Waiting on Wednesday (90)

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: Revelations
Author: J.A. Souders
Series: The Elysium Chronicles #2
Hitting the Shelves: November 05, 2013

Six weeks ago, Evelyn Winters was locked away in Elysium, a city hidden miles beneath the sea, brainwashed into submission. With the help of Gavin, she fought free of her captors and the fog in her own mind. He took her back with him to the Surface, a world she's never known. Now she will begin a new life.

But her past is closer than she thinks...

Why I want this: I loved Renegade and I'm super excited to know more about the underwater community!

Review: Hysteria

Title: Hysteria
Author: Megan Miranda
Publisher: Walker Childrens
Source: ARC from Netgalley and Publisher

Mallory killed her boyfriend, Brian. She can't remember the details of that night but everyone knows it was self-defense, so she isn't charged. But Mallory still feels Brian's presence in her life. Is it all in her head? Or is it something more? In desperate need of a fresh start, Mallory is sent to Monroe, a fancy prep school where no one knows her . . . or anything about her past.But the feeling follows her, as do her secrets. Then, one of her new classmates turns up dead. As suspicion falls on Mallory, she must find a way to remember the details of both deadly nights so she can prove her innocence-to herself and others.

In another riveting tale of life and death, Megan Miranda's masterful storytelling brings readers along for a ride to the edge of sanity and back again.

My thoughts:

I have really been putting off this review. I just don't know what to write! I didn't hate Hysteria but I didn't love it either. The only way I can put it, is that it's weird in a weird way. I absolutely loved Megan Miranda's debut Fracture and I was so excited to hear that she had another book coming out and I was couldn't wait to get my hands on it!

Sadly to say, I was somewhat disappointed. The story could have been great! A girl who murders her boyfriend but was so traumatized by the event, she can't really remember what happened. Now she's being stalked by her dead boyfriend's mom and brother and to help her get away from all the drama, her parents are sending her to boarding school. That's the basic premise. And of course there's a new boy because what YA novel wouldn't be complete without a love interest.

I've read other reviews and people have talked about Hysteria being some sort of retelling of The Tale Tell Heart by Edgar Allen Poe and if I had known that going in I might have liked it a little more.  Honestly the parts when she could hear the mysterious heart beat kidn of annoyed me. They seemed a little out of place. Maybe if it had been pitched at a re-telling everything might had made more sense.

The main character Mallory didn't really do it for me. I didn't feel her guilt over killing her boyfriend nor could I feel her desperation that led up to that situation. I didn't have anything invested in the character so I didn't really care how it ended.  I really on continued to read so I could find out what really happened that night and why she killed him.

Hysteria was a flop for me.  Like I said before, I didn't hate it but I also didn't love it. Have you read Hysteria? How did you feel about it?

Clean Sweep ARC Challenge: May 2013

Hey guys! I'm participating in this years Clean Sweep ARC Challenge in May. As a blogger I have fallen into ARC and Netgalley guilt! I can't help it! There are just way too many great books out there and I just want to read them all! So in the month of May I will only be reading ARC's that have been sitting on my shelves for way too long! There will also be some mini-challenges and some awesome prizes, as well! 

This challenge is hosted by Kimberly @ The Windy Pages and Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer! If you want to sign up too, you can add your link to either of these ladies' pages! 

I've challenged myself to quite a large amount of books but since I know myself pretty well, I know I need a pretty big selection to choose from. 

It's a lot but if I really put my mind to it, I can read a lot of books in a month. I hope you guys decide to sign up and get rid of some of your ARC guilt!

Out and About (1)

This cute little meme is the creation of the awesome Kimberly @ The Windy Pages!

Stacking the Shelves (30)

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!

Over the past couple of weeks I've been approved for a few e-galleys I've just been too lazy to list them. So this week, all e-galleys!

For Review:

School Spirits by Rachel Hawkins

Insomnia by J.R. Johansson

The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa

Stormbringers by Phillipa Gregory

Levitating Las Vegas by Jennifer Echols

Review: Scarlet

Title: Scarlet
Author: Marissa Meyer
Series: The Lunar Chronicles #2
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Source: Purchased

The fates of Cinder and Scarlet collide as a Lunar threat spreads across the Earth...
Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.

My thoughts:

The Lunar Chronicles is genius! Marissa Meyer is a fantastic writer who crafts together a very original world, science fiction, fairy tales, mystery, romance and fascinating characters. It's definitely one of my absolute favorite series that keeps me chomping at the bit for more!

I didn't even know this was possible but I liked Scarlet more than Cinder! I gave Cinder a 5 star raving review because it was awesome but there is something that can be said about an author who can build on the awesomeness of her first book, intertwine two separate stories and create an even bigger mystery that has me on the edge of my seat!

Scarlet is a great new addition to the mystery of the Lunars and the missing princess. The mystery of her family's involvement was very intriguing and what made it even better was the mystery of her origins which is revealed toward the end of the story. The bigger mystery surrounds Wolf and who he really is. Is he good or bad? We don't know and it's so infuriating! I also love that the story takes place in France. And I love that Iko is back! She is one of my favorite characters.

Another home-run for Marissa Meyer and I just can't wait to see what she has in store for the rest of the series!

Waiting on Wendesday (89)

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 Fiery Heart
Author: Richelle Mead
Series: Bloodlines #4
Hitting the Shelves: November 19, 2013

In The Indigo Spell, Sydney was torn between the Alchemist way of life and what her heart and gut were telling her to do. And in one breathtaking moment that Richelle Mead fans will never forget, she made a decision that shocked even her. . . .

But the struggle isn't over for Sydney. As she navigates the aftermath of her life-changing decision, she still finds herself pulled in too many directions at once. Her sister Zoe has arrived, and while Sydney longs to grow closer to her, there's still so much she must keep secret. Working with Marcus has changed the way she views the Alchemists, and Sydney must tread a careful path as she harnesses her profound magical ability to undermine the way of life she was raised to defend. Consumed by passion and vengeance, Sydney struggles to keep her secret life under wraps as the threat of exposure—and re-education—looms larger than ever.

Pulses will race throughout this thrilling fourth installment in the New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series, where no secret is safe.

What are you waiting for?