Thursday, February 28, 2013

ARC Review: If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch

If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch
Published: March 26, 2013
Publisher:
St. Martin's Griffin
Pages:
256
My Rating:
3.5 of 5 stars

There are some things you can’t leave behind… 

A broken-down camper hidden deep in a national forest is the only home fifteen year-old Carey can remember. The trees keep guard over her threadbare existence, with the one bright spot being Carey’s younger sister, Jenessa, who depends on Carey for her very survival. All they have is each other, as their mentally ill mother comes and goes with greater frequency. Until that one fateful day their mother disappears for good, and two strangers arrive. Suddenly, the girls are taken from the woods and thrust into a bright and perplexing new world of high school, clothes and boys.

Now, Carey must face the truth of why her mother abducted her ten years ago, while haunted by a past that won’t let her go… a dark past that hides many a secret, including the reason Jenessa hasn’t spoken a word in over a year. Carey knows she must keep her sister close, and her secrets even closer, or risk watching her new life come crashing down.
 

My Review: I'm not sure what I expected from this book. From the synopsis it sounds really interesting until it gets to the part about Carey entering high school. When I read that part it sounded like something average because in my head I'm thinking that I've read something like this before. I was pleasantly surprised! If You Find Me was heartbreaking but hopeful.

When I first started reading I thought I would end up hating Carey's voice because she didn't always use proper English and I tend to get annoyed with characters that speak like that really quickly, but I actually really enjoyed her voice. It didn't sound forced and it really matched her character.

Carey and Nessa's story was so heartbreaking, but predictable. I knew what had happened to them in the woods after Carey relived a memory about the men that her mother brought home, but that didn't lessen the disgust and horror I felt when Carey finally came clean. What happened to them was terrible and so realistic that I could imagine two children living out in the woods and going through the same thing that they did.

Even though I really enjoyed Carey's story, I still had a few problems with it. I don't understand how two girls that lived in the middle of nowhere could be drop dead gorgeous without even trying. Both Carey and Nessa are beautiful compared to the other characters. I felt like Ryan and Carey's relationship didn't develop enough for me to be truly invested in them. They had been childhood friends but that doesn't mean that they should automatically fall in love. It just seemed really strange that Carey trusted Ryan so easily after everything that the men in the woods did to her, even though she had known him from her life before the woods.

I also really didn't like how Carey treated Delaney. To Carey, Delaney is the evil stepsister, just because Delaney wants nothing to do with her. Honestly, I felt bad for Delaney because she was used to being an only child and now she's one of three. That's a little hard to adjust to and of course she isn't going to automatically like Carey, but Carey didn't seem to see that until a little over half way through the book.

Overall, If You Find Me was a compelling read and different from most books I've read.

*I received this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Book Tour: Power by Theresa M. Jones


Author Interview & Giveaway


When did you first realize you wanted to write a book?
Well, I'm pretty sure that I wrote my first book in 3rd grade. I was so proud of myself for filling in an entire 150 page spiral and I still have that “book” too. So, I guess ive always known that I wanted to be a writer. Though I didn’t get serious about it until 2009 when I came up with the idea for Power.

What was your inspiration for writing Power?
I thought of the idea one night when I was at home after putting my daughter to bed. I thought about how cool it would be if my life had more meaning. I was a young single mom at the time, so you can see a lot of that in Power.

What research did you have to do?
I had to research about the Sierra Nevada Mountains, where the Compound is located in Power. And I did some research into Greek mythology. But that was about it. The rest I already had stored in my fuzzy little brain.

What was the most challenging part of writing Power?
Finding the time to write. I think that is still the hardest part of writing for me. Just finding the time to write my stories down!

What was your favorite scene to write?
Well, I loved writing the romance scene between Allison and David! Writing about how they grew to love and respect each other!

Which character did you enjoy writing about the most?
Allison,the main character. She is largely based on me and my life. And of course her daughter, Samantha.

What are three words you would use to describe the main character in Power?
Impatient. Strong. Passionate.

What author/book influenced your writing the most?
Umm… this is a hard one. There isn’t a specific author that has influenced me, so much as there are multiple authors. I love MANY authors. Jennifer L Armentrout. Jessica Sorensen. Lauren Oliver. JK Rowling. Veronica Roth. (just off the top of my head)

Did you suffer from writer's block? If so how did you overcome it?
No, writers block was never really an issue for me. I had to take so many breaks in my writing due to life circumstances (getting married, having another child, work, school, etc) That I never had time to actually develop any kind of writers block. At least not yet… *Crosses fingers*

Are you working on anything new right now?
I just finished editing the second book in The Descendant Trilogy, Hope. And will be starting a new Fae series soon!



Thousands of years after the battle between the angels, when Lucifer was defeated by Michael in the Heavens, the war is still being fought on Earth by the humans who have their Power, the Angel’s Power.

Allison Stevens is a 21 year old single mother who gets thrown into the middle of this battle when Damien, the Leader of the Rising, decides to hunt her down and kill her because he fears she is the descendant prophesied to save the world.

David, a member of the Order, takes Allison under his wing in order to show her the ropes, and hopefully groom her into being the one they have been waiting for. The only problem is that they start to grow more attached than a teacher/student relationship should allow.

But that isn’t all. Damien wants to open the Seven Seals and bring about the apocalypse and it’s up to Allison to not only save herself and her family, but save the world, all while trying to keep her heart from breaking.

No problem… right?


POWER is the first book in a New Adult (Mature YA) Paranormal Romance Trilogy and is the debut novel for author Theresa M Jones.
a Rafflecopter giveaway


Author Bio:
Theresa M Jones is just a regular small town, Texas girl. When she isn't at work at a local Medical Equipment provider,you can find her at home with her husband and two beautiful (and rambunctious) kiddos.

In her spare time- as if there ever was such a thing as "spare time" - she reads and reviews books on her book blog, and writes paranormal romance novels.

POWER (The Descendent Trilogy #1) is her debut New Adult (Mature YA) Paranormal Romance novel.
 
Find the author on:

Twitter- @MrsTheresaJones 

Goodreads: Author Theresa Jones 

Blog: Keepin Up with the Joneses In the Book World 

Facebook: TheresaMJones

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Dualed Giveaway Winner!

The winner for the Dualed giveaway is...

Anastasia L.

Congratulations! I've emailed you.

Don't forget there's still a giveaway for an ARC copy of Nobody But Us by Kristin Halbrook going on. You can enter that by clicking here.

Monday, February 25, 2013

Words for the Week #3

“When adults say, "Teenagers think they are invincible" with that sly, stupid smile on their faces, they don't know how right they are. We need never be hopeless, because we can never be irreparably broken. We think that we are invincible because we are. We cannot be born, and we cannot die. Like all energy, we can only change shapes and sizes and manifestations. They forget that when they get old. They get scared of losing and failing. But that part of us greater than the sum of our parts cannot begin and cannot end, and so it cannot fail.”
― John Green, Looking for Alaska

Sunday, February 24, 2013

New Releases: February 24- March 2

Here's this week's new releases:

 Dualed by Elsie Chapman
(February 26th)

 Fragments by Dan Wells
(February 26th)

 The Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn Johnson
(March 1st)

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Stacking The Shelves #25

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews and here you can find all the books I've recently received that I'm stacking my shelves with!

Bought:

Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales by the Brothers Grimm
The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead 

I've been wanting to read the Grimm Fairy Tales for a long time now and I finally found it in the bookstore! I'm also really excited to start The Indigo Spell. I hope everything turns out ok for Adrian and Sydney.

Friday, February 22, 2013

Feature & Follow #30

Alison Can Read Feature & Follow

Feature and Follow is a blog hop hosted by Parajunkee & Alison Can Read. The purpose is to meet new people and gain more followers in the book blogging community.

Q: We always talk about books that WE want. Let's turn it on its head. What books have you given other people lately?

A: I don't normally buy people books but I think the last book I bought for someone was a cooking book (not sure if that counts). I have so many books on my bookshelf so I let my friends borrow whatever book they want as long as they return it (once I didn't get a book back for almost a year). I think the last book someone borrowed from me was Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr.

What about you?
Please follow and leave a link to your post so I can follow back!

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday #31

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly Meme. It's hosted on Breaking the Spine. It spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pick:
Unremembered
by Jessica Brody
Release date: March 5th 2013

The only thing worse than forgetting her past... is remembering it.

When Freedom Airlines flight 121 went down over the Pacific Ocean, no one ever expected to find survivors. Which is why the sixteen-year-old girl discovered floating among the wreckage—alive—is making headlines across the globe.

Even more strange is that her body is miraculously unharmed and she has no memories of boarding the plane. She has no memories of her life before the crash. She has no memories period. No one knows how she survived. No one knows why she wasn’t on the passenger manifest. And no one can explain why her DNA and fingerprints can’t be found in a single database in the world.

Crippled by a world she doesn’t know, plagued by abilities she doesn’t understand, and haunted by a looming threat she can’t remember, Seraphina struggles to piece together her forgotten past and discover who she really is. But with every clue only comes more questions. And she’s running out of time to answer them.

Her only hope is a strangely alluring boy who claims to know her from before the crash. Who claims they were in love. But can she really trust him? And will he be able to protect her from the people who have been making her forget?

From popular young adult author, Jessica Brody comes a mesmerizing and suspenseful new series, set in a world where science knows no boundaries, memories are manipulated, and true love can never be forgotten.
 

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

ARC Review: The Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn Johnson

The Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn Johnson
Published: March 1, 2013
Publisher:
Arthur A. Levine
Pages:
304
My Rating:
2 of 5 stars

A heart-stopping story of love, death, technology, and art set amid the tropics of a futuristic Brazil.

The lush city of Palmares Tres shimmers with tech and tradition, with screaming gossip casters and practiced politicians. In the midst of this vibrant metropolis, June Costa creates art that’s sure to make her legendary. But her dreams of fame become something more when she meets Enki, the bold new Summer King. The whole city falls in love with him (including June’s best friend, Gil). But June sees more to Enki than amber eyes and a lethal samba. She sees a fellow artist.

Together, June and Enki will stage explosive, dramatic projects that Palmares Tres will never forget. They will add fuel to a growing rebellion against the government’s strict limits on new tech. And June will fall deeply, unfortunately in love with Enki. Because like all Summer Kings before him, Enki is destined to die.

Pulsing with the beat of futuristic Brazil, burning with the passions of its characters, and overflowing with ideas, this fiery novel will leave you eager for more from Alaya Dawn Johnson.

My Review: I really wanted to love this book. A books set in a futuristic Brazil? Sounds awesome. Sadly I was not impressed by The Summer Prince.

The beginning was extremely confusing.Words like waka and grande were used and I had no idea what they meant. It isn't until later that I find out that wakas are mostly people younger than 30 and grandes are people older than 30. It took awhile to get used to the words that June used but after awhile I think I understood what they meant. There are still a few that I have no idea what they mean, but honestly I wasn't invested in the story enough to look them up (if they are real words).

The whole society and traditions were confusing to me too. Basically the government is run by mostly grande women that are called Aunties there are a few Uncles but they are only mentioned and play no part in the actual book. The reason the government is run by women is because "men destroyed the world" and according to the Aunties they never let go of power once they have it. A bit hypocritical since most of the Aunties have been in power for over fifty years and they are doing a pretty terrible job running their little government.

 I still don't understand why the summer king has to die. This is never explained, even at the end of the book. My best guess is that the Aunties and Queen don't want the King to gain too much power. I find it very hard to believe that a futuristic city that has some technology would sacrifice people, but that's probably because my English teacher likes to go on and on about how the world becomes less violent with each advancement. 

The characters were rather bland. I felt nothing for Enki, June, and Gil. If I'm told that Enki will die enough times then eventually I'll come to expect it and when it happens it won't be a shock or very emotional. All June seemed to care about was causing trouble and calling it "art". I'm not a fan of Enki or Gil and it probably didn't help that they fell in love with each other the first time they saw each other. June was the same way except she didn't act on it like Gil did. The love triangle was actually a triangle in this book so it didn't bother me too much, but I just couldn't get past the insta love.

There were a few parts in italics when Enki narrates the book, but it didn't really add much to the story and it came out of nowhere. At first I had no idea what was going on, I just knew that June wasn't narrating anymore. The transitions between scenes were very quick and most of the time unexpected. A month would pass in a page and June would suddenly be working on an art project with Enki. The next page she would be talking to Gil. I did not feel June's relationship with Enki develop in a natural way because of this and that really took away from the story.

The writing was very poetic at some parts and I could vividly imagine the scene. I loved the idea of a book set in a futuristic Brazil, but this book just didn't deliver for me.

*I received this book via Netgalley. Thank you!

Monday, February 18, 2013

Words for the Week #2

“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.” 
― Roald Dahl

Review: Prodigy by Marie Lu

Prodigy by Marie Lu
Published: January 29, 2013
Publisher:
Putnam Juvenile
Pages:
384
Series:
Legend #2
My Rating:
4 of 5 stars

June and Day arrive in Vegas just as the unthinkable happens: the Elector Primo dies, and his son Anden takes his place. With the Republic edging closer to chaos, the two join a group of Patriot rebels eager to help Day rescue his brother and offer passage to the Colonies. They have only one request—June and Day must assassinate the new Elector.

It’s their chance to change the nation, to give voice to a people silenced for too long.

But as June realizes this Elector is nothing like his father, she’s haunted by the choice ahead. What if Anden is a new beginning? What if revolution must be more than loss and vengeance, anger and blood—what if the Patriots are wrong?

In this highly-anticipated sequel, Lu delivers a breathtaking thriller with high stakes and cinematic action.

My Review: Prodigy was a fast paced thrill ride just like Legend, but for some reason I didn't enjoy it as much as the first one. It probably has something to do with all the hype surrounding this series and I just expected too much.

The best part about this book was probably June. She really changed from who she was before she met Day. She is no longer blindly loyal to the Republic, but she is still pretty badass. For the most part June seems invincible, but a little over half way through the book she gets sick and for once she has to have Day take care of her. That was probably one of my favorite parts because it really shows that June isn't just the Republic robot that everyone thinks she is.

Almost all the other characters except for Kaede really bugged me. Day was blindly following the Patriots. From the beginning of the book June warns Day about the Patriots, but he doesn't listen. He thinks she's only saying things against the Patriots because she's still loyal to the Republic. That really bothered me because shouldn't he know that June is no longer loyal to the Republic? Then there was Tess. I don't know if I'm alone in this boat but I really don't like Tess. She kept putting thoughts into Day's head that June is a traitor and that they don't match like Tess and Day do. Thankfully by the end Day was back to his old self.

While Day and June were apart on the mission to kill the Elector, a love triangle/square formed. June really struggles with her feelings for Day throughout the book. She doesn't know if things will work out between them since she's responsible for killing his family. She also starts to think that it would be easier to be with Anden since they "match". Day has a similar problem with Tess, but after awhile it was clear to me that June and Day match even if they are very different.  

Until the ending I thought everything would be alright, but then I got to the end and it killed me. I knew that something bad was going to happen because every review I read talked about the cliffhanger, but I was not prepared for what happened!

In Prodigy more about the Patriots is revealed. A little about the Colonies is also revealed but I would still like to know more about it. The world became a little more real to me in this book because almost all the questions I had about the Republic and the Patriots were answered.

Prodigy is for anyone that loves a fast paced book with action on almost every page.

Sunday, February 17, 2013

ARC Review & Giveaway: Dualed by Elsie Chapman

Dualed by Elsie Chapman
Published: February 26, 2013
Publisher:
Random House
Pages:
304
Series:
Dualed #1
My Rating:
3 of 5 stars

You or your Alt? Only one will survive.

The city of Kersh is a safe haven, but the price of safety is high. Everyone has a genetic Alternate—a twin raised by another family—and citizens must prove their worth by eliminating their Alts before their twentieth birthday. Survival means advanced schooling, a good job, marriage—life.

Fifteen-year-old West Grayer has trained as a fighter, preparing for the day when her assignment arrives and she will have one month to hunt down and kill her Alt. But then a tragic misstep shakes West’s confidence. Stricken with grief and guilt, she’s no longer certain that she’s the best version of herself, the version worthy of a future. If she is to have any chance of winning, she must stop running not only from her Alt, but also from love . . . though both have the power to destroy her.

Elsie Chapman's suspenseful YA debut weaves unexpected romance into a novel full of fast-paced action and thought-provoking philosophy. When the story ends, discussions will begin about this future society where every adult is a murderer and every child knows there is another out there who just might be better.

My Review: This book sounds so interesting and the cover makes it look so exciting and action packed right? Well it seems like it took forever for the action to really start. The book starts off right in the middle of things. Chord just got his assignment and Luc and West are going to go with him to find his Alt. Luc ends up getting killed and Chord kills his Alt. That's basically where the book begins.

West wasn't a bad main character. It was like she was a real person. Her entire family had been killed and now she has to fight for her life. Her grief over her brother and the rest of her family was so real that I felt that I had known her for much longer than a book. She was also just a normal girl. Yes she was trained to kill, but she wasn't the best shot or the best at anything. She was completely normal. There was nothing special about her and it was refreshing. Most YA heroines have something special about them that makes them different so it was nice to read about a girl that is different from most main characters.

The other characters were normal too but they were kind of boring. The Alts never had names so I felt kind of distanced from them. They didn't seem like real people. They seemed like the evil twin even if they weren't. I would have liked to get to know all of the Alts more and I was holding onto to this little sliver of hope that somehow West would beat the system and figure out a way to not have to kill her Alt. Sadly that didn't happen.

The whole striker thing seemed to come out of no where in the beginning of the book. A person that West doesn't even know talks to her about it and then the strikers let her become one of them even though they don't normally hire idles since they have no experience. I'm also a little confused about a striker killing their clients Alt. Shouldn't that be considered an Assist Kill and how does The Board not notice?

Most of Dualed was focused on the killing so it did have action in it, but the action never lasted very long. It didn't take West very long to take down someone else's Alt. It took her almost the entire book to accept that she was active and that she was going to kill her Alt or be killed by her Alt, but that only bothered me a little bit.

There was a little bit of romance in the book, but it didn't feel real. Chord wanted to help her by making sure that she was safe, but West didn't want him around because she was afraid that he would be a PK. So obviously they both wanted the other to live, but to me they just seemed like really good friends.

The ending basically wrapped everything up so I'm curious about what will happen in the next book.

Giveaway!
Rules:
You must be a US resident to enter
Winners will have 48 hours to respond from the time that they are notified before a new winner is picked
You must be at least 13 or have your parents permission to enter
Only one entry per household


a Rafflecopter giveaway

New Releases: February 17-23

Here's this week's new releases:
 
 Mind Games by Kiersten White
(February 19th)
 
 Fuse by Julianna Baggott
(February 19th)
 
Neferet's Curse by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast
(February 19th)
 
 The Different Girl by Gordon Dahlouist
(February 21st)

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Blog Tour: Stitch by Samantha Durante


 
Stitch by Samantha Durante
Release Date: August 1st 2012
Series / Stand Alone:
Book #1 In the Stitch Trilogy Series
Genre:
Paranormal Romance and Dystopian Sci-Fi  

Add it on Goodreads

Her heart races, her muscles coil, and every impulse in Alessa's body screams at her to run... but yet she's powerless to move.

Still struggling to find her footing after the sudden death of her parents, the last thing college freshman Alessa has the strength to deal with is the inexplicable visceral pull drawing her to a handsome ghostly presence. In between grappling with exams and sorority soirees - and disturbing recurring dreams of being captive in a futuristic prison hell - Alessa is determined to unravel the mystery of the apparition who leaves her breathless. But the terrifying secret she uncovers will find her groping desperately through her nightmares for answers.

Because what Alessa hasn't figured out yet is that she's not really a student, the object of her obsession is no ghost, and her sneaking suspicions that something sinister is lurking behind the walls of her university's idyllic campus are only just scratching the surface...

The opening installment in a twist-laden trilogy, Stitch spans the genres of paranormal romance and dystopian sci-fi to explore the challenges of a society in transition, where morality, vision, and pragmatism collide leaving the average citizen to suffer the results.

About the Author

Samantha Durante lives in Westchester County, New York with her husband, Sudeep, and her cat, Gio. Formerly an engineer at Microsoft, Samantha left the world of software in 2010 to pursue her entrepreneurial dreams and a lifelong love of writing. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology, Samantha is currently working full time for her company Medley Media Associates as a freelance business writer and communications consultant. Stitch is her first novel.  

Top 5 Things I Love About Being an (Indie) Author by Samantha Durante: 

I recently published my first novel, Stitch, and though I’m still new at this whole “author” thing, it’s really been a dream come true!  To celebrate, here are the top five things I LOVE about being an author (so far!), in no particular order:

1. Total empowerment.

There were a lot of reasons I decided to go the indie route when publishing Stitch, but by far the main one is that I’m a bit of a control freak and I really liked the idea of having final say over every little detail of my book.  I worked with an artist to design the cover, devoted painstaking hours to formatting the e-book versions, and made the final decision about every word, every punctuation mark, and every plot twist.  While this is a little scary (after all, I know there are people out there who can do all of these things far better than me!), it also means that the success of my book lies solely on my shoulders…  And therefore, as long as I’m willing to put in the work (which I am!), I know my book will do well!

2. My book IS me.

Following with #1, since I didn’t have to get sign-off from a publisher, I could write about whatever I wanted, even a genre-bending thriller that combined paranormal romance and dystopian sci-fi in one (yes, one!) book.  I pulled in ghost lore, super-geeky spacetime physics, post-apocalyptic scenarios, a biological pandemic, and of course, a kick-ass female protagonist and sexy-but-sensitive male lead.  And yes, the fact that my book does not fit squarely into one genre makes it kind of difficult to market (which is why the traditional publishing industry would be wary of it), but it is full of the things I love.  And since – as an independent author – I have the exclusive right to decide what gets published under my name, the fact that I was excited about my book and believed in it was all that mattered.

3. Quick delivery to readers.

The other big factor that drove me to go indie was the ability to get my book to market QUICKLY.  It can take months – even years – for a first time author (going the traditional route) to find an agent and a publisher and go through the editing and revision and publication process.  Even though part of me wanted the validation of having credible industry professionals sign-off on my work before it went to the public, a bigger part of me just REALLY wanted to share my book with readers NOW (and the thought of waiting that long to get my book out was like a knife to the gut!).  By publishing the book myself, I was able to get it to readers only weeks after it was done, instead of months/years (and now that readers are clamoring for part two of the trilogy, I’m really glad that I’ll be able to get it to them as soon as I can!).

4. Bloggers, bloggers, bloggers.

WOW.  I have never met a more supportive and encouraging community of people than the world of book bloggers.  Since I am doing all my marketing myself (notice a theme here? :-), I’ve been in personal contact with literally hundreds of bloggers since my book and blog tour launched a few months ago, and each and every one of them has absolutely blown me away.  There’s just been an incredible outpouring of assistance and enthusiasm from the blogging community, and I feel SO grateful to have made contact with all of these amazing people.  Thank you SO MUCH to all of the bloggers who have helped me promote Stitch!  You guys are amazing!!

5. Reader commentary!

Last but CERTAINLY not least are the readers themselves!  It has been just INCREDIBLE to share Stitch with so many people and to hear their feedback and see them getting excited about the story the same way I am.  Stitch is definitely a different sort of book, and I have to say, even though I knew I loved the story, I didn’t know if most readers would feel the same.  So when 4- and 5-star reviews started popping up all over the internet, you can only imagine how gratifying that felt!  I’ve read every review that’s been posted online and it always makes my day to hear that someone enjoyed the book.  I’m SO indebted to every reader who’s taken the time to read and talk about Stitch!  Nothing is more motivating than passionate fans who are itching for the next installment – I can’t WAIT to get started on the next one for you guys!

Learn more about Samantha on her website

Find Samantha Durante All Across The Web:

Facebook Page For StitchFacebook Author Profile •  Stitch on GoodreadsSamantha on GoodreadsTwitterLibrarythingShelfari

Excerpt


Nikhil and Alessa were pressed together ever closer by the crowd, their bodies moving as one in time with the music.  Alessa could feel the hair sticking to the back of her neck as her skin started to glisten, but she didn’t care.  She threw her arms up and tossed her head with the beat, reveling in the moment.


Nikhil gently placed his hands around Alessa’s hips, seemingly mesmerized.  The crowd swelled and they were pressed together once more, his arms wrapped around her waist, her hands on his taut swimmer’s chest and shoulders.  He leaned over, nudging his face so close to hers that she could feel the heat rising off his skin.  Alessa parted her lips and looked up at Nikhil, preparing to surrender to her body’s impulses.


But instead of the dark brown eyes she expected, she saw only blue.  Unfathomable, sparkling blue, glittering with facets of ocean and sky, boring deep into her soul and clutching at her heart.  Once again, a single word rose in the back of her throat – Isaac – and she knew this night was over.


Giveaway!

Enter the giveaway HERE!

Follow the tour!

 

Friday, February 15, 2013

Stacking The Shelves #24

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews and here you can find all the books I've recently received that I'm stacking my shelves with!

For Review:
 
 The Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn Johnson

I can't wait to start The Summer Prince because it's set in a futuristic Brazil! That sounds awesome! I hope it's as good as it sounds.

Feature & Follow #29

Feature and Follow is a blog hop hosted by Parajunkee & Alison Can Read. The purpose is to meet new people and gain more followers in the book blogging community.

Q: Write a letter to your favorite character. Rant, rave or gush…just pretend like they are real and you just want to let them know a "few things". - Activity courtesy of author, Kelly Walker

A: Dear Cole,

I can't believe Nikki is so blind! I mean it was pretty obvious to me that you love her (much to my dismay). Nikki is so right about you being a hero in some's story. Why won't you believe her?

How dare you not tell Nikki what you were trying to do. You should have given her a choice! Did you ever think about what would happen when Nikki found out? I know it must be tough to accept, but you probably just screwed up any chance you ever had with her. I hate to say that, but I think it's true (even if I don't want it to be). I'm still hoping that you'll have a happy ending and somehow you'll turn out to be the hero.

Sincerely,
Erika

What about you?
Please follow and leave a link to your post so I can follow back!

Thursday, February 14, 2013

My Book Boyfriends

I have so many book boyfriends that I can't always keep track of them!

Since Valentine's day is today I thought I'd share my top book boyfriends that I would want to be my valentine for Valentine's day.

Wolf from Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

I fell in love with Wolf right from the start. I would really love to talk more about Wolf, but I don't want to spoil Scarlet for anyone that hasn't read it yet.
Zeke from The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

Zeke is so unlike many YA guys. He isn't a complete jerk to Allie and he genuinely cares about her. He was just so sweet and I need the next book so I can read more about him!
Cassel from White Cat by Holly Black

Cassel has got to be one of my favorite guy main characters. Again talking about why I love him so much would probably ruin the entire series.
Cas from Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

He is definitely my second favorite guy main character. Cas is a badass ghost killer. He also sounded just like a real guy. Plus he went to Hell and back for love. Literally.
Four from Divergent by Veronica Roth

I can't help but love Four. He's another completely awesome and badass guy that knows how to fight, but he respects Tris and knows that she can take care of herself.
Ash from The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

I love this series and Ash is probably one of the main reasons why I love it. He's so broken from being raised in the Winter Court and I loved his relationship with Puck and Meghan.
Will from Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Will is probably my favorite book boyfriend because I love his sense of humor and that he acts the way he does to protect the people he loves. He's also a shadowhunter and he reads!










Who are your book boyfriends?

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday #30

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly Meme. It's hosted on Breaking the Spine. It spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pick:
The Different Girl
by Gordon Dahlouist
Release date: February 21st 2013

Four nearly identical girls on a desert island. An unexpected new arrival. A gently warped near future where nothing is quite as it seems.

Veronika. Caroline. Isobel. Eleanor. One blond, one brunette, one redhead, one with hair black as tar. Four otherwise identical girls who spend their days in sync, tasked to learn. But when May, a very different kind of girl—the lone survivor of a recent shipwreck—suddenly and mysteriously arrives on the island, an unsettling mirror is about to be held up to the life the girls have never before questioned.

Sly and unsettling, Gordon Dahlquist’s timeless and evocative storytelling blurs the lines between contemporary and sci-fi with a story that is sure to linger in readers’ minds long after the final page has been turned.

Monday, February 11, 2013

Review: Everbound by Brodi Ashton

Everbound by Brodi Ashton
Published: January 22, 2013
Publisher:
Balzer + Bray
Pages:
358
Series:
Everneath #2
My Rating:
5 of 5 stars

Nikki Beckett could only watch as her boyfriend, Jack, sacrificed himself to save her, taking her place in the Tunnels of the Everneath for eternity — a debt that should’ve been hers. She’s living a borrowed life, and she doesn’t know what to do with the guilt. And every night Jack appears in her dreams, lost and confused and wasting away.

Desperate for answers, Nikki turns to Cole, the immortal bad boy who wants to make her his queen — and the one person least likely to help. But his heart has been touched by everything about Nikki, and he agrees to assist her in the only way he can: by taking her to the Everneath himself.

Nikki and Cole descend into the Everneath, only to discover that their journey will be more difficult than they’d anticipated — and more deadly. But Nikki vows to stop at nothing to save Jack — even if it means making an incredible sacrifice of her own.

In this enthralling sequel to Everneath, Brodi Ashton tests the bonds of destiny and explores the lengths we’ll go to for the ones we love.

My Review: That was freaking awesome. Not only is the cover gorgeous but the actual book is amazing. Everneath was really good, but I think that Everbound was even better.

This is not a light read. Nikki isn't exactly Miss Sunshine in the beginning of the book. She hasn't been alright since the Tunnels came for Jack and that's completely understandable. Her guilt and emotions were expected. It isn't everyday the person you love gets taken to the Tunnels. Even though she's still upset about losing Jack she never gives up hope and that's probably what makes me really like Nikki as a main character. She doesn't just sit around and complain about how difficult her life is. She actually does something about it.

I'm so glad that most of the book took place in the Everneath because I'm pretty sure there was almost no time spent there in the last book. I loved how they had to get through a maze to get to Jack and how there was always this constant threat. It kept me glued to my seat so I ended up finishing this book in a day.

The love triangle in this book is one of the only love triangles that I actually like and I still don't know who I like better. I'm pretty sure I'm leaning towards Cole, but after that ending I'm not so sure anymore. I can't believe I'm still undecided about who I like more. 

In this book Jack was barely there. There were flashbacks of him and Nikki, but the story was mostly about Cole and Nikki traveling through the Everneath. Nikki is oblivious about how Cole feels about her even though someone told her that Cole's tether always points to her. That made my heart break because Nikki only cares about him as a friend.

The ending made my heart pound and I'm pretty sure I must have looked like some crazy person after I finished because I couldn't stop waving my arms around as I tried to explain how I was feeling. The next book needs to come out soon because I need it now. I need to know how it all ends!

Words for the Week

“Fairy tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.”
― G.K. Chesterton

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Bookworm News: Delirium TV Series

I've noticed this trend of YA books becoming movies, but not many seem to be TV series (or not many that I know of. For all I know there could be millions...)
Delirium (Delirium, #1)
So have you heard the news?

Delirium by Lauren Oliver will be coming to a TV screen near you!

I can't wait to see who they pick to play all the characters and how it's going to work and...I want to see it now!

Read the full post by Lauren Oliver
More on the announcement

100+ Book Giveaway!

Best Layout
Yes you read that right! There are over 100 books up for grabs over at Live to Read! Krystal and Rachel have been saving up books for this so both of them are giving away 50 books to two winners and every day this month there will be an author giving away signed books. The giveaway is also INT! Sounds awesome right?

New Releases: February 10-16

Here's this week's new releases:

The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead
(February 12th)

Sever by Lauren DeStefano
(February 12th)

Revel by Maurissa Guibord
(February 12th)

The Gathering Dark by Christine Johnson
(February 12th)

Pivot Point by Kasie West
(February 12th)

Arcadia Burns by Kai Meyer
(February 12th)

Dance of Shadows by Yelena Black
(February 14th)

Dominion by Melody Manful
(February 16th)

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Review: The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken
Published: December 18, 2012
Publisher:
Disney Hyperion
Pages:
488
Series:
The Darkest Minds #1
My Rating:
3 of 5 stars

When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something alarming enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that gets her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government “rehabilitation camp.” She might have survived the mysterious disease that’s killed most of America’s children, but she and the others have emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they cannot control.

Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones.

When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. Now she’s on the run, desperate to find the one safe haven left for kids like her—East River. She joins a group of kids who escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can’t risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents.

When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at a life worth living.

My Review: I had very high hopes for this book after seeing all the glowing reviews for it. I honestly don't see why everyone seems to love it so much.

The beginning of the book was great. I liked being dropped right in the middle of action, but after she got away from the camp things started to slow down. The road trip to find East River was pretty boring even when they were getting hunted down by skip tracers. After I got through the middle of the book it started to pick up again. But then I got to the end and I wanted to throw the book across the room (but I didn't because that would hurt the book). Those three stars are for the end of the book. Now I need the next one because that ending left me wanting to strangle Ruby and I need to know how this is all going to get fixed.

I really couldn't stand Ruby. I couldn't take the "I can't tell them my secret because then they'll hate me" thoughts. I just wanted to slap Ruby and make her tell them because the constant thoughts about that were driving me insane.

There was also a love triangle. Now I didn't mind Liam. I actually liked him, but I couldn't stand Clancy. I knew from the moment that they met that he would make a love triangle. Clancy reminds me of Warner from Shatter Me because they are both psychopaths but the girls they like doesn't seem to think of them that way. I'll stop right there with the Shatter Me comparison otherwise this could turn into a rant.

I did like the idea of kids with superpowers. It was interesting but it was never explained where these powers came from. They just kind of appeared and no one seemed to question where they came from. The color classification was a bit confusing. I understand that Oranges are psychic, Blues have telekinesis, and Yellows have something to do with electricity but I'm not really sure. I have no idea about Green and I think Red has something to do with fire but I'm not sure.

Overall I liked this book mostly because of the ending and how intense it was.