Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Out Today: Daughter Of Smoke and Bone

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?

Friday, September 23, 2011

Review: Vanish

Summary:To save the life of the boy she loves, Jacinda did the unthinkable: She betrayed the most closely-guarded secret of her kind. Now she must return to the protection of her pride knowing she might never see Will again—and worse, that because his mind has been shaded, Will’s memories of that fateful night and why she had to flee are gone. 

Back home, Jacinda is greeted with hostility and must work to prove her loyalty for both her sake and her family’s. Among the few who will even talk to her are Cassian, the pride’s heir apparent who has always wanted her, and her sister, Tamra, who has been forever changed by a twist of fate. Jacinda knows that she should forget Will and move on—that if he managed to remember and keep his promise to find her, it would only endanger them both. Yet she clings to the hope that someday they will be together again. When the chance arrives to follow her heart, will she risk everything for love? 

Review: This book was kind of a disappointment for me, I found it to be really slow going. I was looking forward to this book because I really loved Firelight, and couldn't wait to see what happens with Jacinda, Cassian, and Will. Aside from the obvious main characters, I also wanted to see what happened to Tamra. I was happy to see that she had a pretty major role in this one, and I hope she continues to have a big part in the next book. Although I found this one kind of slow there were parts that I was on the edge of my seat, like Jacinda's public "trial" my heart was racing! It's played out over about three pages and the excitement and tension just kept escalating. My heart was going crazy! The most exciting part was obviously the end, and the cliffhanger that we were left at! I like how the ending kind of promised more Cassian in the next book. I'm team Cassian all the way. For once, I would like a love triangle to end with the boy least expected to get the girl. I haven't had my boy be chosen in a triangle yet. I would still recommend these books even though I found this one a bit slow. I can't wait for book three, and I will definitely continue on reading these books!

3/5 stars:  I liked it.  

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Grace is currently reading....

Did you miss the #allychat on twitter last night?...

Last night Ally Condie and Penguin hosted a #Crossed chat on twitter where Ally answered a bunch of fan asked questions about the highly anticipated second book in the Matched trilogy. If you missed it...

Here is the link: http://the-society.net/2011/09/21/catch-up-on-allychat-with-allycondie-penguinteen/

I can't wait for book two!

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Grace is currently reading....

Just as a side note: I'm reading this while waiting to pick up Vanish from the library. So expect a Vanish review before a review of this book. :)

Review: Vengeance

Summary:After the devastating events at Reed's birthday party, Noelle is determined to put the past to rest, but Reed is adament about rebuilding Billings. Coming up against endless roadblocks from the headmaster, not to mention Billings alumni, Reed will not let her legacy end with a pile of rubble. 

As if that weren't enough, old ghosts come back to haunt to the Billings Girls. Reed has been through the ringer in her time at Easton and she starts to wonder if maybe she can even make it out of this place alive

Review: I actually finished this book on Friday, the day after I started reading it, but since it is the last book in the Private series, and the spin-off Privilege is over as well, I decided to take a few days to just think it over and write the review. Taking the time to write the review gave me a few more days with the series, so it didn't seem like it was over yet. But the time has come to write the review. With the last few books of this series, I was starting to see it going places I didn't expect it to, and I was feeling like it was dragging a bit and becoming weird. With the introduction of the ancient ancestors and the witch craft I was really starting to feel like really? This is getting silly. Happily however; this book went right back to the original things that got me so into this series. There was mystery, murder, unrequited love, secrets, enemies, friendship, all that good stuff. As the pages started to get closer and closer to the end the more I became sad. I started reading this series a few winters ago, when I found Invitation Only in the deleted section of my local library. The deleted section is where they put kind of tattered and old books and you can take them home to keep. So, I took this one because it looked kind of interesting. I read it in one night and realized about halfway through that it seemed like I was missing something. When I checked out the website for the series I found out that there were already like 7 books in the series and I had started on number two. Which is how I first came into reading this series. The last 3 chapters were the saddest for me, because everything was ending, and it was becoming more and more obvious. Characters were graduating, people from the first books were coming back, kind of a last hoorah for us. I feel bad about Mr. Lange, he has become sort of a staple in the background of these books. Whenever something needed to be done, a call to him had it all set up, I was really upset when he was killed. I definitely missed his presence in this book. It's sad Reed won't get to know him as her father, and it's obvious how much Noelle misses him, they were very close. I'll admit I got a little teary eyed at the graduation scene, and on the last page I thought, wow I can't wait for the next one..and then I remembered there wouldn't be a next one. I'll miss this series a lot, and I can't wait for future books from this author. Farewell Private and Privilege, you will be missed. 

5/5 stars

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Review: Unearthly

Summary: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?

Review: This was a book that I bought from a closing down Borders. I'd aways see it at bookstores and the library but I never had any interest in it, but finally I decided I'd buy it. The cover is really pretty and it's at a discounted prices so why not? Well, I am SO glad I did! I loved this book a lot!! I regret not reading and buying it sooner. Here are a few things I really liked about this book: 1) the names. I've said in a previous post that a lot of authors go for the exotic strange names. It's almost kind of rare now that you get a book with a name that's simple like..Christian for example. The names in this book were common names, but old ones that you really don't hear that often anymore, Christian, Wendy, Angela, Clara, Jeffrey,  I loved that aspect. Just a group of normally named people. It's just a lot more relatable when it's a name that you could possible pass on the street. 2) It was country! I'm a huge country music fan, and I'm convinced I was born in the wrong state. I love in New York when I should live in Tennessee, so it was really nice to read about all the country-ness of the book. The cowboy hats, the cowboy boots, flannel shirts, country music (even though Tucker kind of hated it). That was a major plus for me. 3) The relationship between the family. They had a really nice family dynamic. The mom wasn't a complete strict mom, but she wasn't too easy going, she was a best friend but also a mom. I think in a lot of books the mother is either so easy going she lets her teenage daughter sleep over her new boyfriends house like its no big deal, or she's so strict she doesn't want her daughter dating at all. Like you're supposed to hate the mother in every book for either caring too much, or not at all. 4) and then there's Jeffrey. He acts tough, and rugged, but he still finds the time to joke around with his mom and Clara, and I really liked that. He's a normal teenaged guy, popular,  but still able to joke with his family. 5) I liked the evolution of Clara's feelings for Tucker. I found that as she started to like him more, I started to like him more, as she started to love him, I started to love him. It wasn't like omg we met I love you. It was a steady incline of feelings, you almost don't realize it until you lose him. Now here is what I didn't like:  I didn't like how Christian was not into her right away. Now this has nothing to do with the author or the writing, it's just me. She's so obviously trying to befriend him, get in a nice conversation and he's always just looking past her, it frustrated me. 
I would definitely recommend this book, I loved it, and I can't wait for the next one!! The twist at the end of this was CRAZY!! I totally didn't expect. One thing i'm hoping for in book two is you find out Midas is okay...you'll see what I mean when you read this one. I really hope there's more Tucker, I felt sad by the turn of events that relationship took.

5/5 Stars

Quote I liked: "He's like a God. You worship the gods, but you don't go out with them. you only like guys like that from a distance."

Monday, September 12, 2011

Sunday, September 11, 2011

More Borders Saves

3 hardcovers, $15

Cover Reveal

Kieran Scott reveled the cover of the last book in the She's So Dead To Us trilogy. I'm praying for a happy ending for Jake and Ally but....look at that baby bag! PLEASE don't let it be his baby!!...Please?!

Fury: Elizabeth Miles-Trailer

Review: Fury

Summary:It’s winter break in Ascension, Maine. The snow is falling and everything looks pristine and peaceful. But not all is as it seems...
Between cozy traditions and parties with her friends, Emily loves the holidays. And this year’s even better--the guy she’s been into for months is finally noticing her. But Em knows if she starts things with him, there’s no turning back. Because his girlfriend is Em’s best friend.
On the other side of town, Chase is having problems of his own. The stress of his home life is starting to take its toll, and his social life is unraveling. But that’s nothing compared to what’s really haunting him. Chase has done something cruel...something the perfect guy he pretends to be would never do. And it’s only a matter of time before he’s exposed.
In Ascension, mistakes can be deadly. And three girls—three beautiful, mysterious girls—are here to choose who will pay.
Em and Chase have been chosen.

Review: Just as a warning, there will be spoilers in this review, I usually don't post spoilers, but in order to get my point across I'm going to have to post some. Here we go, I LOVED this book...a lot. I'm a big fan of horror so when I read that this book was sort of scary I knew I had to read it. One of the things in fact, that I loved about this book was that it was scary. I love young adult literature, but theres usually nothing scary happening in them (except maybe your favorite vampire leaving town for half a year). But at points I was really scared of this book. At one point when Em looks out the door she sees a white face staring back at her, I got so spooked I had to close my curtains, I was genuinely scared! The main character of this book is a girl named Em Winters, but there is a sort of back and forth between another sub main character Chase Singer. Believe it or not, I grew quite attached to Chase, and I was really upset when he...died. Your main characters don't usually die in books, and that was another thing I liked about this book. It wasn't all rainbows and butterflies, bad things happened, tragedy struck, people were hurt. I was happy when Em finally realized J.D was in love with her, and that she finally understood how good he was to her, I wanted to shake her and tell her to wake up and smell the perfect man next door! I'm hearing its's a trilogy and I hope that's right, because the way it ended...i needed more! I need to know that Em will find a way to defeat the Furies and take her life back, and I need to know what taking the red pills did to J.D's memory of Em and what happened. Please let me be together in the next book! Or at least on the road to recovery. A definite must read highly recommended.

5/5 

Fury: Elizabeth Miles

Thursday, September 8, 2011

check out this interview and giveaway

http://t.co/WgezuWH

Grace is currently reading....

Review: The Eternal Ones: All You Desire

Summary:Haven Moore and Iain Morrow have been living a blissful life in Rome, an ocean way from the Ouroboros Society and its diabolical leader. But paradise is not to last. The mysterious disappearance of Haven's best friend, Beau, sends the pair running back to New York, where they encounter the Horae, an underground group of women who have spent centuries scheming to destroy Adam Rosier. Only they can help Haven uncover the secret to Beau's whereabouts in one of her past lives. But their help comes at a price: Haven must infiltrate the Ouroboros Society, charm Adam Rosier, and lure him into a trap. It's a plan the Horae believe will save the world-but Haven and Iain fear that it may destroy the happiness they've been chasing for two thousand years


Review: The Eternal Ones was a book I read last year and absolutely LOVED. I devoured it and finished it in like two days. When part two came out I was so excited because of how much I loved part one.  However; part two just didn't do it for me as much as the first one which I was really sad about. Here's my thing: in the first book of a series or trilogy, the main couple struggles to be together, I can deal with it. Yes, it's the first book and the reader needs to be in suspense of their relationship. Will they end up together? Are they really meant to be together, and all that. So at the end of book one when they end up together, I don't expect to see all that drama again in book two. They went through the turmoil, I want happiness after that. Even if they have to fight evil, or kill an enemy, they should be doing it together. On a happier note, I will definitely continue to read these books, I still love the characters and the premise of the books. I'm excited to see what happens to the Ouroboros society after what happened in this book. I didn't HATE the book I'd still recommend it, and I'm still looking forward to the next books.


3/5 stars

Monday, September 5, 2011

Fever Jacket Giveaway On Lauren Destefano's Blog!

If you're a fan of Wither by Lauren Destefano, and you're super excited for the release of Fever, than you should check out her blog for a chance to win a Fever cover jacket!




Here's the Link: http://www.laurendestefano.com/blog.php

Have fun and good luck!

A word on Borders

I'm still really saddened by the idea of Borders' closing down. Going in to any store now is a dreary experience. The lights are dim, the shelves are empty, books I loved are at ridiculously low prices. But there is something good coming from this, a whole mess of books for low prices, so if it's your first time reading it, and you hate it, at least it was cheap. On Saturday went into a Borders to browse, and left with a pretty impressive stack of YA books for only $48. I took a picture of my spoils because I was so proud of them.



Friday, September 2, 2011

Grace is currently reading....


Review: Succubus Revealed


Summary: With a shot at love, and maybe even redemption, is the ultimate seductress finally going soft? Like hell she is. . .
Georgina Kincaid has had an eternity to figure out the opposite sex, but sometimes they still surprise her. Take Seth Mortensen. The man has risked his soul to become Georgina's boyfriend. Still, with Lucifer for a boss, Georgina can't just hang up her killer heels and settle down to domestic bliss. In fact, she's being forced to transfer operations. . .to Las Vegas.
The City of Sin is a dream gig for a succubus, but Georgina's allies are suspicious. Why are the powers-that-be so eager to get her away from Seattle—and from Seth? Georgina is one of Hell's most valuable assets, but if there's any way out of the succubus business she plans to take it—no matter how much roadkill she leaves behind. She just hopes the casualties won't include the one man she's risking everything for. . .

Review: Me and Georgina have as much of a tumultuous relationship as her and Seth do. When I first started reading Succubus Blues a few years ago, I didn't like it. I think I read about thirty pages and decided to call it quits. A few months later I went back and decided to give it another go. And thank goodness because this series quickly became my favorite! Then, just as quickly as I came to love it, I came to hate it! When Seth and Georgina broke up, and Seth had sex with Maddie I was DONE. I remember the exact place I was the second those horrible words came out of Maddie’s fat mouth. “I had sex with Seth.” I was reading on my lunch break at work, I violently closed the book and through it across the table. I planned to never read the rest, or even finish the series. In fact, when the new one came out, I made no plans to go buy it, I didn’t even put it on hold at the library. I remember going to a Borders and reading the last few pages, and seeing that Georgina was helping Maddie plan her wedding..wedding?! So now they’re not just having sex, but they’re dating, and engaged to be married?! This was so not happening, I boycotted the books. Alana continued to read the series and she had to tell me when it was safe to start reading again, when Georgina and Seth would finally be back together. So that leads us here to the ending of the series and the conclusion of the tumultuous relationship me and Georgina had. I liked this book a lot. The twists were C-R-A-Z-Y I never suspected any of them at all. It was a complete and utter shock to me. I’m happy I got the ending I wanted, but I’m sad because of what happens to another character I loved..Roman. I won’t say what happened, but I hope he’s okay, and I can’t believe the sacrifice he risked for Georgina. I wish she would have stayed to listen to what he had to say. If it’s possible I fell even more in love with almost everyone in this book...especially Carter. Something Richelle did in this book that I really liked, was she tied Seth’s...authorness (for lack of a better word) into her own, and into this story. Here is what I mean: 
“Are Cady and O’neill ever going to get together?”-Georgina
“ Do you think they should?”-Seth
“Well, they’ve been through an awful lot together. And if there’s only one book left, it kind of seems like they’re running out of time.”-Georgina
Ahhh I LOVED that! This book and this series are a must read! I think I will even read them over in the near future. Definitely recommended. Farewell Georgina it was a bumpy but great ride. 
p.s: I would still love a prequel to these books, like her lives in all the previous 9 men she’s loved (you’ll see what I mean by the end of this one.)

5/5 Stars

Grace is currently reading....


Review: The Power Of Six

Summary:I've seen him on the news. Followed the stories about what happened in Ohio. John Smith, out there, on the run. To the world, he's a mystery. But to me . . . he's one of us. 

Nine of us came here, but sometimes I wonder if time has changed us—if we all still believe in our mission. How can I know? There are six of us left. We're hiding, blending in, avoiding contact with one another . . . but our Legacies are developing, and soon we'll be equipped to fight. Is John Number Four, and is his appearance the sign I've been waiting for? And what about Number Five and Six? Could one of them be the raven-haired girl with the stormy eyes from my dreams? The girl with powers that are beyond anything I could ever imagine? The girl who may be strong enough to bring the six of us together? 

They caught Number One in Malaysia. 
Number Two in England. 
And Number Three in Kenya. 
They tried to catch Number Four in Ohio—and failed. 

I am Number Seven. One of six still alive. 

And I'm ready to fight

Review: I actually wrote a review on this book already, it was my hurricane read so I had it read up pretty quickly. However; something happened and my post was deleted and I was so frustrated I haven''t tried to rewrite it since. Here I am trying again. This may sound weird but when I'm reading a book there's always something I'm looking for. The title. I like to find the words of the title in the book, this way I can be like oh so THAT'S where the title came from! Once I find it I'm a happy camper. I am number four had that shattering moment where he realizes he's number four and obviously, you had the title search over pretty quickly, and in a pretty serious scene. In this book it happened not once but TWICE, and for two totally different reasons. John is watching Six fight and he says "I always underestimate the power of Six" and then later on he goes on to explaining how the power of six (as in all six of the Lorien Garde) will succeed in this fight with the Mogardorians. So I was real happy about that. I really really loved this book for a lot of reasons. It was just as action packed as the first, if not more, and you really got to know the characters a whole better. I've been a big fan of Sam so I'm happy he got to be in this book a lot, and he also gets some love..I won't say from who. Now, I don't know if I just really like Diana Agron and that's why I have such a dislike for Sarah, or if I just really hate Sarah's character. Man I don't like her! I want John with someone else, preferably a Lorien, and after what happened in this book with Sarah I hope that happens. The dialogue between Sam and John is so perfect for 15 year old boys that I adore reading their conversations. A lot of authors give teens such a weird voice when writing in their dialogues but this as so spot on, it was refreshing. There are introductions to others of the Garde that you will fall in love with in an instant, I know I did.  The explosions are bigger, the creatures are scarier, and the Mogadorians have doubled in number you MUST read this book. It was SO good, I will anxiously be awaiting the release of book three!!

5/5 stars