Waiting on Wednesday (81)

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: Spellcaster
Author: Claudia Gray
Hitting the Shelves: March 05, 2013

When Nadia’s family moves to Captive’s Sound, she instantly realizes there’s more to it than meets the eye. Descended from witches, Nadia senses a dark and powerful magic at work in her new town. Mateo has lived in Captive’s Sound his entire life, trying to dodge the local legend that his family is cursed - and that curse will cause him to believe he’s seeing the future … until it drives him mad. When the strange dreams Mateo has been having of rescuing a beautiful girl—Nadia—from a car accident come true, he knows he’s doomed.

Despite the forces pulling them apart, Nadia and Mateo must work together to break the chains of his family’s terrible curse, and to prevent a disaster that threatens the lives of everyone around them. Shimmering with magic and mystery, New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray’s new novel is sure to draw fans of the Hex Hall and Caster Chronicles series, and fans of the hit CW TV show The Secret Circle.

Why I want this: Love the author, love the cover and I love books about witchcraft and tempting fate! This sounds like an awesome read! Happy Wednesday! 

What are you waiting for?

Touched Launch Party and Giveaway!

I was super excited to go to this event and see my friends that I hadn't seen in forever! I met up with Stacee @ Adventures of a Book Junkie and our friend Ava! Mysterious Galaxy in Redondo Beach is one of the cutest bookstores ever and I always try to hit up their signings whenever possible. 

It's that cake so awesome looking? And it was really good! All chocolaty and yummy!

There was also a candy bar! How cool is that? The swag bags had awesome bookish goodies inside!

She read from her book (which sounds awesome by the way) and then I signing began! And of course, being the awesome blogger that I am, I got a copy just for you guys! It's US only so go ahead, enter away! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: The Body at the Tower

Title: The Body at the Tower
Author: Y.S. Lee
Series: The Agency #2
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Find it Here: B&N, Goodreads, Mysterious Galaxy
Source: Library

This is another colourful, action-packed Victorian detective novel about the exploits of agent Mary Quinn. At a young age, Mary Quinn is rescued from the gallows and taken to Miss Scrimshaw's Academy for Girls. The school turns out to be a front for a private detective agency. At age 17, Mary takes on her first case (A Spy in the House). In this, the second book of the series, Mary Quinn sets out to uncover the truth behind a suspicious death at St. Stephen's Tower, better known as the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament. The accident occurred after hours in a highly public part of town and despite the presence of night watchmen. Mary, disguised as Mark Quinn, becomes a builder's assistant to find out the truth about the body at the tower.

My thoughts:

I love The Agency series so much! It’s full of great characters, fun plot lines and little bit of romantic interest thrown into the mix! It is so easy for me to let myself get swept up into the story of mystery and intrigue!

Mary is one of my favorite mystery detectives! Not only is she smart but she is embarking on this awesome career during a time when women were expected to marry and take care of the children. Being a detective is the last thing any man would expect her to be. She is also very quick and cunning; she can pick up on the tinniest of clues and unravel it until the very end. The scenes between Mary and James Easton are always my favorite! They have this awesome sexual tension that just continues to brew and eventually boils over when they can’t keep their hands off each other! And they complement each other very well!

The assignments that Mary gets are always so intriguing! The mysteries are just complicated enough to where you can follow along easily but I’m still unable to figure out for myself until close to the ending. These always make for the best type of mysteries, in my opinion! I give The Body at the Tower 4 hearts because there is no doubt in my mind that I will continue reading this series!

Stacking the Shelves (23)

Hey there! Welcome to this week's Stacking the Shelves! This awesome meme is hosted by Tynga's Reviews and we get to show each other the books we acquired this week whether bought, from the library or for review!

Pretty slow week this week and I only got a few books!

Bought:

Touched by Corrine Jackson

Netgalley Books:

Also Known As by Robin Benway

The Goddess Inheritance by Aimee Carter

Top of My Pile (11)

Hey there and welcome to Top of My Pile! I decided to start this post because I often times feel the need to talk about the book that I'm currently reading and throw out some of the thoughts I have before I finish it! I usually have all these crazy theories about how the story is going to end or what's going to happen to the main characters. But by the time I get around to writing my review, I forget what was swirling around in my head. So that's why I started this new Saturday post. It also gives me a chance to let you know what I read this week and also, what I'm planning on reading next.

Currently Reading:

Defiance by C.J. Redwine

I am absolutely love this book! I love Logan and Rachel! There's so much attraction and tension between them it's practically electric! Then there's the revolution that's brewing and the Commander who is so evil! Oh, I can't wait to finish it and I hope there's not a huge cliffhanger but there probably will be. EEEKK! 

Reading this Week:

Hysteria by Megan Miranda

Perception by Kim Harrington

Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill

Weekly Wrap-Up:

{Sunday} My book haul for Stacking the Shelves

{Monday} Middle Grade Monday: Review of The Time Traveling Fashionista by Bianca Turetsky

{Tuesday} Top ten most anticipated books of 2013

{Tuesday} Review of The Turning by Francine Prose

{Wednesday} Waited on Starcursed by Jessica Spotswood

{Thursday} Audio Book review of Outpost by Ann Aguirre

{Friday} Review of Red Rain by R.L. Stine

Review: Red Rain

Title: Red Rain
Author: R.L. Stine
Publisher: Touchstone
Find it here: B&N, Goodreads, Mysterious Galaxy
Source: ARC from ALA

Travel writer Lea Sutter finds herself on a small island off the coast of South Carolina, the wrong place at the wrong time. A merciless, unanticipated hurricane cuts a path of destruction and Lea barely escapes with her life. In the storm’s aftermath, she discovers orphaned twin boys and impulsively decides to adopt them. The boys, Samuel and Daniel, seem amiable and immensely grateful; Lea’s family back on Long Island—husband Mark and their two children, Ira and Elena— aren't quite so pleased. But even they can’t anticipate the twins’ true nature—or predict that, within a few weeks’ time, Mark will wind up implicated in two brutal murders, with the police narrowing in.

My thoughts: 

I grew up reading R.L. Stine. He writes such great horror that I couldn't get enough of him when I was in elementary school and junior high.  I read as many Goosebumps as I could and then moved on to the Fear Street novels! Looking back now they're probably pretty cheesy but R.L. Stine definitely installed himself as one of the great middle grade horror writers! So when I heard that he was writing a horror for adults, I knew that I absolutely had to read it!

The basic plot of Red Rain is that Lea is a travel blog writer and she goes to a little island off the coast of South Carolina. While she's there, a hurricane hits and she ends up taking home twin boys whose parents died in the storm.  When they get to Long Island, horrible things start happening and the whole town goes a little crazy. Even though I really enjoyed the story, it's not a mystery to try and figure out what's happening or who is killing people.  It's revealed right in the beginning who the twins really are and what their intent is. I enjoy a good horror novel when I have no idea who is behind the murderous and anyone who jumps out could be the killer! But there is still a twist in the end that's revealed which I didn't realize until I was almost finished with the book.

Even though I really liked the book I didn't like that the murderers were these twelve year old twins.  I understand that they're pretty unsuspecting and that the adults in the novel would never have guessed that these innocent looking boys are killing people but I thought it was just kind of weird.  And I didn't like their accents.  They were supposed to be these white boys with blonde hair and blue eyes but they sounded Jamaican! So that kind of threw me off! I also didn't like that the story changed from so many perspectives. That's just a personal preference though.

Red Rain is a great horror novel to read around Halloween time! I give Red Rain 4 hearts because even though the story was a little weird, it still has all the blood, guts and gore that I'm looking for in my horror novels!  

Audio Book Review: Outpost

Title: Outpost
Author: Ann Aguirre
Series: Razorland #2
Publisher: MacMillian
Find it here: B&N, Goodreads, Mysterious Galaxy
Source: Audio Book provided by MacMillian Young Listners

Deuce’s whole world has changed. Down below, she was considered an adult. Now, topside in a town called Salvation, she’s a brat in need of training in the eyes of the townsfolk. She doesn't fit in with the other girls: Deuce only knows how to fight.

To make matters worse, her Hunter partner, Fade, keeps Deuce at a distance. Her feelings for Fade haven’t changed, but he seems not to want her around anymore. Confused and lonely, she starts looking for a way out.

Deuce signs up to serve in the summer patrols—those who make sure the planters can work the fields without danger. It should be routine, but things have been changing on the surface, just as they did below ground. The Freaks have grown smarter. They’re watching. Waiting. Planning. The monsters don’t intend to let Salvation survive, and it may take a girl like Deuce to turn back the tide.

My thoughts: 

I was so excited to get started on this audio book right after I finished Enclave because of that ending! I'm going to try to write this review as spoiler free as I can and I hope that I succeed! If you haven't started reading this series yet then you need to! Absolutely!!

Now that Duce and Fade have been brought to the outpost and have found a safe place to live, Duce is struggling to fit in. The people of Salvation expect her to act like a woman in the traditional sense meaning that men only to the hunting and the fighting and the women wear dresses and do all the cooking and house cleaning. Since all Duce ever wanted to be was a huntress, this is really hard for her to except.  Meanwhile, Fade and Duce are somewhat on the outs making Duce feel even more alone and isolated.

Duce is such a strong female character and she never truly conforms into what these people expect her to be. She holds on to huntress nature and has to prove herself worthy of being able to protect the town.  Event though I really like Fade, he is really sensitive sometimes! As soon as he feels a little bit hurt or rejected, he runs off, hides away and doesn't talk to anyone.  He kind of reminds me of a girl! I also think it's funny that they have to keep reassuring each other that they really do like each other.  It's obvious that they trust each other with their lives, but they're unsure of the part of their relationship that involves feelings.  And the zombie-like creatures are getting even crazier! I hope in the third book we really get to know what's going on with then and really learn more about their origins!

The Razorland series is such a great apocalypse series and one of my favorite dystopians right now! It's full of adventure, romance, people fighting to survive and blood and guts! And the reader of this series is great! Her voice has the perfect amount of toughness for Duce while still being a girl! I give the Outpost audio book 5 hearts for literally having me on the edge of my seat while I was driving my car!

Waiting on Wednesday (80)

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: Starcursed
Author: Jessica Spotswood
Series: The Cahill Witch Chronicles #2
Hitting the Shelves: June 18, 2013

With the Brotherhood persecuting witches like never before, a divided Sisterhood desperately needs Cate to come into her Prophesied powers. And after Cate's friend Sachi is arrested for using magic, a war-thirsty Sister offers to help her find answers—if Cate is willing to endanger everyone she loves.

Cate doesn't want to be a weapon, and she doesn't want to involve her friends and Finn in the Sisterhood's schemes. But when Maura and Tess join the Sisterhood, Maura makes it clear that she'll do whatever it takes to lead the witches to victory. Even if it means sacrifices. Even if it means overthrowing Cate. Even if it means all-out war.

In the highly anticipated sequel to Born Wicked, the Cahill Witch Chronicles continue Cate, Maura and Tess's quest to find love, protect family, and explore their magic against all odds in an alternate history of New England.

Why I want this: Now I'm not a big fan of this cover but I LOVED Born Wicked! I can't wait to get my hands on the next installment in the Cahill Witch Chronicles! 

What are you waiting for?

Review: The Turning

Title: The Turning
Author: Francine Prose
Publisher: HarperTeen
Find it Here: B&N, Goodreads, Mysterious Galaxy
Source: ARC from HarperTeen

Jack is babysitting for the summer on an isolated island with no Wi-Fi, no cell service, and no one else around but a housekeeper and two very peculiar children. He immediately senses something sinister-and it's not just the creepy black house he's living in. Soon he is feeling terribly isolated and alone, but then he discovers there are others. The problem is, he's the only who can see them. As secrets are revealed and darker truths surface, Jack desperately struggles to maintain a grip on reality. He knows what he sees, and he isn't crazy…Or is he?

Where does reality end and insanity begin? The Turn of the Screw reinvented for modern-day teens, by National Book Award finalist Francine Prose.

My thoughts:

When I first saw the cover of this book, I thought to myself, “I must know what that book is about because it looks so creepy!” And then that synopsis sounded even creepier! So I went through the proper channels and practically begged for this ARC. I absolutely had to have it!

It was a really quick read which is something I am always grateful for. What kind of threw me off about it is the fact that it is written in letter form instead of chapters and I had a really hard time believing that a high school, teenage boy would write such lengthy letters as these. Some parts of the story were really creepy and other parts were really just weird. And even after it’s all said and done, the whole reason why the children were so weird was never really resolved. Maybe it was and I just don’t remember. It’s not really a book that stuck with me.

When I first started reading The Turning I had no idea that it was a modern retelling of an old classic The Turning of the Screw. I've never read it so I don’t have anything to compare it to but I enjoyed this really odd book. I like how he thought that he was seeing people who he thought were dead but then towards the end it got really weird because he was convinced he was falling in love with one of the ghosts. But overall, I give The Turning a solid 3 hearts for definitely being a different kind of book!

Top Ten Tuesday: Most Anticipated Reads of 2013

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and it's a meme of lists.

1. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
2. Arclight by McQuein, Josin L.
3. The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead
4. Dead Silence by Kimberly Derting
5. Boundless by Cynthia Hand
6. Unremembered by Jessica Brody
7. Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza
8. The Dollhouse Asylum by Mary Gray
9. Emblaze by Jessica Shirvington
10. The Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson (sadly, no cover yet)

Middle Grade Monday: The Time-Traveling Fashionista

Hey! Welcome to Middle Grade Monday, a weekly feature I started to talk about anything middle grade bookish related! I never thought I would really enjoy middle grade novels but after reading my first one this year, I was hooked! Since I review mainly YA on this blog, I didn't want the middle grade reviews to get shuffled in with the YA books so I decided to create this feature!

Title: The Time-Traveling Fashionista
Author: Bianca Turetsky
Publisher: Poppy
Find it here: B&N, Goodreads, Mysterious Galaxy
Source: Library

What if a beautiful vintage dress could take you back in time?

Louise Lambert has always dreamed of movie starlets and exquisite gowns and longs for the day when she can fill the closet of her normal suburban home with stylish treasures. But when she receives a mysterious invitation to a vintage fashion sale in the mail, her once painfully average life is magically transformed into a time-travel adventure.

Suddenly onboard a luxurious cruise ship a hundred years ago, Louise relishes the glamorous life of this opulent era and slips into a life of secrets, drama, and decadence. . . .

Dreamy and imaginative, The Time-Traveling Fashionista features thirty full-color fashion illustrations to show gorgeous dresses and styles throughout history.

My thoughts:

I've been hearing about The Time-Traveling Fashionista since it first came out and literally been wanting to read it since then as well! But I had no idea it was a middle grade book! A few months ago I spotted a copy of it at the bookstore and when I flipped through it I was shocked to find such beautiful illustrations and I knew that I had to read it! 

I loved the characterization of Louise! She's this girl who is born into a wealthy family whose mom would buy her whatever clothing she wanted but she always chooses to search endlessly though thrift stores and vintage shop because she is obsessed with fashion.  She's a somewhat geeky seventh grader who hasn't grown into her body yet.  Even though she enjoys her life she wishes that there was a little more adventure. She gets invited to a traveling vintage sale her whole world changes! 

I loved the part when she was on the Titanic! I loved the mix of historical fiction and modern touches throughout the story.  I love everything about the Titanic so this book was especially fun for me! The famous, glamorous people, beautiful, old fashioned dressed and not enough life boats for everyone. As much as Louise was trying to be the famous actress that everyone thought she was she was also very much herself.  She formed a friendship with her maid and possibly saved her life in the end.  It was a very fun story and I'm so glad that the series is going to continue! I give The Time-Traveling Fashionista 4 hearts because who doesn't want to read about a teenager who time travels just by putting on a vintage dress! 

Stacking the Shelves (22)

Hey there! Welcome to this week's Stacking the Shelves! This awesome meme is hosted by Tynga's Reviews and we get to show each other the books we acquired this week whether bought, from the library or for review!

Now I'm not a crazy black Friday shopper but I did go out yesterday to Barnes & Noble because they're sale is going through the weekend. And I needed to use the awesome coupon that they sent me!

Bought:

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

The Drowned Cities by Paolo Bacigalupi

Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris

For Review:

Ghost Planet by Sharon Lynn Fisher (author interview)

Review: Fever

Title: Fever
Author: Lauren DeStefano
Series: The Chemical Garden Trilogy #2
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Find it here: B&N, Goodreads, Mysterious Galaxy
Source: Library

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.

My thoughts:

When I first read Wither I thought it was really great! But between reading Wither and Fever I read so many other great books and I thought that if I read Wither again, that I wouldn't think it would be as great.  So I wasn't read to jump on Fever as soon as it came out.  I eventually got it from the library and I definitely liked it more than I thought I would. 

I really enjoyed the progression of Rhine and Gabriel's story.  I felt it was well-paced and the series of events seemed fairly likely as opposed to other stories that are completely unrealistic.  The story moved quickly enough to where I didn't feel bored nor did I think that Rhine stayed in one place for too long.  I also enjoyed the ending and thought the little twist was just perfect.  It definitely left me hanging and wanting to find out what happens in Sever, the final book in the Chemical Garden trilogy. 

The Chemical Garden trilogy is a series that I have come to appreciate more now that I've read Fever! I guess I needed to be reminded that I really enjoy these books.  I don't like the cover to Fever as much as Wither and I feel like it too much of a literal interpretation of the story.  I personally like more abstract covers. I have to give Fever 4 hearts for reminding how great this series is and now I'm genuinely excited for the release of Sever! 

Waiting on Wednesday (79)

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: Naturals
Author: Tiffany Truitt
Series: Chosen Ones #2
Hitting the Shelves: April 02, 2013

Tess is finally safe from the reach of the Council, now that she is living in the Middlelands with the rebel Isolationists. With James having returned to Templeton, she easily falls back into her friendship with Henry, though her newfound knowledge of Robert’s chosen one status still stings. Even surrounded by people, Tess has never felt more alone. So she’s thrilled when James returns to the settlement, demanding to see Tess — until she finds out that it’s because her sister, Louisa, has been recruited into Tess’s old position at Templeton, and that the dangerously sadistic chosen one George has taken an interest in her.

What are you waiting for? 

Book Blitz and Giveaway! Breathe by Suzanne Cox

Hey! I'm glad you stopped by! Welcome to the Blitz Tour for Breathe by Suzanne Cox! Have you seen that awesome cover!! Isn't is just gorgeous?! I already bought a copy for my Nook and I hope you do the same!! Book Blitz is hosted and created by Ashley @ The Bookish Brunette!

Title: Breathe

Author: Suzanne Cox

Release Date: October 22, 2012

17 year old science prodigy, Laney Brookes, is looking for two things: a cure for the flu virus that’s ravaging the world and the truth about what happened to her father. Using clues from her father’s secret journals, she and her two friends Kate and Carter follow what she thinks is the path to the answers.

It’s a path that lands them in the lost world of Atlantis, a world struggling to survive. Laney finds more than just answers in Atlantis. She finds love. To get her friends and herself home, Laney will have to travel into enemy territory, led by Andrew a young Atlantean determined to return his people to power. In the process she’ll even unravel the mystery of her missing father. But first, she’ll have to figure out who the real enemy is.

About the Author: 

I remember writing my first stories when I was about nine or ten years old. I've been writing ever since. In 2002 I decided to seriously try and get some of my work published. On February 14th of 2005 I sold my first book, A Different Kind of Man, to Harlequin Superromance. While trying to decide what I wanted to be when I grew up, besides a writer, I went to college (alot) and worked a variety of jobs. I have a bachelor of arts in English with a minor in secondary education, a bachelor of science in nursing, a master of science in career and technical education with an emphasis in adult education and most recently, a master of science in nursing as a family nurse practitioner. I was also a National Board Certified Teacher in career and technical education. Along the way I've worked as a high school English teacher and an elementary teacher. I've worked as a registered nurse on a cardiac unit, brain injury rehab unit, and several different medical-surgical units. I've also done stints as a home health nurse and a commnunity health educator at a hospital, and many years as an allied health instructor at a high school career and technology center. Presently, I'm working full time as a family nurse practitioner at an inpatient psychiatric facility.

If I'm not writing I like to spend time reading. My husband and I share our home with our four legged children. Our boy and girl in puppy dog clothes, Toby and Sassy, who masquerade as Miniature Pinschers. We are also owned by three cats Chase, Jackson, and Spots. We are all terrorized by Gray Kitty, a stray who decided to stay and take over.

Suzanne's Blog

Suzanne's Author Website

Suzanne's Facebook

Suzanne's Twitter

Buy Breathe: Amazon, B&N

Giveaway:

• US Only
• (1) copy of Breathe & (1) Marked.
• Sparkly nail polish that coordinates with the book cover.
• A stoneware necklace with concentric circle design from Breathe by Kaatee art.
• Metal bookmark

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Stacking the Shelves (21)

Hey there! Welcome to this week's Stacking the Shelves! This awesome meme is hosted by Tynga's Reviews and we get to show each other the books we acquired this week whether bought, from the library or for review!

From the Library:

Venom by Fiona Paul

For Review:

Dance of Shadows by Yelena Black

Hysteria by Megan Miranda

I didn't get whole lot of books this week but I've been excited for all three of these for a very long time! I've been on hold at the library for Venom so I definitely can't wait to read it! Dance of Shadows sounds so creepy and so awesome! I loved Megan Miranda's Fracture so I definitely can't wait to see what she brings her readers with Hysteria! 

What new books are stacking your shelves?