Thursday, October 31, 2013

If Only We Blog Tour




About the Book
   They say all it takes is one wrong move and you lose the game. One false step and you’re trapped. One slip-up in your choice of words and you ruin a friendship forever. That is what they say. They say I lost. I do not believe them. At the end of the summer after graduation, Adrienne wonders what happened to cause her life to be in ruins. She isn’t getting along with her mom, her stepsister isn’t talking to her, and, to top it off, the boy she’s been in love with doesn’t want anything to do with her. She believes the turning point was a choice she made at graduation. When she wakes up the next day, she has been transported back three months to that moment, the one where everything started to fall apart.
        Adrienne realizes she has been given a second chance—and this time she doesn’t want to mess anything up. Reliving the entire summer, though, turns out to be a lot harder than she thought. As the same days and weeks go by, she starts to see how simple decisions can make a huge impact on the world around her. Despite knowing some of what lies ahead, there are some things she didn’t anticipate. She thought she knew what mistake led her to where she ended up the first time. She was wrong. And by the time summer is over, she discovers what was really at stake.


Meet Jessica Sankiewicz
Jessica is the 28-year-old author of IF ONLY WE, a YA contemporary. You can often find her either reading or marathon watching TV on DVD, her favorites being Castle and Veronica Mars. She frequently mismatches her clothes and giggles uncontrollably. She knows almost every Billy Joel song by heart. She collects books and toys, and she has an intense love of cats and lemurs. Currently in the midst of her quarter-life-crisis, she is still takin' names and getting very close to reaching an epiphany.

Want to hear the best part? 
You can get this amazing e-book for only 99 cents! But hurry up because it is only available at this special price for a limited time!
Buy it Now: Amazon & Barnes and Noble




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Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Ask the Passengers by A.S. King

Ask the Passengers by A.S. King 
Ask The PassengersReleased: October 23, 2012
Publisher: Little, Brown
Page Amount: 296, US Hardback
POV: 1st Person (Astrid)
Buy it here: Barnes & NobleAmazon


OVERALL:
Plot-16/20
Characters-16/20
Creativity-17/20
Writing-17/20
Pace-6/10
Ending-7/10
=79/100 C
/5





SUMMARY:
Astrid Jones desperately wants to confide in someone, but her mother's pushiness and her father's lack of interest tell her they're the last people she can trust. Instead, Astrid spends hours lying on the backyard picnic table watching airplanes fly overhead. She doesn't know the passengers inside, but they're the only people who won't judge her when she asks them her most personal questions . . . like what it means that she's falling in love with a girl. As her secret relationship becomes more intense and her friends demand answers, Astrid has nowhere left to turn. She can't share the truth with anyone except the people at thirty thousand feet, and they don't even know she's there. But little does Astrid know just how much even the tiniest connection will affect these strangers' lives--and her own--for the better.-Goodreads.com


REViEW:
This is one of those books that I got my hopes so high for. I was so excited to read this books because who doesn't love a good gay or lesbian coming of age book? Anyway, it sounded unique, which made me super intrigued to rush into read it. My expectations were so high that I was disappointed. First off, this book does include some girl/girl attraction, but that isn't the only thing in this book. One thing that turned me off was that all of the people around Astrid seemed to have same sex attractions. I mean I'm no expert, but it seemed a little unrealistic. Astrid has to deal with a lot during this book. She has to figure out how to come out and has to deal with her father's abusive side. King is amazing for writing about so many tough issues. Philosophy was a pretty big turn around point for Astrid, but that part kind of lost me because I don't do the whole philosophy thing. My main grievance, however, was that I wish there was more of an emphasis on Astrid sending love to the airplane passengers. It was so spectacular to see how Astrid's love affected the people on the plane. Ever since I read this book I've been sending my love to people too! It's an adorable thing to do.

The characters were creative. Astrid was pretty lost and confused at the beginning, but as she got into asking questions, she found herself and gained confidence and strength. That being said, I did not really have an attachment to her. Her point of view was strong, but her character was not for me and once she got into philosophy I became even more distant. Her friends and girlfriend were interesting (mainly her girlfriend), but they seemed very one-dimensional to me. Her parents were probably the best secondary characters. They ticked me off at times, but I know a lot of my friends with parents like them.

The ending was really enlightening. I loved to see how Astrid grew. It was beautiful to see her strength shine through and I am really glad that I was able to take part in this book. I had too high of expectations and expected more about the whole homosexual attraction (that's probably because of the psychologist in me). All in all, I did enjoy this book, but I expected a more unique story and more relatable characters.

My Favorite Part: Astrid sending love to the passengers.

ALL iN ALL:
Do I recommend this book? Yes, it brought some really good messages.

Thanks for reading!


It's a Book Thing
Review by Macy ♥

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Top Ten: Unusual Character Names

Top Ten Unusual Character Names
Top Ten is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish

Let me begin by saying that unusual names are my favorites so this was a really fun TTT for me! I feel bad for my future kid someday who is doomed to have a really unusual name.

1. Celaena from Throne of Glass

2. Cassia from Matched: Always want to pronounce it cass-e-a instead of casha. In my opinion my pronunciation sounds prettier.

3. Ariella from Heartlight

4. Echo from Pushing the Limits

5. Blue from The Raven Boys

6. Marina from All Our Yesterdays

7.  Skye from All I Need

8. Rhine from Wither

9. Aura from Shade 

10. Katniss from the Hunger Games

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Celebrate the Book Event

Celebrate the Book Event
   Yesterday, I had the most amazing experience meeting 9 amazing YA authors. I attended multiple panels where the authors discussed the publishing process as well as some shared some fascinating tidbits about their research for their books. The authors who were in attendance were Brigid Kemmerer (Elemental Series), Zoraida Cordova (The Vicious Deep), Elizabeth Norris (Unraveling), Jeri Smith-Ready (Shade), Maria V. Snyder (Poison Study/Inside Out & many more), Jennifer L. Armentrout (Lux, Covenant, Wait for You), Wendy Higgins (The Sweet Trilogy), Cyn Balog (Fairy Tale, Touched, Sleepless, Dead River), and Shannon Delany (13 to Life, The Weather Witch).


Above: Jeri Smith-Ready, Zoraida Cordova, Maria V. Snyder, Elizabeth Norris, and Brigid Kemmerer

   These authors are super sweet and amazing people! Meeting all of them was totally worth the 4 hour drive to the event! I was given tons of swag to give away on the blog so expect some giveaways for some signed posters and other awesome stuff soon! I got all of my books signed as well as a big snack of signed book plates for the books I have yet to get. Tomorrow I will be sharing some interesting facts that I learned at the panels and then the rest of the week will be filled with some author bios of those that I met and some reviews of those books. Be sure to check this blog regularly because there are a ton of surprises coming soon! Until then, happy reading!  :D


 Below: Zoraida Cordova, Jennifer L. Armentrout, me, Wendy Higgins, and Cyn Balog









Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Top Ten: Books I Was Forced to Read

Top Ten Books I Was Forced to Read
Top Ten is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish

1. Of Mice and Men: I'm so glad I had to read this book in my Sophomore lit class. It was amazing. I loved Lennie so I totally cried like a little baby at the end. This is definitely a classic I recommend, it reads like a modern day novel.  

2. Harry Potter: I was forced by my mom and friends to read The Sorcerer's Stone. I didn't like it so I never read the rest, but I do love the movies.

3. Pride and Prejudice: This classic wasn't for me because it had a little too many descriptions. Nevertheless, I'm glad I read it and hope to read some more Austen before I die.

4. Romeo and Juliet: This is a classic. The classic that every human being should read. I named my kitty after Romeo. Enough said.

5. Hamlet: Read Shakespeare. This play blew me away. There is so much action and well executed drama that I can't stand how intense this play is! I loved it. Thank you my favorite teacher everrrrr for making my class read it! 

6. The Scarlet Letter: This book bored me from the start. The story is great when I watched the movie and saw the play, but the book was so long and boring.

7.  The Old Man and the Sea: It's 80 pages, but that was a horribly long 80 pages...

8. Insurgent: I loved Divergent with all my heart, which is why I never read this book until I was forced to by my lovely book club. They insisted on reading Insurgent as soon as we finished our Divergent discussion, forcing me to swallow my hesitations and dive into this book. This is one of the few sequels that was actually as good as the first. 

9. Catching Fire: I loved loved loved The Hunger Games, but was leery to read this book. Only reason I read it is because my best friend made me because she loves this series so much. Because I thought The Hunger Games was perfect, this book made me sad. I didn't like it nearly as much as I enjoyed the first.

10. Mockingjay: I'm afraid to read this book, but my Hunger Games super fan best friend is making me read it. *Whimpers*

Monday, October 14, 2013

Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton

Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton 
Darkness Becomes Her (Gods & Monsters, #1)Released: February 22, 2011
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Series: Gods and Monsters, Book 1

Followed By: A Beautiful Evil
Page Amount: 273, US Hardback
POV: 1st Person (Ari)
Buy it here: Barnes & NobleAmazon


OVERALL:
Plot-18/20
Characters-18/20
Creativity-17/20
Writing-16/20
Pace-9/10
Ending-8/10
=86/100 B
/5




SUMMARY:
Ari can’t help feeling lost and alone. With teal eyes and freakish silver hair that can’t be changed or destroyed, Ari has always stood out. And after growing up in foster care, she longs for some understanding of where she came from and who she is. Her search for answers uncovers just one message from her long dead mother: Run. Ari can sense that someone, or something, is getting closer than they should. But it’s impossible to protect herself when she doesn’t know what she’s running from or why she is being pursued. She knows only one thing: she must return to her birthplace of New 2, the lush rebuilt city of New Orleans. Upon arriving, she discovers that New 2 is very...different. Here, Ari is seemingly normal. But every creature she encounters, no matter how deadly or horrifying, is afraid of herAri won’t stop until she knows why. But some truths are too haunting, too terrifying, to ever be revealed.-Goodreads.com


REViEW:
I have avoided reading this book for years. Why? The cover seemed a little cheap to me. This is why you should not judge a book by its cover. The pages within this boring, seen a billion times cover held a remarkable, intense, action-packed book. I loved it! The whole beginning didn't drag over descriptions like some books do. No, this book started with a very well put together plot. From the first pages where Ari talks about her silver hair and discovers her mother's true past, the book became addicting. I did not expect mythology, other than Medusa of course, to play a part. I really enjoyed that surprise. My main issue with the book is Ari's narration. I loved Ari as a character, just didn't enjoy all of her commentary, mainly her one word comments that were really unnecessary. Just trust me and pick up this book. Don't let the cover detract from all the twists and intrigue that this book has to offer. 

The characters were very very well written. Ari is a strong, independent woman. Me likey strong protagonists. Ari is very different from most narrators and really stood out to me as being tough and intelligent. She won't let anything get in her way. OKay, maybe that's not right, Sebastian distracts her a lot. That being said, there is some very blatant insta-love in this book. The book even acknowledges this fact. Literally after a few hours of learning his name, Ari is sucking face with Sebastian. It was borderline comical. I think I kind of liked it for that reason. Anyway, the characters are detailed. All of the characters in New 2, the home of the, um, gifted. They all had a distinct personality, especially, my favorite, Violet. Ari loves the little Violet because she embraces her abnormality. I loved how realistic it was for teenage Ari to be able to learn from this little vampire. Their relationship was truly something beautiful. 

The ending was really well done! Personally, I typically don't go for all that mythology stuff, but this book made it enjoyable. The big shocker at the end really made me excited. I cannot wait to see what is going to happen next. I just wish Ari wasn't going to make a war happen, but I guess if she took the easy way out there wouldn't be a sequel. All in all, give this book a try. I can guarantee that it will exceed your expectations. 

My Favorite Part: Ari's feelings towards Violet.

ALL iN ALL:
Do I recommend this book? Yes this book is totally underrated! It is so good, but I think the cover turns people away.
Will I be reading the next book? I have to!!!

Thanks for reading!


It's a Book Thing
Review by Macy ♥

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Top Ten: Endings


Top Ten Favorite Endings
Top Ten is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish

1. Impulse: I still want to bang my head against a brick wall when this book even crosses my mind. I just never saw that coming and it was horribly perfect. I'm still not over it.

2.  Fire with Fire: You should know my rant on this book by heart by now. But seriously. I'm like squirming in my seat waiting for the next book. It better be on my door step midnight the day it comes out. I'm serious.

3. Crushed: The Pretty Little Liars series has always had the best endings. This one just disturbed me so much that I think I loved it. Amazing job, Shepard.

4. Delirium: I loved this ending. Those last few paragraphs were beautifully and flawlessly written. My heart broke. Tears may have been shed.

5.  Before I Fall: This is another one of those so terrible it's amazing endings. I hated Sam at the beginning and was bawling my eyes out by the end. Definitely not what I expected to happen. 

6. Burn for Burn: Siobhan and Han better stop awing me with their amazing endings. Although not as memorable as Fire with Fire, this ending definitely had me hooked. Heck  I even went to the Book Expo of America just for the sequel. (Totally worth it if I do say so myself.) 

7.  All I Need: Swoon. Like awww!!! I'm speechless, it was so adorable! This is what I want in a guy. Seth is definitely a good guy!

8. Awakened: I thought I had given up all hope in the House of Night series...and then this ending happened. I just couldn't abandon it then.

9. Spirit Bound: Vampire Academy is amazing. This ending made me freak out then start the next book. Totally unexpected plot turn!

10. Beautiful Chaos: I'm partially sad about this ending, but it makes me need the next book. Ethan better have some Beautiful Redemption.

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

The Enchanter Heir by Cinda Williams Chima

The Enchanter Heir by Cinda Williams Chima  The Enchanter Heir (The Heir Chronicles, #4) 
The Heir Chronicles: Book 4
Story- 10/10
Characters- 10/10
Style- 9/10
Overall- 9.5/10

   The Enchanter Heir. I first started reading Cinda’s books in 8th grade, and I was NOT an avid reader. But after reading only one of her novels, I quickly found a love for spending entire days immersed in books, which mostly tended to be hers. Her fluent, elegant stringing of words is a joy to the mind and creates some of the most vivid stories there are to read. The Enchanter Heir is a perfect showcase of her talents, bringing even more lucidity and emotion to her tales. The Enchanter Heir is an add-on to the previous three Heir novels, but is independent from them, and does not require one to read them in order to follow along (although I would personally recommend it, if not for the sole reason of reading more of her work. I cannot promote her enough).  Since the book has not been released yet, and I was fortunate to receive an advanced copy, I will now share my thoughts on the book, without giving away too many spoilers. That will be hard.

   This story is told by the perspective of Jonah Kinlock, a magical mutant whose powers set him above the rest of the magical world, with a Weirstone (a magical source of power that lies next to the heart) that is undeclared (although it is shown to hold most of the powers an enchanter stone would hold). He is a survivor of the Thorn Hill Massacre, where it was rumored to hold sorcerers that were experimenting with dangerous poisons. The massacre gave anyone who lived strange powers that are highly variable. Jonah received devastating abilities from it that he uses to fight Shades, the living-dead who were once Thorn Hill residents. Everyone who lived there before the massacre is subject to turn into a Shade, and the thought of that haunts him as he is sent to kill them in order to protect others.

   The perspective is also shared by Emma Greenwood, a sorcerer who grew up knowing little about magic. Her grandfather, Sonny Lee Greenwood, is an accomplished luthier who raised her to love music. But after he is found barely alive with a warning note in his hand, Emma runs away from the life she knows to a family member she’s never met before. And to make matters worse, she learns of her special powers as a sorcerer, and her family’s involvement with the Thorn Hill Massacre.

   First of all, if you are any kind of musician, or have a love for music, you will immediately fall in love with this book. While it is mainly about wizards, sorcerers, and enchanters, Cinda employs numerous different musical aspects that are dynamically pleasing to the senses.  I loved it. It went well with the story, and added a new dimension to her writing. As for the rest of the story, it was emotionally packed and very intense at times. She was very able to have action coincide with the telling of the story, and the romance between characters. Overall, I am very happy that all my expectations for the book held true. I only have one issue with it, and I would have thought I’d be familiar with its bitter taste due to her other books (especially the Seven Realms Series), is the ending. I am not saying that it was bad, but I am not a fan of its setup. If you have read her Seven Realms Series, you probably already know what I am talking about. I will not say exactly what that is though, because I do not want to ruin it for anyone. But even with the ending, I still say that it was one of the most thrilling novels I have read and highly recommend getting a copy the second you can!

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