Waiting on Wednesday (10)

Falling Under by Gwen Hayes
(NAL Trade/March 1, 2011)

In her dreams he’s irresistible—seductive, charming, and undoubtedly dangerous. But when he appears to her when she’s awake—and captivates her just the same—she’s not sure which way is up and which is down.

Theia Alderson has always led a sheltered life, not allowed the same freedoms as the rest of the teenagers in the small California town of Serendipity Falls. But when a devastatingly handsome boy appears in the halls of her school, she feels every urge she’s ever denied burning through her at the slightest glance from Haden Black. Theia knows she’s seen Haden before—not around town, but in her dreams.

Theia doesn’t understand how she dreamed of Haden before they ever met, but every night has them joined in a haunting world of eerie fantasy. And as the Haden of both the night and the day beckons her forward one moment and pushes her away the next, the only thing Theia knows for sure is that the incredible pull she feels towards him is stronger than her fear. And as she slowly discovers what Haden truly is, Theia’s not sure if she wants to resist him, even if the cost is her soul.

Forbidden love? Does the hunter fall in love with his prey? We'll have to wait to find out!

What are you waiting for this Wednesday?

Trailer Tuesday (8)

Happy Tuesday! Here's the book trailer for another recent release, Delacroix Academy:The Candidates by Inara Scott!



So many fantastic books have recently hit bookstores/are about to hit bookstores! Just wish I had time to read them all! Wish school wasn't so busy!

Waiting on Wednesday (9)

Wither by Lauren DeStefano
(Simon & Schuster/March 22, 2011)

What if you knew exactly when you would die?

Thanks to modern science, every human being has become a ticking genetic time bomb—males only live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out.

When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden's genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape—to find her twin brother and go home.

But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden's eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant she trusts, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limited time she has left.

Another dysptopian novel, I think. Sounds good though & reminds me faintly of Children of Men (don't want the population to die out) but I definitely want to get my hands on a copy of this novel when it comes out!

What are you waiting for this Wednesday?

Trailer Tuesday (7)

It's Tuesday! So I get to share another book trailer with all of you!
Here's the book trailer for You by Charles Benoit! I really want to read this book! Anyone read it yet? Thoughts??

The Secret Society of the Pink Crystal Ball by Risa Green

The Secret Society of the Pink Crystal Ball by Risa Green

Release Date: September 14th 2010
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Pages: 320

After Erin's favorite aunt, Aunt Kiki (nicknamed Aunt Kooky by Erin's father), dies, Erin inherits a Pink Crystal ball with a set of cryptic instructions from her aunt. Thinking it is just some toy or joke from her crazy aunt, Erin doesn't think much of it...until one of her wishes comes true. The pink crystal ball her aunt left her looks like any other pink crystal ball toy sold at local stores, but Erin asks the ball one of her wishes one night, only to have it come true the next day! Her two best friends are instantly convinced that the crystal ball has magical properties.

Erin is slower to believe, but after another wish comes true, she decides to figure out her aunt's mysterious instructions. With the clues and the Pink Crystal Ball figured out, Erin and her friends may just have the key to their futures! The possibilities are endless--or are they? Erin better figure out her aunt's instructions or their adventure with the crystal ball might just go awry!

At the beginning, The Secret Society of the Pink Crystal Ball felt like a tween book. But as the novel progressed, some parts became more YA geared, while other parts remained more tween-like. The lessons Erin learns are like the ones you would find in other YA books but the bullying that Erin's friend, Lindsay, faces (and how her friend deals with it) seems very much for tweens. It was nice to see Erin grow and learn from her mistakes and the situation as a whole.I was hoping Lindsay would stand up for herself more; at her age it was unusual to see how she reacted and went off to cry instead of defending herself. I'm not saying that there's no bullying in High School--there is--but by 10th grade, girls have much meaner and less childish ways to bully other girls.

Overall, The Secret Society of the Pink Crystal Ball is a cute novel, but I think it's better for younger YA readers, or readers who are starting to make the transition from tween to teen/YA books.

Overall: 3.75 out of 5
Plot: 3.5 stars
Characters: 3.5 stars
Writing: 3.5 stars
Cover: 4 stars (It's a cute cover!)

Waiting on Wednesday (8)

A Touch Mortal by Leah Clifford
(Greenwillow Books/February 22, 2011)

Eden didn’t expect Az.

Not his saunter down the beach toward her. Not his unbelievable pick up line. Not the instant, undeniable connect ...more

Eden didn’t expect Az.

Not his saunter down the beach toward her. Not his unbelievable pick up line. Not the instant, undeniable connection. And not his wings.

Yeah.

So long happily-ever-after.

Now trapped between life and death, cursed to spread chaos with her every touch, Eden could be the key in the eternal struggle between heaven and hell. All because she gave her heart to one of the Fallen, an angel cast out of heaven.

She may lose everything she ever had. She may be betrayed by those she loves most. But Eden will not be a pawn in anyone else’s game. Her heart is her own.

And that’s only the beginning of the end.

Hmm, another book that deals with fallen angels & heaven/hell. Sounds really good though, doesn't it? The cover's font & title design reminds me a bit of the Soul Screamer series covers title font/design too.

Trailer Tuesday (6)

Here's the trailer for Infinite Days, which I reviewed a few days ago! I loved Infinite Days & would definitely recommend you check it out if you get the chance!

Looking for Fame: Lady Gaga by Paul Lester

Looking for Fame: The Life of a Pop Princess: Lady Gaga by Paul Lester

Release Date: September 1, 2010
Publisher: Omnibus Press
Pages: 192

I know this different than the books I normally review, but I am a fan of Lady Gaga so when I was offered this for review, I decided to try it.

Lady Gaga's style might be outrageous, but her music is catchy! And somehow, she's made her intense style work. But she wasn't always Lady Gaga--she first started as Stefani Germanotta.

This electrifying biography explores Stefani Germanotta's rapid rise to global stardom in the guise of the outrageous Lady Gaga. Hers has been a triumph achieved with the help of wild image-making, infectious pop hits and a teasing strand of ambiguous sexuality that has turned her into a gay icon. At heart it's the story of a unique self-made phenomenon - a Madonna for today. As an adoring fan of Freddie Mercury and David Bowie, Lady Gaga took the essence of 80s glam an reinvented it for the digital age. Commercially successful and critically accepted she shot from obscurity on Manhattan's club scene to worldwide fame in just a couple of years. This is the in-depth examination of her high-speed rise in the fame game, reported with a mix of admiration and sharp journalistic insight.

It was interesting to learn more about how Stefani became Lady Gaga. No story about one's ascension to fame has been without struggle and sacrifice, and Stefani's was no exception. Many have criticized Lady Gaga and her insane outfits, but no one can say that Lady Gaga hasn't become a huge pop icon today!

I thought this biography was pretty good; it wasn't too long, there are some color photos detailing Lady Gaga and some of her outfits. Looking for Fame seems to focus more on how Stefani actually became famous (ie getting discovered, people she met, recording sessions, etc) instead of focusing on what factors helped her shape her image of Lady Gaga. You'll definitely learn more about Lady Gaga reading this biography, but of course not every question you have will be answered! But that's one of the things that makes Lady Gaga so interesting, isn't it? She may make statements with her music, costumes and music videos, but there's still some room for your own interpretation too!

A general update

I know I didn't do In My Mailbox last week and I have to skip it again this week; I've been away for the past 2 weekends on business, so it's been rather crazy lately. I think everything should be cleared up by next weekend, so I'll have a HUGE In My Mailbox post!

But other than that, thanks to all the lovely people who have commented this week & I hope you all got something good in your mailboxes!!

P.S. My giveaway for Dust is still open if you're interested! 3 copies of Dust are up for grabs--please enter by 9/15!

Winners Update

Thank you to everyone who entered my 200+ Followers & Birthday Contest! And a HUGE thank you to everyone who filled out the survey! It was great getting feedback & suggestions!

Since there were so many survey submissions, I picked 3 winners from that pool. They have been emailed and I am currently waiting for their picks for prizes before the rest of the winners are chosen by random.

Thanks again & I'll post the rest of the winners soon!


P.S. Thanks also to all the lovely people who visited my blog on the last Book Blogger Hop--I will do my best to visit all of your blogs this weekend! School started up again and the work is already piling up! ahhh!

Emma and the Vampires by Jane Austen & Wayne Josephson

Emma and the Vampires by Jane Austen & Wayne Josephson

Release Date: August 1, 2010
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Pages: 304

What better place than pale England to hide a secret society of gentlemen vampires?

In this hilarious retelling of Jane Austen's Emma, screenwriter Wayne Josephson casts Mr. Knightley as one of the most handsome and noble of the gentlemen village vampires. Blithely unaware of their presence, Emma, who imagines she has a special gift for matchmaking, attempts to arrange the affairs of her social circle with delightfully disastrous results. But when her dear friend Harriet Smith declares her love for Mr. Knightley, Emma realizes she's the one who wants to stay up all night with him. Fortunately, Mr. Knightley has been hiding a secret deep within his unbeating heart-his (literal) undying love for her... A brilliant mash-up of Jane Austen and the undead.

Emma and the Vampires was my first mash-up novel. I hadn't really heard of very many of them until I was offered Emma and the Vampires for review. It was interesting, I think? I am not very sure about how I should feel about this book since it is the first of its genre I've read.
Emma and the Vampires basically seemed quite like the classic, except the men were vampires. I had thought it would be more of a new take on Jane Austen's classic (i.e. an interpretation of Emma but now with the supernatural element) but it seemed more like the original with a few vampires inserted. Or the author could have parodied Emma with the added supernatural element? I'm not really sure, but this book didn't feel entirely satisfying. It's a good idea, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if it had been a bit more original--an interpretation, rather than a retelling with two species swapped.


Summary courtesy of GoodReads

Waiting on Wednesday (7)

Entwined by Heather Dixon
(Greenwillow Books/March 29, 2011)

Azalea and her younger sisters dance in the mysterious silver forest every night, escaping from the sadness of the palace and their father’s grief. ...more

Azalea and her younger sisters dance in the mysterious silver forest every night, escaping from the sadness of the palace and their father’s grief. What they don’t understand—although as time passes they begin to get an inkling of the danger they are in—is that the mysterious and dashing Keeper is tightening his snare with deadly purpose. Luckily, Azalea is brave and steadfast. Luckily, a handsome young army captain also has his eye on Azalea. . . .

The first part almost sounds like the Twelve Dancing Princesses fairytale! Sounds really good in general and there's a touch of romance, which I am definitely a sucker for!

What are you waiting for this Wednesday?

Trailer Tuesday (5)

Crescendo will hit bookstores soon so here's a blast from the past: Hush, Hush's book trailer! Will there be a book trailer for Crescendo too?

Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel

Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel

Release Date: September 1, 2010
Publisher: St Martin's Griffin
Pages: 320

"I release you...
I release you, Lenah Beaudonte.
Believe...and be free."

For the first time in 592 years, Lenah could breathe, feel, and be human again. After centuries of being a vampire, Lenah had almost completely lost her humanity--she was constantly lusting for blood to ease the constant pain and inability to truly feel. But when her first love, Rhode, sacrifices himself so Lenah can be human again after her 100 year hibernation, Lenah must adjust to the 21st century and adjust to the fact that the coven she created to protect her is her enemy now. They have no idea that she is human again and with her betrayal, they will track her down for revenge.

For the time being, Lenah doesn't have to worry; it would seem that Rhode did a good job hiding her. She is tucked away at a boarding school, Wickham, and quickly befriends a fellow student, Tony. Weeks go by without incident and not a word from her coven.

As school starts, Lenah draws attention from plenty of the students with some of the glamor she still retains from her existence as a vampire, but one boy in particular catches her attention: Justin. Handsome and daring, Justin is the first human Lenah falls for, but Justin already has a girlfriend. But girlfriend or no, there is an undeniable attraction between Justin and Lenah. And soon one thing becomes clear to Lenah--she may be struggling to break the bonds of her vampire past, but there is only one thing she really wants: Justin.

Weeks pass and even as Lenah grows closer to Justin, she knows that time is running out before her past catches up to her. The question is, what will happen when it does?

Infinite Days was amazing!! I liked how Rebecca Maizel integrated stories of Lenah's past with the main plot! I enjoyed learning more about Lenah's vampire years through those short stories as well as watching how she tried to adjust to how society had changed during her 100 year slumber. Lenah definitely went through an interesting transformation! She was a powerful vampire that killed on a whim before she was changed back into human form. Once she was back in human form, she seemed so much more innocent since she was quite clueless to a lot of the cultural changes that had taken place! I'm glad Rebecca contrasted Lenah's new and old life throughout the book; made it very interesting in my opinion.

Infinite Days is a very enjoyable read that puts a bit of a different spin on vampires. I was afraid I was starting to burn out a bit with all these vampire novels that had been coming out lately, but the different perspectives on vampires in Infinite Days makes this novel stick out among all the others that feature fanged creatures! It's well written, interesting, and it hooked me in from page one! I am eagerly anticipating Rebecca's next novel!

Overall: 5 out of 5
Plot: 4 stars
Characters: 5 stars
Writing: 5 stars
Cover: 4.5 stars (the simple cover works nicely...and did I mention it's shiny?!)

Book Blogger Hop! (3)

Happy Friday, everyone!! Book Blogger Hop is a weekly event hosted by Jennifer at Crazy-for-Books! There are tons of other bloggers who participate, so check it out!

The question for this Friday:

Do you judge a book by its cover?

I can't say that I don't ever judge a book by its cover, but likewise, I don't always judge a book by its cover. While I can appreciate a good cover (and I do believe that a good cover can really help sell a book since many people are drawn to aesthetically pleasing, eye-catching and/or artistic covers) sometimes I'm not a fan of the covers for certain books I really enjoyed.

Sometimes simplicity with a subtle detail can go a long way, and a cover does not have to be flashy for it to be fantastic! (For instance, Matched by Ally Condie and Firelight by Sophie Jordan--simple, yet stunning!) In fact, when there's too much going on in a cover, it's not always a good thing--it's a fine line between an artistic sort of chaos and just and out right wreck!

Of course there are other covers that aren't so simple, but are still absolutely gorgeous! I love love love the covers for Halo by Alexandra Adornetto and Across the Universe by Beth Revis, they look amazing! Covers that make you wonder (i.e. Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick) are also favorites of mine.

All in all, I do sometimes judge a book by its cover, but not to the extent that I won't at least read the blurb if it's a book that seems to be about something I'm interested in. In my book, great covers that fit the book well get extra brownie points!

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On my blog this week:

Giveaways:

Enter for a chance to win one of three copies of the new zombie novel, Dust!


Reviews:

Matched by Ally Condie



Crusade by Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie

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I apologize if you commented & I did not get a chance to visit your blog last week--things suddenly got very busy and I was sadly interrupted before I got to visit all the blogs I wanted to. I'm already laden with homework, but I'll do my best to visit more blogs on the Hop this week!
Have a good weekend!

Matched by Ally Condie

Matched by Alie Condie

Release Date: November 30, 2010
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Pages: 384

In the Society everything is decided. Officials Match you to your ideal mate, pick your vocation, choose where you live and select when you die. Cassia has never known it any other way and when she's Matched with her childhood friend at her Match banquet, Xander, she couldn't be happier. The two families are happy at this stroke of luck--most people are Matched to people they do not know from far away provinces. Cassia knows her future will be secure, and giving up the freedom to make choices seems a small price to pay for a long life, the perfect mate, and a safe life.

But Cassia's view of the Society is about to be shaken when her grandfather gives her his artifact, an old compact, which has a secret compartment that holds a dangerous secret. Before his death, Cassia grandfather shows her the compartment and the paper which contains a poem. The poem is both special and dangerous; it is a poem Cassia's grandmother copied and hid away when she helped select the Hundred Poems that the society would keep. It was kept at great risk, and now Cassia owns it--but what will she do? What her Society would want her to do; report it or destroy it? Or what she has the sudden temptation to do; read it and let the poem take her where it will?

Cassia's faith is further shaken after her Match banquet. She accesses the card that contains information about her Match, Xander, but instead of Xander's face flashing on the screen, another face appears--Ky. Ky is another one of Cassia's classmates, but who could have made this mistake? Officials soon find Cassia and correct the card; her match is Xander, but it leaves doubts in Cassia's mind. Why was did Ky's face appear? Who is her real match supposed to be?

With the poem and Ky in mind, Cassia must make a choice--who should she follow? Society and all the rules that have been set for her? Or her own mind and heart, which urges her to question Society and all its rigid rules?

What I enjoyed most about Matched is the world Ally Condie has created. I definitely got the feel of how stifling and controlling the Society was! Ally creates a believable but gloomy future in Matched that really helps set the mood for the story. The control exerted over everyone and their choices reminded me of The Giver by Lois Lowry (another excellent dystopian novel, one of my favorites, I'd have to say).

Cassia's struggle, between passion and what Society wants, is believable and well written as well. However, as hard as I tried and as much as I wanted, I could not really connect to Ky and Cassia's romance. The chemistry and attraction between them was not as well spun as the rest of the story and I had a hard time truly accepting it.

Matched has received a lot of hype and I would have to say it has one of the best built worlds compared to all the other dystopian and post-apocalyptic novels out there right now. Despite this, I feel that Matched fell short of my expectations on several counts. As I mentioned above, the budding romance between Ky and Cassia was really hard to connect to (and this story depends heavily on said romance) and in addition to that, the story seemed to drag at points. It seemed as if Ky and Cassia weren't doing much; they were not really trying to change things. Granted, Society is a highly monitored and controlled environment, but I had hoped they would take more steps towards breaking free of the chains Society has put on them. I am sure that more of this will take place in the next novel in Ms. Condie's series, since the pace sped up considerably near the end of Matched and it was definitely building up to something. I enjoyed reading Matched and am definitely looking forward to the next novel!

Overall: 4 out of 5
Plot: 3.75 stars
Characters: 4 stars
Writing: 4.25 stars
Cover: 5 stars

Unraveled scavenger hunt!

Gena Showalter’s YA series, Intertwined, about sixteen-year-old Aden Stone, a paranormal magnet who has, well had, four souls trapped in his head, continues this fall with the release of UNRAVELED (Harlequin, September 2010). Now, Aden is down to three souls bossing him around, but along the way he’s picked up the title of Vampire King to add to his ever-growing list of worries (which includes a prophecy that says he’ll bite the dust after a knife through the heart). To celebrate UNRAVELED’s release, Gena and her YA buds are hosting a scavenger hunt on their blogs.

The all-star lineup of hunt participants includes authors Rachel Caine, PC Cast, Marley Gibson, Rosemary Clement-Moore and Tina Ferraro, as well as Gena, natch, and The Knight Agency blog.

Three grand prize winners will each win a $100 Visa gift card, plus Gena's giving away signed copies of UNRAVELED to five lucky runner-ups. All you have to do is find all eight letters, unscramble them and email the word to Contests(AT)KnightAgency.net.

To find out where the letters are hiding in the great internet universe, click here for a contest road map and rules.

This contest runs from Monday, August 30^th to Thursday, September 2^nd. All entries must be received by Monday, September 6^th at midnight ET.

Trailer for Halo by Alexandra Adornetto!

Reposting the book trailer for Halo by Alexandra Adornetto to celebrate it's release! Halo hit bookstores yesterday--be sure to get your copy of this amazing book today!





& Check out my interview with Alexandra here!

Waiting on Wednesday (6)

Clarity by Kim Harrington
(Point/February 8, 2011)

Clarity "Clare" Fern sees things. Things no one else can see. Things like stolen kisses and long-buried secrets. All she has to do is touch ...more

Clarity "Clare" Fern sees things. Things no one else can see. Things like stolen kisses and long-buried secrets. All she has to do is touch an object and the visions come to her. It's a gift.

And a curse.

When a teenage girl is found murdered, Clare's ex-boyfriend wants her to help solve the case — but Clare is still furious at the cheating jerk. Then Clare's brother — who has supernatural gifts of his own — becomes the prime suspect, and Clare can no longer look away. Teaming up with Gabriel, the smoldering son of the new detective, Clare must venture into the depths of fear, revenge, and lust in order to track the killer. But will her sight fail her just when she needs it most?

Sounds a bit like a Lois Duncan book, especially The Third Eye, but the main character's power is a bit different. Yet another amazing cover! I love the light effects they added!