Starry Sky Books

Early Review: The Selection by Kiera Cass (ARC)

2012-02-29T07:26:00.000-08:00

The Selection by Kiera Cass
Publisher: Harper Teen
Release date: April 24, 2012
Source: Publisher for an honest review
Series: The Selection #1
Purchase: Book Depository

For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in the palace and compete for the heart of the gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself- and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

First of all what drew me to this book is pretty much the same as what has drawn everyone initially. That cover, oh my. That is one of the most eye-catching covers I have ever seen. If I had no idea about this book before being published and only found it afterwards sitting on a bookshelf in the bookstore, I'd probably buy it without even looking at the inside flap. That's how stunning the cover is. We all know that saying don't judge a book by its cover, but come on. We all do it. And seriously, the cover is the first thing we see about a book, that first initial draw. It helps when it looks this good.

America was an interesting character. She was strong and definitely opinionated when it came to Prince Maxon and their two different worlds. I enjoyed the other girls in The Selection as well, for the most part. Some seemed really sweet, though most were just barely mentioned in passing, and usually only when they were sent home. I had a problem with that at first, but after giving it thought I decided it works that way, since I don't want a big chunk of the book to be information on all 35 girls. That would've definitely taken away from the story. I would have liked to have seen more of Maxon's mother and father, especially the mother since she was also chosen from The Selection. I'm guessing based off something said in the book though that we'll be seeing more of her in the sequel. I have to say that Kiera Cass made it really easy to choose which side of this love triangle I'm on. I get the reasons behind the way one of the guys acted, but once I saw how the other one was, I knew who I was rooting for.

The story itself was very enjoyable. I ate this book up. I would have liked more worldbuilding though. More information about the world in general, but also more about Illea specifically. Like how the castes came about. How was it decided who would be in which caste? And how did Maxon's family end up ruling? Something was mentioned about that, but didn't go in depth at all.

The Selection doesn't quite end on a cliffhanger, but it ends in such a way that is frustrating but at the same time makes you really wish you had the sequel in your hands so you could continue right away. I will definitely be reading the next in this trilogy when it becomes available, and buying The Selection as soon as it is released for my personal library.

Early Review: Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris (ARC)

2012-02-28T08:14:00.001-08:00

Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Release date: April 24, 2012
Source: Publisher for an honest review
Purchase: Book Depository

Two days before her junior year, Janelle Tenner is hit by a pickup truck and killed —as in blinding light, her life flashing before her, then nothing. Except the next thing she knows, she's opening her eyes to find Ben Michaels, a loner from her high school whom Janelle has never talked to, leaning over her. And though it isn’t possible, she knows with every fiber of her being that Ben has brought her back to life.

But her revival, and Ben’s possible role in it, is only the first of the puzzles that Janelle must solve. While snooping in her FBI agent father’s files for clues about her accident, she uncovers a clock that seems to be counting down to something — but to what? And when someone close to Janelle is killed, she can no longer deny what’s right in front of her: Everything that’s happened—the accident, the countdown clock, Ben’s sudden appearance in her life—points to the end of life as she knows it. As the clock ticks down, she realizes that if she wants to put a stop to the end of the world, she needs to uncover Ben’s secrets—and keep from falling...

This is one of the most awesome books I've ever read. And it's huge, with so many things going on all the time throughout the story that there was never a point that dragged for me. As you'll know if you've read the summary, Janelle dies and is brought back to life. What I didn't expect was for it to happen right off the bat, but it did.

Janelle is also one of the most kick-ass characters I've ever met. Her dad is an FBI agent, so she knows more than an average girl her age would know about things going on with the FBI, and also how to protect herself. Eli gives her crap every time they meet, but Janelle just rolls with the punches and deals them right back with ease. I'd love to be like her. Her dad's partner, Struz, was awesome as well. Kind of like an older brother to her, it was apparent that he was part of the family.

There are so many twists and turns in this story that I have to say I never saw what was coming. When it was revealed what the countdown was to, I initially was disappointed because I wanted the book to continue in the way it had, as an FBI action thriller. As I kept reading though the real cause for the countdown grew on me, and ended up making the story more awesome than it would've been had it gone the way I wanted it to.

All in all, if Goodreads had the option it would definitely get 6 starts out of 5. These characters felt so real, that when certain stuff went down with people she knew, I choked up. I felt connected to these people, and definitely cared about what happened to them. This is probably the best debut I've ever read and I seriously cannot wait to read more by Elizabeth Norris.

Review: Vanish by Sophie Jordan

2012-02-27T01:16:00.000-08:00

Vanish by Sophie Jordan
Publisher: Harper Teen
Release date: September 6, 2011
Source: Publisher via NetGalley / Purchased
Series: Firelight #2
Purchase: Book Depository

An impossible romance.
Bitter rivalries.
Deadly choices.

To save the life of the boy she loves, Jacinda did the unthinkable: She betrayed the most closely-guarded secret of her kind. Now she must return to the protection of her pride knowing she might never see Will again—and worse, that because his mind has been shaded, Will’s memories of that fateful night and why she had to flee are gone.

Back home, Jacinda is greeted with hostility and must work to prove her loyalty for both her sake and her family’s. Among the few who will even talk to her are Cassian, the pride’s heir apparent who has always wanted her, and her sister, Tamra, who has been forever changed by a twist of fate. Jacinda knows that she should forget Will and move on—that if he managed to remember and keep his promise to find her, it would only endanger them both. Yet she clings to the hope that someday they will be together again. When the chance arrives to follow her heart, will she risk everything for love?

There are some bombs dropped in Vanish, making this even more thrilling than Firelight. Story-wise this was very good, with Tamra finally manifesting and finding her inner draki. Though I did think it was a little too convenient that she happened to be one of the most rare draki that was especially needed in their pride since Nidia won't be around forever to fulfill her duty.

Cassian rocked in Vanish as well, which makes me only wish even more that Jacinda would choose him. Will proved to me that I don't want Jacinda ending up with him based off some of his actions. I applauded her ability to choose one of the boys in Firelight, but in Vanish we're served that indecision crap I was so happy to not have to deal with. Oh well. I was happy though that the setting for Vanish to place back among the pride. I felt like we didn't get see enough of the people that Jacinda and Tamra left behind in Firelight. Provided a different atmosphere for the story, which I much preferred. Felt more like a fantasy book than a run of the mill paranormal book set in a cityscape.

While some questions were answered, we have even more that were introduced and not answered. Like what really happened to their father? And seriously, who are the Enkros? What do they want with the draki? Well we'll definitely find out since Jacinda was stupid enough to pull something selfish and get somebody else caught by the Enkros. Book three, Hidden, is I assume going to be focused on the rescue mission that is hatched at the end of Vanish. I'm definitely looking forward to finally finding out everything.

Cover Reveal: Luminosity by Stephanie Thomas

2012-02-27T01:15:00.000-08:00

LUMINOSITY (Luminosity, #1) by Stephanie Thomas (November 2012)

Entangled Publishing

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.

Paperback Available for Pre-Order from Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Luminosity-Stephanie-Thomas/dp/1620611279/ref=lh_ni_t

Add to your Goodreads TBR:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13425149-luminosity

In My Mailbox {45}

2012-02-26T09:33:00.001-08:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, showcasing what you received in the mail, bought, or borrowed from friends or the library for that week. So here's what I got this week! All links lead you to Goodreads.

So I discovered something pretty awesome this week. I live in Pullman in Washington, and another town, Moscow in Idaho, is only 7 miles away so I usually go over there once a week for the store called Hastings. That's where I buy the majority of my books. There was an independent bookstore too, but it didn't have the selection I liked so I rarely shopped there. Well it was bought by new owners a few months ago, and they renovated it and reopened on the 22nd. I went the very next day and BAM! Very nice and while they were still getting books out on their shelves I could already tell that they are going to have a FANTASTIC young adult selection. I was in book heaven.

Of course, I bought some books while I was there. Here's my haul for the last two weeks. First, for review.

for review

The Fame Game by Lauren Conrad

This is actually my first unsolicited review copy, I was kind of excited about it!

bought

The Merlin Effect (The Adventures of Kate #3) by T.A. Barron

The Ancient One (The Adventures of Kate #2) by T.A. Barron

Graceling (The Seven Kingdoms #1) & Fire (The Seven Kingdoms #2) By Kristen Cashore

I've actually already read both of these, but I wanted to have them for when I get Bitterblue and reread them!

The Fine Art of Truth or Dare by Melissa Jensen

Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle by The Countess of Carnarvon

The Orchid House by Lucinda Riley

Warriors of the Black Shroud by Peter Howe

The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg

That is what I got throughout two weeks, what did you guys get? Let me know!

Review: Firelight by Sophie Jordan

2012-02-25T05:33:00.000-08:00

Firelight by Sophie Jordan
Publisher: Harper Teen
Release date: September 7, 2010
Source: Purchased
Series: Firelight #1
Purchase: Book Depository

A hidden truth.
Mortal enemies.
Doomed love.

Marked as special at an early age, Jacinda knows her every move is watched. But she longs for freedom to make her own choices. When she breaks the most sacred tenet among her kind, she nearly pays with her life. Until a beautiful stranger saves her. A stranger who was sent to hunt those like her. For Jacinda is a draki—a descendant of dragons whose greatest defense is her secret ability to shift into human form.

Forced to flee into the mortal world with her family, Jacinda struggles to adapt to her new surroundings. The only bright light is Will. Gorgeous, elusive Will who stirs her inner draki to life. Although she is irresistibly drawn to him, Jacinda knows Will's dark secret: He and his family are hunters. She should avoid him at all costs. But her inner draki is slowly slipping away—if it dies she will be left as a human forever. She'll do anything to prevent that. Even if it means getting closer to her most dangerous enemy.

Mythical powers and breathtaking romance ignite in this story of a girl who defies all expectations and whose love crosses an ancient divide.

When I was younger I was fascinated with the idea of dragons. I mean they'd be one of the most awesome things you could possibly catch a ride on. For some reason though, I bypassed this for nearly a year every time I went to the bookstore. Then I decided to take the plunge because honestly, at least it wasn't vampires.

I felt bad for Jacinda, because she was essentially being punished for just being who she is when her mother uproots her and her sister Tamra to a human town, just so Tamra will feel more at home in her own skin. Basically sacrificing one daughter for the sake of the other, instead of trying to find some compromise that would suit both daughters. And let me tell you, this book might make you a little thirsty since the mother takes them to a desert, which is supposed to dry up Jacinda's draki.

And then there's the love triangle. Usually I'd be pulling for Will, but I have to say this time I'm pulling for Cassian. Her choice is made fairly obvious throughout the story. In a way that is nice since you don't have all that indecision crap that many YA heroines seem to suffer from when faced with the love triangle. And even though I am rooting for Cassian, I do like Will. He's just not my first choice for Jacinda.

With action from the first chapter and forbidden romance between hunter and prey, who would want to pass this up? I kicked myself for waiting so long to read it. We're introduced to some interesting worldbuilding and dragon mythology. A definite must read for fans of the paranormal in need of something other than vampires and werewolves.

Cover Reveal: Glass Heart (Cold Kiss #2) By Amy Garvey

2012-02-24T15:45:00.000-08:00

I don't know if anyone else has seen this around but I like this cover. Not quite as much as the cover for Cold Kiss, but I'm excited to see what it looks like in person. I'm actually surprised though that there will be a sequel for Cold Kiss. But pleased as well, since I know I had some questions that hadn't been answered at the end of book one. So I'm definitely looking forward to Glass Heart.

Glass Heart (Cold Kiss #2) by Amy Garvey

Release date: October 2012 from Harper Teen

Add it to Goodreads!

Previous covers in this series:

Early Review: The Calling by Kelley Armstrong (ARC)

2012-02-24T05:44:00.000-08:00

The Calling by Kelley Armstrong
Publisher: Harper
Release date: April 10, 2012
Source: Around the World Tours
Series: Darkness Rising #2
Purchase: Book Depository

Maya and her friends--all of whom have supernatural powers--have been kidnapped after fleeing from a forest fire they suspect was deliberately set, and after a terrifying helicopter crash they find themselves pursued by evildoers in the Vancouver Island wilderness.

The Calling was a fun read, but not quite as fun as The Gathering, since I feel like it suffered from the second bookitis. Meaning it seemed mostly like a bridge between the first and the last book. Sure they get kidnapped and crash on an island and are then chased by their kidnappers. But really most of the time Maya is wallowing in sadness about another character, fate unknown until later on in the book. And we're only left with more questions unanswered.

The characters weren't developed much further either, with Maya and Daniel the only ones who seemed to know what they were doing the entire time. Though it seemed like one or two might have been picking things up as they went. I honestly could do without Rafe. He breezed into town in The Gathering and basically played everyone, but Maya just forgives him for it basically. I'd much prefer she realize what she has with Daniel and choose him. Because Daniel is awesome. The best friend you could possibly have, and no doubt an awesome boyfriend.

The writing is as good as ever which helped to make this a fast read. The story itself was pretty good too, I just wish we'd been given a little more. But we finally get to see something happen that was expected to happen, which made me happy so we did get something. I'm definitely looking forward to the third book.

Cover Reveal: Shadow and Bone (The Grisha #1) by Leigh Bardugo

2012-02-23T21:22:00.000-08:00

I want to read this book even more after the reveal of this cover! It looks awesome. Anyone else looking forward to Shadow and Bone?

Shadow and Bone (The Grisha #1) by Leigh Bardugo

Release date: June 5, 2012 from Henry Holt & Co.

Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near-impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one unlikely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life– a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha… and the secrets of her heart.

Taking a Breather.

2012-02-14T21:32:00.000-08:00

Some of you may have noticed that my posts have been decreasing every week. I'm currently in a blogging slump. I'm getting to a point where I'm not having fun with this right now. I think I've been pressuring myself too much to do so many things, blog related and not blog related. My reading hasn't suffered thankfully though. But I've decided to take a break.

This will last 3 weeks, which will give me time to organize things and do other stuff that's been put on the back burner for a while. Hopefully by the end of the three weeks I'll be back with plenty of reviews ready to go and a fresh outlook on everything.

This break will not, however, include my participation in the March Madness Middle Grade challenge I'm co-hosting with Benji at The Non Reluctant Reader. Any posts for those will go up on the blog as needed.

Review: Fever by Lauren DeStefano

2012-02-14T08:38:00.000-08:00

Fever by Lauren DeStefano
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Release date: February 21, 2012
Source: Around the World Tours
Series: The Chemical Garden #2
Purchase: Book Depository

Running away brings Rhine and Gabriel right into a trap, in the form of a twisted carnival whose ringmistress keeps watch over a menagerie of girls. Just as Rhine uncovers what plans await her, her fortune turns again. With Gabriel at her side, Rhine travels through an environment as grim as the one she left a year ago - surroundings that mirror her own feelings of fear and hopelessness.

The two are determined to get to Manhattan, to relative safety with Rhine’s twin brother, Rowan. But the road there is long and perilous - and in a world where young women only live to age twenty and young men die at twenty-five, time is precious. Worse still, they can’t seem to elude Rhine’s father-in-law, Vaughn, who is determined to bring Rhine back to the mansion...by any means necessary.

I have to say, I vastly enjoyed Fever more compared to Wither. It just felt like things were moving more quickly, and there was more action, especially in the very beginning and at the end. And wow, that end. While the first novel was definitely dark, this one goes beyond the darkness of the first one.

There isn't anything really revealed that was astonishing or a plot twist, but the action picked up right at the beginning. Fever also starts off exactly where Wither left things. As soon as Rhine and Gabriel escape the mansion, they're almost immediately prisoners of another kind, temporarily. Despite how dismal the place was, Lauren DeStefano described it in such a way that made it seem colorful while decaying, which is an image that fits perfectly with her world.

I liked Rhine in Fever. She seemed to become more confidant despite the various circumstances they found themselves in, though near the end she seemed to do a 180, which kind of confused me. Even with her being sick around the same time as this 180, I didn't feel the sudden change was smooth. I have to say I felt bad for Gabriel. A lot happens along their way to Manhattan, but man he stuck it out and never complained. I seriously hope we see more of him in the third book.

The only thing I didn't like about Fever was the lack of information about the virus, or whatever this defect is. We still don't know how it came about, or all of what's being done to counteract it. We only know vaguely what Vaughn is doing, which we see more of definitely in Fever. I really hope this is finally explained the in the last book.

Like I said in the beginning, Fever better than Wither and kept me hooked until the end. And once I read that last page, and what is revealed there I knew there was no way I'd miss what is sure to be an explosive ending to this series. Even if you have lukewarm feelings to Wither like I did, I suggest you read Fever. It definitely changed my opinion on this series.

Review: The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong

2012-02-05T22:42:00.000-08:00

The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong
Publisher: Harper
Release date: April 12, 2011
Source: Purchased
Series: Darkness Rising #1
Purchase: Book Depository

Sixteen-year-old Maya is just an ordinary teen in an ordinary town. Sure, she doesn't know much about her background - the only thing she really has to cling to is an odd paw-print birthmark on her hip - but she never really put much thought into who her parents were or how she ended up with her adopted parents in this tiny medical-research community on Vancouver Island.

Until now.

Strange things have been happening in this claustrophobic town - from the mountain lions that have been approaching Maya to her best friend's hidden talent for "feeling" out people and situations, to the sexy new bad boy who makes Maya feel . . . . different. Combine that with a few unexplained deaths and a mystery involving Maya's biological parents and it's easy to suspect that this town might have more than its share of skeletons in its closet.

This is one of those books that sits on the shelf forever, and once you finally read it you wonder why you waited so long. I enjoyed The Gathering very much, and I'm kicking myself for waiting since I bought this shortly after it was released.

Before The Gathering I hadn't read anything by Kelley Armstrong, but I knew it had to be pretty good since she'd written quite a few novels, mostly for adults, but also her YA series. The writing flowed and all the dialogue and interactions felt real. And even humor from the main character, and humor can sometimes be hard to write. But Kelley nails it.

All of the characters felt real, even Serena, though we weren't with her for very long. I absolutely adored Maya. She's so strong, knows her own mind and has natural leadership qualities that others just follow instinctively. Probably has to do with the fact that there's something different about her. What's revealed wasn't really a surprise, but I definitely enjoyed it since it was a different take on the paranormal genre than what's out there currently. Of the two boys, my favorite was actually Daniel. Rafe was an awesome bad boy, but then he wasn't really. I'm rooting for Daniel.

The only thing that I was annoyed about with this book was the ending. It's left on a sort of cliffhanger, but there was something else too. You're reading the last chapter, though you don't yet realize it's the last. You turn the page and realize that OH, that was last page. What? Seriously?! The ending was somewhat abrupt, and with the cliffhanger definitely serves the purpose of you wanting the next book. I will definitely read on.

In My Mailbox {44}

2012-02-04T21:53:00.000-08:00

for review

A Temptation of Angels by Michelle Zink {already read and reviewed}

Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin {read, review soon}

Life as I Blow it by Sarah Colonna {pictured below}

bought

over the last couple of weeks

Article 5 by Kristen Simmons

Incarnate by Jodi Meadows {arc review}

Wings of the Wicked by Courtney Allison Moulton {read already}

Cinder by Marissa Meyer {read already}

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith {read already}

The Pregnancy Project by Gaby Rodriguez {just finished yesterday, very good}

On a Dark Wing by Jordan Dane

Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally {read and reviewed}

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen {read years ago, had to have pretty new cover!}

And that's my IMM for the last two or three weeks! What did you guys get? :)

Review: A Temptation of Angels by Michelle Zink

2012-02-02T20:00:00.000-08:00

A Temptation of Angels by Michelle Zink
Publisher: Dial Books
Release date: March 20, 2012
Source: Around the World Tours
Purchase: Book Depository

Even angels make mistakes in this page-turning epic romance...

When her parents are murdered before her eyes, sixteen-year-old Helen Cartwright finds herself launched into an underground London where a mysterious organization called the Dictata controls the balance of good and evil. Helen learns that she is one of three remaining angelic descendants charged with protecting the world's past, present, and future. Unbeknownst to her, she has been trained her whole life to accept this responsibility. Now, as she finds herself torn between the angelic brothers protecting her and the devastatingly handsome childhood friend who wants to destroy her, she must prepare to be brave, to be hunted, and above all to be strong, because temptation will be hard to resist, even for an angel.

I was really really looking forward to this book, so much so that I tried to put in a request with the publisher. That didn't work out though so I'm glad I was still able to read it through Around the World Tours. This is one of those books that for me was better borrowed than bought when it's released.

I liked the overall concept, descendants of angels protecting the Earth and everything. But I felt like I was left with more questions than answers, which seems typical of books that end up being series. There wasn't quite enough back story and worldbuilding done. And while it's fairly obvious that it's set in an older timeline, maybe late 1800s, there was one instance that had me questioning that. And things didn't really start heating up action wise until almost the very end. The writing was well done though, which is the main reason I continued with the book despite it not thrilling me. It flowed very nicely.

All in all, for me personally this wasn't one of the better entries into the angel part of the paranormal genre. I'll probably continue if this is made into a series, but I won't feel the need to read them right away.

Harper YA Imprint Reading Challenge Wrap Up!

2012-02-02T18:05:00.000-08:00

I did much better this go around than I did last time! My goal was to read 5-8 books, and I read 7. You can see which ones here.

How did everyone else do? Pretty well it seems since there were 62 reviews linked up throughout the month! Awesome job guys. To see those, go here.

As I said in the wrap up post, if you guys do your own wrap up post on how you did this month I'll do one last giveaway. So link to yours in the comments!

All Harper giveaways, and my blogoversary giveaway will go out at some point during this month.

January Wrap Up

2012-01-31T20:00:00.000-08:00

I forgot to do one of these in December, so this will also include at least December reviews.

Reviewed in December

Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer
Bloodrose by Andrea Cremer
A Touch Morbid by Leah Clifford
Dark Eden by Patrick Carman
Don't Breathe a Word by Holly Cupala
Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Reviewed in January

The Alchemy of Forever by Avery Williams
Forbidden by Syrie James & Ryan James
Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally
Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood

Read in January

Forbidden by Syrie James & Ryan James
Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood
Wings of the Wicked by Courtney Allison Moulton
Possess by Gretchen McNeil
Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally
Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris
A Temptation of Angels by Michelle Zink
Steel by Carrie Vaughn
The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong
Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin

And to those who commented on my Err suggestions post, thank you! I'm not going to sweat it if I don't get more than one review out a week. I want this to be fun, so as per suggestions made, I will not pressure myself.

The Second Harper Readathon!

2012-01-28T18:45:00.000-08:00

I was reminded today that I had this planned for tomorrow, so here it is. The readathon starts at 9am, wherever you are, and ends Monday at 9am. And you do not have to be participating in the overall reading challenge for the month to read in the readathon! The only rule is of course to read YA Harper books from their YA imprints.

I'm not using a linky for link up this time, if you decide to participate and make a post about it, just comment with link!

For me, my only goal is to read Masque of the Red Death. And if I finish that I'll move on to The Selection.

So get your books ready and get plenty of sleep! Tomorrow will be a fun reading day. :)

Drama Drama Drama.

2012-01-28T16:32:00.000-08:00

Hi! My name is Chelsey, and I am a book addict. I am also a drama addict, but only as long as it's drama in my favorite TV shows, movies, or books. There's been way too much going on in the blogosphere though. I feel like we're all forgetting why we're doing this in the first place: love of reading and sharing that love. In the year I've been blogging, I've never spoken up anytime something controversial was happening. Maybe that's because sometimes I missed out on the event entirely. Who knows. This time I am, because January has brought the apocalypse. I can't remember a month in the last year with more drama.

First off we had all these different author/agent/blogger nasties going around. Authors, I get that these books are your babies. Yes you are going to be disappointed about every single negative review. And yes, some of those reviews will be bashing you and/or your book. We're only human. We are not perfect. I know you feel the urge to strike out at that person, it's understandable. But it's not acceptable. That's one of those times you need to be the bigger person, and reread your positive reviews. But don't rig the system by voting them above others. Again, unacceptable.

Bad behavior by either party isn't going to necessarily chase me away from a book, especially if it's one I've been looking forward to for months. I honestly don't think a story should suffer just because the person who created it, or readers who read it, temporarily forget how to act maturely.

Second, and last of all. ARCs. Everyone wants them. And I'll admit, yes even I am dazzled by ARCs. But they're not why I got into blogging. I discovered book blogging through the weekly In My Mailbox meme. I loved seeing what books everyone was getting, whether they were for review or bought by the blogger. I discovered many books that I may never have heard about without blogging. I've lost count of how many books I bought in 2011, but I'm sure it was well over 100. Now you might stop and think "Oh but Chelsey reviews a lot of ARCs". And you'd be right. BUT! They are not my ARCs. I get them through a tour site. Honestly, I love the idea of tour sites. I really think publishers should set up something like that for bloggers and get more bang for their buck. Then there wouldn't even be the issue of oh that blogger has so many more ARCs than I do. As I said, I've been blogging a year now, and I've reached over 1,000 blog followers. I do not however, have publishers banging down my inbox with review requests. And you know what? That's just fine with me. I'm not going to stop blogging just because I don't have contact with all the YA publishers. I have plenty to read. And even if I didn't, I could always go to the library.

Jealousy is an ugly thing. We all feel it at some point or another, but that's when we need to step back and take a breath and remember that just because you might not be rolling in the ARCs doesn't mean your world is ending, or that your blog is unsuccessful. Remember why we all got into blogging in the first place: Love of reading and sharing that love with others.

I'm sorry if that seemed long-winded and somewhat rambling, but I needed to get it out. This is not directed at any one person, and no offense is intended.

Harper YA Challenge 24 Hour Giveaway

2012-01-26T17:56:00.000-08:00

Yes, this was supposed to be up yesterday. I had something scheduled yesterday that was unavoidable, and did not have time to get this post up. I only got home from this thing today, a couple hours ago. Sorry for the delay, but there was nothing I could do about it. Anyways lets get this started!

Pay attention, because there will be TWO GIVEAWAYS in this post. One for INTERNATIONAL entrants, and one for US ONLY. Both are under the cut.

PLEASE NOTE: You do NOT have to be participating in the reading challenge to enter the giveaways. These are for everyone!

INTERNATIONAL GIVEAWAY

Anyone and everyone can enter this, as long as the book depository ships to your country.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

US ONLY

Only citizens of the United States may enter this giveaway. I cannot afford international shipping.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers Blog Tour: Lynn Weingarten Interview

2012-01-26T00:01:00.000-08:00

I'm pleased to be hosting Lynn Weingarten on the blog today for an interview, as part of the blog tour! The tour schedule can be found at the bottom of the post.

If there’s an upside to having your heart broken, it’s this: A broken heart makes you brave.
The first day of sophomore year doesn’t go the way Lucy planned. After a summer apart from her boyfriend, she’s ready to greet him with a special surprise and instead gets a shocking one in return: He’s breaking up with her. Beyond devastated, Lucy has no idea how she’s going to make it through homeroom, let alone the rest of her life.
Enter three stunning girls with the unnatural ability to attract boys and an offer Lucy can’t refuse: They can heal her heart in an instant. And then she’ll be one of them—a member of a sisterhood that is impervious to heartbreak and has access to magic distilled from the tears of brokenhearted boys. But to gain their power, Lucy must get a guy to fall in love with her the old-fashioned way, and then break his heart in the next seven days.
While the sisterhood may need another Heartbreaker, Lucy’s only desire is to get her ex back. But how far is she willing to go, and who is she willing to cross to get what she wants?

Where did the idea for The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers come from? Did it just pop into your head one day, or did it slowly take form over time?

The initial seed came from a book I read-- a non-fiction book about how to pick up women. In the book, groups of guys would go out together and use various tactics to get ladies and I started thinking about how it would be fun to write a book about a group of girls who did a similar thing. The rest of the idea grew quickly from there.

While writing TSSoH, what were your writing routines? Did you stick to a daily word goal you wanted to hit, or were there days where you couldn't write anything? About how long did it take you to write the novel from start to finish?

I wrote most of TSSoH very late at night. Sometimes I wrote on the roof of the apartment I lived in at the time, often I wrote with the lights off and candles burning. I’d get in the writing mood by listening to various magicy heartbreakery songs (including lots of Loreena Mckennit and also the song Maneater). I definitely took days off while I was writing, although not many and I really tried to power through when I felt stuck. One thing that really helped me was that I didn’t write the first draft in chronological order. I had enough of the plot figured out ahead of time that I could jump around between chapters as I went. This made it a lot easier to unstuck myself on stuck feeling days – if I wasn’t getting into the next chronological chapter, I’d flip through until I found one that I felt like writing.

Which character did you enjoy writing the most, and which one gave you the most trouble? While I personally loved Olivia, Liza had this spunk, and was the perfect character for loving and hating at the same time.

Thank you! Liza and Tristan were probably the most fun to write. Liza because she is such a sass pot and Tristan because he is very jokey. Lucy was a bit hard to write because her heart iscompletely broken and at the same time she’s just learned that there’s magic in the world. So on one hand there is this really difficult terrible thing that she’s dealing with and at the same time that she’s suddenly understanding that the world is more amazing than she ever imagined. Trying to keep track of how she might feel was definitely difficult.

One thing I loved and disliked at the same time was Lucy's choice in the end. Instead of going the predictable route, you chose the other way. Was it hard to make that choice?

I knew right from the beginning what I wanted the ending to be. I’m not surprised you had mixed feelings about it! I figured a lot of readers would. But I felt like she had to make the choice she makes in order for me to tell the story I wanted to tell, which continues into the next book.

The way TSSoH ends leaves enough open for the possibility of sequels. Will we be seeing any, or are you working on something completely different now?

There will indeed be a sequel, which I am currently in the process of revising!

And lastly, what novel has had a lasting impression on you, as a reader and a writer?

It is too hard to pick just one! I will say that some of my favorite writers are: Lucy Ellman, Graham Greene, Jennifer Egan, JK Rowling, Tom Robbins and Jane Austen. And all of their books have affected me as both a writer and reader.

Thank you for your awesome answers Lynn! It was a pleasure to have you on the blog today.

Lynn can be found at:

Website - Twitter - Face Book

1/23 Books with Bite

1/24 Luxury Reading

1/25 For Those About to Read

1/26 Starry Sky Books

1/27 Sash & Em

Review: Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood

2012-01-25T09:37:00.000-08:00

Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Release date: February 7, 2012
Source: Around the World Tours
Series: The Cahill Witch Chronicles #1
Purchase: Book Depository

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.

We need more books about witches, and this definitely fits the bill! I also love that it's set in the late 1800s. As I've mentioned at least once before, I'm loving period pieces, in book form as well as TV and film. Jessica Spotswood did an awesome job of writing an atmosphere that fits the time and the book very well. I felt like I was there.

I enjoyed Cate and Finn and the romance between them. That's another thing about period romances, it's all kisses and light touches that are forbidden. Cate's family was interesting, as was the town and some unexpected friends Cate made.

Definitely a great addition to the paranormal genre, I'm looking forward to reading the rest in this series, as all as anything else Jessica Spotswood writes.

Err, Any Suggestions?

2012-01-21T22:37:00.000-08:00

Image from WeHeartIt.com

So let's be honest here. My reviews aren't quite as plentiful as they used to be. I've been in a reviewing slump. But not a reading slump! I'm still averaging two to three books read a week, but posting only one review a week maybe.

I know I'm not the only one to experience this kind of slump, so does anyone have any suggestions on what you did to get out of it? I'd love to hear from you!

While I'm at it, is there anything you guys would like to see in my reviews that I'm not currently doing? I'm open to suggestions on that front as well.

Review: Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally

2012-01-19T22:54:00.000-08:00

Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Release date: December 1, 2011
Source: Purchased
Purchase: Book Depository

What girl doesn't want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn't just surrounded by hot guys, though - she leads them as the captain and quarterback on her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys, and that's just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university. But now there's a new guy in town who threatens her starring position on the team... and has her suddenly wishing to be seen as more than just a teammate.

So night before last I'm climbing into bed. Literally, I have a loft bed and the ladder broke so I'm using a combination of chair to stool to bookcase to bed. I took Catching Jordan with me, because for some reason now I always fall asleep when I read in bed, no matter which book it is. I figure I'll get a few pages in before I fall asleep. WRONG! And that's how awesome this book was. It kept me up so long that I only got maybe 2 hours of sleep. I couldn't even finish it that because I got so tired. Finished it the next day.

I'll be honest, I'm not a fan of football. So you're probably thinking to yourself, why did I even buy it? First of all, I've heard awesome things about it and that piqued my interest. Second of all, I may slowly be changing my mind about football because of a friend. So even though I had no idea what was going on in the actual game or practice parts of the book, I still enjoyed this.

Jordan is hilarious. I love her. I want to be her. She has all this spunk and courage. Major courage to want to play in such a rough sport that can make or break you. And she really was just one of the guys. All these guys she'd grown up with, and they had absolutely no problems with a girl on the team. This was such a tightly knit team I don't think anything could've broken them. Extreme loyalty barely begins to touch on how close these people are. My favorites were definitely Carter and JJ, even Jake sometimes. My favorite of all though was Henry, one of the most awesome best friends you could possibly have. All of the characters in this book felt real. And I loved her parents. Even her dad, who was initially an a-hole, but came through for his only daughter when it mattered.

Now, I came into this book not expecting a love triangle, but there was one. It was gradual though, not right off the bat. I started off rooting for one guy, but definitely changed my opinion not even halfway through the book. The only thing I didn't enjoy was how weepy Jordan got sometimes. Such a strong girl reduced to so many tears. Other then that, this has been one of my favorites so far of 2012. I will most definitely be reading anything Miranda Kenneally writes in the future, especially the companion novels that are coming out this year and in 2013.

Middle Grade March Madness Sign-Ups!

2012-01-19T22:29:00.000-08:00

Benji over at The Non Reluctant Reader invited me to co-host this month long challenge with him, and since I do occasionally read and enjoy middle grade books I said yes! So here's all the info, and the sign up!

THE BORING STUFF

The last day to sign-up is March 7th.
You may sign-up if you have a blog, goodreads, amazon, library thing, or Barnes and Noble account where you post reviews

THE LEVELS

1. Citizen, Read 1-3 Books

2. Mayor, Read 4-8 Books

3. Congressman, Read 9-12 Books

4. President, 13+ Books

THE SCHEDULE

January 20th: Sign-Ups are OPEN (along with the giveaway)

February 22nd: Giveaway Ends

March 1st: Challenge Begins

March 7th: Sign-ups close, First giveaway of the challenge goes up

March 14: Second giveaway of the challenge goes up, first giveaway of the challenge ends

March 15-17th: Middle Grade 72 Hour Readathon Begins!

March 21st: Third giveaway of the challenge goes up, second one ends

March 28th: Final Giveaway of the challenge goes up!

April 1st: Challenge ends!

Now, if you don't have any middle grade books to read, fear not! Benji and I are giving away two books of your choice from The Book Depository. You can enter the giveaway after the page break!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Stop SOPA and PIPA

2012-01-17T22:47:00.001-08:00

Tomorrow is the huge internet blackout day in protest of both SOPA and PIPA. To find out more and to know what you can do, head to this website: http://sopastrike.com/.

So obviously, there will be no post for Thursday January 18.

Harper YA Challenge Readathon Wrap Up.

2012-01-15T22:07:00.000-08:00

Well, it seems as if everyone participating in the challenge forgot about the readathon being held today. I'll be scheduling one more in then in the hopes that at least some can or will participate. It will be on Sunday, January 29th, and I'll be sending out an email to everyone so that people know this time.

Here's my wrap up for the day:
I only managed to start and finish one book today. Possess by Gretchen McNeil. I enjoyed it, so look out for the review this week.

Bout of Books Readathon 3.0 Wrap Up

2012-01-15T21:59:00.000-08:00

And here is the wrap up post! I didn't even do one with the last Bout of Books so I'm making progress.

Here is what I finished during the readathon:
- Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood
- Wings of the Wicked by Courtney Allison Moulton
- Possess by Gretchen McNeil

And here are some books I started but didn't get very far into yet:
- The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong
- A Million Suns by Beth Revis
- The Selection by Kiera Cass
- Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris.

All in all, 3 books in a week for me is pretty good, considering I'm averaging 1 to 2 a week lately. So overall I'm proud of my progress. Hope everyone else had fun and met some of their goals, if not all!

Harper YA Challenge Readathon Start Line!

2012-01-15T00:00:00.000-08:00

All right everyone! You're probably sleeping now, but if not, get started on your reading. At the time that this goes up, I will either be asleep in bed or reading Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris. Now remember, even if you're not participating in the overall month long challenge, you can still participate in the readathon as long as the books are YA from HarperCollins!

I will update this post only once tomorrow with my midday progress at noon. Then I will do a separate wrap up post and announce when the second Harper readathon will be. Write it down so you'll know! You can link up your update posts in the linky below:

Here's what I plan on tackling:

Midday update:

currently reading: Possess

# of pages read: 109

# of books read: 0

So I think everyone forgot about this readathon, because it doesn't look like anyone is participating? Oh well, I'll be letting you guys know about another one tonight. I woke up about 8 and started reading about 9, but there have been a few distractions so I'm still working on my first book of the day! Realistically I'm hoping to finish 2. 3 would be nice though.

Harper YA Challenge Readathon!

2012-01-14T18:23:00.000-08:00

Just a reminder, the readathon for the Harper YA Challenge is tomorrow! Starts @ 12am tonight and runs until 12am tomorrow night! And don't worry, for those who can't participate, I'll be doing another one in the last week of January. This is the perfect opportunity to get caught up if you're a tad bit behind, like me!

Also, this readathon isn't limited to just participants, anyone may participate! The only rule is that the books have to be YA Harper books!

In My Mailbox {43} The Week of Blue

2012-01-14T12:33:00.000-08:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, showcasing what you received in the mail, bought, or borrowed from friends or the library for that week. So here's what I got this week! All links lead you to Goodreads.

With the exception of one book, all of my books this week seem to have some shade of blue on them! This was an incredibly awesome week in books for me. I'm so excited to read all of these!

for review

The Selection by Kiera Cass

Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris

~ Thank you Allison and HarperCollins!

bought

The Demon Lover by Juliet Dark

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi - Read and reviewed a while ago

Dragonswood by Janet Lee Carey

Between the Sea and Sky by Jaclyn Dolamore

A Million Suns by Beth Revis - YESSSS!!!!

Cover Reveals: Wentworth Hall, Dark Destiny, and Unbreak My Heart

2012-01-14T10:34:00.000-08:00

I'm really big right now on period pieces, especially ones in the early 1900s. So discovering Wentworth Hall today just made my day and I immediately added it to Goodreads. I read Dark Mirror for review last year, and recently bought Dark Passage, and now we have Dark Destiny, which is another period book! I have to say though, I'm not loving the cover. I think Dark Passage has the best of the series. So excited for these. I absolutely adore the cover for Unbreak My Heart, and I definitely want to read this ASAP!

What do you guys think of the covers? Looking forward to any of these books?

Wentworth Hall by Abby Grahame
Release date: May 1, 2012

A lush, historical novel about the secretive Darlingtons of Wentworth Hall!The prettiest people often have the ugliest secrets…

Eighteen-year-old Maggie Darlington has turned into an entirely different person. The once spirited teen is now passive and reserved. A change Lord and Lady Darlington can’t help but be grateful for.

It’s 1912, and the Darlingtons of Wentworth Hall have more than just the extensive grounds to maintain. As one of Britain’s most elite families, they need to keep up appearances that things are as they have always been…even as their carefully constructed faÇade rapidly comes undone.

Maggie has a secret. And she’s not the only one…the handsome groom Michael, the beautiful new French nanny Therese, the Darlingtons’ teenage houseguests Teddy and Jessica, and even Maggie’s younger sister Lila are all hiding something. Passion, betrayal, heartache, and whispered declarations of love take place under the Darlingtons’ massive roof. And one of these secrets has the power to ruin the Darlingtons forever.

When scandalous satires start appearing in the newspaper with details that closely mirror the lives of the Darlingtons, everyone is looking over their shoulder, worrying their scandal will be next. Because at Wentworth Hall, nothing stays secret for long.

Dark Destiny (Dark Mirror #3) by M.J. Putney
Release date: July 3, 2012

Tory and her friends are celebrating the success of a second mission to aid WWII Britain when an urgent summons calls them back to their own time: Napoleon is on the brink of invading England. Can a handful of young mages stop an army? In desperation, Merlin’s Irregulars ask Rebecca Weiss, an untrained telepath from 1940, to come back to 1804 and change Napoleon’s mind before it’s too late. As Tory and Allarde make a commitment that will cost him his inheritance, Rebecca promises to do what she can to stop Napoleon even though she is unsure of her magical abilities. But Tory and her friends saved the Weiss family from Nazi imprisonment, and Rebecca will risk anything, even her life and her budding relationship with Nick Rainford, to repay them. A daring mission takes Tory and Rebecca and their friends into the heart of the Army of Boulogne, where Napoleon is plotting invasion. But while their success may save England, they must still face the bittersweet consequences of their decisions when they return home.

Unbreak My Heart by Melissa C. Walker
Release date: May 22, 2012

Sophomore year broke Clementine Williams’ heart. She fell for her best friend’s boyfriend and long story short: he’s excused, but Clem is vilified and she heads into summer with zero social life.

Enter her parents’ plan to spend the summer on their sailboat. Normally the idea of being stuck on a tiny boat with her parents and little sister would make Clem break out in hives, but floating away sounds pretty good right now.

Then she meets James at one of their first stops along the river. He and his dad are sailing for the summer and he’s just the distraction Clem needs. Can he break down Clem’s walls and heal her broken heart?

Told in alternating chapters that chronicle the year that broke Clem’s heart and the summer that healed it, Unbreak My Heart is a wonderful dual love story that fans of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, and Susane Colasanti will flock to.

Review: Forbidden by Syrie James & Ryan James

2012-01-12T15:34:00.000-08:00

Forbidden by Syrie James & Ryan James
Publisher: Harper Teen
Release date: January 24, 2012
Source: Around the World Tours
Purchase: Book Depository

She should not exist.

He should not love her.

Claire Brennan has been attending Emerson Academy for two years now (the longest she and her mom have remained anywhere) and she’s desperate to stay put for the rest of high school. So there’s no way she’s going to tell her mom about the psychic visions she’s been having or the creepy warnings that she’s in danger.

Alec MacKenzie is fed up with his duties to watch and, when necessary, eliminate the descendants of his angelic forefathers. He chose Emerson as the ideal hiding place where he could be normal for once. He hadn’t factored Claire into his plans. . . .

Their love is forbidden, going against everything Alec has been taught to believe. But when the reason behind Claire’s unusual powers is revealed and the threat to her life becomes clear, how far will Alec go to protect her?

You know, this was a good book. Not a great and gripping read though. It took me a little longer to read this, especially once I got another book I was itching to read. But I did enjoy Forbidden. It's another angel book with it's own twist on angel lore, which I love reading about. I can't get enough of angel books.

One thing I noticed while reading is that this is a pretty sizable book, but a lot was happening. Every now and then you come across these chunksters, huge monsters of a book but while you're reading things get dragged out so that when you've finished you're like "What did I just read and how did it take up that many pages?" Well, I didn't have that issue with Forbidden. I'm quite happy with the length and for the most part all the major events aren't dragged out. There are some small parts that were, but they're small.

I also really enjoyed the fact that the authors did not use insta-love/attraction/lust with their main characters, as least not wholly. Alec was instantly attracted, but Claire took a while to warm up to him because of his standoffish first appearance. One thing I didn't like though was that once she started becoming attracted to Alec her other crush just went out the window, even though it had been around for two years. And while her change of affection wasn't instant, it was just a tiny bit faster than I would've liked, given the size of the book.

They're both fun characters though, and Claire especially is a strong protagonist. You have all this crazy stuff happening to you all of a sudden, but still manages to keep her cool and take everything in stride. Claire's friends are awesome and quirky. If this turns out to be a series, I definitely hope we see more of them later on. I wasn't all that thrilled with the long term crush of Claire's, since he seems to suddenly notice and pay attention to her, when he never did before Alec's arrival.

Overall, I definitely did enjoy this book. I loved that it was told through Claire's and Alec's viewpoints, switching back and forth each chapter. If you love angel books, I would definitely recommend this to you, and to any paranormal fan.

Waiting on Wednesday {23} Dreamless & Arise

2012-01-10T23:50:00.000-08:00

In continuing with the reading challenge theme this month, I have more HarperCollins YA books I'm waiting for! I loved the first books in both of these series, and seriously cannot wait for the next ones. And do you see that cover for Arise? I have to say I love it even more than Hereafter's cover.

Arise by Tara Hudson
Hereafter series #2
Release date: June 5, 2012

Amelia—still caught between life and death—must fight for every moment of her relationship with the human boy Joshua. They can hardly even kiss without Amelia accidentally dematerializing. Looking for answers, they go to visit some of Joshua’s Seer relatives in New Orleans. But even in a city so famously steeped in the supernatural, Amelia ends up with more questions than answers…and becomes increasingly convinced that she and Joshua can never have a future together.Wandering through the French Quarter, Amelia meets other in-between ghosts, and begins to seriously consider joining them. And then she meets Gabrielle. Somehow, against impossible odds, Gaby has found a way to live a sort of half-life...a half-life for which Amelia would pay any price. Torn between two worlds, Amelia must choose carefully, before the evil spirits of the netherworld choose for her.

Dreamless by Josephine Angelini
Starcrossed series #2
Release date: May 29, 2012

As the only Scion that can enter Hades at will, Helen descends to the Underworld in search of a way to overcome the Furies and end the cycle of revenge that has cursed the Scions. But she’s running out of time. Each descent weakens her both in mind and spirit. A mysterious stranger might be her only salvation, but the price may be her love for Lucas Delos.

As an unforgettable love triangle emerges, Josephine Angelini’s compelling saga becomes ever more intricate and spellbinding. The eagerly awaited sequel to the internationally bestselling Starcrossed, Dreamless delivers with a huge emotional impact that will leave readers satisfied—and longing for more.

Bout of Books Readathon 3.0

2012-01-08T22:58:00.000-08:00

I'm giving the week long readathon another try. This will be my only update post. Books I'll be reading:

~~Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood~~
~~Wings of the Wicked by Courtney Allison Moulton~~
Dark Eyes by William Richter
A Need so Beautiful by Suzanne Young
The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong
Partials by Dan Wells
Slide by Jill Hathaway

And if they arrive before the readthon ends, I will also be trying for these:

A Temptation of Angels by Michelle Zink
After the Snow by S.D. Crocket

1/9
Currently reading: Wings of the Wicked by Courtney Allison Moulton
Number of books I’ve read today: 1
Total number of books I’ve read: 1
Books: Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood

1/10
Currently reading:Wings of the Wicked by Courtney Allison Moulton
Number of books I’ve read today: 0
Total number of books I’ve read: 1
Books: Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood

Wings of the Wicked is a hefty book, coming in at 500+ pages. I'd already started it before the readathon, but have gotten most of my progress in today, with over 100+ pages. I'm nearly halfway done, I'm hoping I can finish this pretty soon so I can get more books in.

1/11
Currently reading: Wings of the Wicked
Number of books I’ve read today: 0
Total number of books I’ve read: 1
Books: Born Wicked

1/12
Currently reading: The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong
Number of books I’ve read today: 1
Total number of books I’ve read: 2
Books:
- Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood
- Wings of the Wicked by Courtney Allison Moulton

~~1/13~~
~~Currently reading:~~
~~Number of books I’ve read today:~~
~~Total number of books I’ve read:~~
~~Books:~~

1/14
Currently reading: The Gathering, Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris, and The Selection by Kiera Cass
Number of books I’ve read today: 0
Total number of books I’ve read: 2
Books:
- Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood
- Wings of the Wicked by Courtney Allison Moulton

I didn't do any reading yesterday, because I worked a 6-3 shift and was too tired to read during any of my breaks and after I got off, since I had only gotten 4 hours of sleep. And then about 6pm I fell asleep for the next 13 hours. I've done a little bit of reading today, around 100 pages. But now I'm in three books as well. I plan to get more reading done tomorrow though, since I have this readathon plus my Harper readathon tomorrow.

The update for 1/15 will have it's own post since it'll be a wrap up post tomorrow night.

In My Mailbox {42}

2012-01-08T21:41:00.000-08:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, showcasing what you received in the mail, bought, or borrowed from friends or the library for that week. So here's what I got this week! All links lead you to Goodreads.

I haven't really posted this week because I'm currently working a different department at work, and boy is it tiring me out. I'm getting used to the harder work though, so this week I'll be starting up reviews again! On to the books.

for review

Born Wicked by Jessia Spotswood

Forbidden by Syrie James & Ryan M. James

Wolfborn by Sue Bursztynski

bought

Switched by Amanda Hocking

Waiting on Wednesday {22}

2012-01-03T20:19:00.000-08:00

Since I'm reading mostly HarperCollins books this month, I thought I'd highlight Harper books I'm dying to read. Here are two I'm eagerly awaiting this week:

Insurgent by Veronica Roth
Release date: May 1, 2012

One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

Arcadia Awakens by Kai Meyer
Release date: February 14, 2012

To Rosa Alcantara, the exotic world of Sicily, with its network of Mafia families and its reputation for murder and intrigue, is just that—exotic and wholly unknown. But when her life in Brooklyn begins to fall apart, she must travel there, to her family’s ancestral home, where centuries of family secrets await her.

Once there, Rosa falls head over heels for Alessandro Carnevare, the son of a Sicilian Mafia family, whose handsome looks and savage grace both fascinate and unsettle her. But their families are sworn enemies, and her aunt and sister believe Alessandro is only using Rosa to infiltrate the Alcantara clan. And when Rosa encounters a tiger one night—a tiger with very familiar eyes—she can no longer deny that neither the Carnevares nor the Alcantaras are what they seem.

Hidden caves, dangerous beasts roaming the hills, and a history of familial bloodlust mean that Rosa can’t trust anyone. Torn between loyalty to her family and love for their mortal enemy, Rosa must make the hardest decision of her life: stay in Sicily with her new love…or run as far and as fast as she can.

In My Mailbox {41}

2012-01-01T17:27:00.000-08:00

for review:

The Alchemy of Forever by Avery Williams

bought:

Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan

Winging It by Deborah Cooke

January Harper YA Challenge Review Link-Up

2012-01-01T14:11:00.000-08:00

Instead of doing four link up posts this one will be for the entire month. So for those participating in this challenge, if you review your books, link them up here! I will keep a link in the sidebar for easy access.

Review: The Alchemy of Forever by Avery Williams

2012-01-01T13:12:00.000-08:00

The Alchemy of Forever by Avery Williams
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Release date: January 3, 2012
Source: Around the World Tours
Series: Incarnation #1
Purchase: Book Depository

People say ‘love never dies’… but love might be the death of Seraphina. Seraphina has been alive since the Middle Ages, when her boyfriend, Cyrus, managed to perfect a method of alchemy that lets them swap bodies with any human being. Sera ran away from Cyrus years ago, when she realized that what they were doing—taking the lives of innocent people—was wrong. She doesn’t want to die, so she finds young people who are on the brink of death, and inhabits their bodies. When we meet Sera, she has landed in the body of a girl named Kailey who was about to die in a car accident. For the first time, Sera falls in love with the life of the person she’s inhabiting. Sera also falls for the boy next door, Noah. And soon it’s clear the feelings are returned. Unfortunately, she can never kiss Noah, because for her to touch lips with a human would mean the human’s death. And she has even more to worry about: Cyrus is chasing her, and if she stays in one place for long, she puts herself—and the people she’s grown to care for—in danger.

I finished The Alchemy of Forever last night, but it took me five days to read. It's only 256 pages, which at my normal pace would only take me two days, unless I absolutely loved it in which case I could've finished it in one. I did not however. I'll be honest, this book and I were not a good match, which is unfortunate because I thought I would love it.

I think for me what killed is that I didn't really feel like there was any character development. We have two six-hundred year old kids, and yet I don't know anything about them, except that apparently Cyrus is controlling and evil. And while I did see that that was true, he was barely present for the entire novel. The book would have been more suspenseful and page-turning for me if he'd been more involved with the plot than just being the ghost of a threat.

The rest of the characters, including Sera herself, weren't much better. I'm sorry but I just couldn't find any real personality in these people. Except in Sera/Kailey, who is clearly someone wracked with indecision with any major decision she has to make. Kill herself, don't. Run away, don't. And we hardly got to know anything about the others. The only thing we learn about the coven is how each member was met and made into an Incarnate. I would've loved more character development, especially more back story about the time these people have spent together, the bonds created from that.

There were also some things that felt like they got dropped. Sera/Kailey helps a girl named Taryn, who ends up supposedly stealing Sera's bag of important stuff. While it's a likely assumption, we don't actually know that's what happens, and Sera makes a paltry effort at finding Taryn, then seems to forget about that entirely near the end. And the ending was completely WTF. If what I think has happened did happen, that just ticks me off.

Overall, this book just didn't do it for me, which definitely saddened me. Usually I know what I'm likely to enjoy so this doesn't happen very often, and is the reason why there aren't very many reviews like this. I have not decided yet whether I'll read the inevitable sequel for this book.

I didn't love this book, but here are some who did. Get both sides of the spectrum!

Brook Reports

Beneath Shining Stars I Read

Book Loving Mommy

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T00:33:00.000-08:00

And it's started! Goodreads has finally put up the 2012 Reading Challenge. Here is my goal:

2012 Reading Challenge

Chelsey has

read 0 books toward her goal of 125 books.

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0 of 125 (0%)

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HAPPY NEW YEAR, and good luck to everyone with their reading challenges this year!

Harper YA Reading Challenge Progress Post

2011-12-31T21:07:00.000-08:00

This is where I'll be keeping track of which books I'll be reading over the month. I have a total of around 20 or so books to choose from, but I wheedled it down to 10. These are the ones I'll be trying for, though some of the others may pop up depending on my reading mood. I chose the medium level of 5-8 books! Here's a picture of what I plan on tackling:

Forbidden by Syrie James & Ryan M. James
Wings of the Wicked by Courtney Allison Moulton
Possess by Gretchen McNeil
Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris
Steel by Carrie Vaughn
The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong
Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin

Good luck to everyone else participating in this challenge with me!

Harper YA Reading Challenge in January: Sign Ups Still Open!

2011-12-31T20:28:00.000-08:00

Hey guys, just reminding everyone that this challenge STARTS IN A COUPLE OF HOURS! Sheesh, the end of the year sure got here quickly. Anyways, for all the details and stuff head over to THIS post.

Just a heads up too, I have some legal issues going on right now, and I'll find out where they're heading on the 4th, so they may or may not affect my ability to host the challenge for the whole month. I did not know it would be coming up this soon. It has been dragging on since the end of August. Hopefully it won't impact the challenge, but there it is just so you know!

I'll be putting up my personal post for the challenge here in a few minutes, with the books I plan on reading!

2011 Debut Author Challenge - COMPLETED!

2011-12-29T16:06:00.000-08:00

This is copied from the page I had it on. Wanted to move it to a post so there would be room for newer pages this next year.

This page is basically copied from my original post. This just makes it easier for me to get to.

I have decided to take part in the Debut Author Challenge hosted by The Story Siren. This is not the only challenge I will be participating in throughout 2011, but more about the other challenge in another post later.

My list will be starting out with the minimum of twelve entries needed to participate. I might add more as I go, but who knows. We'll see how it goes.

The following list is not necessarily the order I will be reading them in.

Updated: 12/20/11 COMPLETED!

01. A Touch Mortal by Leah Clifford
02. Falling Under by Gwen Hayes (Review forthcoming!)
03. The Beginning of After by Jennifer Castle (Review here!)
04. The Demon Trapper's Daughter by Jana Oliver (Review forthcoming!)
05. Divergent by Veronica Roth (Review here!)
06. Lost Voices by Sarah Porter (Review here!)
07. A Beautiful Dark by Jocelyn Davies (Review here!)
08. Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton (Review here!)
09. The False Princess by Eilis O'Neal (Review here!)
10. Across the Universe by Beth Revis (Review here!)
11. Unearthly by Cynthia Hand (Review here!)
12. Born at Midnight by C.C. Hunter (Review here!)
13. Here Lies Bridget by Paige Harbison (Review here!)
14. Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck (Review here!)
15. Wither by Lauren DeStefano (Review forthcoming!)
16. The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter (Review here!)
17. Wildefire by Karsten Knight (Review here!)
18. The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney (Review forthcoming!)
19. Bumped by Megan McCafferty (Review here!)
20. Moonglass by Jessi Kirby (Review here!)
21. Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton (Review here!)
22. Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini (Review here!)
23. Hereafter by Tara Hudson (Review here!)
24. Spellbound by Cara Lynn Schultz (Review here!)
25. Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout (Review here!)
26. The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton (Review here!)
27. The Mephisto Covenant by Trinity Faegan (Review forthcoming!)
28. A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan. (Review here!)
29. The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross (Review here!)
30. Deadly Cool by Gemma Halliday (Review here!)
31. Dark Mirror by M.J. Putney (Review here!)

So there is my list for the moment, I must say I'm very excited by these books.

Books I Read in 2011

2011-12-29T16:03:00.000-08:00

Time to move this off the page and into a post so I can put up a books read in 2012 page. I definitely made my goal of 100 books for this year, yay! How did everyone else do with their goal?

This is where I'm going to keep my list of books read this year. I actually wish I still had the lists they had us keep in the English classes I took in high school. Oh well. This list is in the order I've read them.

Updated: 12/29/11

001. Chalice by Robin McKinley
002. Lost Voices by Sarah Porter
003. Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
004. Pegasus by Robin McKinley
005. Across the Universe by Beth Revis
006. Need by Carrie Jones
007. Here Lies Bridget by Paige Harbison
008. Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
009. For Keeps by Natasha Friend
010. Born at Midnight by C.C. Hunter
011. Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
012. The Espressologist by Kristina Springer
013. Dark Mirror by M.J. Putney
014. Miles From Ordinary by Carol Lynch Williams
015. Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton
016. Twilight's Dawn by Anne Bishop
017. River Marked by Patricia Briggs
018. The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade
019. Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck
020. Richer by Jean Blasiar
021. Paranormalcy by Kiersten White
022. Delirium by Lauren Oliver
023. Mad Love by Suzanne Selfors
024. Glimmer by Vivi Anna
025. Taming the Tiger Within by Thich Nhat Hanh
026. A Touch Mortal by Leah Clifford
027. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
028. The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter
029. Rhymes with Cupid by Anna Humphrey
030. Falling Under by Gwen Hayes
031. Sean Griswold's Head by Lindsey Leavitt
032. The False Princess by Eilis O'Neal
033. The Magnolia League by Katie Crouch
034. Wither by Lauren DeStefano
035. The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney
036. Bumped by Megan McCafferty
037. Firelight by Sophie Jordan
038. The Demon Trapper's Daughter by Jana Oliver
039. Moonglass by Jessi Kirby
040. Divergent by Veronica Roth
041. Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon
042. Shadowspell by Jenna Black
043. Rage of the Fallen by Joseph Delaney
044. Queen of the Dead by Stacey Kade
045. Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton
046. Eden by Keary Taylor
047. Halo by Alexandra Adornetto
048. Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini
049. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
050. The Vampire Stalker by Allison Van Diepen
051. Sometimes it Happens by Lauren Barnholdt
052. Sirensong by Jenna Black
053. Hereafter by Tara Hudson
054. Linger by Maggie Stiefvater
055. Hades by Alexandra Adornetto
056. Mercy by Rebecca Lim
057. The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross
058. Supernaturally by Kiersten White
059. A Beautiful Dark by Jocelyn Davies
060. Wildefire by Karsten Knight
061. Ward Against Death by Melanie Card
062. The Beginning of After by Jennifer Castle
063. Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver
064. Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan
065. Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout
066. Deadly Cool by Gemma Halliday
067. The Marked Son by Shea Berkley
068. Your Child's Writing Life by Pam Allyn
069. Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon
070. Forever by Maggie Stiefvater
071. Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor
072. Dancergirl by Carol M. Tanzman
073. Slayers by C.J. Hill
074. The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton
075. Spellbound by Cara Lynn Schultz
076. A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan
077. Wings by Aprilynne Pike (reread)
078. Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu
079. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
080. The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder
081. The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers by Lynn Weingarten
082. Cold Kiss by Amy Garvey
083. Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
084. The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann
085. Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
086. Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber
087. Everneath by Brodi Ashton
088. Vanish by Sophie Jordan
089. Dark Eden by Patrick Carman
090. The Mephisto Covenant by Trinity Faegan
091. Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
092. Hallowed by Cynthia Hand
093. Don't Breathe A Word by Holly Cupala
094. Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick
095. The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa
096. The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa
097. A Touch Morbid by Leah Clifford
098. Destined by Jessie Harrell
099. Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer
100. Fever by Lauren DeStefano
101. Bloodrose by Andrea Cremer
102. Amplified by Tara Kelly
103. The Next Always by Nora Roberts
104. Unleashed by Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie
105. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer
106. Incarnate by Jodi Meadows
107. Faery Tales & Nightmares by Melissa Marr
108. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

1 Year Blogoversary & 1,000 Followers Giveaway!

2011-12-27T13:12:00.000-08:00

HOLY COW everyone! As of December 23rd I've been blogging for one year. I think I've done pretty well in that time. And in November I hit 1,000 followers, that is a huge milestone. I waited though to combine these two awesome events together!

Giveaway is open internationally wherever the Book Depository ships! Also, following will be a requirement this time, since half of the giveaway is in appreciation of reaching so many followers. Click on the "read more" link for the Rafflecopter form!

Thank you everyone for this year! Hopefully this second year will be just as awesome. :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Top 10 of 2011: Top 10 Book Covers of 2011

2011-12-27T00:00:00.000-08:00

Here are my favorite covers for books released this year! Out of these ten books, there are only three I haven't actually read it, but I own them and will hopefully get to them soon. I remember being especially impressed by Tiger's Curse and Cold Kiss when I got physical copies. Most especially with Tiger's Curse. I just couldn't stop staring at the pretty white tiger. On to the covers!

Top 10 of 2011: Top 10 Books I’ve read in 2011

2011-12-26T00:00:00.000-08:00

Note: I almost forgot about this, so I'm technically not taking Monday off I guess. But this was a fun list to put together! Time to kick this stuff off! I'll try to have small explanations with each book about why they're my favorites. On to the list!

1. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern - Seriously, this was the most awesome book I've ever read, and I've read some good ones. The author just does an amazing job with imagery, making the book's magical atmosphere believable. Not as much romance as I would have liked, but that didn't take away from my over enjoyment of this book.

2. Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor - Holy cow this was a fun book to read. I love fantasy, and this was perfect in that regard. I seriously can't wait for the next one.

3. Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver - I don't read middle grade very often, since it's a bit younger in characters than I normally like, but this was Lauren Oliver's MG book, so how could I not read it? It blew me away, and is so far my favorite of all of her books. If you're looking for just a fun adventure, this is the book for you.

4. A Beautiful Dark by Jocelyn Davies - I don't even know exactly why I love this book, I just do. And that ending? OMG! But seriously though, it's probably because of Asher. <3333

5. The False Princess by Eilis O'Neal - Again, how can you go wrong with fantasy? Especially high fantasy, which is my absolute favorite. And the main character turned out to be incredibly strong, given what happened to her. If you haven't read this, you should do so soon!

6. Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton - This one was so dark, but the atmosphere was so present it was like its own character. I'm definitely looking forward to the sequel to this book, as well as anything else Tessa Gratton decides to write.

7. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin - I haven't written my review for this just yet, but I really enjoyed this. The last 50 or so pages kind of took away from the book I think, but I'll go into detail more on that later. I still enjoyed this immensely!

8. Divergent by Veronica Roth - I know there are a lot of dystopians out there now, but this is one of the first I've read after The Hunger Games a couple years ago, so I hadn't quite come across anything like it. And I still stand by that, even after reading a few more dystopians. I love it.

9. Incarnate by Jodi Meadows - I can include this right? Since I technically read it this year? Well I am including it so there. Like I said in my review, this is one of those books I wanted to rip through to know everything, but also take my time with to savor. Another awesome fantasy.

10. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins - I was thinking about putting Lola up here, but chose Anna instead because for me it was the perfect contemp romance. It was like a daydream I would've had in middle school. And incredibly funny. Stephanie Perkins is one of the best at writing humor. I was laughing out loud at work during breaks, which I almost never do. If you have not read it, DO SO NOW! That is all. :)

So that's my list! There were definitely more that could've made the cut, but I felt like these were the best representation of what I enjoyed this year. Definitely looking forward to next year! Stay tuned for another Top 10 of 2011 list tomorrow!

Happy Holidays Everyone!

2011-12-24T21:26:00.000-08:00

And Merry Christmas, for those who celebrate! I'm taking tomorrow and Monday off, but Monday I will be working on blogging stuff and reading. Keep an eye out on Tuesday, because I'll be having my ONE YEAR BLOGOVERSARY!!! giveaway go up, as well as my 1,000 follower giveaway. I waited on the latter so I could do both together, even though it's been around a month since I hit 1,000.

Hope everyone has a good holiday!

In My Mailbox {40}

2011-12-22T22:02:00.000-08:00

This is going up a bit early since Christmas is this weekend! I'll still link it up on Sunday and visit other blogs of course. Just don't know exactly when. Happy holidays everyone! The books I bought do not have links to them, there are too many.

For Review

Dark Eyes by William Richter
Faery Tales & Nightmares by Melissa Marr
Incarnate by Jodi Meadows - Already read and reviewed!
Glimmer by Phoebe Kitanidis

Wings of the Wicked by Courtney Allison Moulton

Bought

Crave by Melissa Darnell

Darker Still by Leana Renee Hieber

A Blue so Dark by Holly Schindler

Entice by Carrie Jones

Dark Passage by M.J. Putney

Soul Thief by Jana Oliver

The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder - Read and reviewed a couple months ago, wanted a finished copy!

Vanish by Sophie Jordan - Read an ARC a few months ago, review coming soon. Just wanted a finished copy!

A Need so Beautiful by Susanne Young

Blood by K.J. Wignall

Tris & Izzie by Mette Ivie Harrison

Shattered Souls by Mary Lindsey

Ashes, Ashes by Jo Treggiari

Ascendant by Diana Peterfreund

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Ten Things We Did By Sarah Mlynowski

Warped by Maurissa Guibord

The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

Review: Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

2011-12-22T09:16:00.000-08:00

Incarnate by Jodi Meadows
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Release date: January 31, 2012
Source: Publisher via NetGalley/Won
Series: Newsoul #1
Purchase: Book Depository

NEWSOUL
Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

NOSOUL
Even Ana’s own mother thinks she’s a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she’ll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are suspicious and afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

HEART
Sam believes Ana’s new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana’s enemies—human and creature alike—let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else’s life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?

Jodi Meadows expertly weaves soul-deep romance, fantasy, and danger into an extraordinary tale of new life.

I absolutely adored this book. I wanted to tear through it to know what happens, and to take my time and savor it. This is YA fantasy at its best. Incarnate is set it in Heart, and the people of Heart have mostly modern technology, but are surrounded on the outside by fantastical creatures like dragons and sylph, among others. A seamless blend between the real world and a fantasy world, Jodi Meadows is great at worldbuilding.

Great questions are also introduced in this book. Where did Ana come from, will there be more like her? Even though we know about evolution and/or creation, depending on your viewpoint, there's still that eternal question of how and why. Ana's quest to find out who she is and why she is there is one we're all on at some point in our lives. I've never read a book quite like this, and I love that reincarnation is featured. Ana's quest of course takes her to Heart, and she meets Sam on the way. And while she does eventually find the information she seeks in a twist near the end, the book mainly focuses on the romance between Ana and Sam.

And boy let me tell you, that was my favorite part about the book. Ana and Sam have made my nonexistent list that I need to write down of YA couples I absolutely love! It's not insta-love, but it is insta-attraction that leads to love throughout the book through small touches and looks, and eventually at a masquerade ball it finally becomes evident that despite what everyone else might think, they want to be together.

I did feel like the ending was a bit rushed and came out of nowhere. Some questions are answered, but a few new ones pop up as well, which is to be expected with a series. I seriously cannot wait until I can devour the next book though. This is a definite must read for any YA fantasy fan!

Wrapping Up 2011 Readathon!

2011-12-22T00:42:00.000-08:00

Jessie at Remarkable Reads is hosting a year-end readathon to finish up books that need to be read before the new year! It starts today and runs until midnight of Dec. 31. This is the post I will be updating in every day so as not to flood your reads throughout the holiday weekend. I will tweet every day with a link to this post if you'd like to see my progress! I'd like to completely finish all of the books on my list, so I have nothing carrying over from the old year to the new. My initial list is only 5 books, but there are a couple after that as well in case I have time to get to them! Here's the list:

Cinder by Marissa Meyer (Starting @ pg 74)
The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
Illuminate by Aimee Agresti
Touch by Jus Accardo
~~Faery Tales & Nightmares by Melissa Marr~~

And in case I finish all 5 of those:

Darker Still by Leanna Renee Hieber
Tris & Izzie by Mette Ivie Harrison

Thursday 12/22 update!

Pages read today: 168
Total pages read: 168
Total books finished: 0

Started Faery Tales & Nightmares by Melissa Marr

Friday 12/23 update!

Pages read today: 264
Total pages read: 432
Total books finished: 1

Finished Faery Tales & Nightmares by Melissa Marr! I've already started Cinder before this event began, so my starting point with it is page 74.

Saturday 12/24 update!

Pages read today: 77
Total pages read: 509
Total books finished: 1

Didn't get a lot done today, and probably won't tomorrow either. Monday should be a big day though!

~~Sunday 12/25 update!~~

~~Pages read today:~~
~~Total pages read:~~
~~Total books finished:~~

~~Monday 12/26 update!~~

~~Pages read today:~~
~~Total pages read:~~
~~Total books finished:~~

Tuesday 12/27 update!