Book Review (ARC): The Cahill Witch Chronicles #1: Born Wicked

Hey Readers,

A book review for you! Enjoy~

Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood

Everybody knows Cate Cahill and her sisters are eccentric. Too pretty, too reclusive, and far too educated for their own good. But the truth is even worse: they're witches. And if their secret is discovered by the priests of the Brotherhood, it would mean an asylum, a prison ship—or an early grave.

Before her mother died, Cate promised to protect her sisters. But with only six months left to choose between marriage and the Sisterhood, she might not be able to keep her word...especially after she finds her mother's diary, uncovering a secret that could spell her family's destruction. Desperate to find alternatives to their fate, Cate starts scouring banned books and questioning rebellious new friends, all while juggling tea parties, shocking marriage proposals, and a forbidden romance with the completely unsuitable Finn Belastra.

If what her mother wrote is true, the Cahill girls aren't safe. Not from the Brotherhood, the Sisterhood—not even from each other.



I don't quite remember why I signed up for this tour. I think it might've been because someone related it to Cassandra Clare, saying fans of her books would love it. I am definitely a fan of her books, so I fell for it! (Also, that cover is gorgeoussss!)

To be honest, this doesn't make me think of Cassandra Clare at all, unless the time period reminds you of The Infernal Devices? xD

Cate is the eldest girl in her family. She's been taking care of her sisters, 12 year-old Tess and 15 year-old Maura, since their mother died a couple years back. This might sound relatively normal...until you thrown in the fact that all three sisters are witches. (But I'm pretty sure you guys know this already!) Cate watches her sisters likes a hawk to make sure they don't use their magic in front of anyone. Because if they get caught--they're finished! Sentenced to death by the creepy Brotherhood who rules the town, or sent to an asylum, either way their life is o-v-e-r.

Poor Maura and Tess just want to have fun, but Cate needs to protect her sisters. This gets even more complicated when their father hires a governess to take care of them. Plus, Cate needs to make a decision about getting married or joining the Sisterhood by her upcoming birthday.

Also, add in a love triangle, because, come on, you knew that was coming. :P We've got Paul, the regular childhood friend she could live happily with (if marrying him didn't involve moving away from her sisters!) and then Finn, the gardener, whose family owns a bookshop in town.

And then throw in some secrets that kind of change everything.

Cate kind of annoyed me, to be quite honest. I definitely understand the fact that she needed to protect her sisters. (Hell, I would probably do the same.) I also understand why she was so torn up about Finn and Paul, because it really was an important decision that didn't affect just Cate, but her sisters as well. She's a really responsible sister, and that's awesome. But something about her just irritated me, which wasn't helped by the fact that this story was written in first person. Maura was a brat as well, and most of the time I just wanted to slap her explain to her why she needed to listen to Cate. Tess, I liked. I feel like she's a character that has some secrets of her own, and I'm interested to see how she develops later in the trilogy. (Of course, it's a trilogy.)

Sadly, most of this book was kind of...bland. A lot of it dragged on, and I think quite a few things could've been left out. A lot of it was Cate mentally debating with herself and deciding on everything she does. Maybe it's because it's not a modern book? I do find it harder to get interested in historical books, even though this is kind of an alternate history. To me, it seemed like nothing big happened until the end, and then it ended on a cliffhanger (of course!).

The writing style sort of flip-flopped between old-fashioned and modern. Maybe it was just me who thought that, but it seemed a little off.

Overall, this book kept me fairly interested, but I wish it could've been shorter. Cate is a respectable character, if a little annoying. And this book is the first in a trilogy (I am interested enough in the story to check out the second book, eventually), and has already been released! I'd just recommend you check it out from you library first. :P

Rating: 3/5

What are your thoughts on Born Wicked?

Hunger Games Gushfest 2012 (+ TFiOS bookplate and announcement)

Hey Readers,

Check it out! A video! A decent one, too! Watch if you like The Hunger Games, TFiOS and special announcements...


*super flattering thumbnail*

So if you heard that special announcement...I'm joining a collab channel on YouTube! Meaning my other collab mates and I will each be making videos about nerdy things on our specified day of the week. If you're interested, go subscribe here: www.youtube.com/NerdzReadBookishly

And for more info, check out our fancy-pants website: www.nerdzreadbookishly.webs.com

Let me know what you guys thought of the vid, The Hunger Games, and the adorable TFiOS bookplate! :D

Book Review (ARC): First Comes Love

Hey Readers,
Another review! BOOM. (I'll be back with a Hunger Games post soon!)

First Comes Love by Katie Kacvinsky

Like his name, Gray is dark and stormy. Dylan, a girl always searching for what's next, seemingly unable to settle down, is the exact opposite: full of light and life. On the outside, they seem like an unlikely couple. But looks can be deceiving and besides, opposites attract.   
What starts as friendship, turns into admiration, respect and caring, until finally these two lone souls find they are truly in love with each other.

But staying in love is not as easy as falling in love. If Dylan and Gray want their love to last, they're going to have to work at it. And learn that sometimes love means having to say you're sorry.

I decided to sign up for this ARC tour, because I ADORED Katie's first book, Awaken (review here!) It was a gorgeous dystopian that I had such a great time reading, so I definitely wanted to read anything else she wrote. Not to mention, I was initially drawn in by this cover. You'd think two people almost kissing would be weird, but somehow, with the coloring, it looks very striking.

First Comes Love is a very interesting book. First of all, it's a contemporary novel, not a dystopian, so it's very different from Awaken. This is a book that goes by "firsts" in Dylan and Gray's relationship. First meet, first fight, first kiss, etc. I really liked that idea, that it shows two people's relationship, and how things develop between them.

It's told in alternating points of view, so we get both Dylan and Gray's thoughts on each issue. To be honest, I didn't care that much about either of them, but I enjoyed reading about Gray more. I don't know what it was about Dylan, but she just irritated me. She's one of those free-spirited people who want to travel all over the world, and don't want to be tied down. So it irked me that she seemed like she didn't plan to stay with Gray after she left (she was visiting his town for the summer). If that makes sense.

Dylan is also a very random girl, but I liked that part. She came up with outlandish things to do everyday and asked all of these random questions--the type of questions I like to think of. (I can't remember any of them, though. I'm sorry!) Gray is very weirded out by her, when he meets her, though, so I really liked seeing how he grew to admire her. She helped him work through a lot of (spoilery!) problems that he was dealing with.

The writing, as with Awaken, was very simple, but gorgeously honest. There were so many sentences that I wanted to write down, and hang up on my wall, lol! Katie Kacvinsky has a way with words, and she knows it!

This book is quite short though, so it's pretty easy to breeze through. Maybe it was because I read it fairly quickly, or because I was sick with a cold while reading, but I actually forgot what happens in the end. xD I do remember, though, that it was a good ending! For once! xD

Overall, this book is a nice contemporary that gives you a realistic view of one couple's relationship and how it develops. The characters (and I guess, the content) is a bit older than your average Young Adult novel, so I would maybe suggest it for older teenagers. :)

Rating: 4/5

First Comes Love is released this May. :)

Book Review (ARC): Welcome, Caller, This Is Chloe

Hey Readers,

Ignore the fact that I am an infrequent blogger, and let's get to the review I've got today! :)

Welcome, Caller, This Is Chloe by Shelley Coriell

Chloe Camden has a big heart and an even bigger collection of vintage shoes. Life is good…until her best friend turns the entire school against her and her counselor axes her junior independent study project. Forced to take on a meaningful project in order to pass her Junior year, Chloe joins her school’s struggling radio station, where the other students don’t always appreciate her unique style. Ostracized by her former BFs and struggling with her beloved Grams’s mental deterioration, lonely Chloe ends up hosting a call-in show that gets the station much-needed publicity and, in the end, trouble. She also befriends radio techie and loner Duncan Moore, a quiet soul with a romantic heart. On and off the air, Chloe tackles love, loneliness, and painful life lessons as she gives her big heart to the radio station and the misfits who call it home.

So, that cover! It's very...bold. And eye-catching, which I assume is what the publisher was going for.  The author's name is really tiny, though, and I think the title is a little hard to see. But it is cute, I guess. It screams "cute, fluffy YA novel", which I wasn't exactly wanting after finishing--okay, you guessed it--The Fault in Our Stars.

Ah, yes, this book also suffers from doomed-to-pale-in-comparison-to-TFiOS-itis. It was the second book I read after TFiOS, and I wasn't looking forward to it. I mean, I didn't want to read a light, girly book about a bubbly girl with a generic, bubbly girl name like Chloe Camden, who calls her best friends BFs, loves shoes and thinks she's queen of the universe. There's nothing wrong with any of that at all (I mean, I freaking love shoes, but maybe not as much as Chloe), it's just that I wasn't in the mood to read about it. So you can see why I might've been hesitant to read it....

This book is jam-packed with STORY. Sounds odd, yes, because, well, of course there's a story! What I mean is that there are so many subplots that it makes for a lot of...story. (I am so eloquent with words.) There's an issue with her JISP, which is a Junior Independent (something) Project thing that is worth a huge percentage of her grade. There's the issue with her BFs who all of the sudden become total jerks and decide she's not worth talking to anymore because of one night where she just happened to be having a good time, and didn't want to go home early with her friends. She's also having family problems, and romantic problems, too. PLUS, you know, this radio show thing, which is actually what she's using for her JISP thing.

So. That's a lot. Some serious issues are trying to be plugged into this book, but it didn't feel all that...believable? to me. I don't know. It just felt really forced, and preachy. It seemed to be trying way too hard to be a YA book, which may have been because of the shove-the-point-down-your-throat writing style.

Back to my "believable" issues with the book: her best friends were just awful to begin with, so I didn't really care that they weren't friends anymore. I was really kind of glad for Chloe, because they just seemed like jerks! I mean, we did get flashbacks to when they used to have sleepovers and cook together, blahblahblah. But somehow, those seemed out of character, from what I'd learned about her friends. I just had no sympathy for them at all, especially because their reason for ditching Chloe wasn't even fair to Chloe. :/

Secondly, her grandmother seemed like she was 25 years-old. If I hadn't known any better (and had her name not been "Grams"), I would've assumed she WAS 25. I never pictured her as an old lady, so that made it hard to understand her character.

Then, there's the boy Chloe likes from the radio station, whose mother has some...issues-that-I-don't-want-to-spoil-for-you. I mean, it's not that any of these issues aren't serious problems, it just seemed out of place and forced into this book, to try to make it a serious YA book than the cute YA book it is.

Also, I must note that I saw nothing wrong with Chloe, so I don't see why everyone hated on her. She was a nice person, who had no reason to change herself, or have any character growth. I mean, she was a little in-your-face confident and optimistic, but that's not a bad thing, right? At the end of the book, she even talks about how she grew up/changed a lot, but I didn't think so at all. She was still pretty much the same person.

That said, it's not like I hated this book. I was taking it a little more seriously than it needed to be taken (because TFiOS was such a serious book, with deep meanings and metaphors all over the place), so it just irritated me. It's a fun, light YA novel, with a cute story and cute romance that I didn't mind reading. It could totally be turned into an ABC Family TV movie, too.

I hope my review didn't scare you guys away (and make the author hate me, lol), though. I think it's just because my taste in books has really moved over to the serious, meaningful side, rather than the cute girly books that you don't remember anything about a week after you've read it.

If you want something fun to read and think radio shows are interesting, give this book a shot! Maybe you'll be in the right mood for it.

Rating: 3.5/5

According to GoodReads, this book is out May 1st. Let me know what you all think!

*ARC courtesy of Around The World ARC Tours, as per usual.

 

Cover Reveal: Luminosity

Hey Readers,

Check it out, guys! We have another cover reveal up today. This is for an upcoming Sci-Fi/Dystopian entitled Luminosity.

Wanna know what it's about? Take a look:


LUMINOSITY (The Raven Chronicles, #1) by Stephanie Thomas


"My name is Beatrice. When I was born, I was blessed with the Sight. I was
immediately removed from my parents and enrolled in the Institution. At
the age of twelve, I had my first true vision, earning my raven’s wings.
And when I turned seventeen, one of my visions came true. Things haven’t
been the same since.

The Institution depends on me to keep the City safe from our enemy, the
Dreamcatchers, but I’m finding it harder to do while keeping a secret from
everyone, including my best friend Gabe. It is a secret that could put us
all in danger. A secret that could kill me and everyone close to me.

But the enemy has been coming to me in my dreams, and I think I’m falling
in love with him. He says they’re coming. He says they’re angry. And I
think I’ve already helped them win."

Oh boy! Doesn't that sound intense? I'm very intrigued!!

Now for the cover, ladies and gentlemen. Drumroll pleeeeeeeeeease!

Hello blue! This cover definitely seems to match the mood of the book, from what I've read of the summary. And once again, the tagline steals the show: "Seeing the future isn't enough to save it..."

If you are interested by now, Luminosity will be released September 11, 2012. But you can pre-order the paperback NOW on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Luminosity-Stephanie-Thomas/dp/1620611279/ref=lh_ni_t

Or add to your Goodreads shelf to remind you later! :) http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13425149-luminosity

All right, guys, that's it! I'll be back soon with a review :)

Cover Reveal: Inbetween

Hey Readers,


Today is exciting! Guess why? First official COVER REVEAL! Yes, I am happy to reveal the cover to an upcoming YA Paranormal Romance, Inbetween by Tara Fuller.

INBETWEEN (Kissed by Death, #1) by Tara Fuller

Since the car crash that took her father’s life three years ago, Emma’s life has been a freaky—and unending—lesson in caution. Surviving "accidents” has taken priority over being a normal seventeen-year-old, so Emma spends her days taking pictures of life instead of living it. Falling in love with a boy was never part of the plan. Falling for a reaper who makes her chest ache and her head spin? Not an option.

It’s not easy being dead, especially for a reaper in love with a girl fate has put on his list not once, but twice. Finn’s fellow reapers give him hell about spending time with Emma, but Finn couldn't let her die before, and he’s not about to let her die now. He will protect the girl he loves from the evil he accidentally unleashed, even if it means sacrificing the only thing he has left…his soul.

Doesn't that sound fabulous? I'm really excited to read it--I love the idea of a grim reaper falling in love! :O

Now, what you've been wanting to see.... Here's the cover for INBETWEEN:

Ta-da!!! Super pretty cover! I adore the tagline ("Death doesn't fall in love. Usually.") and the little "Kissed by Death" series logo there at the bottom. I also like how the title goes down the side!

So, by now, I'm sure, you're wondering just when does this book come out and where can I buy it?? Inbetween is released August 7th, 2012. But you can preorder from Amazon.com RIGHT NOW: http://www.amazon.com/Inbetween-Tara-Fuller/dp/1620610833/ref=lh_ni_t

In the meantime, if you have a GoodReads, add it to your TBR shelf: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13055677-inbetween

That's all folks! Hope you enjoyed this cover reveal and are excited for this book now. :D

'Til next time!

Book Review (ARC): Struck by Jennifer Bosworth

Hey Readers,

I've been lazy busy lately, but here's a review for another tour book! :D

Struck by Jennifer Bosworth

LA has been devastated by a massive earthquake and the city is full of chaos and shattered lives. Mia Price has a connection to the storm that caused the earthquake but doesn’t know why – who should she turn to for answers? The religious Followers prophesise the end of the world and claim to have the answers that Mia is seeking. The mysterious and beautiful Jeremy warns her away from them but he’s hiding a more sinister truth. In the end, Mia is to discover that she is part of a power much larger than she could ever have imagined. When the final disaster strikes, she must unleash the full horror of her strength to save them all.

I was interested in this book, mainly because of the cover. Combine that with a quick skim of the summary, it reminded me of this video game my brother has called Infamous. Similar end of the the world, lightning powers type idea. (Although, now that I think of it, in this novel, Mia doesn't really have any lightning-shooting-out-of-hands-whenever-she-wants-it-to powers, like the guy in Infamous.) To be honest, I wasn't a fan of Infamous when my brother played it, so I don't know why that made me want to read this book. (My brother says the sequel was better, if that means anything to you.) (Does anyone know what game I'm talking about?)

Now...review time...

First, a thing: whenever I read tour books, I only have them for one week, tops. And then I procrastinate until I need to review them. Because of this, I find it extremely helpful to take notes after I finished the book, while it's still fresh in my mind, so when it comes time to review it, I know what to talk about.

I speed-read the ending of this book, so I could read The Fault in Our Stars (so many of my books are affected by this book lately!), so needless to say...

..I didn't take notes on this one!

But I do remember enough to review it, so let's get to that.

So you know when someone you don't necessarily know or like is talking to you and you just sort of nod your head in polite interest? That was me with this book. There were some moments where I was like, "Oooh, this is actually getting kind of good!" But then it sort of fizzled back out again. I think it was just me, and the fact that I wasn't actually interested in the book all that much to begin with. Plus, as Bloggers[Heart]Books pointed out today, liking a book or hating it depends quite a bit on the timing, if you're in the right mood to read it, etc.

Tis book is about Mia, who, I guess as a hobby, likes to get struck by lightning occasionally. It may burn all her hair away, or, you know, kill her, but she's a big fan of it. This hobby and the red, vain-y looking lightning scars that cover Mia's body are sort of presented as this random side story. At least to me, it felt that way. It was sort of like, "LA got leveled by an earthquake, etc, etc, and also I like to get struck by lightning in my spare time." It has a bit more meaning in the story later on, though.

So, anyway, Mia lives in this post-apocalyptic world, after an insane earthquake has leveled Los Angeles (and lots of other awful things happened to the rest of the US), leaving many people homeless or dead. Mia is pretty lucky that she still has a house and that no one in her three-person family was killed. But her mom has been left a little worse for wear. She's been depressed/out of it, since she was injured during the earthquake, and it's up to Mia to take care of herself, her mother and her little brother, while trying to survive. (This situation is a bit reminiscent of The Hunger Games.)

There are also these two separate groups of people who think Mia is the key to saving the world: The Followers, and the Seekers. They Seekers hate the Followers and vice versa, and they are fighting for Mia to join them and not the other.

Well, Mia doesn't like either of them, and for good reason: they're both totally creepy! (I wasn't being sarcastic--they are both really weird!) The Followers more so, because they follow this religious cult leader guy, who is practically TAKING OVER THE MINDS of everyone who watches his creepy show, The Hour of Light. (That may not be the actual title, but it was something like that, at least.)

Basically, the Prophet is this creepy (sorry, I know I'm using "creepy" too much, but it is seriously the only adjective for this dude) guy who thinks that God is the reason all this crap is happening to the world and that the God told him that the world will end in three days, and if people want to LIVE, they should join him, um, pretty quickly. Most people thought he was a total quack--until he predicted the killer earthquake would happen, right down to the minute. You can see why people might start to believe him about this world-ending-in-three-days thing!

Kind of off-topic: I was surprised by the religious element in this book. Maybe if I'd actually read the summary, I wouldn't have been but It's not an element that is often included in Young Adult novels, because people can be easily offended by it, etc. In this book, it's pretty heavy, but that's thanks to the creepy Prophet, so it's not all...real? Bad way to describe it, but yeah. I thought it was interesting!

Sadly, I thought Mia was fairly annoying, and that was partly why I wasn't a fan of this book. She got repetitive and I just didn't like her or relate with her. I mean, she likes to get struck by LIGHTNING OKAY.

Oh, I forgot about Jeremy! Haha. That's because he's so forgettable... Okay, I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. This book was a very interesting romance, because it wasn't an insta-love. They met, he was weird, she wasn't too sure that he wasn't crazy. Their relationship built up before they had any sort of feelings for each other and that was great. Jeremy himself wasn't all that interesting to me though and the things he brought to the plot were confusing. He's a "mysterious" character, but I found his background story obvious and predictable.
Okay, wrapping up this review now, because this is getting way too long for a book I don't even have much to say about: The writing was all right, pretty plain. The design on the inside was really cool, because the chapter headers had these awesome thin lightning strikes on them. (I love when there are cool designs on the insides of books!) The ending was pretty crazy, but satisfying, and there were a lot of somewhat interesting parts in the story, but I just wasn't as into at it as I could've been.

Overall, Struck was an interesting and original debut, but it wasn't for me. Next time a book reminds me of a video game I don't really like, I'll try to take that as I sign that I won't really like it!

Rating: 3.5
Struck is released on May 8th.

Book Review (ARC): Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

Hey Readers,

Here's a review on a book I actually read BEFORE The Fault in Our Stars. ;D

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

Up until senior year, Greg has maintained total social invisibility. He only has one friend, Earl, and together they spend their time—when not playing video games and avoiding Earl’s terrifying brothers— making movies, their own versions of Coppola and Herzog cult classics. Greg would be the first one to tell you his movies are f*@$ing terrible, but he and Earl don’t make them for other people. Until Rachel.


Rachel has leukemia, and Greg’s mom gets the genius idea that Greg should befriend her. Against his better judgment and despite his extreme awkwardness, he does. When Rachel decides to stop treatment, Greg and Earl make her a movie, and Greg must abandon invisibility and make a stand. 


It’s a hilarious, outrageous, and truthful look at death and high school by a prodigiously talented debut author.


I was obviously drawn to this book because of the title. I mean...come on. Aren't you curious?? I read the synopsis and it sounded like it would be really good. Also...that cover. SO COOL.

Now for the actual review part....

I kind of accidentally read this book in barely a day. I don't really know how that happened but it did. I mentioned this on Twitter and the awesome Jesse Andrews (author) had this to say about that:

LOL!!

Obviously that is a lie, but it was really funny. xD

Anyway, since it seems like I'll never stop talking about The Fault in Our Stars, let me just say that when I read this, I was definitely like, "This is the complete opposite of what TFiOS is going to be." Because this book isn't all that serious, and Greg doesn't learn some philosophical lesson about life and what it means to live, etc. Not that there is anything wrong with a philosophical lesson about life or anything, it's just not what this book is. It's not a "cancer book". And that's okay. 

.
In fact, you may be surprised to find that this book is actually RIDICULOUSLY HILARIOUS. I only read it a couple days into the new year, but it is clearly going to be the funniest book of 2012. I must have giggled at least one sentence on EVERY page. Rarely do I laugh while reading a book as I did when I read this one. First of all, we have the chapter titles, which are always silly and true. Then, of course, we have Greg who is just awkwardly funny all the time. The idea is that he is the person who is writing this book so he often reminds you how much this book sucks, and how he would be surprised that you're even still reading.

But there are still some serious moments. I did tear up at one point. With a "dying girl" in the book, you just KNOW that there are going to be some tough parts.

Writing-wise, this book is EVERYWHEREEE. We have some scenes written in screenplay format, bullet points (my favorite chapters was chapter 22, which was written in bullet points), and of course, your standard writing, made extremely humorous by Greg. (The writing reads like how Greg would talk, and it's perfect.) We also have a lot of back story that is told, but it doesn't get annoying or boring, especially when Greg pokes fun at the fact that he has to write so much back story. It actually makes you really feel like you know and understand all the characters and their situations and it was kind of flawless in that aspect. It was all completely honest and realistic that I felt like I had just read about someone's entire life, in a non-boring-memoir type way.

Speaking of characters--I adore them all. They are all wacky and weird and random, but somehow totally believable and likable. Greg's mom was the best. Everything she says is totally mom-like and somehow hilarious. <3

One of the things I didn't particularly care for in this book...It is EXTREMELY PROFANE. Crude jokes and language on almost every page. (This became awkward when my Dad looked through it before I read it, hahaa.) Normally, I would find this annoying enough to stop reading the book, but something made me keep reading until the very end. Definitely ages 14 and UP. (Related note: this book is going to be banned. A lot. I just know it.)

The very end was a little confusing and unexpected, with Greg's choices and stuff, and it almost left me a bit unsatisfied. But the last lines really made up for it, because they were awesome. Still, you'll be confused that it's already over. ;)

So, overall, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl was one of the most profane, odd, hilarious, and ridiculously entertaining books I think I've ever read. I think I can count this as one of my favorites, and I will definitely read anything else that the brilliant Jesse Andrews writes, but I don't think it's for everyone....

Rating: 5/5

This book is released in March. I recommend it! Although, here's a helpful tip: be wary of reading in a public place. People will definitely look at you funny when you're laughing your butt off at a book!

 

Book Review (ARC): Article 5 by Kristen Simmons

Hey Readers,

Sorry, I've been MIA for a bit. I guess you could say I was still recovering from TFiOS, haha :D Anyway, review time~!

Article 5 by Kristen Simmons

New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., have been abandoned.

The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.

There are no more police—instead, there are soldiers. There are no more fines for bad behavior—instead, there are arrests, trials, and maybe worse. People who get arrested usually don’t come back.


Seventeen-year-old Ember Miller is old enough to remember that things weren’t always this way. Living with her rebellious single mother, it’s hard for her to forget that people weren’t always arrested for reading the wrong books or staying out after dark. It’s hard to forget that life in the United States used to be different.


Ember has perfected the art of keeping a low profile. She knows how to get the things she needs, like food stamps and hand-me-down clothes, and how to pass the random home inspections by the military. Her life is as close to peaceful as circumstances allow.


That is, until her mother is arrested for noncompliance with Article 5 of the Moral Statutes. And one of the arresting officers is none other than Chase Jennings…the only boy Ember has ever loved.



This was my train of thought upon seeing this book pop up on the tour site....First: "The cover is really cool, totally a dystopian. I like dystopians." Second, "I like the 'Compliance is mandatory' thing, that sounds pretty awesome..." Third, "Interesting synopsis! The 'only boy she ever loved' sounds a little cheesy, since she's only a teenager, but hey! Cool idea with the arrested-by-him thing! I wanna read this!"

Okay, those weren't my exact thoughts, but you get the idea. See how easy it is to make me want to read something? The book trailer helped as well, but I can't find a link to that anymore, and am starting to wonder if I imagined it, LOL.

The only problem was that this was the first book I read after The Fault in Our Stars. You know how after you read the most FREAKING INCREDIBLE BOOK that anything you read after it, no matter how good, will just pale in comparison? Yeah, it sort of happened with this book. How does one switch from an unbelievably amazing contemporary to a debut dystopian? It'll never go well!

Okay, so full disclosure: I was half-asleep while reading the first few chapters of this book. Not in a oh-this-book-is-so-boring way, but in a reading-before-bed-even-though-I'm-actually-too-tired-to-read-anything way. So, it is highly possible that I missed a bit of important information here and there. That said, I still felt like this book was lacking a little bit of info. Maybe I just didn't understand it (also possible), but I needed to know more about this world and more about why it was the way it was. Everything seemed somewhat regular: Ember goes to school, has friends, etc. But there are a lot of things she's not allowed to have, like books (noooo!), etc. There are apparently a lot of new rules: you have to be married to have children, stuff like that.

So, I guess it's your basic government-controlled dystopian world, now that I think about it. But, as with Legend, I wish I had learned more about everything.

Now, I don't want to spoil much, but I feel like I should tell you more about what happens. Basically, the aforementioned and brand-new must-be-married-to-have-kids rule (an Article 5--you can see where the title came from!) popped up to haunt Ember's mother, and she was arrested. Since Ember is a minor, and her mother is presumably going off to jail, Ember gets hauled off to a rehab center/reformatory from hell. Her plan is to break out and rescue her mother.

This is the first 90 pages. It was all right up until that point, but it finally got more interesting when "the only boy she ever loved", Chase, steps in, and here is where I stop with the spoilers. But basically, this is an on-the-run-from-the-government dystopian.


Something made me dislike this book a bit, and I think it was Ember. She seemed like a bland, helpless, Bella-ish protagonist to me. Or maybe it was the explain-it-to-you-even-though-it's-obvious and bland writing that did it for me. Since this was written in first person, I guess it was a mix of both. One good thing is that we had a few flashbacks to when Chase and Ember were together, so you get to see how they were in love, etc. (Though they seemed out of character!)

Our guy, Chase, seemed to be the typical YA love interest we've got going on lately. Tortured, hates himself, and barely talks to the girl, but is super protective of her. He was all right, though, and his attitude finally made sense at the end, so I could at least understand what his deal was. There were a lot of very good scenes between the two as well, which made up for his jerkishness sometimes.

Overall, this is a fun dystopian debut with a lot of interesting scenes, and a bit of a cliffhanger. The characters can be annoying, but that's pretty easy to forget about, and there were a lot of interesting subplots around the main plot. This book, of course, is the first in a trilogy and I'm looking forward to the sequel. I think the story, writing and world-building will improve in the next book, so we'll see where it goes!

Rating: 4/5

Article 5 releases on January 31st! So soon! If you're interested, you can read the first chapter here: http://www.tor.com/stories/2012/01/article-5-excerpt


 

The Fault in Our Stars

Hey Readers,
So.

You know what came out on Tuesday?

You know what I got via UPS on Wednesday?

You know what I read Wednesday night and all day yesterday?

You know what made me cry for hours?

You know what the best book by John Green and possibly ANYONE is?

You know what book you should read IMMEDIATELY?

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.

Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning author John Green’s most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love.

This book is beautiful. I encourage you to read it.

P.S. I know--I took so many pictures of this book. IT'S JUST SO PRETTY THOUGH

P.P.S. While John Green actually signed THE ENTIRE FIRST PRINT RUN of this book, my copy was one of the accidentally unsigned ones, thanks to Books-A-Million. Yeah. So there is no J-scribble to show off. But still! This book, guys!!!

Book Review (ARC): Legend by Marie Lu

Hey Readers,

Here's a review on a book you *might* have heard of...

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.

Full of nonstop action, suspense, and romance, this novel is sure to move readers as much as it thrills.


This has been popping up on all the blogs lately, and it seems like the newest YA dystopian that everyone's talking about. I wasn't one of the people who were extremely excited about, but I thought the idea sounded pretty cool--Rich, smart girl who's practically a cop is out to get poor, smart villain who apparently killed her brother. That probably sounds pretty regular to you, but pour in some romance between the two and color me intrigued!! So that + great reviews + yay dystopians! = tour sign-up.

So this book isn't your typical YA dystopian, actually. By typical, I mean that there's always a teenage girl--probably 17-ish--who defies/is on the run from a scary, controlling government who is probably out to control the world or whatever. This one has the bonus of a dual point of view--from Day, and then June--who are both only 15 (this seems so young to me--even though I'm the same age as them). There is still your usual scary government (called the Republic), but there seems to be this war going on, between the Republic and the "Colonies". Also, we have the Patriots. I think the Patriots might have been working for the Colonies, but I'm not entirely sure. Maybe it was my fault and I skipped over some important info, but I missed that. There wasn't a whole lot of background info on the history of this world.

An example: There is this trial that everyone in their world has to take. Simply called the Trial, and you take it when you're ten years-old. I would've liked to know a lot more about that, why they actually take it, etc. All we really know about it is that if you fail--like our male protagonist, Day--you get sent to some camp. Only one person has ever aced the Trial--our female protagonist, June. (You go, June!)

Anyway, like I briefly mentioned before, this is told with alternating points of views, Day and then June. The font and text color is even changed for each, so it's very easy to tell them apart, and you don't have to deal with that pesky problem of trying to remember whose chapter you're reading! Also, we have that fun/sometimes irritating thing where we have all this information on June's side of the book that Day doesn't have and vice versa. It's kind of fun!

I preferred reading through June more. I just liked her circumstances more, was more curious about the Republic and her side of things about her brother, and it was generally more interesting to me. Plus, at times, I just really didn't care for Day all that much. He was all right and there are spots where I should've felt some sympathy or empathy for him, but I didn't really. He was just a character to me. (Well, obviously, but you know what I mean?)

Now the side characters: Metias (well...before he dies) was pretty cool and I really liked him. This was good, because otherwise I wouldn't have cared much when he did die, and so I felt sad along with June, even though I knew it was coming. We also have Tess, who is Day's friend. She was really sweet and I'm curious as to what she'll be like in the next book in the, what I assume to be, trilogy. All the other characters were either evil to some degree, or not important. Although we also have Thomas, who is a kind of friend/acquaintance with June and her brother (before he dies). To be honest, I predicted his whole story by page 91 (out of 301), which was kind of sad because there was supposed to be at least SOME mystery.

Other things to note: I know it doesn't actually mention it in the summary, but other reviews had talked about it, so I was pretty excited to read the romance in this book. Obviously it isn't strictly a romance, but I kind of wish there had been more of. Don't go in expecting too much! And also, this book is kind of slow. It says "non-stop action" but that's pretty much a lie. Even so, I was genuinely interested in the story the whole time.

So overall, Legend is a pretty interesting novel. It's written quite plainly and there is a lack of world-building (and some romance, haha), but this is a trilogy. It's definitely going to develop more in the next two books, and I bet it will get a lot better. As for now, I liked it enough to check out the sequel, but it's not quite memorable yet.


Rating: 4/5

Legend is out now (you can find it at Wal-Mart and Target even!). Check it out if you like smart, interesting dystopians.

Book Review (ARC): Bewitching by Alex Flinn

Hey Readers,

Book review time! A slightly bad review... (I'm sorry!)

The Kendra Chronicles #1: Bewitching by Alex Flinn

Bewitching can be a beast. . . .

Once, I put a curse on a beastly and arrogant high school boy. That one turned out all right. Others didn’t.

 I go to a new school now—one where no one knows that I should have graduated long ago. I’m not still here because I’m stupid; I just don’t age.
You see, I’m immortal. And I pretty much know everything after hundreds of years—except for when to take my powers and butt out.

I want to help, but things just go awry in ways I could never predict. Like when I tried to free some children from a gingerbread house and ended up being hanged. After I came back from the dead (immortal, remember?), I tried to play matchmaker for a French prince and ended up banished from France forever. And that little mermaid I found in the Titanic lifeboat? I don’t even want to think about it.

Now a girl named Emma needs me. I probably shouldn’t get involved, but her gorgeous stepsister is conniving to the core. I think I have just the thing to fix that girl—and it isn’t an enchanted pumpkin. Although you never know what will happen when I start . . . bewitching.

Yes, here we have another fairy-tale retelling from Alex Flinn, author of Beastly (Beauty and the Beast) and A Kiss In Time (Sleeping Beauty). I hadn't heard of this book until it popped up on the tour site, but I was pleasantly surprised and signed up for it right away. You know, since fairy-tale retellings are my addiction, and because this book is about the witch who curses Kyle in Beastly (which is why the tagline is the awesome: BEASTLY was just one of her curses). The summary makes it sound like this is sort of a collection of random things that Kendra has done in her witch-y life, so I was pretty excited to check it out. (Also, that cover is really pretty. There. I said it.)

But to be honest... I wasn't too big a fan of this book.

I've only read her books Beastly (well, actually this was a free audiobook) and A Kiss In Time. They were all right. They were cute and predictable. I liked A Kiss In Time more (probably because I didn't like the narrator for Beastly, and that didn't help), but the ending was really weird and silly. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that I wasn't exactly expecting anything spectacular from Bewitching. (Gosh, I sound horrible.)

This book starts out with a fun little prologue thing, and then Kendra's first ever...um, situation? hundreds of years ago. She accidently got herself into a Hansel and Gretel-type problem. That didn't end well. This was an all right story, but I felt like if it were split into chapters, I would've liked it more. Is that weird and stupid? Probably. But the whole thing is, like, 30 pages, and I was waiting for a break to put in a bookmark and put the book down.

Next, we get thrown into this Cinderella-type story. Except, as the summary kind of says, this is the story about the stepsister. Who is not evil. (Yeah, bit of a twist.) This is told through Emma's point of view (and broken up into chapters!) and this is what brought down the book for me...

I just didn't like this story. I couldn't stand Emma. She just irritated the crap out of me. (Maybe because of her complete lack of confidence. She was all worried that her new stepsister would find out that she *gasp* read the same book twice in only one week! ...I'm sorry, I know she was only thirteen at that point and all, but...give me a break. >.<) Kendra was sort of this random friend in the background who occasionally showed up. I couldn't help but think that if this book was supposed to be about Kendra, then why am I reading about this girl? I would much rather read about Kendra.

But besides the first story, this book is basically fairy-tale retellings told through someone else's point of view, like her other books. With our side-character Kendra splashed in to mess everything up help out the poor character and fix everything. Because this wasn't what I was expecting, I didn't exactly like it. Most of the book is Emma's whole story (which ended... unrealistically), but there are two breaks in between it for the Little Mermaid/Titanic story (I liked this one a lot, so the book won back some points for me) and a Princess And The Pea/France story.

Besides the great Little Mermaid story, one other thing I liked about this book was the occasional mentions of Kyle from Beastly. It was pretty fun to read about him, and what Kendra thought of him.

But overall, Bewitching just wasn't enough for me, and it wasn't what I was expecting. But sometimes there are characters in a book that you feel like slapping can't help but roll your eyes at, and stories you just don't like...that was Emma's Cinderella story for me. If you're a fan of fairy-tale retellings and Alex Flinn, I think you should still check it out. But it just wasn't for me. :/

Rating: 3/5

Bewitching will be released on February 14. (Note: You don't have to read any of Alex's other books to understand this one! But it would be more fun to read Beastly first...)

This review is pretty bad. Don't judge me, guys.

Wrapping Up 2011 Readathon Results!

Hey Readers,

This is going to be a very short post. A quick wrap up of the Wrapping Up 2011 Readathon I participated in!

If you check out my first post on the subject, you'll see that I planned to read...five books! And guess what...?! :)

I only read two. Well, technically...one and two-thirds. xD

The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour: This was a tour book that I was a third of the way through by the time I started the Readathon. I realize I should have gotten the page numbers to add together at the end of the Readathon, but alas...I didn't think about it. Anyway, this book was cool. Check out my review from the other day, if you missed it, HERE.

Legend by Marie Lu: Okay, technically I finished this one on the first of January...but we're gonna pretend like I didn't! I do have the page numbers for this one though. 301 (from the ARC). It was a pretty interesting book--expect my review soon!





And that's it guys. Pretty pitiful, right? Ah well. I'll do better on the next Readathon! See you all again soon :D

2011 End of Year Book Survey!

Hy Readers,
THE LAST DAY OF 2011! Is today. I should be scrambling to finish reading things for the Readathon, but here I am.

I feel like EVERYONE is posting "Best of 2011" posts on their blogs, so I wanted to at least do ONE. Luckily, I remembered the Best of 2010 survey I did last year!

So, this is what I've decided to do this year again! But this year, I'm not going to do the blogging part, just the books part. This was started at The Perpetual Page-turner, so go check it out! :D

Here we go!

1. Best Book You Read in 2011?
IMPOSSIBLE QUESTION. But I have narrowed it down to:

Divergent by Veronica Roth
Shatter Me by Taherah Mafi
Sweetly by Jackson Pearce
Don't Stop Now by Julie Halpern

2. Most Disappointing Book/Book You Wish You Loved More Than You Did?
Ehhh....The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler. I think I said it well enough in my review, but this book just wasn't what I wanted it to be. I can live without owning it for a long while. Also, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. I DID like that book, but still...

3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2011?
Hmm....I think it was Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky! I almost didn't want to read it, and didn't expect it to be much, but then I did and WOW. I just adored it. Definitely didn't expect to like it so much!

4. Book you recommended to people most in 2011?
Divergent. Shatter Me. Books by Jackson Pearce and Meg Cabot. The Mortal Instruments series!

5. Best series you discovered in 2011?
Speaking of The Mortal Instruments...! It was definitely that. Lovelovelove.

6. Favorite new authors you discovered in 2011?
Cassandra Clare, Julie Halpern, Stephanie Perkins.

7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you?
Hmm...I think I'll say Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor. Rented from the library. It was very high fantasy and...well, actually it wasn't really anything in particular. It was it's own thing, and not something I'd usually read!

8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2011?
Oh dear, this is going to make so many parts of this list, but...Shatter Me by Taherah Mafi. DAMN, guys. Could not even entertain the idea of putting that one down. Freaking awesome.

9. Book you most anticipated in 2011?
City of Fallen Angels! Also, Sweetly by Jackson Pearce. <3

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2011?
It's a tie between Anna and Mara Dyer:

11. Most memorable character in 2011?
I think Lola from Lola and The Boy Next Door takes the cake on this one. ;)
12. Most beautifully written book read in 2011?

Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver. Perhaps it's not beautiful in the definition you're thinking of, but it's beautiful all the same.
13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2011?
Possibly Between by Jessica Warman, or Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky.

14. Book you can't believe you waited UNTIL 2011 to finally read?
Anna and The French Kiss! Also, the Maximum Ride series. Super fun, should've read it sooner!

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2011?
"It's easy to talk about things we hate, but sometimes it's hard to explain exactly why we like something." --Lola and The Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

16. Book That You Read In 2011 That Would Be Most Likely To Reread In 2012?
There are way too many...I'll probably read a good chunk of them! :D

17. Book That Had A Scene In It That Had You Reeling And Dying To Talk To Somebody About It? (a WTF moment, an epic revelation, a steamy kiss, etc. etc.) Be careful of spoilers!

Um, everything in Clockwork Prince? ;D Also, Shatter Me, yet again! And City Of Fallen Angels, while I'm at it!


Sooooo it looks like that's it, guys! I'll be back tomorrow with a wrap up of my Readathon, and then there will be some more posts next year as well. ;D

Hope you had a wonderful 2011--and have an even better 2012!

Book Review: The Disenchantments (ARC) by Nina LaCour

Hey Readers,

I'm back already! I just finished the first book in my TBR list for the Readathon, and I decided to write the review right now, while it's still fresh in my mind.

The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour

Colby and Bev have a long-standing pact: graduate, hit the road with Bev's band, and then spend the year wandering around Europe. But moments after the tour kicks off, Bev makes a shocking announcement: she's abandoning their plans - and Colby - to start college in the fall.

But the show must go on and The Disenchantments weave through the Pacific Northwest, playing in small towns and dingy venues, while roadie- Colby struggles to deal with Bev's already-growing distance and the most important question of all: what's next?

Morris Award—finalist Nina LaCour draws together the beauty and influences of music and art to brilliantly capture a group of friends on the brink of the rest of their lives.

Once again, this is an ARC provided by Around The World ARC Tours. I decided to sign up for this tour because of three reasons. One, I'd been hearing some pretty great things about this book. Two, that cover is so pretty. And, three, I thought the summary was a bit reminiscent of Don't Stop Now by Julie Halpern, which I, of course, adored.

But to be honest, this book was a bit of a letdown from what I've heard. First off, because I feel like you readers might need to be informed, Colby is a guy. I already knew this, previous to reading it, so that wasn't what threw me off. I have heard that most people were very surprised by this as the cover is obviously very girly, Colby can be a girl's name, and the summary doesn't say otherwise. So I thought I'd let you know that, before we get to the rest of the review.


And now, let's talk about the story for a sec. Colby's traveling with his three friends, who are in a--crappy, which I found funny--band called The Disenchantments. Bev, his best friend he's been in love with for practically forever, then Meg and Alexa, two adopted sisters Bev and Colby became friends with when they joined the band. Their plan is to tour the Northwest for a week,  playing a show a night, then ending the week by dropping Meg off at college. After that, Bev and Colby are off to Europe, to travel instead of heading to college. This plan has been set for ages...except that on the first day of their tour, Bev informs them that she'll be going to college, and that the plans for traveling after the tour are canceled. Nice friend, right?


Yeah, it was annoying. Our protagonist, Colby, was pissed about the whole situation, as one might imagine. With those plans canceled, he has no idea what to do, but he still can't help but be in love with Bev, and I never really got why. I didn't even like her at all, not even at the end, really. She never seems to be very nice to anybody, especially not Colby, and we were never told why she canceled the plans until the end of the book. It wasn't that great of an explanation either. In fact, I kind of wanted to slap her. I didn't really feel any empathy or sympathy for her, and so that brought down a lot of the book for me, as a big part of it was about her.


But other than Bev, there were a lot of other fun characters that they randomly met during their tour, not to mention Colby, Meg and Alexa themselves. Colby is a pretty normal guy, an artist and kind of philosophical. It was kind of interesting to read through a male's point of view, for the first time in a while. Meg and Alexa were pretty cool girls, and they were pretty different, but I have to say that I often got them mixed up, though it never really mattered. The other people they met were so random, yet so believably real, no matter how silly they seemed. I liked this tattoo artist, Jasper, a lot, and also this one guy at their first show who helped Colby decide what kind of beer he should drink (because that part was just so ridiculously hilarious).

As you might've guessed, this book has quite of bit of music talk in it, mostly about girl bands like The Runaways and Heart. There's also a bit of history with Colby's dad and uncle who were in a band as well, which influences the story as well. I mention this, so that I can say that I'd recommend this to some retro music fans.


This may seem odd, but this book reminded me a lot of Paper Towns, rather than Don't Stop Now. The male main character, in love with this strange, sad girl, the clever and philosophical writing style, and the funny side characters. I think if you really loved that book, you'll probably enjoy this book at least a little.

But overall, I felt pretty disconnected from this book, but I have to say, I did like it. The ending was satisfying, though not what I would've predicted. Even so, I feel like I could've not read this book and my life wouldn't be any different.

Rating: 3.5/5

Thanks for reading! I'm off to start my next book for the Readathon. Be back soon!