Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Best of the Bunch- October 2012

Best of the Bunch is a monthly meme hosted by Always Lost in Stories on the last day of every month. The aim of this meme is to share the best book that we have read or reviewed in that month and give it out Best of the Bunch award.

This month I read:
 
4 of 5 stars
3 of 5 stars
5 of 5 stars
3 of 5 stars
3 of 5 stars
(review to come)
4 of 5 stars
4 of 5 stars





Review: Hidden by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast

Hidden by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast
Published: October 16, 2012
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Pages: 320
Series: House of Night #10
My Rating:  2 of 5 stars

Synopsis: At last, Zoey has what she wanted: the truth is out. Neferet's evil has been exposed, and the High Council is no longer on her side -- but she's far from done wreaking havoc in the vampyre world. First, a mysterious fire ravages the stables. Then, Neferet makes a devastating move that will test them all.
With the seeds of distrust sown and Darkness breeding chaos at the House of Night, everyone must band together -- but that's proving to be more difficult than ever before. The twins are barely speaking and the House of Night's former enemy, Kalona, has now become their warrior, pushing their trust to the limit. To top it off, Zoey is pretty darn sure she might be losing her mind. She saw something when she looked at Aurox through the Seer Stone that she can hardly explain to herself, let alone her friends. Is it possible that Heath has come back in a different form? Is that why Zoey's so intrigued by Aurox, when it's so obvious that he's dangerous? And who would believe her if she told them? Zoey knows that following her instinct about Aurox might be just what they need to defeat evil . . . but if she's wrong, it could cause the destruction of those closest to her.
With the tension at a breaking point and friendships on the line, can the nerd herd come together to stop the spread of Darkness before it's too late?


My Review: I don't even know why I'm still reading this series. If this series isn't a guilty pleasure of mine then I don't know what is. I have this love-hate relationship with the House of Night series. Sometimes I love it, but other times I just want to throw the book across the room or bang my head against the wall. The series is ridiculous! I don't even know what the whole point of the series is anymore. 

Really the only characters I like in this series anymore are Aphrodite and Stark. Aphrodite makes this series bearable. She's also hilarious and so truthful. My favorite lines from the book are always by her or sometimes Stark.
But my absolute favorite line by her in this book is:
"Oh for shit's sake, who hasn't tried to kill you? Or Zoey. Or me for that matter. Get over it."

You think sooner or later everyone trying to kill Zoey would eventually succeed but no. Zoey just so special and she's chosen by the Goddess so there's no way anyone can kill her! Having Zoey die would definitely be a great twist and it would end her annoying narration. What is brown pop anyway?


Then there's the whole "everyone can choose the path they want to take" almost every other page. It was extremely annoying because that's been going on since...since Hunted or maybe since the first book. I don't even know anymore. BUT I GET IT ALREADY! Stop repeating yourself and get on with the book.


Both Erik and Heath need to go die or just move to the other side of the world where I will never have to read about them ever again. Heath needed to stay dead. I liked him better dead because he died honorably. Plus I really hate love triangles and I hope that Zoey doesn't try to date Heath again. Then the one time its from Erik's POV he's talking about how he can't stop looking at Shaylin's boobs and how her bra is pink with bows. That was just way to much information for me.


I swear nothing really even happened in this book. Zoey doesn't really do anything until the end where she saves her grandmother. I don't even know how this book took up about 300 pages.

The way Zoey talks is so childish and immature that it is hilarious. 
This is how she describes an evil girl:
"as in Nicole who was a super mean red fledgling"
She sounds like she's a little kid talking about a bully. How old is Zoey? Sixteen? Seventeen? I don't even know but she's not ten.

At least Shaunee and Erin are no longer twins. That was probably one of the best things about this book. Erin is more wild now that she's acting more like herself and Shaunee is just so much better without Erin acting as her other half.

There were some parts that I enjoyed about this book, but I think the negative out weight the positive. But I'm already ten books into this series so I need to know how it ends. So it looks like I'll be reading the next one. Please let it be the last one. Eleven books for any series is almost too many.

Waiting on Wednesday #17

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:
Days of Blood and Starlight
by Laini Taylor
Release date: November 6th 2012

In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Karou must come to terms with who and what she is, and how far she’ll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, mysteries and secrets, new characters and old favorites, Days of Blood and Starlight brings the richness, color and intensity of the first book to a brand new canvas.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

ARC Review: Broken by A.E. Rought

Broken by A.E. Rought
Published: January 8, 2013
Publisher: Strange Chemistry
Pages: 320
My Rating:  4 of 5 stars

Synopsis: Imagine a modern spin on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein where a young couple’s undying love and the grief of a father pushed beyond sanity could spell the destruction of them all.

A string of suspicious deaths near a small Michigan town ends with a fall that claims the life of Emma Gentry’s boyfriend, Daniel. Emma is broken, a hollow shell mechanically moving through her days. She and Daniel had been made for each other, complete only when they were together. Now she restlessly wanders the town in the late Fall gloom, haunting the cemetery and its white-marbled tombs, feeling Daniel everywhere, his specter in the moonlight and the fog.

When she encounters newcomer Alex Franks, only son of a renowned widowed surgeon, she’s intrigued despite herself. He’s an enigma, melting into shadows, preferring to keep to himself. But he is as drawn to her as she is to him. He is strangely…familiar. From the way he knows how to open her locker when it sticks, to the nickname she shared only with Daniel, even his hazel eyes with brown flecks are just like Daniel’s. The closer they become, though, the more something inside her screams there’s something very wrong with Alex Franks.

And when Emma stumbles across a grotesque and terrifying menagerie of mangled but living animals within the walls of the Franks’ estate, creatures she surely knows must have died from their injuries, she knows.


My Review: Broken is unbelievably good. In all honesty going into this book I wasn't sure what to expect. Just reading the blurb about the book basically gave away the entire story. So I  guessed everything about Alex from the first couple of pages. Did that take away from the story? Not really. Sure I wasn't surprised but it was still good.

So the book starts out with Emma mourning Daniel's death. Daniel had died recently so I kind of expected Emma to grieve. At least she didn't act like some helpless girl. I actually liked Emma even though she was this normal girl that was still mourning the loss of her boyfriend. She punches people and smacks people around with her cast. Why can't more characters be like Emma? Normal but still able to defend themselves.

Broken was delightfully creepy. The deer and Dr. Franks especially. I don't think I'll ever be able to look at a deer or animal that was hit be a car the same way ever again. Dr. Franks was just completely nuts and a great villain. I loved him as a villain because I'm weird and love villains.

The insta love kind of bothered me but it was also kind of justified given the situation that Emma and Alex were in. The only thing that really bugged me about the book was how predictable it was. It could have been so much better if it wasn't so obvious what happened to Alex and Daniel. I mean it basically says it in the blurb! I mean Alex Franks goes to Shelley High School?

I love retellings and I thought that Alex and Emma were so adorable together. I don't even know how to describe how much I love their relationship. I actually loved almost all the characters except for Josh. There's just no love for Josh. I even like Dr. Franks better than Josh.

I really enjoyed it and look forward to reading more books by this author!

*I received this book via Netgalley. Thank you!

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Review: Living Violet by Jamie Reed

Living Violet by Jamie Reed
Published: December 27, 2011
Publisher: K-Teen/Dafina
Pages: 304
Series: The Cambion Chronicles #1
My Rating:  4 of 5 stars

Synopsis: He's persuasive, charming, and way too mysterious. And for Samara Marshall, her co-worker is everything she wants most--and everything she most fears. . .

Samara Marshall is determined to make the summer before her senior year the best ever. Her plan: enjoy downtime with friends and work to save up cash for her dream car. Summer romance is not on her to-do list, but uncovering the truth about her flirtatious co-worker, Caleb Baker, is. From the peculiar glow to his eyes to the unfortunate events that befall the girls who pine after him, Samara is the only one to sense danger behind his smile.

But Caleb's secrets are drawing Samara into a world where the laws of attraction are a means of survival. And as a sinister power closes in on those she loves, Samara must take a risk that will change her life forever. . .or consume it.


My Review: Going into this book I was expecting the usual paranormal stuff and the usual romance where the guy saves the girl and they end up falling in love or the dreaded instant love. Well I was pleasantly surprised! Living Violet isn't really like any other paranormal book I've read.

The whole Cambion concept was basically new to me. When incubus were mentioned I had this vague sense of knowing what was being talked about before it was explained but I don't exactly know where I know that word from and that is going to drive me crazy for the rest of the day.

The main character Samara Marshall was great. She didn't drool over Caleb like everyone else. She even thought he was weird and he is so a round of applause for her. It actually took her awhile to warm up to Caleb and she had actual reasons for liking him. Basically she's curious why women are dropping like flies after they make out with him and that's why she want to find out more about him. I mean wouldn't you be curious too?

I loved reading about Samara no matter what was happening. She was sarcastic and strong so she didn't like to get bossed around and most of the time she was the one bossing Caleb around. I found some things completely ridiculous though. Like Dougie teaching Caleb how to defend himself and he gets beat up by an eight year old (I think that was how old the girl was). The relationship between Samara's parents was also really strange to me. How is her dad's wife ok with him spending time with Samara's mom? Wouldn't she be the tiniest bit worried about that since Samara's mom seems to have a hard time getting over the fact that Samara's dad married someone else.

Anyway I think my favorite part of this book was the romance between Samara and Caleb. Sam isn't exactly sure what to do about her feelings for Caleb. This is probably because of what happened to her parents. She's not really sure if she wants a serious relationship and even though Caleb is he doesn't push her. You can actually read about their relationship developing. I just love reading about that.

It was also pretty obvious that there was something paranormal going on with Caleb and there were some other obvious things but I never saw the ending coming! So basically I really liked this book. It was a nice change from the usual paranormal.

*I received this book from the author. Thank you! 

Want to win some awesome books?

Hey everyone! The Book Belles are having an awesome giveaway that you should definitely check out!

They're having a 1000 followers giveaway so make sure you go visit them. Seriously. The books they are giving away are awesome. 

They have six prize packs to choose from and all of the books look really good. So if you want to win some awesome books (who doesn't?) stop by their blog!

Liebster Award!

Well here we are again. I've been nominated for the Liebster Award by BOOKSSESED! Thanks for the nomination!

If you would like to participate all you have to do is:
1) Thank and link back to the giver
 2) Answer the award giver's questions 
3) Nominate 5 other blogs that have fewer than 200 followers
4) Ask questions for one's nominees to answer.
5) Post the Liebster's Award Picture on your post.
 
I Nominate

Bookssesed's questions
1. Who is your favorite book heroine?
Oh man that's a hard one. But I think I'd have to say Allie from The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa because she's just awesome!
 
2. Of the three which do you prefer: Young Adult, New Adult, or Adult?
I pretty much only read Young Adult but the few Adult books that I've read were definitely not as good as some Young Adult books I've read. So I definitely prefer Young Adult.

3.What book would you like to be made into a movie?
Another hard one! Probably The Immortal Rules but I'd probably be too scared to go see it because I freak out at scary movies. So maybe Legend by Marie Lu would be a better choice.

4. Who is your favorite book character ever? Bad guy, good guy, frog, horse, you name it.
Picking my favorite book heroine was hard but this...this is almost impossible! I think that my favorite book character ever is either Will Herondale from The Infernal Devices or Cassel Sharpe from Curse Workers or Allie from The Immortal Rules. This is way too hard so I had to pick more than one and those characters still aren't all of my favorites.

5. What do you like most about blogging?
I love being able to share my opinion and meet other people who have the same interests as me. I only have a few friends in real life that are book nerds like me so I like being able to talk to other book nerds.

My Questions for you:
1. Who is your all time favorite villain?
2. What book world would you want to live in?
3. If you were an author what would your book be about?
4. What's your favorite paranormal creature?
5. Do you like series or stand alones? Why?

New Releases: October 28- November 3

Here's this week's new releases:

Venom by Fiona Paul
(October 30th 2012)

Touching the Surface by






October 31st 2012)

 Jar of Pandora by Marisette Burgess
(November 1st 2012)

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Stacking The Shelves #9

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:

Living Violet by Jamie Reed

I received Living Violet from the author and so far I'm really liking it! Can't wait to finish it. Also you can't really see it in the picture of the cover but on the cover the guy's violet eyes are so bright and it just looks so cool.

Friday, October 26, 2012

Feature & Follow #13

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: What writing device or trick most irritates you when reading a book? For example, if an author employs an omnipotent narrator that is sometimes considered bad form. 

A: Insta-love and love triangles (that aren't done well) irritate me so much. And when the POV changes and I have absolutely no idea who it is because both voices sound the same. Weak main characters that have to rely on other people to save them and take care of them also irritate me. There's way too many YA characters that have to wait to be saved by someone else. Then there's also characters that have their heartbroken and all they do is talk about how sad they are and how this character left them and how their life is nothing. I just can't deal with that.

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

Thursday, October 25, 2012

What's Next? #14

 What's Next? Hosted by IceyBooks
What's Next is a weekly meme hosted by IceyBooks!
Here's how it works:
-Every Thursday select three-five books (not too many, not too little!) that you want to read but can't decide which one to read first.
-Post the cover, and if you want, the synopsis or even a random line from the book, for each of your selections.
-At the end of your post, ask readers to vote on which one you should read next!

Finale
by Becca Fitzpatrick

Fates unfurl in the gripping conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Hush, Hush saga.

Nora is more certain than ever that she is in love with Patch. Fallen angel or no, he is the one for her. Her heritage and destiny may mean they are fated to be enemies, but there is no turning her back on him. Now Nora and Patch must gather their strength to face one last, perilous trial. Old enemies return, new enemies are made, and a friend's ultimate betrayal threatens the peace Patch and Nora so desperately want. The battle lines are drawn—but which sides are they on? And in the end, are there some obstacles even love can't conquer?


Who I Kissed
by Janet Gurtler

She never thought a kiss could kill...
Samantha didn't mean to hurt anyone. She was just trying to fit in...And she wanted to make Zee a little jealous after he completely ditched her for a prettier girl. So she kissed Alex. And then he died—right in her arms.

Sam is now the school pariah and a media sensation. Consumed with guilt, she'll have to find strength that goes way deeper than the fastest time in the 200–meter butterfly. Because if she can't figure out how to forgive herself, no one else will either.

My Soul to Take
by Rachel Vincent

She doesn't see dead people. She senses when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally.

Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest guy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about her need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee knows who'll be next.


What should I read next?

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

ARC Review: Jar of Pandora by Marisette Burgess

Jar of Pandora by Marisette Burgess
Published: November 1, 2012
Publisher: WRB Books
Series: Symbol of Hope #2
My Rating:  3 of 5 stars

Synopsis: Kasey Reese ran from a life of responsibility to study abroad in Deia, Spain. She hoped for an adventure, but what unfolded in Spain was beyond the imaginable. In that remote little village she met the love of her life, Dion - a twenty-year-old immortal saint.

Kasey and Dion return to America only to realize their love is challenged by their opposite virtues and Kasey’s dysfunctional family.

Unique and action-packed, in this book Kasey learns that Pandora is her immortal grandmother. Determined to find her and to uncover many truths, Kasey sets out with Dion on a deadly journey. But answers come with a great cost - a three thousand year old prophecy, a feud of the gods and death.


My Review: I remember that I really enjoyed Men of the Cave but I felt like this book was very different from the first one. First of all they weren't in Spain anymore and I really liked the Spain part because I'd never been to Spain so reading about it was kind of like traveling there.

Then there was the love triangle. Now I'm not really a fan of love triangles. I think I only really love three love triangles but I kind of felt that the Kasey-Dion-Teal love triangle was not needed. The first half of the book was basically Dion saying that he wasn't good for Kasey and that they shouldn't be together. He even told Teal to try to win her back and he told Kasey to try to love Teal again. I found that very strange even when I understood the reasoning behind it. It made me want to knock some sense into Dion because him and Kasey are just meant to be! I mean I knew that Kasey and Teal wouldn't work out and I found it very frustrating when Kasey couldn't really admit that she knew she didn't love Teal the same way she loved Dion. So the first half of the book was pretty much all about the romance. I actually really liked the romance between Dion and Kasey but I'm very annoyed by Dion's no sex before marriage thing because he kept leading her on and then he got mad when she wanted to take it to the next level. I'm fine with his beliefs but just don't lead her on.

In the second half of the book things really started to pick up. I just love Nolan he's my favorite character out of that book besides James and Sam. He's just so adorable and when I'm annoyed by the Kasey-Dion-Teal drama he's always there to make it better. And James and Sam just make it so much more interesting. Then we finally meet Pandora and some Greek Gods! I actually really loved how Athena was a child. I found it hilarious. They fought a dragon too! Every good story needs a dragon because I just love dragons. At the end someone died (I won't say who) but I never saw the character's death coming!

So overall I liked the book. It was a little hard to get into but once I got past the first half of the book it was so much better. Jar of Pandora was also just as unique as the first book which was great! I think I liked Men of the Cave a little bit better though because I loved how they were in Spain and there was more Sam and James. 


*I received this book from the author. Thank you!

Waiting on Wednesday #16

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:
Gravity
by Melissa West
Release date: October 30th 2012

In the future, only one rule will matter:

Don’t. Ever. Peek.

Seventeen-year-old Ari Alexander just broke that rule and saw the last person she expected hovering above her bed — arrogant Jackson Locke, the most popular boy in her school. She expects instant execution or some kind of freak alien punishment, but instead, Jackson issues a challenge: help him, or everyone on Earth will die.

Ari knows she should report him, but everything about Jackson makes her question what she’s been taught about his kind. And against her instincts, she’s falling for him. But Ari isn’t just any girl, and Jackson wants more than her attention. She’s a military legacy who’s been trained by her father and exposed to war strategies and societal information no one can know — especially an alien spy, like Jackson. Giving Jackson the information he needs will betray her father and her country, but keeping silent will start a war.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Teaser Tuesday #14

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB of Should be Reading


My Teaser:
"Damn him, I thought, a half hour later, after having observed the dealer work through three shoes worth of cards. There was no denying the bizarre connection."
-page 153, Witch World by Christopher Pike

Anyone can participate in Teaser Tuesdays. Just do the following:
• Grab your current read 
• Open to a random page 
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page 
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Sunday, October 21, 2012

New Releases: October 21-27

Here's this week's new releases:

The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa
(October 23rd)

Dark Star by

October 23rd)

Burning Blue by Paul Griffin
(October 25th)

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Stacking The Shelves #8

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:

 Hidden by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast

This book no this series is just one of my guilty pleasures. I do not like the characters (except for Stark) and I honestly don't know what is going on in the these books anymore but for some reason I can't stop reading them. I just needs to say one more thing. Heath needs to die again.

Friday, October 19, 2012

Feature & Follow #12

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: When you step out of your usual genre what do you like to read? Best books in that genre?

A: That's a hard question for me because I don't really have a usual genre. I switch around. Sometimes I'll read a contemporary book and then the next day I'll be reading a book about vampires. I don't really read many mysteries even though I love mystery books. I just can't seem to find any good young adult mystery books. Actually I used to only read paranormal books but this year I've read more contemporary books. My favorite would have to be The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.

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

Thursday, October 18, 2012

What's Next? #13

 What's Next? Hosted by IceyBooks
What's Next is a weekly meme hosted by IceyBooks!
Here's how it works:
-Every Thursday select three-five books (not too many, not too little!) that you want to read but can't decide which one to read first.
-Post the cover, and if you want, the synopsis or even a random line from the book, for each of your selections.
-At the end of your post, ask readers to vote on which one you should read next!

Crewel 
by Gennifer Albin

Incapable. Awkward. Artless.

That’s what the other girls whisper behind her back. But sixteen year-old Adelice Lewys has a secret: she wants to fail.

Gifted with the ability to weave time with matter, she’s exactly what the Guild is looking for, and in the world of Arras, being chosen as a Spinster is everything a girl could want. It means privilege, eternal beauty, and being something other than a secretary. It also means the power to embroider the very fabric of life. But if controlling what people eat, where they live and how many children they have is the price of having it all, Adelice isn’t interested.

Not that her feelings matter, because she slipped and wove a moment at testing, and they’re coming for her—tonight.

Now she has one hour to eat her mom’s overcooked pot roast. One hour to listen to her sister’s academy gossip and laugh at her Dad’s stupid jokes. One hour to pretend everything’s okay. And one hour to escape.

Because once you become a Spinster, there’s no turning back.


Confessions of an Angry Girl
by








Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Review: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
Published: September 18, 2012
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Pages: 416
Series: Raven Cycle #1
My Rating:  5 of 5 stars

Synopsis: “There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

From Maggie Stiefvater, the bestselling and acclaimed author of the Shiver trilogy and The Scorpio Races, comes a spellbinding new series where the inevitability of death and the nature of love lead us to a place we’ve never been before.


My Review: Ever since I heard about this book I knew that I needed to read it. Another book by Maggie? Yes please! There's something about her writing that makes the world around me disappear and nothing else matters other than reading her book. I stayed up late at night thinking about The Raven Boys and I don't think its going to leave my thoughts for quite some time.

The way this book is written is just...magical (I can't think of any other word to describe it at the moment). I loved every single part of the book. The magic and mysteriousness it was just so wonderful. I've read her Wolves of Mercy Falls series, The Scorpio Races, and Lament but I think that this book is her best yet.

All the characters were great. I loved each of them for different reasons but I think my favorites were Ronan, Noah, and Gansey. At one point I almost started crying because of a vision that Blue was having about Gansey. And even though Gansey is supposed to die soon I can't help but try to think of ways that will allow him to live. Each character had so many layers and I loved the complex relationships between the raven boys. It just added to the story.

I'd never heard of the ley line before this and now I really want to know more about it and about Gansey's search. I especially want to know more about Noah's situation and that raven that Ronan named Chainsaw. That ending left me a little confused about her. 

The only part that might bother some people was the lack of romance. That didn't really bother me but people looking for romance should probably skip this book. I think that if you expect it then you will be disappointed. After all if Blue kisses her true love he'll die so she couldn't exactly kiss anyone.
 
The wait for the next book is already way too long.

Waiting on Wednesday #15

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:
Dark Star 
by Bethany Frenette
Release date: October 23rd 2012

Audrey Whitticomb has nothing to fear. Her mother is the superhero Morning Star, the most deadly crime-fighter in the Twin Cities, so it's hard for Audrey not to feel safe. That is, until she's lured into the sweet night air by something human and not human--something with talons and teeth, and a wide, scarlet smile. 

Now Audrey knows the truth: her mom doesn't fight crime at night. She fights Harrowers--livid, merciless beings who were trapped Beneath eons ago. Yet some have managed to escape. And they want Audrey dead, just because of who she is: one of the Kin. 


To survive, Audrey will need to sharpen the powers she has always had. When she gets close to someone, dark corners of the person's memories become her own, and she sometimes even glimpses the future. If Audrey could only get close to Patrick Tigue, a powerful Harrower masquerading as human, she could use her Knowing to discover the Harrowers' next move. But Leon, her mother's bossy, infuriatingly attractive sidekick, has other ideas. Lately, he won't let Audrey out of his sight. 


When an unthinkable betrayal puts Minneapolis in terrible danger, Audrey discovers a wild, untamed power within herself. It may be the key to saving her herself, her family, and her city. Or it may be the force that destroys everything--and everyone--she loves.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Teaser Tuesday #13

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB of Should be Reading


My Teaser:

"They looked at each other. We're already making excuses for him, Gansey thought."
-page 115, The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Anyone can participate in Teaser Tuesdays. Just do the following:
• Grab your current read 
• Open to a random page 
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page 
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Sunday, October 14, 2012

New Releases: October 14-20

Here's this week's new releases:
 
 Hidden by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast
(October 16th)
 
 Out of Reach by Carrie Arcos
(October 16th)
 
The Innocents by Lili Peloquin
(October 16th)
 
 Beta by Rachel Cohn
(October 16th)
 
Crewel by Gennifer Albin
(October 16th)

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Review: The Athena Effect by Derrolyn Anderson

The Athena Effect by Derrolyn Anderson
Published: August 30, 2012
Pages: 223
My Rating:  3 of 5 stars

Synopsis: Country girl Cali has been kept a secret her entire life, raised in isolation by two very troubled people. Despite her parent’s disturbing fits, Cal is perfectly content, living at one with the nature that surrounds her, and finding adventure inside the pages of her beloved books. When an awful tragedy tears her away from her remote cabin in the woods, nothing she’s ever read has prepared her for a world that she knows very little about.

Girls and motorcycles are what bad-boy Cal’s life is all about. Brought up in a raucous party house by his biker brother, he’s free to do as he pleases, going through the motions on his final days of high school. Aimless, Cal stopped thinking about his future a long time ago.

Attacked by a gang of thugs while running an errand for his brother, Cal is in serious trouble until a fierce girl appears out of nowhere to intervene. She chases off three grown men, sparing Cal a brutal beating before disappearing into the night like a spirit. He can’t stop thinking about his mysterious rescuer, and when she turns out to be the weird new girl at school who goes out of her way to avoid him, he can’t contain his curiosity.

He’s never met anyone like her before, and the more he learns about the unusual girl who shares his nickname, the more he wants to know. Cal can’t help falling for Cal, but can he keep her from falling victim to a dangerous enemy from her parent’s tragic past?


My Review: Well this was nothing like what I expected it to be. For some reason I thought there would be Greek mythology in this book because of the title and I kept waiting for some sort of twist about Cali being Athena but that didn't happen. I'm not saying that not having the mythology was bad in fact I actually really enjoyed this book but it just wasn't what I was expecting.

So I loved the idea of Cali living out in the middle of nowhere completely cut off from other people and technology because it was interesting to see how she reacted to the little things in life that everyone takes for granted. It made me realize how lucky everyone is and it was also hilarious when the other characters had to explain to her what some things were. At one point Crystal tells Cali that she's a dancer and Cali thinks that she's a ballet dancer when she's actually an exotic dancer and then Crystal talks to her about protection. So funny!

It was also nice to read about a heroine that could take care of herself and her power to see and manipulate people's feelings was pretty cool. In fact Cali was a pretty great character when she wasn't trying to avoid Cal but I'll get to that later. She wasn't afraid to stand up for herself and she didn't immediately fall for Cal.

Now the thing that really bothered me was basically the first half of the book when Cali was avoiding Cal and when Cal was trying to talk to Cali. I just got so frustrated because Cali didn't even know Cal and she just wrote him off as some idiot and decides that he's not worth her time. A little judgmental? I think so. Cal basically seeks Cali out and offers her rides places when it's clear that Cali is not interested in him. 

When they do start hanging out both of them want to kiss each other but neither of them will because Cal doesn't want to scare her off and Cali isn't really sure of her feelings. It made me want to bang my head against the wall and scream at Cal to just kiss her already. After that happens Cal says that he doesn't want to push her farther than she wants to go and I'm like oh my goodness just do it already! So much frustration.

But after that everything was a lot better. There's this crazy madman that I wish had played more of a part in the beginning of the book. He kidnaps Cali but other than that nothing really happens besides her finding out why she can see people's emotions. The madman kind of reminded me of the Rabid from Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes for some reason.

The only other thing that bothered me was that it switched from Cali's point of view to Cal's point of view in a paragraph. One sentence I'd be reading from Cali's point of view and then the next it would be from Cal's and I would get so confused because they had the same names.

The romance was really cute though. Cali and Cal were adorable when they finally admitted that they loved each other. I actually really enjoyed this book and am hoping that there's another book about Layla and Micheal.

*I received this book from the author. Thank you!

Stacking The Shelves #7

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:

 Walking in the Shadows by

Won:

Witch World by Christopher Pike

You all have no idea how excited I am for Witch World and I was so excited to get it in the mail! I'm also excited to start Broken and Walking in the Shadows. I have so much to read and I just keep getting more. Looks like I won't have to go to the bookstore anytime soon!