Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Out Today: Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

How do you defy destiny?
Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different she is—no easy task on an island as small and sheltered as Nantucket. And it's getting harder. Nightmares of a desperate desert journey have Helen waking parched, only to find her sheets damaged by dirt and dust. At school she's haunted by hallucinations of three women weeping tears of blood . . . and when Helen first crosses paths with Lucas Delos, she has no way of knowing they're destined to play the leading roles in a tragedy the Fates insist on repeating throughout history.
As Helen unlocks the secrets of her ancestry, she realizes that some myths are more than just legend. But even demigod powers might not be enough to defy the forces that are both drawing her and Lucas together—and trying to tear them apart.

Publishing Details

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Date: May 31, 2011
ISBN13: 9780062011992
ISBN: 0062011995
BINC: 3256850
Age:13 years
Grade: 8


Monday, May 30, 2011

Grace is currently reading....

Review: My Fair Godmother

Hardcover: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers (January 6, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0802797806

Summary:After her boyfriend dumps her for her older sister, sophomore Savannah Delano wishes she could find a true prince to take her to the prom. Enter Chrissy (Chrysanthemum) Everstar: Savannah’s gum-chewing, cell phone–carrying, high heel-wearing Fair Godmother. Showing why she’s only Fair—because she’s not a very good fairy student—Chrissy mistakenly sends Savannah back in time to the Middle Ages, first as Cinderella, then as Snow White. Finally she sends Tristan, a boy in Savannah’s class, back instead to turn him into her prom-worthy prince. When Savannah returns to the Middle Ages to save Tristan, they must team up to defeat a troll, a dragon, and the mysterious and undeniably sexy Black Knight.

Review: This book was cute. I originally picked it up because I saw it on Goodreads and I really liked the cover (I don't care what anyone says I choose books by their covers). I like reading modern twists on fairy tales and this one was chock full of that, it had Cinderella, Snow White, and a couple of references to other takes like Rumplestilskin. It was a quick and easy read, which is nice for an in between books kind of read. Although I probably wouldn't recommend it I also wouldn't dissuade anyone from reading it, because it really was a cute book. There's nothing bad I could say about it. There isn't a sequel to the book and I'm not sure if it's the same characters or a totally new cast but i'll most likely read it either way. There was a bit of mystery in the book, and even though I had it figured out and solved before the characters did it was fun to see them trying to figure it out and the process it took for them. All in all I probably wouldn't recommend the book, it was okay, but I wouldn't tell anyone not to read it either.

Friday, May 27, 2011

Grace is currently reading...

Review: Mind Storm

  • Hardcover: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books (May 10, 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0312673175
Summary: Two hundred and fifty years after the world was nearly wiped out by nuclear war, what's left of society fights over the scraps of the Earth as the rich and powerful plan to ascend in secret to another planet. But the deadly new breed of humanity that the rulers have enslaved to protect their interests are about to change everything.

K.M. Ruiz's Mind Storm is the rip-roaring tale of Threnody Corwin, a psion with the ability to channel electricity like lightning through anything she touches. As a soldier-slave for the human government, Threnody is recruited by an unknown enemy: the scion of Earth's most powerful (and supposedly human) family, the Serca Syndicate. But Lucas Serca is far from human and he intends to make Threnody and her fellow psions meet their destiny, no matter how many people he has to kill to do it.

Review: This book was the first book I was ever sent to review, so it holds quite a soft spot for me. At first I Was a little iffy about it because science fiction is not really my thing, I had put it off for a while because I had other books to read. When I finally got down to it I thought why did I wait so long!? Usually when I read science fiction I'm lost, I get so confused with all the science of it and it loses my attention real fast. Thankfully this book wasn't like that and I was able to read through it without a problem. At first I was confused with the names and I had to keep thinking ok..who is this person? But once I got passed that it was all good. I wasn't aware it was a series when I first finished and it left me kinda like...what? But now I know its a series I can't wait for the future books!

Review: Enclave

  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Hardcover: 272 pages
  • Publisher: Feiwel & Friends; 1 edition (April 12, 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0312650086
WELCOME TO THE APOCALYPSE In Deuce's world, people earn the right to a name only if they survive their first fifteen years. By that point, each unnamed 'brat' has trained into one of three groups-Breeders, Builders, or Hunters, identifiable by the number of scars they bear on their arms. Deuce has wanted to be a Huntress for as long as she can remember.


Summary: As a Huntress, her purpose is clear--to brave the dangerous tunnels outside the enclave and bring back meat to feed the group while evading ferocious monsters known as Freaks. She's worked toward this goal her whole life, and nothing's going to stop her, not even a beautiful, brooding Hunter named Fade. When the mysterious boy becomes her partner, Deuce's troubles are just beginning.Down below, deviation from the rules is punished swiftly and harshly, and Fade doesn't like following orders. At first she thinks he's crazy, but as death stalks their sanctuary, and it becomes clear the elders don't always know best, Deuce wonders if Fade might be telling the truth. Her partner confuses her; she's never known a boy like him before, as prone to touching her gently as using his knives with feral grace. As Deuce's perception shifts, so does the balance in the constant battle for survival. The mindless Freaks, once considered a threat only due to their sheer numbers, show signs of cunning and strategy... but the elders refuse to heed any warnings. Despite imminent disaster, the enclave puts their faith in strictures and sacrifice instead. No matter how she tries, Deuce cannot stem the dark tide that carries her far from the only world she's ever known.

Review: After a tweet from Richelle Mead saying she read the book and enjoyed it, I decided I would give it a shot as well. When I picked it up I saw that it said on the cover "For fans of The Hunger Games" since the Hunger Games is my favorite book this filled me with excitement. However; like most times when people recommend certain books for Hunger Games fans I found it was nothing like the Hunger Games. I liked the book, I liked it a lot, but I didn't necessarily see  how you could compare the two. While reading it I was scared, I kept expecting a freak to pop out and try to tear me to pieces. I was scared of Stalker and his wolf pack. Usually in Dystopian books there is a love triangle in which I can't figure out who I would choose and no matter who gets chosen I want to cry for the other one, Deuce knows who she wants, and even though there is another man involved, she doesn't get confused by her love for one or the other. I'm not sure if I just wasn't paying attention or if it really wasn't brought up until the end, but when the library book in the end said "Property of NY library" a chill ran down my spine. So that's what New York had come to? A freak infested wasteland? It freaked me out, I loved it! I would recommend this book and I can't wait for #2!

Grace is currently reading...

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Signing

Today I went to meet a few great YA authors, since I didn't go to BEA which I desperately wanted to, I figured this settled for a close second...kind of...not really, but I still had a really good time meeting some great authors and hearing some funny Q & A answers.

The Authors:

Ellen Hopkins
Ally Condie
Lauren Kate
James Dashner
Scott Westerfeld
Maureen Johnson













Grace is...

Join some of today's hottest YA authors as they discuss writing for teens in today's market. From developing authentic voices to keeping the reader hooked, from plot twists and turns to keeping the slang right, find out their tips and tricks to staying in style. For ages 12 and up.
Featuring:
Ally Condie – Matched
James Dashner – The Scorch Trials
Ellen Hopkins – Fallout
Maureen Johnson – The Last Little Blue Envelope
Lauren Kate – Torment
Scott Westerfeld – Behemoth


I am on my way to a signing with these authors, I'm really excited and pictures will be posted later!!

Monday, May 23, 2011

Lauren Destefano ARC contest

Lauren Destefano is hosting a giveaway, the winner will receive an ARC of Wither and Fever, I absolutely love love loved Wither and you will too I promise! I am entering myself because I really really want to read Fever! Check it out!

http://laurendestefano.com/blog.php


GO. ENTER

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Grace is currently reading....

Review: Always The Vampire

  • Paperback: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Berkley Trade; 1 edition (May 3, 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0425240886

Summary:Cesca Marinelli has been slacking on her duties as a vampire princess, but she will be the best maid of honor ever for Maggie's Victorian wedding. However, when her mostly-human honey, Saber, falls ill due to a magical construct called the Void, she knows she'll have to go beyond the call of bridesmaid duty... 

The Void is affecting every supernatural being in Cesca's afterlife, including her shapeshifter ex, Triton. To counter the Void's reign of terror, Cesca must fully summon her vampire powers-which may lead to her own doom.


Review: Maybe it's the large gap between each book (a year) or maybe there was a supplemental reading in between books two and three that I missed, but I found myself confused by this book a few times. They talked of events that happened that I did not recall happening in the last book. I thought maybe there was a significant amount of time passing in the book and these events were just added in to let us know what was happening in their lives, but it turns out that was not the case either. That was really the only problem I had with the book, I liked it otherwise. I'm a big fan of Cesca, and always enjoy reading where her life is taking her. I did miss her job as a ghostly tour guide because it was not as prevalent in this book. She's still a witty and kick ass vampire in which I love her for. Then there's Triton. I was really sad to find that he had a g.f! Although I like Saber well enough, I wanted Cesca to be with Triton since they have such an ancient past together. I'm hoping they break up and he admits to loving Cesca in the next book....though that's not likely. I would recommend this series for sure, and with the amount of time between publishing, you'd have enough time to catch up before the next one is out.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Hunger Games Movie Info

Here is a picture of a Brunette Jennifer Lawrence, her first official picture as Katniss on Entertainment weekly magazine..I love it. I was so scared she wouldn't pull off the look but it looks like she has.

Grace is currently reading....

Book News!

The third and final installment of Bree Despain's The Dark Divine trilogy has a title and a release date! The title.....


The Savage Grace


The release date: 12/27/2011


How many of you will be buying it with you Christmas money? I know I will!! I love this trilogy but so sad to see it end! :(

Review: Wings

  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Paperback: 320 pages
  • Publisher: HarperTeen; 1 Reprint edition (April 6, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 9780061668050
Summary:Fifteen-year-old Laurel has led a sheltered, homeschooled life in a very small town, so when her parents decide to move and enroll her in high school, she has trouble getting used to her new life. A life, as it turns out, that’s not at all like those of other kids. One clear sign is a winglike blossom that blooms on her back. Oh, and her new best friend, the scientifically minded David, reveals under a microscope that her cells are more plant than animal. But it takes an encounter at her old home with the handsome but decidedly different Tamani to convince her that she is a faerie. She also learns it’s up to her to save her land from the evil influences that are trying to take it away from her and her family. This first novel is clearly designed to attract the Twilight set, though there’s significantly less edge (and blood). There is, however, a familiar triangle. Will Laurel choose solid, steady David, or will she be unable to resist Tamani’s lure?

Review: Aprilynne Pike was an author I heard of when I read Entwined and saw there was a little quote of hers on the cover. So, I decided to check out her book. I got into it right away and I really enjoyed it. It was an easy read, not long at all, but very fulfilling, full of adventure, mystery, suspense, and romance (a love triangle of course). I think I only read books with love triangles these days. I love mythological creatures going beyond the usual wolf and vampire so reading about fairies was a nice change of pace. The trolls were actually kind of scary I was looking over my shoulder when reading about them and their ugly faces. I would definitely recommend this book, I can't wait to read book two...team Tamani!

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Grace is currently reading....

Review: Bumped

  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Hardcover: 323 pages
  • Publisher: Balzer + Bray (April 26, 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0061962740

Summary:When a virus makes everyone over the age of eighteen infertile, would-be parents pay teen girls to conceive and give birth to their children, making teens the most prized members of society. Girls sport fake baby bumps and the school cafeteria stocks folic-acid-infused food.
Sixteen-year-old identical twins Melody and Harmony were separated at birth and have never met until the day Harmony shows up on Melody’s doorstep. Up to now, the twins have followed completely opposite paths. Melody has scored an enviable conception contract with a couple called the Jaydens. While they are searching for the perfect partner for Melody to bump with, she is fighting her attraction to her best friend, Zen, who is way too short for the job.
Harmony has spent her whole life in Goodside, a religious community, preparing to be a wife and mother. She believes her calling is to convince Melody that pregging for profit is a sin. But Harmony has secrets of her own that she is running from.
When Melody is finally matched with the world-famous, genetically flawless Jondoe, both girls’ lives are changed forever. A case of mistaken identity takes them on a journey neither could have ever imagined, one that makes Melody and Harmony realize they have so much more than just DNA in common.

Review: Bumped is a book I was eagerly awaiting to read. I had read a few reviews of the book while I was still in the first part, and I was seeing a lot of people hating on how the slang was throwing people off, I am happy to report it didn't throw me off and I LOVED this book! At first I wasn't too gung-ho about it, it was okay, nothing special or note worthy, but I really started getting into it then I just could not put it down! I found myself walking while reading (tripping over rocks and bumps in the road but, w.e). I liked the bouncing back and forth between Melody and Harmony. After each characters' chapters there was a mini cliffhanger, and as soon as their chapter started again it was right where that last one left off. I like the twin Harmony more than Melody, but who knows this may change with boo two. I would definitely recommend this book, 100%. ITS AWESOME! And McCafferty is having a signing by me this month....looks like I'll be making another appearance at a signing! Yes, read this book.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Review: City Of Glass

  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Paperback: 541 pages
  • Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry; Reprint edition (August 3, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 9781416972259


Summary:To save her mother's life, Clary must travel to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters -- never mind that entering the city without permission is against the Law, and breaking the Law could mean death. To make things worse, she learns that Jace does not want her there, and Simon has been thrown in prison by the Shadowhunters, who are deeply suspicious of a vampire who can withstand sunlight. 

As Clary uncovers more about her family's past, she finds an ally in mysterious Shadow-hunter Sebastian. With Valentine mustering the full force of his power to destroy all Shadow-hunters forever, their only chance to defeat him is to fight alongside their eternal enemies. But can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their hatred to work together? While Jace realizes exactly how much he's willing to risk for Clary, can she harness her new found powers to help save the Glass City -- whatever the cost? 

Love is a mortal sin and the secrets of the past prove deadly as Clary and Jace face down Valentine in the final installment of the New York Timesbestselling trilogy The Mortal Instruments


Review: It took me a long time to finish this book, because I could not get into it. I started it a month ago, got to page 100 or so, and stopped. I just stopped reading it and decided to read other books, finally I got tired of watching it lay around and decided to finally pick it back up. Rather quickly I found myself wondering, why did I stop reading this!? I really liked it, it was full of action and fun. This one was actually my favorite of the three, and once I got started again I couldn't put it down. The relationship between Clary and Jace is FINALLY resolved, and I was happy with the way it ended. I really really liked this book and am happy I gave it another chance.There was a bit of a sad part, in which I was actually really on the verge of tears, but..I guess it had to happen.

Review: Mistwood



I know I said I wasn't going to post a review on this because Alana had already, but I decided to anyway.




Summary: The Shifter is an immortal creature bound by an ancient spell to protect the kings of Samorna. When the realm is peaceful, she retreats to the Mistwood. But when she is needed she always comes.
Isabel remembers nothing. Nothing before the prince rode into her forest to take her back to the castle. Nothing about who she is supposed to be, or the powers she is supposed to have.
Prince Rokan needs Isabel to be his Shifter. He needs her ability to shift to animal form, to wind, to mist. He needs her lethal speed and superhuman strength. And he needs her loyalty—because without it, she may be his greatest threat.
Isabel knows that her prince is lying to her, but she can't help wanting to protect him from the dangers and intrigues of the court . . . until a deadly truth shatters the bond between them.
Now Isabel faces a choice that threatens her loyalty, her heart . . . and everything she thought she knew.




Review: At first I was really confused by this book, I am not a fan of books that start out in a way where something is going on, but you as the reader don't know yet. It may seem hard to understand what I mean by this, but when you read the book you will see and understand. However; the rest of the book when I got to know the characters and see them develop I really began to like it. I watched it in pretty much one sitting, so it's not a difficult one to follow. I would have liked to see the romance a bit more prevalent and in the forefront, I'm hoping the characters from this one will be in the second one as well, so we can see more of their lives together. I would recommended this book, but not with immense enthusiasm.

Friday, May 6, 2011

Grace is currently reading....

I won't be writing a review on this since Alana already has, just keeping you updated on what I'm up to. :)

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Review: Entwined

  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Hardcover: 480 pages
  • Publisher: Greenwillow Books (March 29, 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0062001035

Summary:Confined to their dreary castle while mourning their mother's death, Princess Azalea and her 11 sisters join The Keeper, who is trapped in a magic passageway, in a nightly dance that soon becomes nightmarish.Azalea is trapped. Just when she should feel that everything is before her . . . beautiful gowns, dashing suitors, balls filled with dancing . . . it's taken away. All of it.The Keeper understands. He's trapped, too, held for centuries within the walls of the palace. And so he extends an invitation.Every night, Azalea and her eleven sisters may step through the enchanted passage in their room to dance in his silver forest.But there is a cost.The Keeper likes to keep things.Azalea may not realize how tangled she is in his web until it is too late.

Review: Sadly, another book I was excited to read and ended up not liking. I found right from the beginning I wasn't going to like it, but I gave it a chance, as I do with all books and I didn't quit in hopes that there would come a point where I started to like it. Didn't happen. I struggled through reading this, and it took me a week, which for me is a long time to be reading one book. I found myself being confused quote often and having to go back like..what????. The girls in the book called their father "King, Sir" basically anything but dad, it wasn't until the end that they started calling him papa, but during the course of the book I was confused if he was their real father or not. The girls in the book are princesses, their father is the King, yet they're always making references about being poor, and living in a shabby palace, I just don't understand how a king living in a large PALACE is poor? The girls often travel back and forth from their room to a secret passage, they'd be home one second and in the next "Keeper" who lives in the passage would be behind them, and it turned out they were in the passage. I never had any indication they were in the passage, or going into the passage until Keeper showed up and I was confused. That threw me off really often, and I did not like it. I would not recommend this book...but I really like the cover. =/ That's as far as the compliments for it go.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Meetings!

Yesterday I (Grace) went to Books Of Wonder (seems like we're always there) for a signing with Lauren Destefano, Cassandra Clare, and Holly Black. I was really excited to see Lauren Destefano because I absolutely love love loved Wither. Cassandra Clare's line was ridiculously long, as I suspected it would be, but I never imagined I'd be waiting THAT long, I was #70, and since people had a ridiculous amount of books for each author it seemed like I was #1201-32093584929. Needless to say I got to meet the authors and have my books signed, and they all gave out special treats which was super exciting! Also Josh Dibble was there, who appears to be fighting for the role of Jace in The Mortal Instruments movie...best of luck to him he was rather...handsome. All of the authors were ridiculously nice, and that's always a nice treat. Here are some pics!

Holly Black

Lauren Destefano
Josh Dibble (Jace?)



Cassandra Clare!