_________________________________________________________________

Home     Review Policy      Hot New Titles      Contact Me

_________________________________________________________________

Sunday, July 28, 2013

Out This Week (July 28-August 3)

These look like some awesome titles this week! 
YA publishing is picking back up for the Fall. Take a look... 
  • 7.30.13 Brother, Brother by Clay Carmichael
  • 7.30.13 If I Ever Get Out of Here by Eric Gansworth
  •  7.30.13 Love Disguised by Lisa Klein
  • 7.30.13 All Our Pretty Songs by Sarah McCarry
  •  7.30.13 Indelible (The Twixt #1) by Dawn Metcalf
  • 7.30.13 Earth Bound by Aprilynne Pike
  •  7.30.13 Seven Minutes in Heaven (The Lying Game #6) by Sara Shepard
  • 7.30.13 Bubble World by Carol Snow
  • 7.30.13 The Boy on the Bridge by Natalie Standiford
  • 7.30.13 Prep School Confidential by Kara Taylor

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Out This Week (July 21-27)

This isn't everything that's coming out this week, but it looks like a great line up! Take a look...
 
  • 7.23.13 Undercurrent by Paul Blackwell
  • 7.23.13 A Really Awesome Mess by Trish Cook and Brendan Halpin
  •  7.23.13 The Weight of Water by Sarah Crossan
  • 7.23.13 A Darkness Strange and Lovely by Susan Dennard
  •  7.23.13 OCD Love Story by Corey Ann Haydu
  • 7.23.13 The Counterfeit Family Tree of Vee Crawford-Wong by L. Tam Holland
  • 7.23.13 Extremities: Stories of Death, Murder, and Revenge by David Lubar
  • 7.23.13 Of Beast and Beauty by Stacey Jay
  •  7.23.13 Starglass by Phoebe North
  • 7.23.13 The Fury by Alexander Gordon Smith

Monday, July 15, 2013

Throne of Glass Paperback Giveaway

I am excited to announce that I have 5 COPIES of Throne of Glass to give away! I can only take US entries, but I am so excited to get this book in your hands.

If you haven't read it yet, it is a wonderful adventure with a kick ass heroine. Plus, it's just in time to read before the second book - Crown of Midnight - comes out. Also, this giveaway ends on my birthday, so you know I'm excited. :)

So... here are some details:
* US Entries Only!
* Just fill out the Rafflecopter below! There are a couple of options to get ya extra entries, so feel free to do those as well.
* Giveaway ends at 12am on July 22, 2013
* I will notify the winners by email!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I did!!

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Crash by Lisa McMann

Title: Crash
Author: Lisa McMann
ISBN: 9781442461680
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Released: January 8, 2013
Page #: 233
Series: Visions #1
Source: ARC from the publisher

Summary:
"Jules lives with her family above their restaurant, which means she smells like pizza most of the time and drives their double-meatball-shaped food truck to school. It's not a recipe for popularity, but she can handle that. What she can't handle is the vision.

Over and over, Jules sees a careening truck hit a building and explode... and nine body bags in the snow.

She has no idea why this is happening to her or if she's going crazy. It hardly matters, because the vision is everywhere - on billboards, television screens, windows - and she's the only one who can see it.

But it's not until the vision starts coming more frequently, and revealing more clues, that Jules knows what she has to do. Because now she can see the face in one of the body bags, and it's someone she knows.
Someone she's been in love with for as long as she can remember."
__________________________________________________
First Lines: (Quote from the ARC, subject to change)


"My sophomore psych teacher, Mr. Polselli, says knowledge is crucial to understanding the workings of the human brain, but I swear to dog, I don't want any more knowledge about this."
Page 1
__________________________________________________
Review:

It has been a while since I read the Wake trilogy by McMann, but I honestly think she is one of the best authors of YA out there today. Granted, I haven't read a couple of her books, but from what I've read, she's fantastic.

Jules works in the family pizza place. They have a huge rivalry with another family pizzeria across town. And her family isn't exactly normal - they have some pretty big secrets. But Jules has now got something she can't share with anyone. She is seeing a vision - just one... of the same huge crash over and over. It's easy to ignore at first, but finally she gets a chance to see some of the details. And what she sees changes everything - now she has to figure out how to stop it from happening.

I feel like the Wake trilogy had the same sort of premise, but with dreams. Or something close to it. Again, it's been a while, so I don't fully remember. BUT! The thing is, after reading this book, I don't even really care. McMann is just so good at crafting a story that it feels like a whole new idea. She truly doesn't pull any punches and will leave you breathless.

I really loved the whole Romeo and Juliet feel between the two teens and their family restaurants. But I loved even more the resolution in the end when you find out why that rivalry exists so much. There's something so appealing about that unrequited love that you just feel for Jules. She is fearless and loyal almost to a fault. But I loved getting to know her and I cannot wait for the next story.

One of my favorite characters was Trey, Jules' brother. He is always there to back her up and you can feel how much he loves her. Their sister Rowan is also pretty cool and I hope there is more about her in the future books. But Trey really shows what sibling love is all about. I'm not sure how many teen sibling relationships are that great (coming from experience), but it's refreshing to see.

If you haven't read any of McMann's books, I highly suggest you pick this one up. They aren't very long, and the story sucks you in till you finish it in one sitting. Just well crafted romance, thriller, mystery, drama.... and some humor thrown in to taste. Crash is a great book that I plan on recommending around to just about everyone who loves YA lit. Including you. Go find a copy while I weep over the fact that the next book doesn't come out for another three months.
__________________________________________________
Other Blog Reviews:

Kaylafultz's Blog
Dazzling Reads
Maji Bookshelf
Pure Imagination
Conversations of a Reading Addict
The Teen Book Guru
Booking It With Hayley G
The Sweet Bookshelf
The Starry-Eyed Revue
Chaotic Reader

Out This Week (July 14-20)

This is a much smaller week of YA publications. But it looks like there are some great ones in the group...
  •  7.16.13 Dirty Little Secret by Jennifer Echols
  • 7.16.13 Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas

  •  7.16.13 Veiled Dreams by Gill James
  • 7.16.13 Imperfect Spiral by Debbie Levy
  • 7.16.13 No Easy Way Out (No Safety in Numbers #2) by Dayna Lorentz
  • 7.16.13 Belladonna by Fiona Paul

Thursday, July 11, 2013

The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen

Title: The Moon and More
Author: Sarah Dessen
ISBN: 9780670785605
Publisher: Viking
Released: June 4, 2013
Page #: 435
Source: ARC from the publisher

Summary: 
"Like is the perfect boyfriend: handsome, kind, fun. He and Emaline have been together all through high school in Colby, the beach town where they group up. But now, in the summer before college, Emaline wonders if perfect is good enough.

Enter Theo, a super-ambitious outsider, a New Yorker assisting on a documentary film about a reclusive local artist. Theo's sophisticated and exciting, and best of all, he thinks Emaline is much too smart for Colby.

Emaline's mostly-absentee father, too, thinks Emaline should have a bigger life, and he's convinced that an Ivy League education is the only route to realizing her potential. Emaline is attracted to the bright future that Theo and her father promise. But she also clings to the deep roots of her loving mother, stepfather, sisters, and friends. Can she ignore the pull of happily familiar world of Colby?

Emaline wants the moon and more, but how can she balance where she comes from with where she's going?"
__________________________________________________
First Lines: (quote from the ARC, subject to change)

"Here they come. 
'- or I promise you, we'll turn right around and go back to Paterson!' the woman behind the wheel of the burgundy minivan was shouting as it pulled up beside me."
Page 1

__________________________________________________
Review:

I will readily admit that I have never read a Sarah Dessen book before. Mostly because I keep hearing that she will make you cry. Pretty much every time. And I'm never emotionally ready for something like that :). But I hadn't read any reviews of this one yet, so I gave it a shot.

Emaline lives in a premiere summer beach location. The tourists come and go, but the locals stick together. This summer, she finds herself questioning everything and preparing to go to college. Things with her longtime boyfriend go sour and a new guy pops up. He is from a whole other world - a world she really doesn't understand. And it's time for her to figure out who she is going to become and where her heart lies.

This is pretty much the supreme summer book. I sort of wish I had been on my own beach vacation while reading it. Of course things don't work out that way. :) Anyway, it's sort of an interesting look at the lives of the people who live near a big tourist stop. There are places the locals hang out, there are places the locals avoid like the plague, and there are people they protect with everything they've got. The location was almost a character itself - mostly because it was so much a part of Emaline's character.

I really think Dessen has a knack for writing relationships. Every relationship in Emaline's life felt 100% real. From the relationship with her father, her mother, Luke, and even her little brother Benji. The ups and downs were very plausible. There weren't any moments when I thought that something wouldn't happen like that in real life. And there's something very refreshing about that. In truth, Theo was a little over-the-top and I had a hard time liking him. But that's what a summer romance is all about, isn't it? You can be with someone different without worrying too much about that stuff.

I know there are tons of Sarah Dessen fans out there already, so this book is an easy sell. Realistic girl drama. I'm glad I chose this book as my introduction to the author. The ending was contemplative, but not particularly sad. I enjoyed that it gave you things to think about... and things to wonder about the future of the characters.

If you're a fan of this author, you'll definitely want to go pick this one up. It's a solid story with heart. 
__________________________________________________
Other Blog Reviews:

Rather Be Reading
The Reader Bee
Literary Exploration
Parajunkee's View
Book Passion for Life
The Romance Bookie
A Dream of Books
Clear Eyes, Full Shelves
Ivy Book Bindings
BookSmartie

Monday, July 8, 2013

Throne of Glass Ambassador



Some of you may have read my original review of Throne of Glass by Sarah Maas. It was definitely in my top ten books of 2012. Now I am excited to be one of the ambassadors to usher in the release of Crown of Midnight on August 27th! The first book was action-packed and intense, so I can only imagine what this second book will have in store for us.

For the next couple of months, I will be posting lots about Crown of Midnight. There will be giveaways, exclusive content from the book, an advance review, specialty posts and much more. So check back for all of the excitement!

If you missed my review of Throne of Glass, check it out here. And to get a taste of the awesomeness of the world built by Sarah Mass, check out the book trailers below.

Throne of Glass


Crown of Midnight

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Out This Week (July 7-13)

I love some of the covers of the books coming out this week. Looks like a great group...
  •  7.9.13 Right of Way by Lauren Barnholdt
  • 7.9.13 Shadow of the Mark by Leigh Fallon
  •  7.9.13 Life's a Witch by Brittany Geragotells
  • 7.9.13 Half Lives by Sara Grant
  •  7.9.13 Raven Flight (a Shadowfell Novel) by Juliet Marillier
  • 7.9.13 Who Needs Magic by Kathy McCullough
  •  7.9.13 Anomaly by Krista McGee
  • 7.9.13 Zom-B Angels by Darren Shan
  •  7.8.13 Some Quiet Place by Kelsey Sutton
  • 7.9.13 Still Star-Crossed by Melinda Taub
  •   7.9.13 The Saints (Quarantine #2) by Lex Thomas
  • 7.9.13 In Too Deep by Coert Voorhees

Saturday, July 6, 2013

The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa

Title: The Eternity Cure
Author: Julie Kagawa
ISBN: 9780373210695
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Released: April 30, 2013
Series: Blood of Eden #2
Page #: 446
Source: eARC from NetGalley

Summary:
"In Allison Sekemoto's world, there is one rule left: Blood calls to blood.

She has done the unthinkable: died so that might continue to live. Cast out of Eden and separated from the boy she dared to love, Allie will follow the call of blood to save her creator, Kanin, from the psychotic vampire Sarren. But when the trail leads to Allie's birthplace in New Covington, what Allie finds there will change the world forever—and possibly end human and vampire existence.

There's a new plague on the rise, a strain of the Red Lung virus that wiped out most of humanity generations ago—and this strain is deadly to humans and vampires alike. The only hope for a cure lies in the secrets Kanin carries, if Allie can get to him in time.

Allison thought that immortality was forever. But now, with eternity itself hanging in the balance, the lines between human and monster will blur even further, and Allie must face another choice she could never have imagined having to make."
_____________________________________________________
First Lines: (From the ARC, subject to change)

"I smelled blood as soon as I walked into the room.
A blast of snow-laced air accompanied me, swirling around my black coat, clinging to my hair and clothes as I shoved back the door."

Page 9
_____________________________________________________
Review:

While this book did take me an eternity to finish, it wasn't the fault of the book. Life got in the way (darn life!). If this is the first you are hearing of the Blood of Eden series, I highly suggest you go pick up a copy of The Immortal Rules. It's a perfect vampire novel. Plus, there might be spoilers in this review....

So, Allison is finally getting used to being a vampire. She's learned how to deal with her urges, and even how to stay up a little past the sunrise. She's making huge progress. And now she is on a quest to rescue her sire. She can tell he is in great danger and wants to help. But once she finds where he is, she realizes there are much bigger things at stake. There is a new human virus that is making people go crazy and attack. Plus, it does something wicked to vampires. She's between a rock and a hard place, but she is back where she started. Where she grew up. One would hope that might give her the upper hand.

Quite frankly, I was really worried that Zeke wouldn't be in this book. The first book left him in Eden. A human refuge. Allison had walked away from him and all of the other people they met on the journey. I'm not going to get into specifics, but he does appear in this story again. And things really heat up. He becomes even more of a badass than he was before ... and don't even get me STARTED on the ending! Whew!

I don't recall much about Sarren from the first book, but he becomes the ultimate baddy in Eternity Cure. He's vicious and unrelenting and just plain intense. There are times that Allie has to get into his head and figure out what in the world his grand plan could be. He also pulls no punches and will use the weakest thing about you in a fight.And I love how Jackel is the guy you can't trust, but you sort of have to. It's hard to know what side of the fence he lives on, but he definitely keeps you on your toes. I sort of can't wait to learn more about him.

You can see where the focus of the next book is going to be - on Eden again. And on Sarren and his plans for the world. I absolutely cannot wait. And I promise not to take so long reading that one. I'm definitely hooked into the story. Kagawa has a gift for telling rich, amazing stories. I am definitely a fan and will read just about anything from her. So, now comes the waiting game for book three.

This series really is great for those vampire lovers who are still out there. The main character is a reluctant vamp and you get the feeling that she really doesn't want to give in to the dark side. It makes her lovable and relateable. I think a lot of teens will identify with some of her struggles (outside of the wanting to drink blood thing). I have recommended these books several times and will continue to do so.
_____________________________________________________
Other Book Reviews:

I'm Loving Books
Candace's Book Blog
Bookish Ardour
Musings of a YA Reader
ReadBreatheRead
Anna Reads
Writing is a Blessing
Fiction Frenzy
Book Chick City
Book Brats

Search This Blog