New Year, New Resolutions and Reading Challenges

Since it's the start of another new year, it's time for the new resolutions, goals, and of course the hosted and personal reading challenges.  I didn't give myself any reading challenges last year since I was still working my graduate degree, so I've decided to do it big this year because I didn't last year (and because I only work part time so I have a lot of reading time on my hands).  2012 is going to be a great year for books and I'm super excited and grateful to be a part of the book blogging community.  So without further ado, here is what 2012 is going to look like:

Hosted reading challenges:

1.  The Debut Author Challenge hosted by Kristi @ the Story Siren:  Even though it's only required to read 12 debut novels, I'm hoping to read a lot more.

2.  Off the Shelf reading challenged hosted by Bookish Adour:  I'm all about this challenge.  I buy more books than I could possible read and I know a lot of other book bloggers do as well.  It's a problem.  So the only books that are supposed to be included in this challenge are those books that you have bought in 2011 or before.  I'm going to set my sights high and set my level to "On a Roll" and hope that I can read 50 of the books that I bought this past year that are just sitting on my self.

Personal reading challenges:

1.  Read more ebooks: I have a nook and I don't use it as much as I should.
2.  Don't overwhelm myself with the amount of books that I accept for review.  Enough said.
3.  Read 100 books this year in total!
4.  Keep up with my blog and all my reviews.  Enough said there too!

Personal goals:

1.  Stick to the "Change Write Now" project.
2.  Work out more and strive for a healthier lifestyle.
3.  Do a half-marathon and a mud run.
4.  Save more money.
5.  Buy less books (ya right, haha).
6.  Go to more author signings.
7.  Make more real life friends.

I wish all the best of luck to those with New Year's resolutions and with their reading challenges.  Be excited for all the books next year and Happy New Year!!

Review- Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Title: Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Author: Laini Taylor
Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Find it here: Amazon, Goodreads
Source: Purchased

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages--not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.

When one of the strangers--beautiful, haunted Akiva--fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

My thoughts: 

For some reason I was so opposed to reading this book. I saw it all over the blogosphere, people just raving about it after they read their advanced coping. I kept thinking to myself that I’m not going to read it or buy it and I’m just not going to do it! I always thought that the cover was gorgeous and the title was cool but I didn’t like the sound of the synopsis. It sounded like every other YA book out there right now. And then the worst happened!! I got it for my birthday. SO now the book is sitting there on my shelf, staring at me, just daring me to pick it up and start it. Of course I wouldn’t be writing this review if I didn’t give in.

I absolutely loved Daughter of Smoke and Bone. I love everything about it and I honestly can’t say one bad thing. It’s exactly what everyone says it is: beautiful, exotic, enticing, and completely surprising. It’s very well written, mature and Taylor’s characters are well-rounded and realized. I’ve honestly never read another book like it!

Karou is an amazing main character. A blue-haired force of nature who collects languages. How completely awesome! I wish I could collect languages without the hassle of actually having to learn them. A traveler who has seen more of the world than she cares to admit, she lives in Europe as an art student. Raised by a few chimeras, she grew up believing she was abandoned by her human parents and found by this half-man, half-beast creature. She grew up traveling through portals which have taken her all around the world so she could collect bones for Brimstone.

Akiva is by far my favorite character and I have a serious literary crush on him. He haphazardly runs into Karou while she is on one of her bone gathering missions and she takes him by surprise so completely that he just has to find out who she is. His pursuit of her leads to her discovery of who she is and where she came from. Everything that I love about Akiva is learned after this one huge moment in the book! But I can’t say anything about his amazing qualities without giving away spoilers and I don’t give away spoilers!

I love the while concept that Brimstone does his business dealings in the currency of wishes. These wishes are put into physical form depending on the size of the wish. Karou wears a necklace of tiny beads, which in reality is a tiny wish such as her hair growing blue or exacting her revenge on a few of her classmates. I also love the whole setting of the book. It’s at a European art school and I would have loved to see her best friend’s marionette art project. I really hope there is more Akiva in the next book! I’m so excited for it!!

I also had the opportunity of meeting Laini Taylor.  She is so awesome and so very creative! If I didn't work for Disney, I would have a hard time deciding of dying my hair blue or pink.  All of us at Mysterious Galaxy had a great time!

Review- Warm Bodies

Title: Warm Bodies

Author: Isaac Marion

Publisher: Atria

Find it here: Amazon, Goodreads

Source: Purchased

R is a young man with an existential crisis--he is a zombie. He shuffles through an America destroyed by war, social collapse, and the mindless hunger of his undead comrades, but he craves something more than blood and brains. He can speak just a few grunted syllables, but his inner life is deep, full of wonder and longing. He has no memories, noidentity, and no pulse, but he has dreams.

After experiencing a teenage boy's memories while consuming his brain, R makes an unexpected choice that begins a tense, awkward, and stragely sweet relationship with the victim's human girlfriend. Julie is a blast of color in the otherwise dreary and gray landscape that surrounds R. His decision to protect her will transform not only R, but his fellow Dead, and perhaps their whole lifeless world.

My thoughts: 

At first Warm Bodes really confused me. What I thought I knew from the synopsis was wrong and from its classification in the horror genre, I thought it was going to be scary. It's definitely a very gory book! The whole concept is that zombies cannot remember their lives from before they’re infected. Even though they don’t have any memories left, they live together in family like communities. They take care of the elderly and the children and the men go out hunting for fresh meat and bring it back. The story centers around R who has discovered he can see and experience memories of his victims if he eats their brain which is how he falls in love with one of his victims’ girlfriends.

I know a zombie love story sounds really weird but this story was done so well. It could have very easily been really bad. R keeps his victim’s brain, kidnaps his girlfriend and as he experiences more and more of his victim’s life, he get a burning need to become human again. But is love enough to bring back someone who is completely lost to the infection? You’ll have to read the book to find out!
The most fascinating aspect of this book was the zombie community. They are ruled by these zombie like elders called bones because they’re literally so old they are practically only bones. The foundation of this community is not really addressed but it would be fascinating to know more about it. There was also something mysterious going on with the Bone elders that I would love to know more about.

Of course, like most good books, it’s being made into a movie! The cast has already been chosen and it’s set to come out in the summer of next year! I think it’ll make an interesting movie!

Books I Didn't Finish

Over the past few months, there have been some books that I didn't finish.  As a blogger and book reviewer, I wish I loved and finished every book I read, but that's just not the case.  There are always going to be those books that I lose interest in, that I just can't connect with and ultimately, that I don't finish.  Here are a few of those books.

The Iron Thorn by Caitlin Kittridge

I felt like I gave this book a good chance.  I read almost half the book.  It literally took me days to just get half way.  I liked the characters and the premise and felt like the story as a whole had potential.  But I just couldn't get into the writer's writing style.

Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan

I listened to this book on audio and I think I would have enjoyed it more if I read it.  The reader is not that good.  I really liked the concept of the story; Earth has died and people have been moving to the New Earth.  The story itself is a little much science-fiction for me.  The characters kept talking about things like "zero gravity and the nebulous", and they would say things like "this and this is happening now think back to out physics lessons so you know what that means".  The characters would catch on but I wouldn't because I don't know anything about physics since I took chemistry in high school! I eventually lost track of what was going on.

Darker Still by Leanna Renee Hieber

This book had so much potential! It sounded so good.  But it wasn't and it failed.  First of all in was written in journal format because the main character is mute.  Second of all it was just boring.  I would have like there to be more action, adventure or mystery.  

The Secret Year by Jennifer R. Hubbard

I heard only great things about this book so when I finally picked it up to read it, I was super excited.  I might not have given it a chance but sometimes I just can't get into contemporary.  And there was something about this book that couldn't keep my attention. 

The Wedding Gift by Kathleen McKenna

The synopsis of this book sounded so good and I was so excited to read another horror story.  But the main character just annoyed me.  From the first few chapters, she sounds like a southern airhead who literally says that she owe all the good things that have happened to her to her good looks.  She is full of herself and I just couldn't read one more chapter with that airhead. 

November Wrap-Up

Waiting on Wednesday (42)

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: Social Suicide
Author: Gemma Halliday
Series: Deadly Cool #2
Hitting the Shelves: April 24, 2012

Twittercide [twit-er-sahyd]: the killing of one human being by another while the victim is in the act of tweeting.

Call me crazy, but I figured writing for the Herbert Hoover High Homepage would be a pretty sweet gig. Pad the resume for college applications, get a first look at the gossip column, spend some time ogling the paper's brooding bad-boy editor, Chase Erikson. But on my first big story, things went...a little south. What should have been a normal interview with Sydney Sanders turned into me discovering the Homecoming Queen-hopeful dead in her pool. Electrocuted while Tweeting. Now, in addition to developing a reputation as HHH's resident body finder, I'm stuck trying to prove that Sydney's death wasn't suicide.

I'm starting to long for the days when my biggest worry was whether the cafeteria was serving pizza sticks or Tuesday Tacos...

Waiting on Wednesday (41)

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: For Darkness Shows the Stars
Author: Diana Peterfreund
Hitting the Shelves: June 12, 2012

Generations ago, a genetic experiment gone wrong—the Reduction—decimated humanity, giving rise to a Luddite nobility who outlawed most technology.

Eighteen-year-old Luddite Elliot North has always known her place in this caste system. Four years ago Elliot refused to run away with her childhood sweetheart, the servant Kai, choosing duty to her family’s estate over love. But now the world has changed: a new class of Post-Reductionists is jumpstarting the wheel of progress and threatening Luddite control; Elliot’s estate is floundering; and she’s forced to rent land to the mysterious Cloud Fleet, a group of shipbuilders that includes renowned explorer Captain Malakai Wentforth—an almost unrecognizable Kai. And while Elliott wonders if this could be their second chance, Kai seems determined to show Elliot exactly what she gave up when she abandoned him.

But Elliot soon discovers her childhood friend carries a secret—-one that could change the society in which they live…or bring it to its knees. And again, she’s faced with a choice: cling to what she’s been raised to believe, or cast her lot with the only boy she’s ever loved, even if she has lost him forever.

Why I want it: The cover is one of the most gorgeous covers I've ever seen.  It's so whimsical and romantic. The story sounds amazing! It needs to be June like tomorrow cause I want this book so bad!

What are you waiting for? 

Review- Envy

Title: Envy
Author: Gregg Olsen
Series: Empty Coffin #1
Publisher: Splinter
Find it here: Amazon, Goodreads
Source: Finished copy compliments Splinter

Murder is such a dirty word…

New York Times bestselling adult true crime author Gregg Olsen makes his YA debut with EMPTY COFFIN, a gripping new fiction series for teens based on ripped-from-the-headlines stories…with a paranormal touch.

Crime lives--and dies--in the deceptively picture-perfect town of Port Gamble (aka “Empty Coffin”), Washington. Evil lurks and strange things happen--and 15-year-olds Hayley and Taylor Ryan secretly use their wits and their telepathic “twin-sense” to uncover the truth about the town's victims and culprits.

Envy, the series debut, involves the mysterious death of the twins' old friend, Katelyn. Was it murder? Suicide? An accident? Hayley and Taylor are determined to find out--and as they investigate, they stumble upon a dark truth that is far more disturbing than they ever could have imagined.

Based on the shocking true crime about cyber-bullying, Envy will take you to the edge--and push you right over.

My thoughts: 

Envy came out sometime in September but I knew I wanted to wait until Halloween time to read it because it sounded like a good thriller.  I also didn't read any reviews before I read it.  Then after I read it, I saw a few reviews on Goodreads and these readers were saying horrible things about it!  But I really enjoyed it and it had me craving the next one already!

Envy is a very unique book within the YA paranormal/supernatural genre.  If I had to categorize the novel, I would say that it is YA supernatural/true crime friction dealing with teen social issues.  It's about a teenage girl who commits suicide after being bullied at school and online.  But more importantly, it's about twin girls who have a supernatural ability to see visions with objects.  Not only did I enjoy the mystery behind the girl's death but I also loved the intrigue of the twins abilities.  

I knew I really wanted to read Envy after I watched a video of Gregg Olsen talking about how the book is sent in a tourist town in Washington State.  It may be a fun town to visit because of it's rish history, but the residents have their fair share of secrets and past dirty deeds that keep coming back to them.  Envy keeps the reader really busy because each character in the book has their own kind of drama.

I'm a really big fan of murder mystery so Gregg Olsen's Envy is right up my alley! I loved the ending because a lot of the characters get what they deserved and other make major personal break throughs.  I can't want to see what's in store for Betrayal!

Mini Review- The Evil Within

Title: The Evil Within
Author: Nancy Holder
Series: Possessions #2
Publisher: Razorbill
Find it here: Amazon, Goodreads
Source: Purchased

In this sequel to NYT bestselling author Nancy Holder's Possessions, Lindsay finds out that she too, is possessed, and must return to creepy Marlwood Academy in order to rid herself of the spirit. Lindsay's afraid of what the spirit is telling her to do. But the secrets of Marlwood go much deeper than Lindsay thought. Sometimes the girls who seem like enemies are actually on your side. And the voices you trust the most - the voices that come from within - are the ones that want you dead.

My thoughts: 

I decided to write a mini review of The Evil Within for multiple reasons.  1.  Everything that I said about Possessions (the first book in the series), I'm saying about it's sequel.  Super scary, amazing, and it was almost impossible for me to sleep at night!  If you haven't read my review of Possessions, you can find it here. 2. I can't really say much else without giving away spoilers and I hate to give spoilers.  When I read spoilers on other blogs, it deters me from reading the book.  3.  If you're a fan of horror, the only thing I can really say to you about this series is: GO READ IT NOW!!!!

If you haven't read Possessions or my review of Possessions, you may be asking what is this series about? Here's the lowdown.  Former reformatory house for wayward girls where secret lobotomies were performed turned into a boarding high school for girls and it's pretty much in the middle of nowhere, two hours from any kind of civilization.  Some really creepy abandoned buildings, wooded area all around them, statues that may or may not move, ghost possession, a boys boarding school across the way, a love triangle and mean girls.  What's not to love?

Waiting on Wednesday (40)

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: Masque of the Red Death
Author: Bethany Griffin
Hitting the Shelves: April 24, 2012

Everything is in ruins.

A devastating plague has decimated the population. And those who are left live in fear of catching it as the city crumbles to pieces around them.

So what does Araby Worth have to live for?

Nights in the Debauchery Club, beautiful dresses, glittery make-up . . . and tantalizing ways to forget it all.

But in the depths of the club—in the depths of her own despair—Araby will find more than oblivion. She will find Will, the terribly handsome proprietor of the club. And Elliott, the wickedly smart aristocrat. Neither boy is what he seems. Both have secrets. Everyone does.

And Araby may find something not just to live for, but to fight for—no matter what it costs her.

Why I want this: 1. The cover is just GORGEOUS! 2. "The Masque of the Red Death" by Edgar Allen Poe is one of my favorite short stories ever because Poe is a genius! 3. I love dystopian and this one sounds fabulous! 

Review- Unearthly

Title: Unearthly
Author: Cynthia Hand
Series: Unearthly #1
Publisher: HarperCollins
Find it here: Amazon, Goodreads
Source: Purchased

In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees . . . .

Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.

Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place—and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.

As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make—between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?

My thoughts: 

Unearthly was the first book I read for the Frightfull Fall Read-a-Thon.  I literally started it in the morning and finished it before I went to bed that night.  I couldn't put it down down, it's that good.  I can't even tell you exactly what I loved so much but it's amazing! There are many books that I love and I would recommend to almost everyone I know who loves to read but there are very few books that I connect to on almost every level.

If I could give out Ashley at The Bookish Brunette's crown of epicness award, I would give it to Unearthly, hands down, no questions asked.  And now that I have read Hallowed (the sequel) I love it even more!

I love Cynthia Hand's portrayal of the angels.  She tells the story of the angles of God who saw how beautiful human women are so they decided to mate with them, thus creating angel-bloods, part-human and part-angel.  But some of these full-blooded angels decided to separate themselves from God and as a result their wings turned black.  Supposedly, they are unable to feel joy and happiness and they radiate massive amounts of sorrow.

All angel-bloods have a purpose for which they are made which reveals itself to the person sometime around their late teenage years.  The beginning of Unearthly finds Clara having these visions of a fire and a certain boy that she thinks she needs to save.  They end up moving from California to Wyoming so that she can fulfill her purpose because it's that important!

That's where she meets super-sexy, completely country, the hottest cowboy to ever be written named Tucker.  And I love Tucker.  I'm a huge fan of Tucker.  I actually like all the characters.  Even the ones that are supposed to be bad, I understand on one level or another. 

Angela is a great character and one of my favorites!  I love that Clara was able to meet another angel-blood her age who she can tell her secrets to.  The other great thing about Angels is her undying thirst to know as much as she can about what it means to be an angel-blood and their history which is great for Clara, because I think that Clara is too accepting of the fact that her mother tells her almost nothing.  Together they're able to learn about Black wings and their purposes.  

Even though I love Tucker and he's one of my favorite characters as well, I also love Christian.  He always has Clara's best interested at hear even if he can seem like a jerk at times.  He really is the epitome of all teenage hottness.  Tall, dark, handsome, piercing blue eyes, wealthy, smart and popular.  He's pretty much what most teenage girls want in a boyfriend.  But unfortunately for Clara, Christian already has a girlfriend and she is a typical "mean girl".  I don't want to give anything away but Christian turns out to be someone completely great and not at all what I expected.  

I just absolutely love this book!  It's is so beautifully written and it's one of those stories that stays with you after you've finished reading it.  If you haven't read it yet, GET IT NOW!  Hallowed releases in January! 

On My Wishlist (3)

On my wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City. It's where we list all the books we desperately want but haven't bought yet! And let me tell you, I have a lot of those!

Eden didn't expect Az.

Not his saunter down the beach toward her. Not his unbelievable pick-up line. Not the instant, undeniable connection. And not his wings.

Yeah.

So long, happily-ever-after.

Now trapped between life and death, cursed to spread chaos with her every touch, Eden could be the key in the eternal struggle between heaven and hell. All because she gave her heart to one of the Fallen, an angel cast out of heaven.

She may lose everything she ever had. She may be betrayed by those she loves most. But Eden will not be a pawn in anyone else's game. Her heart is her own.

And that's only the beginning of the end.

Why I want it:  I've only ever heard amazing things about this book.  I love to read stories about fallen angels and the fight between heaven and hell! It sounds like a book that would be right up my alley! 

Follow Friday (22)

Follow Friday is a weekly event hosted by Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read!

This week is a fun week where we get to take pictures of ourselves and our current read. I might have had a little too much fun with the photo booth!  That last one it totally called "alien head" which is completely appropriate!

Fangtastic Friday Read-Along (1)

This week's Fangtastic Friday Read-along is hosted by the awesome Ashley @ The Bookish Brunette.  This week we read chapters 1-6 of Rhiannon Frater's Pretty When She Dies.

1. After reading through Amaliya's 'awakening'... So realistic and freaking horrifying right? *shudders* What are your reactions to such a vivid scene?

I really appreciate an author who is bold enough to tell you how it is and Rhiannon Frater is just that author.  She wants her readers to know the reality for her character and the world that she has created.  When authors are too vague they can sometimes leave too much for their readers to fill in for them and they may not grasp the horror or the fear that the character is going through.

2. I know it's EARLY on, and we've only gotten a glimpse of him, but... In YOUR opinion, the man who made Amaliya into a vampire... friend or foe?

As of right now, it seems like Amaliya's life is only for his amusement.  He knew that because of her strength of character and what she's been though in the past that her transformation and early years as a vampire are going to be different than the others he created.  She's like his pet project. 

3. Amaliya's family are some PIECES of work aren't they??? While I HOPE no one has a family as freaking crazy nuts as hers... We all have a few nutjobs in our family tree right? Tell me about a crazy member of YOUR family... Or a time when you thought, "Please, NO... I am SO not with them!"

OMG I can't answer this question, my family sometimes reads this blog! And it would be just my luck that they happen to read this post! Honestly though, I've never been completely embarrased of my family.  They have been known to act crazy when they drink too much, but never to the point that I would want to separate myself from them.

4. Pete... Awww, Pete... He confesses his unending love for her, then everything goes to hell in a hand-basket! Who is/was YOUR Pete? Did you have a guy who was hopelessly in love with you for years that you never even knew about?

Aww, I love Pete too and I felt so bad for him.  I don't think anyone has ever harbored a crush on me for years and years or anything like that, but there was a guy in my french class in high school who would propose marriage to me at least a couple times a week.  Each time he did it, he would give me a new reason of why we should get married.  It was kinda cute.  

5. Have you started connecting with Amaliya? What specific instance stands out the most for you? (hopefully you are LOVING her hardcore by Chapter 6!)

I really do like Amaliya.  Even though she has her soft spots, she tough as nails and she's not letting anyone take advantage of her!  But I already knew that going back to her family was a bad decision and I was hoping that she would just take off without returning the truck.  Her dad could have gone and found it himself.  With her family's track record, there was not way they were going to be accepting of her. 

Review- Possessions

Title: Possessions
Author: Nancy Holder
Series: Possessions #1
Publisher: Razorbill
Find it here: Amazon, Goodreads
Source: Purchased

The It Girl meets The Exorcist in this chilling, haunted boarding school tale.

New-girl Lindsay discovers all is not right at the prestigious Marlwood Academy for Girls. Ethereal, popular Mandy and her clique are plotting something dangerous. Lindsay overhears them performing strange rituals, and sees their eyes turn black. It doesn't help that the school itself is totally eerie, with ancient, dilapidated buildings tucked into the Northern California woods, a thick white fog swirling through campus. There are hidden passageways, odd reflections in the windows at night, and scariest of all is the vast lake rumored to have captured the ghost of a girl who drowned many years ago.

What Lindsay doesn't yet realize is that Mandy and her cohorts are becoming possessed by spirits who have haunted the school for two hundred years. Spirits who want someone dead...

And that someone is Lindsay.

My thoughts: 

If you guess what Possessions is about by the title of the book than you are correct.  It's about possession.  More specifically, ghosts possessing teenage high school girl who live at a boarding school that used to be a reformatory school for wayward girls where lobotomies were secretly performed on them!!  This is the type of book that I love! It is so SCARY! This book has me freaked out for days.  One of the scariest books I've read in a long time and perfect to read during the Halloween season.

Here's the low down.  Lindsey is the new girl at this boarding school that is literally two hours from the closes town and she soon discovers that something is not right with Mandy and her super popular clique of mean girls.  The first time she sees them, they're in the forest doing something really weird and she notices that Mandy's eyes are completely black.  Lindsey's roommate is also somewhat of an outcast but she is slowly being turned to the dark side.  

Of course this book takes place around Halloween which makes it even scarier.  Mandy love to do Halloween big so she completely decks out one of the abandoned buildings into what she calls the Operating Theater! SCARY!!  And when I say that Mandy is a mean girl, I mean she is cruel.  For initiation, she makes one of her friends go to the lake in the middle of the night (and close to winter), makers her strip naked, tie a rope around her waist, go into the freezing water to see if a ghost will pull her under.  The girl almost DIES!  Talk about crazy mean.

So all throughout the book, really creepy and scary things are happening.  More and more girls are being turned to the dark side and Lindsey witnesses their eyes turning black.  She over hears Mandy talking to her reflection in the lake.  She swears the gargoyle statues move and she things she's starting to hear voices.  And she has creepy strange nightmares almost every night.  The whole time I'm thinking, "what the hell is going on? Is Lindsey crazy or are these things really happening?"

And then the end, OMG the end!!! I can't give it away or tell you who these ghosts are but if you love horror you will love this book!

I also had the amazing opportunity of meeting Nancy Holder, the creator of all things scary that keep me up at night! She's so awesome! A picture of me and her after she signed my Possessions series!

Waiting on Wednesday (39)

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: A Witch in Winter
Author: Ruth Warburton
Hitting the Shelves: March 2012

Anna Winterson doesn't know she's a witch and would probably mock you for believing in magic, but after moving to the small town of Winter with her father, she learns more than she ever wanted to about power. When Anna meets Seth, she is smitten, but when she enchants him to love her, she unwittingly amplifies a deadly conflict between two witch clans and splits her own heart in two. She wants to love Seth, to let him love her – but if it is her magic that's controlling his passion, then she is as monstrous as the witch clan who are trying to use her amazing powers for their own gain.

Although a perfect fit for the paranormal romance genre, A WITCH IN WINTER avoids fangs, excessive body hair and submissive female leads, and tells the heart-wrenching story of a couple meant to be together, but being forced apart. Seth is utterly irresistible and Anna is an empowered, proactive young woman with unimaginable magic inside her. This is fast-paced, sensuous writing with believable incantations inspired by Warburton's research into witchcraft legend and old English.

Dreamless Cover Reveal!

The cover of Dreamless by Josephine Angelini is here! I loved Starcrossed and I can't wait to find out what happens with Helen and Lucas!

Review- Eighth Grade Bites

Title: Eighth Grate Bites
Author: Heather Brewer
Series: The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod #1
Publisher: Dutton Children's Books
Find it here: Amazon, Goodreads
Source: PaperBackSwap

Junior high really sucks for thirteen-year-old Vladimir Tod. Bullies harass him, the principal is dogging him, and the girl he likes prefers his best friend. Oh, and Vlad has a secret: his mother was human, but his father was a vampire. With no idea of the extent of his powers, Vlad struggles daily with his blood cravings and his enlarged fangs. When a substitute teacher begins to question him a little too closely, Vlad worries that his cover is about to be blown. But then he faces a much bigger problem: he’s being hunted by a vampire killer.

My thoughts: 

Before picking up this series, I had always seen them on the shelves everywhere and I even though that they pre-dated Twilight but unfortunately they don't.  One of the reasons I really wanted to read the Chronicles of Vladimir Tod is because of the titles of the books.  I liked how they followed the main character by the school years.  But I had hesitations.  Even after getting Eighth Grade Bites, it sat on my self for quiet some time.  I thought it might be a lame middle grade vampire book.  I also had not seen it around much on the blog but this book completely surprised me.  

I loved everything about this book.  There's the mystery of how his parents died and why only their bedroom burned and not the whole house.  The mystery concerning his existence and whether or not there are other vampires out there.  He starts finding strange things in the house he lived in with his parents and the weird substitute teacher who somehow knows he's a vampire.  What I thought would be extremely boring and incredible lame has turned out to be one of my favorite series right now.

I had also been itching to read a good vampire book for some time now.  After Twilight, I read as many vampire books as I could and burnt myself out on them so I've been mainly reading other paranormal themes.  But I think I'm getting a taste for vampires again and this was a good book to start me out!

Review- The Thirteenth Chime

Title: The Thirteenth Chime
Author: Emma Michaels
Series: Sense of Truth #1
Publisher: Bokheim Publishing
Find it here: Amazon, Goodreads
Source: Purchased

HATRED NEVER DIES...

Destiny has finally found the life that she has always wanted. She is about to finish college, has a fiance that loves her, and a great summer on the West Coast planned with her friend, Stephanie. But her world is turned upside down when an antique clock mysteriously chimes thirteen times and someone attacks them, sending Stephanie and her mother to the hospital.

Alone, and without any help from the police, Destiny has no choice but to turn to the one man she had left behind a year ago - her ex-boyfriend, David. Together, they must solve the riddle of the thirteenth chime before the clock strikes thirteen again. Yet as they face their own past and hearts, a trap over half a century old is waiting for them to become its prey.

For revenge, fifty years is never too long...

My thoughts: 

The Thirteenth Chime is a great mix of history, an old island prison and straight up creepyness.  I'm so glad I read this around Halloween!  I also enjoyed this book a lot because it doesn't fit into the normal YA mold.  All the main characters are college students instead of high schoolers and most of them already know what they want to do with their life.  

The beginning of the story finds the main character Destiny driving to a remote town with her roommate, looking for a relaxing getaway.  She also recently dumped her long-time boyfriend and agreed to marry a man she barley knows.  Her roommate's mom agreed to let them stay at the house she recently bought and on the first night of their stay, the clock chimes thirteen times and terrible things begin happening.

I liked this story mainly because of the scary factor.  The setting, the state of Washington, is very foggy and has an eerie feel to it.  As readers, we are all given glimpses into David and Destiny's past and we find out about the accident that separated them.  Even though David almost died saving her life, she still broke up with him.  I guess she didn't want that hanging over their relationship.  

There are two very specific things that bothered me about this book and here they are.  1: Destiny was started to get jealous when her friend started to flirt with David.  I wanted to scream, "not only did you break up with him but you are engaged to someone else!"  I understand that she probably still had feelings for him and that it's hard to move on but it just continued happening.  2: The point of view would change multiple times without warning.  Sometimes I was confused on whose thoughts I was seeing.  

Overall, I really enjoyed the creep factor of the book and the whole unfinished business of the long dead prisoner of the island prison.  It's a great book to read around Halloween. 

 

Review- Personal Demons

Title: Personal Demons
Author: Lisa Desrochers
Series: Personal Demons #1
Publisher: Tor Teen
Find it here: Amazon, Goodreads
Source: Purchased

Frannie Cavanaugh is a good Catholic girl with a bit of a wicked streak. She has spent years keeping everyone at a distance---even her closest friends---and it seems as if her senior year is going to be more of the same . . . until Luc Cain enrolls in her class. No one knows where he came from, but Frannie can’t seem to stay away from him.

What she doesn’t know is that Luc is on a mission. He’s been sent from Hell itself to claim Frannie’s soul. It should be easy---all he has to do is get her to sin, and Luc is as tempting as they come. Frannie doesn’t stand a chance. But he has to work fast, because if the infernals are after her, the celestials can’t be far behind. And sure enough, it’s not long before the angel Gabriel shows up, willing to do anything to keep Luc from getting what he came for. It isn’t long before they find themselves fighting for more than just Frannie’s soul.

But if Luc fails, there will be Hell to pay . . . for all of them.

My thoughts: 

When I heard that Lisa Desrochers was going to be at the Orange County Children's Book Fair, I knew that I Had to at leas read one of her books.  So I picked up Personal Demons and I ended up liking what I read.  I had a hard time getting into the flow of the writing style but the story was just too interesting to give up that easily.

I felt the characters are very distinct and there's no question of whose good and whose evil.  It's very laid out from the start.

Surprisingly, the main character Frannie was my least favorite character.  Mainly because I don't like people who can't make a decision.  And let me tell you, Frannie can't decide between Luc and Gabriel.  To me, there's no need to make a decision at all! I'm with Luc all the way.  But of course, I always go for the bad boy types.  

So we have Frannie who is, more often than not, making out with both of these boys, one a demon and one an angel.  Now I can expect this kind of behavior from a demon but seriously Gabriel! You're supposed to be making sure she remains pure and that her soul is not going to hell! 

Luc's character is very dynamic and he changes dramatically through the novel which makes him one of my favorite characters.  Towards the end he finds himself lost and questioning his purposed and mission.

Personal Demons is definitely one of the more hot and steamier novels in YA right now.  I hope in Original Sin that we get to see some of the scenes from Gabriel's perspective.  

Waiting on Wednesday (38)

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: Disenchanted
Author: Sherry Soule
Hitting the Shelves: January 2012

Elizabeth Blackburn, an intelligent and sassy New Yorker, doesn’t believe in the supernatural until she moves into Summerwind Mansion and begins having nightmares about a young woman murdered in the house. She suspects there’s something strange about this place and it’s not just the bad dreams.

Determined to unlock secrets that have remained hidden for centuries, Elizabeth is plunged into an otherworldly mystery that not even she can explain away. Not to mention, her uncontrollable attraction to the former owner, Dorian Knight. But soon after meeting Dorian, all of her beliefs are tested. He seems so familiar, and as close to Mr. Darcy as she’ll ever get—but Jane Austen never wrote a hero like him--someone who both excites and frightens her.

As the dark history of the Knight family begins to unravel, tensions heighten and old resentments turn deadly. Even though Dorian warns her about a terrible curse–she doesn’t know what to believe anymore.

And Elizabeth starts to wonder which she would rather hold onto—her sanity…or her life…

What are you waiting for? 

Review- Bad Girls Don't Die

Title: Bad Girls Don't Die
Author: Katie Alender
Series: Bad Girls Don't Die #1
Publisher: Hyperion
Find it here: Amazon, Goodreads
Source: Purchased

When Alexis's little sister Kasey becomes obsessed with an antique doll, Alexis thinks nothing of it. Kasey is a weird kid. Period. Alexis is considered weird, too, by the kids in her high school, by her parents, even by her own Goth friends. Things get weirder, though, when the old house they live in starts changing. Doors open and close by themselves; water boils on the unlit stove; and an unplugged air conditioner turns the house cold enough to see their breath in. Kasey is changing, too. Her blue eyes go green and she speaks in old-fashioned language, then forgets chunks of time.

Most disturbing of all is the dangerous new chip on Kasey's shoulder. The formerly gentle, doll-loving child is gone, and the new Kasey isangry. Alexis is the only one who can stop her sister — but what if that green-eyed girl isn't even Kasey anymore?

My thoughts: 

I really love scary/horror type books and I usually don't set the bar very high for them either.  As long as they can pretty much scare the crap out of me, I love it.  That's my only criteria.  So when I first started reading Bad Girls Don't Die, I didn't realize that it is supposed to be scary.  It does't start to get creepy until a third of the way through.  And when it got creepy, it got really creepy.  

I mean, what's creepier than a little girl whose eyes change colors, who stares menacingly at her sister and a really old antique doll.  Now, I don't have a deathly fear of all dolls whether porcelain, glass or stuffed, but some dolls are really scary looking.  And I imagine this doll to be especially creepy. 

So this doll acts as a conduit between the ghost that is haunting the house and Alexis and is able to possess Alexis.  We always know when Alexis is possessed because her normal blue eyes turn bright green.  She begins to sabotage her older sister Kasey and gets their mom to believe that she is the blame for every accident that has happened. 

I'm a real big fan of horror and was pleasantly surprised by this novel.  It's not super, super scary, but it definitely has the right amount of creep factor.

In My Mailbox (30)

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.

For review:

Bought: 

New on my Nook:

Giveaway!!!!

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