it my thoughts were all over the place. I didn’t know what to make of the book.

I did like the closeness that Evan and Lucy had but I felt like there should have been more of Lucy and Evan as a couple. Evan’s character is great, I loved his awesome nerdiness, his charm, the way he thought, you could really tell what he was thinking in this book and it was nice to be able to see inside Evan’s mind in most of this book.

Unfortunately I didn’t like Lucy’s character at all. I felt like all she did was feel sorry for herself the whole time and she kind of annoyed me throughout the book, she changed so much from when Evan last saw her a year before. Evan didn’t like the new Lucy and neither did I. She had family issues, so she decided to rebel and turn Goth, unfortunately her personality and demeanor changed with her clothes.

This book was different, it had pictures and comic strips and it made the whole book come together nicely, while reading this I couldn’t help but think about the times when I used to read picture books and I never read the words, it’s refreshing to go back to that and read a YA book that has pictures in it.

I didn’t feel like Wintertown was amazing, and I found myself looking at the page numbers and thinking “is this book almost done.” The pictures broke up the writing and made the book fast paced and more enjoyable.
I don’t know whether reading this in winter time would make this book more enjoyable. I don’t know if reading books in certain seasons that pertain to the plot of the book, but I wonder if I read this book in wintertime if I would enjoy this book more. I don’t know, it’s definitely a good theory to try out.

Anyways, Wintertown was a different read than I’m used to reading, it was pretty fast paced and a light read. I’m glad I got an ARC of it, hopefully when winter comes around, and this book comes out, people with snuggle inside a blanket with a cup of hot cocoa and enjoy it!

2/5 stars

Waiting on Wednesday #14

waiting on wednesday is a weekly event
hosted by breaking the spine








This week's book I can't wait for is:

Glow
Author: Amy Kathleen Ryan
publication date: September 27 2011








Summary:
What if you were bound for a new world, about to pledge your life to someone you'd been promised to since birth, and one unexpected violent attack made survival—not love—the issue?

Out in the murky nebula lurks an unseen enemy: the New Horizon. On its way to populate a distant planet in the wake of Earth's collapse, the ship's crew has been unable to conceive a generation to continue its mission. They need young girls desperately, or their zealous leader's efforts will fail. Onboard their sister ship, the Empyrean, the unsuspecting families don't know an attack is being mounted that could claim the most important among them...

Fifteen-year-old Waverly is part of the first generation to be successfully conceived in deep space; she was born on the Empyrean, and the large farming vessel is all she knows. Her concerns are those of any teenager—until Kieran Alden proposes to her. The handsome captain-to-be has everything Waverly could ever want in a husband, and with the pressure to start having children, everyone is sure he's the best choice. Except for Waverly, who wants more from life than marriage—and is secretly intrigued by the shy, darkly brilliant Seth.

But when the Empyrean faces sudden attack by their assumed allies, they quickly find out that the enemies aren't all from the outside.




leave a comment with your WOW in the comments!

Clean

Clean
Author:Amy Reed
pages: 288
publication date: May 8 2011





Summary:
Olivia, Kelly, Christopher, Jason, and Eva have one thing in common: They’re addicts. Addicts who have hit rock bottom and been stuck together in rehab to face their problems, face sobriety, and face themselves. None of them wants to be there. None of them wants to confront the truths about their pasts. But they’ll all have to deal with themselves and one another if they want to learn how to live. Because when you get that high, there’s nowhere to go but down, down, down.




Review:
I didn’t know what to expect going into this novel. I knew it was a heavy novel focuses on a subject that you don’t hear about too much in the YA genre, I usually don’t read much about teenagers who are addicted to drugs or alcohol.

I went into this book not expecting, not expecting to like it as much as I thought I would.

Clean is about 5 teens that have a problem, whether it’s a drug addiction, an alcohol problem or an eating disorder these 5 teens each are addicted to one of those things. That’s why there in the rehab system, wasting a month away trying to get clean and stay away from their problems.

The writing of this book is very original, it switches from each of their perspectives, in the form of discussions in there group or group assignments and sometimes just telling a story.

I became so captured into these teen’s lives I forgot about everything else until I finished it. It was addictive reading about their sadness and the way they felt, and then reading about them growing up and growing into their characters, each of the 5 teens are as different as night and day but they grow together as a group, helping each other out, even though it didn’t seem like it at the time.

When they just started in the rehab program they had one thing on their mind. How to get the next fix and counting down the days till they were able to leave, by the end they were almost all different people. They understood each other and they learned to work together. There were some ups and downs but in the end it seemed like they got the purpose of why they were there and why they needed to get better.

This book isn’t for everybody, but I definitely recommend reading it. You won’t be disappointed. It is a heavy read but a really good story.



4/5 stars