Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Waiting on Wednesday: The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, where you talk about whatever book you are IMPATIENTLY WAITING for!

This week I am waiting for...


The Kiss of Deception (The Remnant Chronicles #1)
In this timeless new trilogy about love and sacrifice, a princess must find her place in a reborn world.
In a society steeped in tradition, Princess Lia’s life follows a preordained course. As First Daughter, she is expected to have the revered gift of sight—but she doesn't—and she knows her parents are perpetrating a sham when they arrange her marriage to secure an alliance with a neighboring kingdom—to a prince she has never met.
On the morning of her wedding, Lia flees to a distant village. She settles into a new life, hopeful when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive—and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an assassin sent to kill her. Deception abounds, and Lia finds herself on the brink of unlocking perilous secrets—even as she finds herself falling in love.


 Goodreads   Release Date: July 15th 2014



Why am I waiting?
1. This is a fantasy book and fantasy has quickly become my favorite genre.
2. I've heard nothing but good things about this book! And the more I see people talk about it, the more I really really want to read this book!


What book are you waiting for this week?


Tuesday, April 29, 2014

REVIEW: Defy by Sara B. Larson

Defy (Defy, #1)
Alexa Hollen is a fighter. Forced to disguise herself as a boy and serve in the king's army, Alex uses her quick wit and fierce sword-fighting skills to earn a spot on the elite prince's guard. But when a powerful sorcerer sneaks into the palace in the dead of night, even Alex, who is virtually unbeatable, can't prevent him from abducting her, her fellow guard and friend Rylan, and Prince Damian, taking them through the treacherous wilds of the jungle and deep into enemy territory.


The longer Alex is held captive with both Rylan and the prince, the more she realizes that she is not the only one who has been keeping dangerous secrets. And suddenly, after her own secret is revealed, Alex finds herself confronted with two men vying for her heart: the safe and steady Rylan, who has always cared for her, and the dark, intriguing Damian. With hidden foes lurking around every corner, is Alex strong enough to save herself and the kingdom she's sworn to protect?
Goodreads

MY OPINION
This book seems lit a hit or miss book.
Meaning that everyone seems to either love it or hate it.
I'm more of the former on this.
I found the story to be interesting and I was really into what was going on (I read it in one sitting!).
The world-building was also very good in the way that I understood what was happening.
To be honest, though, I'm not sure what caused me to not give this book a higher rating.
Was it the romance?
No. I thought that I didn't give a higher rating due to the romance, but looking back, the romance didn't really bug me. It did bug me that there was a tiny love triangle, but other than that, I was okay with the romance.
(Highlight to view spoiler)Although, I am disappointed that both love interests already knew that Alex was a girl! Where's the fun in that! (end of spoiler)

Maybe because it didn't have a fantasy feel?
This sounds more likely. For some reason, his felt more like a dystopian than a fantasy. Sure, there was magic, but not much. And the whole tyrant king thing made it seem more dystopian for some reason. (Maybe I'm just weird)
But, to be honest, I probably didn't give a higher rating because it didn't wow me as much as other fantasy books.

IN CONCLUSION
I did like this book and it was a good read.
I just can't give a higher rating because of all of the amazing fantasy books that I've read lately and, sorry, this fantasy book couldn't beat the others.
As far as recommendations go, I think you should give it a try.
As I said, you either love it or hate it, it could go either way.
So, just give it a try! Just in case you find a new favorite!

I hereby give this book
3.5 Wheels!
Meaning: I liked it and was this close to really liking it!

Monday, April 28, 2014

Music Monday #2: Lights Out by Ingrid Michaelson


I love music and often listening to music all the time (when I'm reading, on the internet, falling asleep, etc.)! Every week I will list my current music obsession, whether it's a new discovery or an old one!

This week, I discovered Ingrid Michaelson's new album, Lights Out!
Here are my two favorites from the album:


Do you have a current music obsession?

REVIEW: Another Little Piece by Kate Karyus Quinn

Another Little Piece
On a cool autumn night, Annaliese Rose Gordon stumbled out of the woods and into a high school party. She was screaming. Drenched in blood. Then she vanished.

A year later, Annaliese is found wandering down a road hundreds of miles away. She doesn't know who she is. She doesn't know how she got there. She only knows one thing: She is not the real Annaliese Rose Gordon.


Now Annaliese is haunted by strange visions and broken memories. Memories of a reckless, desperate wish . . . a bloody razor . . . and the faces of other girls who disappeared. Piece by piece, Annaliese's fractured memories come together to reveal a violent, endless cycle that she will never escape—unless she can unlock the twisted secrets of her past.
Goodreads


THE RUN-DOWN
Annaliese has been missing for a year.
And when she's found, everyone is curious to know what happened to her.
But Annaliese doesn't know where's she's been, she doesn't even have any memories whatsoever.

But this Annaliese isn't the real Annaliese...

MY THOUGHTS
This was a really strange book.
But it's not strange in a bad way, it's strange in a good and interesting way.
I didn't mind the strange-ness, I didn't even notice the strange-ness until I closed the book. The strange-ness of this book made it unique, interesting, and made me keep turning the pages.
The only major problem that I had with this book was that it gets hard to follow. You get different fragments of memories throughout the book and it gets really confusing (especially near the end).

But all in all, this was a unique story.

I hereby give this book
3 Wheels!
Meaning: I liked it.

Saturday, April 26, 2014

Short & Simple Reviews: Valkyrie Rising & Saving Mars

This is a place for books that I didn't fully review.
Maybe I listed my likes and dislikes, had a little short paragraph, or a few sentences to convey my feelings on the book, but whatever the "review" is, all of them are short and simple. (hence the clever name)

Valkyrie Rising
Nothing ever happens in Norway. But at least Ellie knows what to expect when she visits her grandmother: a tranquil fishing village and long, slow summer days. And maybe she’ll finally get out from under the shadow of her way-too-perfect big brother, Graham, while she’s there. 
What Ellie doesn’t anticipate is Graham’s infuriating best friend, Tuck, tagging along for the trip. Nor did she imagine boys going missing amid rumors of impossible kidnappings. Least of all does she expect something powerful and ancient to awaken in her and that strange whispers would urge Ellie to claim her place among mythological warriors. Instead of peace and quiet, there’s suddenly a lot for a girl from L.A. to handle on a summer sojourn in Norway! And when Graham vanishes, it’s up to Ellie—and the ever-sarcastic, if undeniably alluring Tuck—to uncover the truth about all the disappearances and thwart the nefarious plan behind them.
Deadly legends, hidden identities, and tentative romance swirl together in one girl’s unexpectedly-epic coming of age.
Goodreads



 Review

This was a good read but to me this book sits in the middle.
It's not AMAZING but it's not terrible.
It was just "good" maybe "okay".

This book was about Ellie who took a trip to Norway along her brother, Graham, and her brother's best friend, Tucker, to visit her Grandma.
Turns out not everything is all happy and dandy in Norway. Boys are disappearing and for some odd reason Ellie's Grandma is getting blamed for the attacks. When she encounters one of these "kidnappings" first hand she begins to question what's really going on here. And after her brother it's victim to one of the kidnappings... she'll do whatever it takes to get him back.

Like I said, this was a good book.
Some moments seemed fake and a little bit random but the concept was so intriguing that it made up for it! So if you like intriguing concepts (i'm pretty sure that most of you do) then you will most likely like this book!
So this was an interesting read!
Do I recommend it? Sure!

I hereby give this book
3 Wheels!
Meaning: I liked it.


Saving Mars (Saving Mars, #1)
When the food supply of Mars’ human settlement is decimated, seventeen-year-old Jessamyn Jaarda, the best pilot Mars Colonial has ever seen, flies to Earth to raid for food. Earth-Mars relations couldn’t be worse, and her brother is captured during the raid. Breaking rules of secrecy and no contact, Jess finds an ally in Pavel, nephew to a government official, but their friendship only makes more agonizing the choice before her: Save her brother or save her planet?










Review

It took me awhile to get into this book. In the beginning this book was kind of slow and confusing, but the book really picked up after that! Closer to the end, I really enjoyed this book, and if it wasn't for how long it took for me to get into this book., it would have 4 stars!

But I will most definitely be reading the next book!

I hereby give this book
3.5 Wheels!
Meaning: I liked it and was this close to really liking it!

Stacking the Shelves #29

A meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews where all the book nerds can post about the lovely (or not so lovely) books that they've got this week.

P.S. Click on the book cover to go to the book's Goodreads page!

Books I've Read in the Last Week

                  
             

This was ,apparently, the week of fantasy & Cidney Swanson.



From the Library

                

Please tell me that I'm not the only one who feels the need to burst into laughter whenever they see the cover for Secret!


Books Bought
Physical copies:
 From Barnes & Noble

I'm really upset that my copy has the obnoxious sticker version.
You want to know what makes it worse? It's not a sticker, it is frexing attached to the cover!!!!
Ebook copies:
Bought:

Freebies!



Well, that's all!
What books did you haul in?







Friday, April 25, 2014

Cover Lust: Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Cover Lust is something that do every week where I feature a book cover that I absolutely love!


Across the Universe (Across the Universe, #1)
A love out of time. A spaceship built of secrets and murder. 
Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.
Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone - one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship - tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.
Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.
Goodreads




Why did I pick this cover? 
I'm a sucker for book covers with stars on it! I find images of outer space absolutely beautiful! 
The optical illusion is also a cool touch, but I'm more drawn to the stars. (I actually didn't notice the optical illusion until I was halfway finished reading the book!)

What are your thoughts? Tell me in the comments!

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Cover vs. Cover: Pretty Crooked by Elisa Ludwig

This week's pick is...



Pretty Crooked (Pretty Crooked, #1)   VS.  Pretty Crooked
Hardcover                          Paperback
This, to be honest, is no contest. The Hardcover has a fun cover that matches what's inside the book. Then there's the Paperback. The Paperback is boring. It's just a girl in black and white. Does it tell you anything about the book? Nope.


Final Verdict: Hardcover

Do you agree? Give me your thoughts on which cover is the best!

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

REVIEW: Tin Star by by Cecil Castellucci

Tin Star
On their way to start a new life, Tula and her family travel on the Prairie Rose, a colony ship headed to a planet in the outer reaches of the galaxy. All is going well until the ship makes a stop at a remote space station, the Yertina Feray, and the colonist's leader, Brother Blue, beats Tula within an inch of her life. An alien, Heckleck, saves her and teaches her the ways of life on the space station.
When three humans crash land onto the station, Tula's desire for escape becomes irresistible, and her desire for companionship becomes unavoidable. But just as Tula begins to concoct a plan to get off the space station and kill Brother Blue, everything goes awry, and suddenly romance is the farthest thing from her mind. 







MY OPINION
When I realized that this book not only takes place in space, but it also has aliens, I had to read it!
If I book takes place in space, I will automatically want to read it.
But if there is also aliens...
While the book did not have a focus on aliens, the book showed aliens as just other characters. Since the book takes place on a space station full of aliens, basically everyone is an alien.
Which brings me to what I loved about this book.
There had to be so much imagination involved in creating all of these species and this futuristic world.
So, what was it that prevented me from upping the rating on this book?
I loved the first half of the book. I was intrigued by what was going on and curious to see what would happen. But my feelings went a bit downhill when the other humans arrived.
With the arrival of the other humans, I didn't begin to dislike the book, but I began to get confused.
The characterization of the other humans was so strange.
I couldn't tell what their personalities or motives were (but I probably was supposed to not know the motives). I basically had no idea what was going on with them most of the time.
The romance was also weird.
I couldn't even tell if it was a romance. It's hard to explain, but from the beginning of the romance, it didn't seem like he liked Tulla, and there wasn't even much romance in the book.
The characterization and the weird romance are really all that I disliked about the book, but since those are both tied to the humans and the humans were such a large part of the book, it did hurt my feelings toward the book.

IN CONCLUSION
This was a really interesting, enjoyable read.
I loved the imagination involved in this book and the fact that it took place in space!
The only things that hurt my feelings towards the book were the confusing humans and the romance.
But overall, I did like this book and will be reading the sequel.

I hereby give this book
3.5 Wheels!
Meaning: I liked and was this close to really liking it.


Waiting on Wednesday: Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, where you talk about whatever book you are IMPATIENTLY WAITING for!

This week I am waiting for...

Ruin and Rising (The Grisha, #3)
The capital has fallen. The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne.
Now the nation's fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.
Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives.
Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova's amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling's secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction—and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she’s fighting for.
Goodreads   Release Date: June 17th 2014





Why am I waiting?
The Grisha trilogy is one of my favorite fantasy series and i'm excited to see what happens next!
Even though I'm sad that it will be ending.

What book are you waiting for this week?

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

REVIEW: Pretty Crooked by Elisa Ludwig

Pretty Crooked (Pretty Crooked, #1)
Willa’s secret plan seems all too simple: take from the rich kids at Valley Prep and give to the poor ones.

Yet Willa’s turn as Robin Hood at her ultra-exclusive high school is anything but. Bilking her “friends”-known to everyone as the Glitterati-without them suspecting a thing, is far from easy. Learning how to pick pockets and break into lockers is as difficult as she’d thought it’d be. Delivering care packages to the scholarship girls, who are ostracized just for being from the “wrong” side of town, is way more fun than she’d expected.

The complication Willa didn’t expect, though, is Aidan Murphy, Valley Prep’s most notorious (and gorgeous) ace-degenerate. His mere existence is distracting Willa from what matters most to her-evening the social playing field between the have and have-nots. There’s no time for crushes and flirting with boys, especially conceited and obnoxious trust-funders like Aidan.


But when the cops start investigating the string of burglaries at Valley Prep and the Glitterati begin to seek revenge, could he wind up being the person that Willa trusts most?
Goodreads

RUN-DOWN

When Willa's mother sells her art and receives a lot of money for them, they move into a nice house in Arizona. Since they are now rich, Willa gets to go to the private school, which is full of rich kids. Willa quickly becomes friends with the most popular girls in school, but when it's revealed that her new friends are making the scholarship students’ lives hell via an online blog, she decides to right a few wrongs.

MY OPINION
My first impression of this book was that it would be a fun read, based on the cover, but this book has more serious aspects to it. Not that that's a bad thing. The fact that this wasn't a 'fun' read did not hurt the rating at all.
But the book has a more serious vibe because of the cruelty of the popular girls and the thievery. The thievery, which started out as kind of fun, quickly becomes more serious with in the book.
To be honest, I did find this book to be entertaining.
I was interested in what Willa would do and how things would turn out.
The reason why this book didn't get a higher rating was mainly because most of the book was focused on the popular girls. That's okay, there was a point to that, but the thievery did not begin until further in the book. Since that was the most interesting part of the book, it kind of bothered me that there was so much focus on the popular girls.
There was also a random secondary plot with Willa's mother that didn't really lead anywhere, but while that was strange, I get the feeling that it will tie into the next book.

IN CONCLUSION
I did enjoy reading this book, but I wished that there was more thievery and less mean girl stuff.
I will be reading the next book as I am curious to see what will happen next!

I hereby give this book
3 Wheels!
Meaning: I liked it.

Monday, April 21, 2014

Music Monday #1: Phildel

I love music and often listening to music all the time (when i'm reading, on the internet, falling asleep, etc.)! Every week I will list my current music obsession, whether it's a new discovery or an old one!

I recently discovered Phildel and have been listening to many of her songs on repeat!
Storm Song is one of my favorites! 
But I STRONGLY suggest that you listen to her other songs!

Do you have a current music obsession?

REVIEW: Ask Again Later by Liz Czukas

Ask Again Later
Despite what her name might suggest, Heart has zero interest in complicated romance. So when her brilliant plan to go to prom with a group of friends is disrupted by two surprise invites, Heart knows there's only one drama-free solution: flip a coin.

Heads: The jock. He might spend all night staring at his ex or throw up in the limo, but how bad can her brother's best friend really be?

Tails: The theater geek...with a secret. What could be better than a guy who shares all Heart's interests--even if he wants to share all his feelings?


Heart's simple coin flip has somehow given her the chance to live out both dates. But where her prom night ends up might be the most surprising thing of all...

Goodreads





THE RUN-DOWN

Heart has no interest in romance and plans to spend prom with her friends as the No Prom-A Drama Crew. But she suddenly gets two surprising invites to prom and can't decide on who she should go with. The simple solution is to flip a coin. Heads she goes with one, Tails with the other.
Told in alternating narratives, Heads and Tails, we get to see what happens if Heart were to choose either of the guys.

MY OPINION

When I first saw this book, I wasn't very interested. Since the book takes place at prom, I thought that the book would be too girly. I thought that this would not be my kind of book.
Yeah, I was wrong. Thanks to the raving reviews from bloggers, I decided to pick this book up and I definitely ended up liking it!
Let me start out by saying this: This was an adorable, fluffy read!
It was so much fun and entertaining to read this book! Not only because of the random shenanigans and whatnot that are found throughout the book, but the characters are amazing!
Our main character, Heart, is hilarious! She definitely has a personality that shows up in the book!
Schroeder (A.K.A. Chase) was also a great character and, to be honest, Heart and Schroeder's relationship was one of the reasons why I loved this book! Their bantering was hilarious and the nicknames for each other were also fun (Schroeder calling Heart names of other organs, Heart calling him Schroeder after the Peanuts character).
In fact, everyone in the No Prom-A Drama Crew were amazing! Heart is lucky to have such great friends!

You might be wondering, why did I not give this book 5 stars if all I'm doing is raving about it?
There was absolutely nothing that I did not like in this book, but I couldn't give the book more than 4 stars because, while I really really liked it, it did not knock my socks off enough for me to up the rating.

IN CONCLUSION
This was an adorable read, mostly thanks to the great characters in the book. I definitely recommend this book!

I hereby give this book
4 Wheels!
Meaning: I really liked it!

Saturday, April 19, 2014

Short & Simple Reviews: Alice in Zombieland & Clockwise

This is a place for books that I didn't fully review.
Maybe I listed my likes and dislikes, had a little short paragraph, or a few sentences to convey my feelings on the book, but whatever the "review" is, all of them are short and simple. (hence the clever name)

Alice in Zombieland (The White Rabbit Chronicles, #1)
She won’t rest until she’s sent every walking corpse back to its grave. Forever.
Had anyone told Alice Bell that her entire life would change course between one heartbeat and the next, she would have laughed. From blissful to tragic, innocent to ruined? Please. But that’s all it took. One heartbeat. A blink, a breath, a second, and everything she knew and loved was gone.
Her father was right. The monsters are real….
To avenge her family, Ali must learn to fight the undead. To survive, she must learn to trust the baddest of the bad boys, Cole Holland. But Cole has secrets of his own, and if Ali isn’t careful, those secrets might just prove to be more dangerous than the zombies….


Goodreads



Review
What I liked about this book:
-The idea behind the book (Zombies!)
-The fact that it actually mentioned The Iron Fey series (it was only a sentence BUT IT WAS MENTIONED!!!)
-Zombies
-Zombies
-Did I mention Zombies?
*The zombies weren't really zombies but...oh well :( *

Things I didn't like:
-The visions, there wasn't really a point to them.
-The fact that it has nothing whatsoever to do with Alice in Wonderland which was a HUGE disappointment. Alice in Wonderland with ZOMBIES?! You got to admit, that sounds awesome!

Altogether I give this book around 3.5 stars
(Might have been a 3 if it didn't mention The Iron Fey and it would have been a 1 if there was no Zombies!!!)

I hereby give this book
3.5 Wheels!
Meaning: I liked it and I was close to really liking it.


Clockwise (Clockwise, #1)
Casey Donovan has issues: hair, height and uncontrollable trips to the 19th century! And now this --she's accidentally taken Nate Mackenzie, the cutest boy in the school, back in time. Awkward. Protocol pressures her to tell their 1860 hosts that he is her brother and when Casey finds she has a handsome, wealthy (and unwanted) suitor, something changes in Nate. Are those romantic sparks or is it just "brotherly" protectiveness? When they return to the present, things go back to the way they were before: Casey parked on the bottom of the rung of the social ladder and Nate perched high on the very the top. Except this time her heart is broken. Plus, her best friend is mad, her parents are split up, and her younger brother gets escorted home by the police. The only thing that could make life worse is if, by some strange twist of fate, she took Nate back to the past again. Which of course, she does.
                                                                                      Goodreads



Review
This was a really fun read!!
Yes, this book did have its serious moments, but it was one of those books that leaves you with a good feeling.

Our time traveler, Casey, is an extremely likable character! I knew right away that I was going to like her!

And I just love how everything came together in the end!
(I also LOVE time travel, so that helps)
This was a great read and I definitely recommend it!

I hereby give this book
4 Wheels!
Meaning: I really liked it!

Stacking the Shelves #28

A meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews where all the book nerds can post about the lovely (or not so lovely) books that they've got this week.

I usually do this every two weeks, but I'm trying to be an actual blogger that actual posts stuff, so I'm trying to do this every week.

P.S. Click on the book cover to go to the book's Goodreads page!


Books I've Read in the Last Week

               

               

Books Bought
Physical copies:
 From Barnes & Noble

and it came with this poster!

 From the Used Bookstore
     
Ebook copies:
Freebies!
     

Books Borrowed
Thanks to Booklending!

Not a HUGE haul, but I did get a few books!
What books did you haul in?