My giveaway for the YA Giveaway Hop!

For this hop, I'm giving away an arc copy of What's Left of Me by Kat Zhang!  

I should not exist. But I do.

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 . . .

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.

Interested?  Just fill out the Rafflecopter below!  Good luck!

Please enter by Feb 4th, midnight (EST)

(Sorry, open to US mailing addresses only!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Crewel by Gennifer Albin

Release Date: October 16th, 2012
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Pages: 368
Source: BEA

Enter a tangled world of secrets and intrigue where a girl is in charge of other’s destinies, but not her own.

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.

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.

Crewel 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 life.   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.

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.  

I am not a big fan of love triangles and there's a bit of one in Crewel.  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.

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 Crewel!


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

Origin by Jessica Khoury

Release Date: September 4th 2012
Publisher: Razorbill
Pages: 394
Source: Copy provided by publisher for review

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.

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.

Origin is a beautifully told, shocking new way to look at an age-old desire: to live forever, no matter the cost.

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 Little Cam that did not add very much the plot and slowed the overall pacing of the novel down.

The writing was pretty strong in Origin; 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 want to step in!  This only goes to show what a great job Jessica Khoury did in setting the scene for readers!

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.  

Another issue I had with Origin 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!

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 me 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! 


Overall: 3.75 out of 5
Plot: 3.75 stars
Characters: 3.5 stars
Writing: 4.5 stars
Cover: 4 stars 
 

"Mortin Enaw on Earthpebbles (Guest post by Ned Vizzini)"

Thank you to the wonderful Ned Vizzini,  author of  It's Kind of a Funny Story, for stopping by to do a guest post for his new novel, The Other Normals, today!

Mortin Enaw on Earthpebbles

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: Those are pebbles. Quartz pebbles, specifically. Rose quartz, really specifically. And I'm not from here; I'm a ferrule from the World of the Other Normals, which means I look like this -- -- 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 looseness of mind, but along with that is a certainty -- a certainty that I'm doing the right thing and everything is going great. 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:

"You are doing NOTHING right now other than being a earthpebble addict."

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, The Other Normals: 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 (any 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 The Other Normals, 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 really given me?

1. They didn't help me make money
2. They didn't help me with members of the opposite sex
3. They didn't help me do anything artistic (I always thought they did, but when I looked at it later, I was like, Eh...)

So I'm leaving my brain unscrambled for now. But those of you who live on Earth, where quartz is worth like $5 per carat -- you don't know how lucky you have it. -- Mortin Enaw of The Other Normals

--------------

Thanks for stopping by, Ned! 
Don't forget to check out Ned's new novel, The Other Normals, available in book stores now!

An update

I hope you all have been doing well!  It's been a crazy few weeks with moving, school starting up and the like!  Barely had much of a chance to read in the craziness, but I hope you've all been indulging in all the fantastic books out there!

Luckily I've found a few hours to curl up with a few books and plenty of tea (who doesn't like a nice mug of tea or hot coco on a windy day?) this weekend--so much better than staring at textbooks for hours and hours!  Look for a new review & hopefully a giveaway soon!

Any other tea fans out there??  My friend recently bought some chai for us to share and then introduced me to a new website--Adagio Teas.  I bought some white tea and a blend or two and after spending almost an hour browsing their website, I'm scared my wallet will soon take a beating!!  Anyone else a tea fan or use Adagio Teas?  Got any tea recommendations for me?  I've only got my little bag of white tea and a few green tea (mango flavor!!) bags left so I might have to indulge myself with a purchase :)

I've also apparently got a few $5 gift certificates to send out if you're new to Adagio Teas like me!  They have some pretty good deals--I got my white tea for $2!  Shipping is pretty cheap too, so it's a very tasty deal!  Just comment with your email address if you want a $5 certificate and I'll send one to you!

Happy reading everyone!

Rift by Andrea Cremer

Release Date: August 7, 2012
Publisher: Philomel
Pages: 448
Source: Copy provided by publisher for review

Sixteen-year-old Ember Morrow is promised to a group called Conatus after one of their healers saves her mother's life. Once she arrives, Ember finds joy in wielding swords, learning magic, and fighting the encroaching darkness loose in the world. She also finds herself falling in love with her mentor, the dashing, brooding, and powerful Barrow Hess. When the knights realize Eira, one of their leaders, is dabbling in dark magic, Ember and Barrow must choose whether to follow Eira into the nether realm or to pledge their lives to destroying her and her kind.

With action, adventure, magic, and tantalizing sensuality, this book is as fast-paced and breathtaking as the Nightshade novels.

Wow! Rift was definitely an exciting read! Well paced, plenty of action, good writing and character development--Rift kept me hooked till the end!

I liked Ember's character; she may wield weapons most of us have never even seen, but she's still a character readers can relate to with her drive and determination. Overall, I thought most of the characters were good. There is quite a wide range of characters among the Guard, which makes them a very dynamic group.
The antagonist has more depth than I would have expected, which was a pleasant surprise! She isn't just your typical evil-and-out-to-accomplish-evil-things from the get-go, but was instead someone who had good intentions and wanted the best for the people she cared about, but ended straying from her goals after being misled and enticed onto a path that isn't entirely savory. It was a nice change from the 2D villains who roam around causing death and destruction and just seem bad from the start so the story can have an antagonist.

For a book that was well-written and had a plot that didn't follow the same loops that most paranormal YA fictions do these days, that tagline on the front cover was quite a let down! "She can battle darkness, but she can't fight love?!" To me, it made gave the impression that the book was much more cliche than it actually was! The book is much better than the tagline, believe me! I also like the cover itself, but it is a bit busy. There seems to be quite a bit of writing; if they were to ditch some of it, or shrink the font size (i.e. of the tagline or the part about it being the prequel to the bestselling Nightshade series), I think the cover would look even better, since the text wouldn't take away from the image (which I am a fan of).

I actually didn't read the Nightshade series by Andrea Cremer before reading Rift. I actually really enjoyed reading Rift and had no trouble understanding everything--I think the Nightshade prequel series will be a stand-alone series, and from what I understand, is set centuries before the events that take place in the Nightshade series. I would recommend Andrea's newest series to her fans and would also recommend Rift to those who haven't read her other works before--I think fans of the paranormal genre will find Andrea's latest offering to be an enjoyable read that sets itself apart from some of the more run-of-the-mill paranormal books in the YA genre lately!

I am eagerly awaiting the next book in this prequel series, Rise, but in the meantime, it looks like I should read Andrea's Nightshade series!


Overall: 4.5 out of 5
Plot: 4.5 stars
Characters: 4.5 stars
Writing: 4.5 stars
Cover: 4.5 stars

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is a weekly
meme hosted by The Story Siren!








Wasn't able to post for the last few weeks, so here they all are now!

For Review:
Through to You
Colin Fischer
Endlessly
Gravediggers
Biting Cold
The Forsaken
Amber House
Venom
The Treachery of Beautiful Things
Not Pictured: Breathe by Sarah Crossan

Won & Other:
A Midsummer Tights Dream
Poison Princess (Thank you The Book Pixie!)

Thank you to Scholastic for all of these!
Infinity Ring
The Raven Boys
Endangered
Magisterium
The Dark Unwinding
Skinny

What books did you get in your mailbox this week? Leave a link if you'd like me to visit! :)