Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by  Breaking The Spine. It showcases new books that are coming out soon that we can't wait to read!

Title: Angel Burn
Author: L.A.Weatherly
Publication Date: May 24, 2011
Find it on Amazon
Find it on Goodreads

Willow knows she’s different from other girls, and not just because she loves tinkering with cars. Willow has a gift. She can look into the future and know people’s dreams and hopes, their sorrows and regrets, just by touching them. She has no idea where this power comes from. But the assassin, Alex, does.

Gorgeous, mysterious Alex knows more about Willow than Willow herself. He knows that her powers link to dark and dangerous forces, and that he’s one of the few humans left who can fight them. When Alex finds himself falling in love with his sworn enemy, he discovers that nothing is as it seems, least of all good and evil.

In the first book in an action-packed, romantic trilogy, L..A. Weatherly sends readers on a thrill-ride of a road trip - and depicts the human race at the brink of a future as catastrophic as it is deceptively beautiful.

They’re out for your soul . . . and they don’t have heaven in mind.

The cover of this book is so awesome! That alone makes me want to pick it up.  The storyline sounds really good too!

Galleys now on the Kindle!

If you are a reviewer and get books through NetGalley, good news!!

You can now read your galleys on the kindle! Yay! I'm so excited. Now I can read The Vespertine. I got it to review a while ago, but I have a hard time reading it on the desktop computer.

If you don't know what netgalley is (and you review books), you can check it out by clicking here:

NetGalley


I love reading on my kindle. This will make reviewing books so much easier.

In My Mailbox (2)

In My Mailbox is a meme that is hosted by The Story Siren. It's a fun way to share what books we got for the week.

I bought a few books this week:

Infinite Days | Rebecca Maizel (Goodreads | Amazon)

Isn't this cover so pretty? I'm not usually into photoshopped eyes, but i think this cover is stunning. I found a used copy in pristine condition. Score! They had a shimmery copy also. It was hard to pass up, but the copy I got was cheaper and still really pretty.

Now, these next two I am super excited about! I have recently discovered the Vlogbrothers on youtube. They are so funny and awesome! One of them is author John Green, and the other is his brother, Hank Green. I am totally a nerdfighter now. If you have no idea what I am talking about, then you should go check them out. Here is a FAQ video they made kind of explaining who they are and stuff:

Vlogbrothers

Everyone I have showed them to thinks I am such a nerd, but whatever. I love them.

So anyways, I bought two of John Green's books this week. Best part? I got these two on sale! Yay! I had to dig through the books to find a couple of books not all beat up, but totally worth it.

Paper Towns | John Green (Goodreads | Amazon)
 

An Abundance of Katherines | John Green (Goodreads | Amazon)

I really like this cover in person! I think it's really cute!

 

Review: The Forest of Hands and Teeth

Title: The Forest of Hands and Teeth (Book One)
Author: Carrie Ryan
Publisher: Delacorte Press - Random House
Find it on Goodreads
Find it on Amazon

Description (from goodreads):

In Mary's world there are simple truths.
The Sisterhood always knows best.
The Guardians will protect and serve.
The Unconsecrated will never relent.
And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth. But, slowly, Mary’s truths are failing her. She’s learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power, and about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness. When the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, she must choose between her village and her future—between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded in so much death?

My Review:

Whoa.

This book was fascinating! From the very beginning I was sucked in and couldn't put it down. The words flowed effortlessly and I enjoyed every moment.

Mary's world is bleak. Her life falls apart, and yet she still has hope. Is there a life for her? Is there more out there for her, past the Forest of Hands and Teeth? Can she be happy living in her village as others demand her to?

I really enjoy stories that delve into what would happen if a sort of sickness was to take over humankind. The people in this book are taken over by something (a disease? virus?) that makes them zombie like; something that makes them crave human flesh. They were terrifying! There was tension at almost every moment in this book - just enough to keep you wanting more without it being too overbearing.

I just devoured this book and I cannot wait to read the next book, The Dead-Tossed Waves!

Review: Sunshine

Title: Sunshine
Author: Robin McKinley
Publisher: Speak - Published by the Penguin Group
Find it on Goodreads
Find it on Amazon

Description (from Goodreads):

Sunshine's mundane existence as the head baker at Charlie's Coffeehouse takes an unexpected turn when she drives to her grandmother's secluded summer camp. While she is taking in the scenic view of the starlit sky reflecting off the lake's calm surface, she is attacked by a gang of vampires and brought to an abandoned mansion on the far side of the lake. They strip her of her shoes, dress her in a blood-red gown, and shackle her to a wall. In the semi-darkness of the moonlit room, she realizes that a vampire is shackled next to her. After some tense moments, the two begin to talk and quickly conclude that if they don't help each other escape, they're both as good as dead.

My Review:

I'm not sure exactly how to begin this review. Did I think Sunshine was a good book? Yes. However, I felt like it didn't blow me away like I expected. When Melissa Marr is quoted as saying "Sunshine is quite possibly the best vampire book published in my lifetime" right on the book, I think you kind of have high expectations.

There were several things I really liked about this book. For one, I really enjoyed how suspenseful the beginning was. I loved the dynamic between Sunshine and the vampire, Con. I wanted more scenes with Con! I also liked the magical world that McKinley built. It was definitely unique and left me wanting to know lots more about it. Tell me more about the magic, the wards, the Others!

Sunshine's character was well built. She had a believable background and I had an easy time seeing how she fit into her family and her job (which pretty much melted together being that she worked in the bakery of her family's coffee shop). Now I feel like going and baking some cinnamon rolls!

I kind of felt like there was too much of Sunshine's thoughts in this story. She confused me sometimes and I had to go back and reread quite a bit.  Usually I love lots of details in a story, but I couldn't understand exactly what it is she was trying to say. Maybe I just don't understand the way she thinks? She is definitely a very different person than I am. Too much of the story was told though her thoughts versus some kind of action.

Also, it seemed like the beginning of the book had tons of action and then the middle got a little boring. There was too much of a lull. I wasn't sure I wanted to finish the book, but I really wanted to know what was going to happen, so I kept reading. I am glad I did, but that middle part was tough.

By the end, the pace picked back up and I was excited to keep reading again. The end completely left me wanting more!

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by  Breaking The Spine. It showcases new books that are coming out that we can't wait to read!

I know that this might not be a book that many people are looking forward to, but I cannot wait to have this one in my hands! I am a Twilight lover, all the way. I know that some people might see this as a way for the money machine to make even more money, but I genuinely really want this. I'm ok with spending a little more money on something I really enjoy!

Title: The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Publication Date: April 12, 2011
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Find it on Goodreads

I've been waiting since last January for an official guide. I hope it doesn't disappoint!

In My Mailbox (1)

This is my first In My Mailbox! I'm excited! In My Mailbox is a meme that is hosted by The Story Siren. It's a way to share what books we got for the week (be it by buying, borrowing, or getting them in the mail).

I bought three books this week:

The Forest of Hands and Teeth | Carrie Ryan (Goodreads | Amazon)

I've seen this one around a lot lately and it was on sale, so I figured I should give it a try.

 Sunshine | Robin McKinley (Goodreads | Amazon)

I haven't seen too much about this one, but it sounds really good! It's a vampire story. It was also on sale - double yay!

Red Riding Hood | Blakely-Cartwright/Johnson (Goodreads | Amazon)

I bought this one because I really want to see the movie and I wanted to read this before I went. I like to picture things my way first. Plus, it's so pretty! Much prettier in person than in the photo. I've already read and reviewed it here.

Review: Little Red Riding Hood

Title: Red Riding Hood
Author: Blakely Cartwright/ Johnson
Publisher: Poppy, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company
Find it on Goodreads
Find it on Amazon

Description (from the back of the book):

The blacksmith would marry her.
The woodcutter would run away with her.
The werewolf would turn her into one of its own.

I'm not going to give you the whole description on the back of the book because I feel like it gives too much of the book away. Spoilers are my biggest pet peeve!! I didn't read much of the back or watch the movie trailers before reading, and I'm glad I didn't.

My Review:

First, let me say that the end of this book is not included in the book itself. I stayed up all night, completely engrossed in the story, only to not really get an ending. Ugh! At the end of the book it tells you to go check out the website. They have an excerpt there that is (I suppose) the final chapter. You can find that here (but don't read the bonus material until you've read the rest of the book, obviously):
http://www.redridinghoodbook.com/

I am pretty annoyed that the end is not included in the book. It feels like I have an incomplete copy or something! What about future generations that pick up this book?? Ok, rant over. Maybe I'll just print it out and stick it in the book.  

So, this book is written based off of the movie coming out.  Basically, Catherine Hardwicke (the director of Red Riding Hood) decided that there was so much to the story that she enlisted a friend to write this novel. I was skeptical at first, but this book is wonderful.

I loved this story. The author's narrative is just breathtaking! I really felt like I was reading a fairytale - well, a bit of a scary fairytale! I loved how well she painted the scenes. I can't even articulate how amazing some if the imagery was! I'm hoping that we see more novels from Blakley-Cartwright.

This setting is a bit reminiscent of M. Night Shyamalan's The Village. There is a town that is haunted by a creature (in this story, obviously it's a wolf) and the town lives in fear. This book doesn't go in the same direction as that movie, but as I was reading, I couldn't help but feel like the tone of the towns were the same: creepy. dark. a bit paranoid.

There is a bit of a love triangle in this story. She comes to love one man, and her family wants her to love another. Both are great and I found myself liking both of them. Either one would give her a great life. But what to choose? The man you love and have always had a deep connection to?  The safe bet that can take care of you well and that you wouldn't be unhappy with? Maybe even someday learn to love?

Then, there is the whole aspect of the wolf. The big, bad, terrifying wolf.  It's a werewolf that may just be a person whom lives amongst them. This causes paranoia that anyone could be the evil creature they are all afraid of. Is it one of them? 

The end of the book (you know, that chapter you have to go read online?) wrapped up a little too quickly, and I wanted a bit more. It didn't ruin the story for me though.

I feel like I also need to talk about how gorgeous this book is. The cover art is captivating: The way the girl is drawn, her red hood billowing behind her. The way the shadow of the wolf seems to be right on her heels, never letting her feel the slightest bit safe. The touch of red only on the girl and the blood splatters. I adore it. The inside of the book is just as lovely. It has pretty detailing at the beginning of the chapters and even have "once upon a time" written at the beginning. LOVE!

This was a fabulous read, and I'm glad I gave it a chance. I was captivated from beginning to end. Other than the ending not really being in the book (who does that??!), I don't really have anything bad to say.

Review: Glimmerglass

Title: Glimmerglass (A Faeriewalker Novel)
Author: Jenna Black
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Find it on Goodreads
Find it on Amazon

Description (from Goodreads):

Dana Hathaway doesn't know it yet, but she's in big trouble. When her mother, an alcoholic, shows up at her voice recital drunk, Dana decides she's had enough of playing the role of her mother's keeper, so she packs her bags and travels to see her mysterious father in Avalon: the only place on Earth where the regular, everyday world and the magical world of Faerie intersect. Dana is a Faeriewalker, a rare individual who can travel between both worlds. She has always known that her father is a big-deal Fae, but what she doesn't realise is that she could be the key to his rise to power. When she arrives in Avalon, Dana finds herself a pawn in the game of magical politics. Avalon is a place where both magic and technology work, and humans and Fae coexist in something resembling peace. How can she change the winds of fate, find a boyfriend, and make new friends when she's not sure who, if anyone, can be trusted.

My Review:

I've been wanting to read this book for quite some time now. I love a good book about Fae, and this one didn't disappoint!

I think the cover of this book is gorgeous. I think it's actually fitting to the book once you read it.

I love the idea of the glimmerglass. I'm not going to say what exactly the glimmerglass is ( I don't like spoilers!), but I can't wait to see what comes of it in the next book. I also really liked the idea that there could be this city that is the connection between Faerie and our world, and that people know about it. I thought that was pretty unique. In the stories I have read before people don't know that the Fae even exist.

One thing I think was kind of missing in this book is a little bit more info about Fae and their magic. I felt like it was mentioned, but could use some more details about it.Hopefully Shadowspell, the second book in the Faeriewalker series, will dig a bit deeper.

I felt like the end wasn't really an ending. It didn't leave us hanging with a cliffhanger, but it also left the story open. It felt a little anti-climatic or something.

I really did enjoy this book and will definitely be reading on in the series.

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by  Breaking The Spine. It showcases new books that are coming out that we can't wait to read!

I've been eyeing this one for a while:

Title: Wildefire
Author: Karsten Knight
Publication Date: July 26, 2011
Find it on Amazon
Find it on Goodreads

Description from Goodreads:

Ashline Wilde never received an instruction manual on how to be a 16-year-old Polynesian volcano goddess. If she had, it might have contained helpful warnings such as:

• Dreaming about your (thankfully) mortal boyfriend may cause your bed to spontaneously combust

• Oven mitts should be worn at all times.

Instead, Ash has to learn these life lessons the hard way as her dormant powers erupt at the most awkward times. In the wake of a hometown tragedy, Ash transfers to Blackwood Academy, a boarding school nestled in California’s redwoods, where a group of fellow gods-on-earth have mysteriously convened. As if sophomore year couldn’t get any worse, her storm goddess older sister, the wild and unpredictable Eve, resurfaces to haunt Ashline. With a war between the gods looming over Blackwood, Ash must master the fire smoldering within her before she clashes with her sister one final time, which leads us to life-lesson #3:

• When warm and cold fronts collide, there’s guaranteed to be a storm.

A Polynesian volcano goddess?? Yes, please!  I love this fresh, new idea for a story. The cover is amazing as well. I have to have this book!

Five Books I'm Longing For

My goodreads "to-read" list is insane right now! I have over 700 books on there that I've saved. I thought I'd post about 5 books that I've been dying to read, in no particular order. They aren't even necessarily my top five.They're just some books I can't wait to get my hands on.

1. Wither
find it on goodreads

This book cover is gorgeous! I think it has to be one of my favorite covers, ever! I've read great things on many book review blogs and I can't wait to read it!

2. Darkest Mercy (Wicked Lovely #5)
find it on goodreads

Again, gorgeous cover! I am so excited to read the end to the Wicked Lovely Series! I've been rereading the books to prepare for it.

3. The Iron King
find it on goodreads

This is one that I have been eying for a loooong time. I love a good book about Fae, and I've heard this series is awesome.

4. A Discovery of Witches
find it on Goodreads

This book has all sorts of paranormal creatures! It sounds awesome.

5. Nightshade (Witches War # 1)
Find it on Goodreads

This book is so beautiful in person. The cover is shimmery and the pages look torn around the edges. This is sitting in my cart at Amazon, just waiting to be bought (right along with Darkest Mercy).

Review: The Dead Girls' Dance (The Morganville Vampires Series)

Title: The Dead Girls' Dance (The Morganville Vampire Series)
Author: Rachel Caine
Publisher: New American Library
Find it on Goodreads
Find it on Amazon

Description (from Goodreads):

Claire has her share of challenges. Like being a genius in a school that favours beauty over brains; homicidal girls in her dorm, and finding out that her college town is overrun with the living dead. On the up side, she has a new boyfriend with a vampire-hunting dad. But when a local fraternity throws the Dead Girls' Dance, hell is really going to break loose.

My Review:

I am really liking this series. I feel like the storyline is pretty unique. I find the way that the city of Morganville kind of lets the vampires run things very interesting. The characters are pretty well developed as well.

I really wish there was more of a build up with the romance though! I feel like a relationship is just all of a sudden there without a whole lot to back it up. I need more!

I also want to know more about the dynamics with the vampires. I feel like the author is kind of hinting and slowly letting us know about them, which I guess is the right way to do it. It's keeping me intrigued!

Overall, it's a pretty good series so far. I'll definitely be continuing on with Claire to see what happens to her and the city of Morganville!


I actually read this one and Glass Houses in a volume put together in one book that looked like this:

Pretty, isn't it?? I just wanted to review each separately, so I posted them as stand alone books.

Look at this Awesome Giveaway!

Beth Revis, author of Across the Universe, is giving away all five books from the Breathless Reads! You can click on the picture below to check it out on her blog!





What a fabulous giveaway!

Review: Glass Houses (The Morganville Vampire Series Book One)

Title: Glass Houses (The Morganville Vampire Series Book One)
Author: Rachel Caine
Published by New American Library, a division of Penguin Group
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Description (from Goodreads):

It's a small college town filled with quirky characters. But when the sun goes down, the bad comes out. Because in Morganville, there is an evil that lurks in the darkest shadows - one that will spill out into the bright light of day.
Claire Danvers has had enough of her nightmarish dorm situation. The popular girls never let her forget just where she ranks on the school's social scene: somewhere less than zero. And Claire really doesn't have the right connections - to the undead who run the town.
When Claire heads off campus, the imposing old house where she finds a room may not be much better. Hew new roommates don't show many signs of life. But they'll have Claire's back when the town's deepest secrets come crawling out, hungry for fresh blood...

Review:

Wow, the girls in this book are so mean! The popular clique at school is just as scary as the vampires. These aren't your vegetarian, sparkling, do-good vampires either. Yikes.

I have to say that I love the newer covers to this series! So pretty! The old cover for this book makes me not want to read it. Yuck!  The new covers are so nice. Yes, I am a sucker for pretty covers. I totally admit it.

I liked this story. Overall, it was interesting and had a different take on vampires than the other ones I have read. It wasn't all that predictable, which I like.

I will definitely be continuing on with the series. I hope the next book has more of the vampires (I want to know more about them!) and more of a romantic connection. I feel like the romance in the this one needed some more stuff to back it up and it sort of came out if no where.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to see where the story goes!

Review: Need

Title: Need
Author: Carrie Jones
Published by Bloomsbury
Find it on Amazon
Find it on Goodreads

Description:

Zara collects phobias the way other high school girls collect lipsticks. Little wonder, since life’s been pretty rough so far. Her father left, her stepfather just died, and her mother’s pretty much checked out. Now Zara’s living with her grandmother in sleepy, cold Maine so that she stays “safe.” Zara doesn’t think she’s in danger; she thinks her mother can’t deal.

Wrong. Turns out that guy she sees everywhere, the one leaving trails of gold glitter, isn’t a figment of her imagination. He’s a pixie—and not the cute, lovable kind with wings. He’s the kind who has dreadful, uncontrollable needs. And he’s trailing Zara.

Review:

I really enjoyed the way that Carrie Jones writes. She adds unusual descriptions of the scenes that kind of give you a glimpse into the way her character is thinking. It was unique and I loved it!

I'd describe this book as a kinda Twilight meets Shiver meets a new twist.

The way she began each chapter with a phobia was so neat and quirky! I enjoyed reading a new phobia each time, and found myself smiling when Zara recited them to herself.

The only thing holding it back from it being a perfect book was a tiny lack in character development. I'm hoping to get to know the characters in the next book! I can't wait to read it!