Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs review

Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs
Source: Library
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lily Sanderson carries a big secret. She's half human, half mermaid and princess of her kingdom, Thalassinia. She can walk on land and swim in the water. Did I mention she's also in love with Brody Bennett? But it isn't a harmless crush. She's looking to bond with him, a connection that happens through a kiss, much like a regular human couple getting married.

But Quince Fletcher seems to get in the way whenever she's making progress with Brody. Why does he have to be such a blowfish?

Forgive My Fins is a wonderful take on the fantasy of mermaids and a wonderful paranormal romance book.

I loved the character of Lily. She's not your normal kind of girl (even without her huge secret). She isn't calm or confident. No, she's more of a basket-case, but that makes her all the more lovable. She's totally insecure with her image and is always worrying about what Brody thinks of her. She's rather blind to what's going on around her, her eyes only on Brody. She's not what you would think her to be, being a princess and all, either.

Quince, oh Gosh was he adorable. I loved his character from the beginning to the end. He has this charm about him, and Tera Lynn Childs wrote his character wonderfully. You can feel how much he cares, even when Lily can't see it. He has the typical bad body I'm-so-cocky-and-you-love-me type of thing going on, yet he can be so sweet at times! He's the perfect mix of excitement and loving.

I loved the writing in this. It was so cute with all the ocean-terminology. You can really tell that Childs thought long and hard about some of the words, phrases, and ideas. The whole book is adorable and I found myself grinning during most of it. The romance was amazing, too, with so much heat to it.

The plot is what you'd expect from a light, quick, cute read. Most of it was predictable, but in a way that's like slipping into an old shirt that fits wonderfully and is so warm. It's comfortable, yet still wonderful.

Overall, Childs wrote an awesome first installment to the Fins series. I look forward to reading the second and seeing where the story leads and am now a fan of Childs' work. Sign me up for any of her upcoming books!

I give Forgive My Fins a 4 out of 5.

View all my reviews

Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick review

Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick
Source: Library
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Nora Grey is back and she's getting into even more deadly situations! She's not entirely over the "incident" with Jules. She gained Patch as a guardian angel from it, but she's still on edge. And that only gets worse when Patch starts hanging around Marcie Millar, Nora's arch-enemy.

To get back at Patch, she starts hanging out with Scott Parnell, an old family friend who used to force her to eat roly polies. She soon realizes Scott carries a secret, which made him flee his old town. And when Nora starts seeing her murdered father, things start weighing down on her. Is he alive? What does he want? And why does Nora feel like something bad is going to happen?

Becca Fitzpatrick created a wonderful series and this is a wonderful second installment.

The characters still have depth just as much as they did in the first book, if not more. They have all evolved and I loved seeing how they stirred up more trouble in the world of fallen angels. Nora did bother me at times, but that wasn't enough for me to dislike the book. She was incredibly naive, but I tried putting myself in her situation and I guess my reaction wouldn't be far off either. I found myself wanting the dialogue to go a different way, though, because if she was mad at Patch for hanging out with Marcie, why didn't she stay on that topic? She was always letting him change the subject and evade answers, which made me want to yell at her (I actually found myself doing that at one point). Then, when he was going to give her answers, she wouldn't accept that and let him talk.

Patch was just as hot and delicious in this book as the first. He's such a bad boy, yet so sweet at the same time, it seems. He's always there for Nora. Name one girl that wouldn't love that!

There were enough twists and turns to keep me guessing and on my toes, and usually I can guess a lot of twists in a book/movie, but there were some twists in Crescendo I didn't predict ahead of time. There was plenty of action and not enough romance for my liking, but it all pulled together and worked. I wish Fitzpatrick would have kept up with Nora and her iron pills, though, as they were only mentioned once in Crescendo and were talked about almost every time Nora got stressed in Hush, Hush, so I felt like a semi-important detail was left out. That was the only flaw of the plot that I could find.

Overall, Fitzpatrick wrote an amazing, action-packed, fast read of a second installment. She wrote this one just as beautifully as the first and the pages were practically ripped from being turned so fast by me. If you are a fan of Hush, Hush, don't waste anytime in reading this one. You won't be disappointed.

I give Crescendo a 4 out of 5.

View all my reviews

Follow Friday and Book Blogger Hop (2)

Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee and Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Crazy for Books.

Question:

Share your current fav television show! Tell us a bit about it...

I don't have one specific favorite show. I have several. Pretty Little Liars, The Vampire Diaries, Glee, Bones and House are all my favorite shows and they are in no particular order. I love all these shows and they are the ones I (usually) keep up with. A favorite show to me, means I keep up with it every week and miss it when I don't watch it :P.

This is my first week doing this meme. This week's question is..

Do you ever wish you would have named your blog something different?

No, because I like books and tea and I just started. Maybe someday down the road I won't like the name anymore, because maybe me and tea will fall out of love. Who knows! :P But for right now I am proud of the name I came up with xD.

Awards!

I'd like to thank Tishia of Paranormal Opinion for these awards :).

To accept the awards, one has to follow some rules:

1. Thank the person who gave them to you and link back to their blog

2. Post 7 random facts about yourself

3. Pick 15 other blogs to pass this award onto

My seven facts:

1. Obviously I love to read. I check out most of my books from the library because I don't have a job to buy them :P.

2. I can lick my elbow. Totally serious on this one.

3. I'd like to either be a Game Programmer/Designer, high school English teacher, or a graphics/web designer for my career

4. I have three dogs. Two shipoos (though we think one is actually a pure shitzu, we aren't sure lol) and a Malterrier (Boston terrier/maltese mix). 

5. I want a pug named Butler and a Siberian Husky named Harlequin (no reference to the Harlequin company, I didn't even know of them when I decided this :P)

6. My favorite TV shows are the Vampire Diaries, Pretty Little Liars, Glee, Bones, and House (in no particular order)

7. I have depression, anxiety, and OCD. My OCDs: trichotillomania and paranoia. Paranoia as in scared whenever I'm home alone, scared of the dark because I'm not sure what's in it, scared of under the bed, scared to take a shower while I'm home alone because I think someone is going to rob me and even though I lock the door, I think they can somehow "drift" through it. I'm also scared of mirrors on occasion and many more paranoia-ish things :P. Whew.

Okay now the people I'd like to give this to (I hate this part :P)

1. Milk and Cookies

2. Comfy Chair Reading

3. Forbidden Reviews

4. Splash of Our Worlds 

5. Henrietta

6. Books Obsession

7. The Secret Book Garden

8. A Cover Lover

9. I Eat Words

10. Heaven, Hell and Purgatory

11. Book Lover's Hideaway

12. In the Good Books

13. Book Purring

14. Book Babblings

15. Moonlight Gleam

Whew. I apologize if you've received the award, I didn't check :P

Waiting on Wednesday (4)

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 Faerie Ring
Author: Kiki Hamilton
Publisher: Scholastic Point
Published: October 1, 2011
Pages: ?
Goodreads

London, December 1871
Orphaned and picking pockets in London’s Charing Cross station to support not only herself, but her ‘family’ of orphans, sixteen year-old Tiki steals the Queen’s ring and thinks she’s solved their problems. That is, until Rieker, a pickpocket from the North End, suspects her in the theft and tells her that the ring is really a reservoir that holds a truce between the British and Faerie courts.

When he warns her that the fey will do anything, including murder, to recover the ring, Tiki is unsure whether to believe him or not. To complicate matters, Rieker seems to know something about the unusual birthmark on Tiki’s wrist. But when Tiki and her family are threatened the game changes.

In a dazzling debut that takes you from the gritty slums of Victorian London to the glittering ballrooms of the Royal Palace to the menacing Otherworld, you won’t want to miss this thrilling tale of mystery, adventure and romance.

Isn't that cover gorgeous?

Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard review

Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard
Source: Library
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Alison DiLaurentis is the popular, gorgeous It girl. Every boy wanted her, every girl - even older - wanted to be her. So when she became friends with Spencer, Aria, Emily, and Hanna, they felt quite special. Sure, Ali could be mean at times, but they loved her anyway. They all shared their secrets with one another - its what makes best friends friends forever, Ali would say.

Then, one night at a slumber party, Ali disappeared. No one has seen or heard from her since that night. That is, until the four girls left to mourn her disappearance start getting eerie text messages, signed from A. And whoever this "A" is, they're threatening each girl with secrets only Ali knew. So... is it Alison? Is she alive, or is it her ghost? Or is it someone else entirely?

I fell in love with the show on ABC ever since it first aired. I knew that the show was based off the books, but I never wanted to read them, because I didn't want to spoil the suspense for the show. I should've much sooner.

Sara Shepard created this genius guilty pleasure of a series. There are so many twists and turns in this first book and compared to the show, I bet the book series only gets better and better.

Shepard does a wonderful job with creating these characters. They all have different personalities, even more minor characters. They all have their own problems. Shepard created characters that girls of today can relate to. There is talk about having parents that constantly expect the best and more from you, parents that are so strict in their beliefs, parents that are crazy and artistic and carefree, and a parent that is constantly working. Shepard touches upon subjects such as constantly needing to be the best, being confused about sexuality, liking someone one shouldn't, eating disorders, cutting, underage drinking, sex, and the normal pressures of being a girl in today's world. She handles each topic with ease and moves onto the next without waivering.

Shepard's writing is simple and clean. She describes stuff wonderfully. All shows and movies are different in some aspects from their book influence, so despite knowing what characters and places look like, I had a different image in my head from how Shepard described it in the book. To me, having the power to do this even though I've seen the show, shows how well Shepard can write.

Overall, I found myself loving the book as much as I love the show and am extremely glad I decided to read it. I can't wait to continue on with the other books and am already a fan of Shepard's from her book the Lying Game, this book just adding more fuel to the growing fire. I highly recommend it to anyone that's seen or not seen the show and anyone that loves books about high school, juicy secrets, and lies.

I give this book a 5 out of 5.

View all my reviews

Teaser Tuesday (3)

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..

Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard

page 18

'It was horrible to think Ali might be dead, but... if she was, at least their secrets were safe. And they were. For three years anyway.'

Did one extra sentence.. oops :P.

Vesper by Jeff Sampson review

Vesper by Jeff Sampson
Source: Library
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Emily Webb is an "entertainment geek." She loves her DVDs and books and could spend most of her time in her room. In fact, she usually does. So when she finds herself with one foot out of her window, about to jump out, she's confused. First, she doesn't know why she wanted to do this in the first place. Second, she's wearing her stepsister's clubbing clothes. She's usually the jeans and a hoodie type of girl. She has no memory from the time she was just reading, to now.

She grabs her ringing phone and finds out from her best friend Megan that a classmate of theirs, the "other" Emily, is dead, shot twice. So is it a coincidence that Emily Webb was just acting like she thought Emily C. always acted like?

Now every night, Emily is changing into "Nighttime Emily." With each change, it becomes quicker and less painful. She becomes stronger and quicker. And with a murderer on the loose - one that just so happens to be killing people of her kind, whatever that may be - that may not be a bad thing. But one thing, why does she suddenly want to sniff boys to see if they're "the one"?

First of all, it was hard to write a synopsis for this book, because everything I wrote seemed confusing. Vesper is not confusing at all. Maybe in a sense that you want answers so you're confused as to what she is, but not in a way that it doesn't make sense.

Emily was a great character. She was smart, geeky, and insecure, meaning she had a personality. She had depth. She's way too insecure with herself, and that really was a contrast to Nighttime Emily's confidence in herself. I was wishing as the pages went on that Emily would see she really is pretty and to make a step in being more confident as her Daytime self.

The other characters didn't have as much personality, but in a way that was mysterious instead of flat. They had enough personality to be able to be built up for the series, instead of giving everything away in the first book. Most of them had a purpose in the book - even if you didn't find it out in this first installment - and none of them seemed like filler characters to make the story longer. I really liked this fact.

The plot was awesome. It had lots of twists and turns toward the middle and end. I wanted to find out exactly what she was and that answer didn't seem to come fast enough. Jeff Sampson did a wonderful job with the suspense. It didn't leave you feeling like it was drawn out too much, but just enough. He wrote Vesper beautifully. The descriptions were amazing and it felt like he was playing a movie for me, he described things so well. He wrote a female character with ease, not often seen with a male author.

I couldn't get into Vesper that much at first, which was surprising, because the plot was so intriguing. I blame this on the fact that I was just distracted, so if you find yourself not really getting into it at first, please, stick it out until at least the middle, if not the whole book, because it picks up even more.

Overall, I felt Vesper was a very well done young adult debut and will gladly read the rest of the series and any young adult novel Jeff Sampson writes. I felt like I was reading a book by a young adult veteran. I highly recommend this book.

I give this book a 5 out of 5.

View all my reviews

In My Mailbox (2)

In My Mailbox

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, stealing (lol... don't do that), etc.

Library:

Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick

This doesn't really count, since I had it last time. I haven't read it yet, so I just kept it to read with my new batch of books.

Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs

Liar by Justine Larbalestier

Tithe by Holly BlackI believe this one is about faeries, and I love faeries so I'm super excited to read this!

Vesper by Jeff SampsonReading this one currently and it seems pretty good and interesting so far.
Contest Wins:

The Juliet Club by Suzanne HarperFrom The Book Bug's Follower Love giveaway hop, I won The Juliet Club book, a Letters to Juliet DVD, and some Lindt Truffles (love these chocolates!). It came with this pretty Valentines Day paper inside, which I thought was a nice touch :). I love the book cover on it, too, because you can see her freckles and it's a really cute cover in general :). Anywho, thank you to Lexie from The Book Bug!! xD
I believe that is all from me this week. What did you get in your mailbox?

Supernaturally Cover Reveal!

Dude... this cover is amazing and I'll show you in 3... 2... 1!!!!

Seriously is that not the most gorgeous thing you've seen in forever?!? Maybe even all time! It's soo gorgeous. I totally love the "uniform" feeling, meaning that it's so much like the Paranormalcy cover, but in a good way obviously. She has a flowing dress, same model, there are flowers around.. It's amazing! Absolutely amazing. And.. that's not all. Kiersten White also revealed the back too..

Badomp!!!! That's a weird revelation noise. It's all the rage these days, I hear. Anyway, I absolutely love wrap-around covers. I love 'em. Want to see the original post and enter her contest? Go to her blog here.

A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb review

A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb
Publisher: Graphia
Published: September 21st 2005
Source: Library
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Helen is a ghost, who attaches herself to "hosts," although she doesn't know why. She doesn't haunt her place of passing, or someone she once loved. No, she haunts people she doesn't know. When one dies, she haunts another. She doesn't even remember how she died, just that she's been dead for more than 130 years.

When she attaches herself to a high school English teacher, Mr. Brown, things change drastically for her. One of the boys in his class can see her. And not in the way that he just happened to look in her direction. He can see her and is perfectly aware of her.

Helen, who is uncomfortable at first by this new turn of events, finds out the truth about this new boy, and with his help, she goes on a quest so they can be together. In flesh.

This book is amazing, with some minor bumps in the road that are flattened by the sheer awesomeness of the rest of the book. Laura Whitcomb gave a fresh take on the ghost cliche, that I loved.

The characterization was beyond phenomenal. I knew these people. Laura Whitcomb wrote their personalities and fear and hopes so well, that you feel like you know them. You ache when they ache. I loved the romance between James and Helen. It felt so real. It did, however come way too fast and that is one of the minor bumps that I was talking about. But the realness of the romance flattened this bump out right away. All the other minor characters had personalities too, and depth not normally received from minor characters in other books.

The plot was awesome. The way Whitcomb described "Light" and "Quick" was effortless, and you pretty much instantly knew what she was talking about, once she explained. She described things so wonderfully and it makes me not want to take for granted the small things like the way things taste and smell and being able to touch people. The twists were well thought out and placed, keeping my attention to the final page. The writing in this novel was fantastic. The other minor bump in the road didn't bother me, but it might bother other people. There are swear words and teenage sex (not graphically written, just the bare basics). Like I said, that fact didn't bother me, so it does not effect the score I gave this book.

The ending was one of the best endings I've read in a novel. I actually got tears in my eyes and was smiling as I read. It was a beautiful ending to a beautiful book.

Overall, this book stands high and proud. This was a wonderful first book by Laura Whitcomb. If I didn't know better, I would have assumed she had years of experience by her excellent writing. I am now a fan of hers and will pick up any new and/or old books of hers in a heartbeat.

I give this book a 5 out of 5 (obviously).

View all my reviews

Follow Friday (1)

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee.

This week's question is:

If you are a fan of Science Fiction what is your favorite book? If you haven't read Science Fiction before...any inkling to? Anything catch your eye?

Hmm, I don't believe I've ever read any Science Fiction. I'm not quite sure as to what books are Science Fiction and if it's the same thing as dystopian. Gosh I sound so dumb.. :P

I'm currently reading Human.4 which is described as "science fiction" on goodreads, so I guess that means I've read science fiction! Woop woop!

Anyway, to more anwswer the question, yes I would like to read more science fiction than what I may or may not have read and I do find the topic interesting.

</end totally stupid answer>

Truth or Dare Thursday

Truth or Dare Thursday is a giveaway hosted by Parajunkee's View, where you complete a truth or dare.

The question is:
Post about your favorite Book Boyfriend or Girlfriend. Who would you love to see step out of a book and into your living room? (Has to be from a paranormal since this is Paranormal Truth or Dare)

Answer:
I am going with Lend from Paranormalcy, although I wouldn't be able to see him if he was in his original form :P. The reason is because he is just so sweet and adorable! And he pretends to be all cocky, which makes him more adorable. I don't think I have to mention that he can also look like anyone he wants!

Waiting on Wednesday (3)

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: Clarity
Author: Kim Harrington
Publisher: Scholastic Point
Published: March 1, 2011
Pages: 242
Goodreads

When you can see things others can't, where do you look for the truth? This paranormal murder mystery will have teens reading on the edge of their seats.

Clarity "Clare" Fern sees things. Things no one else can see. Things like stolen kisses and long-buried secrets. All she has to do is touch a certain object, and the visions come to her. It's a gift.

And a curse.

When a teenage girl is found murdered, Clare's ex-boyfriend wants her to help solve the case--but Clare is still furious at the cheating jerk. Then Clare's brother--who has supernatural gifts of his own--becomes the prime suspect, and Clare can no longer look away. Teaming up with Gabriel, the smoldering son of the new detective, Clare must venture into the depths of fear, revenge, and lust in order to track the killer. But will her sight fail her just when she needs it most?

The Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder review

The Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder
Published: April 4th 2011
Publisher: Graphia
Source: NetGalley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

April Bowers is new to Penford High School. Her and a girl named Haley hit it off and became best friends. April knows Haley doesn't like Britney Taylor, the High School queen bee, but she doesn't know why. When Haley moves away to Kansas, she leaves April alone for her Sophomore year. No friends and not to mention a secret - she stuffs her bra, meticulously sculpting a size 36C bosom.

So when April is partnered with Britney Taylor and assigned the title friend-in-training, she's excited and worried. For one, she's excited by her new found popularity. And Britney seems nice, so why would Haley hate her so much? Haley isn't exactly helpful on the subject, only stating cryptically for April to stay away from red lipstick.

After a while of being a friend-in-training, though, April is offered the chance 'many girls would die for.' To sign the Lipstick Oath containing seven high-expectation laws that each member has to follow - or else. These laws range from basic girl code - don't flirt with someone else's boyfriend, crush, etc. - to totally ridiculous - upon signing the Oath, all secrets are property of the group and must be shared immediately. Is this the lipstick Haley was referring to?

The Lipstick Laws is like a retelling of Mean Girls. There's the queen bee and her followers, then there's the girl they 'take under their wings.' Besides a few differences, the similarities are uncanny.

Characterization had its flaws. The main character, April, lacked depth and seemed superficial. I could not relate to her much. She just rubbed me the wrong way. One minute she was nice, the next as mean as Britney Taylor. I didn't particularly like any of the characters, as it didn't seem like they had much to their personalities. I liked Haley and Delvin McGerk, though, the best.

The writing was great. Amy Holder took modern day slang and gave it her own twist and imagination. She came up with words like 'freak funnel' meaning loser and 'Skunk Skank' meaning the Queen of all Skanks. I know some people that would find the word 'skank' offensive, so I also would like to say here that this book is not rated G, because of the swearing. Minor swear words are used.

The only other flaw I can point out is that the 'pranks' are downright petty at times. Then at other times, they're just so rock bottom, meaning I couldn't believe someone would resort to that low of a prank, just to humiliate someone. All in all, though, that is High School in a nutshell for you.

That being said, this book is cute like the movie Mean Girls was cute. But, if you're looking for a book that has a lot of depth and that you'll read straight through in one sitting because you can't get enough, this book wouldn't be for you. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy this book and do not regret reading it, but it wasn't my favorite, nor my least favorite. Taken all this in to consideration, Amy Holder wrote a solid debut novel for 2011.

I give this book a 3 out of 5.

View all my reviews

Teaser Tuesday (2)

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..

A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb

page 168

'As soon as the door shut behind us, James was kissing me. He pressed hard as if he were lost at sea, drawing fresh water from my depths.'

In My Mailbox (1)

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren and it's a weekly meme to showcase what you got over the week by buying, receiving, stealing (lol), etc.

Library books:

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb

Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick

Received For Review:

Human.4 by Mike A. Lancaster

(received from Luxury Reading for review)

Received From Contest:

 Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

(received from a contest by My Bookish Ways)

That is it! What did you receive in your mailbox?

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White review

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Evie considers herself as normal as possible given her current situation. She's an employee of IPCA (International Paranormal Containment Agency) and it's her job to basically arrest different paranormal species. She has a special gift that allows her to see through "glamours," such as seeing through a vampire to their rotting corpse beneath, seeing a werewolves' yellow eyes even though it isn't a full moon, etc.

She also tries to be as normal as possible considering her ex-boyfriend Reth is a faerie, her best friend Lish is a mermaid, and she's crushing on Lend the shape shifter. What isn't normal is that there has been someone or something that has been killing paranormals and it doesn't leave a trace behind. So can Evie solve the riddle of it all before it's too late?

This book had me from the beginning because of the genius way it was written. I mean, Kiersten White took the slightly dark and mysterious subject of paranormal and made it light-hearted in a way I've never seen or read before. She doesn't make fun of the genre, she just makes it less serious, but in a good way. The way she writes is just pure awesome and hilarious.

She wrote everyone's personalities well as well, getting her characterization down. Evie is so innocent, yet experienced in things a normal teenager should not be. She's such a different character compared to all the female main characters of most paranormal books. She has such a unique personality, that it's a breath of fresh air. Something that had me loving her from the very first chapter.

I also loved the mystery of the prophecy and Reth, and I was flipping through the pages excited to learn exactly what he was up to. And of course, I cannot forget the romance between Evie and Lend as I silently urged them to get together with each passing page.

Kiersten White has such a great talent for writing such light, funny dialogue, yet can dial up the steamy romance notch any times she wants for the reader. I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish and will read anything by White in a heartbeat because of reading this book. I am eagerly anticipating the second novel of this series.

I give this book a 5 out of 5 stars.

View all my reviews

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting review

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting
Source: Library
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Violet Ambrose has a special ability. She can sense dead bodies by what she calls echoes. Echoes can come to her in the form of tastes, sounds, smells, or visual cues such as colors. This mostly leads her to find dead animals, which she buries in her backyard in a makeshift graveyard. She can also sense murderers in the same way, with the echo of the dead the same as its murderer. Usually they're only of the military, police, or doctor variety.

Violet also has another secret. She has feelings for her best friend, Jay Heaton, since childhood. Now, when Violet 'stumbles' upon a body, and then several girls go missing, can Jay put aside his protectiveness and help Violet find the killer that is terrorizing her small town, despite the risk that Violet herself might become his prey?

This is another of those books you can't put down, where you find yourself stumbling over the words because you're reading too fast. It's story is told in third person, focusing on two point of views: Violet's and the serial killer's. I loved that part of the story because it was a fresh idea, and provided insight into his insane mind. It was a change of pace when the chapters went from the cheerful mood of a party, to the creepy thoughts and actions of the serial killer.

The characterization was great. I felt that the characters were realistic and had depth. I loved the pairing of Violet and Jay. You could feel the amount that they cared about each other and it reminded me of some of my own relationships because it felt so real. It was funny to me that Violet was so clueless as to Jay's feelings for her. Sometimes, though, Jay's feelings were laid on too thick in the form of his protectiveness over her.

Even though I anticipated some of the plot twists (I have a knack for this and my boyfriend hates when we're watching a movie and I say what's going to happen next) The Body Finder is a must-read for any fans of the mystery and YA genres. A must-read in general. The entire premise of this book is one I doubt you've ever heard before and it makes for an awesome, fresh read. Kimberly Derting writes in an effortless way to pull you in from page one and keep you reading all the way to the end. I will definitely be reading Desires of the Dead as soon as I get my hands on it.

This book earned a 5 out of 5 stars from me.

View all my reviews

Waiting on Wednesday (2)

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 Last Little Blue Envelope
Author: Maureen Johnson
Publisher: HarperTeen
Published: April 26, 2011
Pages: 304

No description yet, but description of first book, 13 Little Blue Envelopes:

When Ginny receives thirteen little blue envelopes and instructions to buy a plane ticket to London, she knows something exciting is going to happen. What Ginny doesn't know is that she will have the adventure of her life and it will change her in more ways than one. Life and love are waiting for her across the Atlantic, and the thirteen little blue envelopes are the key to finding them in this funny, romantic, heartbreaking novel.

Teaser Tuesday

Excuse this for being late, kay?


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..

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

His shoulders slumped. "I could just snap your neck," he said, but I could tell it was halfhearted. 

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick review

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
Source: Library
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Nora Grey is just your average teenager. She writes movie reviews for her school paper and hasn't really ever considered any guys from her school attractive. That is, until she meets Patch when Coach, the Biology teacher, switches around the seating chart in her Biology class. They are assigned homework to find out as much about their new Biology partner as they can and turn it in the next day. Except Patch isn't exactly cooperative with giving out information about himself, but yet he knows stuff about her that even her closest friends don't. Is it intuition or something.. else?

Nora becomes increasingly uncomfortable in the presence of Patch as the days go on as his Biology partner. He seems to be everywhere she is. Is he stalking her, or is it just a coincidence? But why does part of her feel drawn to him? Why does he always seem to evade personal questions? How and why can he put thoughts into her head like he's talking to her, yet his lips never move? And why does the new boy put Nora on edge?

Nora is certain of one thing, both Patch and the new boy seem dangerous. For Patch, she can't quite put her finger on why. For the new boy, Elliot, it's because he was a suspect in a murder investigation at his old school. And unlucky for her, they both seem to want her.

This review has been hard to write, because it seems like my words can't do this book justice. This book was beyond amazing. I had it on hold at my local library and was excited to read it, having heard positive reviews on it. Boy were they right! The mystery, the romance, everything was just perfect.

This was the kind of book that you just simply can't put down and after you've raced through all the pages, you want more. Lots, lots more. You know the kind of book I'm talking about. You read it all in one day or stay up super late reading it, wishing you didn't have to sleep. Yeah, that's what I'm talking about.

The characterization was phenomenal. Fitzpatrick did so well with creating these three dimentional characters. She made them have emotions. She made you feel those emotions. She wrote their personalities brilliantly and left you feeling like you knew them.

I loved Nora, even though she's a wreck when anything bad happens. I kept expecting Patch to have to rush in and save her all the time, but it didn't happen. Most of the time she had to fend for herself, which was a fresh relief compared to all the paranormal romances out there. It's usually: girl is damsel in distress, girl gets kidnapped or trapped or something by the bad guy, in swoops the hero to save the girl every single time. Nope, not the case with this book.

Patch, oh Patchy Patch. He was delicious. Absolutely smoldering. He was the perfect bad boy and extremely cocky. He enjoyed putting Nora in an uncomfortable situation. Which he did a lot, I might add. He is super sexy and I practically had to fan myself after reading some chapters.

Speaking of which, boy can Fitzpatrick write the romance! In general, she can write extremely well. She captured my attention right away and held it until the end of the book and after. She writes beautifully and effortlessly and leaves you satisfied, yet wanting more. There were so many twists and turns, it was like she was mocking you each time you thought you knew what was going to happen.

The second book is definitely staying on my to-read list and has made my get-your-hands-on-a-copy-one-way-or-the-other-you-must-read-this-right-now list.

I don't think I have to say this, but this has earned a 5 out of 5 stars from me.
View all my reviews

Lost Voices by Sarah Porter review

Lost Voices by Sarah Porter
Source: NetGalley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Fourteen-year-old Luce is practically all alone in the vast, cruel world she lives in. Luce used to travel around with her dad - the thief - all the time, until Luce's uncle talked her father into moving back to his hometown to become a fisherman and provide Luce with as stable of a life as he can. But when her father never comes home one night, Luce is left all alone with her alcoholic, abusive uncle. One day after she saves a little girl's corpse from being lost in the sea and nearly drowning herself, her uncle gets drunk beyond repair and mistakes her for his true love - Luce's mother, who was stolen from him by Luce's father. He starts to hurt her in an unthinkable way, but runs away at the last minute, leaving Luce there abandoned on the cliffside.

Without realizing it, she undergoes a transformation that hurtles her over the edge of the cliff and just out of the way as a ship hurtles toward her. She hears wonderful music, such a powerful voice, not knowing it comes from her very lips. Just as she's been under for longer than she thought she'd be able to stand, she finally starts to drown, only to be saved by a mermaid Queen. The mermaid Queen, named Catarina, takes Luce under her wing and lets her join her tribe of mermaids. Just when Luce feels like she has an actual home again, Catarina and the rest of the tribe tell her a big part of being a mermaid - mass murder through lovely singing voices. They sing to passing ships - just like Luce unknowingly did - and kill every last one of them by drowning them.

If that weren't bad enough, a new mermaid joins them soon after and is highly cunning and manipulative and she's out for the crown. Luce has to find the courage to protect her new home, even if that means being kicked out of it.

This novel starts out by telling the reader about Luce's life in an Alaskan fishing village and how she has to deal with daily life in the house of her abusive Uncle with the mentally handicapped boy that lives next door as her only friend. I loved Sarah Porter starts by telling you Luce's back story, before diving - pun intended - into the life of a mermaid. I, as the reader, started feeling for Luce and grew an attachment to her. I didn't want to see her hurt at all.

In fact, I felt for a lot of the mermaids, and each one had their own unique personality. Luce was the innocent, sort of naive girl that just needed a home. Catarina was the elegant Queen, that was slightly neurotic at times. Samantha was the one not very good at singing, so she struggled with trying to prove herself, falling into the follower position. You could feel each girls' personality and grew to like, dislike, or hate them.

There were two mermaids I didn't like. First was Jenna. She was the first antagonist introduced to the story and she was just mean and unaccepting of anyone but her foster sisters for a little bit of the story. She especially didn't like Luce, despite Luce being nothing but a friend to her. I did feel very sorry for why she became a mermaid, though. Second was Anais. I felt nothing but contempt for Anais. This was a good thing, because she was perfectly concocted by Porter as the antagonist. She was downright nasty and manipulative and I actually wanted one of the girls to go against the timahk - the mermaid's code of conduct - and slap her right across the face, maybe even drowning her or throwing her up on the beach. But I was grateful no one did, otherwise where would the story be able to go?

This novel was beautifully written with so many descriptive paragraphs about the sea, the sky, the cliffs, just everything. Sarah Porter has such a way with words that resonate with you long after you finish reading the last page of the book. I couldn't stop thinking about this book when I was away, wanting nothing more than to finish it so I could see what happened next. She painted out this slow and steady picture that leaves you wanting more after she ran out of paint. Don't waste anytime in getting your hands on this book, you're in for a wonderful read.

I give this book a 5 out of 5.


View all my reviews

Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann review

Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann
Source: PulseIt!
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Having just finished the book, its story fresh in my mind so I could review it, I find myself staring at the blank canvas of the text field. What to say about this novel?

Kendall Fletcher is a teenager growing up in the small town of Cryer's Cross. She has a best friend named Nico. Boyfriend, he'd say. She can't bring herself to call him her boyfriend, she doesn't like the commitment of the word. The reason is because Kendall has OCD. Counting her steps, racing thoughts, checking and rechecking locks, rearranging desk, making sure the markers in the one room high school are arranged the Roy G Biv way. This year would be a different one for Kendall, as a fellow student had disappeared May of that year. Tiffany Quinn. The town Sheriff lead a search party to no avail. Tiffany wasn't found.

Enter stage left as two transfer students move to the small town just before Tiffany disappeared. Jacian (Hah-see-AHN, not JAY-se-un!) and Marlena. Rumors start spreading that Jacian might have had something to do with her disappearance. He is afterall, not friendly to anyone. Marlena passes that off as teenage angst in responce to moving. So which is it?

Now, when suddenly Nico disappears after acting really strange, people start wondering if it was Nico that had to do with Tiffany's disappearance. But when Kendall starts getting messages on Nico's desk - which was coincidentally Tiffany's desk the previous year - she realizes something much more sinister might be going on.

I want to start off saying that this was overall a very good book. Most of the characters had personalities - even some of the smaller ones - which usually doesn't happen in a book. Lisa McMann does well in making her characters have voices. And when she writes romance, boy does she write it. Seriously, Jacian was hot!

However, the reason this book doesn't merit a 5 out of 5 are some small nitpicky things that add up for me. First, some of the dialog was just kind of awkward, almost rushed. It felt like filler conversations to push the page count of the book, not to further the story. Second, although Kendall's OCD was apparent sometimes, I wish it would have been made more apparent. There were times I'd get done reading a chapter and then Kendall would go back to school and do her "school routine" involving rearranging the desk, turning the waste basket just so, and arranging the markers, and I'd remember that she had OCD. There'd be a lot of Kendall thinking about how much her OCD consumes her, yet that wasn't made as apparent as I would have liked.

Don't let the previous paragraph or the semi-slow middle of the book throw you off from reading this book though, once you hit the final count down of the book, Lisa McMann pulls you in and doesn't let you up for air until she's done with you. She then leaves you in a speechless sort of haze, not quite knowing what to think yet while you still digest the end of the book you read in a hurried slurr, because you couldn't get enough. Once I took a step back from this book after reading it, I found it was a very enjoyable read with some minor bumps in the road. Another satisfying read from Lisa McMann.

I give this book a solid 4 out of 5 stars.

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Waiting on Wednesday - Never Have I Ever (The Lying Game series #2) by Sara Shepard

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event to showcase what you're waiting for to release hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Book: Never Have I Ever
Series: The Lying Game series #2
Author: Sara Shepard
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publishing date: August 2, 2011

No where has a summary on this book, so I'll just include a summary from the first book:

I had a life anyone would kill for.

Then someone did.

The worst part of being dead is that there’s nothing left to live for. No more kisses. No more secrets. No more gossip. It’s enough to kill a girl all over again. But I’m about to get something no one else does—an encore performance, thanks to Emma, the long-lost twin sister I never even got to meet.

Now Emma’s desperate to know what happened to me. And the only way to figure it out is to be me—to slip into my old life and piece it all together. But can she laugh at inside jokes with my best friends? Convince my boyfriend she’s the girl he fell in love with? Pretend to be a happy, carefree daughter when she hugs my parents good night? And can she keep up the charade, even after she realizes my murderer is watching her every move?

From Sara Shepard, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Pretty Little Liars books, comes a riveting new series about secrets, lies, and killer consequences.

Let the lying game begin.