Waiting on Wednesday (85)

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: Doll Bones
Author: Holly Black
Hitting the Shelves: May 07, 2013

Zach, Poppy, and Alice have been friends forever. And for almost as long, they've been playing one continuous, ever-changing game of pirates and thieves, mermaids and warriors. Ruling over all is the Great Queen, a bone-china doll cursing those who displease her. But they are in middle school now. Zach’s father pushes him to give up make-believe, and Zach quits the game. Their friendship might be over, until Poppy declares she’s been having dreams about the Queen—and the ghost of a girl who will not rest until the bone-china doll is buried in her empty grave.

Zach and Alice and Poppy set off on one last adventure to lay the Queen’s ghost to rest. But nothing goes according to plan, and as their adventure turns into an epic journey, creepy things begin to happen. Is the doll just a doll or something more sinister? And if there really is a ghost, will it let them go now that it has them in its clutches?

Can you say super creepy? DEFINITELY! 

Blog Tour: Giveaway of Nobody and Every Other Day!

Rules:

• US and Canada ONLY! 
• No cheating! I will find out and you will be disqualified.
• Must be 13 years or older to enter.
• Winner will be contacted by email and given 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.
• Giveaway provided by Egmont.
• Elegantly Bound Books and Egmont are not responsible for any books that are lost or stolen in the mail.

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Stacking the Shelves (26)

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!

I had way too much fun at the library this week and I definitely got way too many books! Haha! Oh well.

Library:

Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger

Crash by Lisa McMann

The Essence by Kimberly Derting

The Best Night of Your (Pathetic) Life by Tara Altebrando

The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shephard

Mothership by Martin Leicht and Isla Neal

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

The Field Guide by Holly Black

The Seeing Stone by Holly Black

Purchased:

The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead

Moon Called by Patricia Briggs (Recommended by Thuy & Katie!)

Review:

Gameboard of the Gods by Richelle Mead (OMG!!!! So excited! Thanks Netgalley)

Emblaze by Jessica Shivington (Netgalley)

Chantress by Amy Butler Greenfield (Edelweiss

Another Little Piece by Kate Kayrus Quinn (Edelweiss)

Reboot by Amy Tintera (Edelweiss)

Review: The Archived

Title: The Archived
Author: Victoria Schwab
Series: The Archived #1
Publisher: Hyperion
Source: ARC from publisher

Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books.

Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures that only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive.

Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove herself. Now Da is dead, and Mac has grown into what he once was, a ruthless Keeper, tasked with stopping often—violent Histories from waking up and getting out. Because of her job, she lies to the people she loves, and she knows fear for what it is: a useful tool for staying alive.

Being a Keeper isn’t just dangerous—it’s a constant reminder of those Mac has lost. Da’s death was hard enough, but now her little brother is gone too. Mac starts to wonder about the boundary between living and dying, sleeping and waking. In the Archive, the dead must never be disturbed. And yet, someone is deliberately altering Histories, erasing essential chapters. Unless Mac can piece together what remains, the Archive itself might crumble and fall.

In this haunting, richly imagined novel, Victoria Schwab reveals the thin lines between past and present, love and pain, trust and deceit, unbearable loss and hard-won redemption.

My thoughts: 

As soon as I read the synopsis for The Archived I knew that I would pretty much do whatever it took to get my hands on a copy! Luckily they were giving them out like candy at ALA so I didn’t have to resort to biting anyone to get a coveted copy; I just had to ask. I love the smoky mystery of the cover and a world where souls sit on shelves like books!

There were so many great aspects to this story! Discovering this world where the archived souls were housed was so interesting and figuring out how order and seniority worked with those who worked at “the library”. And then we get the mystery of the very old apartment building that she just moved into. And then the question of why another Keeper has been assigned to the same territory as Mac and why are there so many Histories running around? So many great questions are explored in this first installment of this very exciting new series!

I really loved the dynamics between the characters and their relationships with each other. Even though Mac is not close with her parents it’s evident that she is devastated by the death of her grandpa who also trainer her. Every time there was a flash back to one of their conversations I found myself getting chocked up and moved by their relationship.

 
Some of my favorite parts of the book were when Mac was doing a little detective work and trying to figure out the mystery of what happened in her apartment building many years ago. I love reading about other times, especially being able to see past memories. 

This is such a great book and I think it will appeal to many readers! It has a great adventure and an exciting mystery that did not disappoint me!

Waiting on Wednesday (84)

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: The Bitter Kingdom

Author: Rae Carson

Series: Fire and Thorns #3

Hitting the Shelves: August 27, 2013

OMG THAT COVER!!!! I'M SO EXCITED FOR THIS BOOK!!!! IT NEEDS TO COME OUT SOONER :)

Books I Didn't Finish (3)

Every few months I put together the books I listed as DNF (did not finish) and give a short reason why. In a perfect world I would like to finish every book I start and love it. But in reality there are going to be books that just can't keep my attention and I end up putting them down before reaching the last page.

Wow, it has been a really long time since I've done one of these! I have a lot of books to show you because apparently I’m not only a picky reader but I also make poor choices.

Kissing Shakespeare by Pamela Mingle

This book was just way too long for me and I felt like nothing was happening most of the time. I liked the story but it was just taking me way too long to get through it.

Dark Companion by Marta Acosta

This book was just weird. I had no idea what was going on most of the time and I was very confused. Are these people vampires? Why all the mystery and the blood sucking scenes that were very awkward? Very odd.

The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann

The reason I didn't like this book is because it seemed like it took aspects from a bunch of very popular books (Hunger Games, Harry Potter) and threw it all into this book. There was something very unlikable about the characters to me. I had no desire to find out what happened or to finish the book.

The Innocents by Lili Peloquin

I was super excited to read this book! In fact, I even read a sample of the first chapter online and loved it so much that I almost bought the book countless times! But somewhere around chapter four or five I found myself already getting bored. And then there were the teenagers who were talking like toddlers. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back. As soon as I read that I put the book down.

Blood Red Road by Moira Young

I have no doubt that this is a great series with a great story and characters. I just couldn’t get past the way it’s written. I’m sure that for most readers it adds to the story but it frustrated me to no end!

Dance of Shadows by Yelena Black

Too slow of a build up with an instant connection with someone very attractive without even exchanging words. What a waste of a gorgeous cover.

Stacking the Shelves (25)

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!

As promised from last week, I am finally posting the books that I received for Christmas! I also had a little bit too much fun at the library but I'll save those for next week!

Blood Bound by Rachel Vincent

13 Treasures by Michelle Harrison

Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick

Can You Keep a Secret by Sophie Kinsella

Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

The Undomesticated Goddess by Sophie Kinsella

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

Playing with Fire by Derek Landry

Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landry

Burning Blue by Paul Griffin

All Unquiet Things by Anna Jarzab

What new book are stacking your shelves?

My Favorite Couples for Valentine's Day

In honor of Valentine’s Day today, I took the liberty of compiling a list of my favorite couples that I have encountered over my years of reading. I hope you enjoy and that these couples are some of your favorites as well! In no particular order:

1. Catherine and Heathcliff: Wuthering Heights

2. Henry and Clare: The Time Traveler’s Wife

3. Jessica and Marcus: The Jessica Darling Series

4. Cricket and Lola: Lola and the Boy Next Door

5. Dianna and Matthew: A Discovery of Witches

6. Daemon and Katy: The Lux Series

7. Mary Quinn and James Easton: The Agency Series

8. Rose and Dimitri: The VA Series

9. Conrad and Belly: The Summer Series

10. Jay and Violet: Body Finder Series

Waiting on Wednesday (83)

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: Deception
Author: CJ Redwine
Series: Defiance #2
Hitting the Shelves: August 27, 2013

Baalboden has been ravaged. The brutal Commander's whereabouts are unknown. And Rachel, grief stricken over her father's death, needs Logan more than ever. With their ragged group of survivors struggling to forge a future, it's up to Logan to become the leader they need—with Rachel by his side. Under constant threat from rival Carrington's army, who is after the device that controls the Cursed One, the group decides to abandon the ruins of their home and take their chances in the Wasteland.



But soon their problems intensify tenfold: someone—possibly inside their ranks—is sabotaging the survivors, picking them off one by one. The chaos and uncertainty of each day puts unbearable strain on Rachel and Logan, and it isn't long before they feel their love splintering. Even worse, as it becomes clear that the Commander will stop at nothing to destroy them, the band of survivors begins to question whether the price of freedom may be too great—and whether, hunted by their enemies and the murderous traitor in their midst, they can make it out of the Wasteland alive.

In this daring sequel to Defiance, with the world they once loved forever destroyed, Rachel and Logan must decide between a life on the run and standing their ground to fight.

What are you waiting for?

Review: Renegade

Title: Renegade

Author: J.A. Souders

Series: The Elysium Chronicles #1

Publisher: Tor Teen

Source: ARC from Publisher

Since the age of three, sixteen-year-old Evelyn Winters has been trained to be Daughter of the People in the underwater utopia known as Elysium. Selected from hundreds of children for her ideal genes, all her life she’s thought that everything was perfect; her world. Her people. The Law.

But when Gavin Hunter, a Surface Dweller, accidentally stumbles into their secluded little world, she’s forced to come to a startling realization: everything she knows is a lie.

Her memories have been altered.

Her mind and body aren't under her own control.

And the person she knows as Mother is a monster.
Together with Gavin she plans her escape, only to learn that her own mind is a ticking time bomb... and Mother has one last secret that will destroy them all.

My Thoughts:

Renegade is definitely one roller-coaster ride after another. The setting is fantastic, the plot and storyline are utterly captivating and the twists and turns around every corner had me flipping through this book so fast just to find out how it ends. It’s such a dark book with so many secrets and lies. It’s a completely engrossing adventure with a love story to boot!

The characters fell a little flat for me. I just didn't care about Evelyn and Gavin the same way I normally care about characters. I was interested in their story lines and I definitely wanted to know where they had come from and what had happened to them in the past but I didn't really care for their well-being. So I’m thinking that since Evie was chosen to be the Daughter of the People because of her genetic perfection that she must be the most beautiful person in Elysium. Of course Gavin would fall in love with her at first sight. After years of perfecting Elysium’s genetics, she’s probably the most beautiful girl that he’s ever seen! Probably one of the most damaged but definitely beautiful. They kind of have this insta-love scenario that I really don’t like because they don’t even know each other. 

Mother was definitely my favorite character! She is so cold and conniving and manipulative and she brain washes all these people to believe that the “surface” is plagued with fatal toxins and that they will die if they go up there. And how old is she really? We don’t know! Mother is so mysterious! I loved the whole back story of how Elysium was created. 

OMG that twist at the end was just crazy! The Elysium series is one that I will be reading until the bitter end and I will wait at the edge of my seat for the rest of the books to be released! Renegade is the type of dystopian books that I love!

Stacking the Shelves (24)

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!

Wow! It has been a really long time since I've shown you guys my new books! I got so many books for Christmas that I want to show you but since I went to a book signing this week, I'm going to post those first and hold off on the Christmas books! Living in Southern California, I usually always get the chance to go to the Dark Days of Supernatural Tour whenever it comes around. I was so excited to finally meet Brodi Ashton and get all my books signed! I also went to the library and picked up a few books :)

Purchased: 

Everbound by Brodi Ashton

Boundless by Cynthia Hand

Library: 

The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth

Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Cordova

What new books are stacking your shelves?

Review: Burn for Burn

Title: Burn for Burn
Author: Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian
Series: Burn for Burn #1
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Source: Library

BIG GIRLS DON'T CRY...
THEY GET EVEN.

Lillia has never had any problems dealing with boys who like her. Not until this summer, when one went too far. No way will she let the same thing happen to her little sister.

Kat is tired of the rumours, the insults, the cruel jokes. It all goes back to one person– her ex-best friend– and she's ready to make her pay.

Four years ago, Mary left Jar Island because of a boy. But she's not the same girl anymore. And she's ready to prove it to him.

Three very different girls who want the same thing: sweet, sweet revenge. And they won't stop until they each had a taste.

My Thoughts:

As soon as I heard that Jenny Han was writing another book and that it was going to be another series I knew I was going to read it and that I was going to love it! I definitely loved Burn for Burn and I didn't mind the shifting perspectives. At first I got the characters kind of confused but I caught on pretty quickly.

 
I was so excited to hear that this book was going to be about girls who get revenge on those who had wronged them! For the longest time I've wanted to read a Mean Girls style book and Burn for Burn gave me just what I had been looking for. Of course, I wasn't expecting the Carrie-style scene at the end but that just made it more awesome! So the three girls: Lila, Kat and Mary. Lila wants revenge on the boys who can’t take no for an answer, Kat wants revenge on her gossip spreading ex-bestie from middle school and Mary wants revenge on the guy whom she liked but humiliated her so bad she moved away. I think those are all pretty valid reasons for revenge. And it’s pretty genius that they worked it out so one of the other girls gets revenge on the person instead of them and that they all eventually have a hand in it. Oh and did I mention that the book takes place on an island? It’s called Jar Island and they’re the people that stay after all the tourists leave. 

I really did love this book. I felt like I was in on all the revenge planning and rooting them on or crossing my fingers that they wouldn't get caught while they were exacting their plans! But now I’m wondering if there is going to be a supernatural element added because there is definitely something strange going on with Mary. I want to make a prediction and say that she is actually living alone and that she ran away from her parents. This is definitely the Mean Girls/Heathers book I was looking for and I was not disappointed.

Waiting on Wednesday (82)

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: Game
Author: Barry Lyga
Series: Jasper Dent #2
Hitting the Shelves: April 23, 2013

I Hunt Killers introduced the world to Jasper (Jazz) Dent, the son of the world's most infamous serial killer.

When a desperate New York City detective comes knocking on Jazz's door asking for help with a new case, Jazz can't say no. The Hat-Dog Killer has the Big Apple--and its police force running scared with no leads. So Jazz and his girlfriend Connie hop on a plane to the big city and get swept up in a killer's murderous game.

Meanwhile, Jazz's dad Billy is watching...and waiting.

Why I want this: I absolutely loved I Hunt Killers and I will read any book that has to with serial killers! Lyga had definitely started in on a really interesting story and I hope that this series continues on well past the second book!!

What are you waiting for?

Review: The Blessed

Title: The Blessed

Author: Tonya Hurley

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Source: Library

From the author of the New York Times bestselling ghostgirl series, the start to a captivating and haunting teen trilogy about three girls who become entangled with an enigmatic boy—a boy who believes he is a saint.What if martyrs and saints lived among us? And what if you were told you were one of them?

Meet Agnes, Cecilia, and Lucy. Three lost girls, each searching for something. But what they find is Beyond Belief.

My Thoughts:

The Blessed really took me by surprise! I knew that it was about a religious cult, so I knew it was going to be unique. I also knew that it was getting some very mixed reviews which honestly, made me want to read it for myself. People either loved it or hated it and I definitely loved it! As soon as I cracked it open and read the first few chapters, I was sucked in and I read the rest on the edge of my seat!

I loved the way the story was told. I normally don’t enjoy books that told from multiple perspectives but The Blessed pulled this off very well! I really liked the three main female characters Cecelia, Agnes and Lucy. These three girls are very different and each personifies a certain type of character. One is all hard core, rock ‘n roll and has the tough as nails persona that shows she not afraid of anything or anyone. Another is a socialite, using people for all their worth and throwing them away when she’s finished. And the third is a catholic schoolgirl struggling with loneliness and tries to take her own life. But fundamentally, they’re all looking for the same thing; they’re searing for a higher calling and for their place in life. Even though they’re all so different they’re still susceptible to the charismatic charm of a good looking guy. They all fall victim to his “preaching” and believe they have been individually selected by God.

Even though I really liked this book, I struggled to understand what was really going on. We’re they just having a spiritual experience or were they actually being moved by God. I don’t know. But it certainly piqued my interest and I would like to know more if there is going to be another book. This book is definitely not for everyone but I found it to be very engrossing and interesting to read. I have found that readers loved it or hated it. What did you think?