Follow Friday (21)

Follow Friday is a really fun way to network your blog and meet some other really cool bloggers in the process! This weekly event is hosted at Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read.

Q: What book that hasn't been turned into a movie (yet) would you most like to see make it to the big screen and who would you like cast as you favorite character?

A:  Within the past six months I've heard a lot of talk about Vampire Academy being made into a movie.  My feelings are divided when it comes to this epic series because I love it so much.  When Twilight first came out, I loved the books so much that when they started making them into movies, I was super excited.  But now I can never reread the Twilight series because I can't get Kristin Stewart's voice out of my head.  Even though I watch all the movies and I go to the midnight showings, they've ruined the books for me.  I don't want the Vampire Academy movie to ruin the books for me.  Now I don't know about who I would cast but I know who I wouldn't cast.  I definitely would NOT want Megan Fox or Sophia Bush to play Rose.  I also don't know who I would want to play Dimitri, but whoever plays them better have good chemistry together or it just won't work.

I also heard that Lisa McMann's Wake series is going to be made into a movie with Miley Cyrus leading the cast.  UUGGHH! I can't stand that girl! But I'll still see it. 

Review- The Adoration of Jenna Fox

Title: The Adoration of Jenna Fox
Author: Mary E. Pearson
Series: Jenna Fox Chronicles #1
Publisher: Square Fish
Find it here: Amazon, Goodreads
Source: Purchased

Seventeen-year-old Jenna Fox has just awoken from a year-long coma--so she's been told--and she is still recovering from the terrible accident that caused it.  But what happened before that?  She's been given home movies chronicling her life, which spark memories to surface.  But are the memories really hers?  And why won't anyone in her family talk about the accident?  Jenna is becoming more curious.  But she is also afraid of what she might find out if she ever gets up the courage to ask her questions.  What happened to Jenna Fox?  And who is she really? 

My thoughts:

I've heard that a lot of people really like the Adoration of Jenna Fox and were also really excited about the next book the Fox Inheritance.  I really wanted to get on board with this series so I bought the Adoration of Jenna Fox so that I would be ready!  But it was difficult for me to get into this book.  I really liked it but I had a really hard time getting accustomed the author's writing style.

As the readers of Jenna Fox's story, we know just as much as Jenna does and we discover new facts and information when Jenna does as well.  She can't remember anything about her life or the accident and it gets weird because her family members won't talk about it and her grandma will hardly even touch her much less look at her.

It's set in the future when medicine has made extreme advancements and they are able to recreate the entire body out of bio-gel.  But it's illegal to recreate more than 10% of the body so that it doesn't get out of control so people can live normal lives.

I enjoyed the whole mystery of the book and I was on her side the entire time hoping that she would find out the truth.  I really enjoyed the ending of the book but since I don't give away spoilers on this blog you're just going to have to read it for yourself!

Waiting on Wednesday (34)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating. This is one of my favorite memes because not only is my TBR pile so much bigger at the end of the night but also the covers are always amazing!

Title: This is Not a Test
Author: Courtney Summers
Hitting the Shelves: June 2012

It's the end of the world.  Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won't stop pounding on the doors.  One bit is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self.  To Sloane Price, that doesn't sound so bad.  Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she's failed to find a reason to keep going.  Now seems like the perfect time to give up.

As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she's forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live.  But as the days crawl by, everyone's motivations to survive begin to change in startling ways and soon the group's fate is determined less and less by what's happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life--and death--inside.

What are you waiting for?

Review- Hex Hall

Title: Hex Hall
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Series: Hex Hall #1
Publisher: Hyperion Book
Find it here: Amazon, Goodreads
Source: Purchased

Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch.  It's gotten her into a few scrapes.  Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father--en elusive European warlock--only when necessary.  But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters.

By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tagalong ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire student on campus.  Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number one suspects.

As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her.  

My thoughts: 

Hex Hall was a really fun read and a cute series that I can't wait to finish.  The aspect I enjoyed most about this book is the boarding school.  I love books that take place in boarding schools because there aren't any parents to have to worry about, there's only a few teachers and not all that many chaperons and a lot of crazy things can happen.

I also like that there is a mix of supernatural beings in this book and they all seem to get along, more or less.  But I would think that there would be crazier things happening since they are all attending the school  because they've been unable to control their powers.  So in the beginning, you have the normal antics of high school, the mean girls picking on the new girl and so on.  But then things start to get interesting when other students start making innuendos about Sophie's dad, three other girls practically force her to join their coven and her classmates are almost being murdered.

I really enjoy books that bring family history into the characters.  Sophie's family history is rich with extremely dark magic that has effected her whole hereditary!  Even by the end of the book, we've only scratched the surface of what has happened in the past leaving much more to be discovered in coming books.  There's also so much mystery and action going on that it left me wanting to read Demonglass right away!

Although it was a little surfacey and shallow, it was still a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Follow Friday (20)

Follow Friday is a really fun way to network your blog and meet some other really cool bloggers in the process! This weekly event is hosted at Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read.

Q: Do you have a favorite series that you read over and over again?  Tell us a bit about it and why you keep on revisiting it.

A: As a book lover and also a blogger who gets a lot of requests, I haven't had time to re-read any series that I love.  I would love to re-read Harry Potter because there are so many side stories and things that the movies have left out.  I would also like to re-read the Gemma Doyle series by Libba Bray because it was one of the first series I read when I began reading young adult.  I remember really loving it and I would like to experience that again.  I just have too many stacks of books that need to be read the first time to go back and re-read anything that I've already read. 

Review- The Iron Daughter

Title: The Iron Daughter
Author: Julie Kagawa
Series: Iron Fey #2
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Find it here: Amazon, Goodreads
Source: Purchased

Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere.  Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner t the Winter faery queen.  As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron fey--ironbound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen.  But no one believes her.

Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off.  She's stuck in Faery with only her wits for help.  Trusting anyone would be foolish.  Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly.  But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.

My thoughts: 

I have never been particularly drawn to the fey or stories about fairies.  My first thought when I first started reading The Iron King was that the fey were actually the size of Tinkerbell  but they just grew themselves the size of humans like Julia Roberts does in Hook.  Then when they take a human, like Meghan, back to the faery land, they are again the size of Tinkerbell but they just don't realize it.  Another automatic thought it how can a fairy the size of Tinkerbell really do that much damage when you can just squash them like an insect.

But I don't have any of those thoughts now that I'm knee deep in Julia Kagawa's Iron Fey land.  I love this series and to date, it's the only fey series that I have continued with. The Wings series by Aprilynne Pike? A little bit boring and couldn't hold my attention.  Need by Carrie Jones? Other than the phobias I honestly don't remember the story line.  Tithe by Holly Black? Way too dark and demonic for me. Maybe it's because none of those series have Ash! I love Ash. Totally team Ash. 100%.

There was so much going on in The Iron Daughter that kept me flipping the pages.  There were points where I was convinced that Ash hated Meghan and I didn't know what to think! I was also getting so upset because none of the other fey would believe them that the Iron Fey truly existed. Then there's the amazing electric chemistry between Meghan and Ash that made me all tingly! The Iron Daughter just made me run a roller coaster of emotions.  I love the whole "star-crossed lover, we're not supposed to be together but we are going to be anyway" thing.  It's my favorite thing in books!

One of my absolute favorite characters (besides Ash, duh!) is Grimalkin.  We really haven't seen his true nature yet but he always surprises me.  Even though he always alludes to him being mean and not really wanting to help out, he always shows up in the nick of time and has been loyal throughout the series so far.

I love this series and I need to hurry up and get to The Iron Queen so I can read The Iron Knight!!!!

Waiting on Wednesday (33)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating. This is one of my favorite memes because not only is my TBR pile so much bigger at the end of the night but also the covers are always amazing!

Title: Cursed
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Hitting the Shelves: September 18, 2012

Dying sucks--and high school senior Ember McWilliams knows first hand.  After a fatal car accident, her gifted little sister brought her back.  Now anything Ember touches dies.  And that, well, really blows.

Ember operates on a no-touch policy with all living things--including boys.  When Hayden Cromwell shows up, quoting Oscar Wilde and claiming her curse is a gift, she thinks he's a crazed cutie.  But when he tells her he can help her control it, she's more than interested.  There's just one catch: Ember has to trust Hayden's adopted father, a man she's sure has sinister reasons for collecting children whose abilities even weird her out.  However, she's willing to do anything to hold her sister's hand again.  And hell, she'd also like to be able to kiss Hayden.  Who wouldn't?

But when Ember learns the accident that turned her into a freak may not have been an accident at all, she's not sure who to trust.  Someone wanted her dead, and the closer she gets to the truth, the closer she is to losing not only her heart, but her life.  For real this time.

Orange County Book Fair

Attention all southern California book bloggers and lovers!! In just 2 weeks there are going to be some amazing authors at the Orange County Book Fair!  I'm so excited to get a bunch of my books signed and to heard their plans for future novels.

This poster is kind of weird but it has some pretty awesome authors.  Here's the line up!:

Noon: Teen Lit- "Keeping it Real" Panel:

Heidi Kling (moderator) Sea, Truth and Dare, Visitors Guide to Mystic Falls
Jessi Kirby- Moonglass
Lindsey Leavitt- Sean Griswold's Head and Princess For Hire Series
Kirsten Hubbard- Like Mandarin
Andrew Smith- Marbury Lens and Stick

1:00: Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan (Fug Girls)- Spoiled

1:15: DJ MacHale- Monster Princess and Morpheus Road Series

1:30: Kaitlin Gow premiers her new series The Fire Wars

1:45: Kami Garcia- Reading from Beautiful Chaos/Signing of Beautiful Creatures and Beautiful Darkness

2:00: Teen Lit "Paranormal Tendencies" Panel:

Emma Michaels (moderator) The Thirteenth Chime and Anasazi
Inara Scott - Delacroix Academy
Cindy Pon - Kingdom of Xia Series
Jeff Mariotte - Dark Vengence
Gretchen McNeil - Possess

2:45: Hope Larson - Mercury (Graphic Novel)

3:00: Lisa Desrochers - Personal Demons and Original Sin

3:15: Katie Alender - Bad Girls Don’t Die, From Bad To Cursed

3:30: Heather Brewer - The Slayer Chronicles (Penguin)

3:45: Nancy Holder - Chicks Kick Butt - Damned (Crusade Ser.), Unleashed (Wolf Springs Chron.)

4:00: Amber Benson - Calliope Reaper Jones Series 1-3 - Blood Stained Sword (Graphic Novel)

In My Mailbox!! (26)

In My Mailbox is an awesome way to connect with our blogger and reader friends and share which amazing books we received, bought or borrowed during the week! This weekly meme is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

I didn't get very much this week but one of the books I did get was a huge surprise and it pretty much made my entire week!

For Review: 

I got Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood earlier this week and I wish you all could touch the cover because it is so soft!  I didn't get anything else until Friday afternoon I got a special delivery package.  And when I opened it I found a finished copy of Lost in Time by Melissa de la Cruz! I love the Blue Bloods series and I can't wait to read it and see what happens next in this epic story!

Bought:

As I have mentioned before, I will be volunteering at the Orange County Children's book fair where there will be a YA stage with many authors, most of which I haven't read their books.  So I bought these two so I can read them before October 2! I had a pretty good week so let me know what you got in your mailbox!

Special thanks to: Putnum Publishing and the Disney/Hyperion Publishing Group! You guys are the best!

Epic Cover Reveal!!!!

Divergent by Veronica Roth was the best dystopian novel I read in 2011! It took me a while to get to the book after I bought it because I didn't like the cover but now I can't think of a better cover for Divergent! Even though I haven't read Insurgent yet, I'm sure the cover is 100% fitting.  No synopsis yet but a very teasing tag line!

Divergent: One choice can transform you
Insurgent: One choice can destroy you

Projected date of release: April 28, 2012!!
Find it here: Goodreads

Review- Cryer's Cross

Title: Cryer's Cross
Author: Lisa McMann
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Find it here: Amazon, Goodreads
Source: Purchased

The community of Cryer's Cross, Montana (population 212) is distraught when high school freshman Tiffany disappears without a trace.  Already off-balance due to her OCD, 16-year-old Kendall is freaked out seeing Tiffany's empty desk in the one-room school house, but somehow life goes on...until Ken's boyfriend also disappears, and also without a trace.  now the town is in a panic.  Alone in her depression and with her OCD at an all-time high, Kendall notices something that connects Nico and Tiffany: they both sat at the same desk.  She knows it's crazy, but Kendall finds herself drawn to the desk, dreaming of Nica and wondering if maybe she, too, will disappear... and whether that would be so bad.  Then she begins receiving graffiti messages on the desk from someone who can only be Nico.  Can he possible be alive somewhere?  Where is he?  And how can Kendall help him? The only person who believes her is Jacian, the new guy she finds irritating....and attractive.  As Kendall and Jacian grow closer, Kendall digs deeper into Nico's mysterious disappearance only to stumble up on some ugly--and deadly--local history.  Kendall is about to find out just how far the townspeople will go to keep their secrets buried.  

My thoughts: 


Lisa McMann is one of the best young adult writers that I've come across since I started blogging two years ago.  Her Wake series is amazing and while Cryer's Cross still sucked me in with every page, it has the element of mystery.  I'm always really intrigued by stories that have people that go missing, serial killers and things that are a little bit creepy.  So Cryer's Cross was definitely a win for me!

It starts off a couple of months after the first person goes missing and the whole town just assumes that she had ran away from home.  Until Nico goes missing then we know something seriously wrong is going on.  It made me really sad to find out that Kendall's boyfriend went missing because they were a really cute couple in the beginning and I was hoping that they would find him alive.

But of course there is Jacian who is the new transfer who is tall, dark and handsome.  He is a very well built soccer player, dark hair and eyes and some seriously Latino heritage.  He literally made me want to melt sometimes.  So I was quite torn between Kendall moving on from her missing boyfriend and finding comfort in the arms of the gorgeous new boy or keeping her hope alive and doing whatever she could to find Nico.  What is a girl to do?!

Cryer's Cross was also a little bit of a thriller (which is also LOVE).  The dark, scary woods that seemed to surround the whole town and the secrets that the older town members were keeping.  The ending was so good (of course I'm not going to tell you) which made the book worth reading.  It was also nice to read a book that is not part of a series.  If you're easily scared, I would not recommend reading this book at night!

Review- Thirteen Reasons Why

Title: Thirteen Reasons Why
Author: Jay Asher
Publisher: Razorbill (Penguin)
Find it here: Amazon, Goodreads
Source: Purchased

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch.  Inside he discovers thirteen cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker, his classmate and crush who committed suicide two weeks earlier.

On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life.  Clay is one of them.  If he listens, he'll find out how he made the list.

My thoughts: 

I was really hesitant about starting this book because I don't really enjoy contemporary YA fiction all that much, but I always like to be involved in the young adult group discussions about the book of the month and Thirteen Reasons Why was the book of the month.  I had heard that it was really sad so I prepared myself for a book that was going to make me cry.

Even though Thirteen Reasons Why was a roller coaster of emotions for main characters Hannah and Clay, it didn't make me cry.  Part of the reason is because I knew from the beginning of the book that Hannah had killed herself so it wasn't a surprise that in every chapter Hannah's state of mind became worse and worse.  I did connect with the characters enough that I found myself hoping that Hannah was going to pop up around the corner or from the next room and say, "surprise, I really didn't kill myself." But of course, that didn't happen.

What really shocked me the most about the book was the guidance counselor character.  As a professional who has worked in the counseling field for a little while now, I know the guidance counselor should have caught on to what was going on with Hannah.  It's a big problem in the public school system with all the budget cuts.  Guidance counselors are expected to take on classes instead of just focusing on the student body and their mental health.  I felt like Hannah went to the guidance counselor knowing that he was too stressed with his classes and grading papers and that he wouldn't see the signs.

Towards the end, it just made me so sad to read her going out and finding reasons and people who would take advantage of her.  She needed to prove to herself that no one respected her or that she didn't have any true friends.  And that's exactly what she did.  Thirteen Reasons Why is a very powerful novel that deals with a hard hitting teenage issues (bullying and suicide) that need to be talked about more.

Waiting on Wednesday (32)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating. This is one of my favorite memes because not only is my TBR pile so much bigger at the end of the night but also the covers are always amazing!

Title: Perception
Author: Kim Harrington
Publisher: Scholastic Point
Series: Clarity #2
Hitting the Shelves: March 01, 2012

When you can see things others can't, what do you do when someone's watching you?

Everybody knows about Clarity "Clare" Fern.  She's the psychic girl in school, the one who can place her hands on something and see hidden visions from the past.

Only Clare would rather not be a celebrity.  She prefers hanging back, observing.  Her gift is not a game to her.
But then someone starts playing with her head...and her heart.  Messages and gifts from a secret admirer crop up everywhere Clare turns.  Could they be from Gabriel, the gorgeous boy who gets Clare's pulse racing?  Or from Justin, Clare's hopeful ex-boyfriends who'd do anything to win her back?

One thing is certain.  Clare needs to solve this mystery, and soon.  Because the messages are becoming sinister, and a girl in town has suddenly disappeared.

What are you waiting for?

Review- All These Things I've Done and Giveaway!

Title: All These Things I've Done
Author: Gabrielle Zevin
Series: Birthright #1
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Find it here: Amazon, Goodreads
Source: ARC compliments of MacMillian

In 2083, chocolate and coffee are illegal, paper is hard to find, water is carefully rationed, and New York City is rife with crime and poverty.  And yet, for Anya Balanchine, the sixteen-year-old daughter of the city's most notorious (and dead) crime boss, life is fairly routine.  It consists of going to school, taking care of her siblings and her dying grandmother, trying to avoid falling in love with the new assistant D.A.'s son, and avoiding her loser ex-boyfriend.  That is until her ex is accidently poisoned by the chocolate her family manufactures and the police think she's to blame.  Suddenly, Anya finds herself thrust unwillingly into the spotlight--at school, in the news, and the importantly, within her mafia family.

My thoughts:

I just can't seem to get enough dystopian! In All These Things I've Done, most everything that we find common and everyday things that we use, are either illegal, highly rationed or just don't exist anymore.  I thought about how my normal day would compare in Anya's world:

1. I wake up and immediately pour myself a cup of coffee.  In 2083 coffee is illegal so I wouldn't have coffee at my house.

2. I take a nice long, hot shower where I take my time washing my hair and shaving my legs.  In 2083 water is highly rationed so when the timer goes off after 2 minutes, my shower would be over.

3. I peer into my closet and wonder, out of all my clothes that I have bought myself, what do I want to wear today.  In 2083, new clothes aren't made at all and I would have to wear something that my mom or other family member has passed down to me.  That also means no more hitting the mall and picking up a new pair of skinny jeans.

4. Jot down a list on a piece of paper before hitting the grocery store? Nope.  Paper is very hard to find and there's not much to find at the grocery store either.

All These Things I've Done really made me think about how life would be without these types of everyday objects.  And chocolate? OMG! Chocolate is like my go-to when I'm having a bad day! 2083 reminded me a lot of the 1920's and the prohibition.  Expect it's chocolate and coffee that illegal not alcohol!  And in the book they called the places where the teenagers went to get coffee or chocolate speakeasies just like in the 1920's.

I really enjoyed the whole mobster aspect to the book and I felt like they should all have been wearing fedoras and wielding Tommy guns.  I liked the whole atmosphere of the book and the angle of the star-crossed lovers.  Anya being the most famous mobster's daughter and her boyfriend Win is the new DA's son.  It seemed like Win's father's disapproval just made then want to be together even more.

I'm really interested to see where this story goes in the next book because really the main plot has to do with the family business and now that Anya and her brother are getting old enough to know what goes on (illegally trafficking chocolate), who should be the one to take over as head of the family.

Giveaway! 

Just recently I received All These Things I've Done in audio book format! Just fill out the form below as directed and you will be entered to win!

Rules:

• Must be 13 or older
• US only
• 1 entry per person
• Ends Thursday September 15 at midnight

In My Mailbox (25)

In My Mailbox is an awesome way to connect with our blogger and reader friends and share which amazing books we received, bought or borrowed during the week! This weekly meme is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

I've had a pretty boring week and I didn't get very much in the terms of books for review.  So here's what I got this week!

Bought:

I had really bought Original Sin about a month ago under the assumption that it was the first book in the series of which I was sorely mistaken.  So when I saw that Personal Demons was on bargain on Amazon, I went ahead and bought it cause I've heard this series is pretty amazing.  Also, if you live in the Southern California area, Lisa Desrochers will be at the Orange County Children's Book Fair on October 2!

For Review:

I got the audio book version of All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin.  I received an ARC a couple of weeks ago and have read it already so I will be giving it away tomorrow so keep an eye out for that! It was pretty good, by the way.

On My Nook:

I've been really lucky lately and I've been able to find some really great deals on e-books for my Nook! These covers are just gorgeous and they all sound pretty much amazing! How similar are the covers of Sleight and Everblue?  Crazy right?

Special thanks to:

MacMillian Audio
Michelle Madow
Ashley @ The Bookish Brunette for always gushing over books and influencing my decisions!

Review- Bloodlines

Title: Bloodlines
Author: Richelle Mead
Publisher: Razorbill
Series: Bloodlines #1
Find it here: Amazon, Goodreads
Source: ARC compliments of Razorbill

When alchemist Sydney is ordered into hiding to protect the life of Moroi princess Jill Dragomir, the last place she expects to be sent is a human private school in Palm Springs, California.  But at their new school, the drama is only just beginning.

Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, Bloodlines explores all the friendship, romance, battles and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive-this time in a part-vampire, part-human setting where the stakes are even higher and everyone's out for blood.

My thoughts:

I LOVE VAMPIRE ACADEMY!!!!  Whew, i just had to get that out of the way.  Richelle Mead's young adult books literally make me feel like a screaming teenage girl again.  When I received Bloodlines in the mail, I jumped up and down in my living room and left my family wondering if they needed to check me into the nearest mental institution! There's just something about the characters of Vampire Academy that make me all crazy and giggly.

At first I was hesitant to read Bloodlines because Sydney was not my favorite character towards the end of the series.  And also, I'm a hard core Rose fan.  But as soon as I was a couple of chapters in, I realized that I was enjoying the change of perspective and seeing the vampires from an alchemist's eyes.  Bloodlines takes the reader deeper into the magical world of moroi, strigoi, and alchemists and we're getting to see more than just one aspect.  We get more background and more history to these (for lack of a better word) creatures that Mead has created.

I love the very big role that Adrian has been given in this series.  In Vampire Academy he was only this spoiled, rich brat who went around doing whatever he wanted and not caring about the consequences.  But now he has the opportunity to become so much more and he's definitely learning the ins and outs of what it takes to be his own person.

Mead is such a fantastic writer.  She leaves a mini-cliffhanger at the end of every chapter which pretty much makes it impossible to put the book down.  There are also so many twists and turns and surprises around every corner.  I can't even begin to guess what's going to happen or how it's going to end because she always just blows my imagination out of the water!  The ending just blew my mind and I was speechless after I read the last page.  And wishing I could get my hands on the next book that very instant!

So many of my friends and family love this series that my copy of Bloodlines has already been passed around! If you are a huge fan of Vampire Academy, you will not be disappointed! Trust me; go out and buy it now!!

Follow Friday (19)

Follow Friday is a really fun way to network your blog and meet some other really cool bloggers in the process! This weekly event is hosted at Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read.

Q: Have you ever wanted a villain to win at the end of a story? If so, which one?

A: I usually only start to side with the villain when the main characters start to annoy me or get really whinny.  By that point I pretty much want the villain to win so that the story will be over.  Take for instance the House of Night series.  It's not that I intentionally want the villain to win, but I'm just so sick of the series that I would pretty much wish for anything to happen just so that series would end.  I don't even read the series anymore but every time I see that there's going to be another book, I'm reminded of Zooey, the main character, and I literally get frustrated with myself because I spent so much time reading the first six books!  It's something about the House of Night that just gets me so riled up! Ok, my ranting is done.

Review- Pretty Bad Things

Title: Pretty Bad Things
Author: CJ Skuse
Publisher: The Chicken House (Scholastic)
Find it here: Amazon, Goodreads
Source: ARC compliments of Scholastic

"Wonder Twins" on the run--and running amok--in Vegas.  Road Trip!

Paisley and Beau are boldface names again.  Last time, paparazzi called them the "Wonder Twins," two kids found alone but alive in the woods of exotic New Jersey.  Three days after their mom's death--and before their dad's criminal misdeeds.

Flash-forward to now: Their so-called lives?  Suck out loud: Hating on their cougarized, Botoxic grandma, they're totally clueless about the location of ex-con Daddy.  Till they discover a stack of old letters.  That's when they decide to jack the Pontiac and hit the road.  Holding up donut shops in Sin City might seem extreme, but if they can just get their pretty bad faces on the TV--or TMZ--they might wrap up their whole gaga saga with an Oprah-worthy reunion already!

My thoughts:

This book was crazy!! Imagine the worst part of you life pretty much starting after you're wondering around the woods for three days after you find your mother dead because she committed suicide.  Then going to live with your freak show of a grandma who only keeps you around because you're her meal ticket and she's stealing all your money.  Then she ships you off to boarding school because she can't handle you herself.  Well, this is pretty much Paisley's life expect she has a twin brother who grandma dotes on because he would never disobey her.  What a terrible life.  No wonder she just took off to find her dad even though she only had an inkling of where he was.

Even though the twins were robbing donut shops and candy stores, I found myself rooting for them and  hoping they wouldn't get caught.  I wanted just one good thing to happen for them.  The only reason they did all those bad things was so their face would be on the big jumbo tron and hopefully their homeless dad would see them and know they've come to find him.

Paisley is such a bad-ass!! During some of the scenes, I would get so nervous for her because I though for sure she was going to get herself in too deep or that she was going to get caught! Even though there is no way that I could ever justify what they were doing, I understand the reasons and intentions behind the actions, the actions that in the end were bad and illegal.

It was also a relief to finally read a stand alone novel and know that this book was most likely going to come to an end and everything that was started is going to be resolved by the time I get to the last page.  Even though it wasn't specifically stated how they lived the rest of their lives, it left it open for the reader to fill in the gaps and to make the ending for yourself!

Review- The Lying Game

Title: The Lying Game
Author: Sara Shepard
Series: The Lying Game #1
Publisher: HarperTeen
Find it here: Amazon, Goodreads

I had a life anyone would kill for.

Then someone did.

The worst part of being dead is that there's nothing left to live for.  No more kisses.  No more secrets.  No more gossip.  It's enough to kill a girl all over again.  But I'm about to get something no one else does--an encore performance, thanks to Emma, the long-lost twin sister I never even got to meet.

Now Emma's desperate to know what happened to me.  And the only way to figure it out is to be me--slip into my old life and piece it all together.  But can she laugh at inside jokes with my best friends?  Convince my boyfriend she's the girl he fell in love with?  Pretend to be a happy, carefree daughter when she hugs my parents good night?  And can she keep up with charade, even after she realizes my murderer is watching her ever move?

My thoughts: 

I absolutely loved the Lying Game! It was full of mystery, secrets, nasty teen-girl gossip, high school pranks and murder! I felt like I was right in the middle of a Mean Girls episode!

I love the characters Emma Baker and Sutton Mercer! They're twins, who have never met yet have, surprisingly, a lot of similarities despite growing up separately.  Emma is able to put herself into Sutton's life without many people noticing the difference.  I was on the edge of my seat the whole time wondering if someone was going to finally figure it out or if Emma's real life was going to catch up with her.

I also loved the concept of the lying game.  The group has to continually out-do each other and make the next prank bigger and better than the last.  But where does it end?  They literally put their reputations and their lives on the line when they play the lying game.  And they've done it for so long and have gotten so extreme that even the law enforcement won't bat an eye in their directions because they've cried wolf too many time.

The Lying Game was absolutely incredible! I love the book and I love the show even though they're completely different.  It completely rocked my world and I can't wait to see what happens to Emma in the next one!

Waiting on Wednesday (31)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating. This is one of my favorite memes because not only is my TBR pile so much bigger at the end of the night but also the covers are always amazing!

Title: Dragonswood
Author: Janey Lee Carey
Hitting the Shelves: January 5, 2012

Wilde Island is in an uproar after the recent death of its king.  The uneasy pact between dragons, fairies, and humans is fraying, and a bloodthirsty witch hunter with a hidden agenda whips villages into frenzies with wild accusations.  Tess, a blacksmith's daughter from a tiny hamlet near the mysterious Dragonswood, finds herself caught in the cross-hairs of fate when she is accused of witchery and has to flee for her life along with her two best friends.

Not even Tess's power to see the future can help the girls as they set off on their desperate journey, but she keeps having visions of a man wielding a sword.  And when she finally meets him, Tess has no idea how to handle the magnetic attraction she feels for him, or the elusive call she hears from the heart of Dragonswood.  

Giveaway! Dreamland by Alyson Noel Audio Book

This past week I received Dreamland by Alyson Noel in audio book format from MacMillian audio.  I have not read the Immortals series by the same author where the Riley character originated or the first couple books in the Riley series, but I know some of you out there have! Which is why one lucky person will win this advanced copy before it hits the shelves September 13!

Riley's finding that the afterlife can be a lonely place when all you do is focus on work.  So she goes to the place where dreams happen, hoping to find a way to contact her sister, Ever.  She meets the director, who tells her about the two ways to send dreams.  As a Dream Jumper, a person can jump into a dreamer's dream,  share a message, and participate.  As a Dreamweaver, an entire dream can be created in a studio and sent to the dreamer.  But Dreamweaving was outlawed decades ago, and the studio was boarded up.  Thinking it's her only way to reach out to her sister, Riley goes in search of the old studio.  There she finds a ghost boy, who's been creating and sending nightmares to people for years.  In order to stop him and reach out to Ever, Riley is going to confront and overcome her own fears.  

Rules: 

• 13 years or older
• US only
• Leave a comment with your email address 
• Ends Thursday September 8!

In My Mailbox (24)

In My Mailbox is an awesome way to connect with our blogger and reader friends and share which amazing books we received, bought or borrowed during the week! This weekly meme is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

Sadly, all Border's stores are in the final weeks and everything is at least 60% off! But that's good for us right?  I found some really great books and I'm super excited to share them with you!

I feel like I've been a little inspired by Ashley @ The Bookish Brunette because she gives such amazing reviews of the zombie books that she reads and it makes me want to read them too.  I've read the Forest of Hands and Teeth but I felt like I needed to branch out a little bit so when I saw these zombies books, I thought of Ashley, how excited she was after she read them and just had to get them!

For Review: 

Even though I received Dreamland by Alyson Noel in audio book for review, I haven't read the Riley series nor have I read the Immortals series.  So I will be doing a giveaway for it tomorrow!

From PaperBackSwap: