#FridayReads (June 21, 2013)

Hi Guys,
Today is my second #FridayReads post, and it's going to be super short. If you don't know what #FridayReads is, check out my first #FridayReads post and it'll explain it all to you. So here is the book I'm planning on reading this weekend:

Hush, Hush Book Review

Hi Guys,
Today I'm going to be reviewing a book that was released several years ago. It's been read and reviewed by everyone and their mother, and I just read it a few days ago, Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick. The hype around this book had me worried that it wouldn't live up to my expectations, but it was better than I thought it would be. Here's the synopsis from Goodreads:

A SACRED OATH
A FALLEN ANGEL
A FORBIDDEN LOVE
Romance was not part of Nora Grey's plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how hard her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch comes along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Patch draws Nora to him against her better judgment.
But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is and seems to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.
For she is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost Nora her life.

 My first impression of this book was that it would be amazing, I first bought it back in 2009, and I'd never read an angel book. The cover looked amazing though, and I thought that it would be just as amazing. I've had it on my shelf since the day I bought it, and I also bought Crescendo and Silence, the second and third books in the series,. when they came out. I let three of my friends read this book before I even thought about reading it, and their reactions were all the same: "OH MY GOD!!! You have to read this book NOW!", but I never really felt the urge to pick it up. Then I finally decided to pick it up, and I couldn't put it down. It was amazing, I loved the story line, the suspense, the sarcastic humor, and the romantic tension between Patch and Nora. I really was amazed at how much I loved this book, the only thing I didn't really like was that it was a little slow in the first couple chapters, but other than that, it was very fast-paced and action-packed. I give this book 4/5 stars, and I can't wait to read Crescendo. If you guys haven't read this novel, which you probably have, PICK IT UP! It's worth your time, and you will have a new book to add to your favorite books shelf. Check out the blog tomorrow for my second #FridayReads post, and I'll see you guys then.

June (2013) Book Haul

Hi Guys,
Today I'm going to be doing my June, 2013 Book Haul. I've got ARCs, Galleys, and Books I bought myself. So, let's jump right into it with the ARCs.

I received one ARC, but it was like two, because it was a flip ARC. On one side it was Project Cain and on the other side it was Cain's Blood, and they are both by Geoffrey Girard.

 I then received several Galleys of books. I received Charm & Strange by Stephanie Kuehn, Extremities by David Lubar, The Island by Jen Minkman, Quarantine: The Saints by Lex Thomas, and False Sight by Dan Krokos.

I also bought five books for myself which include: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, The Book of Celtic Verse which was put together by John Matthews, Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales by The Brothers Grimm, The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken, and The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe by Edgar Allan Poe.

So that's all I've got for this book haul, let me know in the comments what books you've recently received. I'll see you guys tomorrow with a review of Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick.

Carrier of the Mark Book Review

Hi Guys,
Today I'll be reviewing Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon which is the first book in the Carrier Trilogy. This was originally a story posted on InkPop that was published by HarperTeen. This was several years ago, and ever since I heard about it, I was excited to read the novel. The idea of this book seemed amazing, and IT'S BASED IN IRELAND! Needless to say, I couldn't wait to get my hands on this novel. Here's the synopsis from Goodreads:

Their love was meant to be.
When Megan Rosenberg moves to Ireland, everything in her life seems to fall into place. After growing up in America, she's surprised to find herself feeling at home in her new school. She connects with a group of friends, and she is instantly drawn to darkly handsome Adam DeRÍs.
But Megan is about to discover that her feelings for Adam are tied to a fate that was sealed long ago—and that the passion and power that brought them together could be their ultimate destruction.

My first impression of this book was that it would amazing. First of all, it was chosen from tons of stories by HarperTeen to be published from InkPop. It also sounds very ominous from the synopsis, it's based in Ireland, and the cover is pretty cool. I'm just going to go ahead and give you guys my rating so I can get my pros and cons out of the way. I give this novel 1/5 stars, and honestly I think this is being generous. I hate giving this book such a low rating because I really wanted to love this book, but I couldn't possibly give it anything higher than a 1/5 stars. Here are the pros:

Pros

• Ireland... 'nuff said
• The folk lore and general idea for the paranormal in the book is very original
• Rian and Aine
• Fionn
•  Randall the crow
• Caitlin (Megan's friend)

Yep, that seems about right. That's everything I could think of, I don't think I liked anything else. Now, on to the cons:

Cons 

• Megan
• Adam
• Megan and Adam's Relationship
• The awkward tension throughout the book
• The similarities to Twilight (not really going to go into this one but for a better look at what I mean check out the Cuddlebuggery Book Blog)
• The plethora of info-dumps

These cons were all major parts of the story, taking 3 stars away from it. The pros are pretty self-explanatory, but the cons aren't really that easily explained. If you don't like the main character (Megan) in a story, you won't like the story that much. You REALLY won't like the story if you can't stand the main character or even their love interest (Adam). This is how I felt throughout the majority of the book, I could stand them when they weren't together, but barely. When they're together, however, I couldn't stand either of them. Especially with horribly awkward scenes such as this one:

""Megan," Caitlin called from the direction of the bonfire.
I looked away from him (Adam) reluctantly. "Over here." A little embarrassed by my intense feelings, I pulled my hand away, but Adam held it to his lips, letting his tongue lightly caress my palm. My eyes closed in pleasure. "

Um... GROSS! I don't know of any couple, fictional or not, that do that. Oh, I forgot to mention that these two were on their "first date" and hadn't really talked to each other before. I just can't see how anyone would justify MAKING OUT with someone's HAND!!! There were several other awkward parts throughout the book, they just made me cringe... more than when I read a Dexter book. Lastly, the info-dumping... it was the only way that info about the world and mythology was given to the reader. A ton of information would be given to me, and I didn't understand that much of it the first time reading it. Even as I read it for the fifth time, I could only understand about half of the information given. It's like I went into a reading coma while reading these parts, and I couldn't understand any of it. From what I could grasp of the elemental mythology with the 5th, was that it was like Captain Planet... but I'm not sure. If I had to tell you whether or not to read it, I would say not to read it, it's a waste of your time. For recommendations, I would have to say if you really, REALLY, want to read it, I would recommend it for fans of Ireland, horrible romance, The Last Airbender, Captain Planet, gross love scenes, and corny love stories. That's the best I can do guys. I really hate that I hate this book because I really wanted to love it, but no such luck. I am, however, going to be reading the next book Shadow of the Mark. I want to see if the author can turn some of my cons into pros, and the idea is neat enough that I want to know what happens next. If it gets better, I will let you guys know whether it's worth getting through this book to read the next one. I hope it's amazing, but if it's anything like the first one, I'm going to be disappointed.

Check out the blog tomorrow for my In My Mailbox post, I have quite a few books to show you guys.

#MorningAfter (June 17, 2013)

Hi Guys, 

As you guys know, my last blog post was a #FridayReads post. I listed three books that I would be reading/trying to finish this weekend: Legend by Marie Lu, The Island (novella) by Jen Minkman, and False Memory by Dan Krokos. On Mondays, I will do a blog post, #MorningAfter, in which I'm going to share with you the books from #FridayReads that I finished. I don't know if there are any other hash-tags like this, if there are, I apologize, I couldn't find any. To my knowledge this is a very original idea. If you guys want to take part, all you have to do is post on social media sites: "#MorningAfter" and the books you finished. This would be a very neat thing to get started, I would love to see the books everyone completed over the weekend. Anyway, on to the books that I completed this weekend:

The first book I finished this weekend was Legend by Marie Lu. I LOVED this book, it was so original and well thought-out. I loved the characters, the plot, the setting, just EVERYTHING about this book. Well, not everything... the last couple pages were just sort of "bleh" for me, but it doesn't take away from the whole novel. If you want to see my full thoughts on this novel, and what my rating of it is, you will have to stay posted on the blog, my review is coming soon.

The next thing I read was a novella entitled: The Island by Jen Minkman.  This was an okay read for me, I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it. The characters were okay, I thought that the relationship between Walt and Leia was put together way too quickly, which I understand it's a novella, but I just didn't buy it. The plot was good for the most part, I loved the Children of the Corn/Lord of the Flies vibe I got from it, but the Star-Wars concept wasn't something I liked. The whole story was just sort of weird to me, which isn't always a bad thing, I just couldn't connect because I don't know that much about Star-Wars, and this was a major part of the book. If you like Star-Wars and dystopian novels, check this book out, if not... I think it's a decent read, but I don't think it will be your favorite. Enter The Island at your own risk. I give this novella 2/5 stars.

 The last book I read this weekend was False Memory by Dan Krokos. I read about 128 pages into the novel, but I've yet to finish it. So far I'm really enjoying it, even more so now that there is an extra sci-fi element added into the mix of action. I love the fast-paced plot, and also the characters and plot are great too. I'm looking forward to finishing this novel this week. 

Well, these are the books I finished/started this past weekend. Again, let me know what you read, by using the hash-tag on a social media site, I would love to see it. I hope you guys enjoyed this post, and I'll see you again tomorrow with a book review of Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon, I can't wait to get that review off my chest.

#FridayReads (June 14, 2013)

Hi Guys,
Today I've decided to make a blog post about something that's been going on for a while now. I've decided to take part in #FridayReads, where I tell you guys the books I'm planning on reading over the weekend. #FridayReads was created by @thebookmaven, and has grown immensely since that first tweet. All it requires of you is to tweet "#FridayReads" and the books you are planning on reading over the weekend. This twitter sensation has since been brought to the BookTube community by Bunny Cates, and I've also seen several blog posts about them, so I've decided to join the party. The books seen above are the books I'm planning on reading over the weekend. So, I'll jump right into them.

Legend

By: Marie Lu

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic’s wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic’s highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country’s most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.
From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths—until the day June’s brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family’s survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias’s death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

I've started this book recently, and I'm loving it. I'm about half-way into it, and I now understand why it's so hyped up. I'm very confident that I'll finish this novel over the weekend.

The Island

By: Jen Minkman

 ‘I walk toward the sea. The endless surface of the water extends to the horizon, whichever way I look.
Our world is small. We are on our own, and we only have ourselves to depend on. We rely on the Force deep within us, as taught to us by our forefathers.
If I were to walk westward from here, I would come across a barrier – the Wall. Behind it, there are Fools. At least, that’s what everyone says.
I have never seen one.’
Leia lives on the Island, a world in which children leave their parents to take care of themselves when they are ten years old. Across this Island runs a wall that no one has ever crossed. The Fools living behind it are not amenable to reason – they believe in illusions. That’s what The Book says, the only thing left to the Eastern Islanders by their ancestors.
But when a strange man washes ashore and Leia meets a Fool face to face, her life will never be the same. Is what she and her friends believe about the Island really true?
Or is everyone in their world, in fact, a Fool?

This is a novella that I received from NetGalley, and it's only 105 pages, so it shouldn't take me long. It sounds amazing, in my opinion, and I can't wait to read it. I'm very confident that I'll finish this novella over the weekend, and most likely in one sitting. 

False Memory

By: Dan Krokos 

 Miranda wakes up alone on a park bench with no memory. In her panic, she releases a mysterious energy that incites pure terror in everyone around her. Except Peter, a boy who isn’t at all surprised by Miranda’s shocking ability.
Left with no choice but to trust this stranger, Miranda discovers she was trained to be a weapon and is part of an elite force of genetically-altered teens who possess flawless combat skills and powers strong enough to destroy a city. But adjusting to her old life isn’t easy—especially with Noah, the boyfriend she can’t remember loving.
Then Miranda uncovers a dark truth that sets her team on the run. Suddenly her past doesn’t seem to matter... when there may not be a future.

This novel sounds really good, and I've decided to read it because I received a galley of the second book in the trilogy, False Sight. I'm excited to read it, it sounds really good. I think I'll get pretty far in this novel over the weekend, but I'm not sure that I'll finish it.

Well, this it what I'm planning on reading this weekend. I loved making this post, it gives you guys a sneak peek on what reviews are to come. Let me know what you guys thought of the post in the comments, and I'll post again next week with another book review, or two, a book haul/in my mailbox, and, if you guys liked it, another #FridayReads.

Extremities: Stories of Death, Murder, and Revenge (Galley) Book Review

Hi Guys,
I hope you are enjoying your Summer vacation, I know I am. So far I've finished 3 books over this summer vacation, which started Friday for me. On my last post I explained that I was on an amazing book streak. Well, that's not the case anymore, and you guys will see in my next review just which book I didn't enjoy so much. Although, the book I'll be reviewing today is one that I very much enjoyed. Extremities: Stories of Death, Murder, and Revenge by David Lubar is a collection of short-stories that revolve around... well... death, murder, and revenge. I've never really reviewed a short-story compilation, so this is new for me. I will list the title of each story, and under it, I'll explain how I felt about it, and give each story a rating between 1 and 5 stars. Here's the synopsis of the overall collection from Goodreads:

Master of the macabre David Lubar turns his attention to dark and twisted tales for teens with Extremities: Stories of Death, Murder, and Revenge
A group of high school girls takes revenge on their sadistic gym teacher in the most fitting way possible. Two stowaways find themselves on a ship for the dead. An ancient predator stalks the wrong victim. Here are thirteen tales of death, murder, and revenge from the fertile and febrile imagination of master storyteller David Lubar—his first story collection for the teen audience.

My first impression of this book was that it would be decent. I'm not a real fan of the cover, and you guys know how I can't help but judge a book by it's cover. Although, the overall idea of it sounded really neat. I love reading short stories, especially about dark, morbid, and creepy things. This compilation didn't disappoint, either. Let's jump right into the stories!

"Running Out of Air" 

I really enjoyed this story, I'm not a fan of revenge stories, because I end up feeling bad for the original "bad guy". This, however, was a story that I felt could be straight from the local news. Teens always have quarrels with their gym teachers, and this coach went a little too far. I loved that it was quite realistic, and it, of course, made me feel bad for all parties. I give this story 3/5 stars.

"Split Decision"

OH MY GOD, I LOVED THIS STORY! This is definitely one of my favorites from the entire collection. I thought that it was a really neat idea, and I enjoyed reading it. I loved that it was short and to the point, which didn't allow it to drag out in some parts. I also loved the idea of the story, and also the way things tied up at the end. I'm still a little unsure why he chose to run away because of his step-mom's pregnancy, but it's fine, because that part didn't need to be explained for me to understand the story. I give this story 5/5 stars.
 

"Apparent Motives"

This was a good story. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it... quite frankly, I forgot what it was about, and I just had to skim over it again. Uh-Oh. I did actually think it was a good story, though. It was a lot to take in at first, but once I finally understood exactly what was happening, Lubar through a twist ending that was heart-breaking to say the least. I give the story 3/5 stars. 
 

"Feelings"

 This story seemed to last FOREVER for me. I don't know if it's because the three before it were so short, or because this one was just boring, but I was stuck on this one for a bit. I did like it though, I liked the first couple pages, then it got boring, then I enjoyed it again, then it got boring...again, and it did this up until the end where I was captivated and couldn't turn the page fast enough. This was the first story to feature a paranormal element, and so far I liked the "everyday life" stories better. I  give this one 2/5 stars.

"Every Drop"

This story was very interesting, I was captivated from start to finish, and I loved the idea behind it. It started off like one of the "everyday life" stories, but quickly changed, and I really enjoyed it. I thought the ending was appropriate, and it was an overall enjoyable story about revenge. I give this one 4/5 stars.
 

"Patterns of Fear"

THIS STORY!!! OH MY GOD! IT WAS AMAZING! I loved everything about it, it was perfect in my eyes. I wanted to read an entire novel about this story, it was THAT good. I'm telling you guys, "Patterns of Fear" and "Split Decision" are tied for first right now. There's nothing else I can say, I don't feel like I could come anywhere close to giving it justice. I give this story, as if it wasn't obvious already, 5/5 stars.
 

"Free Seas"

This story was probably my least favorite of the entire collection. It wasn't long enough to let a story develop, in my opinion. It also wasn't that great, or original, of a story. One reason I know I didn't like it as much was because it had to follow "Patterns of Fear", and this was definitely a "NO-CONTEST" situation. I give this story 1/5 stars. 

 "Blood Magic"

Uh, can you say creepy? I really enjoyed this story for the first half, and then when someone started bleeding, then it was just creepy. It did have tons of action, and intrigue. I did love learning about this certain someone, but I was so weirded out about it, that I couldn't really enjoy it. I give this story 3/5 stars.

"A Cart Full of Junk"

  This story was really interesting, it sort of reminded me of "Split Decision" because of it's foreshadowing, and the outcome. I really enjoyed this story and I couldn't see anything wrong with this one either. I give this story 5/5 stars.
 

"Morph"

 This was another long story, but I actually thoroughly enjoyed this one. It was very original, and entertaining. I loved the characters, the plot, the creatures, and the story all together. I give this story 5/5 stars.
 

"Whoodoo"

This story was very short, but very enjoyable. I loved this story, coming from a broken family, I could empathize with what the main character felt about his parents' upcoming divorce, and wanting them to fall in love again. But this story had an added twist that made this story awesome. I give this story 4/5 stars.
 

"The Ex Box"

This was a generally good story. It wasn't creepy, it wasn't scary, but it was interesting. I loved reading about these characters, and even though I thought that one of the characters was a certain supernatural being, I put that thought aside thinking that that would be too mainstream/obvious. But then Lubar shocked me by doing the most obvious thing, which I really liked. I give this story 3/5 stars.
 

"Evil Twin"

 This story was another very original story. I want to read a novel all about this story... it is so good, and leaves you with a question. "Was she the good twin, or the evil twin? I loved the idea so much. I give this story 5/5 stars.

This compilation was amazing! I really liked it, I give it 4/5 stars overall. I not only loved the stories, I also loved the illustrations that went along with each story. I can't wait for it to release on July 23rd, so you guys can read it. It's so amazing, I NEED SOMEONE TO TALK TO ABOUT THE STORIES! I can definitely see myself re-reading these stories. You guys definitely need to buy this book ASAP, and read them, and if you are like me, re-read them.

Gone Book Review

Hi Guys,
For this week's review I will pick back up with the Dream Catcher Trilogy. This is going to be a review of the third and final book of the trilogy, Gone by Lisa McMann. Before the review I would like to let you guys know that I have a feeling this summer will be full of awesome reviews. Some of the reviews to come, so far, are: Light by Michael Grant, Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick, and The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey. I'm also about to finish The Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon soon, and I just started Legend by Marie Lu and I love it. So, yeah, SUMMER OF EPIC REVIEWS! I can't wait. Anyway, here's the synopsis of Gone from Goodreads:

Janie thought she knew what her future held. And she thought she’d made her peace with it. But she can’t handle dragging Cabel down with her. She knows he will stay with her, despite what she sees in his dreams. He’s amazing. And she’s a train wreck. Janie sees only one way to give him the life he deserves—she has to disappear. And it’s going to kill them both.
Then a stranger enters her life--and everything unravels. The future Janie once faced now has an ominous twist, and her choices are more dire than she’d ever thought possible. She alone must decide between the lesser of two evils. And time is running out...

My first impression of this book was that it would be mediocre like the other books in this series.  The cover didn't really pop to me either, and the synopsis didn't seem to catch my attention. This book was definitely better than Wake, but nowhere close to Fade. I was expecting the conclusion of this series to hook me more than the previous two books, but that wasn't the case. It was definitely mediocre, and as for the actual ending, it was quite depressing. I mean, it was a good ending, just very depressing. I give this book 3/5 stars because I loved seeing how the characters grew, how Janie's power has transformed (and originated), and how the story ended. These things made the book good, but the lack of any sort of excitement, or pop, and the depressing nature of this novel, definitely deducted 2 stars from it. Overall if I were you, I would check this series out from the library if you're interested, I don't think it's worth buying, just because it's a very dark and depressing world that I wouldn't want to enter a second time. I hope you guys enjoyed the review, and I look forward to posting more reviews soon. The next review will most likely be on Light by Michael Grant, the conclusion to this epic series. I can't wait to share my thoughts! Also, check out some of the previous reviews if you haven't already, I know the first couple reviews are a little rough, but I believe they get better as I went along. Also, please share this blog with your reading friends, it would be great to see this blog grow, and have more opportunities for other awesome blog things.