Sunday, June 24, 2012

Review: Of Poseidon


Summary:(From Goodreads) Galen, a Syrena prince, searches land for a girl he's heard can communicate with fish. It’s while Emma is on vacation at the beach that she meets Galen. Although their connection is immediate and powerful, Galen's not fully convinced that Emma's the one he's been  looking for. That is, until a deadly encounter with a shark proves  that Emma and her Gift may be the only thing that can save his kingdom. He needs her help--no matter what the risk




review:I was initially drawn in to this book by the cover, I thought it was so pretty. I was curious about it because the legs show it's a human, but the shape of the body is something like how a mermaid would look while swimming..I'm a sucker for a good mermaid..err..Syrena book (sorry Galen), but I have yet to find that absolutely perfect one. My search is over! This book was absolutely amazing, I read it in 2 days, I could not put it down. Skip food, skip work, and just read!! There were a lot of things I really liked about this book: the first being the scary part in the beginning. I won't say what happens and spoil it for those who haven't read it, but I was actually scared and nervous when reading it. 2) I liked how the life of the main character isn't perfect. She suffers a loss, a pretty serious one right in the beginning of the book, it's not rainbows and butterflies, and happy living. Sometimes you just need that moment of realistic loss. 3) I liked how the male character was a bit older, I'm 23 but I enjoy young adult, It's my favorite genre of book, so reading about 15 and 16 year olds sometimes gets like uhhh man, I wish they'd have some older characters every now and then. When I found out Galen and his sister were 20 I was happy they were a little closer in age to me than other books. There were so many funny moments in the book that actually made me giggle out loud, the mispronouncing of words and mistaken words for other words that Galen, Toraf and Rayna stumble upon. (Just remember the camel...you'll see, and you'll laugh). This is a book you will LOVE and find hard to put down. There's everything you look for in a good book, romance, a bit of mystery, some fierce punching, friendship, love, loss, and a really awesome underwater adventure to a special piece of history. Must read!

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Review: Arise

Summary:(from goodreads)Amelia—still caught between life and death—must fight for every moment of her relationship with the human boy Joshua. They can hardly even kiss without Amelia accidentally dematerializing. Looking for answers, they go to visit some of Joshua’s Seer relatives in New Orleans. But even in a city so famously steeped in the supernatural, Amelia ends up with more questions than answers…and becomes increasingly convinced that she and Joshua can never have a future together.Wandering through the French Quarter, Amelia meets other in-between ghosts, and begins to seriously consider joining them. And then she meets Gabrielle. Somehow, against impossible odds, Gaby has found a way to live a sort of half-life...a half-life for which Amelia would pay any price. Torn between two worlds, Amelia must choose carefully, before the evil spirits of the netherworld choose for her


Review: I was so looking forward to this book because Hereafter was my favorite book of last summer. I instantly fell in love with Josh and Amelia's story and just could not wait to see where their relationship would take us in this book. While I enjoyed this book, I didn't like it as much as I thought I would, or even as much as the first book. I often find in trilogies, I never really love the second book as much as the first and last one. The way this book ended I fully expect to love the next book. We're introduced to new characters and friends in this book, some good, some....not so good, but the ride is a fun one. I really liked the change in settings as this book takes place in New Orleans. I'm really looking forward to the next one. 

Review: A Million Suns

Summary:(from goodreads)Godspeed was once fueled by lies. Now it is ruled by chaos. It’s been three months. In that time, Amy has learned to hide who she is. Elder is trying to be the leader he’s always wanted to be. But as the ship gets more and more out of control, only one thing is certain: They have to get off the ship.

Review: I was a little hesitant to read this book because I wasn't exactly a big fun of the first book, I can't usually start a series without ending it however; so I read this one fully intending to not like it. I'm happy to say that I was wrong and I really really enjoyed this book. I'm really happy with the way things are going with this book, and the revelation they have about the ship and Centauri Earth. I went through a bunch of different emotions reading this book, from: wonder to excitement, fear, betrayal, sadness, longing, loss, anger it was really full of emotions. It was fun getting to better know Amy and Elder, and seeing how Elder takes his responsibilities as Eldest, and Amy trying to become accustomed to being on Godspeed. There was so much chaos I didn't see how it would ever be resolved. I can't wait for the next book and the adventure that awaits them on Centauri Earth.

Review: Thumped

Summary:It’s been thirty-five weeks since twin sisters Harmony and Melody went their separate ways. And now their story has become irresistible: twins separated at birth, each due to deliver twins…on the same day!

Married to Ram and living in Goodside, Harmony spends her time trying to fit back into the community she once believed in. But she can’t forget about Jondoe, the guy she fell for under the strangest of circumstances.

To her adoring fans, Melody has achieved everything: a major contract and a coupling with the hottest bump prospect around. But this image is costing her the one guy she really wants.

The girls’ every move is analyzed by millions of fans eagerly counting down to “Double Double Due Date.” They’re two of the most powerful teen girls on the planet, and they could do only one thing to make them even more famous:

Tell the truth

Summary: I didn't know this was the conclusion of the Bumped books until after I had finished Thumped, and I was kind of sad to see there would not be another book. I thought there would at least be three. Anyway, I really enjoyed this book a lot, I was happy to see all the characters I loved come back for book two (especially jondoe of course). There were a lot of revelations in this book, and as far as endings go, everything was settled and ended in a way I liked. There was quite a shocking revelation from one of the characters in the book, although there were little hints that it was coming throughout the whole book. I kind of hope that Mrs. Maccafferty decides she wants to write at least ONE more, so we can see where the characters have gone since Thumped. 

Review: The Last Echo

Summary:In the end, all that's left is an echo...

Violet kept her morbid ability to sense dead bodies a secret from everyone except her family and her childhood-best-friend-turned-boyfriend, Jay Heaton. That is until forensic psychologist Sara Priest discovered Violet's talent and invited her to use her gift to track down murderers. Now, as she works with an eclectic group of individuals—including mysterious and dangerously attractive Rafe—it's Violet's job to help those who have been murdered by bringing their killers to justice. When Violet discovers the body of a college girl killed by "the girlfriend collector" she is determined to solve the case. But now the serial killer is on the lookout for a new "relationship" and Violet may have caught his eye...

Review: I had been in a sort of funk with reading lately, and hadn't been reading, or even wanting to read, but when I found out this book came out I knew I had to read it. As always with this series, I was hooked right away. Just like the other books in the series I loved the back and forth chapters between Violet and the killer. It's really fun getting into both of their minds and seeing what they're thinking and experiencing at the same time. It's chilling to see the killer watching Violet and reading what he's thinking and feeling. It was great to get to dig into Rafe's background and his past, and finding out the shocking discovery of his family. In this book you really start to feel close to him and build a relationship with him. I have to admit though, this wasn't my favorite of the series, but I still absolutely loved it and can't wait for the next one...which I think will actually be the LAST echo. 

Monday, March 19, 2012

Cover Reveal

I don't know why it says sequel though...I love it anyway!

Review: Legend

Summary:What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths - until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias' death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

Review: I bought this book because I was at the NY stop of the breathless reads tour, and this book was the one I heard the most about. Throughout the book I found myself not really being swayed on way or another about liking it or disliking it. I was really stuck in the middle. I'm not gonna say I liked it, but I also can't say that I didn't like it, which is weird. I've never really been in that situation with a book before. There were a lot of things I liked about the book though, particularly the characters. I immediately became attached to June's brother Metias, in less than fifty pages. The relationship he and June had was really nice and fun to read about. Metias is so protective and loving to her, even when he's angry with her you see the love coming through and that was cute to read  about. Another character I immediately fell for was Day's brother John, he doesn't have a huge part in the book, but his small moments make such an impact on the reader. You really become attached to Day's family and really want to make sure they're okay.
                The chapters are split between Day's point of view and June's point of view, I LOVE when authors do that. It keeps the book from getting boring and being one large monotonous thing. I did find myself enjoying Day's chapters more though, he's so full of action and adventure. One thing I particularly liked about this book was the humanity she gave to Day. Yes, he's a wanted criminal and a badass, but he has a huge soft spot for his family and will do anything for them. He shows pain. A lot of times in books authors won't let their heroes show pain or hurt they're getting their ribs kicked in and lay there silently to show they're a man. Let's be honest, if you're getting beat up you're gonna scream. When Day is being hit and hurt he's screaming in pain, like a normal person. I will definitely read the second one, I can't wait to see how June and Day end up. 

3/5 Stars

Quote I liked: "I'm from a poor sector too. But I followed the rules. I worked my way up, I earned my country's respect. The rest of you people just sit around and complain and blame the state for your bad luck. Bunch of dirty, lazy, cons."

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Review: Fever

Summary:Rhine and Gabriel have escaped the mansion, but danger is never far behind. 

Running away brings Rhine and Gabriel right into a trap, in the form of a twisted carnival whose ringmistress keeps watch over a menagerie of girls. Just as Rhine uncovers what plans await her, her fortune turns again. With Gabriel at her side, Rhine travels through an environment as grim as the one she left a year ago - surroundings that mirror her own feelings of fear and hopelessness. 

The two are determined to get to Manhattan, to relative safety with Rhine’s twin brother, Rowan. But the road there is long and perilous - and in a world where young women only live to age twenty and young men die at twenty-five, time is precious. Worse still, they can’t seem to elude Rhine’s father-in-law, Vaughn, who is determined to bring Rhine back to the mansion...by any means necessary. 


Review: This book was absolutely amazing! Normally a sequel tries really hard to be as good as the first which ruins a book because you can tell the author tried so hard, but this book did not disappoint! I think Lauren Destefano just has this amazing way of writing that is really hardly seen in other young adult books. The book starts off right where we ended with Wither, which I love. I can't stand when books have a few months missing in between and you're left wondering like what did they do for those few months? Anyway, I always love the characters that are brought to the table in these books, no one in Wither or Fever is exactly alike, everyone is so different and you have to wonder where in the world did she come up with someone like this?! There's no in between, you either love them or hate them. So many things unfold in this book, between the plot, and the characters back stories I just found it so amazing. Rhine starts to realize her sister wife Jenna had been keeping secrets from her and it really hurts her...I hope in the next book we hear these secrets because I felt betrayed by Jenna too, why didn't you tell me Jenna?! The detail that Destefano puts into her characters' emotions and surroundings really makes you feel like you're there and you're feeling what they're feeling. At points I really felt like I was running for my life away from the mansion, being chased. You feel the despair, the sick, the hurt, everything, and I loved that. I did like Wither better, but not because Fever was less impressive by any sense, I just always prefer book one on a trilogy/series because you're just getting to learn who the characters are and where their lives are at. I can't wait  for book three and find out what the heck is gonna go down and how everything will play out.

5/5 stars

Quote I liked: "Love unrequited is violent. He loves you so much that he's turned it into hate."

Review: Hallowed

Summary:For months Clara Gardner trained to face the fire from her visions, but she wasn't prepared for the choice she had to make that day. And in the aftermath, she discovered that nothing about being part angel is as straightforward as she thought.
Now, torn between her love for Tucker and her complicated feelings about the roles she and Christian seem destined to play in a world that is both dangerous and beautiful, Clara struggles with a shocking revelation: Someone she loves will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain, the only thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning.

Review: I was really excited for this book because I really enjoyed the first one, so when I finally got my hands on it I started reading it right away. I have to admit, I was a little disappointed and didn't enjoy this one as much as I enjoyed Unearthly. I can't say exactly what it was that made me not enjoy it so much, because I'm not sure. I guess I found it to be a bit boring, in the first one we got to experience Clara trying to figure out her purpose, trying to get close to Christian, and slowly falling in love with Tucker. In this book she's friends with Christian, she already has Tucker, and she's not working on figuring out a purpose anymore, so I think that all equaled a boring book for me. There were some really high action parts, and some interesting scenes, not everything was boring, but when I find myself the majority of the read bored, it sorta cancels out the really good parts. Usually in books where theres a love triangle I automatically pick the guy I like, in Unearthly I knew I was team Tucker, but Hallowed really had me torn! I can't say now if I'm team Tucker or Christian because they really both won me over in this one, and that's a hard thing to do for me! They're completely different characters, but I love them both equal. Props to Cynthia Hand for making two absolutely different, but lovable love interests. Clara had to go through some pretty tough situation in this one and I truly felt bad for her, I can't wait to see what happens in the next one.

3/5 stars

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

The Dark Divine: e-book news



Dark Divine Fans: 
 
              As you may or may not know, the release of the third and final installment in the Dark Divine series: The Savage Grace is quickly approaching. Egmont publishing is running a promotion offering the e-book of the first two books The Dark Divine and The Lost Saint for $1.99 in the two weeks leading up to the release of the third book. The promotion is running in all online bookstores so make sure you check it out! It's too good a deal to pass up!


Review: The Savage Grace

Summary:A troubled soul. An impossible choice. A final battle. 
 Wrestling with the werewolf curse pulsing deep inside of her, Grace Divine was finally able to find her brother, but it nearly cost her everything. 
 With her boyfriend, Daniel, stuck in wolf form and Sirhan's death approaching, time is running out for Grace to stop Caleb Kalbi and his gang of demons. If she fails, her family and hometown will perish. Everything rests on Grace's shoulders. 
 The final installment in The Dark Divine trilogy brings Daniel and Grace's love story to a breathtaking conclusion.

Review: I received this book first from winning it from Bree's blog, and then I received it again from Random house. I put off reviewing this until the release date was a little closer, and I had some time to think over the events of the book. This is one of my all time favorite trilogies, and I wanted to give it a fair review. There were a lot of things I really like about this book that made it quite different from other YA books, but there were also a bunch of things I didn't like and made this book my least favorite in the series. So I'm gonna start with the things I liked: Grace was less human (physically) in this book than she has been in other books, yet she was the most human (emotionally) in this book, and that was something I really liked. She was sort of weak and emotional, and even though Grace hated feeling all these emotions and feeling like she was a weak link I felt like she was more relatable in her weakness. When Grace is missing Daniel, you really find yourself missing Daniel too. The way Bree Despain explains the pain and yearning for Daniel you really start to feel it too, you start feeling desperate for his return and nervous it might never happen. There were little moments between Daniel and Grace that were just so cute you couldn't help but smile and wish you had the kind of relationship they have. One of these moments happens when Grace goes to visit Daniel in the basement bedroom he's sleeping in and she's hears him whisper her name just as she's about to leave and he says " I hoped you'd come" Grace explains how even though they're two floors apart with their connection they feel like they're in the same room. Grace had a lot of fights with her inner wolf, and that was always an interesting battle to read. This book unlike the other two had A LOT of action. The book started out a little slow but around page 177 the action really started to happen, and never stopped. It just kept getting more and more action packed. Without giving it away, I will just  say the part when Daniel turns back into human for the first time...no explanations just read it! I liked how the book includes church and religion in it, I feel like lately a lot of people are afraid to put religion into things to keep from upsetting people, so to have it so important in this book was really refreshing. I also really like how Grace and Daniel waited to have sex. Grace said from the start she was going to wait, and even though they became so close and so involved they still waited. That doesn't usually happen in YA, they almost always give it up pretty quickly. Now on to things I didn't like and there isn't much. One: the number one thing I disliked my favorite character died!!!! I was like WHAT?!?!? It was truly a heartbreaking moment in the book, I cried and cried. A character I was just beginning to love died too. There was just too much deaths from people I liked. Something was left open at the end, very open, and the curiosity of what that will lead to will kill me every time I think of it. 

Quote I liked: "Now see, there's someone who knows how to use 'literally' the correct way." 

Advice before starting the book: Go back to the previous book and brush up on the characters you met in the last book. The shadow kings and the lost boys. 

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Grace is currently reading....

Out yesterday

Breathless Reads Tour 2012







Last year Alana and I went to the Breathless Reads Tour at Books Of Wonder in NYC, so when we found out they would have another tour this year we knew we had to go again. We didn't have as good seats as we did last year so we didn't get as many good pictures, but, we got a few...enjoy! 


Alana meeting Andrea Cremer
Marie Lu signing my copy of Legend