My Book Haul: July 20th

Yay! I have another book haul for you guys!! I didn't realize until now but I bought a lot of books this week and I'm excited for you guys to see!! So I downloaded this blog go app because the Internet at my house is not working so I'm posting this from my phone! We'll see how it turns out haha! 

Library:

The Originals by Cat Patrick

In the Shadows of Blackbirds by Cat Winters

Bought:

The Lucky One by Anna Godbersen

Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park

Tarnish by Katherine Longshore

Hide and Seek by Sara Shepard

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

I am so excited for all my books this week!! Especially Eleanor and Park. I normally don't buy books that I haven't read yet or aren't a part of a series I love but I have not heard one bad thing about it so I decided to bite the bullet. And I was like 50th in line for it at the library and I didn't want to wait! So what did you guys get this week?

 

Review: The Indigo Spell

Title: The Indigo Spell
Author: Richelle Mead
Series: Bloodlines #3
Publisher: Razorbill
Source: Purchased

In the aftermath of a forbidden moment that rocked Sydney to her core, she finds herself struggling to draw the line between her Alchemist teachings and what her heart is urging her to do. Then she meets alluring, rebellious Marcus Finch--a former Alchemist who escaped against all odds, and is now on the run. Marcus wants to teach Sydney the secrets he claims the Alchemists are hiding from her. But as he pushes her to rebel against the people who raised her, Sydney finds that breaking free is harder than she thought. There is an old and mysterious magic rooted deeply within her. And as she searches for an evil magic user targeting powerful young witches, she realizes that her only hope is to embrace her magical blood--or else she might be next.

My thoughts: 

Richelle Mead is hands down, by far my favorite paranormal author! And I'm pretty sure this is how all my reviews of her books start. She is just one phenomenal writer and she continues to blow me away with her books! Do you guys realize that The Indigo Spell, The Fiery Heart and Gameboard of the Gods are all published this year?!? Man, Richelle Mead sure was working hard last year! 

The Indigo Spell was just another great installment in the Bloodlines series! I loved the sexual tension between Sydney and Adrian! It just continued to build and build until there were a few hot and steamy moments that made me want to cheer. I think it's so funny that she's always telling herself that she can never be with someone like Adrian because he's a Moroi but when it comes down to it she just can't control herself or her feelings! She has huge feelings for Adrian and I really hope they win out in the end. 

I'm also intrigued by all this magic that is being introduced to the series.  The Vampire Academy world is so vast and I'm continually surprised by all the new aspects that are coming out of the woodwork.  But this magical element is just so awesome and how Sydney is taking to it.  If she thinks that she doesn't really like the Moroi then she really doesn't like the magic and she continues to resist! But I have a feeling that the magic is also going to win out in the end. Oh, this series is just so amazing!!!

Needless to say, I cannot wait for the Fiery Heart!!! I will be there, at the bookstore, on release day, ready to dive into the next installment of the Bloodlines series!!

Waiting on Wednesday (96)

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: Vicious
Author: Victoria Schwab
Hitting the Shelves: September 24, 2013

A masterful, twisted tale of ambition, jealousy, betrayal, and superpowers, set in a near-future world.

Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong.

Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will.

Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?

My Book Haul: July 14th

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!

It's been a little while since I've posted anything like this and I got a pretty big Harper package that I don't think I ever shared with you guys!

For review:

September Girls by Benette Madison

The Distance Between Us by Kasie West

Wild Awake by Hilary T. Smith

This Strange and Familiar Place by Rachel Carter

Defy the Dark: An Anthology

RUSH by Eve Silver

Shadow of the Mark by Leigh Fallon

The Dark Shore by Kevin Emmerson

Bought:

Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard

Gilt by Katherine Longshore

The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg

Library:

The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen

Review: The Madman's Daughter

Title: The Madman's Daughter
Author: Megan Shephard
Publisher: Balzar & Bray
Source: Library/Purchased

In the darkest places, even love is deadly.

Sixteen-year-old Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself in London—working as a maid, attending church on Sundays, and trying not to think about the scandal that ruined her life. After all, no one ever proved the rumors about her father's gruesome experiments. But when she learns he is alive and continuing his work on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the accusations are true.

Accompanied by her father's handsome young assistant, Montgomery, and an enigmatic castaway, Edward—both of whom she is deeply drawn to—Juliet travels to the island, only to discover the depths of her father's madness: He has experimented on animals so that they resemble, speak, and behave as humans. And worse, one of the creatures has turned violent and is killing the island's inhabitants. Torn between horror and scientific curiosity, Juliet knows she must end her father's dangerous experiments and escape her jungle prison before it's too late. Yet as the island falls into chaos, she discovers the extent of her father's genius—and madness—in her own blood.

My thoughts: 

Now I don't normally say how much I loved a book right off the bat but let me tell you guys!!! I LOVED The Madman's Daughter!!!! I was hooked from the very first page.  It's almost as if I could feel the dark atmosphere emanating off the pages as soon as I opened the book! It blew my mind! 

I'm a big fan of anything horror and dark and gruesome and The Madman's Daughter serves it ten fold. Set in London in the 19th century already creates a sense of foreboding and a sense that something is creeping around the corner.  I was absolutely fascinated by this very elusive rumor that is swirling around about the main character's, Juliet, father.  He's some sort of freak of a doctor that was trying to make his own creatures by surgically biding two or three other animals together.  Believe me, it's a gruesome as it sounds! But I couldn't put the book down! I was constantly surprised by each new discovery that Juliet made and that ending!!! OMG it is so shocking!!! I'm pretty much dying for the next book!

I still can't even begin to tell you how much I loved this book! There is romance, mystery, horror, literally scary scenes and so much more that will have you on the edge of your seat!! I know a lot of young adult readers don't really enjoy horror but if you do, then this is a must read!!

Waiting on Wednesday (95)

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: Horde
Author: Anne Aguirre
Series: Razorland #3
Hitting the Shelves: October 29, 2013

The horde is coming.

Salvation is surrounded, monsters at the gates, and this time, they're not going away. When Deuce, Fade, Stalker and Tegan set out, the odds are against them. But the odds have been stacked against Deuce from the moment she was born. She might not be a Huntress anymore, but she doesn't run. With her knives in hand and her companions at her side, she will not falter, whether fighting for her life or Fade's love.

Ahead, the battle of a lifetime awaits. Freaks are everywhere, attacking settlements, setting up scouts, perimeters, and patrols. There hasn't been a war like this in centuries, and humans have forgotten how to stand and fight. Unless Deuce can lead them.

This time, however, more than the fate of a single enclave or outpost hangs in the balance. This time, Deuce carries the banner for the survival of all humanity.

Why I want this: I love this series! And from what early reviews are saying, its pretty EPIC!!!! So excited! 

TBR Jar- July!

I have discovered this new meme that a few booktubers are doing now called the TBR Jar! They basically put their never ending TBR list in a jar on little folded pieces of paper and then they draw one or two out to read for the month. "What a great idea" I said to myself. Except I'm gonna have to change this up a little bit to work for me!

Since I have my regular TBR list and my ARC TBR list, I need two jars to pull books from. So I made two!

First let's talk about the books I'm already planning on reading this month. So I have Game by Barry Lyga which I will most likely finish today.  I also have The Girl in the Clockwork Collar by Kady Cross and Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry and I chose those just because I felt like it haha! Then I am in a book club and this month, by my choice, we are reading The Half-Made World by Felix Gilman.

Then from the TBR Jar I drew Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel! OMG you guys, I bought this book as soon as it came out and I still haven't read it yet! Definitely glad I drew this book!

From the ARC TBR Jar I drew What's Left of Me by Kat Zhang! This was one of my most coveted ARCs from ALA last year and I've just let it sit in my ALA pile. What is wrong with me?! I'm so glad I drew both of these books! I'm so excited!!

Since I already had a somewhat established list of books I wanted to read for this month I only drew one book out of each jar. If I like how this turns out for July, I think I might start drawing 2 books out of each jar and have those be my TBR for the month plus the book club book! 

So fun! Happy reading guys!!

Review: The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

Title: The 5th Wave
Author: Rick Yancey
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Source: Borrowed

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother—or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

My thoughts: 

Pretty much everyone in the blogosphere and the booktube world has been absolutely raving about this book so when the opportunity to read The 5th Wave presented itself I knew I had to read it.  I have also read The Monstrumologist which is pretty good so I had to give The 5th Wave a chance. 

It started out really good and just grabbed my attention.  I was so interested in just learning about what had happened during the first few waves. Yancey did a great job of creating a whole bunch of build up to what I thought would be some huge massive 5th way that was about to hit.  But then when we actually discover what the 5th wave actually is I was kind of let down a little bit.  I was also thrown off a little bit by the changing perspective because I didn't realize that the perspective had change and I was a little confused.  To me, changing perspective is really hard to pull off and Yancey did a pretty great job.  

There was so much hype around this book that I really expected it to blow my socks off! I still thought it was pretty good I just didn't think it was absolutely this best book that I've read this year. 

Waiting on Wednesday (94)

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 Coldest Girl in Coldtown
Author: Holly Black
Hitting the Shelves: September 03, 2013

Tana lives in a world where walled cities called Coldtowns exist. In them, quarantined monsters and humans mingle in a decadently bloody mix of predator and prey. The only problem is, once you pass through Coldtown’s gates, you can never leave.

One morning, after a perfectly ordinary party, Tana wakes up surrounded by corpses. The only other survivors of this massacre are her exasperatingly endearing ex-boyfriend, infected and on the edge, and a mysterious boy burdened with a terrible secret. Shaken and determined, Tana enters a race against the clock to save the three of them the only way she knows how: by going straight to the wicked, opulent heart of Coldtown itself.

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is a wholly original story of rage and revenge, of guilt and horror, and of love and loathing from bestselling and acclaimed author Holly Black.

Why I want this:  I have been told for years that Holly Black is an excellent writer and that I should just read her books already!! But alas, I have not so I'm going to pick up her new book and hopefully love it!