tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7479409149767884602024-03-14T10:49:47.036-04:00The Book VaultA YA book blog with reviews, giveaways, interviews & more!Dominiquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17335069971168438534noreply@blogger.comBlogger348125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-747940914976788460.post-68783104393995072532015-10-21T09:18:00.000-04:002015-10-22T00:09:01.817-04:00Waiting on Wednesday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlcH6mG0MkIAfysbI3vBy9poFyRBjkxLuaiwR8HuSjmThyphenhyphenViahA12E7JlqDuQ61C1PrH3xYuTNpD2Enpl3wIzzNkaKwWMeuAWeKGCeWBVljXaW8CosuJe3ng91PR5qog7PRLO3r-IocrOK/s1600/Tell+the+Wind+and+Fire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlcH6mG0MkIAfysbI3vBy9poFyRBjkxLuaiwR8HuSjmThyphenhyphenViahA12E7JlqDuQ61C1PrH3xYuTNpD2Enpl3wIzzNkaKwWMeuAWeKGCeWBVljXaW8CosuJe3ng91PR5qog7PRLO3r-IocrOK/s400/Tell+the+Wind+and+Fire.jpg" width="263" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; line-height: 22.88px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Tell the Wind and Fire</i></b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>by </span></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; line-height: 22.88px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Sarah Rees Brennan</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;">(</span><span style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;">Clarion Books/</span></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;">April 5th 2016)</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.32px;">Tell the Wind & Fire is about a young girl called Lucie who lives in a New York very different from the New York we know: the city is torn between two very different kinds of magic, and Lucie’s own family was torn apart years ago by that conflict. Lucie wears magic rings and carries a burden of guilt she can’t share with anyone.</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent;"> </span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19.32px;">The light in her life is her sweetheart boyfriend Ethan, but it turns out Ethan has a secret too: a soulless doppelganger created by dark magic, who has to conceal the face identical to Ethan’s with a hood fastened by a collar nobody but a Light magician with magical rings can take off… and who introduces himself to both of them by, for reasons nobody can understand, saving Ethan’s life…</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Let me know in the comments what you're waiting on this Wednesday! :) </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by </span><a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/" style="color: #3366cc; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #3366cc;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Breaking the Spine</span></span></a></span></div>
Dominiquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17335069971168438534noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-747940914976788460.post-34251796221824406402015-10-14T17:30:00.000-04:002015-10-17T10:56:16.533-04:00Spooktacular Giveaway Hop<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Welcome to The Book Vault's hop stop for the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop hosted by I am a Reader!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.iamareader.com/2015/08/spooktacular-giveaway-hop-2015-sign-ups.html" target="_blank"><img alt="http://www.iamareader.com/2015/08/spooktacular-giveaway-hop-2015-sign-ups.html" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQZgW3psMM8SMpoC0gMs0BjWlKE9jUcrPZK6sUURGSHaqhSiIRtzwbdO00zIBYjOU2sJHOkCqPC5sSBVXUimhNWI5VPy91XPBmXDbU5qTyX4x3snRnqUXUEHYgCI25x90Rh1ZT3T9EY6cD/s320/Spooktacular2013.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It's almost Halloween so I'll be giving away a book featuring magic, witches and mystery! I'm also throwing in 2 cute sheets of Halloween-themed stickers :)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ6h-tjjCu0PW5-kQNwbyLvb1KUaVB8_5vLA3hvaMpVzI4XZI2EAGhoaDtTrvnH4iinuLaLcy_hI5g5iHah6FtKPB9Wdg9wTEZ1fHkldk1hXVIH_j-4oC38JFE8gwecuE-7DmqypHrtWjD/s1600/DSC_0228-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ6h-tjjCu0PW5-kQNwbyLvb1KUaVB8_5vLA3hvaMpVzI4XZI2EAGhoaDtTrvnH4iinuLaLcy_hI5g5iHah6FtKPB9Wdg9wTEZ1fHkldk1hXVIH_j-4oC38JFE8gwecuE-7DmqypHrtWjD/s320/DSC_0228-001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Here's the synopsis:</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span id="freeText8307108846227729769">Like most Manhattanites,
aspiring artist Tate can't resist a good rental deal-even if it's in
the city's strangest neighborhood, Golgotham, where for centuries
werewolves, centaurs, and countless other creatures have roamed the
streets.<br /><br />Her new landlord is a sorcerer name Hexe, who is
determined to build his reputation without using dark, left-hand magic.
As Tate is drawn into Hexe's fascinating world, they both find that the
right hand does not always know what the left hand is doing-and avoiding
darkness is no easy trick...</span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">To enter, simply use the Rafflecopter! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(Open to US mailing addresses only)</span></div>
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<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="776e68b08" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/776e68b08/" id="rcwidget_pdu4v3bx" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Don't forget to stop by the other blogs that are part of this giveaway hop! Check them all out <a href="http://www.iamareader.com/2015/08/spooktacular-giveaway-hop-2015-sign-ups.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>!</span><br />
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Dominiquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17335069971168438534noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-747940914976788460.post-21575053841963111962015-10-14T09:15:00.000-04:002015-10-14T09:15:00.030-04:00Waiting on Wednesday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_zzktY0N0UWLCL8slvuFW3vDZUduAJlQAPJvphPWIIlpLBNvMPoVRKybzbmWme0eAh0g-6D-nl0mll-S6Mqrz1RywuHp-xylr-COftImtHbsc5Q4WgBgo3Z_sf71jsQrp8SaGVhkUoGvt/s1600/Dark+Days+Club.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_zzktY0N0UWLCL8slvuFW3vDZUduAJlQAPJvphPWIIlpLBNvMPoVRKybzbmWme0eAh0g-6D-nl0mll-S6Mqrz1RywuHp-xylr-COftImtHbsc5Q4WgBgo3Z_sf71jsQrp8SaGVhkUoGvt/s400/Dark+Days+Club.jpg" width="255" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; line-height: 22.88px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>The Dark Days Club</i></b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>by </span></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; line-height: 22.88px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Alison Goodman</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;">(</span><span style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;">Viking Books for Young Readers/January</span></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;"> 26, 2016)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.32px;">London, April 1812. On the eve of eighteen-year-old Lady Helen Wrexhall’s presentation to the queen, one of her family’s housemaids disappears-and Helen is drawn into the shadows of Regency London. There, she meets Lord Carlston, one of the few who can stop the perpetrators: a cabal of demons infiltrating every level of society. Dare she ask for his help, when his reputation is almost as black as his lingering eyes? And will her intelligence and headstrong curiosity wind up leading them into a death trap?</span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Let me know in the comments what you're waiting on this Wednesday! :) </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by </span><a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/" style="color: #3366cc; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #3366cc;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Breaking the Spine</span></span></a></span></div>
Dominiquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17335069971168438534noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-747940914976788460.post-26067148630261541072015-10-09T08:05:00.000-04:002015-10-09T21:19:33.200-04:00Feature & Follow Friday (9)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.alisoncanread.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="http://www.alisoncanread.com/" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF_BZesww7m_dfeRBvOlQ1-jiLf4dP8mkwQMnonGTbCE7VqWQuBRJPVSc79iyghd2mxDdW1KNOpZurWdUKUv61w2pVTGHONNQ6UUeRZP3x3MONIxQNhrU6fS-KltWDO3RWZH0S95BA-Iaw/s1600/8474595901_873f4993f4_n.jpg" /></a></div>
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<br /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Follow Friday is a weekly feature hosted by<span style="font-size: 100%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 100%;"><a href="http://www.parajunkee.com/" target="_blank">Parajunkee's View</a> & <a href="http://www.alisoncanread.com/" target="_blank">Alison Can Read</a>! It's a great opportunity to meet new bloggers and connect with fellow book lovers!!</span></span></center>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Question of the Week: Name a book you hated</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I'm not sure there are any books I hate, but there have been a few that were dull that I did not finish and there were a few that I thought had rather miserable writing. A few DNF's included<i>:</i></span></center>
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>The Girls of No Return</i> (felt quite slow and I was having trouble getting into it)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Eragon</i> (I know, I know, I might be the only one out there for this one! I just didn't really like the writing and felt there were too many similarities in names and plot points to other works of fiction), </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Crossed</i> (the sequel to <i>Matched</i>; the romance and chemistry didn't really feel real between the characters and I think it just fell flat for me in general). </span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I also read an excerpt from <i>50 Shades of Gray</i> that was posted but wasn't interested in reading the novel in full since the writing was so bad :( </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I feel like I have a lot of unpopular choices here, but to each their own! Life is short--read whatever books you enjoy! </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Any books you really don't like or just couldn't finish? Tell or link me to your post in the comments below, and let me know if you follow me so I can follow you back!</span></b><br />
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Dominiquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17335069971168438534noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-747940914976788460.post-78024078866869499962015-10-07T09:15:00.000-04:002015-10-07T09:15:00.050-04:00Waiting on Wednesday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix_hDbxhCFCurDKIzKMwKf-gCVfU0BX_lE1NP7uW-PZ4_NaCWIO7QwkFKXFhO8sIlQfxkyOsKUTrbRrYd9NUUl0KUDPfu3R_sNz5Kj4ClBe1rk75f-zuPXAHGmdfhDAUmODkMLNqLIdEmj/s1600/Riders.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix_hDbxhCFCurDKIzKMwKf-gCVfU0BX_lE1NP7uW-PZ4_NaCWIO7QwkFKXFhO8sIlQfxkyOsKUTrbRrYd9NUUl0KUDPfu3R_sNz5Kj4ClBe1rk75f-zuPXAHGmdfhDAUmODkMLNqLIdEmj/s400/Riders.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Riders </span>by </span></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; line-height: 22.88px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Veronica Rossi</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;">(</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tor Teen/</span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;">February 16, 2016)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px; text-align: left;">For eighteen-year-old Gideon Blake, nothing but death can keep him from achieving his goal of becoming a U.S. Army Ranger. As it turns out, it does.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px; text-align: left;">Recovering from the accident that most definitely killed him, Gideon finds himself with strange new powers and a bizarre cuff he can’t remove. His death has brought to life his real destiny. He has become War, one of the legendary four horsemen of the apocalypse.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px; text-align: left;">Over the coming weeks, he and the other horsemen—Conquest, Famine and Death—are brought together by a beautiful but frustratingly secretive girl to help save humanity from an ancient evil on the emergence.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px; text-align: left;">They fail.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px; text-align: left;">Now—bound, bloodied, and drugged—Gideon is interrogated by the authorities about his role in a battle that has become an international incident. If he stands any chance of saving his friends and the girl he’s fallen for—not to mention all of humankind—he needs to convince the skeptical government officials the world is in imminent danger.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px; text-align: left;">But will anyone believe him?</span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The myth of 4 Horsemen has always had interesting stories and interpretations of it crop up! I really <i>really</i> hope this is good!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Let me know in the comments what you're waiting on this Wednesday! :) </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by </span><a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/" style="color: #3366cc; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #3366cc;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Breaking the Spine</span></span></a></span></div>
Dominiquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17335069971168438534noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-747940914976788460.post-33431359400940350812015-10-02T02:14:00.001-04:002015-10-02T02:25:40.922-04:00Feature & Follow Friday (8)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Follow Friday is a weekly feature hosted by<span style="font-size: 100%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 100%;"><a href="http://www.parajunkee.com/" target="_blank">Parajunkee's View</a> & <a href="http://www.alisoncanread.com/" target="_blank">Alison Can Read</a>! It's a great opportunity to meet new bloggers and connect with fellow book lovers!!</span></span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Question of the Week:
Pick three book characters... Kiss? Marry? Kill?</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> If I had to pick 3 characters from the series, I think I'd go with characters from the Kiesha'ra series by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes (<i>Hawksong, Snakecharm</i>, etc.):</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u><i>Kiss:</i></u> Nicias--he goes through plenty of struggles but has a strong spirit that endures despite his trials. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><u>Marry:</u> </i>Zane--he's a visionary who's not afraid to work and make sacrifices for peace. Although he had many challenges to face, he also developed a beautiful romance with the strong leading lady who later becomes his wife--Danica. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><u>Kill:</u> </i>Probably one of the falcons/falcon rulers since they've done some pretty cruel things and ruined plenty of lives. They may have tried to justify those actions, but I think their power corrupted them! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Hawksong</i> is one of my favorite YA books and I'd strongly suggest checking it out (+ the series)! Amelia Atwater-Rhodes paints a rich world in the series and her characters are strong. The romance between Zane and Danica is likely one of my favorites in YA lit as well--it feels realistic and wholesome, unlike some of the more superficial ones in recent YA books. </span></center>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Which 3 literary characters would you chose to kiss, marry or kill? Tell or link me to your post in the comments below, and let me know if you follow me so I can follow you back!</span></b><br />
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Dominiquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17335069971168438534noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-747940914976788460.post-40037258305244025892015-09-30T09:12:00.000-04:002015-09-30T09:54:54.807-04:00Waiting on Wednesday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT6WRMsKN1XoI5SDkiuF023XTREqEy9-DedQjUUiXqvn2f-QpeI83dsm88Y_xdoKKoQBdoe2uqvYCEy9xHJwDEsqxfMvDlh7_g3X4hKO5v4BBD9NQfkndJs-sLx6fbX8A62dR4LOmeEVAk/s1600/Illuminae.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT6WRMsKN1XoI5SDkiuF023XTREqEy9-DedQjUUiXqvn2f-QpeI83dsm88Y_xdoKKoQBdoe2uqvYCEy9xHJwDEsqxfMvDlh7_g3X4hKO5v4BBD9NQfkndJs-sLx6fbX8A62dR4LOmeEVAk/s400/Illuminae.jpg" width="263" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; line-height: 22.88px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Illuminae</i></b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>by </span></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; line-height: 22.88px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Amie Kaufman and </b></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; line-height: 22.88px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Jay Kristoff</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;">(</span><span style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;">Knopf Books for Young Readers/October</span></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;"> 20, 2015)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.32px;">This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do.</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent;"> </span>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.32px;">This afternoon, her planet was invaded.</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent;"> </span>
<P><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.32px;">The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent;"> </span>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.32px;">But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again.</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent;"> </span>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.32px;">Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.</span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">This sounds excellent--and the format sounds quite intriguing too!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Let me know in the comments what you're waiting on this Wednesday! :) </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by </span><a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/" style="color: #3366cc; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #3366cc;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Breaking the Spine</span></span></a></span></div>
Dominiquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17335069971168438534noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-747940914976788460.post-7555311778589235942015-09-28T09:30:00.000-04:002015-09-29T09:48:59.183-04:00City of Halves by Lucy Inglis<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh57yFTzsdrSg7s6pk4pVwySOo6TlKwW76n2bK5noJg91GghjgUKkiIGmRkTHLaRhzoE8xXuzhSc4qcKOiHVoFcu47CwQosfqu8Vsbw4WopppU60a1JU9mTReMMYS-R4z7fWQUjE0cipzKS/s1600/City+of+Halves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh57yFTzsdrSg7s6pk4pVwySOo6TlKwW76n2bK5noJg91GghjgUKkiIGmRkTHLaRhzoE8xXuzhSc4qcKOiHVoFcu47CwQosfqu8Vsbw4WopppU60a1JU9mTReMMYS-R4z7fWQUjE0cipzKS/s320/City+of+Halves.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;"><b>Release Date:</b> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;">October 27th 2015</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;"><b>Publisher: </b>Chicken House</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;"><b>Pages:</b> 352</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;"><b>Source:</b> Copy provided by publisher for review</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span style="color: #181818; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">Ancient myth collides with modern technology in this gripping urban fantasy.</span></i></span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #181818; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;"><br /></span></i><br />
<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #181818; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">London. Present day. Girls are disappearing. And strange things are roaming the streets. </span></i><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #181818; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">When sixteen-year-old Lily is attacked by a two-headed dog, she's saved by hot, tattooed, and not-quite-human Regan. As Guardian of the Gates, it's his job to protect both halves of the City--new and old--from restless creatures that threaten its very existence. But an influx of these mythological beasts has Regan worried that something terrible--and immense--is about to happen.</span></i><br />
<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #181818; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;"><br /></span></i><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #181818; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">T</span></i><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #181818; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">he missing girls may have something to do with the monsters wandering around London, but what do they have in common? Can Lily and Regan find the girls and discover the truth in time to save London from being torn apart?</span></i></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><i style="font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">City of Halves</i><span style="font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;"> presents an interesting premise and the wall and gates remind me a bit of</span><i style="font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;"> Stardust</i><span style="font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">. In this novel, there is a side of London that often goes unnoticed by most folks, but what a side it is! Creatures from myths and fantasy roam around--and more than a few cause trouble. Being a big fan of mythology and folklore, I was intrigued by this idea, but was also admittedly a bit worried after reading the synopsis that Lily would just play a damsel in distress after discovering this secret side of London. Thankfully it wasn't so! </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">Although Lily needed saving several times (and occasionally I wish she had thought things through before charging in rather blindly!), she wasn't afraid of action. I appreciated her curiosity</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;"> and willingness to get answers and to help! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">I have to remark, however, that for someone who's been guarding the city and its gates in secrecy, Regan gives his secrets up very easily! After saving Lily, it takes only a little bit of prying on her part before Regan begins letting her in on London's mysteries. Even more surprising is how quickly he let Lily tag along and help! Given the importance of his work, his long tenure with the job, and the lengths he and his colleagues go to protect the city from the elements of the 'other half,' I expected Regan to act with a bit more caution.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">Early on, there's a lot of lengthy explanations. While I understand that the scene must be set, I think it would have been more exciting if the information was discovered in different ways--maybe a few more hands-on experiences, discovering things from old folklore books and the like. The first encounter Lily and readers get with the paranormal side of London is through an action-packed scene. It drew me in and had me curious about what other secrets London may be hiding, but a great deal of this information ended up being presented via spoken explanations by Regan, </span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">which I felt was a bit of a come down after all that action! Thankfully there were quite a few more action scenes later on in the book, but I found a few of them a bit hard to follow; </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">a few more details would have made it easier to picture these scenes with more clarity. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">The idea of having a secret side of London that's filled with mythological creatures is fascinating to me. However, I feel that a there are perhaps <i>too</i> many characters introduced in <i>City of Halves</i>. There is certainly an abundance and variety of creatures and characters, but few are given enough screen time for us to get to know them. I, for one, am disappointed in this as I'm sure many of them have fascinating back stories and could enrich the story (and world) further! </span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">Some characters, both human and paranormal, feel like throwaways and others, despite their importance to the story, feel undeveloped. Lily's father and her friend Sam seemed flat--the latter felt like she was just introduced as an afterthought. Additionally, although Regan is portrayed as a very private person, I was definitely hoping to learn a more about his back story. If there's a sequel, I hope we'll get a bigger glimpse into his and his family's past!</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">Overall, I enjoyed reading </span><i style="font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">City of Halves</i><span style="font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">. Although the writing was uneven at times and some of the characters could have been fleshed out more, the plot and world were both very interesting. I was turning pages late into the night to see what would happen next! </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;"><b><u>Overall</u><i>:</i></b> 3.75 out of 5</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;"><b>Plot: </b>4 stars</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;"><b>Characters: </b>3.25 stars</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;"><b>Writing:</b> 3.25 stars</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;"><b>Cover: </b>3.5 stars </span></span>Dominiquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17335069971168438534noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-747940914976788460.post-80416654749237156412015-09-24T09:00:00.000-04:002015-09-24T14:54:25.306-04:00Jubilee Manor by Bethany Hagen <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1V1ng52Te3cI0JIkUqSW7m8VOqLh-OhYFA3mOeRfQH96-3ivT-kZToL47FQ2W6iQp7DRc2s0blWOKih0Na-9tIAY6Ok-gL2h-PTh_7ewR9Le6qniIQaz4YUNuu_7UypeRmWo-xQQecjEQ/s1600/Jubilee+Manor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1V1ng52Te3cI0JIkUqSW7m8VOqLh-OhYFA3mOeRfQH96-3ivT-kZToL47FQ2W6iQp7DRc2s0blWOKih0Na-9tIAY6Ok-gL2h-PTh_7ewR9Le6qniIQaz4YUNuu_7UypeRmWo-xQQecjEQ/s320/Jubilee+Manor.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;"><b>Release Date: </b>August 11, 2015</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;"><b>Publisher:</b> Dial Books</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;"><b>Pages:</b> 400</span></span></span><br />
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<strong style="color: #181818; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The thrilling conclusion to Landry Park is full of love, betrayal, and murder--perfect for fans of Divergent, The Selection, and Pride and Prejudice. </span></i></strong>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #181818; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">In </span><span style="color: #181818; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">Landry Park</span><span style="color: #181818; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">, Madeline turned her back on her elite family, friends, and estate to help the Rootless. Now, in </span><span style="color: #181818; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">Jubilee Manor</span><span style="color: #181818; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">, she struggles to bring the Gentry and the Rootless together. But when Gentry heirs—Madeline’s old friends—are murdered, even she begins to think a Rootless is behind it, putting her at odds with the boy she loves and the very people she is trying to lead. If she can’t figure out who is killing her friends and bring them to justice, a violent war will erupt and even more will die—and Madeline’s name, her estate, and all the bonds she’s forged won’t make any difference.</span></span></i></blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;">I have rather mixed feelings on this novel--the dystopian world is built with ample detail, the prose is good, and the idea is interesting, but I found myself as not emotionally invested in the characters as I thought I would be and thought the intensity of the novel did not really build.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;">Bethany Hagen paints a dystopian future that is overflowing for some and bleak for the rest. The divide between the haves and the have-nots is huge and Madeline's efforts to reconcile the two groups are exacerbated when several gentry teens are murdered. With such an exciting premise and so much going on, I had expected the pace to be a tad faster. I wouldn't say the novel dragged, but there were several points where not much was going on. The attention on the two main plot points--peace between the groups and solving the murders--did not feel balanced, but leaned more towards the efforts to broker peace between the gentry and the Rootless. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;">While I understand that trying to establish a treaty between two factions that have existed for so long and inspired such hostile feelings is no easy feat, I</span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;"> would have liked to see more attention given to solving the mystery of the murders. It felt like solving them (or at least the effort put into it) was put on the back-burner until a sudden burst of activity and drive to solve it at the very end of the novel. Undoubtedly the end of a novel is where the big climax and reveal is and should be, but I felt as if the suspense in </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;">Jubilee Manor</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;"> did not really build very much. It seemed to have spiked during the first third of the novel then plateaued, the murders hanging like an ominous cloud over the characters, until the big push at the end to solve them. The urgency of the gentry and Rootless situation was built up, in my opinion, better than that of the murder mystery.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;">Pacing aside, I must say I thought the character development, especially in Madeline, was good! Miss Landry may have her flaws, but I'm glad she grew as this series progressed and gained some perspective. The latter made her a stronger character and made made her grow on me. There was a part in the novel where she remarked that there is some beauty in certain aspects of the gentry lifestyle but also </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;">acknowledged the sheer opulence of it. Her being able to recognize both and see things in not just a black-and-white fashion made me appreciate her more as a character.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;">I know quite a few readers have been swooning over Madeline and David's romance but I felt that it was not that exciting. More than anything, the pair seemed to stare into each other's eyes, share a few kisses and tell each other how much they loved each other. </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;">A lot of their romance in this book seemed to be just statements of the fact and multiple mentions of how good David's lean figure looked by Madeline. Given what they've been through together I would have expected her to extol more of his other virtues, not just his trim hips! An old phrase I heard in many English classes, "show, don't tell," came to mind when I was reading <i>Jubilee Manor</i>; I felt that perhaps a few more subtle and varied details about the moments between the two would have made the romance seem much more natural and swoon-worthy to me. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;">Although I had a few qualms about certain aspects of the novel, I enjoyed the overall writing style of the author. It was fluid and graceful, just as I imagine Madeline would be in one of her gowns!</span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;"> I feel that the author, Bethany Hagen, painted an accurate picture of how our society would act if the world and social classes of her novels were real. The sense of entitlement many of the wealthy and privileged</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;"> feel and the parties and actions they take in the novel reflects the actions and sentiments of more than just a few of the wealthy public figures of our own world. Overall, I think fans of <i>Landry Park</i> will enjoy <i>Jubilee Manor</i> and appreciate Madeline's growth and how neatly things are tied up in the conclusion.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;"><b><u>Overall</u><i>:</i></b> 3.5 out of 5</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, serif; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;" /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;"><b>Plot: </b>3.75 stars</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, serif; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;" /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;"><b>Characters: </b>3<b> </b>stars</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, serif; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;" /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;"><b>Writing:</b> 4 stars</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, serif; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;" /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;"><b>Cover: </b>4 stars </span></span>Dominiquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17335069971168438534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-747940914976788460.post-90194660241746429732015-09-23T09:15:00.000-04:002015-09-23T23:34:05.090-04:00Waiting on Wednesday <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Soundless </span>by </span></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; line-height: 22.88px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Richelle Mead </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;">(</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Razorbill/November</span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 22.88px;"> 10, 2015)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px; text-align: left;">From Richelle Mead, the #1 internationally bestselling author of Vampire Academy and Bloodlines, comes a breathtaking new fantasy steeped in Chinese folklore. </span></i></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px; text-align: left;" /></i></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px; text-align: left;">For as long as Fei can remember, there has been no sound in her village, where rocky terrain and frequent avalanches prevent residents from self-sustaining. Fei and her people are at the mercy of a zipline that carries food up the treacherous cliffs from Beiguo, a mysterious faraway kingdom. </span></i></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px; text-align: left;" /></i></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px; text-align: left;">When villagers begin to lose their sight, deliveries from the zipline shrink and many go hungry. Fei’s home, the people she loves, and her entire existence is plunged into crisis, under threat of darkness and starvation.</span></i></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px; text-align: left;" /></i></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px; text-align: left;">But soon Fei is awoken in the night by a searing noise, and sound becomes her weapon.</span></i></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px; text-align: left;" /></i></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px; text-align: left;">Richelle Mead takes readers on a triumphant journey from the peak of Fei’s jagged mountain village to the valley of Beiugo, where a startling truth and an unlikely romance will change her life forever...</span></i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Doesn't this sound amazing??! I'm especially excited to read something with some Chinese folklore background; I'm a huge fan of Greek and Roman mythology and have also read a few books with ties to other cultures' myths and legends but haven't read much lately with a Chinese mythology background!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Let me know in the comments what you're waiting on this Wednesday! :) </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by </span><a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/" style="color: #3366cc; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #3366cc;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Breaking the Spine</span></span></a></span></div>
Dominiquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17335069971168438534noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-747940914976788460.post-10630032144406162982015-09-20T13:45:00.000-04:002015-09-23T14:52:39.603-04:00This is Not a Drill by Beck McDowell <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCNtQuslz5puLW3K60HBjzzHGB7IlZLh6s6SRH6v0AqaSH9WdHwKimeaaDigBjs55HRDlxjIHVbKCSVvb4mibFn1yQTwokueW0OqsUYFo_76MlQ4Guw4m9umeD3vJZHwomu1QV63hQtnNf/s1600/This+is+not+a+drill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCNtQuslz5puLW3K60HBjzzHGB7IlZLh6s6SRH6v0AqaSH9WdHwKimeaaDigBjs55HRDlxjIHVbKCSVvb4mibFn1yQTwokueW0OqsUYFo_76MlQ4Guw4m9umeD3vJZHwomu1QV63hQtnNf/s320/This+is+not+a+drill.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Release Date:</b> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">October 25th 2012</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Publisher: </b>Nancy Paulsen Books</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Pages:</b> 224</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Source:</b> Copy provided by publisher for review</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Two teens try to save a class of first-graders from a gun-wielding soldier suffering from PTSD </i></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>When high school seniors Emery and Jake are taken hostage in the classroom where they tutor, they must work together to calm both the terrified children and the gunman threatening them--a task made even more difficult by their recent break-up. Brian Stutts, a soldier suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in Iraq, uses deadly force when he's denied access to his son because of a custody battle. The children's fate is in the hands of the two teens, each recovering from great loss, who now must reestablish trust in a relationship damaged by betrayal. Told through Emery and Jake's alternating viewpoints, this gripping novel features characters teens will identify with and explores the often-hidden damages of war.</i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Don't let the 224 page count fool you--<i>This is Not a Drill</i> is a roller coaster ride! The overall pacing is brisk and the characters are well fleshed out. As the story progresses, you get to know Emery and Jake better; their reasons for working with the first-graders, where the friction between them originated, and peeks into their own childhood and upbringing. Additionally, I'm glad Brian Stutts' character is also developed, instead of leaving him as a flat, gun-totting villain--a.k.a. essentially just a plot device. I think this character building really helped sell the story for me; it made the situation more realistic and helped me understand why each character acted the way he/she did and where they were coming from. While I enjoyed learning more about the characters, I'm really glad the author kept the story's momentum going and did not sacrifice good pacing for too much backstory. The pacing was a tad slow at points, but was quite good overall. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm sure we've all read books where the author does a fantastic job at world building and initially sets an excellent pace, but unfortunately</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> the pace begins to slow when the story goes on winding tangents or is weighed down by overly-long back stories that include details that do nothing to enhance the characters.</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Overall, I think author Beck McDowell does a good job creating an tense atmosphere and making the story realistic. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If it had been too over-the-top, I don't think it would as an intense of a read for me. </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There's been a lot of violence in the news lately and several school shootings have rocked the nation in recent history. An armed individual entering a school is not doubt one of the worst fears a parent could have--I just hope that such violence and events like this become just stories in fiction in the very near future.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>Overall</u><i>:</i></b> 4 out of 5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Plot: </b>4 stars</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Characters: </b>4 stars</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Writing:</b> 4.25 stars</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Cover: </b>3 stars </span>Dominiquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17335069971168438534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-747940914976788460.post-7609809431305415882015-09-19T10:35:00.000-04:002015-09-19T10:35:00.101-04:00Back in Action!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hello All,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />I know it’s been a while and I hope everyone’s been enjoying plenty of books!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just before the summer of 2013, I decided to travel and work abroad so I could see more of the world. It was a rather unexpected and a bit of a last-minute decision, as I thought I would just continue with school. I had brought books along with me to read and review, but moving, adjusting to a new place and culture, and attempting to learn at least the basics of a new language—not to mention work itself!—kept me so busy that 2 years flew by before I knew it! It was a very eye-opening adventure that I am grateful for! I’m back stateside now, still learning, but this time through school and work. I’m hoping to pick up where I left off and to dive right back into keeping up with the latest literary offerings! </span><br />
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Although I am just as enthusiastic about reading and posting reviews, I have to acknowledge that I don’t think I’ll be able to post quite as many reviews as I did before, given the fact that I’ve been gone for some time and need to make up some ground in my studies. However, just as before, I welcome review requests, recommendations, and good conversations about books! You can reach me at my new email here: <b>dominiquebookvault@gmail.com</b> or, as always, in the comments section!</span><br />
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x Dominique</span><br />
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Dominiquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17335069971168438534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-747940914976788460.post-91354491455620117692013-04-24T00:01:00.000-04:002013-04-24T00:01:01.476-04:00Waiting on Wednesday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbgRKe79jza-SAZKwH7WUu3i7dWFOJ5QlXuwXf4Sl54qma2qbBjYwybAirvpYHafOJYdeXjhyphenhyphenX6cWqAOiZGRe4ErSdce0c5ifCT_VrJM1prUrKelJKKudD8ZFebM4u5uBd8WPHIMwLCte0/s1600/These+Broken+Stars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbgRKe79jza-SAZKwH7WUu3i7dWFOJ5QlXuwXf4Sl54qma2qbBjYwybAirvpYHafOJYdeXjhyphenhyphenX6cWqAOiZGRe4ErSdce0c5ifCT_VrJM1prUrKelJKKudD8ZFebM4u5uBd8WPHIMwLCte0/s400/These+Broken+Stars.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">These Broken Stars </span>by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Hyperion/December 10, 2013)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText1596105650761894625"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>It's a night like any other on board the Icarus. Then, catastrophe strikes: the massive luxury spaceliner is yanked out of hyperspace and plummets into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive. And they seem to be alone. <br /><br />Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a young war hero who learned long ago that girls like Lilac are more trouble than they’re worth. But with only each other to rely on, Lilac and Tarver must work together, making a tortuous journey across the eerie, deserted terrain to seek help. <br /><br />Then, against all odds, Lilac and Tarver find a strange blessing in the tragedy that has thrown them into each other’s arms. Without the hope of a future together in their own world, they begin to wonder—would they be better off staying here forever?<br /><br />Everything changes when they uncover the truth behind the chilling whispers that haunt their every step. Lilac and Tarver may find a way off this planet. But they won’t be the same people who landed on it.<br /><br />The first in a sweeping science fiction trilogy, These Broken Stars is a timeless love story about hope and survival in the face of unthinkable odds.</em></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">What are <em>you</em> waiting on this Wednesday?</span></div>
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Dominiquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17335069971168438534noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-747940914976788460.post-36571026428989221942013-04-17T00:38:00.000-04:002015-09-23T14:35:46.750-04:00Waiting on Wednesday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFpLlMjVQRWy1iLrN92g3aWjCb43yHZUTte1wOUGUHcskaOwRlIPACPlFjeCFHmTunZgOSPbYzVx5s79ztnBx102prRiv7yP8yivOT4Q9k4pPeCEJCethm6Iv8aADSCckkEu_sEEYCvfkr/s1600/All+Our+Yesterdays.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFpLlMjVQRWy1iLrN92g3aWjCb43yHZUTte1wOUGUHcskaOwRlIPACPlFjeCFHmTunZgOSPbYzVx5s79ztnBx102prRiv7yP8yivOT4Q9k4pPeCEJCethm6Iv8aADSCckkEu_sEEYCvfkr/s400/All+Our+Yesterdays.jpg" width="260" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">All Our Yesterdays </span>by Cristin Terrill</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Hyperion/September 3, 2013)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Marina has everything.
She’s got money, popularity, and a bright future. Plus, she’s best
friends with the boy next door, who happens to be a gorgeous prodigy
from one of America’s most famous families.<br /><br />Em has nothing.
Imprisoned in a small white cell in the heart of a secret military base,
all she has is the voice of the boy in the cell next door and the list
of instructions she finds taped inside the drain.<br /><br />But Marina and Em have one big thing in common: they’re the same person.<br /><br />Now
Em must travel back four years in time in order to avert the terrible
future from which she’s fled, and there’s only one way to do it. She
must kill the person who invented the time machine in the first place:
someone from her past. A person she loved.<br /><br />But Marina won’t let them go without a fight.</em></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> What are you waiting on this Wednesday?</span><br />
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Dominiquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17335069971168438534noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-747940914976788460.post-15435361550533518412013-04-10T00:28:00.000-04:002013-04-10T00:28:00.157-04:00Waiting on Wednesday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4_lEf5mKJa_0FsVvQ5Q2nkWKYAMxAKIh742x9qMSGPBSgfcLG7K_Ikq79bKUi7Unv045NBzrp4Oy6d39GOkraUjTDJhaeWN-MNtnRUYoYUxGGq4uLeVLRbZ7856Wayszgj_xGUi6pBBU5/s1600/Chantress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4_lEf5mKJa_0FsVvQ5Q2nkWKYAMxAKIh742x9qMSGPBSgfcLG7K_Ikq79bKUi7Unv045NBzrp4Oy6d39GOkraUjTDJhaeWN-MNtnRUYoYUxGGq4uLeVLRbZ7856Wayszgj_xGUi6pBBU5/s400/Chantress.jpg" width="263" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Chantress </span>by Amy Butler Greenfield</span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Margaret K. McElderry Books</span>/</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">May</span> 7, 2013)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span id="freeText3108532368255946644"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>“Sing, and the darkness
will find you.” This warning has haunted fifteen-year-old Lucy ever
since she was eight and shipwrecked on a lonely island. Lucy’s guardian,
Norrie, has lots of rules, but the most important is that Lucy must
never sing. Not ever. Now it is 1667, Lucy is fifteen, and on All
Hallows’ Eve, Lucy hears a tantalizing melody on the wind. She can’t
help but sing—and she is swept into darkness.<br /><br />When she awakes in
England, Lucy hears powerful men discussing Chantresses—women who can
sing magic into the world. They are hunting her, but she escapes and
finds sanctuary with the Invisible College, an organization plotting to
overthrow the nefarious Lord Protector. The only person powerful enough
to bring about his downfall is a Chantress. And Lucy is the last one in
England.<br /><br />Lucy struggles to master the song-spells and harness her
power, but the Lord Protector is moving quickly. And her feelings for
Nat, an Invisible College apprentice and scientist who deeply distrusts
her magic, only add to her confusion…<br /><br />Time is running out, and
the fate of England hangs in the balance in this entrancing novel that
is atmospheric and lyrical, dangerous and romantic.</em></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span>Oh man, this one sounds so tantalizing and intriguing!! "Sing, and the darkness will find you?" Sounds like an amazing story in the making! Seems like there are a lot of good books coming out in May--just in time for summer!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">What are <em>you</em> waiting on this Wednesday?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 78%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by </span><a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #3366cc; font-size: xx-small;">Breaking the Spine</span></a></span></div>
Dominiquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17335069971168438534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-747940914976788460.post-89295961256768836592013-04-03T00:05:00.000-04:002013-04-03T00:05:00.762-04:00Waiting On Wednesday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo9cek1_MAR3AxQhw5o07Sygq7FkcesZyzL9NvT3R9UIA-Lt6O5Ty9quxkr8lXFhoWT7Fb1i6Y4k_w5Y_KtCAgwfl55Qw2KnvwMPofattv_2zjsokHYBZghvkzLB5_taXSq9MhdtGKOVhQ/s1600/All+I+Need.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo9cek1_MAR3AxQhw5o07Sygq7FkcesZyzL9NvT3R9UIA-Lt6O5Ty9quxkr8lXFhoWT7Fb1i6Y4k_w5Y_KtCAgwfl55Qw2KnvwMPofattv_2zjsokHYBZghvkzLB5_taXSq9MhdtGKOVhQ/s400/All+I+Need.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">All I Need </span>by Susan Colasanti</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Viking Juvenile/May 21, 2013)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText14562957454662472895"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Skye wants to meet the
boy who will change her life forever. Seth feels their instant
connection the second he sees her. When Seth starts talking to Skye at
the last beach party of the summer, it’s obvious to both of them that
this is something real. But when Seth leaves for college before they
exchange contact info, Skye wonders if he felt the same way she did—and
if she will ever see him again. Even if they find their way back to each
other, can they make a long-distance relationship work despite trust
issues, ex drama, and some serious background differences?</em></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This sounds like a fun summer read! I enjoyed Ms. Colasanti's writing style in <em>Keep Holding On </em>and look forward to reading her newest work! (And I'm a sucker for romance, so this is definitely on my TBR list!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;">What are <em>you</em> waiting on this Wednesday?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 78%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by </span><a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #3366cc; font-size: xx-small;">Breaking the Spine</span></a></span> </div>
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Dominiquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17335069971168438534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-747940914976788460.post-53745437267069939262013-03-27T00:10:00.000-04:002013-03-27T00:10:00.697-04:00Waiting On Wednesday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEsodsJ4mizjKtW8qEkLibUSQGsBzjP1ijQMkPupIVLM2zd9Ih_XlC22K6wKS2cyEOoTxIxDtjiza1Er94ROWPxwOj8K8hSAvhlUS-0yNp2MwFUyZrl-srTSwct7nqCj74O3sXBPj1oEA1/s1600/invisibility.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEsodsJ4mizjKtW8qEkLibUSQGsBzjP1ijQMkPupIVLM2zd9Ih_XlC22K6wKS2cyEOoTxIxDtjiza1Er94ROWPxwOj8K8hSAvhlUS-0yNp2MwFUyZrl-srTSwct7nqCj74O3sXBPj1oEA1/s400/invisibility.jpg" width="263" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Invisibility </span>by Andrea Cremer and David Levithan</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Philomel<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">/</span>May 7, 2013)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stephen has been
invisible for practically his whole life — because of a curse his
grandfather, a powerful cursecaster, bestowed on Stephen’s mother before
Stephen was born. So when Elizabeth moves to Stephen’s NYC apartment
building from Minnesota, no one is more surprised than he is that she
can see him. A budding romance ensues, and when Stephen confides in
Elizabeth about his predicament, the two of them decide to dive
headfirst into the secret world of cursecasters and spellseekers to
figure out a way to break the curse. But things don’t go as planned,
especially when Stephen’s grandfather arrives in town, taking his anger
out on everyone he sees. In the end, Elizabeth and Stephen must decide
how big of a sacrifice they’re willing to make for Stephen to become
visible — because the answer could mean the difference between life and
death. At least for Elizabeth.</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Having enjoyed previous works by these authors, I hope <em>Invisibility </em>will prove to be another good read! (The boy being invisible reminds me a bit of a book I read during my middle school years, <em>Things Not Seen</em>!)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> What are you waiting on this Wednesday? </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 78%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by </span><a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #3366cc; font-size: xx-small;">Breaking the Spine</span></a></span></div>
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Dominiquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17335069971168438534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-747940914976788460.post-89436862354704476872013-03-20T00:10:00.000-04:002013-03-20T00:10:00.529-04:00Waiting On Wednesday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMuZajawXRo2zvz5JdE9SHL7V2lkVXC76zHH0B0An4A7i1t_mGM9c-0hiPSovfbAQ2Rbeyig9kdSHHF3iT8uKptq-0VLuh2LQaKvomG-4n9PiQyTuyQF3b4In0gHm2sd9tuRkmqJeNUzxH/s1600/natural+born+angel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMuZajawXRo2zvz5JdE9SHL7V2lkVXC76zHH0B0An4A7i1t_mGM9c-0hiPSovfbAQ2Rbeyig9kdSHHF3iT8uKptq-0VLuh2LQaKvomG-4n9PiQyTuyQF3b4In0gHm2sd9tuRkmqJeNUzxH/s400/natural+born+angel.jpg" width="250" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Natural Born Angel </span>by Scott Speer</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span>(Razorbill/April 23, 2013)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText4293906775091428782"><em>Life turned upside down
for Maddy Montgomery when she found out she was half-Angel and was
catapulted into the scene of flashbulbs, paparazzi, and the fervent
adulation that comes with being in the celebrity Angel world. She's
trying to juggle her ordinary life—high school, family, friends—with the
intense demands of being in the public eye as heartthrob Angel Jackson
Godspeed's girlfriend.<br /><br /> And now Maddy must face the most
difficult choice of her life. She's been offered the chance to become a
Guardian. This means entering into dangerous and high stakes training,
with no guarantee that she can succeed. But more than that, it would
mean leaving her mortal life behind—forever—and allying with the Angels
at a time when their relationship with humans is heading for war. . . .</em></span></span></span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I really enjoyed<em> Immortal City </em>and thought it was a stand-alone novel. The story was a stood quite well by itself and although I am hopeful that this sequel will deliver, I'm a little hesitant! I thought the ending to <em>Immortal City</em> was nice and left a possibility that readers could imagine and interpret as they will, but I guess that will no longer be the case! Nonetheless, I have hopes that<em> Natural Born Angel</em> will be another good read and that Maddy will have matured since the first novel!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What are you waiting on this Wednesday?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 78%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by </span><a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #3366cc; font-size: xx-small;">Breaking the Spine</span></a></span></span></span></div>
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Dominiquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17335069971168438534noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-747940914976788460.post-9140698365725335132013-03-14T07:25:00.000-04:002013-03-14T07:25:00.268-04:00Keep Holding On by Susane Colasanti<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj11XfpGAkEr8wJzBxAtqTU6xTmYiTLxusyyZb4WP_iFPVNlRox5Nn0yq1teIIBHAK0chl4zthkKQ8FF1wTyq0IJ7-XPFieMCK7LpGaaRLRXxBPitpI-4Kj0tNCFuM3dG7pNL286rpwvOjb/s1600/keep+holding+on.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj11XfpGAkEr8wJzBxAtqTU6xTmYiTLxusyyZb4WP_iFPVNlRox5Nn0yq1teIIBHAK0chl4zthkKQ8FF1wTyq0IJ7-XPFieMCK7LpGaaRLRXxBPitpI-4Kj0tNCFuM3dG7pNL286rpwvOjb/s320/keep+holding+on.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Release Date: </span>May 31, 2012</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Publisher: </span>Viking Juvenile<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pages:</span> 224<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Source:</span> BEA</span><br />
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<span id="freeText1749795093845555120"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Noelle's life is all
about survival. Even her best friend doesn't know how much she gets
bullied, or the ways her mom neglects her. Noelle's kept so much about
her life a secret for so long that when her longtime crush Julian Porter
starts paying attention to her, she's terrified. Surely it's safer to
stay hidden than to risk the pain of a broken heart. But when the
antagonism of her classmates takes a dramatic turn, Noelle realizes it's
time to stand up for herself--and for the love that keeps her holding
on.</em></span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Susan Colasanti's writing is very approachable and honest--and definitely tugged more than a few heart strings in<em> Keep Holding On</em>! If you're looking for a fun, light-hearted read, this is not the novel for you! Ms. Colasanti tackles much heavier themes in this novel--bullying, poverty, and dysfunctional families. She captures the struggles and feelings of pain, humiliation and sadness of someone going through so many things; a young teen being bullied relentlessly at school while receiving no support or help at home. Although Noelle came off as whiny some times and I wished she would take control and try to make improvements on her own,<em> </em>I can see where she's coming from, since she already has so much to deal with. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The only major issue I had with this book was how neatly everything wrapped up in the end. After all the struggles Noelle went through, I don't deny that she deserves a better and happier life, but the way things wrapped up in the end seemed a little<em> too</em> fast and wasn't consistent with the tone and pace of the rest of the novel. Nonetheless, I though Keep Holding On was a well written book overall, and I am looking forward to Ms. Colasanti's future works!</span>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: #ff6600; font-weight: bold;">Overall:</span> 4 out of 5<br /><span style="color: #cc0000;">Plot:</span> 4 stars<br /><span style="color: #cc0000;">Characters:</span> 3.75 stars<br /><span style="color: #cc0000;">Writing:</span> 4 stars<br /><span style="color: #cc0000;">Cover:</span> 3.5 stars </span></span>Dominiquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17335069971168438534noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-747940914976788460.post-35885533993543734932013-03-13T02:03:00.000-04:002013-03-13T02:25:40.578-04:00Waiting on Wednesday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimVzHjDfSUAtMntQydBiOkn1vBV9lLaJEymTfCh6OqMlEgZPpdeLDYdDa1TjUMXvdvdgDanUiIcZq4azMK_4EuyJzLx3U2WfedCcA3Xii8mD3aPKW7nTZ0FffsiA93zycKJjfCVl_CHTfb/s1600/reboot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimVzHjDfSUAtMntQydBiOkn1vBV9lLaJEymTfCh6OqMlEgZPpdeLDYdDa1TjUMXvdvdgDanUiIcZq4azMK_4EuyJzLx3U2WfedCcA3Xii8mD3aPKW7nTZ0FffsiA93zycKJjfCVl_CHTfb/s400/reboot.jpg" width="262" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Reboot </span>by Amy Tintera</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(HarperTeen/May 7, 2013)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span> </div>
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<span id="freeText8440951122708878892"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Five years ago, Wren
Connolly was shot three times in the chest. After 178 minutes she came
back as a Reboot: stronger, faster, able to heal, and less emotional.
The longer Reboots are dead, the less human they are when they return.
Wren 178 is the deadliest Reboot in the Republic of Texas. Now seventeen
years old, she serves as a soldier for HARC (Human Advancement and
Repopulation Corporation).<br /><br />Wren’s favorite part of the job is
training new Reboots, but her latest newbie is the worst she’s ever
seen. As a 22, Callum Reyes is practically human. His reflexes are too
slow, he’s always asking questions, and his ever-present smile is
freaking her out. Yet there’s something about him she can’t ignore. When
Callum refuses to follow an order, Wren is given one last chance to get
him in line—or she’ll have to eliminate him. Wren has never disobeyed
before and knows if she does, she’ll be eliminated, too. But she has
also never felt as alive as she does around Callum.<br /><br />The perfect soldier is done taking orders.</em></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sounds like a really good read! Although the bit about "the longer Reboots are dead, the less human they are when they return" sounds a lot like the concept Daniel Water's had in his Generation Dead series, except with zombies. Although there doesn't seem to be many more similarities between the two beyond that seeing that we're talking deadly soldiers here in <em>Reboot</em>! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">What are <em>you</em> waiting on this Wednesday?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 78%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by </span><a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #3366cc; font-size: x-small;">Breaking the Spine</span></a></span></div>
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Dominiquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17335069971168438534noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-747940914976788460.post-6918710298692898452013-02-28T12:01:00.000-05:002013-03-19T10:42:41.131-04:00Leap Into Books Giveaway!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.iamareader.com/2012/12/leap-into-book-giveaway-hop-february.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD0CPzWW4Q_ReWSDV-Wvzq9xpN5SotHZttEWYA6p69dEyin4ZvEipTuBC1bmP4sTAetKckqU0b4gCoHGekLbUUgOw3961jKbSjIVHJPtvi_cZKKW05MIK0E3P0PoHbG58XndoywIplg-zE/s320/Leap+2013.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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For this hop, one lucky reader will receive a copy of<em> Real Vampires Know Hips Happen</em> by Gerry Bartlett! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgODtfFbQAuZW407P1xxZDtWtDv59x0z8yP17rNshQMEVzusPQXbQXh1YP1BCRv7CleawA1_luIZMqNs4j8Bigo2V_xFA6AuVoehnpDJ9nk1J7okf7hRIp3wPljb5quRuYCdSNAAF7XLJaJ/s1600/realvampires.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgODtfFbQAuZW407P1xxZDtWtDv59x0z8yP17rNshQMEVzusPQXbQXh1YP1BCRv7CleawA1_luIZMqNs4j8Bigo2V_xFA6AuVoehnpDJ9nk1J7okf7hRIp3wPljb5quRuYCdSNAAF7XLJaJ/s320/realvampires.jpg" width="204" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">Praise for Gerry Bartlett’s Real Vampires
Series:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">"Real
vampires, real fun, real sexy!"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">—<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">New York Times</i> bestselling author Kerrelyn
Sparks,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">"Hot and
hilarious. Glory is everywoman with fangs." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">—<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">New York Times</i> bestselling author Nina
Bangs<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">“I have said it
before and will say it again; this is a great laugh out loud series. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">This series is a
keeper. Ms. Bartlett is an auto buy.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">—<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Night Owl Reviews<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<strong>Synopsis:</strong></div>
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<span id="freeText12749393694209886732">Does plaid make your butt look big?</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Glory
St. Clair knows that it does. But she'll even throw on a Campbell kilt
if it will help her win her hunky Scottish lover back. She's risked
everything to cross the Atlantic to confront him in Scotland. Now
powerful forces are determined to keep them apart. An attack on Jeremiah
Campbell leaves him with amnesia and he doesn't remember her or their
centuries together. Glory must win her man back and prove to her nemesis
that she's where she's always wanted to be, even if it means dragging
Jerry back to Texas.<br />
<br />
Jeremiah doesn't remember the woman who
claims they've been together so long but he's more than willing to take
what she freely offers--her ancient blood and her voluptuous body. But
when she tries to get him to travel to the New World in a flying machine
and to work with his ancient enemy, he thinks she's cracked. In his
mind, he's stuck in 1590. This modern world is almost too much for him.
But there's something about this woman with the generous curves... Soon
enough he finds himself risking death for her more than once. Who or
what seems determined to keep them apart? The ancient warrior in him
won't stand for it. And the fight is on.</blockquote>
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Check out <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13569063-real-vampires-know-hips-happen" target="_blank">GoodReads</a> for more on <em>Real Vampires Know Hips Happen</em>!</div>
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</div>
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Interested? Just fill out the Rafflecopter below! Good luck!</div>
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Please enter by Feb 7th, midnight (EST) </div>
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(Sorry, open to US mailing addresses only!)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgODtfFbQAuZW407P1xxZDtWtDv59x0z8yP17rNshQMEVzusPQXbQXh1YP1BCRv7CleawA1_luIZMqNs4j8Bigo2V_xFA6AuVoehnpDJ9nk1J7okf7hRIp3wPljb5quRuYCdSNAAF7XLJaJ/s1600/realvampires.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div>
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<br />Dominiquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17335069971168438534noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-747940914976788460.post-76808685192338794572013-01-29T00:00:00.000-05:002013-01-29T00:00:05.948-05:00My giveaway for the YA Giveaway Hop!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.iamareader.com/2012/11/young-adult-giveaway-hop.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijJi2OYXyoZCvUPwCS_N_jAhZM4s57IooWjoYLNKHnXWYW1xliusGcCXjfG5zZmliFBBp36Cv9HLd-40l_8Jo_AIYHNuBfAyvqiyN5n7fe9QuS63j1WViSybrji7j0n_6d-ixXvzvAdkMV/s1600/ya+hop.jpg" /></a></div>
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For this hop, I'm giving away an arc copy of <i>What's Left of Me</i> by Kat Zhang! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhfQFAzhXjZ003b2ucwXZqlQ0H1EO3iM733js___A1RfjryWtJmvib_H5LgarUqcZ4OoCheT_tjXxa534AHMdTcRKPALCBHf2-6NWp66Suu8hlV1_H3kH-TnRI5PXRnHKA5QvzUd0SxEzJ/s1600/What's+left+of+me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhfQFAzhXjZ003b2ucwXZqlQ0H1EO3iM733js___A1RfjryWtJmvib_H5LgarUqcZ4OoCheT_tjXxa534AHMdTcRKPALCBHf2-6NWp66Suu8hlV1_H3kH-TnRI5PXRnHKA5QvzUd0SxEzJ/s320/What's+left+of+me.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText17824134856343340767"><i>I should not exist. But I do.</i><br /><br />Eva
and Addie started out the same way as everyone else—two souls woven
together in one body, taking turns controlling their movements as they
learned how to walk, how to sing, how to dance. But as they grew, so did
the worried whispers. Why aren’t they settling? Why isn’t one of them
fading? The doctors ran tests, the neighbors shied away, and their
parents begged for more time. Finally Addie was pronounced healthy and
Eva was declared gone. Except, she wasn’t . . .<br /><br />For the past
three years, Eva has clung to the remnants of her life. Only Addie knows
she’s still there, trapped inside their body. Then one day, they
discover there may be a way for Eva to move again. The risks are
unimaginable-hybrids are considered a threat to society, so if they are
caught, Addie and Eva will be locked away with the others. And yet . . .
for a chance to smile, to twirl, to speak, Eva will do anything.</span> </div>
</blockquote>
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Interested? Just fill out the Rafflecopter below! Good luck!</div>
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Dominiquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17335069971168438534noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-747940914976788460.post-57077325186491100392013-01-15T08:40:00.000-05:002013-03-13T16:15:35.492-04:00Crewel by Gennifer Albin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA64dxnvK1ZG0J3uGyDL8l46ZDehcqyQNybB-jef17NNdrVCIcJysQiTIbOEUJas_tVx5qltxQ2HdtLonP2LOqZNhf3VNifNFGJbdZWNbstwpfjiHhmjRLJWO8nOcm8fcPgvYBgi62aLHt/s1600/Crewel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA64dxnvK1ZG0J3uGyDL8l46ZDehcqyQNybB-jef17NNdrVCIcJysQiTIbOEUJas_tVx5qltxQ2HdtLonP2LOqZNhf3VNifNFGJbdZWNbstwpfjiHhmjRLJWO8nOcm8fcPgvYBgi62aLHt/s320/Crewel.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Release Date: </span>October 16th, 2012 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Publisher: </span></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;">Farrar, Straus and Giroux</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pages:</span> 368<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Source:</span> BEA</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span id="freeText17652970865687838355">Enter a tangled world of secrets and intrigue where a girl is in charge of other’s destinies, but not her own.<br /><br />Sixteen-year-old
Adelice Lewys has always been special. When her parents discover her
gift—the ability to weave the very fabric of reality—they train her to
hide it. For good reason, they don’t want her to become a Spinster — one
of the elite, beautiful, and deadly women who determine what people
eat, where they live, how many children they have, and even when they
die.<br /><br />Thrust into the opulent Western Coventry, Adelice will be
tried, tested and tempted as she navigates the deadly politics at play
behind its walls. Now caught in a web of lies and forbidden romance,
she must unravel the sinister truth behind her own unspeakable power.
Her world is hanging by a thread, and Adelice, alone, can decide to save
it — or destroy it.</span></span></i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span id="freeText17652970865687838355"><i>Crewel </i>was very unique. I haven't read anything quite like that in a while! I was hooked in pretty quickly, by the second half, I didn't want to put it down at all! Adelice has the ability to weave on the looms that make up time, surroundings, people--basically the ability to weave <i>life</i>. </span> Despite her parents' best attempts to help her hide her abilities, her talent is noticed and she is forced to join the Spinsters that are part of the Guild that rules and controls all life. While it might seem like a posh, plush life to live from the outside, Adelice learns otherwise pretty quickly; there are politics and power-hungry people that aren't worried about trampling others to get what they want--after all, they have the ability to change and destroy lives.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;">It was a very intriguing read that I quite enjoyed. It feels hard to describe any of it without giving too much away, but I will say it is a gripping, unique read that will keep you entertained! However, while it was an enjoyable read for me, it wasn't flawless. I found myself re-reading several parts to try to understand how the looms and their worlds worked. It's a bit confusing at times, and I think some of it could have been explained a bit better, but it's certainly an interesting idea! I don't fully understand the intentions of a certain character (sorry about the vagueness, but I really don't want to give anything away!) and while most of the characters are developed quite well and the world-building is terrific, I found a few characters a bit lacking, which made it harder to understand what was going through their minds. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;">I am not a big fan of love triangles and there's a bit of one in<i> Crewel</i>. I don't think it was that well developed and the two boys involved could have used a bit more of character development; despite their importance, I did not find them to have much depth. It would have been nice to know more about their pasts and to see more of their personality. That said, Adelice's involvement with boys was a bit shaky. Granted, she's been mostly segregated from boys her whole life, but some of her decisions are still confusing to me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;">Lastly, the ending. It was interesting and not entirely what I was expecting, but it was also a bit messy. Character motives, the structure and world of Arras...it as a bit jumbled and confusing at the end, but it does leave us at an interesting cliffhanger. With this being a series, I'm hoping that the second book will pick up smoothly and be able to untangle the ending to <i>Crewel</i>!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #ff6600; font-size: small; font-weight: bold;">Overall:</span><span style="font-size: small;"> 4.25 out of 5<br /><span style="color: #cc0000;">Plot:</span> 4 stars<br /><span style="color: #cc0000;">Characters:</span> 3.75 stars<br /><span style="color: #cc0000;">Writing:</span> 4.25 stars<br /><span style="color: #cc0000;">Cover:</span> 4 stars</span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>Dominiquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17335069971168438534noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-747940914976788460.post-52588269708910617822013-01-11T21:05:00.003-05:002013-03-13T16:16:08.738-04:00Origin by Jessica Khoury<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3cK1vskHgmOlbt9p2MPC3kr1CuUGsjSAqDmBhAwhcRXf0OyRqAsAUu6ejWBRBLWoJJCsZLuwlK_4_IUqRBie4Xmh57ATydZMB7me04emDQxnrnTK6Ri7KhA2c_29AAYQOPd_uP6mQR5T2/s1600/origin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3cK1vskHgmOlbt9p2MPC3kr1CuUGsjSAqDmBhAwhcRXf0OyRqAsAUu6ejWBRBLWoJJCsZLuwlK_4_IUqRBie4Xmh57ATydZMB7me04emDQxnrnTK6Ri7KhA2c_29AAYQOPd_uP6mQR5T2/s320/origin.jpg" width="198" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Release Date: </span>September 4th 2012</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Publisher: </span>Razorbill<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pages:</span> 394<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Source:</span> Copy provided by publisher for review</span></span><br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i><span id="freeText14496869229987733457">Pia has grown up in a
secret laboratory hidden deep in the Amazon rain forest. She was raised
by a team of scientists who have created her to be the start of a new
immortal race. But on the night of her seventeenth birthday, Pia
discovers a hole in the electric fence that surrounds her sterile
home--and sneaks outside the compound for the first time in her life.<br /><br />
Free in the jungle, Pia meets Eio, a boy from a nearby village.
Together, they embark on a race against time to discover the truth about
Pia's origin--a truth with deadly consequences that will change their
lives forever.<br /><br /><i>Origin</i> is a beautifully told, shocking new way to look at an age-old desire: to live forever, no matter the cost.</span></i></span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span id="freeText14496869229987733457">While the premise of this story is certainly interesting and the writing was quite good, I found that the story dragged in quite a few places. Although I understand that Pia felt cooped up in Little Cam's facilities, I felt that the story had some uneven pacing; there were quite a few scenes in </span>Little Cam that did not add very much the plot and slowed the overall pacing of the novel down.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The writing was pretty strong in <i>Origin</i>; Jessica Khoury does a great job creating vivid environments--from the sterile and secretive labs of Little Cam to the jungle, filled with its promises of danger and adventures--that readers feel like they could just step into. Of course, given how many hidden dark secrets the staff of Little Cam may have and the unknown wealth of dangers the jungle holds, readers may not <i>want </i>to step in! This only goes to show what a great job Jessica Khoury did in setting the scene for readers!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">That said, while the writing was good, I didn't think all of the characters were stellar. Eio's personality did not seem particularly special, and while it seems all good and well that he's devoted to Pia, it all happened a little too quickly for me. Sure, plenty of novels have the love-at-first-sight thing going, but most of those characters had at least had interactions with other people of their gender before their love-at-first-sight moment. Pia being, quite frankly, a lab experiment that was locked away in the jungle for so long, had no experience with other people of her own age. So having her fall so deeply in love with Eio so quickly made me wonder if she fell for him just because he's the only boy her age she's ever met, especially since she already had her heart set on helping make her own "Mr. Perfect Immortal" as her companion. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Another issue I had with <i>Origin</i> was the build up. I have to admit that when the big secret was revealed, I was disappointed. I had expected something spectacular and mind-blowing since the author had held off on the big reveal until late in the novel! It wasn't as well fleshed-out as I had hoped it would be, and given the tone of the book, I had expected something more science-based. But in the end, it was more magic than it was science. After the reveal, it all ended pretty quickly as well (again, the uneven pacing of the book). That said, I will at least give credit to the author for not dragging the story or the big reveal out into several more novels! </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Lastly, I found a point the novel brought up quite interesting--how far would you go for the advancement for science? The answer that some people might give could just chill you to the bone! It certainly disturbed <i>me</i> quite a bit how focused some of the scientists at Little Cam were, and how little they thought about how their methods could be harming others. While having passion for your field is a valuable trait that could undoubtedly help you work harder, this novel also brings up the questions concerning the morals of such research and how far people should go. That said, how scientists are portrayed in this novel should not be how you see all scientist! Not all scientists are souless people who care nothing for morals, ethics and others, unlike most of the scientists in Little Cam! </span></span> <br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #ff6600; font-weight: bold;">Overall:</span> 3.75 out of 5<br /><span style="color: #cc0000;">Plot:</span> 3.75 stars<br /><span style="color: #cc0000;">Characters:</span> 3.5 stars<br /><span style="color: #cc0000;">Writing:</span> 4.5 stars<br /><span style="color: #cc0000;">Cover:</span> 4 stars </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span>Dominiquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17335069971168438534noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-747940914976788460.post-86384831793386816052012-10-06T10:10:00.000-04:002012-10-06T16:21:28.371-04:00"Mortin Enaw on Earthpebbles (Guest post by Ned Vizzini)"<b>Thank you to the wonderful Ned Vizzini, author of <i>It's Kind of a Funny Story</i>, for stopping by to do a guest post for his new novel, <i>The Other Normals</i>, today!</b><br />
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<u><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Mortin Enaw on Earthpebbles </b></span></u><br />
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Right now I have two days sober, but before that I had 250 -- I was being really terrific.
I'm an addict, but I'm not addicted to alcohol or cocaine or any of the things people from Earth get snagged by. I'm addicted to these:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/nedvizzini/8047532829/" title="Quartz Pebbles (Rose Quartz) by Ned Vizzini, on Flickr"><img alt="Quartz Pebbles (Rose Quartz)" height="240" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8318/8047532829_37412ffaf8_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>
Those are pebbles. Quartz pebbles, specifically. Rose quartz, really specifically. And I'm not from here; I'm a <b>ferrule</b> from the <b>World of the Other Normals,</b> which means I look like this --
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/nedvizzini/7712155346/" title="mortin by Ned Vizzini, on Flickr"><img alt="mortin" height="320" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8423/7712155346_c7cd24c991_n.jpg" width="180" /></a>
-- and I find quartz pebbles highly awesome to smoke.
You know, I wish I could clarify what it is about smoking earthpebbles that I enjoy. I guess that's the nature of any drug -- if you could explain it, you wouldn't be caught up in it, would you?
When I light up some good quartz, I instantly have a certain <i>looseness</i> of mind, but along with that is a <i>certainty</i> -- a certainty that I'm <i><u>doing the right thing and everything is going great.</u></i> It's hard to be relaxed and certain at the same time!
But you know, honestly, with drugs, it's the lost moments that get you. I'm not the kind of person who smokes pebbles and then just sits around -- I like to get stuff done. But one time I smoked them and couldn't find my keys, and I spent 20 minutes looking for them until I realized that they were still in the door from when I came home excited to smoke, and I thought:
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<div style="background: NavajoWhite; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;">
<i><big>"You are doing NOTHING right now other than being a earthpebble addict."</big></i></div>
Soon after that, I met Perry Eckert and went on some crazy adventures with him and actually got one of my friends KILLED by smoking earthpebbles, so there's that too. You can read about it in this book, <big><b><i><a href="http://bit.ly/JQl1S1">The Other Normals</a>:</i></b></big>
<a href="http://bit.ly/JQl1S1" title="The Other Normals"><img alt="The Other Normals -- Cover" height="240" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7198/6926809569_931e7b7869_m.jpg" width="159" /></a>
As a result of these things I decided to quit earthpebbles. The first thing I needed was a wife. Luckily I have an amazing one. One who taught me that earthpebbles were fine for a younger person. That they were a phase that a lot of people go through. But that when I was smoking them, I was really trying to go back in time, and there's no drug in the world (<i>any</i> world) that can do that.
Now, I've stayed away from pebbles for almost a year -- except for a few days ago. I was celebrating the release of <i>The Other Normals</i>, which is the first book I've ever been a character in, and a friend of mine left me a little rose as a gift.
I saw immediately how I would like earthpebbles to be a daily part of my life again.
But then I tried to think: what had they <b><i>really</i></b> given me?
<big></big><br />
<ol>
<li><big>They didn't help me make money</big></li>
<big>
<li>They didn't help me with members of the opposite sex</li>
<li>They didn't help me do anything artistic (I always <i>thought</i> they did, but when I looked at it later, I was like, <i>Eh...</i>)</li>
</big></ol>
So I'm leaving my brain unscrambled for now. But those of you who live on Earth, where quartz is worth like <a href="http://www.gemval.com/chart.php?type=61">$5 per carat</a> -- you don't know how lucky you have it.
-- Mortin Enaw of <i><a href="http://bit.ly/JQl1S1">The Other Normals</a></i><br />
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Thanks for stopping by, Ned! <br />
Don't forget to check out Ned's new novel,<i> The Other Normals</i>, available in book stores now!<br />
<br />Dominiquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17335069971168438534noreply@blogger.com3