27 December 2011

Review: Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Posted by Meghan @ Books and a Cup of Tea at 12:00 AM 1 comments


  Title: Every Other Day                 Pages: 336
  Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes      Source: Netgalley
  Publisher: Egmont USA               Published: Dec 27, 2011
  Series: N/A                                  Purchase: Amazon
Every other day, Kali D'Angelo is a normal sixteen-year-old girl. She goes to public high school. She attends pep rallies. She's human.

And then every day in between... She's something else entirely.

Though she still looks like herself, every twenty-four hours predatory instincts take over and Kali becomes a feared demon-hunter with the undeniable urge to hunt, trap, and kill zombies, hellhounds, and other supernatural creatures. Kali has no idea why she is the way she is, but she gives in to instinct anyway. Even though the government considers it environmental terrorism.

When Kali notices a mark on the lower back of a popular girl at school, she knows instantly that the girl is marked for death by one of these creatures. Kali has twenty-four hours to save her and, unfortunately, she'll have to do it as a human. With the help of a few new friends, Kali takes a risk that her human body might not survive... and learns the secrets of her mysterious condition in the process.
I hadn't heard much about Every Other Day before I found it on Goodreads. Actually, I hadn't heard anything at all. After reading and discovering how good this story was, I'm very surprised I haven't heard anything, because this novel was wonderful.

Kali is the best female character I've read in a while. She reminds me a lot of Emily Webb from Vesper by Jeff Sampson - kick-ass sometimes, and regular girl the rest of the time.

When she's not being her kick-ass, paranormal-killing self, Kali is a vulnerable teenager. While that may sound like a cliche, I actually felt something for Kali and thought she brought uniqueness to this overdone cliche. She doesn't have all the answers at first - she doesn't even know what she is.

Her background, once it was all unfolded and on the table, was quite tragic and I felt for her even before her past came to light. I was also very surprised at what paranormal creature she was revealed to be and loved the unique take on said creature.

The rest of the characters were all important in their own way and all had unique personalities. My favorite was, of course, Skylar. I thought her character was just brilliantly done. She seemed so bubbly and positive and exactly like the type of person you'd want to give a hug because they're so adorable.

Every Other Day's writing was excellent. It was sarcastic and witty and imaginative. It was very easy for me to get a clear picture in my head of what was happening.

The plot was equally amazing. So many twists and only a few I saw coming. It was a fresh take on old, tired paranormal creatures and I applaud Jennifer Lynn Barnes on a job well done.

Overall, I absolutely loved Every Other Day. I was sucked in immediately, though I was sucked in even more so in Chapter 2 and beyond. I highly recommend to anyone getting a bit tired of paranormal novel clones.

Cover thoughts: I rather like this cover. It appeals to me because of the lack of a person on the cover and the fact that it relates to the story.



25 December 2011

Merry Christmas and IMM (21)

Posted by Meghan @ Books and a Cup of Tea at 3:55 PM 4 comments

I wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays! I hope you all have a wonderful time doing whatever it is you do on this holiday!


In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren and is a weekly meme to showcase what you got over the week by buying, receiving, borrowing, stealing from a friend etc.


From Luxury Reading for review:
The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe

What did you get in your mailbox or for Christmas?


19 December 2011

Cover Reveal: Sleepers by Megg Jensen

Posted by Meghan @ Books and a Cup of Tea at 12:00 AM 1 comments


  Title: Sleepers
  Author: Megg Jensen
  Published: July 20, 2011
  Series: Swarm #1
  Buy: Here
An adoptee raised in a foreign land, sixteen-year-old Lianne was content with her life as handmaiden to the queen, until a spell cast on her at birth activated. Now she's filled with uncontrollable rage and access to magic she thought had been bled from her people years ago. Even her years of secret training in elite hand-to-hand combat and meditation can’t calm the fires raging inside her.

Her heart is torn between two boys, the one she’s always loved and the one who always ignored her. But when the kingdom threatens to tear itself apart due to rumors surrounding the queen’s alleged affair, who will Lianne protect and who will she destroy?

I like this a lot better than the original! The colors are pretty and I really like the font. What do you think? Leave a comment telling me your thoughts!


18 December 2011

Review: Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez (Luxury Reading review)

Posted by Meghan @ Books and a Cup of Tea at 1:22 PM 0 comments


  Title: Virtuosity                               Pages: 294
  Author: Jessica Martinez                Source: Luxury Reading
  Publisher: Simon Pulse                   Published: Oct 18, 2011
  Series: N/A                                     Purchase: Amazon
Now is not the time for Carmen to fall in love. And Jeremy is hands-down the wrong guy for her to fall for. He is infuriating, arrogant, and the only person who can stand in the way of Carmen getting the one thing she wants most: to win the prestigious Guarneri competition. Carmen's whole life is violin, and until she met Jeremy, her whole focus was winning. But what if Jeremy isn't just hot...what if Jeremy is better?

Carmen knows that kissing Jeremy can't end well, but she just can't stay away. Nobody else understands her--and riles her up--like he does. Still, she can't trust him with her biggest secret: She is so desperate to win she takes anti-anxiety drugs to perform, and what started as an easy fix has become a hungry addiction. Carmen is sick of not feeling anything on stage and even more sick of always doing what she’s told, doing what's expected.

Sometimes, being on top just means you have a long way to fall....
Virtuosity did not really catch my attention in the beginning, because I do not typically read contemporary fiction. I am glad I did take a chance on this wonderful novel.


To read the rest of my review, please go to Luxury Reading!


Cover thoughts: This cover is so pretty! To me, it really represents the freedom and exhilaration that Carmen found when she stopped taking the anti-anxiety drug.


In My Mailbox (20)

Posted by Meghan @ Books and a Cup of Tea at 1:13 PM 8 comments

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren and is a weekly meme to showcase what you got over the week by buying, receiving, borrowing, stealing from a friend etc.



Soul Screamers Volume One by Rachel Vincent - Super excited for this one! I won this from the Gratitude Giveaway Hop at Martha's Bookshelf. Thank you!!

Cinder by Marissa Meyer - I cannot tell you how surprised I was when I opened the package and found this. I was totally expecting Soul Screamers and I open it and it's this lovely book! I read a sneak peek and absolutely fell in love with it, even though I only read like one or two chapters? :P

That's all I got this week or so, what did you get in your mail box?

15 December 2011

Cover Reveal: Mirage (Winterhaven #2) by Kristi Cook

Posted by Meghan @ Books and a Cup of Tea at 2:49 PM 0 comments


  Title: Mirage
  Author: Kristi Cook
  Published: June 5, 2012
  Series: Winterhaven #2

Seventeen-year-old Violet McKenna is back for her senior year at Winterhaven, and her visions have returned as well. With her friends in danger, a mysterious (and hot!) new teacher as her psychic coach, and her Sabbat tendencies threatening her relationship with Aidan, Violet may just be in over her head.
I like that it matches the first book! What do you think? Leave a comment telling me your thoughts!


14 December 2011

Waiting on Wednesday (15)

Posted by Meghan @ Books and a Cup of Tea at 2:54 PM 3 comments

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. This week's can't-wait-to-read selection is..
  Title: The Raft
  Author: S.A. Bodeen
  Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
  Published: August 21, 2012
  Pages: 240
  Goodreads
Robie, 16, lives with her family on the Midway atoll, a group of islands in the middle of the Pacific. Her parents are scientists; it’s an isolated life. Robie enjoys visiting her aunt in Hawaii – she gets back and forth on a cargo plane that brings supplies to Midway.

During a visit, her aunt is called to the mainland for a work emergency, leaving Robie to get home on her own. On her flight back to Midway the cargo plane hits nasty weather, and goes down. It’s just Robie, the pilot, and Max, a co-pilot she’s never met till this flight, on board. Robie is pulled aboard a raft by Max, who is injured and slipping in and out of consciousness. They have a bag of candy and very little water between them. When they finally reach an island that seems abandoned, Robie hopes they’ll be found quickly. But she’s not sure she was even on the flight manifest. Her parents must be looking for her…aren’t they?
Another one about survival and another one I'm sure I'll love. That simple :P.

What are you waiting on?


07 December 2011

Waiting on Wednesday (14)

Posted by Meghan @ Books and a Cup of Tea at 5:26 PM 6 comments

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. This week's can't-wait-to-read selection is..
  Title: Survive
  Author: Alex Morel
  Publisher: Razorbill
  Published: August 2, 2012
  Pages: 272
  Goodreads
Jane runs away from Life House, a facility for kids with mental health disorders and addictions. She boards a plane to Montclair, New Jersey, though her destination does not matter—she doesn’t plan to be alive when the plane lands. Jane has planned the perfect suicide: she’ll fall asleep on the plane and never wake up. As she’s reaching for her pills in the cabin’s bathroom, the plane hits turbulence. Another jolt, and the engine’s down. The plane crashes into the mountains of Montana, and Jane and a boy named Paul are the only two survivors.

What starts out as a death mission quickly becomes a fight for life.
I'm really into movies and books about survival (Beauty Queens by Libba Bray), so this sounds absolutely wonderful!! I really like the cover font, but the girl kind of makes it look like a paranormal book for some reason?

What are you waiting on?


04 December 2011

In My Mailbox (19)

Posted by Meghan @ Books and a Cup of Tea at 4:36 PM 6 comments

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren and is a weekly meme to showcase what you got over the week by buying, receiving, borrowing, stealing from a friend etc.

Won:


Inheritance (Inheritance #4) by Christopher Paolini 

Random Buzzers:

You Have Seven Messages by Stewart Lewis

Bought:


Possess by Gretchen McNeil
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
New Moon by Stephanie Meyer
Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen


That's all I got this week or so, what did you get in your mail box?

01 December 2011

Review: Janice Wills by Joanna Pearson (Luxury Reading review)

Posted by Meghan @ Books and a Cup of Tea at 4:36 PM 1 comments


  Title: Rites & Wrongs of Janice Wills  Pages: 224
  Author: Joanna Pearson                    Source: Luxury Reading
  Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books      Published: July 1, 2011
  Series: N/A                                         Purchase: Amazon
For anyone who's ever survived a rite of passage or performed a mating dance at Prom...

The Japanese hold a Mogi ceremony for young women coming of age. Latina teenagers get quinceaneras. And Janice Wills of Melva, NC ... has to compete in the Miss Livermush pageant.

Janice loves anthropology--the study of human cultures--and her observations help her identify useful rules in the chaotic world of high school. For instance: Dancing is an effective mating ritual--but only if you're good at it; Hot Theatre Guys will never speak to Unremarkable Smart Girls like Janice and her best friend, Margo; and a Beautiful Rich Girl will always win Melva's annual Miss Livermush pageant.

But when a Hot Theatre Guy named Jimmy Denton takes an interest in Janice, all her scientific certainties explode. For the first time, she has to be part of the culture that she's always observed; and all the charts in the world can't prove how tough--and how sweet--real participation and a real romance can be.

Funny, biting, and full of wisdom, this marks the debut of a writer to watch.
I enjoyed The Rites and Wrongs of Janice Wills as a whole and felt that Janice was the epitome of an awkward girl coming to terms with herself, and finally seeing herself as pretty. She also really came to terms with how she treated people. She used to study her high school from the sidelines, always quick to point out a person's flaws and used her anthropological research as an excuse for why she did this. The rest of the characters in the novel really helped her see that she did it as a coping mechanism for her self-consciousness and helped her see it was actually mean, not honest.

To read the rest of my review, please go to Luxury Reading!


Cover thoughts: I do not care for this cover, it doesn't look that creative to me.


23 November 2011

Waiting on Wednesday (13)

Posted by Meghan @ Books and a Cup of Tea at 4:00 PM 3 comments

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. This week's can't-wait-to-read selection is..
  Title: Revived
  Author: Cat Patrick
  Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
  Published: May 8, 2012
  Pages: 304
  Goodreads
As a little girl, Daisy Appleby was killed in a school bus crash. Moments after the accident, she was brought back to life.

A secret government agency has developed a drug called Revive that can bring people back from the dead, and Daisy Appleby, a test subject, has been Revived five times in fifteen years. Daisy takes extraordinary risks, knowing that she can beat death, but each new death also means a new name, a new city, and a new life. When she meets Matt McKean, Daisy begins to question the moral implications of Revive, and as she discovers the agency’s true goals, she realizes she’s at the center of something much larger — and more sinister — than she ever imagined.
I loved Forgotten by Cat Patrick, so I think I'll like this one, too. Plus it sounds downright intriguing! Another plus, the cover is awesome!

What are you waiting on?


20 November 2011

In My Mailbox (18)

Posted by Meghan @ Books and a Cup of Tea at 10:29 PM 2 comments


In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren and is a weekly meme to showcase what you got over the week by buying, receiving, borrowing, stealing from a friend etc.

Won:


I won this from Jessica at Confessions of a Bookaholic! I haven't heard much about this, but I'm pretty excited to read this :). Thank you Jessica and Kristen!! 

That's all I got this week or so, what did you get in your mail box?


16 November 2011

Waiting on Wednesday (12)

Posted by Meghan @ Books and a Cup of Tea at 2:13 PM 5 comments

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. This week's can't-wait-to-read selection is..
  Title: Waking Storms
  Author: Sarah Porter (Lost Voices #2)
  Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  Published: July 3, 2012
  Pages: 400
  Goodreads
After parting ways with her troubled mermaid tribe, Luce just wants to live peacefully on her own. But her tranquility doesn't last long: she receives news that the tribe is on the verge of collapse and desperately needs her leadership. Anais, their cruel queen, wants Luce dead. Dorian, the boy Luce broke mermaid law to save, is determined to make her pay for her part in the murder of his family. And while the mermaids cling to the idea that humans never suspect their existence, there are suddenly ominous signs to the contrary.

But when Luce and Dorian meet, they start to wonder if love can overpower the hatred they know they should feel for each other. Luce's new friendship with an ancient renegade mermaid gives her hope that her kind might someday change their murderous ways. But how can Luce fulfill her rightful role as queen of the mermaids without sacrificing her forbidden romance with Dorian?

Full of miraculous reunions and heart-pounding rescues, this haunting second installment in the Lost Voices Trilogy finds Luce eager to attempt reconciliation with humans—as long as war doesn't break out first.
I loved the first one in this series and have been patiently waiting for this one as well! Plus, I have a fascination with the name Dorian. It's amazing. Another plus, the cover is so pretty :).

What are you waiting on?

15 November 2011

Review: The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

Posted by Meghan @ Books and a Cup of Tea at 9:12 PM 1 comments


  Title: The Pledge                                Pages: 323
  Author: Kimberly Derting                    Source: Netgalley
  Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry       Published: Nov 15, 2011
  Series: The Pledge #1                       Purchase: Amazon
In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she's spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It's there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she's never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed.

Charlie is intensely attracted to Max, even though she can't be sure where his real loyalties lie. As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country's only chance for freedom from the terrible power of a deadly regime.
The Pledge's synopsis intrigued me from the moment I read it and the fact that Kimberly Derting was behind the story made my interest pique even more.

Charlie was such a great character to me, she was so brave, yet cautious at the same time, always walking on egg shells to make sure her - and her sister's - secrets were safe. She was so protective of her sister, Angelina, and it brought a smile to my face.

I also admired the way Charlie was so passionate about language - she just wanted everyone to be able to communicate with each other and not have socioeconomic barriers. Her ability to decipher all languages, even ones she's never heard before was absolutely fascinating and I loved the way Derting handled writing these different languages - simply by italicizing dialogue in a different language than Englaise, the most common language in Charlie's world.

Max was amazing. I loved his character and how protective he was over Charlie. He was so sweet and downright sexy. Derting has once again proved she is a master of romance, even when there isn't very much in the story. The one thing I would have liked done a bit differently, is to have it not be so instantaneous, though it doesn't bother me as much as some people.

The plot was pretty straight forward for me, I guessed pretty much every twist, so it wasn't exactly surprising, though it was still very enjoyable. Derting has a simple way with words that is entirely effective and with The Pledge, it's no different.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Pledge and found it to be a solid entry into the dystopian genre. I would recommend The Pledge to fans of Kimberly Derting and fans of the dystopian genre.

Cover thoughts: I really like the darkness and the almost monochromatic color scheme to the cover. It reminds me of Charlie's Vendor class and how everyone wears more practical colors, such as gray and brown. I also love the font design.





Review: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi (Luxury Reading review)

Posted by Meghan @ Books and a Cup of Tea at 8:23 PM 0 comments


  Title: Shatter Me                            Pages: 338
  Author: Tahereh Mafi                    Source: Luxury Reading
  Publisher: HarperCollins                Published: Nov 15, 2011
  Series: Shatter Me #1                   Purchase: Amazon
Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war-- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.
I've been extremely excited to read this book for a while because every review I've read has been a positive one. I'm so glad I got my hands on a copy! It was definitely one of the best young adult books of 2011!

Read the rest of my review over at Luxury Reading!


Cover thoughts: This cover is just so cool looking. It doesn't seem to have much to do with the story, but I love the dress the girl is wearing and she's really pretty!


14 November 2011

Review: Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

Posted by Meghan @ Books and a Cup of Tea at 4:11 PM 1 comments


  Title: Anna Dressed in Blood            Pages: 316
  Author: Kendare Blake                    Source: Own
  Publisher: Tor Teen                          Published: Aug 30, 2011
  Series: Anna #1                               Purchase: Amazon
Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.

So did his father before him, until he was gruesomely murdered by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn't expect anything outside of the ordinary: track, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now stained red and dripping with blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

But she, for whatever reason, spares Cas's life.
Anna Dressed in Blood reminded me so much of Supernatural when I read the synopsis that I had to get my hands on it!

I was a bit reluctant to read a male perspective, as I haven't read many and those I have read were hard to relate to. I was pleasantly surprised, however, that Cas was not like other male perspectives. I really liked Cas' attitude towards the ghosts and towards the towns he moves to. He wants to get in and get out without making much of a splash, so he doesn't have to deal with loose ends like girlfriends. This made him act snarky and a bit cold, but my favorite characters are always masters of these two personality quirks.

The writing was pretty simple and enjoyable. Occasionally the dialogue confused me because of vagueness, which was never explained, but this was easy to ignore as it didn't seem any of it was important to the story.

The plot was excellent and gory enough to meet my creepy desires. It's not my fault when I picture ghosts murdering people that enter their house because they were murdered brutally, I picture a ton of gore! And Kendare Blake hands you the gore on a silver platter and announces it as the first course out of a fifty course meal.

Overall, I highly enjoyed Anna Dressed in Blood. There was a bit of romance to satisfy romance-buffs, a bit of gore for horror-buffs, and some magic and voodoo and of course scary ghost action for the paranormal-buffs. I recommend it for anyone looking for a creepy story to stay up late reading into the wee hours of the night.


Cover thoughts: I absolutely love it! It's so very pretty and I love how everything is black and white except for a bit of red. I also love the fence detail around Kendare Blake's name.



The Hunger Games Official Movie Trailer

Posted by Meghan @ Books and a Cup of Tea at 3:49 PM 0 comments

It's that time and frankly, I'm too excited for this movie! I need to tone it down so I don't come out disappointed!

Have you seen the trailer yet? I have embedded it below for your viewing pleasure :). Feel free to leave your comments and opinions on the trailer in the comments!



13 November 2011

In My Mailbox (17)

Posted by Meghan @ Books and a Cup of Tea at 2:35 AM 11 comments

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren and is a weekly meme to showcase what you got over the week by buying, receiving, borrowing, stealing from a friend etc.

Review (Luxury Reading):


Was beyond excited to get these, but even more so for Shatter Me! I've been wanting that one for a while!

Bought:


I was finally able to get this with a gift card my friend Sam got for me. Check his blog out: Books For All Seasons.

That's all I got this week or so, what did you get in your mail box?


11 November 2011

Review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Posted by Meghan @ Books and a Cup of Tea at 1:12 PM 2 comments


  Title: The Hunger Games                Pages: 374
  Author: Suzanne Collins                  Source: Own
  Publisher: Scholastic Inc                  Published: July 6, 2010
  Series: The Hunger Games #1         Purchase: Amazon
In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before--and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.
I went out on a whim with buying this one, buying solely because everyone was raving about it and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I'm really glad I did and it sparked a newfound obsession.

The characters in The Hunger Games were just phenomenal. They were by far the best characters I've ever read in a novel.

Katniss, oh Katniss stole my heart. She was so tough because she needed to be, not because she wanted to be. She took sacrifices no one would dream of taking in the world she lives in. I admire and respect her character so much, it feels like she's a real person. She is my favorite female heroine of all time.

Now I'm probably the only one pretty much that is Team Gale. I don't know what it is, but he just seemed more manly and sexy than Peeta. You could tell how much each of them cared about Katniss and it was one of the best written love triangles and two of the best written romances I've ever read. Despite the hard times they were living in, Suzanne Collins managed to give me shivers with her ability at combining romance and realism.

The plot was again, one of the best I've ever read. It was so emotionally riveting and well written. I am not ashamed to say that The Hunger Games beat me up until I was literally bawling my eyes out and just when I thought I was safe, it kicked me while I was down and made me bawl more. It brought out so many emotions and made me love it.

Overall, you. Have. To. Read. This. Book. Seriously, if you haven't read it already you're missing out. I would highly, highly recommend this to anyone that loves dystopian and even if the premise sounds just a little bit good to you, pick this up! I doubt you'll regret it!


Cover thoughts: It doesn't do much for me in terms of pretty, but I absolutely love how it corresponds with the story!



09 November 2011

Waiting on Wednesday (11)

Posted by Meghan @ Books and a Cup of Tea at 1:36 PM 4 comments

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. This week's can't-wait-to-read selection is..

  Title: This Is Not a Test
  Author: Courtney Summers
  Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
  Published: June 19, 2012
  Pages: Unknown
  Goodreads

It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self. To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up.

As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live. But as the days crawl by, everyone’s motivations to survive begin to change in startling ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life–and death–inside.

When everything is gone, what do you hold on to?

The cover looks fantastic, for one. I love how her hair is over her face, it really reminds me of zombies, for some reason! Probably because they move their head all weird :P. But this just sounds amazing! I fell in love with the zombie paranormal genre when I read The Forest of Hands and Teeth and I haven't looked back since, so I'm bound to love this. Plus everyone raves about Courtney Summers :).

What are you waiting on?

08 November 2011

Teaser Tuesday (9)

Posted by Meghan @ Books and a Cup of Tea at 4:00 PM 4 comments

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should be Reading
Rules:
-Grab your current read
-Open to a random page
-Share two sentences from that page
-Be careful not to include spoilers!
-Include the book titles and author, so other participants can add the book the their TBR pile!
This week's teaser comes from..


Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
Shatter Me



“Something shatters; a tortured cry sounds in the distance. These rooms are buried deep in concrete, walls thicker than the floors and ceilings combined to keep sounds from escaping too far. If I can hear the agony it must be insurmountable.”
-Page 22



06 November 2011

Review: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Posted by Meghan @ Books and a Cup of Tea at 12:25 PM 0 comments


  Title: The Night Circus                  Pages: 387
  Author: Erin Morgenstern            Source: Luxury Reading
  Publisher: Doubleday                  Published: Sep 13, 2011
  Series: N/A                                   Purchase: Amazon
The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des RĂªves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per­formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart.
The Night Circus was unlike any novel I've ever read. The imagery seemed to take precedence over the plot, but unlike other reviewers, I didn't feel like it overpowered.

To read the rest of my review, please go to Luxury Reading!

Cover thoughts: It's soo pretty! I really wish the pink parts were red, as it fits better, but gosh darnit, I love this cover! It makes me want to re-read this wonderful book and go to the circus!




 

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