Book Review: The Selection by Kiera Cass (Luxury Reading review)

  Title: The Selection                                                          Pages: 327
  Author: Kiera Cass                                                          Source: Luxury Reading
  Publisher: HarperTeen                                                   Published: April 24, 2012
  Series: The Selection #1                                                Purchase: Amazon

merica Singer is content with her life. Although her boyfriend, Aspen, is in a lower caste, to America, he’s perfect. So when he urges her to join The Selection, an opportunity for one of thirty-five girls to become the wife of Prince Maxon, she is surprised. She’s even more surprised when she’s picked.

Wanting to be with Aspen, but needing the checks that The Selection provides her family with more, America sets off to the palace, heart closed off from the snobby Prince.

But when America meets Maxon, she realizes he’s not who she thought he was. He’s kind and sweet and she realizes that marrying Aspen might not be the best choice she has – and wants.

Plagued by these new found feelings, America has a big decision to make. Will it be Aspen or Prince Maxon?

After hearing about The Selection being compared to The Bachelor, I immediately wanted to read it. Being an unashamed fan of The Bachelor and all the juicy drama it provides, I knew I couldn’t go wrong with The Selection. And it didn’t disappoint.


To read the rest of my review, please go to Luxury Reading!
Pass or Read? If you love the Bachelor, definitely give this one a read!

Cover thoughts: The cover is so pretty. Of course it's just another pretty girl in a pretty dress, but with the other girls around her in the same dress, it is a bit more unique and reminds me of a forest in the winter. So pretty.

Book Review: Where It Began by Ann Redisch Stampler (Luxury Reading review)

  Title: Where It Began                                 Pages: 384
  Author: Ann Redisch Stampler                Source: Luxury Reading
  Publisher: Simon Pulse                            Published: March 6, 2012
  Series: N/A                                                   Purchase: Amazon

Gabby Gardiner started her senior year off with a bang. She spent the summer getting made over from head to toe and her new look caught the eye of one of Winston School's most popular guys - Billy Nash.

So when Gabby wakes up on the ground to find Billy's car wrapped around a tree and the car keys in her hands, she's terrified. She'd do anything to make Billy stay with her and she may have ruined her whole life in a night that left her battered, bruised, and an amnesiac.

Now faced with the possibility of juvie, rehab, and Billy not being able to talk to her for fear of violating his parole, Gabby has to do everything she can to keep herself out of trouble and get her life back the way it was: perfect.

But when Gabby learns the truth about something big, she finds it may be impossible to get back to perfect.

Where It Began's synopsis stood out to me and it sounded like a terrific read. After getting my hopes up, I was honestly left very disappointed.

To read the rest of my review, please go to Luxury Reading!
Pass or Read? I'd say pass on this.

Cover thoughts: Meh. That's pretty much all I have to say about it. I mean, the girl's gorgeous and all, but it has nothing to do with the story.

Book Review: Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood (Luxury Reading review)

  Title: Born Wicked                                             Pages: 330
  Author: Jessica Spotswood                            Source: Luxury Reading
  Publisher: Putnam Juvenile                            Published: Feb 7, 2012
  Series: The Cahill Witch Chronicles #1        Purchase: Amazon

Cate Cahill has a secret. Her and her two sisters are witches. She promised her mother she would protect Maura and Tess, so she’s doing everything in her power to keep this a secret from her nosy neighbors and the terrifying Brotherhood, who ship girls like the Cahill sisters off to the prison ship or Harwood, the mental asylum.

But with the days counting down quickly to the time she has to announce either a marriage or joining the Sisterhood, Cate struggles even more with keeping her and her sisters’ secrets locked away. And when she finds her mother’s diary, she uncovers the biggest secret yet – one that could mean the destruction of her family.

Cate has to learn exactly whom she can trust, including her very own sisters.

Born Wicked had one of those synopses that stand out and make you want to read that novel. The plot inside was even better.

To read the rest of my review, please go to Luxury Reading!
Cover thoughts: This cover is gorgeous!! I also love how the model is upside down, it gives it a bit of a uniqueness to it. I love everything about this cover!

Review: The Way We Fall (Luxury Reading review)

  Title: The Way We Fall                                Pages: 304
  Author: Megan Crewe                                 Source: Luxury Reading
  Publisher: Disney-Hyperion                       Published: Jan 24, 2012
  Series: The Way We Fall #1                       Purchase: Amazon

Kaelyn's town has come down with a mysterious - and deadly - virus. First, you're itching and you cannot stop. Next, you're acting like you're friends with everyone. Then there are paranoid hallucinations. And lastly, you're dead.

The Way We Fall is about exactly that - a falling civilization, hindered not only by the deadly virus, but by the healthy inhabitants inside doing anything it takes to survive - even if that means killing someone.

Kaelyn holds her own and shines as a brave heroine, risking her life to help those with the virus and her family. She sometimes breaks down, sure, but who wouldn't when the town you grew up in is crumbling beneath you? I felt proud of Kaelyn and would definitely want her on my side, should a deadly virus ever hit my town.

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

Cover thoughts: I really like that this cover is yellow, because it really stands out against a lot of book covers, but I just don't see how it has to do with the story that much. I do like it, though.

Review: Everneath by Brodi Ashton (Luxury Reading review)

  Title: Everneath                               Pages: 370
  Author: Brodi Ashton                       Source: Luxury Reading
  Publisher: Harper Collins               Published: Jan 24, 2012
  Series: Everneath #1                       Purchase: Amazon

Nikki Beckett mysteriously vanished last spring, leaving her family, her friend Jules, and her boyfriend Jack devastated. She was taken to the Everneath, a place where immortals Feed on humans' emotions to sustain their immortality.

So when Nikki suddenly comes back to her old town, everyone is surprised. She tries to slowly get back into the flow of things, but she harbours a secret that'll devastate her loved ones even more: she has to go back to the Everneath in six months.. this time forever.

Nikki must find a way to stay above the ground, or lose everyone and everything again.

I found the premise of Everneath extremely interesting, but because of a few problems, I just couldn't like this book as much as I wanted to.

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

Cover thoughts: I really like this cover, even though it's just another one of those covers with a girl in a pretty dress. But I LIKE those covers, even though most of the time they have nothing to do with the story. I like how they tried to tie in the image with the story, though, with the dress turning into smoke and the smoke beneath her.

Review: Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez (Luxury Reading review)

  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.

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

  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.

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: Run for Cover by Eva Gray

  Title: Run for Cover                                                 Pages: 224 
  Author: Eva Gray                                                   Source: Luxury Reading
  Publisher: Scholastic                                             Published: July 1, 2011
  Series: Tomorrow Girls #2                                      Purchase: Amazon
  Rating: 4 out of 5

When Louisa, Rosie, Evelyn, and Maddie learn the truth about Country Manor School, Rosie finds herself running once again. This time, though, it's because CMS has a secret - it belongs to the Alliance, the opposing team to the War raging around them.

Now, self-appointed leader Rosie finds herself not only trying to protect herself, but three other girls as they flee the school. Rosie does perfectly fine surviving on her own, but can she also take care of three other girls?

And on top of that, the four girls run into three boys from the school across the pond, who want to go with them. Rosie has secrets - should she risk her secrets getting exposed to save them?

Run For Cover is told in first person perspective, through Rosie's eyes. I found this a great way to give each girl their own opinion and a great chance to elaborate further with each girls' personality.

Want to read the rest of this review? Head on over to Luxury Reading.

I give Run for Cover a 4 out of 5.

Review: Stay by Deb Caletti (Luxury Reading review)

  Title: Stay                                                      Pages: 313 
  Author: Deb Caletti                                         Source: Luxury Reading
  Publisher: Simon Pulse                                   Published: April 5, 2011
  Series: Standalone?                                        Purchase: Amazon
  Rating: 5 out of 5

Clara's never had a true boyfriend, only flings and dates. But when she meets Christian, that changes. Without even searching, it seems she's found someone she could be with forever.

And then the unthinkable happens. Christian becomes more and more jealous and more and more obsessive. Over Clara. He accuses her of looking at other guys, of wanting to be with them. He accuses her of wanting to leave and never believes she truly loves him, only him, no matter how many times she tells him.

When Clara realizes that their relationship is too far gone - that Christian is too far gone - she leaves the city and her friends behind to stay at Bishop Rock with her father, telling no one where she's going.

There, she breathes for the first time in a while and starts picking up the pieces of her life - or at least trying. She's still scared that she may have not run far enough.

I was drawn to Stay and its premise from the first time I read the summary. I love realistic fiction and Stay leads the pack.

Want to read the rest of this review? Head on over to Luxury Reading.

I give Stay a 5 out of 5.

Review: Where She Went (Luxury Reading review)

  Title: Where She Went                     Pages: 264
  Author: Gayle Forman                      Source: Luxury Reading
  Publisher: Dutton Juvenile                Published: Apr 5, 2011
  Series: If I Stay #2                             Purchase: Amazon
  Rating: 5 out of 5

It’s been three years since the tragic accident that devastated Mia’s life and three years since she left her rock star boyfriend, Adam. He was not just another musician, but a full-blown, everywhere-he-goes-he-gets-recognized rock star.

Music is Adam’s dream, or at least it was. Now, he’s an empty shell. He goes through the actions of interviews and shows and everything associated with his rock star life in a blur of people and panic attacks.

Mia’s a rising star in the classical music world and one night, Adam finds himself at one of her concerts. He intends to just sit and listen to the music, but fate has other plans for them. She invites him backstage and before he knows it, he’s on a tour of her favorite haunts in New York, and one wild ride of emotions.

I loved If I Stay, and Where She Went was only more of the same, in a very good way. I devoured it and I’m sure it’ll be one of those books that stays with me for a long time.

Want to read the rest of my review? Please go here: Luxury Reading

I give Where She Went a 5 out of 5.

 

Confused why I don’t have the full review here? Please refer to my first Luxury Reading review here.

Review: Shadow Hills (Luxury Reading review)

  Title: Shadow Hills                      Pages: 391
  Author: Anastasia Hopcus           Source: Luxury Reading
  Publisher: Egmont USA       Published: May 10, 2011
  Series: Standalone?                   Purchase: Amazon
  Rating: 4 out of 5

Persephone “Phe” Archer is grieving the tragic death of her sister, Athena. So when she receives a letter from a school in Shadow Hills – which Athena just so happened to mention in her diary the night she died – Phe decides to enroll there, armed with nothing but Athena’s diary as guidance.

Once in Shadow Hills, Phe starts having vivid nightmares that seem to be trying to tell her something. Are they visions of the future or of the past? What are they trying to say? One thing is for certain, Phe has just stumbled into the heart of the ancient secrets residing in the small town of Shadow Hills.

I immediately was drawn into the world and mystery of Phe Archer and Shadow Hills. There were some slow points, but other than that I thoroughly enjoyed Shadow Hills.

Want to read the rest of my review? Please go here: Luxury Reading

I give Shadow Hills a 4 out of 5.

 

Confused why I don’t have the full review here? Please refer to my first Luxury Reading review here.

In My Mailbox (6)

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.

For Review (from Vera at Luxury Reading):

Where She Went by Gayle Forman

I just finished If I Stay yesterday and loved it (bought it so I could read this), so I’m sure I’ll love this too. Can’t wait to read it, thanks Vera! Expect If I Stay’s review up on Books and a Cup of Tea soon and Where She Went soon on Luxury Reading!

In My Mailbox (4)

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.

For Review (from Luxury Reading):

Shadow Hills by Anastasia Hopcus
(I’m really enjoying this so far!)

E-Galleys:

The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson
(ecstatic over this, I loved the first! I’m surprised I was approved! Thank you HarperTeen!)

Bumped by Megan McCafferty
(I was surprised and excited that I was approved for this one, thank you Balzer + Bray!)

Mercy by Rebecca Lim
(thank you Disney-Hyperion!)

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter
(highly enjoying this so far, thank you Harlequin Teen!)

Contests:

Across the Universe by Beth Revis
(suuuuuuper excited about this, thank you to Amanda from Maestra Amanda’s Bookshelf)

Cassidy Jones and the Secret Formula by Elise Stokes
(from Goodreads giveaway, thank you Elise Stokes!)

Mystify by Artist Arthur
(thank you vvb32 Reads!)

Blessed by Cynthia Leitich Smith
(thank you YA Books Central!)

I got extremely lucky lately and won a bunch of contests, so maybe that luck will keep going for a while? I believe I’m going to do a giveaway for everyone that reads my reviews. I’ll try to do one soon, either for 50, 75, or 100 followers .

Review: Human.4 by Mike A. Lancaster (Luxury Reading review)

  Title: Human.4                          Pages: 240                
  Author: Mike A. Lancaster        Source: Luxury Reading 
  Publisher: Egmont USA           Published: 3/8/11  
  Series: ?                                   Purchase: Amazon
  Rating: 3 out 5

Kyle Straker volunteered along with three other people to be hypnotized during a talent show by one of his friends. He figured it’d just be him hypnotized to cluck like a chicken and that’d be it. Boy, was he wrong.

He and the three others wake up to find everyone sitting completely still, not blinking. Kyle, thinking it’s a joke, calls out to them that they can quit the joke. Nobody moves. That’s when Kyle thinks something a lot more sinister is going on. And when he and the others find that no communicational devices work in their village and the computers are streaming a weird, moving language, he knows something sinister is going on. Is it a plague? …Aliens??

Narrated through cassette tapes, Kyle Straker unfolds his chilling story of technology gone too far.

I want to say first that I did enjoy this book. There are several flaws, though, that held me back from liking it more.

Want to read the rest of my review? Please go here: Luxury Reading
 

I give this book a 3 out of 5.

Why do I only have some of the review here? I am going to be reviewing books for Luxury Reading, and Human.4 was my first one. Each post I have with a Luxury Reading review will be set up just like this one, where I’ll have you go to the link to read the rest of the review, because Vera (the blog owner) kindly ships books to me to review.

I will of course still have full reviews on my blog, so keep a look out for those .