Saturday, December 7, 2013

Stacking the Shelves #23

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 (or weeks in my case).
It's been a long time since I've done a stacking the shelves post.
And since I honestly do not have the time (or willpower) to post more than a month's worth of books, this post is just my usual two weeks worth.

P.S. If you click the book's link, it will take you to the GoodReads page.


Books I've Read in the Last Two Weeks!
This Is What Happy Looks Like     Tin Star     The Lost Prince (The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten, #1)     The Iron Traitor (The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten, #2)

Lucid (Brightest Kind of Darkness, #2)     The Boyfriend App     The House of Hades (The Heroes of Olympus, #4)     Origin (Lux, #4)

Tempest Unleashed (Tempest, #2)     Love in the Time of Global Warming     Hold Still    Perchance to Dream (Théâtre Illuminata, #2)

The Dark Unwinding (The Dark Unwinding, #1)    Fractured (Slated, #2)    Lucid     Destiny (Brightest Kind of Darkness, #3)

The Eye of Minds (The Mortality Doctrine, #1)     Once We Were (The Hybrid Chronicles, #2)    Stolen: A Letter to My Captor




Checked Out From The Library!
Ashes on the Waves     Crave (The Clann, #1)     The Coldest Girl in Coldtown     This Is What Happy Looks Like

Perchance to Dream (Théâtre Illuminata, #2)     So Silver Bright (Théâtre Illuminata, #3)     The House of Hades (The Heroes of Olympus, #4)     Stolen: A Letter to My Captor


I'm officially off my library ban!

Books Bought
Physical copies:
Dreaming Awake (Falling Under, #2)     Girls That Growl (Blood Coven Vampire, #3)     Splintered (Splintered, #1)     Caught (The Missing, #5)

Defiance (Strange Angels, #4)    Strange Angels (Strange Angels, #1)    UnWholly (Unwind, #2)    UnSouled (Unwind, #3)

Dreaming Awake by Gwen Hayes
Girls That Growl by Mari Mancusi
Splintered by A.G. Howard
Caught by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Defiance by Lili St.Crow
Strange Angels by Lili St.Crow
Unwholly by Neal Shusterman
Unsouled by Neal Shusterman

I've read most of these but they were either A. at my local used bookstore or B. Half off at Barnes & Noble.


Ebook copies:
The Life Beyond (The Other Life, #2)     The Watcher    Taste     Broken Wings (Hidden Wings, #2)

The Life Beyond by Susanne Winnacker
The Watcher by Lisa Voisin
Taste by Kate Evangelista
Broken Wings by Cameo Renae

All of these were cheap on Amazon so I decided to go ahead and get them!


Books Borrowed
Destiny (Brightest Kind of Darkness, #3)     Sentinel (Covenant, #5)


So, what books did you haul in?

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday: The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan

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...


                                                          Goodreads Description:
The Blood of Olympus (The Heroes of Olympus, #5)Though the Greek and Roman crew members of the "Argo II" have made progress in their many quests, they still seem no closer to defeating the earth mother, Gaea. Her giants have risen-all of them, and they're stronger than ever. They must be stopped before the Feast of Spes, when Gaea plans to have two demigods sacrificed in Athens. She needs their blood-the blood of Olympus-in order to wake. 

The demigods are having more frequent visions of a terrible battle at Camp Half-Blood. The Roman legion from Camp Jupiter, led by Octavian, is almost within striking distance. Though it is tempting to take the Athena Parthenos to Athens to use as a secret weapon, the friends know that the huge statue belongs back on Long Island, where it "might" be able to stop a war between the two camps. 

The Athena Parthenos will go west; the "Argo II" will go east. The gods, still suffering from multiple personality disorder, are useless. How can a handful of young demigods hope to persevere against Gaea's army of powerful giants? As dangerous as it is to head to Athens, they have no other option. They have sacrificed too much already. And if Gaea wakes, it is game over.

                                                                                                                    Goodreads Link

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What are you waiting on?

Monday, December 2, 2013

REVIEW: The Boyfriend App by Katie Sise

The Boyfriend App
Get the app. Get the guy.

Computer-whiz Audrey McCarthy feels most at home in a tech lab, surrounded by her fellow geeks. Once popular and fearless, she hasn't been the same since her dad died. And her ex-best friend, gorgeous queen bee Blake Dawkins, has turned into her worst nightmare. Audrey is counting the minutes until high school is over and she can get the hell out of Dodge and go to college-that is, if she can find a scholarship.

So when Public Corporation, a giant tech company, announces a contest for the best app developed by a high schooler-with $200,000 in prize money-Audrey is spurred to action. She comes up with an idea so simple, yet so brilliant, she can't believe it hasn't been done: the Boyfriend App. With a simple touch of the screen, romance blooms among the unlikeliest couples in high school, and people start to take notice. But it's not quite enough.


To beat out the competition, Audrey will have to dig deeper. And she does-right into a scandal that would rock Public to its core. Suddenly the Boyfriend App lands Audrey where she never expected to be: in the middle of the limelight, passionately kissed by the hottest guys in school, causing complete and utter mayhem. But can it bring her true love?







This book is separated into two parts: 1.0 & 1.2
1.0 

I liked the first part.
In all actuality, 1.0 was exactly what I was expecting out of this book.
Which was a cute, fun contemporary romance (with a few conflicts).

You have our main character, Audrey, who is part of the "geeky" group in the school. She has an enemy, the popular girl (and ex best friend). She has a crush. And she's having issues getting money together for college.
But then a company (their equivalent to Apple) offers up a scholarship for the student who creates the best app.
So Audrey decides that since she wants a boyfriend, why not create an app that gets girls boyfriends?

If you read the original synopsis (not the one I typed up) then you see the same thing and would come to expect all of this to happen.

Yes, it's a bit cliche, but it's cute and fun all the same.

Then there's 2.0

2.0 

2.0 was a mess.
Instead of continuing on with the cute contemporary, we get a big pile of this:


This was basically what I was thinking all throughout 2.0
THERE WILL BE SPOILERS IN THIS PORTION! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

After Audrey's Boyfriend App fails she throws her phone and discovers that within the phone is some kind of sound that gives people the feeling of love/want. The Apple equivalent uses this to get people to buy their stuff.
Well, Audrey times the power by 100 and adds it unto her app.
Basically, what the app does now is that when you point the phone at someone, they automatically want you. 
This is where things got messy.
This is where I really began to dislike this book.
Boyfriend App 2.0 explodes in the school cafeteria and everyone goes crazy making out! Even an 80 year old woman joins the fun!
But what really bugs me is that people are doing this against their will!
HOW IS THIS OKAY?!
HOW CAN AUDREY POSSIBLY BE OKAY WITH DOING THIS?!


Then Apple gets upset that Audrey is using their stuff.
They blackmail her and things get even more messed up!

IN CONCLUSION 

If this book was just 1.0, I would have liked it.
I wouldn't have loved it, but I would enjoy it.
I just can't accept 2.0.
It's so messed up and...



I hereby give this book:
2 Wheels
Meaning: This book was okay, but I don't recommend it.