Avery's Book Nook

On My Wishlist

2012-03-03T00:00:00.000-05:00

On My Wishlist is a great event that Book Chick City runs every Saturday. It's where you list all of the books that you desperately want but haven't actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming. I thought that this was a fantabulous idea so I thought I would join in!
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"Existence" by Abbi Glines

From Goodreads: "What happens when you're stalked by Death? You fall in love with him, of course.

Pagan Moore doesn't cheat Death, but instead, falls in love with him.

Seventeen year old Pagan Moore has seen souls her entire life. Once she realized the strangers she often saw walking through walls were not visible to anyone else, she started ignoring them. If she didn't let them know she could see them, then they left her alone. Until she stepped out of her car the first day of school and saw an incredibly sexy guy lounging on a picnic table, watching her with an amused smirk on his face. Problem is, she knows he's dead.

Not only does he not go away when she ignores him, but he does something none of the others have ever done. He speaks. Pagan is fascinated by the soul. What she doesn't realize is that her appointed time to die is drawing near and the wickedly beautiful soul she is falling in love with is not a soul at all.

He is Death and he's about to break all the rules"

"The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green

2012-03-02T00:00:00.001-05:00

From Goodreads: "Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 12, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now.

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind."

I recently picked this book up after seeing tons of Tweets and blog posts telling me (or, you know, just people in general) that I "HAD TO READ THIS BOOK BECAUSE IT IS QUITE LITERALLY THE BEST THING SINCE SLICED BREAD- ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW WHAT? SCREW SLICED BREAD, IT'S EVEN BETTER THAN THAT!" But after reading it, I must admit, that I am a bit disappointed.

I think that my largest complaint about this book was the characters- I understand that Hazel and Augustus have had to mature quicker than their peers because of their circumstances- but seriously? I would consider myself to be a somewhat educated person and I had no idea what they were saying half of the time (admittedly, I did pull out a dictionary here and there and I did reread entire portions of the book multiple times to have a better comprehension of what was going on). At time while listening to their speeches I felt like I was sitting in one of my lectures with one of my pretentious forty + year old (NOTE: not 16 year old) professors droning on and on about something inconsequential that they think is profound.

Also, I really, really, really wanted to cry while reading this book and I didn't (which let me tell you, isn't all that difficult of a task because I cry like it's nobody's business- that Tim Horton's commercial where the Haitian man welcomes his family to Canada? I cried. That Tropicana orange juice commercial where the company provided Alaska with a fake sun during their 24-hour nighttime? I bawled like a baby. And don't get me started on when a family member- especially children- visit competitors on shows like "Survivor"- I am an absolute puddle and it takes me forever to compose myself). I think that why I didn't cry is because I just knew that someone was going to die (I mean, it is a "cancer" book)- perhaps had the synopsis been more mysterious (like the synopsis of "Little Bee" by Chris Cleave:

"We don't want to tell you too much about this book. It is a truly special story and we don't want to spoil it. Nevertheless, you need to know something, so we will just say this: It is extremely funny, but the African beach scene is horrific. The story starts there, but the book doesn't. And it's what happens afterward that is most important. Once you have read it, you'll want to tell everyone about it. When you do, please don't tell them what happens either. The magic is in how it unfolds.")

what occurred it in would have taken me more by surprise (I would have been less prepared for what was going to happen) and as a result, tears would have trickled down my face, as I had so wanted them to?

That being said, I did love the parts of the book when Augustus and Hazel dropped the facade and just let themselves be teenagers- I just found these parts to be genuine and something that I could truly connect to and understand. This part especially:

"He's not that smart," I said to Julie.
"She's right. It's just that most really good-looking people are stupid, so I exceed expectations."
"Right, it's primarily his hotness," I said.
"It can be sort of blinding," he said.
"It actually did blind our friend Isaac," I said.
"Terrible tragedy, that. But can I help my own deadly beauty?"
"You cannot."
"It is my burden, this beautiful face."
"Not to mention your body."
"Seriously, don't get me started on my hot bod. You don't want to see me naked, Dave. Seeing me naked actually took Hazel Grace's breath away," he said, nodding toward the oxygen tank.' (pg. 251).

All in all, I wish that this book was more accessible and more suited for the targeted audience- my younger sister (who fits smack-center into the targeted audience) is a HUGE fan of Lurlene McDaniel and her cancers books and I would love to have her read this book, but I know that she, too, would have difficulties trudging through it and that the large majority of it would go over her head (which I don't mean in any offense to her). In all honesty, I am on the fence about whether or not I will pick up another John Green book after having read this.

Rating: 7/10

Memorable lines from the book:

"I used my wish pre-Miracle."
"What'd you do?"
I sighed loudly. "I was thirteen," I said.
"Not Disney," he said.
I said nothing.
"You did not go to Disney World."
I said nothing.
"Hazel GRACE!" he shouted. "You did not use your one dying Wish to go to Disney World with your parents,"
"Also Epcot Center," I mumbled.
"Oh, my God," Augustus said. "I can't believe I have a crush on a girl with such cliche wishes" (pg. 80).

"Really," my dad said. "I wouldn't bullshit you about this. If you were more trouble than you're worth, we'd just toss you out on the street."
"We're not sentimental people," Mom added, deadpan. "We'd leave you at an orphanage with a note pinned to your pajamas" (pg. 103).

"It would be a privilege to have my heart broken by you" (pg. 176).

"Honesty, it as probably the long time we'd ever spent without talking" (pg. 208).

"Don't swear in the Literal Heart of Jesus" (pg. 259).

Ontario Blog Squad

2012-03-01T08:42:00.004-05:00

Hi y'all! I just wanted to let all of you Ontarian's know (if you don't already) about the Ontario Blog Squad. The blog has a wide range of bloggers who live in Ontario and it is an awesome place for everyone to get to know one another, learn about events that might be happening in your area and the occasional GIVEAWAYS!

Also, every month from now on the blog will be have a "Blogger of the Month" and I just so happen to be this month's blogger! Today on the blog you will find an interview from me and sometime in the next month I will be posting a book review.

So, if you live in Ontario and haven't done so already, I highly recommend checking out the Ontario Blog Squad!

Waiting on Wednesday

2012-02-29T00:00:00.000-05:00

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating...
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Title: "Lucid"
Author: Ron Bass and Adrienne Stoltz
Release Date: July 19, 2012

From Goodreads: "What if you could dream your way into a different life? What if you could choose to live that life forever?

Sloane and Maggie have never met. Sloane is a straight-A student with a big and loving family. Maggie lives a glamorously independent life as an up-and-coming actress in New York. The two girls couldn't be more different - except for one thing. They share a secret that they can't tell a soul. At night, they dream that they're each other.

The deeper they're pulled into the promise of their own lives, the more their worlds begin to blur dangerously together. Before long, Sloane and Maggie can no longer tell which life is real and which is just a dream. They realize that eventually they will have to choose one life to wake up to, or risk spiraling into insanity. But that means giving up one world, one love, and one self, forever.

This is a dazzling debut that will still readers' hearts."

"Partials" by Dan Wells

2012-02-28T00:00:00.000-05:00

From Goodreads: "The human race is all but extinct after a war with Partials—engineered organic beings identical to humans—has decimated the population. Reduced to tens of thousands by RM, a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island while the Partials have mysteriously retreated. The threat of the Partials is still imminent, but worse, no baby has been born immune to RM in more than a decade. Our time is running out.

Kira, a sixteen-year-old medic in training, is on the front lines of this battle, seeing RM ravage the community while mandatory pregnancy laws threaten to launch what’s left of humanity into civil war, and she’s not content to stand by and watch. But as she makes a desperate decision to save the last of her race, she will discover that the survival of humans and Partials alike rests in her attempts to uncover the connections between them—connections that humanity has forgotten, or perhaps never even knew were there.

Dan Wells, acclaimed author of I Am Not a Serial Killer, takes readers on a pulse-pounding journey into a world where the very concept of what it means to be human is in question—one where our humanity is both our greatest liability and our only hope for survival."

This book was one of my most highly anticipated books of 2012- everything about it intrigued me (especially the tagline, "The only hope for humanity isn't human"), however, after having finished it I must admit that I am a tad disappointed with it (I can't help but wonder, did I set my expectations too high? To an almost unattainable level?).

My largest complaint about this book would be how militaristic and science-y the storyline was and how in-depth of detail the author went into said parts. While I was reading all of the science-y stuff I constantly found my mind drifting off/ my eyes crossing, for instance portions of the book such as this: "... a screen full of viral images, a series of reports on the viral structure. It had two forms, one for blood and one for air; the Blob and the Spore, the yellow and the blue... The Spore was tiny, perfect for traveling through the air..." (46%). If I had to guesstimate I would say that at least a quarter of the book involved Kira standing in front of a computer screen analyzing the Paritals blood (while reading these parts I was super grateful that I have some background knowledge of how the human body works because had I not I know that I would have been even more so lost).

That being said, I LOVED the characters of this book- main characters and secondary characters alike! I think that this batch of characters is actually the strongest (mentally, physically, and emotionally) that I have ever read before (from Kira, to Samm, to Isolde, to Madison and Xochi). Furthermore, while it was one of the "big secrets" that was revealed in this book was somewhat glaringly obvious in my opinion, that didn't alter my opinion of the book whatsoever (unlike a few other books that I have read recently, including "Blood Magic" and "Cinder") because the possibilities that it presents are endless (AKA the sequel is bound to be epic).

All in all, while I was a tad disappointed with this book was a tad disappointing I did enjoy it overall. This is a book that I know that I will read time and time again and I cannot wait to see what Dan has in store for us in the next book (here's hoping that a relationship between Samm and Kira develops in the next book- I can't be the only person who wants this to happen, right?).

Rating: 8/10

I received this book from the author to read and honestly review. I was not compensated in any way for said review.

GUEST POST & GIVEAWAY: Author Nikki Jefford

2012-02-27T00:00:00.000-05:00

Magical Mishaps by Nikki Jefford

Favorite Thing about Magic

The potential for so much to go wrong. I love comedy, and magic IS comedy. It’s also dark, which I like, too: the perfect blend of dark comedy.

Unsuccessful Attempt at Magic

When I was 7, we had to leave Alaska after my mother remarried and spend the next seven years moving around the West Coast. I was in a new school every year and missed the Far North something fierce.

In third grade, I attempted a teleportation spell. It involved a circle of rocks – of which I stood in the center. I was so convinced it was going to work I packed a bag to bring with me.

All-Time Favorite TV Series

Buffy the Vampire Slayer. My favorite episode is “Something Blue” when Buffy and Spike get engaged. Don’t you just love spells gone awry?

Spellbound Series Summed up in Warp Speed

Entangled: Two witches, one body. A resurrection spell gone wrong.

Duplicity: Graylee Perez duplicated. (Like if your brain was copied and stuck inside another body. Freaky, right?)

Enchantment: (Inspired by aforementioned “Something Blue”.) Gray is under a love spell and it’s not with someone she normally likes.

About the book:

"Twin witches Graylee and Charlene Perez agree on one rule: No dating warlocks.

Not so easy when a certain rogue warlock is convinced he and Graylee belong together and will use anything, including magic, to try and impress Gray. When Charlene’s boyfriend dumps her, she threatens to kill either herself or the girl who stole Blake. Somehow, Gray ends up dead.

A Resurrection Spell Gone Wrong:

Two months after dying, Gray wakes up in Charlene’s body. As a witch, can anyone blame her mother for attempting to bring her daughter back to life? Only now Gray’s stuck sharing her sister’s body 50/50 in twenty-four hour shifts.

The race is on for Gray to find a way back inside her own body before Charlene purges her from existence. Raj McKenna is rumored to meddle in the black arts, not to mention he’s after Gray’s invisibility spell and worse – her heart. But Raj might be the only one powerful enough to save Gray from fading away forever"

About the author:

Nikki Jefford is a third generation Alaskan who found paradise in the not-so-tropical San Juan Islands where she is, once more, neighbors with Canada. She has a degree in journalism and was an entertainment reporter before returning to her first love: fiction.

After a whirlwind romance in France, Nikki married Sébastien in March 2000. They reside with Cosmo the Wonder Westie.

Find Nikki at:

Blogger: http://www.nikkijefford.blogspot.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/NikkiJefford

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5424286.Nikki_Jefford

The Giveaway

To enter to win an E-copy of Entangled from Smashwords simply answer the following question in the comment section (BE SURE TO INCLUDE SOME WAY TO CONTACT YOU IF YOU WIN). Giveaway ends March 5th, 2012.

The witches and warlocks in Entangled share basic magical abilities. They also have advanced spells of their own. If you could choose one of the following powers, which would it be?
The power to freeze people in place and take away their voice
Body transfers
Invisibility
Teleportation
or Mind reading?

In My Mailbox

2012-02-26T09:44:00.001-05:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly post hosted by Kirsti at The Story Siren as a chance to share the books we've bought or received over the past week.
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Bought
"Wings of the Wicked" by Courtney Allison Moulton
"Pandemonium" by Lauren Oliver
"Jessica Guide to Dating the Dark Side" by Beth Fantaskey
"Low Red Moon" by Ivy Devlin
"Leviathan" by Scott Westerfeld
"The Poison Diaries" by Maryrose Wood
"Eyes Like Stars" by Lisa Mantchev
"The Morganville Vampires Volume 2" by Rachel Caine
"The Radleys" by Matt Haig

For Review
"Girl Meets Boy" by Kelley Milner Halls (Thanks to Raincoast Books and Crystal!)
"Of Poseidon" by Anna Banks (Thanks to Raincoast Books and Crystal!)

What did you get in your mailbox?

On My Wishlist

2012-02-25T00:00:00.000-05:00

"Thoughtless" by S.C. Stephens

From Goodreads: "For almost two years now, Kiera's boyfriend, Denny, has been everything she's ever wanted: loving, tender and endlessly devoted to her. When they head off to a new city to start their lives together, Denny at his dream job and Kiera at a top-notch university, everything seems perfect. Then an unforeseen obligation forces the happy couple apart.

Feeling lonely, confused, and in need of comfort, Kiera turns to an unexpected source – a local rock star named Kellan Kyle. At first, he's purely a friend that she can lean on, but as her loneliness grows, so does their relationship. And then one night everything changes...and none of them will ever be the same."

"Angelfall" by Susan Ee

2012-02-23T00:00:00.000-05:00

From Goodreads: "It's been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.

Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.

Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl.

Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels' stronghold in San Francisco where she'll risk everything to rescue her sister and he'll put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again."

As seems to have become the norm, I bought this book solely based upon reviews I had read about it (reviews from fellow bloggers and reviews from Goodreads). Many of those reviews that I read RAVED about this book, stating that this book was THE BEST YA angel book that they had ever read or that it as their MOST FAVOURITE book of 2011- while I did enjoy the book, I must admit that I didn't enjoy it quite as much as others seem to have (which I find unfortunate because I personally LOVE angels books- can't get enough of 'em in fact).

My main complaint about this book is the ending. I must admit that in the large majority of cases when I am really, REALLY enjoying a book I start to get really nervous as I come closer and closer to the end because I fear that everything that I have loved in the first 3/4 or so will be destroyed- sometimes my fears turn out to be silly (ie. in the case of "Dearly, Beloved, a book where I was terrified to read the ending, but whose ending actually turned out to be darn near perfect IMO), sometimes my fears turn out to be legitimate (ie. in the case of "The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer", a book whose ending left me completely baffled- in a bad way), and unfortunately the latter turned out to be the case for this book.

It wasn't all of the gore contained in the ending that turned me off (I mean, not much gets to me in that respect- after all, I *do* study dead things, specifically dead humans)- it was the lack of explanation about why all of these horrific and grotesque things were occurring. I personally felt them to be too "out there"- that they didn't fit with the first 3/4 of the book.

That being said, as it becomes evident I did VASTLY enjoy the first 3/4 of the book. In fact, I can't even come up with a single complaint about that portion of the book- it possessed everything that I love, a kickass heroine, a swoon-worthy male character, snark, wit AND banter like you wouldn't believe, a fast paced and unique plot, and the likes of.

All in all, while the ending of this book didn't quite live up to my expectations, overall I did quite enjoy this book. I think that Susan has a great career ahead of her and I am looking forward to the next book in this series (hopefully the answers to all of my burning questions will be revealed in it!).

Rating: 7.5/10

Memorable lines from the book:

"We now play a permanent game of I-am-crazier-and-scarier-than-you. And in that game, my mother is our secret weapon" (9%).

"The logistics of breaking you are so easy. The only question is when" (12%).

"In the second before everyone absorbs what just happened, I see the angel rolling his eyes heavenward, like a teenager in the presence of overwhelming lameness. Some people just have no sense of gratitude" (16%).

"I'm not moping," I whisper back.
"Of course you're not. A girl like you, spending time with a warrior demigod like me. What's to mope about?" (26%)

"I don't know if he noticed when I took my sweatshirt off, but I'm guessing he was busy at the time because he looks at me in surprise. His pupils dilate when he sees me. His lips part, momentarily forgetting to marshal his expression, and I could swear he stops breathing for several heartbeats" (59%).

Waiting on Wednesday

2012-02-22T00:00:00.000-05:00

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating...
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Title: "Dangerous Boy"
Author: Mandy Hubbart
Release Date: August 30, 2012

From Goodreads: "Harper’s new boyfriend Logan Townsend is everything she never knew she always wanted—tall, muscular, with tousled brown hair that falls effortlessly around his face. But what’s most exciting about Logan is that he’s exhilaratingly dangerous, and dating him allows Harper to say, “buh bye” to her good-girl past and “hello” to newfound adventure.

There’s only one problem with Harper’s otherwise heart-stopping romance: Logan’s twin brother Daemon. Harper knows he’s a bad seed, but she tries to look past his dark, icy stare and his chilling demeanor. After all, he and Logan are a package deal.

Then cow bones start appearing in people’s mailboxes, a flock of birds show up dead, and all of the cars in the senior parking lot are given flat tires—and covered with blood-red handprints. Logan insists that Daemon isn’t involved—sure, he’s had some trouble in the past, but they moved to Harper’s quiet northwest Washington town so that they could both start over.

Harper desperately wants to believe Logan, but the more he tries to protect his brother, the more she wonders what she isn’t being told. Now, Harper must unearth the hidden secrets of the mysterious Townsend brothers’ history if she and Logan are to have any hope of a future. But learning what brought Logan and Daemon to town won’t put just her heart in jeopardy... She’s playing with her life."

"Fever" by Lauren DeStefano

2012-02-21T00:00:00.000-05:00

From Goodreads: "Rhine and Gabriel have escaped the mansion, but danger is never far behind.

Running away brings Rhine and Gabriel right into a trap, in the form of a twisted carnival whose ringmistress keeps watch over a menagerie of girls. Just as Rhine uncovers what plans await her, her fortune turns again. With Gabriel at her side, Rhine travels through an environment as grim as the one she left a year ago - surroundings that mirror her own feelings of fear and hopelessness.

The two are determined to get to Manhattan, to relative safety with Rhine’s twin brother, Rowan. But the road there is long and perilous - and in a world where young women only live to age twenty and young men die at twenty-five, time is precious. Worse still, they can’t seem to elude Rhine’s father-in-law, Vaughn, who is determined to bring Rhine back to the mansion...by any means necessary.

In the sequel to Lauren DeStefano’s harrowing Wither, Rhine must decide if freedom is worth the price - now that she has more to lose than ever."

I must admit that it took me a really long time to get into this book (I struggled to get through the first sixty or so pages of this book, I could literally only read ten or so pages a day, and then after having read the first sixty pages I set the book down for about a month or two before picking it up once again)- something that is quite unheard of for me. The main reason why I struggled through the first bit of this book was because I found that it didn't jive whatsoever with the world that we had come to know and love (errrrr.... perhaps "love" is not the best word to use when describing a world in which young girls are forced into polygamous marriages and die in their early twenties ;) ) in "Wither", the first book in the series. However, once I was able to get past the first sixty pages, I found that the book was a lot more manageable and I was able to read the remainder of the book within a couple of hours.

There were a number of things that irked me about "Wither" (for instance, did Rhine and Gabriel technically have a relationship, Rhine didn't give Gabriel a choice in running away, etc.) and I very much appreciated and was quite surprised by the fact that this book addressed almost every single problem that I had had (it gave me a new found respect of everything that went down in "Wither", not to mention a different perspective). Furthermore, I did quite like a few of the newly introduced characters (Maddie especially) and the reintroduction of old characters (old characters who I frankly didn't think we would ever see again).

That being said, while I quite liked all of my burning questions being answered in this book and the introduction of new characters, I was overall quite a bit disappointed by the plot of this book overall. I felt that very little was accomplished in this book- that the plot was a vicious circle of sorts and that Rhine and Gabriel ended up exactly where they started. Furthermore, I felt that the big reveal (the big reveal surrounding Vaughn and Rhine) was almost too far "out there", that nothing in "Wither" led up/ gave any indication that that was going to happen (that it very much came out of left field). Also, (as I have mentioned numerous times) I personally quite dislike it when a character fades in and out of consciousness throughout the book as I find that it makes the plot unnecessarily convoluted (I mean, how do you know what is real?) and therefore I disliked that that happened with Rhine.

All in all, while I did not enjoy this book near as much as I enjoyed its predecessor, I will still read the last book in this trilogy. Here's hoping that it will be just as good, if not better than, the original!

Rating: 6.5/10

I received this book from the publisher to read and honestly review. I was not compensated in any way for said review.

On My Wishlist

2012-02-18T00:00:00.000-05:00

"The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight" by Jennifer E. Smith

From Goodreads: "Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?

Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. She's stuck at JFK, late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon to be step-mother that Hadley's never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport's cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he's in seat 18C. Hadley's in 18A.

Twists of fate and quirks of timing play out in this thoughtful novel about family connections, second chances and first loves. Set over a 24-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it."

"The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer" by Michelle Hodkin

2012-02-16T00:00:00.000-05:00

From Goodreads: "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."

For much of this book I was entirely enthralled by it- but then when I reached the last third or so of the book I found myself becoming less and less enthralled and frankly more and more confused. After reading (and rereading and rereading) the last line of the book all I can think is "Wha?". Very rarely do I have to go back and reread a book to have a complete and thorough understanding of what had occurred in it and unfortunately this book does go against the norm and I will have to do so (hopefully in doing so I will be able to pick up on all of the little hints that pertain to the last sentence of the book). Furthermore, I found the last third of the book to be quite rushed (everything surrounding Mara's little brother and father? I thought that it came out of the left field and didn't fit with the feel/ pace of the earlier 2/3 of the book).

That being said, the last third of the book didn't wreck the novel for me in the slightest. Why? Because of Noah Shaw (AKA Sex-on-legs). Noah is perhaps the most arrogant, charming, and intriguing YA male character I have ever read of before (think a mixture of Chuck Bass and Jace Wayland x 8593284609802986092). I cannot tell you the number of times I burst out laughing while reading of all of his antics. And even better than being arrogant, charming and intriguing, Noah was genuine and had his heart in the right place.

Typically I don't find that female characters do all that much for me (as I have mentioned numerous times, I find that they often lack personality when compared to their male counterparts- that they are extremely underdeveloped), but I didn't find that the case with Mara. I found her to be extremely interesting- I wanted to know more about her (Who is the real Mara Dyer? How crazy is she?) and I did come to really like her (I LOVED the fact that she was able to go head-to-head with Noah's snark).

All in all, while I was disappointment by the last 1/3 of the book I do believe that this is an amazing debut by Michelle Hodkin. It becomes evident while reading this book that her talents lie in creating extremely likeable (not to mention swoon-worthy) characters. Furthermore, despite my criticisms I will still read the sequel to this book (in the hopes that it will answer many of my burning questions).

Rating: 7/10

Memorable lines from the book:

'"My girl is talented," Noah said.
My heart stopped beating.
Anna's heart stopped beating' (pg. 169).

'"What," I asked slowly, as I eyed animal crackers strewn all across it, "the hell?"
"You were convinced they were your pets," Noah said, not even trying to surpress his decadent laughter. "You wouldn't let me touch them"' (pg. 372).

"Because," he said, "you aren't broken" (pg. 393).

Waiting on Wednesday

2012-02-15T00:00:00.000-05:00

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating...
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Title: "Amelia Anne Is Dead and Gone"
Author: Kat Rosenfield
Release Date: July 5, 2012

From Goodreads: "On the night of Becca’s high school graduation, the discovery of an unidentified dead girl left to bleed out on the side of a dirt road sends the town—and Becca—into a tailspin. Becca has always longed to break free from her small home town, but as the violence of the outside world creeps into her backyard, she withdraws and retreats inward, paralyzed for the first time in her life.

Short chapters detailing the last days of Amelia Anne Richardson’s life are intercut with Becca’s own coming-of-age summer, unfolding into the parallel stories of two young women struggling with self-identity and tense romantic relationships as the summer’s tumultuous events twist Becca closer and closer to the truth about Amelia’s murder."

"Eve" by Anna Carey

2012-02-14T00:00:00.000-05:00

From Goodreads: "The year is 2032, sixteen years after a deadly virus—and the vaccine intended to protect against it—wiped out most of the earth’s population. The night before eighteen-year-old Eve’s graduation from her all-girls school she discovers what really happens to new graduates, and the horrifying fate that awaits her.

Fleeing the only home she’s ever known, Eve sets off on a long, treacherous journey, searching for a place she can survive. Along the way she encounters Caleb, a rough, rebellious boy living in the wild. Separated from men her whole life, Eve has been taught to fear them, but Caleb slowly wins her trust...and her heart. He promises to protect her, but when soldiers begin hunting them, Eve must choose between true love and her life."

While this is not the most unique dystopian (post-apocalyptic? I can't decide) book I have ever read, I must say that overall I quite enjoyed it. I think that the main reason why I did enjoy it is because I felt that it had a Peter Pan sort of vibe to it (and I love me some Peter Pan). Now you may be wondering how this book has a "Peter Pan" vibe to it, let me explain: for much of this book Eve (much like "Peter Pan's" Wendy is surrounded by a band of (frankly lost) young boys who live in the wild, Lief, the leader of the band of boys in this novel, has a similar personality to Rufio from "Hook" (a retelling of "Peter Pan") with his cocky, self-assured attitude, like Wendy, Eve is forever kind, caring, and patient towards them, teaching them how to read and write and perhaps most telling- the end of this book (I won't say anymore than that, as to not spoil it for anyone, but let me tell you- this is very much one of those books that will rip your heart out and stomp on it kinda like the ending to "Peter Pan").

That being said, there were a few things about this book that irked me- the main being the dystopian element. As I mentioned, this is not the most unique dystopian I have ever read (I can name at least half a dozen YA dystopians that have come out within the last year or so that have the same sort of storyline- and which have frankly more successful storylines). Furthermore, I find the dystopian element to be quite underdeveloped- I didn't find myself feeling anything about the world in which Eve lived in, I couldn't connect to it (I thought that I would have at least gotten goosebumps here or there when Eve was describing her society, but I didn't). I think that this book very much could have used a bit of "dirtying" up- had that been done I believe that the book would have more real and easier to connect with.

All in all, while I did enjoy this book, I would more so recommend this book for younger YA readers or those looking for a dystopian novel that more so focuses on romantical aspects rather than world building.

Rating: 8/10

I received this book from the publisher/ Net Galley to read and honestly review. I was not compensated in any way for said review.

In My Mailbox

2012-02-12T00:00:00.000-05:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly post hosted by Kirsti at The Story Siren as a chance to share the books we've bought or received over the past week.
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Bought
"The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green
"Daimon" by Jennifer L. Armentrout
"A Million Suns" by Beth Revis

Won
"Haven" by Kristi Cook (Thanks to Rachel over Fiktshun)
"Born at Midnight" by C.C. Hunter (Thanks to Rachel over Fiktshun)
"City of Fallen Angels" by Cassie Clare (Thanks to Rachel over Fiktshun)
"Living Violet" by Jamie Reed (Thanks to author Ann Aguirre)

For Review
"Jessica Rules the Dark Side" by Beth Fantaskey (Thanks to Thomas Allen and Sons)
"Masters of the Veil" by Daniel A. Cohen (Thanks to Spencer Hill Press)

What did you get in your mailbox?

On My Wishlist

2012-02-11T00:00:00.000-05:00

"Perigee Moon" by Tara Fuller

From Goodreads: "After a horrific fire claims the life of her mother, seventeen year old Rowan Bliss finds herself in the miniscule town of Ipswich, Massachusetts. It’s here that she meets Alex, a deliciously mysterious boy who holds the key to unlocking her family’s dark secret.

As Rowan falls helplessly over the edge for Alex, the secrets that he insists on keeping refuse to be contained, and the truth that she uncovers challenges everything she has ever believed. Alex is a witch. And now he’s awakened something within her she never even knew existed. But out of all of this, the one thing Rowan won’t accept is the fact that Alex is destined to die.

Now Rowan must unearth the buried power she harbors within to escape a deadly prophecy, defy the very laws of time, and prevent the hands of fate from taking yet another person she loves."

Guest Post: Author Sheryl Steines

2012-02-10T00:00:00.000-05:00

Today Sheryl Steines, author of "The Day of First Sun" has been kind enough to stop by the blog to share her inspirations with us!

I knew I wanted to be a writer when I wasseven years old. Without question. But wanting something and doing somethingabout it are two different things. Ican’t pinpoint one inspiration for why I finally wrote my first book. I guess it came out of years of experiencesand life’s events, some amazing and wonderful, some heartbreaking andbittersweet. But they each lead me to apoint, that lead me to my book.

It started with Nancy Drew. I remember riding my bicycle to the libraryand then locking myself in my room with that day’s book. I was a voracious reader. But at the same time, I didn’t just want toread the story, I wanted to write it, and wished like mad, that I had come upwith it.

So my seven year old self, who had anoveractive imagination, daydreamed a lot. Eventually characters were born and a story followed. And somewhere along the way, I started towrite my own detective stories.

Sometimes, life pushes and pulls. Sometimes we stay on the track we plan forourselves, sometimes we stumble a bit or sometimes, we’re pushed off. You know the job, the kids, the PTO meetingsand I forgot the dream I once had. Itwas as if I forgot how to use my imagination, get lost inside of it and Iforgot how to dream and create. I stillread, but writing, I just couldn’t do it. And then, I discovered Harry Potter.

My kids were too young to have read HarryPotter and it was just by chance that I had heard about the books. I was deeply curious to find out why kids ofall ages chose to spend hours at a time, in line, waiting to purchase a book. So, I read them and I was hooked.

I was hooked for several reasons. I could start with good writing, good storyplanning, fabulous characters or inventive use of Greek Mythology. It was a combination of those and JK Rowlingherself. Her life story wasimpressive. Her rock bottom brought herto the point of writing Harry Potter. The books reminded me how much I loved the fantasy novel, her lifeinspired me to do what I hadn’t done yet, and that was to write my own novel.

Writing a novel had always been adream. Actually, it had been number 7 onmy bucket list. I was in between jobs, unsure of what I wanted to do and then Iremembered. The funny thing is, I was 41years old when I remembered. And thedecision to write my first book was, by far, the best decision I had evermade. So after living with thecharacters in my head for awhile and developing their stories, I had, as itturned out, my first book, The Day ofFirst Sun. A Young Adult, modern dayfantasy in which the heroine and hero are Wizard Guards, magical policeofficers who protect magic and keep it secret.

I wrote for them, a murder mystery, inhonor of the first books I loved. Beingthat they are wizard police, the opportunity for these characters isboundless. I loved the story line. Iloved the chance to turn them into a series, to tell their stories infull. My next project in The Annie LovesCham series is She Wulf, the continuationof Annie and Cham, their relationship as it changes, and their growth as WizardGuards. My intention was to put theminto a completely new situation and see how they faired at the end of their newadventure. I’m proud of them and thedirection that the series is taking.

I chose not to regret the course my lifetook, though sometimes I wish I had written the book sooner. But sometimes we have to take advice from thestrangest places and move on. As I secretlywished I started the process sooner, Katy Perry sang in Firework,

“Maybe you're reason why all the doors areclosed -- So you could open one that leads you to the perfect road” KatyPerry.

I realized, I hadn’t been ready toundertake the process of writing a novel. When I was ready, I did. I thankthe other writers who came before me, both novelists and songwriters too. Without them, I wouldn’t have had thechildhood I had, and the dreams I had. And this path never would have come before me. They came before me, inspired me to do morethan just read. They inspired me to imagineand create. And to them, I am forevergrateful.

About the Author:

Sheryl Steines’ mind is chaotic and surprising and it shows in her writing. Never one to sit back and see what may come, Sheryl is driven to write everyday. Somehow, amidst the chaos, she finds the time to volunteer and give talks to book clubs and students about her writing. She even walked the Avon Breast Cancer walk two years in a row.

Sheryl’s series Annie Loves Cham is full of surprises and mystery. Refusing to be restricted by genre Sheryl has taken the characters she loves and set them in new situations which test them and their friendships.

The second book in the series is set to release in late summer 2012. Sheryl can be found on Twitter, Facebook, or her blog. She also encourages her readers to email her and let her know what you think of Annie and Cham!

"Everneath" by Brodi Ashton

2012-02-09T00:00:00.001-05:00

From Goodreads: "Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she's returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished back to the underworld... this time forever.

She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there's a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen.

As Nikki's time grows short and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she's forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's..."

I think that what I enjoyed most about this book was that Nikki was so different from the large majority of female YA characters today. She wasn't an untouchable cage-fighter like Saba, a bow-bearing hunter like Katiss or a whip-wielding gal like Izzy, rather, she was emotionally and mentally strong (and very much kickass in her own sense).

In all honesty when I saw that this book jumped around quite a bit in the time sequence (ie. 3 months before the Feed, 2 weeks before the Tunnels, and whatnot) I rolled my eyes and thought to myself, "Ugh... It's going to be one of *those* books" (you know *those* books, the ones that throw a ton of flashbacks at you- flashbacks that you frankly don't care about because all you want to read about is the here-and-now, specifically about how the leads, in this case, Nikki and Jack's, relationship is growing)- but it wasn't in the slightest. In fact, I really enjoyed learning about Nikki and Jack's past, it really made the ending all the more heartbreaking.

All in all, while I was admittedly unfamiliar with the the Greek myth of Persephone I did very much enjoy this book- I think that this is very much one of those books who will appeal to both those already familiar with the tale and those unfamiliar (and admittedly after having read this book I have found myself curious about the myth of Persephone and want to learn more about it).

Rating: 8/10

I received this book from the publisher/ NetGalley to read and review. I was not compensated in any way for said review.

Waiting on Wednesday

2012-02-08T00:00:00.000-05:00

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating...
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Title: "The Waiting Sky"
Author: Lara Zielin
Release Date: August 2, 2012

From Goodreads: "Seventeen-year-old Jane can’t quite face her mother’s alcoholism even though it sucks to spend all her time and energy keeping them afloat—making sure her mom gets to work, that the bills are paid when there’s money to pay them, and that no one knows her mom is so messed up. But when Jane’s mom drives drunk almost killing both them and Jane’s best friend, Jane can no longer deny her mom is spiraling out of control. Jane has only one place to turn: her older brother Ethan, who left years ago to go to college. A summer away with him and his tornado chasing buddies may just provide the time and space she needs to figure out whether her life still includes her mother."

"Dearly, Departed" by Lia Habel

2012-02-06T00:00:00.001-05:00

From Goodreads: "Love can never die.

Love conquers all, so they say. But can Cupid’s arrow pierce the hearts of the living and the dead—or rather, the undead? Can a proper young Victorian lady find true love in the arms of a dashing zombie?

The year is 2195. The place is New Victoria—a high-tech nation modeled on the manners, mores, and fashions of an antique era. A teenager in high society, Nora Dearly is far more interested in military history and her country’s political unrest than in tea parties and debutante balls. But after her beloved parents die, Nora is left at the mercy of her domineering aunt, a social-climbing spendthrift who has squandered the family fortune and now plans to marry her niece off for money. For Nora, no fate could be more horrible—until she’s nearly kidnapped by an army of walking corpses.

But fate is just getting started with Nora. Catapulted from her world of drawing-room civility, she’s suddenly gunning down ravenous zombies alongside mysterious black-clad commandos and confronting “The Laz,” a fatal virus that raises the dead—and hell along with them. Hardly ideal circumstances. Then Nora meets Bram Griswold, a young soldier who is brave, handsome, noble . . . and dead. But as is the case with the rest of his special undead unit, luck and modern science have enabled Bram to hold on to his mind, his manners, and his body parts. And when his bond of trust with Nora turns to tenderness, there’s no turning back. Eventually, they know, the disease will win, separating the star-crossed lovers forever. But until then, beating or not, their hearts will have what they desire.

In Dearly, Departed, romance meets walking-dead thriller, spawning a madly imaginative novel of rip-roaring adventure, spine-tingling suspense, and macabre comedy that forever redefines the concept of undying love."

Starting this book I had no idea what this book was about (I really must learn to read ~~synopsis's~~ synopsi?), I had only seen that it had been quite well received in the blogisphere world- had I known that it was a dystopian novel set in the twenty-second century/ a revival of the Victorian Era, that this New Victorian Era has more advanced technology than we currently have, and that zombies played a major role in it, I must admit, that I probably would have passed on it- I am glad that I didn't.

I don't think it possible for me to eloquently sum up my feelings for this book, so I must as well just go for it: OMFG THIS BOOK IS AMAZING! IF YOU DO NOT READ IT YOU WILL REGRET IT. Admittedly I had had this book on my Kindle for a couple of months before I decided to read it, and I am kicking myself for having waited for long to do so. Not only is this such a satisfying read, but it is also the best book that I have read to date in 2012 (had I read this book in 2011 I am sure that it would have topped many of my Top 10 of 2011 lists).

This book was so successful for a number of reasons, it possesses one of the strongest (both physically and emotionally) female characters I have ever had the pleasure of reading before (not to mention a female character who isn't afraid to be snarky), it has one of the most selfless and swoon-worthy male characters I have ever had the pleasure of reading before, it was legitimately funny (Chas, Tom, Bram and the gang? Pure genius), and it possesses an entirely unique storyline (like I said, the combination of the Victorian Era/ technology/ zombies is unfathomable in my opinion but it works).

All in all, I highly recommend this book! I cannot wait to see what Lia has in store for us in "Dearly, Beloved"!

Rating: 10/10

I received this book from the publisher/ NetGalley to read and review. I was not compensated in any way for said review.

On My Wishlist

2012-02-04T00:00:00.000-05:00

"This Darn Endeavor" by Kenneth Oppel

From Goodreads: "Included in this edition of This Dark Endeavor, enjoy a free edition of Mary Shelley's classic Frankenstein.

The purest intentions can stir up the darkest obsessions.

In this prequel to Mary Shelley’s gothic classic, Frankenstein, 16-year-old Victor Frankenstein begins a dark journey that will change his life forever. Victor’s twin, Konrad, has fallen ill, and no doctor is able to cure him. Unwilling give up on his brother, Victor, his beautiful cousin Elizabeth, and best friend Henry begin a treacherous search for the ingredients to create the forbidden Elixir of Life.

Impossible odds, dangerous alchemy, and a bitter love triangle threaten their quest at every turn.
Victor knows he must not fail. But his success depends on how far he is willing to push the boundaries of nature, science and, love -- and how much he is willing to sacrifice."

"Article 5" by Kristen Simmons

2012-02-02T00:00:00.001-05:00

From Goodreads: "New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., have been abandoned.

The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.

There are no more police—instead, there are soldiers. There are no more fines for bad behavior—instead, there are arrests, trials, and maybe worse. People who get arrested usually don't come back.

Seventeen-year-old Ember Miller is old enough to remember that things weren’t always this way. Living with her rebellious single mother, it’s hard for her to forget that people weren’t always arrested for reading the wrong books or staying out after dark. It’s hard to forget that life in the United States used to be different.

Ember has perfected the art of keeping a low profile. She knows how to get the things she needs, like food stamps and hand-me-down clothes, and how to pass the random home inspections by the military. Her life is as close to peaceful as circumstances allow.

That is, until her mother is arrested for noncompliance with Article 5 of the Moral Statutes. And one of the arresting officers is none other than Chase Jennings…the only boy Ember has ever loved."

While this was not the most unique dystopian/ post-apocalyptic book that I have ever read (I have read a ridiculous number of dystopian/ post-apocalyptic books as of late and I cannot help but compare them), I still very much enjoyed it. I think that where at times the world-building of the book was lacking, the extremely well-developed and complex characters more than made up for it.

I must admit that there were times that I found myself growing increasingly frustrated with Ember, the main female character. I thought that she often did things with little to no thought (for instance, thinking that running away from Chase would be a good idea- it wasn't- and her being so obtuse when it came Chase's real intentions for rescuing her/ his feelings for her), however I very much enjoyed the fact that she actually grew and matured throughout the novel- mentally, physically, and emotionally (seriously, by the end of this book she could give Tris from Veronica Roth's "Divergent" or Juliette from Tahereh Mafi's "Shatter Me" a run for their money).

While Chase, the main male lead, is by far one of the best book boys I have had the pleasure of reading in quite some time- while at times he was quite prickly and stoic, he always had the best intentions at heart. And when he did show his soft side? Well, he is a force to be reckoned with (he hands down gets my swoon-worthy stamp of approval).

All in all, despite a few minor complaints I think that this is an amazing debut from author Kristen Simmons. I cannot wait to see what she has in store for us in the next installment of this series- here's hoping that it is just as fast-paced, engaging, and as page-turning as this book was!

Rating: 9/10

I received this book from the publisher to read and honestly review. I was not compensated in any way for said review.

Waiting on Wednesday

2012-02-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating...
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Title: "Cold Fury"
Author: T.M. Goeglein
Release Date: July 24, 2012

From Goodreads: "Sara Jane Rispoli is just a normal sixteen-year-old girl coping with school and a developing crush— until her parents and younger brother are kidnapped, and she discovers her family has been a key figure of Chicago’s Outfit (aka the mob) for decades. Her father, grandfather and great grandfather all used their special ability, cold fury, to settle disputes between the two mob factions—the muscle and the money. And unless Sara wants the mob to think her now missing family has turned state’s evidence, she will have to fill her father’s shoes as the mob’s peacemaker, using her own cold fury."

Guest Post: Author Lori Strongin

2012-01-31T00:00:00.000-05:00

Lori's debut "Bite Me: Or the Obvious Title for a Novel About a Vampire and a Werewolf" releases tomorrow and she was kind enough to drop by the blog to tell us a bit about her writing process and inspiration!

How it All Began

The quintessential author question, yes? “How did you become an author?”

My answer: I didn’t ‘become’ an author. I kinda always was one.

To backtrack: A favorite family (otherwise read as“embarrassing”) story is how I’d line up my stuffed animals in my crib andbabble at them for a good hour before demanding my parents release me from mybaby cage. The popular opinion is that Iwas telling them stories.

Fast forward a few years to when my absolute favoritebook in the world was Peter and Wendy. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that one night, Peter Pan and Tinkerbellwere going to fly through my window and whisk me off to adventure inNeverland. I’d stay awake for hours,again more telling stories to my stuffed animals and, this time, certain thatPeter was listening just outside my window. And if I could just manage to find the perfect story, then he’d rewardme with a healthy dose of faith, trust, and pixie dust.

Sadly, it hasn’t happened yet. I still remain optimistic it will oneday. That, or I’ll finally get myHogwarts letter.

So, basically, I’ve always been telling stories. My first short story was scribbled in an oldnotebook of my mother’s and was about a girl coping with her twin’s death. (Yup, I liked my body counts, even backthen.) My first publication was in myelementary school paper with a freeform poem I’d written during Englishclass. The writing/comprehension part ofthe SATs was a breeze for me (and thank goodness for that, to help offset myatrocious math scores). And I don’tthink it surprised anyone when I picked English-Creative Writing as my major incollege.

Though, I will say I only managed to begin thetransition from writer to author after college when I joined my first writersgroup and discovered that everything I learned in the classroom for the lastfour years meant bupkis in real life. College didn’t prepare me for the realities of editing an entire novel,or how to write a query letter and synopsis (which took me longer to get rightthan writing the entire first draft), or what the bitter sting of rejectionfelt like. And this is where thetransition began. Rejection sucks. So can editing when you get stuck. But if you really want it, you’ll put thework in. This is where it becomes lessabout telling a story, and more about telling that story in the best way youpossibly can.

From Goodreads: "This summer at Hedgehill University: take one totally screwed werewolf, a vegetarian vampire, and the psycho who wants to kill them both.

Surfer-boy werewolf Talbot Osbourne is under pressure to get a summer job, find an apartment, and make up for the classes he failed last semester. The fur will fly when Talbot is forced to partner with Julian St. George on a class assignment. Unfortunately, the vegetarian vampire brings more than just a set of fangs to the table when a stalker takes special interest in the unlikely duo.

Time is running out for the ParaNorms of New York as they’re picked off, one by one. Talbot and Julian will have to work together catch the ‘Slayer’ before the psycho finds them. If they don’t kill each other first, that is.

Throw in a shapeshifter with ferret envy, a wizard who makes people’s clothes disappear, and an apartment with cannibalistic furniture and zombie squirrels, and these boys are in for the summer of their lives. Or deaths."

Author Lori T. Strongin has been lucky enough to study under many wonderful writing mentors and is passionate about giving some of that knowledge back to other writers.

A writer of high fantasy, urban fantasy, sci-fi, horror, romance, and commercial fiction, Lori is knowledgeable about the ins and outs of publishing industry and has helped many writers on their paths to publication.

Former conference director of the Florida Writers Association, Lori currently works at Walt Disney World and is an English/Creative Writing honors graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder. Look for her work in publications such as Tip o’ the Tongue, The Florida Writer, Literary Liftoff, Forbidden Speculation, Tales of the Talisman, Renard’s Menagerie, Shadows of the Emerald City, Encounters, Emerald Tales, and most recently in Aiofe’s Kiss. Her work also appeared in the Predators and Editors fan favorite anthology, Shadows of the Emerald City.

"Blood Red Road" by Moira Young

2012-01-30T00:00:00.000-05:00

From Goodreads: "Saba has spent her whole life in Silverlake, a dried-up wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms. The Wrecker civilization has long been destroyed, leaving only landfills for Saba and her family to scavenge from. That's fine by her, as long as her beloved twin brother Lugh is around. But when a monster sandstorm arrives, along with four cloaked horsemen, Saba's world is shattered. Lugh is captured, and Saba embarks on an epic quest to get him back.

Suddenly thrown into the lawless, ugly reality of the world outside of desolate Silverlake, Saba is lost without Lugh to guide her. So perhaps the most surprising thing of all is what Saba learns about herself: she's a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent. And she has the power to take down a corrupt society from the inside. Teamed up with a handsome daredevil named Jack and a gang of girl revolutionaries called the Free Hawks, Saba stages a showdown that will change the course of her own civilization.

Blood Red Road has a searing pace, a poetically minimal writing style, violent action, and an epic love story. Moira Young is one of the most promising and startling new voices in teen fiction."

Much like the majority of books I buy nowadays I bought this book solely based upon recommendations and reviews I had read, reviews written by fellow book bloggers- I admittedly didn't know much about it when buying it aside from the fact that it was overall extremely well received (dare I say that there was "hype" surrounding it), that the film rights to this book were optioned by Ridley Scott right from the get-go and that it was written in dialect. While I did enjoy this book, I must admit that I didn't enjoy it as much as others have (I have read countless reviews on Goodreads where people have stated things along the lines of "This is the best book that I have ever read" or "This book is the best of 2011"- I wouldn't categorize it as such-but then again, the last 10 or so books I have read have been dystopians/ post-apocalyptic books and therefore I can't help myself from ranking and comparing them/ I can't help myself from almost feeling burnt out with the genres), but I didn't dislike it either (it fits dead center in the YA book spectrum IMO).

I think that my largest complaint with this book is that at times it seemed that the sole reason it had been written was so that it could become a movie-I found the descriptions of the characters, setting, and the likes of to be quite lacking (I am under the opinion that this was done so that it could easily be converted into a script, with little editing needed). Take Lugh, for instance, Saba makes him out to be such an amazing person (I believe that she refers to him as being "the sun" on multiple occasions) and from what we saw of him, I must admit that I wasn't impressed- if anything Saba is the sun because the story revolves around her and she is truly the bright point of this book (despite being "prickly" on occasion).

As for the plot? Well, I just found it to be too simplistic and formalistic- I just felt like it only ever went in one direction (ie. Plot Point A> Plot Point B> Plot Point C> Plot Point D, sometimes its nice when things are shaken up, ie. Plot Point A> Plot Point B> Plot Point D> Plot Point C- at times it almost seemed that the plot was working too well in the characters favour).

I personally didn't have a problem with this book being written in dialect, but that being said, I don't think that it added to the book whatsoever (as opposed to something like the ~~crossed out words~~ in Tahereh Mafi's "Shatter Me").

I think that the best part of this book (aside from the ever-prickly Saba and the swoon-worthy Jack) was the cage-fighting (I can't believe that I just wrote that). I have never encountered a YA book that involves cage-fighting before and let me tell you, more YA books need to incorporate this into them! Seriously, as soon as a female YA character begins cage fighting her badassness goes through the roof.

All in all, despite my complaints I did really enjoy this book and I am very much looking forward to the next book in this series. I highly recommend this book to those who are looking for a different YA book, where the lead female is super kickass and where the main focus of the storyline is not romance.

Rating: 8/10

In My Mailbox

2012-01-29T00:00:00.000-05:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly post hosted by Kirsti at The Story Siren as a chance to share the books we've bought or received over the past week.
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***Sorry for the cruddy video- darn webcam/ being technologically challenged!***

Bought
"Dearly, Departed" by Lia Habel

Won
"Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes" by Denise Grover Swank (Thanks Denise!)
"Here" by Denise Grover Swank

For Review
"The Selection" by Kiera Cass (Thanks HarperCollins Canada and Shannon!)
"Article 5" by Kristen Simmons (Thanks Raincoast Books and Crystal!)

Traded (Thanks to Ashley over at Book Labyrinth)
"City of Bones" by Cassandra Clare
"Shiver" by Maggie Stiefvater
"Cinder" by Marissa Meyer
"Tempest" by Julie Cross
"The Future of Us" by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler
"Embrace" by Jessica Shirvington
"Unbreakable Love" by Angela Carling
"Anew" by Chelsea Fine
"The Water Wars" by Cameron Stracher

On My Wishlist

2012-01-28T00:00:00.000-05:00

"Bloodrose" by Andrea Cremer

From Goodreads: "The Ultimate Sacrifice.

Calla has always welcomed war. But now that the final battle is upon her, there’s more at stake than fighting. There’s saving Ren, even if it incurs Shay’s wrath. There’s keeping Ansel safe, even if he’s been branded a traitor. There’s proving herself as the pack’s alpha, facing unnamable horrors, and ridding the world of the Keepers’ magic once and for all. And then there’s deciding what to do when the war ends. If Calla makes it out alive, that is.

In the final installment of the Nightshade trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Andrea Cremer creates a novel with twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat until its final pages. A dynamic end to this breathtaking trilogy."

"Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick" by Joe Schreiber

2012-01-26T00:00:00.000-05:00

From Goodreads: "Perry Stormaire is a normal high school senior– he is busy applying to college and rehearsing with his band –until he agrees to go to the prom with the Lithuanian exchange student who is staying with his family. It turns out that Gobi Zaksauskas is not the mousy teenager that she seems but rather an attractive, confident trained assassin. Instead of going to the prom, Perry finds himself on a wild ride through the streets of New York City as Gobi commandeers the Jaguar his father lent him for the prom in order to take out her targets. Perry learns a lot about himself – and ends up with some amazing material for his college application essays."

While this is a departure from what I usually read (a fast paced action and adventure tale rather than a paranormal romance) I did still very much enjoy it. It becomes evident while reading this book that Joe does not dilly-dally in his writing- that everything is concise and to the point. What does this mean? In doing so this makes the book a true page turner- a book that you will not put down until you are finished and a book that will take you a mere hour or so to get through.

I don't often read books where the main character is male the book is told from the male characters point of view and I am left feeling like I have really missed out because so- it's extremely interesting and entertaining to read of a perspective different from my own. Perry was such a fun character to read about- being so dorky and awkward in almost every situation he was thrown into and I very much enjoyed seeing him grow and develop as the book progressed (this book is the epitome of a "coming of age" book).

All in all, I feel that this book is very much one of those few books that can get non-readers to read (you know who I am talking about, your twelve to sixteen year old son, nephew, or next door neighbor who refuses to read, choosing instead to play some shoot 'em up video game). Furthermore, I am excited by the fact that the end of this book was open-ended, which perchance means that we will see more of Perry and another zany adventure in a future book.

Rating: 7.5/10

I received this book from the publisher to read and honestly review. I was not compensated in any way for said review.

Waiting on Wednesday

2012-01-25T00:00:00.000-05:00

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating...
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Title: "The Vindico"
Author: Wesley King
Release Date: June 14, 2012

From Goodreads: "Led by the sinister Baron, the Vindico are a group of super villains who have been fighting against the League of Heroes for as long as they can remember. The Vindico kidnap a group of teenagers and train them to be the next generation. Mysteriously arriving at the Baron’s mansion together, James, Lana, Hayden, Emily and Sam are forced to train with their mentors and given powers beyond their wildest dreams.

While struggling to uncover the motives of this evil group, the teens learn to trust each other and even form friendships. They plan to rebel against their mentors as soon as they are deemed ready to fight against the League of Heroes, but then they learn things may not be as cut-and-dry as they seem: both in their new roles and in their outside lives."

"Sulfur" by Arreana

2012-01-23T00:00:00.000-05:00

From Goodreads: "The Conclusion to "Farro"

Khensa must redeem herself for the hardships she has brought upon her people. She knows what she must do. She will end the revolution she helped to create. No more running.

Bomani will never be king if he can’t return Waset to order. Without food, without wheat, the city will fall to pieces and he will be king of nothing but rubble and ashes. To get it back, he’ll follow the thieves to the ends of the world.

To the north, over the mountains and into the hidden kingdom beyond. Through a world of steam and smog and rain, and from there into darkness they’ll delve. Death will be their final obstacle, and His Eaters their final judges on a quest that might break them both."

This book picks up exactly where "Farro" ends off and while it has been a number of months (and I have read dozens of books) since I last read "Farro" I was able to quickly jump into the world that Arreana had created. Like its predecessor (if not more than its predecessor) this book was the epitome of a page-turner due to a combination of strong heroine, swoon-worthy hero, budding romance, fast paced plot, and unique storyline. I must admit that I stayed up into the wee hours of the morning reading this- something that I am not oft to do (therefore I suggest that you plan accordingly when you pick up this book to read- once you start reading it you will neglect everything in order to finish it).

Like with "Farro", I loved that the secondary characters played quite a large role in this book and I loved the introduction of new characters, for instance Ioulia (though I admit that I did more so enjoy when Khensa and Bomani were on their own because I was *hoping* that one of them would finally act upon their feelings for the another). Furthermore, I also enjoyed how much the characters grew between the two novels.

The ending of this book (and this series) is by far one of the most satisfying I have ever read- it exceeded my expectations by tenfold. Though I must admit that I did find the ending to be quite heartbreaking for the reason that this is the last book in this series- I HATE the idea of not seeing Khensa and Bomani bickering back and forth, Jarai constantly hanging onto Khensa's apron strings, and Shana and Khensa laughing until they cry (or crying until they laugh) anymore.

All in all, I highly recommend this book to fans of Tamora Pierce (especially fans of "Trickster's Choice" and "Trickster's Queen"). Arreana is by far one of the most talented storytellers I have ever had the pleasure of reading and I cannot wait to see what she has in store for us next!

Rating: 10/10

I received this book from the author to read and review. I was not compensated in any way for said review.

On My Wishlist

2012-01-21T00:00:00.000-05:00

"Endure" by Carrie Jones

From Goodreads: "It’s all-out war (and no-holds-barred romance) in the climactic conclusion to Carrie Jones’s bestselling series.

Zara is at the center of an impending apocalypse. True, she’s successfully rescued Nick from Valhalla, but it simply isn’t enough. Evil pixies are ravaging Bedford, and they need much more than one great warrior; they need an army. Zara isn’t sure what her role is anymore. She’s not just fighting for her friends; she’s also a pixie queen. And to align her team of pixies with the humans she loves will be one of her greatest battles yet. Especially since she can’t even reconcile her growing feelings for her pixie king . . .

Unexpected turns, surprising revelations, and one utterly satisfying romantic finale make Endure a thrilling end to this series of bestsellers."

"Wither" by Lauren DeStefano

2012-01-20T00:00:00.000-05:00

From Goodreads: "Obviously, something went terribly wrong. Genetic mutations have festered, reducing human longevity to twenty-five, even less for most women. To prevent extinction, young girls are kidnapped, mated in polygamous marriages with men eager to procreate. Sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery, a recent victim of this breeding farm mentality, has vowed to break loose from its fetters; but finding allies and a safe way out is a challenge she can only hope she will survive. A dystopian fantasy series starter with wings."

While I very much enjoyed this book I just feel like something is missing- ~~something that I can't entirely put my finger on~~ I think that I finally figured it out after contemplating it for a few days- I think that what is missing in this book is Gabriel being swoon-worthy. By now I am sure that the vast majority of you are familiar with the fact that I like my book boys to be swoon-worthy (what makes a character swoon-worthy? They are selfless beyond belief, they aren't afraid to speak their mind- oftentimes they are snarky or sarcastic, they are the first to admit that they aren't perfect- typically they are broken to some degree, they look like Jace Wayland- or some variation of Jace, just kidding, kinda... and the likes of) and frankly speaking, I don't find Gabriel to be all that swoon-worthy(with his timidness, his childlike innocence and his perfectly parted hair)- in fact, I don't find that he has much of a personality at all.

What also irked me a bit in this book was Rhine and Gabriel's relationship overall- I felt like Rhine made a lot of assumptions regarding it (ie. that they even had a relationship- never having discussed it before, only briefly seeing one another, being separated for weeks, upwards of a month, and the likes of). Also, in my opinion, she didn't give him an option of whether or not to tun away- she just assumed he would want to run away and she basically forced him to do so (I think that she was a bit selfish in doing so, not taking into consideration how scary the world outside of the manor would be for him, him not having left the property for essentially half of his life).

That being said, I did vastly enjoy the other characters in the book- Jenna, Cecily, and Linden. I especially enjoyed the relationship that the three sisterwives developed. The moments when the girls were able to communicate through a raise of an eyebrow or a mere lift of the corner of their mouth made the book for me (especially the scene when the three girls work together to manipulate Linden into giving them what they want). As for Linden? I didn't find him to be a horrible person whatsoever (I am very much one of those people who question Rhine's choice to runaway from the home that Linden provided her- a luxurious and safe home versus the real world which was extremely dangerous and scary).

All in all, despite my complaints I did quite enjoy this book. I think that Lauren was able to create a dystopian world unlike any other world currently existing in the world of YA. Furthermore, it becomes apparent that Lauren's ability/ talent to weave a haunting book- in its plot, characters, and overall feel- is also quite unlike any other YA author I have happened across before. I am quite looking forward to what "Fever", the next book in this series, has in store for us!

Rating: 8/10

Waiting on Wednesday

2012-01-18T00:00:00.000-05:00

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating...
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Title: "The Treachery of Beautiful Things"
Author: Ruth Frances Long
Release Date: August 16, 2012

From Goodreads: "The trees swallowed her brother whole. And Jenny was there to see it. Years later, when she returns to the woods where Tom was taken to say good-bye at last, she finds herself lured into a world where stunning beauty masks the most treacherous of evils, and strange and dangerous creatures await—creatures who seem to consider her the threat. Among them is Jack, mercurial and magnetic, with allegiances that shift as much as his moods. Determined to find her brother, with or without Jack’s help, Jenny struggles to navigate a faerie world where nothing is what it seems, no one is who they say, and she’s faced with a choice between salvation or sacrifice—and not just her own."

"Half-Blood" by Jennifer L. Armentrout

2012-01-17T00:00:00.000-05:00

From Goodreads: "The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi-pure-bloods-have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals-well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures.Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1:Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden.Unfortunately, she's crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn't her biggest problem--staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is. If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck."

After reading "Obsidian" and loving almost everything about it I had no qualms about purchasing this book, the first book in Jennifer L. Armentrout's "Covenant" series (even after reading multiple reviews prior to purchasing this book that stated that it was quite similar to Richelle Mead's "Vampire Academy" series). While admittedly the similarities between the two books are quite uncanny (ie. both Rose and Alex fall for someone who is off-limits to them specifically an authority figure, both Rose and Alex set out to kill the person that they love most in the world, the elitist society developed within the book, the "Pures" needing protection, protection which they receive from the half-bloods, the "Hematoi", etc.), this book was still quite enjoyable and one that I am sure that I will read time and time again.

I think that one of the main reasons why this book is successful is because of the (potential) romantic relationships which are contained within it- both of Alex's romantic options, Seth and Aiden, possess amazing qualities and are frankly likeable- Seth more so being the "bad boy" who will sweep you off of your feet with his snarky, though bluntly honest, attitude and Aiden being the epitome of "reliable-all-American-boy-next-door". I literally cannot choose one boy over the other -versus a book series like "Vampire Academy" where, in my opinion, one male character (Dimitri), shines much more brightly (and is so much larger than life) than the other male character (Adrian), and therefore there is essentially no competition- you automatically know who the female character is going to end up with. Another reason why this book is so successful is because of Alex- she is by far one of the most kickass, snarky, selfless, sarcastic and sassy females YA characters I have ever had the pleasure of reading before.

I think that my largest complaint about this book is that I wish that the first half of the book was more like the second half of the book- extremely captivating with all of the Apollyon / Hematoi talk, fast-paced, and unlike any book in the world of YA at the moment. That being said, I do highly recommend this book- I personally cannot wait to read the next book in the series, "Pure".

Rating: 8.5/10

Cover Reveal: "Bite Me" by Lori Strongin

2012-01-16T00:00:00.000-05:00

I am excited to share with you the cover of Lori Strongin's latest release "Bite Me"! I will reading and reviewing this shortly- so stay tuned!

“Talbot blamed his mother for the fact he’d spent most of the summer impersonating a nun.”

So begins Bite Me, a humorous urban fantasy YA novel set at Hedgehill University for Paranormal Creatures.

In this Animal House meets Christopher Moore-esque story, freshman Talbot Osbourne is under pressure to find a summer job, an affordable apartment, and to not flunk out; otherwise he’ll face the wrath of his werewolf clan back home. Buddhist, vegetarian vampire Julian St. George has problems, too, but his are more of the being-stalked-by-a-psychotic-slayer type. After he ousts the intruder from his home, Julian figures that’s the last of that.

Wrong.

Talbot and Julian are forced to partner on a class assignment to study humans in their natural habitat. That is, a strip club. But while these two co-eds try to live their para-normal lives and pass their classes, the slayer targets both the university and the club, taking out students with any kind of supernatural abilities. After Julian’s home is destroyed and he’s nearly killed, the vampire and werewolf form an unlikely—and probably unholy—duo to catch the stalker before the psycho slays them. If they don’t kill each other first, that is.

Between surviving an apartment with cannibalistic furniture, zombie squirrels, and a strip club where the drinks are scarier than the suspects, Talbot and Julian struggle to catch up to the slayer, who always seems one stake ahead of them.

Throw in a shapeshifter with ferret envy, a nymphomaniac wizard who makes people’s clothes disappear, and the ghost of a five-year-old with the potty mouth of a sailor, and these boys are in for the summer of their lives. Or deaths."

You can find out more about Lori and "Bite Me" HERE.

In My Mailbox

2012-01-15T00:00:00.000-05:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly post hosted by Kirsti at The Story Siren as a chance to share the books we've bought or received over the past week.
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Bought
"Blood Red Road" by Moira Young
"The Scorpio Races" by Maggie Stiefvater

Won
"Chosen" by Denise Grover Swank (Thanks Denise!)
"Hunted" by Denise Grover Swank (Thanks Denise!)

What did you get in your mailbox?

On My Wishlist

2012-01-14T00:00:00.000-05:00

"The Childe" by C.A. Kunz

From Goodreads: "Cat Colvin
Average Teenager?
Or Something Else Entirely?

Cat Colvin is pretty much your typical run-of-the-mill teenager. Sure, she’s taller than most girls, has a mane of fiery red hair that’s impossible to tame, is left-handed, and her eyes are two different colors, but that’s where the differences end . . . unless you include the minor detail of her slow transformation into a Childe.

High school can definitely be challenging, and for Cat it’s no different. This is especially true when she’s faced with the daunting task of trying to hide her budding Childe traits as they begin to reveal themselves at the most inopportune times. To make matters worse, her family is oddly dead set against Ryan, the boy she grows to like. But everyone has their secrets: is Ryan really what he seems to be, and what is Cat’s family not telling her?

The Childe is the first book in this coming-of-age fantasy series which follows Cat's life through the twists and turns toward finding out whom and what she really is. Come and take the plunge with Cat into a world filled with mystery, biting humor, and the paranormal."

"Divergent" by Veronica Roth

2012-01-12T00:00:00.000-05:00

From Goodreads: "In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.
During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves… or it might destroy her.

Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance."

I am very much the sort of person who rushes out and buys a book on its release day and doesn't do anything on a book's release date besides read it from front cover to back cover (I admit, I will neglect everything else while reading the book- whether it be school and homework, eating, or just the daily-ins-and-outs like chores), but for some reason after purchasing this book (admittedly not on the release day, just a few weeks after it was released) I let it sit around for six months before deciding to pick it up- despite everyone around me telling me that I HAD TO READ IT. I think that there were numerous reasons why I took me so long- one reason being because there were just so many other dystopian options at the time to read (my ARC of "Shatter Me", "XVI", "Matched", "Delirium", etc.), another reason was because I couldn't commit to reading such a large book (I mean, this baby is almost 500 pages and inches thicker than most other YA books.)

And now after finishing it (a mere seven or so hours after I started it), all I can do is shake my head at my stupidity (and kick myself hard) for having waited so long to have read this. This book completely exceeded my expectations (scratch that, admittedly I didn't have really expectations for it- I didn't even know what it was about when I bought it, I have developed this really bad habit of buying books without reading the cover flaps/ synopsis' of the books, I buy them solely because other book bloggers/ reviews tell me to). This book and it has honest-to-goodness made me change my opinion about how I feel about the large majority of YA books that were released in 2011 (mainly that they are lacking- that they could all use characters like Tris and Four).

Tris and Four? Ugh- I don't even know what to say about them, aside from the fact that they are EXPLOSIVE TOGETHER (seriously, move aside Jace/ Clary and Juliette/ Adam)- I am convinced that they can take over the world (which I suppose is what they are trying to accomplish). Both of them were so complex, dynamic, and kickass. What I think I love most about them is that they truly lend strength to one another- they help one another to live up to their full potential, one never holds the other back (and I think that it is awesome that Tris, who is super short and scrawny, is willing to kick someone's ass, someone who is much larger than her, for Four, who doesn't really need her to being the warrior god that he is, but who still appreciates the sentiment).

All in all, as becomes evident, I cannot say enough good things about this book. If you have yet to read it I highly recommend that you do so (please, please, PLEASE do not be like me and wait forever to do so).

Rating: 10/10

"Drink Deep" by Chloe Neill

2012-01-10T00:00:00.000-05:00

From Goodreads: "Clouds are brewing over Cadogan House, and recently turned vampire Merit can't tell if this is the darkness before the dawn or the calm before the storm. With the city itself in turmoil over paranormals and the state threatening to pass a paranormal registration act, times haven't been this precarious for vampires since they came out of the closet. If only they could lay low for a bit, and let the mortals calm down.

That's when the waters of Lake Michigan suddenly turn pitch black-and things really start getting ugly.

Chicago's mayor insists it's nothing to worry about, but Merit knows only the darkest magic could have woven a spell powerful enough to change the very fabric of nature. She'll have to turn to friends old and new to find out who's behind this, and stop them before it's too late for vampires and humans alike."

While I was ecstatic with the outcome of this book (specifically the last ten pages or so- if you have read my reviews of the first four books in this series I think that you know what I am referring to), I must admit that I was a bit disappointed with the book overall.

The first thing about the book that irked me was the paranormal element that was introduced in this book that, in my opinion, came out of the left field. While it is always nice for a book to be unique and all, I just felt that this new paranormal element doesn't mesh all that well with the paranormal elements found in the earlier books and was almost too "out there" (I mean- remember the good ol'days when Merit's biggest concern was ensuring that the vamps/ shifters didn't rip one another's heads off?) and frankly, I found the paranormal element in this book to not have been very well-explained/ was delivered to us in an "information dump" sort of way (with it being explained in a rush, in a few pages at most).

I was also somewhat disappointed by this book because I found the plot to be too formulaic- when Plan A didn't work for Merit she would then turn to Plan B, when that, too, failed, she would then turn to Plan C- while never getting dismayed by her number of failures/ lack of progress. And I was disappointed with Jonah- he didn't make an impact upon me whatsoever in the earlier books (frankly, I am surprised that I didn't have to pick up my copy of the book to remind myself of his name while writing this review) and as such, I didn't enjoy how much of this book was devoted to him (Then again, I am a diehard Ethan fan, so that might explain my dislike of him).

That being said, while I was disappointed by the paranormal elements of this story- I was not disappointed by how a character, a character that we have come to know and love over the last four years, became intertwined with that element- I thought that that aspect of this book was totally unexpected and quite thrilling (I must admit that sometimes I get sick of the "good guy" always winning, sometimes its nice to see the good guy loose or turn to the dark side).

All in all, while I was a bit disappointed by this book I am still extremely excited to read the next book in the series, "Biting Cold"- I hope that it will have the same sort of feel as the earlier books (that I LOVE) did.

Rating: 7/10

Updates

2012-01-09T00:00:00.000-05:00

Hey y'all! I am finally back from my 'hiatus' (admittedly it wasn't much of a hiatus because Tessa made it to the FINALS of the YA Sisterhood Heroine Tournament and I participated in the Top 10 of 2011 blog event hosted by Rachel from Fiktshun, Patricia and Jamie from Two Chicks on Books, Jessica from Confessions of a Bookaholic, and Lisa from A Life Bound By Books, but it was fun nonetheless).

And speaking of the YA Sisterhood Heroine Tournament, I have a whole heck of a lot of people to thank. First I have to thank all of my old followers- I cannot tell you how much I appreciate y'all sticking around with me despite the sheer number of #TeamTessa tweets and posts that I have sent out over the last month or so. I also have to thank my new followers- thanks to y'all I have broken 400 followers! I also have to thank the wonderful ladies of YA Sisterhood (Amy especially)- I cannot wrap my head around how much time and effort goes into organizing something like the Heroine Tournament and as I said in my final Team Tessa post- the ladies of YA Sisterhood are the true heroines! I also have to thank Rachel over at Fiktshun for giving on a ton of pointers about how the tournament worked/ giving me points to include in my Tessa post. I also have to thank everyone who supported Tessa via Twitter (@CaitLomas, @chel_c_cam, and @Emberchyld especially). I also have to thank Cassie Clare herself for being so active in the competition and Valerie from Stuck in book and Amanda from Letters Inside Out for being members of #TeamCassie alongside myself. And last but not least I have to thank everyone who voted for Tessa! I was floored by the amount of support she received (I cannot tell you how much I appreciated it!).

Tomorrow I will be resuming posting reviews as per usual and participating my usual memes, but... For the next couple of days (week at most) I will not be able to communicate all that much on Twitter and Facebook (the internet is not yet connected in our new house and I am sure that y'all know how working with internet/ phone/ satellite companies work, they tell you they will show up sometime in the next two weeks between 7am and 7pm ;) ).

I hope that y'all had a great holiday and I am super excited to be back!

Vote Tessa: YA Sisterhood Heroine Tournament FINAL!

2012-01-06T00:00:00.000-05:00

Hey y'all! My name is Avery I review primarily YA paranormal books at my blog Avery's Book Nook. I have been a long time stalker follower of YA Sisterhood and their tournaments so it should come as no surprise that I am super excited to be advocating Tessa from Cassie Clare's Infernal Devices series! You can follow me during the tournament at:

BLOG/ TWITTER/ FACEBOOK

About Her:

Her world is turned upside down when she is kidnapped and discovers that she has the ability to shapeshift. Upon being rescued from her kidnappers she befriends the London Institute's Shadowhunters including, but not limited to, Will, Jem, Charlotte, and Henry, alongside the Institute's staff including Thomas, Agatha, and Sophie.

Alongside the British Shadowhunter's Tessa attempts to thwart the Magister, a man hellbent on destroying the Shadowhunters through the use of clockwork creatures.

Best Attributes:

Tessa is by far one of the most genuine and modest female YA characters in my opinion, especially when it comes to her looks:

"Nate, with his fair good looks, was the one in the family generally agreed to have inherited her moth's beauty, but Tessa had always been perfectly content with her own smooth brown hair, and steady gray eyes. Jane Eyre had had brown hair, and plenty of other heroines besides. And it wasn't so bad being tall, either..." (Clockwork Angel, pg. 17).

She is inquisitive and open-minded. She loves to read just as much, if not not, than all of us and she can often be found quoting all of her favourite books:

"He didn't know what books meant to her, that books were symbols of truth and meaning..." (Clockwork Angel, pg. 97).

She is by far one of Cassie's most unique and mysterious characters (In Clockwork Angel we are told that she appears to be a warlock, however her true identity- or a better approximation of her identity- is revealed in Clockwork Prince).

She can outsnark even the snarkiest of characters, Will Herondale included:

"Perhaps she's a girl who's fallen madly in love with me and persists in following me wherever I go."
"My talent is shape-shifting, Will, not acting" (Clockwork Prince, pg. 87).

Speaking of Will Herondale, she has two of the most swoon-worthy YA male characters vying for her attention (and she never lets that knowledge go to her head).

She takes everything in stride. Her clockwork angel pendant is one of the most kick-butt pieces of jewelry in the world of YA books (see Clockwork Prince).

Let's pretend that the Dirty Sexy Balcony Scene is an attribute ;)

What Makes Tessa a True Heroine?

She is genuine and always remains true to her character. She is kind and has a big heart. She's still able to love those who aren't always worthy of being loved.

She is selfless beyond belief- she is willing to do the right thing even if it means hurting herself in the process. For instance, in the case of her brother:

"Nate was not like other people... He had a beautiful innocence about him that had to be protected at all costs. And Tessa had tried. She and her aunt had hidden Nate's own weaknesses from him, the consequences of his own flaws and failings. Never telling him of the work Aunt Harriet had had to do to make up the money he had lost gambling, of the taunts Tessa had endured from other children, calling her brother a drunk, a wastrel. They had hidden these things from him from being hurt" (pg. 352).

She is eager to learn about the new world that she is thrown into. She doesn't jump into things without any thought- she isn't careless, nor is she afraid to ask for help.

Tessa doesn't look down upon anyone (ie. Sophie occupying a lower social status than herself, Jem being ill)- she gives everyone the benefit of the doubt without doing so in a naive way.

Tessa is not dependent upon the males in her life (nor is she careless). She doesn't play on the boy's feelings for her- manipulating them to do what she wants.

Why should YOU Vote for Tessa instead of Clary?

When you boil it down, Tessa and Clary have a lot in common (aside from the fact that the are both characters created by Cassandra Clare). Both were quite literally thrust into their supernatural lives (for both girls much of their earlier lives had been a lie). Both girls excel at some things (Clary is creative beyond belief and is able to use her talents to do what no other Shadowhunter has been able to- create runes, whereas Tessa doesn't jump into anything without giving it a lot of thought and is extremely eager to learn of the world around her), but are flawed at others (Tessa is at times too rigid, by following the rule book to a T, whereas sometimes Clary does things with very little thought). Both girls become stronger- mentally, physically, and emotionally- as the stories in which they are a part of unfold. When it all comes down to it I believe both girls are the epitome of YA Heroines.

I think that you should vote for the girl who you truly think is worthy of the title- don't let the incentives sway in your decision. If you think that Clary is the stronger heroine, don't vote for Tessa just because you want Cassie to rewrite the Dirty Sexy Bedroom Scene from Jem's POV and vice versa- if you think that Tessa is the stronger female, but you really want to know what Jace was thinking in the greenhouse scene in CoB, don't vote for Clary just for the scene. It's simple- vote for the girl you think is most deserving.

Anything you would like to add?

There are a whole heck of a lot of people I have to thank- Rachel over at Fiktshun for giving me lots of pointers about how the tournament worked, Valerie from Stuck in Books and Amanda from Letters Inside Out for being members of Team Cassie alongside me, @CaitLomas and @chel_c_cam for being amazeballs Tweeters, Cassie Clare herself for being so active in the tournament, and most importantly, the ladies of YA Sisterhood.

I think that in the heat of competition a lot of us (myself included) forget/ don't realize how much time and effort goes into running a tournament such as this- a tournament in which tens of thousands of people participate through voting, a tournament in which there are hundreds upon hundreds of comments to monitor, and a tournament in which there are dozens of advocates to constantly be in touch with. What the YA Sisterhood ladies do is unfathomable and as cheesy as it may sound, they are the true heroines in this tournament.

*Because this final features 2 members of Team Cassie everyone who votes is qualified to enter the Team Cassie Giveaway that Valerie, Amanda, Cassie, and myself created at the beginning of the tournament. To find out all of the giveaway details click HERE.

Vote Tessa: Round Four

2012-01-04T00:00:00.000-05:00

About Her:

As many of you probably know by now I am competing in YA Sisterhood's YA Heroine Tournament and I could use YOUR help! I am Tessa's advocate (from Cassie Clare's "Infernal Devices" series) and for the next 24 hours Tessa is going head-to-head with Katniss from Suzanne Collins "The Hunger Games" trilogy. I would appreciate it more than you could imagine if you could head over to YA Sisterhood's blog and vote for TESSA!

About Her:

Tessa Gray, a sixteen year old American is sent to live with her brother in England after her guardian, her Aunt Harriet, passes away (both of Tessa's parents passed away when she was three years old). Upon arriving in England she learns that things are not what they seem- her life especially.

Her world is turned upside down when she is kidnapped and discovers that she has the ability to shapeshift. Upon being rescued from her kidnappers she befriends the London Institute's Shadowhunters including, but not limited to, Will, Jem, Charlotte, and Henry, alongside the Institute's staff including Thomas, Agatha, and Sophie.

Alongside the British Shadowhunter's Tessa attempts to thwart the Magister, a man hellbent on destroying the Shadowhunters through the use of clockwork creatures.

Best Attributes:

Tessa is by far one of the most genuine and modest female YA characters in my opinion, especially when it comes to her looks:

"Nate, with his fair good looks, was the one in the family generally agreed to have inherited her moth's beauty, but Tessa had always been perfectly content with her own smooth brown hair, and steady gray eyes. Jane Eyre had had brown hair, and plenty of other heroines besides. And it wasn't so bad being tall, either..." (Clockwork Angel, pg. 17)

She is inquisitive and open-minded. She loves to read just as much, if not not, than all of us and she can often be found quoting all of her favourite books:

"He didn't know what books meant to her, that books were symbols of truth and meaning..." (Clockwork Angel, pg. 97).

She is by far one of Cassie's most unique and mysterious characters (In Clockwork Angel we are told that she appears to be a warlock, however her true identity- or a better approximation of her identity- is revealed in Clockwork Prince).

She can outsnark even the snarkiest of characters, Will Herondale included:

"Perhaps she's a girl who's fallen madly in love with me and persists in following me wherever I go."
"My talent is shape-shifting, Will, not acting" (Clockwork Prince, pg. 87).

Let's pretend that the Dirty Sexy Balcony Scene is an attribute ;)

What Makes Tessa a True Heroine?

She is genuine and always remains true to her character. She is kind and has a big heart. She's still able to love those who aren't always worthy of being loved.

She is selfless beyond belief- she is willing to do the right thing even if it means hurting herself in the process. For instance, in the case of her brother:

"Nate was not like other people... He had a beautiful innocence about him that had to be protected at all costs. And Tessa had tried. She and her aunt had hidden Nate's own weaknesses from him, the consequences of his own flaws and failings. Never telling him of the work Aunt Harriet had had to do to make up the money he had lost gambling, of the taunts Tessa had endured from other children, calling her brother a drunk, a wastrel. They had hidden these things from him from being hurt" (pg. 352).

While there is no denying that Katniss is physically stronger than Tessa, I think that there is no denying that Tessa is mentally and emotionally stronger than Katniss (though arguably in Clockwork Prince Tessa does start to develop into a physically stronger person due to training, thereby making her an overall strong character/ heroine).

When Katniss is upset by something she has a habit of shutting down, whereas Tessa does not (she isn't afraid to let those around her know exactly what she is thinking/ she isn't afraid to tell it like it is):

"I have dinner that night in my room, ordering an outrageous number of delicacies, eating myself sick, and then taking my anger at the Hunger Games, at every living being in the Capitol by smashing dishes around my room" (The Hunger Games, 118).

"It takes me at least an hour for me to cry myself out. Then I just lie curled up on the bed, stroking the silken sheets, watching the sun set over the artificial candy Capitol" (The Hunger Games, 104).

Tessa doesn't pout when things don't go the way that she wants to, furthermore, she is willing to do what needs to be done without complaint (and she isn't afraid to ask for help), whereas Katniss is oftentimes defiant, unwilling to compromise and, frankly speaking, selfish at times. When Haymitch suggests that Katniss and Peeta pretend to be friends (to gain sympathy/ support from the crowd) she pouts, stalks off to her room and snaps at anyone who gets in her way:

"Don't. Don't let's pretend when there's no one around" (The Hunger Games, 100).

***Contains spoilers from Clockwork Prince***

Also, not only is Tessa willing to put herself at risk for the greater good (see Chapter 16 of Clockwork Prince entitled "Mortal Rage"), but she is also willing to sacrifice the things that she holds dearest to her for the greater good, specifically her brother:

"My brother," Tessa said in a barely controlled voice, is a lying murderer, incapable of feeling. He may have married you, Jessamine, but he does not love you... He will abandon you, if he does not kill you first."
"Liar!" Jessamine screamed, "You don't understand him. You never did! His soul is pure and fine-"
"Pure as ditch water," Tessa said. "I understand him better than you do; you are blinded by his charm. He cares nothing for you" (Clockwork Prince, 307).

I suppose it it up to you to decide- what makes a true heroine? A person who is physically stronger or a person who is emotionally/ mentally stronger?

Anything You'd Like to Add?

For those who vote for Tessa (or any member of Team Cassie- Clary, Tessa, or Izzy) Letters Inside Out, Stuck in Books, and myself (the girl's advocates) have prizes for you (includes a copy of CP, winner's choice of CC book, a Hebel Design bookmark and a CA angel pendant)! Find out all of the details HERE!

Furthermore, Cassie has stated that if Tessa were to win the tournament that she would rewrite the a scene from Clockwork Prince (as of right now the Dirty Sexy Bedroom Scene in Jem's POV is in the lead). Let me tell you... THIS IS SUCH AN AMAZING OPPORTUNITY! By now we are all quite familiar with Jace's feelings for Clary (Cassie has also stated that if Clary were to win the tournament that she would rewrite the greenhouse scene from City of Bones from Jace's POV) due to there being 4 Mortal Instruments books already out and Cassie having previously rewritten scenes from her MI series in Jace's POV- whereas we do not know exactly what Jem's feelings for Tessa are, with him being a quite enigmatic and quiet character. So if you would like to see an entirely different side of a character we have all grown to love, I suggest that you vote for Tessa!

Excerpt of "Silent Tears" by Kay Bratt

2012-01-03T00:00:00.000-05:00

From Goodreads: "An American volunteer in a Chinese orphanage learns to pull from the hidden strength within her to improve conditions for the children. If you have ever wondered what day to day life is like in a Chinese orphanage, this will tell it. If you have ever wondered what it is like to love a child so deeply, even though they aren't yours, this will tell it. If you have ever wondered what it would be like to move to a third-world country, this will tell it."

Yoli and I entered the baby room this morning at nine and the first thing I noticed was the lack of ayis. Usually at this time there are two or three of them sitting around the TV watching their soap operas while supposedly paying attention to the babies. Today there was only one. I gave her the supplies I had brought for today―baby soap, powder, and wipes―and entered the other half of the room to see my babies.

The room had a stifling, pervasive odor of urine and sweat, a combination I haven’t yet adjusted to. I told myself it didn’t matter and tried to put it out of my mind, but couldn’t shut it out. Some of the babies were mewling loudly; others were quiet and motionless. I walked through the middle rows and worked my way down one aisle, adjusting the babies while talking to them softly. Many had legs or feet caught up in the metal sides of their cribs, causing them distress.

Most had heat rashes from the soaring temperatures and lack of air flowing. When their shirts ride up, their already irritated skin rubs against the straw mats they are lying on, adding to their misery. I continued down the aisle, releasing feet and straightening shirts as I went.

A baby girl covered to the neck with a towel instead of the usual sheet caught my eye. Most of the babies were sick today, many with fever, runny noses, and coughs. This baby looked as though she had cried herself into exhaustion, but her eyes were open. Bending down to speak to her, I noticed her eyes were not following me. I looked closer and saw that her eyes had a white film over them, nearly opaque so I could hardly see her pupils. The towel was not moving up and down over her tiny chest and she wasn’t blinking. My mind reeled as the thought struck me, “Oh my God, she is dead.”

I could scarcely believe what I’d found. My heart plummeted and for a moment seemed to stop. I shuddered and involuntarily recoiled from the crib. By this time a few more workers had arrived; I called one over while pointing to the baby. She peered into the cot, and beckoned a few other staff workers to come look. Nonchalantly, they sauntered over and one of them shoved the crib roughly into the wall, trying to make the baby move. The child’s body rocked violently from the force of the shove.

As I watched in horror, the worker repeated her rough action, and then said something to another worker, obviously confirming that the baby was dead. They didn’t touch her in any way or listen for breathing. Making no attempts at resuscitation, they dismissed her and walked off to continue their interrupted conversation.

I backed away, struck forcefully by their indifference. I was in double shock because of the dead child herself, and then because of her unemotional treatment by the workers. I tried to compose myself, still feeling faint as I watched the workers chatting together, laughing, and acting quite plainly as if the little girl’s life meant nothing to them. I realized I wasn’t inhaling and took a sobbing breath, but it didn’t calm me. The tears broke free of my eyes as I contemplated what a brief and tragic life this baby had lived.

One of the ayis left the room, and a few minutes later, a nurse came to check the baby with a stethoscope. When she heard nothing, she covered the baby’s face with the towel and walked from the room. Alone with the little girl, I returned to her side and thought to myself, “Say a prayer, just for her,” but it took some time for me to gather the words. Finally, I asked God to take her in His arms and comfort her.

While standing there crying, I saw Yoli on the other side of the room―with the toddlers and unaware of what had happened. I drew her near and told her one of the babies had died; she didn’t handle the news well, becoming agitated and upset. She wouldn’t go near the baby; instead, from across the room she gaped at the cradle, wide-eyed.

An old Chinese man with a significant stoop entered the room. Although I’ve been working here for weeks, I’d never seen him before. He was small in stature and his face held lines of wisdom, or perhaps sadness. He approached the little girl’s body, slowly removed the towel, and asked a worker to provide a pair of pants for her. He gently dressed her and placed a sheet on the floor. Picking her out of the cradle, he ever so softly laid her on the sheet. Bundling her neatly, he lifted her small body close to him and took her from the room.

He didn’t make eye contact with me, but I know he was aware I was watching. For my own sanity, I forced myself not to think about what would happen to her next.

Eventually, one of the ayis who had been laughing and chatting minutes before came and brusquely removed the baby’s straw mat and towel―her scant comfort. Outwardly, the ayi showed no compassion whatsoever for this child who had been in the care of the orphanage for such a short time. I wanted to believe she would make time for that later, as I know that Chinese people carefully guard their feelings.

I wished to leave immediately so I could openly cry, but knew many of the babies were terribly sick and needed me. Somehow, I kept going; I took temperatures, fed rice, gave bottles, and dressed their little bodies after their baths. Mechanically I followed all instructions, washed up, and started down the stairs.

In my distracted state of mind, I had forgotten Yoli and had to return for her. I found her, helped her gather her things, and we both left.

I waited in the car while she went to the office to drop off papers. As soon as the car door closed, I dialed Ben’s mobile. When I heard his familiar, comforting voice, I lost all composure and the dam burst wide open. I’m sure my driver was wondering what could possibly be so wrong, but he chose to ignore my tears and histrionic ranting on the phone. Ben assured me that he was leaving work early and would be home as soon as possible.

When Yoli returned to the car, her amiable, easygoing nature had returned. She looked at my tears and said, “Cheer up.” Stunned at her ability to switch between emotions so quickly, I couldn’t answer her and turned the other way to stare out the window.

Arriving home, I went directly upstairs to shower. Surrounded by the heat and soothing rush of the water, I scrubbed until it ran cold.

Sitting here now, I don’t know what I’m supposed to be doing. I can’t stop thinking about her. Shouldn’t I be part of a grieving process or a funeral? There has to be something to mark this child’s passing.

I’m going to make Amanda some lunch and afterward I think I will sleep for a while, if I can. I keep seeing the look on that little girl’s face, with her milky, lifeless eyes wide open and her arms outstretched stiffly. She was only about five months old and so very tiny and helpless.

I can see now why previous volunteers stay with the orphanage for only a short time and never return, but I will continue to go until they say I can’t any longer. I know the ayis resent my presence. Even if I can’t understand their words, I can see the animosity and disapproval in their expressions and feel the friction crackling in the air. I don’t care. I will bear the feelings of not being wanted by the staff. I will not give up on these children.

About the author:

Kay Bratt grew up in the Midwest as the child of a broken home and later, a survivor of abuse. Facing these obstacles in her own life instilled in Kay a passionate drive to fight for those that had been dealt an unfair hand. Upon arriving in China on an expatriate assignment with her husband in 2003, she was immediately drawn to the cause of China’s forgotten orphans. Moved beyond tears by the stories of these children, she promised to give them the voice they did not have. In 2008, she self-published her memoir Silent Tears: A Journey of Hope in a Chinese Orphanage to do just that. With the help of her readers, Kay continues to raise awareness and advocate for at-risk children. In China, she was honored with the 2006 Pride of the City award for her humanitarian work. She is the found of the Mifan Mommy Club, an online organization which provides rice for children in China’s orphanages, and is also an active volunteer for Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for abused and neglected children. Kay currently resides in Georgia with her husband and daughter.(Source: http://kaybratt.com/biography/).

Looking Back at 2011

2011-12-31T00:00:00.000-05:00

I didn't really have a set goal for the number of books that I wanted to read this year- I just knew that I wanted to read the same number of books, if not more, than I read in 2010 (which was 115 books)- and I accomplished that goal! Over the past year I have read 135 books.

Of the 135 books I read this year:

I reviewed 130 of them (96%)

Of those 130 books I reviewed:

62 were review request books (requests either from the publisher or the author) (47%)
68 were books that I read/ reviewed for fun (53%)

Of the 135 books I read this year:

71 were physical books (53%)
64 were E-books (47%)- I cannot stress to you how much an E-reader has changed my life. I was very much one of those people who always said, "I will NEVER own an E-reader- I will FOREVER read only physical books", but then I got a Kindle... And let me tell you, my reading actually increased. Majorly. In having an E-reader I am now able to accept review requests that I would have previously rejected and in doing so I have discovered so many amazing authors, specifically self-published authors such as Derrolyn Anderson, Megan Duncan, Samantha Young and Denise Grover Swank (and I don't know about y'all, but I personally feel that I read books on my Kindle faster than I read the same book in physical copy- though I have no idea why). It is by far the best purchase I have ever made and well worth the money- as you can see 47% of what I have read this year I read on my Kindle- and food for thought, I only got my Kindle in April so I managed to read 68 E-books in less than 8 months.

Of the 135 books I read this year:

49 were self-published/ indie (37%)
86 were traditionally published (63%)

Some other silly stats:

I read the largest number of books in May- 17 to be exact (13%)
I read the least number of books in October- 6 to be exact (4%)
I reviewed the largest number of books in July- 12 to be exact (8%)
I reread 13 books this year (9%)

But more importantly than any stats...

I have learned so much this past year- not only about the world of book blogging, publishing and the likes of, but about myself.

While I have always loved to read I never thought of doing anything with that love- career-wise specifically. I was fine with the idea of continuing on with my education in bioarchaeological anthropology, eventually getting my masters/ Phd and becoming a professor or a literal working-in-the-trenches-archaeologist, but when I became a blogger and started to learn more of the world of books I came to realize that it is something that I can see myself going for the rest of my life. So last week I followed my passion- instead of applying to grad school for bioarchaeological anthropology as I have intended to do for years, I applied to grad school for a masters program in library and information sciences- when I graduate from the program I will be a qualified librarian (AKA I WILL FOREVER BE SURROUNDED BY BOOKS).

Not to mention I have made so many amazing friends and contacts over the year- whether it be here through my blog, through their blogs, through Twitter, or through events such as the YA Sisterhood Heroine Tournament (seriously, I love each and every one of you and appreciate your friendship more than you will ever know!).

Here is to 2012- may it be even better than 2011 (and may we read even more amazing books)!

Vote Tessa: Heroine Tournament Round 3

2011-12-30T00:00:00.001-05:00

As many of you probably know by now I am competing in YA Sisterhood's YA Heroine Tournament and I could use YOUR help! I am Tessa's advocate (from Cassie Clare's "Infernal Devices" series) and for the next 24 hours Tessa is going head-to-head with Izzy from Cassie's other book series, "The Mortal Instruments". I would appreciate it more than you could imagine if you could head over to YA Sisterhood's blog and vote for TESSA!

About Her:

"Nate, with his fair good looks, was the one in the family generally agreed to have inherited her moth's beauty, but Tessa had always been perfectly content with her own smooth brown hair, and steady gray eyes. Jane Eyre had had brown hair, and plenty of other heroines besides. And it wasn't so bad being tall, either..." (Clockwork Angel, pg. 17)

She is inquisitive and open-minded. She loves to read just as much, if not not, than all of us and she can often be found quoting all of her favourite books:

"He didn't know what books meant to her, that books were symbols of truth and meaning..." (Clockwork Angel, pg. 97).

She is by far one of Cassie's most unique and mysterious characters (In "Clockwork Angel" we are told that she appears to be a warlock, however her true identity- or a better approximation of her identity- is revealed in "Clockwork Prince").

She can outsnark even the snarkiest of characters, Will Herondale included:

"Perhaps she's a girl who's fallen madly in love with me and persists in following me wherever I go."
"My talent is shape-shifting, Will, not acting" (Clockwork Prince, pg. 87).

Speaking of Will Herondale, she has two of the most swoon-worthy YA male characters vying for her attention (and she never lets that knowledge go to her head).

She takes everything in stride. Her clockwork angel pendant is one of the most kick-butt pieces of jewelry in the world of YA books (see "Clockwork Prince").

Let's pretend that the Dirty Sexy Balcony Scene is an attribute ;)

What Makes Tessa a True Heroine?

She is genuine and always remains true to her character. She is kind and has a big heart. She's still able to love those who aren't always worthy of being loved.

She is selfless beyond belief- she is willing to do the right thing even if it means hurting herself in the process. For instance, in the case of her brother:

"Nate was not like other people... He had a beautiful innocence about him that had to be protected at all costs. And Tessa had tried. She and her aunt had hidden Nate's own weaknesses from him, the consequences of his own flaws and failings. Never telling him of the work Aunt Harriet had had to do to make up the money he had lost gambling, of the taunts Tessa had endured from other children, calling her brother a drunk, a wastrel. They had hidden these things from him from being hurt" (pg. 352).

She is eager to learn about the new world that she is thrown into. She doesn't jump into things without any thought- she isn't careless, nor is she afraid to ask for help.

Why should YOU Vote for Tessa instead of Izzy?

While their is no denying that Izzy is kick-butt and that she could most certainly take Tessa down in a fight, I do believe that Tessa is more of a heroine than Izzy for a number of reasons:

Unlike Izzy who looks down upon people (especially Mundanes and Downworlders), Tessa doesn't look down upon anyone (ie. Sophie occupying a lower social status than herself, Jem being ill)- she gives everyone the benefit of the doubt without doing so in a naive way.

Tessa doesn't pout when things don't go the way that she wants to, furthermore, she is willing to do what needs to be done without complaint, unlike Izzy who has a habit of locking herself in her room, throwing temper tantrums, and throwing things at people when things don't go her way.

Tessa is not dependent upon the males in her life (nor is she careless). She doesn't play on the boy's feelings for her- manipulating them to do what she wants, whereas Izzy has been known a time to two to manipulate the males in her life, Simon especially, to do what she wants (which usually has disastrous consequences).

Anything You'd Like to Add?

Letters Inside Out and myself, both being members of Team Cassie, actually teamed up (alongside Stuck in Books, Clary's advocate) at the beginning of the tournament to host a fantabulous giveaway for everyone who votes for one of Cassie Clare's characters- Izzy, Tessa, or Clary. Because in this round of the tournament two of Cassie's characters are going head-to-head it is actually a Win-Win situation for everyone who votes in this round as you ALL qualify to enter the giveaway and win one of four amazing prizes (includes a copy of CP, winner's choice of CC book, a Hebel Design bookmark and a CA angel pendant)! Find out all of the details HERE!

Top 10 Books I’m Looking Forward To in 2012

2011-12-30T00:00:00.000-05:00

1) "City of Lost Souls" by Cassie Clare: I am fairly certain that by now everyone knows how much I am in love with Cassie Clare's "Mortal Instrument" series, so it should be no surprise that this book tops my list. So much craziness went down in "City of Fallen Angels" that I need to know what happens in the next installment of the series- especially with the cliffhanger ending and all of the killer teasers that Cassie has been posting the last month, including, but not limited to:

"I know about parabatai,” said Magnus, his voice rising in pitch. “I’ve known parabatai so close they were almost the same person; do you know what happens, when one of them dies, to the one that’s left —."

"You have a dark heart in you, Valentine’s daughter,” he said. “You just won’t admit it. And if you want Jace, you had better accept it. Because he belongs to me now.

2) "Clockwork Princess" by Cassie Clare: "Clockwork Prince" potentially had an even bigger cliffhanger ending than "City of Fallen Angels" did (Will, Jem, Tessa's decision! And Cecily? Oh my!). So much of CP book took me by surprise and after finishing it I was just so emotionally drained- I think that we expect the same of this book, as it is the last book in Cassie's "Infernal Devices" series.

3) "Untitled (Shatter Me Book 2)" by Tahereh Mafi: Okay, so I don't actually know anything about this book- save for the fact that it is most likely going to be released in the fall of 2012 and that it is bound to be bad-ass. I mean, look at how "Shatter Me" ended- An entirely new world with unlimited possibilities was introduced to us! What do I hope happens in this book: lots of sexy scenes between Adam and Juliette, lots of scenes of Warner being evil (and potentially sexy scenes between Warner and Juliette- what can I say? I am super intrigued by Warner), and Juliette learning more about her abilities/ becoming even more kickass.

4) "The Golden Lily" by Richelle Mead: For realsies? The last line of "Bloodlines" made me burst out in tears (I admit that when I read it I may have blown the last line of the book out of proportion but... IT MADE ME SO GOSH DARN HAPPY!!!!!!!!)- Don't get me wrong, I understand that this series is all about Sydney/ Adrian/ Jill and that everything should revolve around them, but (as becomes evident) I am excited by the prospect of characters that I LOVED in VA playing a role in this series.

5) "Before I Wake" by Rachel Vincent: Though I would have been a-okay with "If I Die" being the last book in the series (anyone else feel that it had great closure?), I am excited by the prospect of my favourite characters (okay, really just Tod and Kaylee- screw Sabine and Nash) being around for a little longer. Rachel made a list of goals that she had in mind when writing this book that all entirely intriguing/ make for a good book:

"Put Nash and Tod back on speaking terms, and begin the healing.
Show what a powerful force the Hudsons can be, working together.
Put Kaylee and Nash back on speaking terms, and begin the healing.
Show the consequences of Tod's heroics in If I Die
Show the results/consequences of Kaylee's new...everything."

6) "Destined" by Aprilynne Pike: Okay, so I know I have said this multiple times in this list, but this time I mean it (like it's legit)- "Illusions", the third book in the series (the book prior to this book), had the worst (or best?) cliffhanger ending I read in 2011 (if not ever)- seriously, the book just ended when perhaps the biggest secret of the entire series was revealed. HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO US APRILYNNE! And this being the last book in the series? If Laurel doesn't realize how much of a booger she has been in the previous three books and declare her undying love for Tamani I will do something drastic like scream, throw this book around the room, or refuse to read any future books of Aprilynne's (okay not really, BUT I REALLY WANT THEM TO BE TOGETHER! Errrrr.... Well I suppose if Laurel doesn't want him, I will take him).

7) "Onyx" by Jennifer L. Armetrout: HAVE YOU SEEN THE COVER FOR THIS BOOK?!? DO YOU SEE THAT? THAT DAEMON AND KATY ARE ALMOST HOLDING HANDS? *Swoon* And, and have you read Daemon's POV from "Obsidian" yet (not that it really has anything to do with "Onyx", I just have to plug it because it makes me really happy)? What I expect from this book: lots of snark, sexytimes, and secrets.

8) "Isla and the Happily Ever After" by Stephanie Perkins: My opinion? Anything that Stephanie writes is FLIPPIN' AMAZING (the characters especially- I mean, Etienne and Cricket? Pure genius!) and therefore this is bound to be amazing (and it is bound to make you smile- smile so much that your face will hurt after you finish reading it and your chest will feel all bubbly/ giddy, kinda like after you drink pop).

9) "Insurgent" by Veronia Roth: Believe it or not, but I only read "Divergent" yesterday- I started in late Wednesday night, about an hour or two before I went to bed, woke up early on Thursday to continue reading it and finished it before noon. And let me tell you, I have been kicking myself since I finished it for not having read it earlier (I found the receipt for the book inside it, I bought it on July 5th, 2011- almost six months ago. IT TOOK ME SIX FLIPPIN' MONTHS TO PICK THE BOOK UP AND READ IT? THAT IS LIKE A LIFETIME TO ME- seriously though, I am *typically* the type of person to get the book on the release date and finish it on the same day). As I am sure becomes evident from this little description here, I LOVED "Divergent" and I need "Insurgent" NOW! Seriously, I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS TO FOUR AND TRIS!

10) "The Soul" by Stephanie Meyers: I am pretty sure that this book hasn't been confirmed before, but when I came across it on Goodreads I had to include it on this list. I cannot express to you how much I enjoyed "The Host"- if you have yet to read it I highly recommend that you do so (and frankly, you don't have a viable excuse as to why you have yet to read this book because it came out like 7527350827035012 years ago- or more like 4ish).

Top 10 Characters in 2011

2011-12-29T00:00:00.000-05:00

1) Juliette ("Shatter Me" by Tahereh Mafi): As has become evident over the last couple of days I adore Tahereh Mafi's "Shatter Me". It is very rare that I actually like a female YA character- I feel that in the large majority of cases there is little focus on them, that they are not well developed whatsoever and that they take the back seat to their male counterpart. That wasn't the case whatsoever for me with Juliette. As I said in my review of the book: "From the first page of this book I was captivated- Juliette is unlike any character I have ever had the pleasure of reading about before, aside from being badass, resilient, and unyielding, she was, best of all, real."

2) Adam ("Shatter Me" by Tahereh Mafi): I think that I sum up my feelings for Adam best when I state: "As for Adam? All I can say is ~~Edward Cullen~~ ~~Dimitri Belikov~~ Jace Wayland who?" Aside from being utterly swoon-worthy he was just so gosh darn real and selfless. He is very much one of those male characters who will give you unrealistic expectations of how IRL males should act.

3) Warner ("Shatter Me" by Tahereh Mafi): I don't like bad guys- Errrrr... Or at least I don't typically like them, but there is just something about Warner that is so gosh darn appealing (perhaps it is because he is just so hopeful? Legitimately thinking that Juliette is his soulmate and will complete his life? Or that he doesn't do things half-assed? He puts his everything into what his does- I mean, how many years did he spend researching Juliette?). I am expecting great (albeit terrible) things from him and I am quite excited to read all of the skeletons in his closet.

4) Jonathan ("City of Fallen Angels" by Cassandra Clare): Now that I think about it (forgive me, it's been a while since I last read this book)- did Jonathan legitimately talk in this book? I don't think that he did- I think that Jace and him just communicated via their minds. Regardless, I choose him because he has completely and utterly changed the direction of my favourite book series, TMI, forever. Plus, I am really intrigued by this spoiler/ teaser from CoLS (WTF is Jonathan/ Sebastian doing hanging out with Jace and Clary?):

“Do you want to go home? Or dance some more?”
“Dance some more,” she said, breathlessly. “Is that all right?”
“Go ahead.” Sebastian leaned back, his hands braced behind him on the fountain’s edge, his smile like the edge of a straight razor. “I don’t mind watching.”

5) Daemon ("Obsidian" by Jennifer L. Armentrout): I think that I perfectly summed up Daemon in yesterday's post- that he is a douchebag, albeit a smouldering douchebag who on occasion can exhibit actual emotions. He is very much one of those larger than life characters who will develop a cult following (a cult of YAs who will faint whenever "Daemon" and "kissing" or "objects shorting out around him" are mentioned in a single sentence).

6) Merit ("Chicagoland Vampires" series by Chloe McNeil): As I mentioned in yesterday's post I love the name Cricket, I also LOVE the name Merit (seriously, I think that if you were to name a little girl this she would be GUARANTEED to be badass when she grew up). Merit has basically everything going for her- intelligence, confidence, connections, strength (emotional and physical)- I cannot get enough of these books, nor of her (and yes, this is an adult series but I don't think that any older YAs will have any trouble reading it).

7) Dru ("Strange Angels" series by Lili St. Crow): Dru and I have been BFFs for ages so I obviously had to include her in this list (I tried so gosh darn hard to get her in the top 32 of the YA Sisterhood Heroine Tournament. Alas...). I can't recall seeing a YA character grow so much in a series as she did. She is by far the most kickass YA female in my opinion.

8) Cole ("Forever" by Maggie Stiefvater): Not going to lie, I didn't like Cole in "Linger". Whatsoever. But then I read this book (which is more so Cole and Isabel's story than Grace and Sam's) and I feel completely head-over-heels for him. I think that he brought a lot of much needed humor to this book. I demand a Cole spin-off right now!

9) Adrian ("Bloodlines" by Richelle Mead): Like Cole, Adrian didn't do much for me in Richelle's "Vampire Academy" series)- in fact, I couldn't stand him (I hated the fact that he stood between Dimitri and Rose AKA ONE OF THE MOST PERFECT YA COUPLES OF ALL TIME). Therefore, imagine my surprise when I read this book and fall for him! It was so refreshing (and unexpected) to see a different side of him- I cannot wait to see what he has in store for us in the next 5 books in this series.

10) Will/ Jem ("Clockwork Prince" by Cassandra Clare): Okay, so this is kinda cheating by having two boys occupy the same spot (but I am okay with it)- seriously, how can you choose between these two boys? I sure as heck can't! As if one DSBS wasn't enough, we get two of them (the Dirty Sexy Balcony Scene and the Dirty Sexy Bedroom Scene). This book (and these boys) made me so happy.

Top 10 Book Boyfriends in 2011

2011-12-28T00:00:00.000-05:00

1) Jace Wayland ("City of Fallen Angels" by Casssandra Clare): Anyone who knows me knows how much I love Jace Wayland- in my opinion he is one of the greatest things to happen to the world of YA. I loved that in this book we saw an entirely different side of Jace- a softer/ bordering on gushy (from being in love side)- rather than the brooding, angsty side that we have all become so familiar with in the first three books of TMI books.

2) Adam ("Shatter Me" by Tahereh Mafi): I cannot tell you the number of times while I read this book Adam's actions brought tears to my eyes- what he did for Juliette well before he "knew" her, it is unfathomable. He was just so good (and bonus! Swoon-worthy).

3) Reese ("Here" by Denise Grover Swank): While Reese was actually only a secondary character in this book I couldn't help but fall for him. The best comparison that I can make to Reese is "The Vampire Diaries" (the TV show, not the books). Evan, the main character of this book is like Stefan- very much a hopeless romantic, sappy, and the likes of, whereas Reese, like Damon Salvatore, very much has a 'devil-may-care' attitude (and he gets bonus points for being a computer geek).

4) Jay ("Desires of the Dead" by Kimberly Derting): The way in which Jay and Violet's relationship develops is probably my most favourite out of every YA book I have ever read. Jay is the epitome of selfless YA male character. These books made me squeal so much while reading them (and I admit that while reading them I shed quite a few happy tears)- almost exclusively because of Jay.

5) Daemon ("Obsidian" by Jennifer L. Armentrout): I am going to be honest with you, when I first read this book I thought that Daemon was a douchebag, albeit a totally smoldering hot douchebag. But then I read the little snippet of "Obsidian" that Jennifer wrote in Daemon's POV for the YA Sisterhood Heroine Tournament (you haven't read it yet? OMG! Go HERE and do so ASAP) and I read it and realized that there is a lot more to Daemon- that he actually has feelings. I didn't think it possible for me to fall in love with him even more than I already do. I learned that it is in fact possible.

6) Cricket ("Lola and the Boy Next Door" by Stephanie Perkins): First off I gotta say, Cricket is the cutest name of all time- if I don't end up being a crazy cat lady for all of my days and actually have kids, I am going to name one of them (preferably a son) Cricket. Cricket was just so awkward and innocent that you couldn't help but love him and root for him the entire book.

7) Tod ("If I Die" by Rachel Vincent): Like Cassie Clare, most people who know me know how much I love Rachel Vincent- therefore it should come as no surprise that I included the latest installment of her "Soul Screamers" is on this list. From the get-go I have been Team Tod (Nash who?), so as you can imagine I was SO FLIPPING HAPPY about the outcome of this book. Tod is by far the bestest dead character of all time.

8) Dev (Altered by Kimberly Montague): I think that if you were to take all of the best characteristics from all of the male characters on this list and mash them together you would get Dev. As I said in my review of the book, "I think that Dev possess all of the best characteristics of all of my favourite book boys- Jay Heaton's super caring nature (from Kimberly Derting's "The Body Finder" series), Marc Ramos' over-protectiveness (from Rachel Vincent's "Shifters" series), and Jace Lightwood's arrogance/ cockiness (from Cassie Clare's "Mortal Instruments" series)."

9) Beck (The Demon Trapper's Daughter by Jana Oliver): I don't know if I have ever wanted two characters in a book to get together as much as I did Beck and Riley. Seriously, the age gap between them is nothing compared to some other YA books (or heck, even MG books- anyone recall Numair and Diane in Tamora Pierce's "The Immortals" series? There was like a 7203496023860183 year age gap between the two of them and they still ended up together- so why can't Beck and Riley?).

10) Tamani (Illusions by Aprilynne Pike): Much like I have been Team Tod since the beginning of Rachel Vincent's "Soul Screamers" series I have been Team Tamani since the beginning of this series by Aprilynne Pike. Let's be honest, TAMANI IS THE ONE FOR LAUREL AND DAVID IS JUST KIDDING HIMSELF BY THINKING THAT HE IS. In the previous books I was so annoyed by Laurel continuously running back to David so I was obviously pleased by the outcome of this book.

Top 10 Book Covers of 2011

2011-12-27T00:00:00.000-05:00

1) "Exiled" by RaShelle Workman: I haven't read this book yet but I soooooo want to- look at that cover? Isn't it the most gorgeous thing EVER? I didn't think that anything could top Andrea Cremer's "Nightshade". I was wrong. So, so wrong. And hey! This book is about aliens so it is guaranteed to be awesome (since the other alien book that I read this year, "Obsidian" by Jennifer L. Armentrout, was amazing).

2) "Smokeless Fire" by Samantha Young: This is one of the few books on this list that I have actually had the chance to read. Let me tell you, not only is the cover amazing, but so is the story! Because of this cover I stalk the artist's (Claudia at Phatpuppy Art) gallery ALL THE TIME. And I love the fact that the author, Samantha, was able to find the stock image used on her book cover on a t-shirt! How awesome is that?

3) "Entangled" by Cat Clarke: I actually have no idea what this book is about- but what I do know is that this cover is absolutely breathtaking. I can;t look at it too long because I know that if I do so I will convince myself that it would be a good idea to dye my hair fire-engine red (red has been my least favourite color for basically forever, this book makes me actually like the color).

4) "Bad Taste in Boys" by Carrie Harris: Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am not a girly-girl whatsoever, but for some reason whenever there are sparkles on a book cover I am sold. And this cover has a whole lot of 'em! I also really love the font on the cover- I can't recall ever seeing a font like it used on a YA book.

5) "Die For Me" by Amy Plum: Like sparkles, I am totally sold on a book if it has curlicues on it (for some reason whenever I stop paying attention to whatever is happening in class I start drawing curlicues in the margins of all of my pages?). Typically I am not a fan of when books are re-released with a new cover, but I totally prefer this cover over the original.

6) "Darkest Mercy" by Melissa Marr: See my little speel about sparkles. I love ALL of the covers in Melissa's book series, but this is BY FAR my most favourite of all of her covers.

7) "Delirium" by Lauren Oliver: For some crazy reason I held off on buying this book for a long time. When I finally decided to buy it I got the original cover (the robin egg blue one with "Delirium" written in the cover, with a female's face being in the font) and then a month later this beauty was released. I really, really, really, REALLY wish that I had held off even longer to have bought the book. I much prefer this cover over the original (even though it admittedly has little to do with the plot of the book). Anyone else think that the model on the cover looks like a younger version of Anne Hathaway?

8) "Shattered Souls" by Mary Lindsey: I recently won a copy of this book (thanks to Rachel over at Fiktshun) and while I have yet to read it (I am hoping to be able to do so sometime over this break from school) and don't know how the cover plays into the storyline of the book I know that I love it! It is the epitome of haunting beauty.

9) "Teeth" by Ellen Datlow: So I didn't pick this book for the sole fact that it contains short stories written by some of my most favourite authors- I picked it for the cover. Isn't she so innocent looking- even though you know that she is a killer (and as such probably SUPER kick-ass)? If I became a vampire, I would want to look like her.

10) "Eden" by Keary Taylor: I don't even know what to say about this cover. I am speechless. I honest to goodness cannot say enough good things about this cover. It almost makes me want to live in this dystopian world. Errrrr... Robot zombies? Maybe not...

Vote Tessa: YA Heroine Tournament Round 2

2011-12-26T00:00:00.001-05:00

As many of you probably know by now I am competing in YA Sisterhood's YA Heroine Tournament and I could use YOUR help! I am Tessa's advocate (from Cassie Clare's "Infernal Devices" series) and for the next 24 hours Tessa is going head-to-head with Kaylee from Rachel Vincent's "Soul Screamers" series. I would appreciate it more than you could imagine if you could head over to YA Sisterhood's blog and vote for TESSA! You can follow me during the tournament at:

BLOG/ TWITTER/ FACEBOOK

About Her:

"Nate, with his fair good looks, was the one in the family generally agreed to have inherited her moth's beauty, but Tessa had always been perfectly content with her own smooth brown hair, and steady gray eyes. Jane Eyre had had brown hair, and plenty of other heroines besides. And it wasn't so bad being tall, either..." (Clockwork Angel, pg. 17)

She is inquisitive and open-minded. She loves to read just as much, if not not, than all of us and she can often be found quoting all of her favourite books:

"He didn't know what books meant to her, that books were symbols of truth and meaning..." (Clockwork Angel, pg. 97).

"Perhaps she's a girl who's fallen madly in love with me and persists in following me wherever I go."
"My talent is shape-shifting, Will, not acting" (Clockwork Prince, pg. 87).

Speaking of Will Herondale, she has two of the most swoon-worthy YA male characters vying for her attention (and she never lets that knowledge go to her head).

She takes everything in stride. Her clockwork angel pendant is one of the most kick-butt pieces of jewelry in the world of YA books (see "Clockwork Prince").

Let's pretend that the Dirty Sexy Balcony Scene is an attribute ;)

What Makes Tessa a True Heroine?

She is genuine and always remains true to her character. She is kind and has a big heart. She's still able to love those who aren't always worthy of being loved.

She is selfless beyond belief- she is willing to do the right thing even if it means hurting herself in the process. For instance, in the case of her brother:

"Nate was not like other people... He had a beautiful innocence about him that had to be protected at all costs. And Tessa had tried. She and her aunt had hidden Nate's own weaknesses from him, the consequences of his own flaws and failings. Never telling him of the work Aunt Harriet had had to do to make up the money he had lost gambling, of the taunts Tessa had endured from other children, calling her brother a drunk, a wastrel. They had hidden these things from him from being hurt" (pg. 352).

She doesn't look down upon anyone (ie. Sophie occupying a lower social status than herself, Jem being ill)- she gives everyone the benefit of the doubt without doing so in a naive way. She is brave and willing to do what she needs to do without complaint.

She is not dependent upon the males in her life. She doesn't play on the boy's feelings for her- manipulating them to do what she wants.

She is eager to learn about the new world that she is thrown into. She doesn't jump into things without any thought- she isn't careless, nor is she afraid to ask for help.

Why Should YOU Vote For Tessa Instead of Kaylee?

I know, I know, this is where I am supposed to convince you why Tessa is a better heroine than Tessa, but I am not going to. I cannot tell you how much it pains me to see these two girls go head-to-head- both Cassie Clare and Rachel Vincent have been my top favourite authors for years and I love both of these girls so much and I truly believe them to both be heroines and legitimate role models for young adults (especially young females).

If you really think about it, both girls have so much in common- both are selfless beyond belief (especially when dealing with the drug addicts in their lives), both haven't had the easiest of lives (losing loved ones and discovering that their lives have essentially been lies), both make those around them better people (case in point, the bad boys in their lives) and both are willing to put others well being before their own.

I think that you should vote for the female character who you believe to be the strongest heroine (and even if you vote for Kaylee, I will wholeheartedly support your decision)!

Anything You'd Like to Add?

For those of you who do intend to vote for Tessa I just wanted to let you know that Stuck in Books, Letters Inside Out, Cassie Claire, and myself (the girl's advocates) have some incentives for you. Find out all of the details HERE!

Furthermore, Cassie has stated that if Tessa were to win the tournament that: "If Tessa wins, I’ll put up a number of options from the Clockwork world and write whichever wins the poll. :) For every mini-round that one of the girls wins, I’ll share a spoiler from an upcoming book. If Clary or Iz: ColS, if Tessa, Clockwork Princess." (see the details HERE).

Top 10 Books I’ve Read in 2011

2011-12-26T00:00:00.000-05:00

1) "Shatter Me" by Tahereh Mafi: In all honesty, I didn't have all that high of expectations for this book. I mean, we knew little about this book for the longest time, aside from the fact that it was written by a debut author and that the cover was under lock-and-key (remember when all of the ARC covers said something along the lines of "Cover Art to be Revealed"?). But then I read it and fell completely head over heels for it- from Juliette and her realness, to Adam and his all around swoon-worthiness, to Warner, perhaps the best "bad" character I have ever read of before. ~~I have no complaints about this book~~ my only complaint is that I am going to have to wait a year for a sequel.

2) "If I Die" by Rachel Vincent: I must be honest, I am quite surprised by how much I loved this book. While I am a die-hard fan of Rachel's "Shifters" series I have always been kinda iffy with her "Soul Screamers" series- the first two books didn't do much for me, the third and fourth books were quite a bit better IMO, but this book, the fifth book? Everything I could have asked for and more! I don't think that there was anything about this book that I didn't like.

3) "Defiance" by Lili St. Crow: In my opinion Dru-Girl was by far the most bad-ass in this book than we have ever seen her before. I loved the introduction of new characters in this book and I loved seeing how all of the old characters have really grown and matured- becoming the people that they were destined to be. But most of all? I loved Ash. "BANG!"

4) "Delirium" by Lauren Oliver: In all honesty, the first time I read this book I was not a fan. I thought that it was too similar Scott Westerfeld's "Uglies" trilogy. But for a long time after reading this book (months) I couldn't stop thinking about it (I recall even dreaming about it- I was that far entranced by it), so I went out and bought it and reread it and realized how wrong I had initially been. While YA dystopian novels typically follow the same sort of storyline (ie. a girl is living in a world that she thinks is perfect, a rebellious boy comes along and opens her eyes, they fall in love, they try to escape their society or change it and the boy ends of suffering the consequences), this book was able to enrapture me in a way that none of those other dystopians were able to.

5) "Lola and the Boy Next Door" by Stephanie Perkins: I had been a bit of a book rut when I picked up this book and let me tell you, it was able to pick me out of that rut in a way that I am convinced no other book would have been able to do. While the storyline may not have been as good as "Anna and the French Kiss", I LOVED the characters- especially Cricket. I literally had a HUGE smile on my face the entire time I read this book.

6) "Bloodlines" by Richelle Mead: I never liked Adrian in Richelle's "Vampire Academy" series, so imagine my surprise when I read this book and I fall in love with him- ditto with Sydney, she just wasn't a likeable character in VA IMO. I am not going to lie though, my most favourite part of this entire book was the last line of this book when it was revealed that one of my most favourite characters of all time was going to play a part in the next book in the series.

7) "Here" by Denise Grover Swank: For everyone out there who refuses to read self-published books, I pity you. Seriously. You are missing out on one of the best books I have ever read in some time. Everything about this book made me happy- from the main character, Julia, who is so relateable and likeable, to Evan, a boy not afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve, to Reece, the bad boy who will sweep you off of your feet, to the fast-paced and engaging plot. I highly recommend it to fans of Lauren Oliver's "Delirium", Julie Karr's "XVI" or Ally Condie's "Matched".

8) "Altered" by Kimberly Montague: Again, don't knock this book because it is self-published. This book possess one of the most swoon-worthy boys I have ever had the pleasure of reading before. Furthermore, this book actually contained parents within it and memorable ones at that (there are few, if any, YA books nowadays that have the teen characters parents in it IMO). This book has the perfect combination of romance and sci-fi.

9) "Obsidian" by Jennifer L. Armentrout: If all YA books are like this, I will never need to read an adult PNR/UF again- the sexual tension between Daemon and Katy? Wow. Furthermore, it doesn't hurt that the premise of this book is so entirely unique! Seriously, can you think of another YA book that is about aliens? I sure as heck can't!

10) "Clockwork Prince" by Cassandra Clare: I am not going to lie, "Clockwork Angel", the first book in Cassie's "Infernal Devices" series didn't do much for me. I felt that the characters weren't all that unique- that Tessa, Jem, and Will were basically Clary, Jace, and Simon from her "Mortal Instruments" series and I just found that I liked the setting of "Mortal Instruments" more than "Infernal Devices" (which I admit, I found strange- who wouldn't prefer England over New York?). But then I read this book. And it changed everything. In all honesty, I think that I like this book more than half of her "Mortal Instruments" books (her "Mortal Instruments" series which has been my most favourite book series for close to five years now). I can honestly not say enough good things about this book (and legitimately have no complaints about it)- I need "Clockwork Princess" NOW!

"Indulge" by Megan Duncan

2011-12-21T21:48:00.000-05:00

From Goodreads: "Claire's heart is torn between her first vampire love, Dmitry, and the Blood Mate, Arrick, that she is eternally bonded to with a powerfully deep and emotional connection. A vengeful vampire is haunting her steps, after Claire killed their mate. An ancient evil threatens to rip her world apart. With the danger of war looming on the darkening horizon, will Claire find the strength to fight back and protect those she loves? Even if it means embracing the darkness inside her? Is it worth it to become the evil she fears, in order to destroy it?"

I must admit that it took me a bit of time to get into this book- I, for the life of me, couldn't remember what happened in the first book, though I only read it a few months ago (though I don't fault the author, Megan, whatsoever, I should have reread the first book prior to reading this to refresh my memory of everything that occurred in it).

That being said, like "Savor" I LOVED Megan's writing style in this book- I literally bookmarked countless pages in this book solely for the descriptions contained within them. I am convinced that Megan can create a setting like no other and, as I mentioned in my review of "Savor", because of Megan's talent for descriptive writing (descriptive writing that not once gets too flowery or too overdone) it is effortless to situate yourself into Claire's position within the book.

I think that (if I was forced to choose one) my largest complaint about this book was that the characters that I had come to love in the previous book made little to no appearance in this book Dmitry, Arrick, Robin and the likes of. Though Claire's biological parents, Cathair and Ione, were such a welcome addition to the series. Their interactions with one another will truly pull at your heartstrings.

All in all, this is a worthy sequel to "Savor"- while at time "Savor" was a bit slow and dragged on, this book was fast-paced and kept you on the edge of your seat the entire time. Furthermore, it was really great to see Claire truly grow as a ~~person~~ vampire, physically, emotionally, and mentally, while reading this book.

Rating: 7.5/10

I received this book from the author to read and review. I was not compensated in any way for said review.

Waiting on Wednesday

2011-12-21T00:00:00.000-05:00

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating...
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Title: "The Immortal Rules"
Author: Julie Kagawa
Release Date: April 24, 2012

From Goodreads: "You will kill. The only question is when.

In the dark days since the insidious Red Lung virus decimated the human population, vampires have risen to rule the crumbling cities and suburbs. Uncontested Princes hold sway over diminished ranks of humans: their "pets." In exchange for their labor, loyalty and of course, their blood, these pets are registered, given food and shelter, permitted to survive.

Unregistered humans cling to fringes, scavenging for survival. Allison Sekemoto and her fellow Unregistereds are hunted, not only by vampires, but by rabids, the unholy result of Red Lung-infected vampires feeding on unwary humans. One night, Allie is attacked by a pack of rabids, saved by an unlikely hero...and turned vampire.

Uncomfortable in her undead skin, Allie falls in with a ragtag crew of humans seeking a cure, or cures: for Rabidism and for Vampirism. She's passing for human...for now. But the hunger is growing and will not be denied. Not for friendship—not even for love."

Blogging Hiatus

2011-12-20T00:00:00.000-05:00

For the sake of my sanity I have decided to go on a blogging hiatus-ish thing* for the next couple of weeks.

December has seriously been such a crazy month, between the end of the semester (and all of the fun stuff that goes hand-in-hand with that, including gazillion word essays and ridiculously detailed multiple choice exams), going back to work for the holidays (you would think that working at a gourmet chocolate store would be fun- it's not. Well, I suppose it it kinda fun watching people fight for the last box of mint chocolate ;) ), the holidays themselves, and my family having only the next week or so to pack up our current house and move to our new house.

*I will be popping in occasionally either on here (to advocate Tessa in YA Sisterhood's Tournament of Heroines and/or to post a few reviews I have had scheduled forever) and Twitter, but I will be by no means as active as I usually am.

If I don't "see" y'all in the next couple of weeks- Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! Happy Hanukkah! Happy Kwanzaa! And Happy A-Gazillion-Other-Religious-Events-I-Am-Sure-I-Am-Forgetting-And-For-Which-I-Apologize!

In My Mailbox

2011-12-18T09:46:00.002-05:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly post hosted by Kirsti at The Story Siren as a chance to share the books we've bought or received over the past week.
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For Review
"In the Forests of the Night" by Kiersten Hamilton (Special thanks to Thomas Allen and Son Publisher and Anita!)
"Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick" by Joe Screiber (Special thanks to Thomas Allen and Son Publisher and Anita!)

Won
"Shattered Souls" by Mary Lindsey

What did you get in your mailbox?

On My Wishlist

2011-12-17T00:00:00.000-05:00

"Legacy" by Molly Cochran

From Goodreads: "When her widowed father dumps 16-year-old Katy Jessevar in a boarding school in Whitfield, Massachusetts, she has no idea that fate has just opened the door to both her future and her past. Nearly everyone in Whitfield is a witch, as is Katy herself, although she has struggled all her life to hide her unusual talents. Stuck at a boarding school where her fellow students seem to despise her, Katy soon discovers that Whitfield is the place where her mother committed suicide under mysterious circumstances when Katy was just a small child. With dark forces converging on Whitfield, it’s up to Katy to unravel her family’s many secrets to save the boy she loves and the town itself from destruction."

"Hunted" by Denise Grover Swank

2011-12-16T00:00:00.000-05:00

From Goodreads: "Emma Thompson and Will Davenport may have escaped from the Vinco Potentia, but the secret political organization is far from their only problem. The trail to Jake is growing colder every day, but when Emma begins to display unusual powers of her own, Will wonders if her role in the prophecy is more significant than anyone ever believed.

To find out, they delve into Emma’s past while she struggles against a subconscious force – a force that takes the form of a man who knows too much, shares too little, and may be the biggest threat to her future yet."

As becomes evident after reading my review of "Chosen" by Denise Grover Swank I LOVED the book (basically everything about it was top-notch in my opinion, from the character development, to the fast paced and unique plot). While I did enjoy this book, I must admit that overall I on the fence about how I feel about it.

On the one hand, I applaud Denise for writing a paranormal plot that is wholly unique, but on the other hand, I felt that at times (the ending especially) was too "out there" and rushed (basically the entire paranormal element, what you have been waiting for two books to be revealed, is revealed within the last chapter or so of this book). Also, for much of the book I was irritated by Emma (when in the past book I had found her to be such a relateable character)- I felt that she was not only did she take advantage of Will in much of the book, but she also took him for granted. However, Will's was even more so swoon-worthy in this book, distracting me every now and again from Emma's boogerish behaviour.

Despite my criticisms, this book was just as fast paced and unputdownable as the previous book- you better plan accordingly because once you start reading it you won't be able to stop. I am very curious to see where Denise will take the paranormal element in the next book in this series.

Rating: 7.5/10

"Chosen" by Denise Grover Swank

2011-12-15T00:00:00.000-05:00

From Goodreads: "Everything Emma Thompson owns fits in a suitcase she moves from one roach infested motel to another. She and Jake, her five year old son who can see the future, are running from the men intent on taking him. Emma will do anything to protect him even when it means accepting the help of a stranger named Will. Jake insists she needs Will, but Emma's never needed help before. And even though she's learned to trust her son, it doesn't mean she trusts Will.

Mercenary Will Davenport lives in the moment. Hauling Emma to South Dakota should have been an easy job, but his employer neglected to tell him about Emma';s freaky son and the gunmen hot on her trail. Instinct tells him this job is trouble, but nothing can prepare him for Jake's proclamation that Will is The Chosen One, who must protect Emma from the men hunting her power. A power she doesn't know she has.

Will protects Emma and Jake on a cross-country chase from the men pursuing them, while struggling with memories from his past, his apprehension of Jake, and his growing attraction to Emma. Will's overwhelming urge to protect Emma surprises him, especially since it has nothing to do with his paycheck and possibly everything to do with the tattoo Jake branded on his arm. Rich and powerful men are desperate to capture Emma, and Will must discover why before it's too late."

Do you remember that movie "Legion" that came out in 2009? The one with the storyline where a young pregnant woman, Charlie, finds out that her unborn child is the key to humanity's survival? This book has the same sort of storyline (just exchange "Legion's" angels for members of a secret society and throw in a little bit of the TV show "Supernatural", with the characters constantly being on the run and frequenting sketchy motels), with the main character, Emma, finding out that there is more than meets the eye when it comes to her son (and that he is caught in the middle of a battle between good and evil), but unlike the movie, this book is extremely well done and entertaining ("Legion" did not live up to my expectations whatsoever, but this book completely exceeded them).

While there were numerous reasons why this book was so successful, Denise's writing style, the original storyline, and the likes of, I think that this book was most successful because of how fast paced and engaging it was. Because Will, Emma, and Jake were constantly on the move, fighting for their lives, etc., you could never find yourself bored with the storyline- you were seriously on the edge of your seat the entire time (and trying to guesstimate what Denise was going to throw at you next- an exploding truck? Another gun fight? A near drowning?).

Furthermore, the large majority of her characters were so well-developed, complex, but, most of all, real. Despite all of the hardships that Will and Emma had endured in their lives, they remained strong, resilient, and grounded (while a lesser character would have curled up in a ball and cried). Though I must admit, that I did have a bit of trouble connecting to Emma's son, Jake (especially when he was behaving as if he was possessed- talking more eloquently and grown-up than any 5 year old I have ever seen before)- I did prefer the story more when he was not as involved in it.

All in all, after reading this book it becomes evident that Denise is an author to keep your eye on. I cannot wait to see what she has in store for us in the next book in this series, "Hunted"!

Rating: 9/10

Vote Tessa: YA Heroine Tournament

2011-12-14T00:00:00.001-05:00

As many of you probably know by now I am competing in YA Sisterhood's YA Heroine Tournament and I could use YOUR help! I am Tessa's advocate (from Cassie Clare's "Infernal Devices" series) and for the next 24 hours Tessa is going head-to-head with Luce from Lauren Kate's "Fallen" series. I would appreciate it more than you could imagine if you could head over to YA Sisterhood's blog and vote for TESSA!

About Her:

As mentioned, Tessa is from Cassie Clare's "Infernal Devices" series which includes "Clockwork Angel" and the recently released "Clockwork Prince"
She is a sixteen-year old American
She has brown hair, grey eyes, and is tall
She moves to Victoria-Era England to live with her brother Nate after her guardian, her Aunt Harriet, passes away
Upon arriving in England she learns that things are not what they seem- her world is turned upside down when she is kidnapped and discovers that she has the ability to shapeshift
Upon being rescued from her kidnappers she befriends the London Institute's Shadowhunters including, but not limited to, Will, Jem, Charlotte and Henry

Best Attributes:

She is inquisitive and open-minded
She loves to read just as much, if not more, than all of us and she can often be found quoting all of her favourite books
She is by far one of Cassie's most unique and mysterious characters (In "Clockwork Angel" we are told that she appears to be a warlock, however her true identity- or a better approximation of her identity- is revealed in "Clockwork Prince")
She can outsnark even the snarkiest of characters, Will Herondale included
Speaking of Will Herondale, she has two of the most swoon-worthy YA male characters vying for her attention (and she never lets that knowledge go to her head)
She takes everything in stride
Her clockwork angel pendant is one of the most kick-butt pieces of jewelry in the world of YA books (see "Clockwork Prince")
Let's pretend that the Dirty Sexy Balcony Scene is an attribute ;)

What Makes Tessa a True Heroine?

She is genuine and always remains true to her character
She is kind and has a big heart
She's still able to love those who aren't always worthy of being loved
She is selfless beyond belief- she is willing to do the right thing even if it means hurting herself in the process
She doesn't look down upon anyone (ie. Sophie occupying a lower social status than herself, Jem being ill)- she gives everyone the benefit of the doubt without doing so in a naive way
She is brave and willing to do what she needs to do without complaint

Why Should YOU Vote For Tessa Instead of Luce?

Like Luce, Tessa has two amazingly swoon-worthy boys vying for her attention but Tessa is not dependent upon the males in her life. When one of the males in her life does something to upset her she doesn't do something rash, nor wallow in self-pity, she keeps her chin held high and continues on with the task in front of her
Furthermore, she doesn't play on the boy's feelings for her- manipulating them to do what she wants and she doesn't pout when she doesn't get her way
She is eager to learn about the new world that she is thrown into and she doesn't assume that she knows everything about said new world from the get-go
She doesn't jump into things without any thought- she isn't careless nor is she afraid to ask for help

Anything You'd Like to Add?

Did you vote for Tessa or are you planning on voting for Clary, or Izzy in YA Sisterhood's Tournament of Heroines? If so Stuck in Books, Letters Inside Out, Cassie Claire, and myself (the girl's advocates) have some AMAZING PRIZES FOR YOU! Includes a copy of CP, Winner's Choice of Cassie Clare book, Hebel Design bookmark and a CA Angel Pendant! Find out all of the giveaway details HERE!

"Clockwork Prince" by Cassandra Clare

2011-12-13T00:00:00.000-05:00

From Goodreads: "In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa's powers for his own dark ends.

With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister's war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move and that one of their own has betrayed them.

Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, though her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will; the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do?

As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart."

I must admit that while Cassie Clare's "Mortal Instruments" series has been my most favourite book series for a number of years "Clockwork Angel" didn't do much for me- Not only did I much preferred the grittier setting of New York in TMI series rather than the drizzly and rainy setting of ID, but I also preferred TMI character's (I mean seriously, how can you compete with Jace? Oh right, you can't). Therefore when I started this book, I must admit, I thought that like "Clockwork Angel" I would find it to only be mediocre. Was I ever wrong. This book took my breath away and left me speechless. Even hours after finishing it all I could proclaim was "OMFG"! Believe it or not, I think I actually prefer this book over half of TMI books.

I think that this book was more successful than its predecessor was because of the characters- in the previous book I had a bit of trouble connecting with them, but in this book I didn't whatsoever. I feel that they were all much more complex and dynamic in this book (especially Will, gosh, I thought that Jace was a bucket full of angsty emotions and that no one could top him, but again, I was wrong). Furthermore, this book actually answered some of those burning questions that we have had (as opposed to answering questions with more questions)- like, who is Cecily? What is Tessa? What is Will's deal?

While I am still totally torn between Will and Jem (this series contains, by far, the epitome of a successful love triangle), I must admit that I actually preferred the DSBS- the Dirty Sexy Bedroom Scene (NOT the Dirty Sexy Balcony Scene, though that scene wasn't terrible by any means ;) ). I think why I preferred this scene over the other was because it was so unexpected- seriously, I didn't know that that male character had it in him!

All in all, this is by far one of the best sequels I can ever recall reading- while this book was admittedly less action-packed than its predecessor not once did I find myself growing bored with it (all of the twists and turns in this book more than made up for the lack of action)- I was engaged (and on the edge of my seat) the entire time while reading it. Not only can I not wait for "Clockwork Princess", but I cannot wait to reread this book!

Rating: 10/10

Memorable lines form the book:

"She couldn't have been named something awful, could she, like Mildred. He couldn't imagine lying awake at night, staring up at the ceiling while invisible voices whispered "Mildred" in his ears- but Tessa-" (pg. 42).

"Perhaps she's a girl who's fallen madly in love with me and persists in following me wherever I go."
"My talent is shape-shifting, Will, not acting" (pg. 87).

"Jem is what I have allowed myself" (pg. 145).

"If I were another man, a normal man, I might have hopes; presumptions even; I might-" (pg. 201).

"I think I may be in love with you, Sophie... Marriage could be in the cards" (pg. 255).

"I saw someone familiar chasing a blue demon across the parkland with an air of determination" (pg. 338).

"By the Angel," he said, "Perhaps we do need a chaperon" (pg. 344).

Guest Post: "How I Write 10,000 Words a Day" by Michelle Franklin

2011-12-12T00:00:00.000-05:00

Today I am excited to share with you a guest post from one of my most favourite indie authors, Michelle Franklin, author of the Haanta series!

How I Write 10,000 Words a Day

Many people ask how I write.

I write two chapters a day and usually a short story to post on the official Haanta Series website. This amounts to about ten-thousand words a day. I am aware that may seem like an unconquerable lot, but if one considers how much one writes in emails, through messengers, and over social sites in a given day, ten-thousand is not much. I'll share with you how I do what I do with the hopes that my technique can help you too.

My process is very simple:
1) Write what you love most
2) Write without the notion of being published
3) Write what you want to write at that moment
4) Begin with small and allow small to turn into big.

It is really that simple, but I will discuss each point to show you what I mean.

1) Write what you love most.

When I was in a university writing course, I was encouraged to write different genres and styles. This is excellent for those who wish to write but are uncertain as to what. I, however, knew that I wanted to write high fantasy. This was not an accepted genre amongst a group of existential fiction writers. I became frustrated, stagnant, agitated with writing, and I considered giving it up until I left the class and began writing on my own. Fantasy has always been a natural proclivity for me and therefore I write nothing else. Write the genre and in the style that suits you; do not change to please others.

2) Write without the notion of being published.

Before I began writing the Haanta Series, I wrote an epic fantasy series called the Arustan series. Do not search for it; you shall not find it. I had written a few books in the series but none of them were ever finished due to my querying agents and publishers.I was told that high fantasy was out and no one beyond two or three major imprints would consider my work. I became discouraged, gave up finishing some of the books, and the rejections the frst ones received stopped me from writing altogether. It is true that the publishing industry moves in trends, as does any creative business, but I resolved not to await the time of high fantasy to shine anew to begin writing again. I began writing the Haanta series and did not query agents and publishers until I had four books completed. While I was waiting for answers, I wrote books six through ten. I did receive rejections, but because I had written so much, it hardly mattered, and when I received a few acceptances, I had plenty of material prepared.

3) Write what you want to write at that moment.

This has kept me from writer’s block for years. Many never want to deviate from their current work because they might feel that if they leave if, they will never return to it. I say, not so. I constantly write books and stories out of order because something in them might give rise to something I can use in a previous work, etc. Often, while I’m doing rewrites, I will stop and write a short story, and sometimes that short story becomes a book itself. I never prohibit myself or inhibit my characters, which keeps a constant flow of writing all day long.If your original work is important, you will return to it and possibly with more to ad to it.

4) Begin with small and let small turn into big.

Many writers feel overwhelmed with overall story and might lock themselves into an outline they would otherwise change or simply not complete. My suggestion here is to start with just one chapter or short story, whether in the middle of a book or at the beginning, or even an epilogue. Many a time, I have written the epilogue to one book only to discover what the beginning of the next one should be. Before I even began writing the first book in the Haanta Series, I had written over seven-hundred short stories. These helped me understand and develop characters as well as introduce them to readers. Often, a three-chapter short story has become a grand story arc while entire novels I may have planned become only half a book.

One other point I should like to share is this: write everywhere. I always have writing implements with me, whether digital or traditional, and I write anything that comes to mind when it comes. I have written in hospital waiting rooms, at parties, in parks- the venue matters little. What matters is that the idea is written.

And, of course, I encourage people to challenge themselves. For example: if someone is used to writing only 500 words a day, I urge that person to try for 1000. Usually the person will get to 800, which is excellent because it’s more than that person had been used to write, but many writers believe that if they don’t reach their goals, they have failed. This is untrue; writing more than usual is the real goal.

In My Mailbox

2011-12-11T00:00:00.000-05:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly post hosted by Kirsti at The Story Siren as a chance to share the books we've bought or received over the past week.
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I sound kinda crazy. I blame all of the essays and exams I have had to do over the last week or so. My brain is officially fried. So no worries if you don't understand me. I barely understand myself. ;)

Bought

"Shatter Me" by Tahereh Mafi

"Clockwork Prince" by Cassie Claire

"Wither" by Lauren DeStefano

For Review

"Partials" by Dan Wells (Special thanks to HarperCollins Canada and Shannon)

Won

"Guardian of the Gate" by Michelle Zink (Thanks Michelle!)

Don't forget that Tessa and I will be going against Luce from Lauren Kate's "Fallen" series this WEDNESDAY in the YA Sisterhood Heroine Tournament! And if you planning on voting for Tessa, Clary, or Izzy in YA Sisterhood's Tournament of Heroines Stuck in Books, Letters Inside Out, Cassie Claire, and myself (the girl's advocates) have some AMAZING PRIZES FOR YOU! Includes a copy of CP, Winner's Choice of Cassie Clare book, Hebel Design bookmark and a CA Angel Pendant! Find out all of the giveaway details HERE!

"Hushed" Blog Tour: Interview with Kelley York

2011-12-10T00:00:00.001-05:00

As some of you may have seen I recently read and reviewed (not to mention LOVED) Kelley York's "Hushed" (You can find my review HERE). Today I am excited to share with you Kelley's responses to a few questions I threw her way!

It kind of differs for each book. I try to givemyself a daily word goal, but my day-job and life are kind of hectic, so I’mnot always able to make that. Usually, when I sit down and write, I can pump out a couple thousand words in a sitting, though.I’m a pretty clean first drafter, though, which is nice because I haterevising.

How big of a role does music play in your writing?
Pretty big. Especially during thosehigh-powered emotional scenes. “What Sarah Said” by Death Cab for Cutie isprobably the song I listened to the most while writing HUSHED.

Any words ofadvice for aspiring authors?
I always feel awkward with thisquestion! Basically, learn, learn, learn. Find yourself a good beta (evenbetter—find several!) and learn to take critique well. Keeping an open mindabout how much you have to learn—whether you have no books published or onehundred—will do wonders for you.

How did Archerand Evan's relationship develop? Did you know prior to putting pen to paperthat you wanted it to go in the direction that it did?
I had no idea what direction I was goingin. I had an initial plan, which didn’t involve Archer and Evan being together.But within the first few chapters of Evan showing up, I realized it was goingto veer off into a different direction. Which is how my stories often go. Ihave this vague idea...then the characters run off and do their own thing likeunruly puppies.

Who was yourmost favourite character to write? Least favourite (or hardest character towrite)?
Archer is my favorite, and also theeasiest, though I get emotional when writing heavy scenes wherein my charactersare deeply upset, so I did a lot of heart-bleeding for him. I think Vivian wasthe most difficult, though only because I resisted the direction hercharacterization wanted to go at first. I had this idea in my head of what shewas like, and she defied that. Evan’s patience was also a challenge at times.

Do you envisiona sequel for "Hushed" or do you is it slated to be a standalone?
HUSHED stands well on its own. I’m notsure what I would have happen in a sequel. I have put some thought into writingsomething short and sweet—just a couple pages long, perhaps—because readershave been asking for it, but we’ll see!

What are youcurrently reading?

On my Nook, I recently finished SAVING JUNE byHannah Harrington, and I’m working on DROWNING INSTINCT by Ilsa Black. Greatread so far.

'Kelley York delivers in thisimpressive debut. I was at the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happennext! Bottom line, this was unputdownable!!!' --- YA Fantasy Guide ---

'How exciting that we live in atime when gay teen protagonists can be just as screwed up as straight ones --and their stories just as creepy!' --- Brent Hartinger, award-winning author ofGeography Club and Shadow Walkers ---

Author Bio: Kelley was born andraised in central California, where she still resides with her lovely wife,daughter, and an abundance of pets. (Although she does fantasize about movingacross the globe to Ireland.) She has a

fascination with bells, adoresall things furry - be them squeaky, barky or meow-y - is a lover of videogames, manga and anime, and likes to pretend she's a decent photographer. Herlife goal is to find a real unicorn. Or maybe a mermaid.

Within young adult, she enjoyswriting and reading a variety of genres from contemporary with a unique twist,psychological thrillers, paranormal/urban fantasy and horror. She loves storieswhere character development takes center stage.

Kelley's website: http://www.kelley-york.com/blog

"Here" by Denise Grover Swank

2011-12-08T00:00:00.000-05:00

From Goodreads: "Sixteen year old Julia Phillips buries herself in guilt after killing her best friend Monica in a car accident. Julia awoke in the hospital with a broken leg, a new talent for drawing and false memories of the accident, in which she dies and Monica lives. The doctors attribute this to her head injury, but no one can explain how a bracelet engraved with her name ended up at the scene of the accident. A bracelet no one has ever seen before.

Classmate Evan Whittaker paid Julia no attention before the accident, let alone after. Now suddenly he’s volunteering to tutor her and offering to drive her home. She can't ignore that his new obsession started after his two-day disappearance last week and that he wears a pendant she’s been drawing for months. When the police show up one night looking for Evan, he begs Julia to run with him, convincing her that Monica is still alive. Julia agrees to go, never guessing where he’s really from."

While I was a bit disappointed with the change of pace in Denise's "Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes" (I felt that the novel was going in one direction and during the last bit I felt that it went in an entirely different direction,) I LOVED that that happened in this book. Don't get me wrong, the first half of the book was great, really sweet and cute, but the second half of the book was so engaging, fast-paced and unique (it literally kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading it). Now this might sound a bit strange because these books have little in common, but I think that if "Spellbound" by Cara Lynn Shultz, "Across the Universe" by Beth Revis, Imogen Rose's "Portal" series, and "Delirium" by Lauren Oliver were to have a baby- this book would be the end result.

Why this book is so successful is because of the characters- each and every one of them is so well-developed, complex, and frankly likeable. From Julia, a girl who is able to pull herself out of the darkness surrounding her, becoming stronger and stronger with each passing day, to Evan, the boy not afraid to show his emotions and perhaps one of the most hopeless romantics I have ever had the pleasure of reading about before, to Reece, the "bad-boy" of the two, who we cannot help but be drawn to despite the fact that he throws off "playerish" vibes and despite the fact that we know that he is very capable of being breaking our hearts.

Another reason why this book is successful us because it (dare I say it?) has a successful love triangle (which I can assure you is NOT an oxymoron). In my opinion a successful love triangle is one in which the reader cannot choose which character they would like the main character to end up with (as opposed from an unsuccessful love triangle where there isn't any real competition- it is obvious from the get-go who the lead will choose, ie. Clary choosing Jace over Simon) . Both Evan and Reese have such amazing qualities to them and both make Julia a stronger person in their own way that I literally cannot choose between the two of them.

All in all, I have no complaints about this book. Whatsoever. It completely blew away any expectations that I had by tenfold. Therefore I obviously highly recommend it. In my opinion the traditionally published books I mentioned earlier (ie. "Delirium", "Across the Universe", and "Spellbound") have nothing on this book! In fact, I think that I like it just as much, if not more, than the three of them. Combined.

Rating:10/10

Waiting on Wednesday

2011-12-06T21:31:00.001-05:00

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

Title: "Pure"
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Release Date: April 3rd, 2012

From Goodreads: "There is need. And then there is Fate...

Being destined to become some kind of supernatural electrical outlet isn't exactly awesome--especially when Alexandria's "other half" is everywhere she goes. Seth's in her training room, outside her classes, and keeps showing up in her bedroom--so not cool. Their connection does have some benefits, like staving off her nightmares of the tragic showdown with her mother, but it has no effect on what Alex feels for the forbidden, pure-blooded Aiden. Or what he will do--and sacrifice--for her.

When daimons infiltrate the Covenants and attack students, the gods send furies--lesser gods determined to eradicate any threat to the Covenants and to the gods, and that includes the Apollyon... and Alex. And if that and hordes of aether-sucking monsters didn't blow bad enough, a mysterious threat seems willing to do anything to neutralize Seth, even if that means forcing Alex into servitude... or killing her.

When the gods are involved, some decisions can never, ever be undone."

"Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes" by Denise Grover Swank

2011-12-06T00:00:00.000-05:00

From Goodreads: "For Rose Gardner, working at the DMV on a Friday afternoon is bad even before she sees a vision of herself dead. She's had plenty of visions, usually boring ones like someone's toilet's overflowed, but she's never seen one of herself before. When her overbearing momma winds up murdered on her sofa instead, two things are certain: There isn't enough hydrogen peroxide in the state of Arkansas to get that stain out, and Rose is the prime suspect.

Rose realizes she's wasted twenty-four years of living and makes a list on the back of a Wal-Mart receipt: twenty-eight things she wants to accomplish before her vision comes true. She's well on her way with the help of her next door neighbor Joe, who has no trouble teaching Rose the rules of drinking, but won't help with number fifteen-- do more with a man. Joe's new to town, but it doesn't take a vision for Rose to realize he's got plenty secrets of his own.

Somebody thinks Rose has something they want and they'll do anything to get it. Her house is broken into, someone else she knows is murdered, and suddenly, dying a virgin in the Fenton County jail isn't her biggest worry after all.

Winner of The Beacon 2010 Unpublished Division, Mainstream Category."

Rose is by far one of the most interesting characters I have read of in quite some time. I love that she didn't let herself be dragged down by her history, as many characters would had they been in her position, she always had such a positive outlook on life. Also, she is the sort of character you cannot help but root for and want to befriend in the hopes that some of her positivity will rub off on you. Furthermore, I very much appreciated that Denise was able to give us Rose's history in little bit and pieces (from all sorts of characters, like her sister, aunt, etc.) as opposed to more large information dump- it just made the book flow so much more naturally and made everything seem so much more real.

It becomes evident as you read the book that Denise doesn't dilly-dally in her writing, that she writes everything with a purpose, which, too, makes the book flow all the more naturally and makes it a literal page-turner- keeping you engaged (and on the edge of your seat) the entire time while reading it.

However, I must admit that the ending did throw me off a bit. I just felt that so much happened in the last bit of the book that I had a hard time keeping track of everything. When I thought the storyline was going in one direction it would go in the complete opposite therefore resulting in me having to reread a bit of the end (but this could have totally been my fault since I literally read this book in one sitting and therefore was most likely tired/ past the point of comprehension by the time I came to the end).

All in all, I highly recommend this book to those looking for a funnier read, albeit a funnier read with quite a bit of action. I cannot tell you how many times I burst out in laughter while reading this book. Also, I challenge you to not start talking in a Southern accent after finishing this book, with all of the characters constantly dropping their "g's" and saying things like "crappy doodles".

Rating: 8/10

"Onyx" by Jennifer L. Armentrout Cover Reveal

2011-12-05T00:02:00.000-05:00

As you may have seen I posted my review of "Obsidian" by Jennifer L. Armentrout a few weeks ago. This was the first book of Jennifer's that I had read, but it will by no means be my last! I loved basically everything about "Obsidian", though especially Daemon and Katy's relationship (and not your typical relationship at that! More so of an "Are we? Or are we not?" sort of relationship). You can check out my review of it HERE.

FYI: "Obsidian" (Book 1 in the "Lux" series releases December 6th, 2011).

Therefore (as you can imagine) I am super excited to share with you the cover of the next book in Jennifer's "Lux" series, "Onyx"!

My thoughts? OMG! Is what I think is happening HAPPENING? Are Katy and Daemon holding hands? If they are holding hands you know what that is going to lead to? Lots of sexytimes like that seen in "Obsidian"!

And here is a sneak peek of the official blurb:

No one is who they seem.And not everyone will survive the lies…

I am not going to lie, the blurb does scare me a bit, but I mean, Katy wouldn't be holding Daemon's hand if she found out he was a super evil alien hellbent on taking over the world, right? ;)

You can purchase "Obsidian" at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, and the Book Depository.

Guest Post/ GIVEAWAY: Author Nuayma Jeggels

2011-12-05T00:00:00.000-05:00

Self-published author Nuayma Jeggels has been kind enough to stop by the blog today to share an excerpt of her recent release "Raven" with us and provide three E-copies of her book to three lucky winners!

From Goodreads: "A girl, a coma, a Plague, and an empty grave.

When Shardaie wakes up, she doesn’t know who she is, why she can’t understand emotions, why she has been unconscious for nearly nine of her thirteen years, or why the dead just won’t stay dead. The only clue to her past is a locket, but the Plague, which finally stretches its unnatural hand to her village, forces her to leave and to learn to protect herself. But everything has a cost: the protection against the undead reveals a secret that Shardaie and her classmates just don’t want to accept, and at the end, Shardaie realises that some secrets shouldn’t be revealed. Secrets have the power to destroy, and the power to change her view on humanity for ever."

Shardaie was lying on her side on the floor,nose nearly pressed against the struggling lizard. Her violet eyes slowlyblinked, watching as the creature waved its limbs and tried its best to get upand crawl away. Watching, but not understanding. She inhaled deeply, thenreleased the breath as she muttered, “What are you feeling?”

The lizard’s eyes flitted this way and thatway, and when Shardaie realised that the world had to look just too bigfor it, she rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. What was itfeeling? She spread out her legs and her arms, trying to see the room fromthe lizard’s perspective.

Window, too far away. She started to wave herarms. Floor, too wide. She started to wave her legs. Walls, nearlynever-ending. Her stomach clenched, a sheen of sweat covered her brow. Shardaieblinked, and as she stopped moving, she thought, that didn’t help. Shestill didn’t understand what she was feeling.

Shardaie looked back at the lizard, but onlyfound an empty space bathed in sunlight. She rolled onto her side, in thedirection of her bedroom doorway, and watched as her guest scuttled away, itsbroken tail twitching occasionally. “Go,” she whispered, remembering the wordsa girl had once said to a different lizard, “be free.”

Then she pulled herself up, but when shestraightened, she accidentally knocked her arm against the edge of thewindowsill. Shardaie noticed the sudden prickling sensation in her flesh, andwhen she raised her arm, brow twitching as her eyes narrowed, she took note ofthe scratch and the thin line of blood that stood out vividly against her paleskin.

Wasn’t she supposed to be doing something? she thought as she tilted her headto the left and then to the right continuously, she was supposed to react,wasn’t she? Her arm lowered to her side. She looked up and licked her lips,thinking about the girl, who loved to speak to lizards, before turning to stareat the floor.

Shardaie began with her face: she started toarch her eyebrows and then opened and closed her mouth. Her calves twitched, soshe started to shake her legs, but that turned into a hopping-on-the-spot. Shetried her best to re-enact a scene she had witnessed a while ago, of a littlechild noticing a wound, but when she spun around, arms flapping in the air, sherealised that she wasn’t alone.

Celio, her red-haired guardian, stood in thedoorway, his hand on the doorknob. He cocked his head and then frowned at her.“What are you doing?”

Shardaie immediately stood still and smackedher lips. She looked at her arm, then raised it and replied, “I’m reacting.”

Celio looked at her arm, then glanced over hisshoulder to address someone before turning back to her. “Give me a moment,child,” he turned around, but kept his gaze on her face, “keep your arm clean.”

Shardaie nodded at the suddenly empty doorway,turned around, marched up to her bed and sat down. She wriggled around for amoment, but sat still and stared ahead. Her eyes blinked. Her fingers twitchedoccasionally. A lock of her hair fell down to caress her nose. She looked ather arm and then raised it before sitting upright and staring at the doorwayonce more.

Stomp, stomp, stomp announced Celio’s presence, but Shardaiedidn’t move and didn’t look away from the doorway. Celio walked into the roomand sat down beside her, then took her raised arm and started to wipe a wetcloth over the scratch. Shardaie watched him work, watched how he bowed hishead and slowly turned his wrist, but when he was done and he turned to her asthough he was expecting something, she remained silent for a while beforesaying, “Thank you, sir.”

Celio nodded, looked away and studied hiscloth. “Everything’s all right now.” He smiled at Shardaie, placed a hand onher shoulder and stood up. “It’s time for dinner. Come.”

Shardaie didn’t follow him, even when he made abeckoning motion with his hand, and when he had left the room, she looked backat her arm and thought. The prickling sensation was still there, but it wasfainter. She looked at the doorway that both Celio and the lizard had used,then crawled across her bed and threw her blanket over her body and her head.

Her stomach clenched. Her bottom lip trembled.Shardaie closed her eyes, and as she felt her breath flutter across her upperlip, she started to wave her legs and her arms. Nothing. How waseverything all right? Shardaie continued to wave her limbs. She stillcouldn’t understand what she was feeling…

And onto the fun stuff!

The Giveaway Details

There will be THREE (3) winners!

The THREE (3) winners will receive an e-book copy of "Raven" by Nuayma Jeggels.

Hows it work?

One only entry per person.

There will be THREE (3) winners.

Contest is International (as the prize is an e-book copy of the book).
The prize is being distributed by a third party (the author), I am not responsible if the prize is eaten by your email or something along those lines.

Giveaway ends Monday December 12th, 2011 at 11:59 p.m.

Winners will have 48 hours after notification to respond.

You do not have to be a follower of my blog to enter this giveaway!
If you Tweet (or spread the word) about the giveaway you will receive an additional point in the draw (FYI: See that little "Tweet" button at the bottom of this post? Click on it and all of the information you should include in the Tweet is already in it!)

To enter, fill out the form below

November Challenge Recap

2011-12-04T00:00:00.000-05:00

If you will recall at the beginning of November I challenged myself to only read books on my TBR pile in the attempts of shrinking it down a bit. I had hoped to read around 10 books but I was only able to read 7 books (I didn't take into consideration how crazy November is with school, midterms, essays, and the likes of)- and only 6 of which were on my TBR pile (I ended up stumbling across an amazing book at the end of the month over at NetGalley that I wasn't able to pass up, "Obsidian" by Jennifer L. Armentrout).

I was able to read (and review):
"Daughter of Smoke and Bone" by Laini Taylor
"Lola and the Boy Next Door" by Stephanie Perkins
"Defiance" by Lili St. Crow (which was actually a re-read)
"Reckoning" by Lili St. Crow
"Shatter Me" by Tahereh Mafi (which was also a re-read)
"Obsidian" by Jennifer L. Armentrout
"Wherever You Go" by Heather Davis

I would have to say that overall November was an amazing month of reads (with the exception of "Daughter of Smoke and Bone"- unfortunately I was amongst the minority, it didn't do much for me):

I LOVED "Lola and the Boy Next Door" (love, love, LOVED)- seriously, I cannot say enough good things about it (basically the entire time I read it I had a big goofy grin on my face).
I also always love Lili St. Crow's books, especially her "Strange Angels" series, so obviously I was satisfied with both "Defiance" and "Reckoning" (even though I am totally heartbroken that this series has now come to a close... I soon expect to go through Dru and Graves withdrawal).
As for "Shatter Me"? Well, I think that we all know my opinion of it by now since I have basically shouted from the rooftops how much I love it Adam.
I must admit that "Obsidian" took me by surprise mainly because this was the first book of Jennifer's that I had read and therefore I hadn't realized how much I had been missing out in not having read her books earlier- it was just such an enjoyable read with its unique premise and snarky characters (and after finishing it I was hooked on Jennifer's writing style and promptly went out and bought "Half-Blood").
"Wherever You Go" by Heather Davis, so I kinda broke my rule of only reading books on my TBR pile for the month as this book was a review book, but I am glad that I read it- it was a cute read.

All in all, I am a bit disappointed that I wasn't able to read as much as I had hoped to, but I suppose that that is what the end of December/ the beginning of January (winter break from school) is for!

On My Wishlist

2011-12-03T00:00:00.000-05:00

"Perfect Chemistry" by Simone Elkeles

From Goodreads: "When Brittany Ellis walks into chemistry class on the first day of senior year, she has no clue that her carefully created “perfect” life is about to unravel before her eyes. She’s forced to be lab partners with Alex Fuentes, a gang member from the other side of town, and he is about to threaten everything she's worked so hard for—her flawless reputation, her relationship with her boyfriend, and the secret that her home life is anything but perfect. Alex is a bad boy and he knows it. So when he makes a bet with his friends to lure Brittany into his life, he thinks nothing of it. But soon Alex realizes Brittany is a real person with real problems, and suddenly the bet he made in arrogance turns into something much more. In a passionate story about looking beneath the surface, Simone Elkeles breaks through the stereotypes and barriers that threaten to keep Brittany and Alex apart."

"Hushed" by Kelley York

2011-12-02T00:00:00.000-05:00

From Goodreads: "He’s saved her. He’s loved her. He’s killed for her.

Eighteen-year-old Archer couldn’t protect his best friend, Vivian, from what happened when they were kids, so he’s never stopped trying to protect her from everything else. It doesn’t matter that Vivian only uses him when hopping from one toxic relationship to another—Archer is always there, waiting to be noticed.

Then along comes Evan, the only person who’s ever cared about Archer without a single string attached. The harder he falls for Evan, the more Archer sees Vivian for the manipulative hot-mess she really is.

But Viv has her hooks in deep, and when she finds out about the murders Archer’s committed and his relationship with Evan, she threatens to turn him in if she doesn’t get what she wants… And what she wants is Evan’s death, and for Archer to forfeit his last chance at redemption."

After finishing the book the first thing I think of how cute it was, which may seem quite contradictory with it being a thriller. I think that why I am left feeling this way is because of how much Archer sacrificed for Vivien, his relationship with Evan, and his relationship with Marissa.

I cannot stress to you how dynamic each and everyone of these characters was- from quiet and brooding Archer with somewhat of a hero complex, to Vivian, probably one of the best villains I have read of in quite some time, being so manipulative and everything (she was very much one of those characters you tried so hard to hate, but couldn't), to Evan, by far one of the sweetest characters I have ever read before, who possessed a heart like no other (and who just radiated goodness, making everyone around him a better person).

I find that a lot of the times in YA books LGBT characters are really overdone- that they aren't representative of LGBT individuals in the slightest (they almost seem to follow LGBT stereotypes or become a parody of the LGBT community) but I didn't feel that way whatsoever with Evan and Archer- they were both so real and their relationship flowed so naturally- you couldn't help but fall for them and want everything, when all was said and done, to work in their favour.

All in all, this was such a satisfying read- once I started it I literally could not put it down (I read this into the wee hours of the morning, something I have never done before). I highly recommend it for those looking for a deeper YA read.

Rating: 9/10

I received this book from the author to read and review. I was not compensated in any way for said review.

UPDATED YA Heroine Tournament: Team Cassie GIVEAWAY!

2011-12-01T00:00:00.001-05:00

If you have been following the YA Heroine Tournament over at YA Sisterhood you probably will have noticed that 3 of the 32 competitors are characters created by the amazing Cassie Clare- Isabelle Lightwood, Clary Fray and Tessa Gray.

Therefore Letters Inside Out (Team Izzy advocate), StuckInBooks (Team Clary advocate), and myself (Team Tessa advocate) have decided to join together to ensure that one of Team Cassie's girls takes the title!

What the three of us and our girls need is YOUR support and to get it we are offering up some incentives!

Whenever you Tweet, blog, FB (anything social media-wise) to promote voting for one of our girls to you qualified to win one of ~~three~~ FOUR prizes (1st place winner will get first choice of prize, 2nd place winner will get second choice, 3rd place winner will get their choice, Fourth place winner will receive remaining prize):

UPDATE: Clockwork Angel Pendant from Hebel Designs (supplied by Cassie Clare)

A copy of "Clockwork Prince" (supplied by StuckInBooks)

A Nephilim-Facilis Descensus Averno bookmark from Hebel Design (supplied by Letters Inside Out)

Winners choice of "City of Bones", "City of Ashes", "City of Glass" or "Clockwork Angel" (supplied by myself)

We hope to add prizes as we go along (if anyone would like to contribute to the prize pile please contact one of the three of us! Either by our emails- which are all found on our blogs- or on Twitter).

You can also gain entries for adding Team buttons to your blog (you can find different Team buttons than the ones shown in this post on each of the individual blogs or at THIS POST where I have complied all of the various character buttons I have made).

*Please read over Terms and Conditions of giveaway prior to entering it!*

Waiting on Wednesday

2011-11-30T00:00:00.000-05:00

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating...
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Title: "Tempest"
Author: Julie Cross
Release Date: January 17th, 2012

From Goodreads: "The year is 2009. Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy… he’s in college, has a girlfriend… and he can travel back through time. But it’s not like the movies – nothing changes in the present after his jumps, there’s no space-time continuum issues or broken flux capacitors – it’s just harmless fun.

That is… until the day strangers burst in on Jackson and his girlfriend, Holly, and during a struggle with Jackson, Holly is fatally shot. In his panic, Jackson jumps back two years to 2007, but this is not like his previous time jumps. Now he’s stuck in 2007 and can’t get back to the future.

Desperate to somehow return to 2009 to save Holly but unable to return to his rightful year, Jackson settles into 2007 and learns what he can about his abilities.

But it’s not long before the people who shot Holly in 2009 come looking for Jackson in the past, and these “Enemies of Time” will stop at nothing to recruit this powerful young time-traveler. Recruit… or kill him.

Piecing together the clues about his father, the Enemies of Time, and himself, Jackson must decide how far he’s willing to go to save Holly… and possibly the entire world."