Waiting on Wednesday (13)

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?

In My Mailbox (18)

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?

Waiting on Wednesday (12)

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?

Review: The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

  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)

  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!

Review: Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

  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

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!

In My Mailbox (17)

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?

Review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

  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!

Waiting on Wednesday (11)

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?

Teaser Tuesday (9)

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

“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

Review: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

  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 Rêves, 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!

In My Mailbox (16)

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:

Beautiful Chaos (Caster Chronicles #3) by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Thank you Little, Brown!

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

Thank you Little, Brown!

The Wedding Gift by Kathleen McKenna

Thank you Kathleen!

Bought:

The Maze Runner (Maze Runner #1) by James Dashner

Thank you to Lori's Reading Corner for the Show Me the Money Monday prize! 

Won:

Unlovable by Sherry Gammon

Thank you to Haley at Ya-Aholic! I won this from her giveaway.

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

Review: Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

  Title: Beauty Queens                      Pages: 396
  Author: Libba Bray                          Source: Own
  Publisher: Scholastic Press              Published: May 24, 2011
  Series: N/A                                       Purchase: Amazon

The fifty contestants in the Miss Teen Dream pageant thought this was going to be a fun trip to the beach, where they could parade in their state-appropriate costumes and compete in front of the cameras. But sadly, their airplane had another idea crashing on a desert island and leaving the survivors stranded with little food, little water, and practically no eyeliner.

What's a beauty queen to do? Continue to practice for the talent portion of the program--or wrestle snakes to the ground? Get a perfect tan--or learn to run wild? And what should happen when the sexy pirates show up?

Welcome to the heart of non-exfoliated darkness. Your tour guide? None other than Libba Bray, the hilarious, sensational, Printz Award-winning author of A Great and Terrible Beauty and Going Bovine. The result is a novel that will make you laugh, make you think, and make you never see beauty the same way again.

Beauty Queens is like no other novel - zany and unique and just plain WTF crazy.

The characters in Beauty Queens were wonderful. They were all so diverse and sometimes even stereotypical, but brilliantly done. There was the girl that hates beauty pageants, the dumb one, the bossy leader, the black girl, and the fresh-out-of-juvie lesbian. They all came together and made one heck of a dysfunctional family and a great team.

My favorite was Mary Lou, she was the type of girl to do what she's told and she really blossomed, becoming exactly what her mother didn't want her to be - a wild girl. I loved her middle-of-the-night adventures with the sexy Tane Ngata.

Now the writing and plot were downright comical, but in a good way. I've never read a novel that is totally off-the-wall like Beauty Queens. Some of the stuff that happens just leaves you sitting there stunned by the craziness of it, yet you're laughing and smiling all the way because some of the stuff Libba Bray comes up with is just unbelievable! It's definitely a novel you have to read for yourself to get what I mean and it's definitely worth it.

Overall, I had a fantastic time reading Beauty Queens. It was out-there and such a light, fun read. I definitely would recommend Beauty Queens to just about everyone, no matter your tastes, unless you dislike fun things and laughing your socks off!

Cover thoughts: I'm in love with this cover. It fits the book so well!

Cover Reveal: Endlessly by Kiersten White

Today I wanted to share the cover reveal of Kiersten White's Endlessly. I read and loved the first two and am now terribly excited for this one!

Without further ado...

Endlessly by Kiersten White

So what do you think? Do you like it? Are you excited to read Endlessly or not so much? Let me know in the comments!

I think it's gorgeous and I love how they all have corresponded with each other. My favorite is still the first one, probably, as I absolutely loved the pinks and blues together (and I'm not a big pink fan, unlike Evie!). 

Sidenote: Is it just me, or does the model look like Scarlett Johansson a bit? 

Review: Darker Still by Leanna Renee Hieber

  Title: Darker Still                          Pages: 320
  Author: Leanna Renee Hieber      Source: Netgalley
  Publisher: Sourcebooks                Published: Nov 1, 2011
  Series: Magic Most Foul #1           Purchase: Amazon

The Picture of Dorian Gray meets Pride and Prejudice, with a dash of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

New York City, 1882. Seventeen-year-old Natalie Stewart's latest obsession is a painting of the handsome British Lord Denbury. Something in his striking blue eyes calls to her. As his incredibly life-like gaze seems to follow her, Natalie gets the uneasy feeling that details of the painting keep changing...

Jonathan Denbury's soul is trapped in the gilded painting by dark magic while his possessed body commits unspeakable crimes in the city slums. He must lure Natalie into the painting, for only together can they reverse the curse and free his damaged soul.

The premise of Darker Still captivated me just by the mention of The Picture of Dorian Gray.

Natalie was such a great character. She was strong and snarky - despite the fact that she couldn't speak. She was a bit too far on the feminist side, often making comments about various men and men in general, which was the biggest downside to her character. I felt that her feminism was pushed too far, but nothing too drastic that I couldn't like the story.

I thought Lord Denbury was a perfect male lead - gentlemanly and so hot despite the time period. The romance was also hot despite the time period, albeit a little fast-moving for my tastes. I prefer a romance to not be so love-at-first-sight and a bit more realistic.

The plot is what shines to me. It was incredibly creepy at times and satisfied my need for a thrilling, mysterious story. The religion aspect of the plot didn't bother me much, save for a few occurences, and I'm fairly sensitive when it comes to religion in a novel. I would have liked just a bit more description at times, though, in terms of character appearances and Denbury's portrait, as his heath was declining.

Overall, I really enjoyed Darker Still and it was almost exactly what I was hoping. There were some bumps in the road that might not appeal to some readers, but I personally did not find them too bothersome.

Cover thoughts: It's really pretty, I love the purple and the white around her, like she's going into a portal.

Confused why there isn't a rating? Well, folks, I decided to stop rating the books I've read, as no book is the same so I wouldn't feel right about giving them all the same ratings. Hopefully, you can clearly tell whether I've loved or hated a novel and hopefully even see the in betweens such as disappointed and really liked. Plus, I'll usually say at the end anyway :P. This is a decision I've been thinking about for a while now and have finally set in motion.

Waiting on Wednesday (10)

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: Life Is But a Dream
  Author: Brian James
  Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
  Published: March 27th 2012
  Pages: 234
  Goodreads

Alec and Sabrina are crazy in love. Problem is: Sabrina’s really crazy.

Sabrina, an artist, is diagnosed with schizophrenia, and her parents check her into the Wellness Center. There she meets Alec, who is convinced it's the world that's crazy, not the two of them. They are meant to be together; they are special. But when Alec starts to convince Sabrina that her treatment will wipe out everything that makes her creative, she worries that she'll lose hold of her dreams and herself. Should she listen to her doctor? Her decision may have fatal consequences.

The cover is beautiful, the story sounds fascinating! Plus the title reminds me of a Panic! at the Disco song :). Can't wait to read this!

What are you waiting on?

RAK: October Wrap-Up!

Random Acts of Kindness is a monthly feature hosted by Book Soulmates. For more information, please go here.

I unfortunately wasn't able to send anything this month, but I have some books waiting to be sent, I just need to get the funds in order. I currently do not have a job or a source of income besides babysitting and I'm already in debt to my boyfriend for various necessities. I really hope to send books in the near future!

Received:

I received quite a few books this month, which definitely surprised me!

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

I received this from Emma at The Girl with a Book. After hearing all the wonderful things about this one, I was dying to get my hands on it! I'm currently reading this right now and am so far loving all its quirkiness! Thank you, Emma!

The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan

I absolutely fell in love with The Forest of Hands and Teeth and already had The Dark and Hollow Places, so I couldn't wait to read this one! This one came from Jen at At Random. Thank you, Jen!

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

I've been wanting to read this one since I saw the movie! I mentioned that I was going to look for this at my local used bookstore and Joli at Actin' Up With Books emailed and said she had both this and The Notebook. Thank you, Joli!

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

I also mentioned in the same post that I wanted to look for more Nicholas Sparks books, because I found Dear John at the local Goodwill. Thank you for this one, too, Joli!

That's what I got for RAK this month and I'm absolutely ecstatic! I can't wait to be able to send books for this wonderful feature!