Review-Clockwork Angel

Title: Clockwork Angel

Author: Cassandra Clare

Published: 31 August 2010

Pages: 478

Rating: 3.5/5

Synopsis provided by Goodreads:

Magic is dangerous-but love is more dangerous still.

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks, and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to riding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.

Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called the Pandemonium club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into anther person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.

Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by-and torn between-two best friends: James, whose fragile beauty hides a dark secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile mood keeps everyone in his life at arm's length...everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother or helping her new friends save the world....and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

My thoughts:

I was so excited when I first saw this book in the store because it was the cover that caught my eye. When I realized that it was a book related to the Mortal Instruments series, I was a little bit turned off because there was something about the look of them that I didn't like. But then I noticed that Clockwork Angel was stating that it was the prequel to the whole series and I really got excited. After waiting until I was finally finished with school, I put Clockwork Angel on my list at the library.

I was slightly let down by this book because I felt there was something lacking. I like the characters enough and the story line and the action but I wanted there to be something more and I just can't seem to put my finger on it. Maybe I was hoping that Will's past would be revealed at the end or something epic; discovering Will's past is the main reason that I will be reading the next book in the series. And I will probably pick up the Mortal Instruments series because I've heard amazing things about them.

Did you read it? What did you think?

Side note: This is my 100th post!!!! Also I am coming up on 200 followers and I was thinking of doing a giveaway? What would you like to win?

Waiting on Wednesday (14)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly awaiting!

This week I chose Always a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough because I just finished Once a Witch and it was so good. This cover is also pretty amazing and gorgeous! I'm super excited for the next one to be released which is:

August 01, 2011!!!

Synopsis provided by Goodreads:

The adventures of Tam and Gabriel continue with more time travel, Talents, spy works, and of course, the evil Knights.

Since the gripping conclusion of Once a Witch, Tamsin Greene has been haunted by her grandmother's prophesy that she will soon be forced to make a crucial decision-one so terrible that it could harm her family forever. When she discovers that her enemy, Alistair Knight, went back in time to Victorian-era New York to destroy her family, Tamsin is forced to follow him into the past. Stranded all along in the nineteenth century, Tamsin soon finds herself disguised as a lady's maid in the terrifying mansion of the evil Knight family, avoiding the watchful eyes of the vicious matron, La Spider, and fending off the advances of Liam Knight. As time runs out, both families square off in a thrilling display of magic. And to her horror, Tamsin finally understands the nature of her choice.

EEEEKKK!!! So excited! What are you waiting for?

Review- Starcrossed

Title: Starcorssed

Author: Josephine Angelini

Published: 31 May 2011

Pages: 496

Rating: 4/5

ARC from NetGalley!

Synopsis provided by GoodReads:

How do you defy destiny?

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

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

My thoughts:

This is the first modern retelling of Greek mythology that I've read and I really liked it. It starts off with the main character, Helen, who seems to be this really shy girl who does not know her own strength and beauty. She thinks she too tall, too awkward, too ugly and pretty much a freak in her small town and high school. As soon as the Delos family moves to town, she starts having these nightmares of walking through a desert, looking for a river. The first time she sees Lucas Delos, all she wants to is kill him and she is even seeing these three women in the background who are crying blood and encouraging her to kill him. No matter how hard she tries to stay away from him, they're like magnets pulling toward each other.

After a few chapters, the book goes into the whole explanation of why they want to kill each other and what happened during the Trojan war to make all the houses of the gods want to see each other die. This part was kind of confusing and I felt like I needed to watch the movie Troy (you know, the one with Brad Pitt) because I recognized so many of the characters names from the movie in the book. I was able to understand enough to where I could understand the story line.

And then it just gets absolutely amazing after that. The discovery in the end was just so heartbreaking I still don't want to believe that it's true. Angleini did an amazing job of setting up the the scene for the next book. Which only makes the wait that much harder because this books hasn't even been released yet!

I definitely recommend this book to those who enjoy the supernatural genre. It's a good change of pace from reading all those vampire and werewolf novels!

It's Monday! What are you reading? (28 March 2010)

It's Monday! What are you reading? is a weekly event hosted by Book Journey. For more information, follow the link and check out her blog!

Last week I read:

Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

Currently reading:

Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

Tamsin Greene comes from a long line of witches, and she was supposed to be one of the most Talented among them. But Tamsin's magic never showed up. Now seventeen, Tamsin attends boarding school in Manhattan, far from her family. But when a handsome young professor mistakes her for her very Talented sister, Tamsin agrees to find a lost family heirloom for him. The search-and the stranger-will prove to be more sinister than they first appeared, ultimately sending Tasmin on a treasure hunt through time that will unlock the secret of her true identity, unearth the sins of her family, and unleash a power so vengeful that it could destroy them all.

Also reading this week:

Bloody Valentine by Melissa de la Cruz

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler

What are you reading today and this week?

Review- Spirit Bound

Title: Spirit Bound

Author: Richelle Mead

Published: 18 May 2010

Pages: 489

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis provided by GoodReads:

Salvation has it's price.

The words stunned Adrian for a moment, but he kept going. "You're lying. What you're describing is impossible. There's no way to save a Strigoi. When they're gone, they're gone. Dead. Undead. Forever.

Robert's words weren't directed at Adrian. They were spoken to me. "That which is dead doesn't always stay dead..."

After a long and heartbreaking journey to Dimitri's birthplace in Siberia, Rose Hathaway has returned to St. Vladimir's-and to her best friend Lissa Dragomir. It's graduation and the girls can't wait for their real lives outside of the Academy's cold iron gates to finally begin. But even with the intrigue and excitement of court life looming, Rose's heart still aches for Dimitri. He's out there, somewhere.

She failed to kill him when she had the chance, and now her worst fears are about to come true. Dimitri has tasted her blood, and she knows in her heart he's hunting her. And if Rose won't join him, he won't rest until he's silenced her....forever.

But Rose can't forget what she learned on her journey-whispers of a magic too impossible and terrifying to comprehend. A magic inextricably tied to Lissa that could hold the answer to all of Rose's prayers but not without devastating consequences. Now Rose will have to decide what-and who-matters most to her. In the end, is true love really worth the price?

My thoughts:

I really love this series; it's one of my favorites out there right now. It has action, adventure, romance, comedy, vampires, magic, undead creatures, betrayal, angst, darkness. Pretty much all the most desired qualities in one series.

Although Spirit Bound was not my favorite in the series, I enjoyed Shadow Kissed and Blood Promise more, it acted as a conduit to the last book. It certainly set the stage for whatever is going to happen next.

I love that they're finally out of the academy and I also love the connection with her dad. I always forget that she is half vampire and whenever her Moroi father comes into the scene, its a nice reminder of who Rose is and where she comes from. Dimitri made me so upset in this book and I just wanted to shake him and scream, "Get over it already!!!!!" I don't want to give away any spoilers so I'm not going to explain what that was about.

The ending was so good and it definitely left me hanging and super excited to read the next one. But I will also be sad cause it will be over and go into my usual post series depression until I can find another one to wrap my head around.

In My Mailbox (10)

In My Mailbox is a weekly event hosted by Kristi at the Story Siren. For more information on how to participate, follow the link and check it out!

This week I bought:

Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey
My Bloody Valentine by Melissa de la Cruz

Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler

I have had all these books on my wish list for at least a year and I just finally bought them. I didn't get any books for review this week or from the library. I own so many books that I haven't read yet that I just need to read them already.

What did you get this week?

Book Blogger Hop (3) and Follow Friday

The book blogger hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word. This amazingly fun weekly event is hosted by Jennifer at Crazy for Books! Follow Friday is hosted at Parajunkee's View. Hop on over and join the fun!

This week's question for the hop is:

If you could physically put yourself into a book or series, which one would it be and why?

I have to choose 2 series for this question because there is one character who I would love to be and another character who is practically me.

The character who I would love to be is Rose Hathaway from the Vampire Academy series because she is such a badass and she is not afraid to speak her mind. She is a very strong character that speaks to women and says, "Don't be afraid to be who you are and stand up for what you believe it even if it means getting in trouble every now and then."

The character who is practically me in every way is Lizzie from Meg Cabot's Queen of Babble series. She is clumsy, talks her head of to absolute strangers and isn't afraid to globe trot for the supposed man of her dreams. This series is so crazy hilarious and more than once I found myself saying, "I would do that or I have done that."

This week's follow question is:

Inspired by the inane twitter trend of #100FACTSABOUTME, give us five book related silly facts about you.

1. I can never for the life of me remember author names. And I mean like ever. I can remember the title of the book and how the cover looks but the author always escapes me.

2. I prefer paperbacks to hardcovers. I think I don't like to be responsible for the jackets and I lose them all the time.

3. To go along with number 2, I really enjoy used books. I enjoy the smell of them, as if they've been in a library for a really long time.

4. I really hate it when people try to talk to me while I'm reading. It's like I want to shout, "CAN'T YOU SEE I'M READING!"

5. I always prefer to have a nice hot cup of coffee to sip while I'm reading.

Review- Birthmarked

Title: Birthmarked
Author: Caragh M. O'Brien
Published: 30 March 2010
Pages: 362
Rating: 4/5

Synopsis provided by GoodReads:

After climate change, on the north shore of Unlake Superior, a dystopian world is divided between those who live inside the wall, and those, like sixteen-year-old midwife Gaia Stone, who live outside. It's Gaia's job to advance a quota of infants from poverty into the walled Enclave, until the night one agonized mother objects, and Gaia's parents are arrested. Badly scarred since childhood, Gaia is a strong, resourceful loner who begins to question her society. As Gaia's efforts to save her parents take her within the wall, she herself is arrested and imprisoned. Fraught with difficult moral choices and rich with intricate layers of codes, Birthmarked explores a colorful, cruel, eerily familiar world where one girl can make all the difference, and a real hero makes her own moral code.

My thoughts:

First things, first. While reading this book, I had about five people as me what I was reading and when I said it was a dystopian novel, they starred at me with blank faces and asked me what dystopian means. Just so we're all on the same page here is the definition.

Dystopia: a society characterized by human misery, as squalor, oppression, disease and overcrowding. An imaginary place where everything is as bad as it could be.

Birthmarked takes place about 400 years in the future from now and everything we ever knew or thought about our world has changed. Society is divided by those who live inside the wall and those who do not. Those who live inside the wall, in what they call the Enclave, are elite, the rich and the powerful. Those who live outside the wall live in poverty without any kind of modern convenience, even running water or simple electricity. Everything they have, which is not much, is given to them by the Enclave and Gaia makes her living as a midwife, advancing 3 babies a month, from her sector, to the wall. On the night that she delivers her first baby by herself, she comes home to find that her parents have been arrested because the Protectorate believes that Gaia's mother has been keeping a record of the babies that she has been advancing.

Because the population of people who live within the wall is very small, they have been having trouble with inbreeding and the diseases that result. So naturally, advanced babies are an enviable choice for marriage, but without any records of who is who and where they come from, how are they supposed which advanced babies have come from where?

Birthmarked is the book that has recently launched me into my current dystopian novel OBSESSION!!! I love books that are set in the future because I enjoy reading or even hearing about how people imagine the world to be after we are long gone. So not only is this book set in the future but it is jammed packed with adventure, action, romance and a stand against the established society. What isn't there to love?!

I like to think of Birthmarked as Gaia's coming of age story, a time when she loses her innocence and her eyes are opened to how the world really is. She learns that she needs to question everything she knows in her mind and learn to trust everything she believes in her heart to be true. Not only is this story so sad that I wanted to cry at times, but it also leaves it's readers with hope that one day she can bring change to her cruel society.

If any of my reader and blogger friends like dystopian type novel, I recommend this book 100%. It is so worth it!

Waiting on Wednesday (13)

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

This week I chose Bumped by Megan McCafferty because I currently have an obsession with dystopian based novels. Not only do people rave about her Jessica Darling series (which I own and will read very soon) but I just finished Birth Marked; it was amazing and I'm going to be reading Delirium in the very near future!

Synopsis provided by GoodReads: Released 26 April 2011!

When a virus makes everyone over the age of eighteen infertile, would be parents are forced to pay teen girls to conceive and give birth to their children, making teens the most prized members of society.

Sixteen year old identical twins Melody and Harmony were separated at birth and had never met until the day Harmony shows up on Melody's doorstep. Until now, the twins have followed completely opposite paths. Melody has scored an enviable conception contract with a couple called the Jaydens. While they are searching for the perfect partner for Melody to bump with, she is fighting an attraction to her best friend Zen, who is way too short for the job.

Harmony has spent her whole life in religious Goodside, preparing to be a wife and mother. She believes her calling is to bring Melody back to Goodside and convince her that "pregging" for profit is a sin. But Harmony has secrets of her own that she is running from.

When Melody is finally matched with the world-famous, genetically flawless Jondoe, both girls' lives are changed forever. A case of mistaken identities take them on a journey neither could every have imagined, one that makes Melody and Harmony realize they have so much more than just DNA in common.

What are you waiting for this week?

Review- I Know It's Over

Title: I Know It's Over
Author: C. K. Kelly Martin
Published: 23 September 2008
Pages: 244
Rating: 4/5

Description from book:

Pure. Unplanned. Perfect. Those were Nick's summer plans before Sasha stepped into the picture. With the collateral damage from his parents' divorce still settling and Dani (his girl of the moment) up for nearly anything, complications are the last thing he needs.

All that changes, though, when Nick runs into Sash at the beach in July. Suddenly he's neck-deep in a relationship and surprised to find he doesn't mind in the least. But Nick's world shifts again when Sasha breaks up with him. Then weeks later, while Nick's still reeling from the breakup, she turns up at his doorstep and tells him she's pregnant, and with his emotions and hopes crashing in around him, Nick finds himself struggling once more to understand the girl he can't stop caring for, the girl who insists that it's still over.

My thoughts:

I very much enjoyed this book. It was so raw while being perfectly simple and straightforward at the same time. It screams pure honesty. Most books I read are young adult novels which means authors and publishers cater towards teenage girls and write from the perspective of a female. What makes this story unique is that it's a pregnancy story, told from the guy's perspective.

It was refreshing to see all these emotions and thoughts going on within a guys head, knowing that even though he was not the one who could possibly give birth, his life was going to change forever. It showed just how affected he was by the whole situation which is something I feel like I rarely see from men. In a perfect world with a happy ending, these two would have gotten back together for the sake of the child and become a family the best way they knew how. But this book told reality, knowing that most teenagers who become pregnant end up having an abortion.

This book was beautifully written and instilled with a sense of reality, that while heartbreaking at times, was a welcome change from my usual reads.

It's Monday! What are you reading? (21 March 2011)

It's Monday! What are you reading is a weekly event hosted by Book Journey. For more information, follow the link and visit her blog!

Last week I read:

I Know It's Over by C. K. Kelley Martin

Birth Marked by Caragh M. O'Brien

Currently reading:

Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead

Also reading this week:

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

What are you guys reading this week?

In My Mailbox (9)

In My Mailbox is a weekly even hosted by Kristi at the Story Siren! For more information, hop over to her website and check it out.

This week I got

From the library:

Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

From Netgalley:

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

I was pretty lazy today and I didn't feel like taking any pictures. But yesterday I drove a couple hours to the closest Borders so I could get some great deals at a closing store. I think I bought out the YA section (haha) while staying under my $100 budget! I am so excited to share some of those with you next week!

I hope you guys had some great mailboxes this week!

Book Blogger Hop (2) and Friday Follow

The book blogger hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word. This amazingly fun weekly event is hosted by Jennifer at Crazy for Books! Follow Friday is hosted at Parajunkee's View! Hop on over and join the fun!!

This week's question for the hop is:

Do you read only one book at a time, or do you have several going at once?

It really depends on what time of the year it is, but for the most part I only read one book at a time. When I was in school, I would read a fun book while I was trying my best to keep up in my textbooks, as well. But now that I've recently graduated, I don't have that problem anymore! But I do carry multiple books with me just in case I finish one and I need another one to occupy my time. Now that I have a Nook, I have been more likely to be reading more than one book at a time, but there is still just something about having a book in my hand, turning the pages and having that weight in my bag. It's somewhat comforting (don't get me wrong, I LOVE my Nook).

This week's follow questions is:

How did you come up with your blog's name?

Well that is an easy one. One of my absolute favorite bands is Death Cab for Cutie and I was listening to one of their new albums Narrow Stairs. As I was listening to the amazing 8 minute song that is "I will posses your heart", I came across the lyrics: "I wish you could see the potential, the potential of you and me. It's like a book elegantly bound but in a language that you can't read just yet." How awesome are the lyrics to this song!!!! Death Cab for Cutie have been and always will be musical geniuses. I couldn't do anything less but name my blog after them! It's so great that writing this post has made me want to listen them (swoon).

Review- Dash and Lily's Book of Dares

Title: Dash and Lily's Book of Dares
Authors: Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Published: 26 October 2010
Pages: 260
Rating: 4/5

Description from the book:

Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions?

My thoughts:

While writing in the red notebook, Dash and Lily seem like they could be the perfect couple. They aren't afraid to be completely honest with each other....as long as it's all written in the notebook. When it comes to books that don't fall into the category of paranormal or supernatural, I like them to be realistic and true to how the world works. So when I first started reading this book, I was thinking how realistic is it that a random red notebook placed by an off the wall teenage girl will be picked up by a quirky yet persnickety teenage boy who happens to know someone she went to elementary school with. The odds are pretty slim in a huge city such as New York. Although I was enjoying the story I was still skeptical that it would turn out to be an impractical love story.

My earlier mindset shifted immediately when Dash's ex-girlfriend started talking about how no one ever really lives up to the perfect person that lives inside our heads, the person we think we will love the most. Suddenly, this book became grounded and concrete and hit a nerve in me. Do we not always compare whomever we are dating with the perfect person inside our heads? I really liked this part because it made Dash think about the expectations he had for Lily.

What I love even more about this book is that when they do finally meet, they don't even hit it off right away and they both have to do some work just to make the first stages of their friendship last. Cohn and Levithan turn the most exciting, impossible scavenger hunt into a realistic love story that allows you to choose how it ultimately ends.

Waiting on Wednesday (12)

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

This week I chose Lost in Time by Melissa de la Cruz because Blue Bloods is one of my favorite series. I also chose it because my mom has recently started reading the series and she texted me, demanding that I send her books 4 and 5 and that she will go through withdraw until they arrive.

Synopsis provided by Amazon:

After their beautiful yet brief bonding ceremony in Italy, Schuyler Van Alen and Jack Force are forced to separate. To fulfill the Van Alen Legacy, Schuyler travels to Alexandria to search for Catherine of Siena and the Gate of Promise. But Schuyler quickly discovers that everything she believed about the Gate to be wrong. Meanwhile, Jack makes the difficult decision to return to New York to face his twin and former bondmate, Mimi. But instead of a bitter reunion, he is faced with a choice for which there is no good option.

Mimi, with the most unexpected travel companion in Oliver Hazard-Perry, jets off to Egypt to search for Kingsly Martin, her long lost love. With all roads leading to Hell, Mimi learns that not all love stories have happy endings. But she'll have to put her own feelings aside if she's going to save her crumbling Coven.

I am so excited for this next adventure in the Blue Bloods saga and I have loved, loved, loved them since book 1. Released October 4, 2011.

Review-Siren

Title: Siren

Author: Tricia Rayburn

Published: 13 July 2010

Pages: 377

My Rating: 4/5

Synopsis provided by GoodReads:

Vacationing in Winter Harbor, Maine, is a tradition for Vanessa and Justine Sands, and that means spending time with the Carmichael boys. This summer, Vanessa is determined to channel some of her older sister's boldness, get over her fear of the ocean, and maybe turn her friendship with Simon Carmichael into something much more.

But when Justine goes cliff-diving after a big family argument, and her body washes ashore the next day, Vanessa is sure that it was more than an accident. She is more certain of this when she discovers that her sister was keeping some big secrets and Caleb Carmichael has gone missing. Suddenly, the entire ocean front town is abuzz when a series of grim, water-related accidents occur, with the male victims washed ashore grinning from ear to ear.

Vanessa and Simon team up to figure out if these creepy deaths have anything to do with Justine and Caleb. But will what Vanessa discovers mean the end of her summer romance, or even life as she knows it?

My thoughts:

This book took me completely by surprise. It was so good and written so well that it was really hard to put down. What I love even more are all the secrets that are uncovered throughout the book. Just when you think that you are finally getting a handle on what is going on, another secret is revealed. Even all the small side characters had lots of personality and were very entertaining.

This is only the second mermaid or siren book that I have read and I'm really liking this aspect of the supernatural. Sometime I just get so bored with vampire and werewolf books. I also haven't read many fairy books either but I can definitely say that I'm on board with the sirens.

Overall this was a pretty good read and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good supernatural story.

It's Monday! What are you reading? (14 March 2011)

It's Monday! What are you reading is hosted by Book Journey! For more information, go on over and see what it's all about.

Last week I read:

Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves (didn't like it, didn't finish it)

Siren by Tricia Rayburn
Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Currently reading:

I Know it's Over by C. K. Kelley Martin

Pure. Unplanned. Perfect. Those were Nick's summer plans before Sasha stepped into the picture. With the collateral damage from his parents' divorce still settling and Dani (his girl of the moment) up for nearly anything, complications are the last thing he needs.

All that changes, though, when Nick runs into Sasha at the beach in July. Suddenly he's neck-deep in a relationship and surprised to find he doesn't mind in the least. But Nick's world shifts again when Sasha breaks up with him. Then, weeks later, while Nick's still reeling from the breakup, she turns up at his doorstep and tell him she's pregnant, and with his emotions and hopes crashing in around him, Nick finds himself struggling once more to understand the girl he can't stop caring for, the girl who insists that it's still over.

Also reading this week:

Birth Marked by Caragh M. O'Brien
Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty

I hope you guys have a great week and happy Monday! Stay awesome :)

In My Mailbox (8)

In my mailbox is a weekly event hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. For more information, hop on over to her website and check it out!

Here is what I got in my mailbox this week!

P.S. My roommate just got back from a counseling trip to Rwanda and she brought back this cute little elephant. Even though it's not for me, I thought I would include it in the picture :)

From the library:

I Know it's Over by C. K. Kelly Martin

Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien

By Nightfall by Michael Cunningham

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Bought:

Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty

R.A.K.

Siren by Tricia Rayburn (Nook Book)

Thank you so much Ivy for the book on my Nook. Random Acts of Kindness is pretty awesome! I hope you guys had a great mailbox week!

Review-Going too Far

Title: Going too Far
Author: Jennifer Echols
Published: 17 March 2009
Pages: 245

Rating: 5/5

Description from back of the book:

All Meg has ever wanted to was get away. Away from high school. Away from her backwater town. Away from her parents who seem determined to keep her imprisoned in their dead-end lives. But one crazy evening involving a dare and forbidden railroad tracks, she goes way too far...and almost doesn't make it back.

John made a choice to stay. To enforce the rules, to serve and protect. He has nothing but contempt for what he sees as childish rebellion, and he wants to teach Meg a lesson she won't soon forget. But Meg pushes him to the limit by questioning everything he learned at the police academy. And when he pushes back, demanding to know why she won't be tied down, they will drive each other to the edge-and over...

My thoughts:

I've had this book for over a year before I finally finished it. When I first bought it, I read the first chapter and decided to put it down for something else. Just last week I pulled it off the shelf again and decided I was going to read it from cover to cover even if it took me an entire day. And that's exactly what I did and boy am I glad! It is one of the best books I have read it a while. It literally blew me away!!

John and Meg are so perfect for each other. From their very first meeting you can just feel their chemistry and the fact that they are hiding something extremely important from each other. I love that the amount of characters were very limited and she writes about only the essentials. Almost every page is just John and Meg talking and getting to know each other. I know about 50 pages into the book that I would not be able to sleep until I finished it.

Both John and Meg turn out to be these incredibly complex characters that have depth beyond imagination. I don't want to give away any spoilers but I would not have guessed Meg's past if you asked me when I started reading it. So this book is definitely a keeper. Buy it, put it on your shelf and read it like once a year!

Review-Almost to Die For

Title: Almost to Die For
Author: Tate Hallaway
Published: 03 August 2010
Pages: 241
Rating: 4/5

Description from back of book:

On her sixteenth birthday, Anastasija Parker's present winds up being the shock of a lifetime. When her mom referred to her absentee dad as a deadbeat, it was actually half true-he's a vampire. And a king, no less. A king who wants his daughter to assume her rightful position at his side. But, thanks to Ana's mother, the blood of a witch also runs through her veins.

Too bad vampires and witches are mortal enemies.

With her parents gearing up for an all-out brawl over her destiny, Ana's about ready to scream. But things get even crazier when a male witch and a brooding bad-boy vampire start vying for her affections. Then the barely leashed tension between the vampire and the witches starts to boil over, and Ana has to figure out once and for all whether she wants to become heir to her dad's throne. And deciding your eternal destiny is a pretty big deal for a girl who just wants to get through high school.

My thoughts:

I very much enjoyed this unique tale of a girl who is half vampire and half witch. Hallaway creates a very indecisive atmosphere which keeps you guessing at which half of herself she will eventually choose....or will she? Ana's character definitely temps fate and just when you think that she is about to choose one side over the other, she changes her mind!

There were only a few things that I did not like about this book. Hallaway writes the witches as constantly describing the vampires as demon like beings and being from hell so whenever one would talk I could't help but imagine their voices as very deep and unnatural like possessed robots. I also did not like Ana's whole initiation scene. I had a hard time following what was going on and I found my self reading the section over again to gain a better understanding.

Overall, I really liked this book and the unique paranormal approach that Hallaway uses. I will most likely read the next books in the series.

Book Blogger Hop (1)

The book blogger hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word. It's an opportunity to network, make new friends, support each other and share in our love of books. This weekly weekend event is hosted by Jennifer at Crazy for Books. For more rules and a chance to participate, hop on over and grab her button!

This weekend's question is:

If you had $80 to spend in a bookstore right now, what would be in your basket when you finally staggered to the till?

My answer:

Jellicoe Road by Melinda Marchetta
Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead
Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick
The Iron Thorn by Caitlin Kittredge
The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
Soulless by Gail Carriger

That was a pretty tough question because there are so many books that I want right now. I hope I didn't go over $80. Which books would you choose. Post them at the blog hop so that I can read them too! Happy Friday!!

Review- Blood Promise

***Warning: May contain SPOILERS!!!***

Title: Blood Promise (Vampire Academy #4)

Author: Richelle Mead

Published: 25 August 2009

Pages: 503 (hardcover)

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis provided by Goodreads.com:

How far will Rose go to keep her promise?

The recent Strigoi attack at St. Vladimir's Academy was the deadliest ever in the school's history, claiming the lives of moroi students, teachers and guardians alike. Even worse, the Strigoi took some of their victims with them...including Dimitri.

He'd rather die than be one of them, and now Rose must abandon her best friend, Lissa-the one she has sworn to protect no matter what-and keep the promise Dimitri begged her to make long ago. But with everything at stake, how can she possibly destroy the person she loves the most?

My thoughts:

This is one of the best vampire series out there: forget the House of Night, Blue Bloods and even Twilight. This is where it's at!!! Richelle Mead has such a way with words and is amazing at just plain story telling. She makes you hate them, then love them, then hate them and love them all over again. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but when I finished the third book, Shadow Kissed, I was so upset I wanted to rip up the book and throw it into traffic and let the cars run over the pages. I was so mad. I love this series so much that I was upset about it for days and I knew I could not start Blood Promise until I calmed myself down. With a little encouragement from my mom (who has read the entire series) I picked up the fourth book and I sure am glad I did.

This book is AMAZING!!!!! It's like I was holding my breath the whole time I was reading it. I stayed up nights reading and reading (it's pretty long) because I just had to know what happened in the end. And the thing is, Mead is such a good writer that you can see Rose's pain and anguish just pouring off the pages. I wanted to cry for her in almost every chapter! She even made me want to punch Dimitri in the face because even I wanted Rose to turn Strogoi so that they could be together forever. But then I came to my senses and when she staked him it practically ripped my heart out. I also really liked the whole spin Mean put on the series with her father.

At least the end of Blood Promise did not leave me so upset as did Shadow Kissed. The little amount of hope that it left had me jumping up and down, running around the house just after I finished the last page haha.

Questions I hoped will be answered by the end of the series:
1. Will Dimitri be healed back to his normal self?
2. Why are there so many spirit users?
3. Can Rose and Lissa figure out a way to keep their madness under control?
4. Is Rose going to have to choose between Dimitri and Adrian?

5. Is Rose ever going to graduate?

My recommendations, reader friends? Read this series. It will not let you down!

Review- Claire de Lune

Title: Claire de Lune

Author: Christine Johnson

Published: 18 May 2010
Pages: 336 (Hardcover)

Rating: 3/5

Synopsis provided by Goodreads.com:

Torn between two destinies?

Claire is having the perfect sixteenth birthday. Her pool party is a big success and gorgeous Matthew keeps chatting and flirting with her as if she's the only girl there. But that night, she discovers something that takes away all sense of normalcy: she's a werewolf.

As Claire is initiated into the female pack of werewolves, she must deal not only with her changing identity but also with the rogue werewolf who is putting everyone she knows in danger. Claire's new life threatens her blossoming romance with Matthew, whose father is leading the werewolf hunt. Now burdened with a dark secret and pushing the boundaries of forbidden love, Claire is struggling to feel comfortable in either skin. With her lupine loyalties at odds with her human heart, she will make a choice that will change her forever.

My thoughts:

I remember first hearing about this book over a year ago before taking my hiatus from blogging. I was so super excited about this book coming out I'm pretty sure I even dedicated a Waiting on Wednesday to it as well. So I go to the library to see what I can find and viola, there is Claire de Lune, just sitting there in the new release section and no one else seems to be seeing what I'm seeing. My first thought was, "how is it that I can just pick this book up and check it out without signing up for a waiting list or something!!!" Maybe that is a little extreme but it was definitely at the top of my stack of library books.

As much as I love books, I hate giving so-so/bad reviews. This book just did not live up to to my expectations. After reading this book, I felt like a little kid and someone had just popped by balloon. The story could have used more action and I felt myself bored with all her internal dialogue and struggle going on.

It was very easy to read and I had no problem getting through it, I would have just really enjoyed that extra element that would have made it impossible to put it down. Since I would definitely not read it again, I probably won't read the next books in the series.

Waiting on Wednesday (09 March 2011)

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

Synopsis provided by Goodreads.com. Released 29 March 2011!

Azalea is trapped. Just when she should feel that everything is before her...beautiful gowns, dashing suitors, balls filled with dancing...it's taken away. All of it.

The Keeper understand. He's trapped, too, held for centuries within the walls of the palace. And so he extends an invitation.
Every night, Azalea and her eleven sisters may step through the enchanted passage in their room to dance in his silver forest.

But there is a cost. The Keeper likes to keep things.

Azalea may not realize how tangled she is in his web until it's too late.

1. Look at that gorgeous cover.

2. I love that the word dashing is used in the synopsis.

3. It comes out this month!!!!

Review- Hourglass by Claudia Gray

***Warning: May contain SPOILERS***

Title: Hourglass

Author: Claudia Gray

Pages: 339 (Hardcover)

Published: 09 March 2010

My Rating: 3/5

Synopsis provided by Goodreads.com

After escaping from Evernight Academy, the vampire boarding school, Bianca and Lucas seek refuge with Black Cross, the elite group of vampire hunters led by Lucas's stepfather. When Bianca's close friend-the vampire Balthazar-is capture by Black Cross, Bianca knows she has to do whatever it takes to save him. But at what cost?

Hourglass, the third book in this gripping vampire series by the author of the New York Times bestseller Stargazer, has all the romance, suspense and page-turning drama that has made Claudia Gray's books runaway successes.

Ever since reading Stargazer, this series has left me with a bitter sweet taste. Although the plot thickens throughout each book, they all start off pretty slow and Hourglass is no exception.

Let me start off with the things I don't like about the book. Now that the series is in the third installment, I am still having a hard time feeling any kind of connection to the characters. They are all well rounded and I've got to know them but it wouldn't really bother me if any of them lived or died. I don't normally have this problem with books but this is part of the reason why this book was a little bit tough to get through. I also feel like the story line has been dragged out. Well, that is until the end. The plot moved slowly until Gray caught me at the end, again anticipating the next book. I also did not like that Bianca's character is not that smart. I caught on that if she did not become a full vampire then she would get sick, die and become wraith. I kind of figured that out in the second book, but Bianca did not until she already died.

Then there are the good parts of the book that kept me reading until the end and will probably keep me reading until the series ends. I like the open, honest and almost child like relationship between Bianca and Lucas. They love each other so much they're willing to look past what they've been taught to hate. There is also an innocence to them unlike the characters in most YA novels. Neither of them have any ulterior motives.

Overall, this book kept my attention (mostly) til the end. It was not the best Evernight book I've read but I liked it.

It's Monday! What are you reading? (07 March 2011)

Before I get to this Monday meme, I just have to mention the Amazon.com Student Program. It. Is. Awesome! The thing is, is that I can't even remember whose blog I saw it mentioned on. I had no idea what it was so I thought I would check it out. As luck would have it, the Amazon.com Student Program pretty much rocks my face off. I pulled some old text books off my shelf that were just sitting there and I was able to trade them in and Amazon gave me a $70 gift card! They also offer 2 day free shipping on all orders and I'm pretty sure that if you buy the first 3 books in a series they will give you the 4th book for free! This special offer is available for the Parasol Protectorate Series by Gail Carriger which I will definitely be taking advantage of. A working student email address ending in .edu is required to qualify for the student program.

It's Monday! What are you reading is hosted by Book Journey!

Last week I read:

Hourglass by Claudia Gray
Claire de Lune by Christine Johnson
Blood Promise (Vampire Academy #4) by Richelle Mead
Almost to Die For by Tate Hallaway
Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols

Currently Reading:

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Also reading this week:

Watcher in the Woods by Robert Liparuo
Gone (Dream Catcher #3) by Lisa McMann
Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves

Random Acts of Kindness!

I came across this event while I was watching an In My Mailbox vlog over at Pure Imagination and I thought this idea was genius and just a wonderful way to show our support for each other in the YA blogging community! If you wish to sign up and I encourage you do to so, hop on over to BookSoulmates and check it out!

The March Sign up is finally here!! Yayy!!!

Isalys and I are THRILLED at the spectacular turn out we had for our February launch of the Random Act of Kindness feature. We are proud to be a part of the amazing literary blogging community and feel overwhelmed with everyone's kindness and generosity towards each other. It's incredible to see how happy people are to start making wishes happen! You all ROCK!!

Reminder: The sign up posts will be up the first Thursday of each month and are open throughout the entire month so it's never too late to sign up!

Rules:
• Sign up each month you'd like to participate in.

• Show off your participation! Grab one of the buttons available :)

• Create a wishlist and post it in the Google Doc located in each R.A.K post for the month.
{Post on your blog, Amazon, where ever as long as there's a link to it.}

• If you choose to do a R.A.K for someone, check out their wishlist and contact that blogger for their address.

• At the end of the month, SHOW US YOUR R.A.K!
Make a post saying 'Thank You' to whoever granted one of your wishes and share it with us :)

OPEN TO EVERYONE!
Lets's keep our International bloggers in mind and in our hearts.
Remember, there's always the Book Depository and they offer FREE shipping!

Easy peasy!

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Vanessa at
Twerd413 [at] gmail DOT com
or through twitter: @booksoulmates