Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Storm Siren by Mary Weber



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I want to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book.
 
The very first things I'd like to talk about is THAT ending. Yikes! I was completely surprised by that and still can't believe Weber went there. I do have to say, as crazy as this sounds, it's refreshing. Most YA books have become pretty predictable lately and so it's nice when a book surprises you. I do think that because of the world we are in, it wont be the actual ending we think. With that being said, it would be pretty disappointing to me. If you are going to go there then stay there. I was hoping that it would be a stand alone book. When I saw that it was a trilogy, I became more convinced of my theory.
 
I did have a hard time getting into this book because he language was a little irritating. I'm assuming that she's using creative words as swear words? So if you are reading this in our language, it would be full of swear words. It just seemed a bit too much. The story also takes a while to actually grab ahold of you. It really took at least half the book for me to be totally immersed into the plot.
 
After I got into the story, the rest of the book went rather quickly. I really liked the characters. Nym is trying to deal with her gift/curse throughout the book. She is consumed by grief of the past and refuses to let it go. What she doesn't realize is that is what's holding her back from controlling her elemental gift. She is being used as a pawn in a war of generations. Although, it seems that her new owner is helping her, she's really using her for her own reasons. I think that the tension between Nym and Eogan. I also really loved Colin. He was fun and added something to the book. What ends up happening, really shows character growth. It was great to see.
 
Something that failed miserably for me, was the fact that the world they were in was never developed. Same with the whole Elemental aspect. There were no introductions on what they could do or what it really was. Every author takes their own spin on things, I never really got Weber's. There were these two people fighting each other but no background. There just was no development of these things and they are really important to this story.
 
 

Overall, it was just an okay book for me. There were a lot of reviews loving this book but it didn't do that for me. There was some great potential but a slow moving plot and not enough detail about what's really going on.

 

Teaser Tuesday #10

 




- A weekly meme by Should Be Reading

If you would like to participate, this is how you do so: (directions from Should Be Reading)
  •  Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • share 2 teaser sentences from somewhere on that page.
  • Try not to include spoilers! Share the title & author, in case someone would like to add to their TBR shelf.


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"I roll over to shove more wood on the fire and meet Eogan doing the same. His eyes connect with mine. He leans in and his fingers are cupping my face and slipping down, down, down my skin until I gasp at the craving welling up within me. What's he doing? Adora's warning flares in my head, but I don't give a blast because his touch is lighting, burning me alive and breaking me down...."

-- 48% on kindle.
 
 
 
 

Thursday, September 25, 2014

Four by Veronica Roth



Four by Veronica Roth

I had this book sitting on my ottoman for 2 weeks and six days. I had to return it to the library tomorrow and decided to see if I could read it. I wasn't sure I wanted to because I thought it was just parts of divergent retold from his perspective. So I wasn't that excited to read it. Until I looked through it and realized it was about his story.

       So we start out at when its time for Tobias's Choosing ceremony. We learn all about his life at home and to that pint. what he is feeling and why he chooses what he does. We also get to go through his initiation all the way to his place when Tris comes along. We get so much background information about his life and the faction less too. We also get the story in why Eric is such a horrible person. Why he and Four don't get along. At the end there are a few chapters of his POV from the divergent book. It's not much but they are some key moments with Tris.

      I wasn't sure I wanted to read this because sometimes authors just try to make more off a successful series. I'm glad that this was more than what I expected. It was informative and interesting. It's good to see what Four is thinking and feeling. He is so closed off throughout the series, so this is good to see.

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Review: Princess of Thorns by Stacey Jay



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Princess of Thorns by Stacey Jay






I want to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book. I was so intrigued when I read the synopsis and excited to get my hands on a copy. What a surprising book! I didn't think I would like it as much as I did. 

 This is about Aurora, the daughter of Sleeping Beauty. It's also a dark take on the continuation tale. Turns out the prince isn't what Beauty of any of us would have expected. Aurora and her brother, Jor, are captured by the Queen ogre. Her mom ends up killing herself to give Aurora her fairy gifts, so that they can escape. Turns out that not all fairy gifts are just gifts. Many of them have dark curses that go along with them. Anyways, Jor is later captured again by the Queen and Aurora leaves her safe home to find an army. Her only focus is saving her brother. 

    Along the way she is rescued by Niklaas. He is looking for Aurora to wed her. He has been cursed to turn into a swan on his eighteenth birthday. He was told by the witch who cursed him that only a wife in power can save him. Since Aurora is the real Queen, he is convinced he can make her marry him. So when he finds Jor, trapped in a camp, he saves him. He expects Jor to lead him to Aurora. Not knowing any better, he has actually saved Aurora. She is dressed as a boy because it was safer for her travels. So she finds an opportunity to have him help her find an army. They of course, become closer during their adventures.

  The beginning of this book is a bit slow and drawn out. It doesn't pick up it's pace until the middle of the book. I really enjoyed the relationship between Aurora and Nicklaas. Especially, when he thought she was Jor. It was a great way for them to connect and become close without it being "love at first sight". It made it much more real and believable. I wasn't sure how the author was going to wrap things up nicely. The way she did it, makes a lot of sense now. I did feel that the ending battle between them and the ogres, was a rushed. There were so many opportunities to cut down some of the slower parts to add to the ending. There were also a lot of interesting takes on the fairy tales. It was entertaining and interesting. I was impressed how the author took on many grey areas about morals. I really enjoyed this book and am so glad I got to read it soon. 

I really recommend this book because it's just so fun. It's definitely not what I was expecting when I started reading this. Love it when books turn out better than expected! :)





Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Teaser Tuesday #9



- A weekly meme by Should Be Reading

If you would like to participate, this is how you do so: (directions from Should Be Reading)
  •  Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • share 2 teaser sentences from somewhere on that page.
  • Try not to include spoilers! Share the title & author, in case someone would like to add to their TBR shelf.

18126198
 
Four by Veronica Roth
 
"Fear doesn't shut you down," I say. "It wakes you up. I've seen it. It's fascinating."  -pg. 241
 
 
-Sometimes I wish that I was a little bit less fearless. Alas, I am full of fear at times. :-P
 
 

Friday, September 19, 2014

Friday Finds #4



Friday Finds are a weekly meme hosted by Shouldbereading

Showcase the books you have found and added to your To Be Read (TBR) list. It doesn't matter if you found them online, in a bookstore or in the library. They don't even have to be books you have purchased!

So show us your finds!! There's never enough books on your TBR, so this is a good way to add more!

Here are mine:


#1


The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion

I saw this on Netgalley and I had no idea there was a sequel planned. I loved The Rosie Project!!
I can't wait for this one!


#2

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The Orphan Queen by Jodi Meadows

I found this on someones WoW and thought it sounded pretty interesting. I think the cover is gorgeous as well!


#3

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Frostfire by Amanda Hocking

I've enjoyed a lot of Hocking's books. I saw this on WoW too and added it to my TBR list. It is a different world for sure. The cover is awesome too!

*All titles have links to their Goodreads page.

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Review: Jane Austen's First Love- Syrie James

 
 
 
I won this book from a Goodreads, first-reads giveaway. I would like to thank the publisher for providing me with a copy.
 
This is my first book by Syrie James so I didn't really know what to expect. I have all the Jane Austen books but have not read them yet. I know! It's horrible of me. I really enjoyed all the movies and I love the era. I really enjoyed this book!
 
You get 15 year old Jane Austen and her hurry to grow up. This is her story  reminiscing, about her first love, Edward Taylor. She goes back in time and tells you this story that just sucks you right in. All the details about the time period make it easy to make the picture come alive. This whole book was inspired by a letter that Jane wrote to her sister, inspired by true events. James does a great job writing this story on how Jane meets Edward. He might have actually been her first love.
 
Jane undertakes a lot throughout this book. Not only is she falling in love for the first time, she starts to meddle in other's love lives. She starts to push certain people towards each other, not realizing she has no idea what she's doing. What she thought is actually the opposite of what's happening. In the end, she puts fixing her mistakes before her own wishes. You see how she realizes her faults. When she has to leave without saying by to Edward, it makes her latch onto him even stronger. Years pass and she's still head over heels for him. Her sister tries to tell her that it may seem like he's the one for her but it doesn't mean it is so. Later, when she sees him, she realizes how true her sisters words were.
 
It reminds me of when I was a teenager and I would be sure that I had just met the person I was going to marry. How in your mind you are so in love and there's no one else. It's just crazy how when you mature, you realize how wrong you are.
 
I really liked this book and I will get on reading my Austen novels soon!

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Waiting On Wednesday! #1

 
Waiting On Wednesday!
 
Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, originally started by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that highlights upcoming book releases everyone is waiting on.

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Fairest  by Marissa Meyer
 
 
Expected Publication Date: January 27th 2015 by Feiwel & Friends
 
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Science Fiction,
 
Goodreads Blurb:
In this stunning bridge book between Cress and Winter in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles, Queen Levana’s story is finally told.

Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who is the fairest of them all?

Fans of the Lunar Chronicles know Queen Levana as a ruler who uses her “glamour” to gain power. But long before she crossed paths with Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress, Levana lived a very different story – a story that has never been told . . . until now.

Marissa Meyer spins yet another unforgettable tale about love and war, deceit and death. This extraordinary book includes full-color art and an excerpt from Winter, the next book in the Lunar Chronicles series.
 
 
I have read all the books in this series, so far. I Love the Lunar Chronicles. We were supposed to get the next book in the series but Meyer decided to throw in mini book. It's 256 pages, so not quite a novel or a novella. I am just as excited to read this though! I can't wait to learn more about The Queen!
 
 
 


W.W.W #8

 
 
 
 
This is a weekly meme hosted by http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you'll read next?


  What I'm currently reading:

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blurb from Goodreads:
 
Inspired by Actual Events
Fifteen-year-old Jane Austen dreams of three things: doing something useful, writing something worthy, and falling madly in love. When she visits her brother in Kent to celebrate his engagement, she meets wealthy, devilishly handsome Edward Taylor—a fascinating young man who is truly worthy of her affections. Jane knows a match between her and Edward is unlikely, but every moment she spends with him makes her heart race—and he seems to return her interest. Much to her displeasure, however, there is another seeking his attention

Unsure of her budding relationship, Jane seeks distraction by attempting to correct the pairings of three other prospective couples. But when her matchmaking aspirations do not all turn out as anticipated, Jane discovers the danger of relying on first impressions. The human heart cannot be easily deciphered, nor can it be directed or managed. And if others must be left to their own devices in matters of love and matrimony, can Jane even hope to satisfy her own heart?
 
--I won this from a Goodreads giveaway. I'm over half way through this book. I wasn't sure how I was going to like it.  I'm really enjoying it! I can't wait to finish this and see how it all plays out.  
 
 
What I Recently Finished:
 

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Blurb from Goodreads:
 
Blurb from Goodreads:From two bestselling superstars, a dazzling and magical middle-grade collaboration centering on the students of the Magisterium, an academy for those with a propensity toward magic. In this first book, a new student comes to the Magisterium against his will -- is it because he is destined to be a powerful magician, or is the truth more twisted than that? It's a journey that will thrill you, surprise you, and make you wonder about the clear-cut distinction usually made between good and evil.
 
 
--I found this on Netgalley and immediately requested it. I love Clare and I really enjoyed Holly Black's latest book. I did like the book but I think there's a lot of work to be done. It was a bit slow and dry in parts but the ending really made up for it. I will be reading the next book.
 
 
What I'm Reading Next:  
 
****This is the same as Last Wed.!! I know, I know. I just had so many other books get in the way. LOL****
 
 
 
 
 
Blurb from Goodreads:
Game of Thrones meets the Grimm's fairy tales in this twisted, fast-paced romantic fantasy-adventure about Sleeping Beauty's daughter, a warrior princess who must fight to reclaim her throne.

Though she looks like a mere mortal, Princess Aurora is a fairy blessed with enhanced strength, bravery, and mercy yet cursed to destroy the free will of any male who kisses her. Disguised as a boy, she enlists the help of the handsome but also cursed Prince Niklaas to fight legions of evil and free her brother from the ogre queen who stole Aurora's throne ten years ago.

Will Aurora triumph over evil and reach her brother before it's too late? Can Aurora and Niklaas break the curses that will otherwise forever keep them from finding their one true love?
 



--I received this from Netgalley and I can't wait to read it. It sounds really interesting. I love Disney. So. Much. So with the GOT aspect and it being about Sleeping Beauty's daughter, I'm hooked. I hope it's a good one! ~I will get to this one next!!! ~
 

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Teaser Tuesday #8





- A weekly meme by Should Be Reading

If you would like to participate, this is how you do so: (directions from Should Be Reading)
  •  Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • share 2 teaser sentences from somewhere on that page.
  • Try not to include spoilers! Share the title & author, in case someone would like to add to their TBR shelf.

My Current Read:

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"You are older and wiser now, Jane. But it is only natural that you should think of him. I know what he meant to you."
 
-Pg. 3 from Jane Austen's First Love.
 
*I won this from a goodreads giveaway. I just started it and I'm about 40 pages in. I'm pretty interested so far.


Monday, September 15, 2014

The Iron Trial - Holly Black & Cassandra Clare

 
 

I want to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book.There's a lot of middle-grade books by authors I like, lately. Honestly, I didn't even care what this was about. I saw that it was Cassandra Clare and Holly Black and immediately requested it on Netgalley.

The premise is definitely interesting and the story has a lot of potential. Honestly, I kept thinking of Harry Potter during this book. There are a lot of places that the story is kind of slow. A little past the middle of the book is when things start to move a little faster. A lot of things start happening and I found myself having to finish.

    Call is pretty much your loner type and never really had any friends. He has a limp from an injury during infancy that never healed correctly. His father is completely paranoid about this Trials for the Magisterium school and tells him to blow his tests. Call believes what his father tells him and does what he can to fail his trials. Although, he tries too hard and ends up impressing the school anyway. He ends up with one of the best Masters, in a group with two others. Throughout the book they are learning basics and trying to get through their first year at the school. Although, Cal finds a letter met for his Master, from his father. It warns him about Cal and that he needs to bind his magic before the first year is up. Cal takes the letter and is wondering what his father meant.

I was pretty sure I figured it out and it was obvious that Call would be the "One". He would go from the weakest to the strongest. I was not expecting that twist ending at all! I'm so intrigued now and will definitely be reading the next book. What will he do? Will he choose good vs. evil? I guess we will have to wait and see!

Nightmares!- Jason Segel & Kirsten Miller

 
 
Ah! I started this book a couple days ago when I was waiting in line to meet THE author, Jason Segel! He was great by the way! Now to get to the book..
It is just so cute! It's such a great story for kids. I love how this book is about kids facing their fears in nightmares. I remember those days and they were not fun! Nightmares never are.
 
Charlie Laird has lost his mom and it's started a whole bunch of fears in him that have him being traumatized at night. He is convinced that his new stepmom is a witch. He is so sure that she is the reason he is having all the nightmares that he becomes very mean and rude to his whole family. He thinks that his dad and brother are forgetting his mom. So when he thinks the witch has taken his brother, he goes after the witch, into the Nightmare world. Soon he has help and takes on an adventure. He starts to cross into other nightmares and realizing it's his friends, he finds ways to help them. Soon all the kids are facing their fears and conquering them.
Jason does a great job to keep this book light, funny, and a mystery. It's not a scary book so kids wont actually get nightmares from this. I absolutely loved the cover and the illustrations. I think it was awesome how they had so much detail in the story that you could picture everything. All the creatures were really described in detail that when you saw the illustration, it was exactly what you were picturing! What a great world Jason has thought up!
 
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can't wait for the 2nd and 3rd book. I will definitely be reading them.

Monday Musings #3

 
 
This is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading. It asks you to muse about one of the following each week…

• Describe one of your reading habits.
• Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s).
• What book are you currently desperate to get your hands on? Tell us about it!
• Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying it.
• Do you have a bookish rant? Something about books or reading (or the industry) that gets your ire up? Share it with us!
• Instead of the above questions, maybe you just want to ramble on about something else pertaining to book.



Today's Musing is about Jason Segel! That's right, Jason Segel! So many might or might not be a fan but that's okay. I got to meet him at a book signing on Saturday night (9/13/14) here in Cincinnati @ Joseph-Beth! How cool is that! A co-worker told me about it that day and I called my husband to pre-order the book. By the time my line got called, it was pretty late. I think we had to wait about an hour and a half. You could tell he was pretty tired but he kept his spirits up and said he was having fun! :)
   Anyway, his new book is a junior fic book. It's called Nightmares! and it's pretty good so far. I totally started it while I was waiting for my line to be called. I mean you never know what you will get from a celebrity book, ya know? I'm pleasantly surprised so far. I'm about half way through it and it's kept me from finishing another book I have to review. I just have to know what happens. It is a kids book, so it's not the next big literary book. It's also going to be a trilogy. It's enjoyable and cute. The illustrations are awesome! He does have a co-writer, Kirsten Miller. I did see him promoting this on Jimmy Fallon and he seemed so excited about it. It's funny to hear his story about his, "eat your toes" nightmares and see them in the book.
   I am just so pumped that someone I really enjoy watching on tv/movies is as cool in person as you would think. He's so nice and charming.


Here are some pics:

Leslie Moore's photo.   Leslie Moore's photo.

Leslie Moore's photo.

Thursday, September 11, 2014

The Book of Life- Deborah Harkness






 Wow, I am so disappointed in this book. I was expecting so much more than what I got. It did take her a long time to write this last book and I figured it was going to be great. It took me forever to get through this book. I just had a hard time getting into the story and had to actually force myself to read 50 pages a night. I never once got caught up in the story and felt like I had to stay up later to read more. 

There was so much "fluff" in this book. It could have been half the size and it would have been better. Her pregnancy just dragged on and there were so many things that happened, unnecessarily. There are so many characters in this book but you don't really get much of their story. You just get overwhelmed with all these names and no real character development.

 I loved the first two books. I thought they were great and just full of so much twists and turns. I was never bored and there wasn't a dull moment. I felt like this book, was just so boring.

I was becoming really irritated by Diana and Matthew. Really? We get that you love each other but the obsessiveness was getting old. I don't need to know that every time you look at each other, it's all consuming. It started to feel corny and forced. Did she not have anything else to say about these characters? There really wasn't much going on throughout this whole book until the last 50 pages. Benjamin is the enemy of this book but he really was in the background. He is seriously the least involved "villain" I've seen in a while.

The ending... oh it was bad. There are so many loose ends, it's crazy. I couldn't even keep track. All these characters that have no ending whatsoever. Phillip coming back and telling her that her work is far from done? Giving back the arrow? Does this mean there's another book? Did she leave it open on purpose? Not to mention, Gallowglass. He's one of the most entertaining characters and he's just .. lost. I felt like there were so many things left undone. Frustration.

 The sad part is that I've recommended the first two books to so many people, I feel bad. I really wouldn't want them to waste their time with this "ending."

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

W.W.W #7


This is a weekly meme hosted by http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you'll read next?


  What I'm currently reading:

 
Blurb from Goodreads:
From NEW YORK TIMES bestselling authors Holly Black and Cassandra Clare comes a riveting new series that defies what you think you know about the world of magic.

From two bestselling superstars, a dazzling and magical middle-grade collaboration centering on the students of the Magisterium, an academy for those with a propensity toward magic. In this first book, a new student comes to the Magisterium against his will -- is it because he is destined to be a powerful magician, or is the truth more twisted than that? It's a journey that will thrill you, surprise you, and make you wonder about the clear-cut distinction usually made between good and evil
 
 
 
---I was so excited to receive this from Netgalley! I just started this today and I like it so far. I'm about 45% through on my kindle. I didn't even read what this was about. I saw that it was book by Holly Black & Cassandra Clare. I was sold. I love CC and I really enjoyed The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by HB. So far, so good. I think it's a very interesting premise and they can do a lot with this. Can't wait to finish!
 
 

What I Recently Finished:
 
Blurb from Goodreads:
Mysterious. Magnificent. Creepy. Welcome to Rockford Manor.

"There's something hidden in the Maze." Seventeen-year-old Imogen has never forgotten the last words her father said to her seven years ago, before the blazing fire that consumed him, her mother, and the gardens of her family's English country manor.

Haunted by her parents' deaths, Imogen moves to New York City with her new guardians. But when a letter arrives with the news of her cousin's untimely death, revealing that Imogen is now the only heir left to run the estate, she returns to England and warily accepts her role as duchess.

All is not as it seems at Rockford, and Imogen quickly learns that dark secrets lurk behind the mansion's aristocratic exterior, hinting that the spate of deaths in her family were no accident. And at the center of the mystery is Imogen herself--and Sebastian, the childhood friend she has secretly loved for years. Just what has Imogen walked into?

Combining a fresh twist on the classic REBECCA with a spine-tingling mystery and powerful romance, SUSPICION is an action-packed thrill ride.


--- I was so excited to receive this from netgalley! When I read the synopsis, I was immediately interested. It's also a great cover! I finished it last night and I really liked it. It was a good story and I liked the characters. There are some flaws but it was an enjoyable read!


What I'm Reading Next:
 
Blurb from Goodreads:
Game of Thrones meets the Grimm's fairy tales in this twisted, fast-paced romantic fantasy-adventure about Sleeping Beauty's daughter, a warrior princess who must fight to reclaim her throne.

Though she looks like a mere mortal, Princess Aurora is a fairy blessed with enhanced strength, bravery, and mercy yet cursed to destroy the free will of any male who kisses her. Disguised as a boy, she enlists the help of the handsome but also cursed Prince Niklaas to fight legions of evil and free her brother from the ogre queen who stole Aurora's throne ten years ago.

Will Aurora triumph over evil and reach her brother before it's too late? Can Aurora and Niklaas break the curses that will otherwise forever keep them from finding their one true love?
 



--I received this from Netgalley and I can't wait to read it. It sounds really interesting. I love Disney. So. Much. So with the GOT aspect and it being about Sleeping Beauty's daughter, I'm hooked. I hope it's a good one!

Review: Suspicion- Alexandra Monir

 

I want to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book. I saw this on a blog and couldn't wait to get my hands on it. It sounded so interesting and the cover is just gorgeous!

I started this book and finished it, in one night. It's a pretty fast read and the writing flows really well. After reading this, I saw that is based off another book. I've never read that book and no nothing about it. 

This book alternates between present and past. I really liked the dark element to this book. I honestly had no idea what was going on. I really liked the modern day, downton abbey setting. I love that kind of time period and love that it had that feel in this book.

I was really "suspicious" about the Mulgraves and how they were involved with Lucia's death. They acted so weird and indifferent to Imogen. I also couldn't wait to find out what was hiding in the maze! I also really liked all the characters that were in this book. There are a lot too. They all added different elements that brought the story together.

I really was surprised by that ending! I had no idea and I'm usually really good at figuring that out. I will say that Sebastian and Imogen... was predictable. The good thing for me though was that it wasn't all about the romance. This book was about the actual plot and things that were happening. It didn't just focus on the romance like a lot of YA books do. Don't get me wrong, I'm always rooting for a bit of romance, but this was refreshing.

Overall, this was a fun light read. There is some dark/mystery element to it as well that makes it all the more interesting. I really enjoyed it!

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

What I Had Before I Had You- Sarah Cornwell



I won this from a goodreads, giveaway. I would like to thank Goodreads and the publisher for a copy of this book. Receiving this book for free, has in no way, influenced my opinions.

I really enjoyed this book. I might be biased since I'm a Psychology major. This book is about bi-polar disorder and the manic hi/lows that go with it. This book is a coming of age story, about Olivia who has to grow up with her mothers (Myla) manic episodes. She has to deal with living on her own and growing up with a mother who is unstable and unpredictable. Later in life, she is diagnosed with bi-polar and the gene is also given to her son. So she not only has to deal with it herself, she has to help her son.

I was just so engrossed in the story and getting the details of Olivia's story. She has to learn to fend for herself and never knows where her mother disappears to for days or weeks at a time. She then has some conflicting situations with her mom that force her into a bad crowd. She immediately embraces to life of drugs, sex and alcohol to feel "free." Throughout the whole book you don't know who to feel sorry for. I would feel so bad for Olivia but then something else would happen and I would feel bad for Myla. They were both struggling with so much on their own that they couldn't reach each other.

The story alternates between her coming of age story with her present story. She is dealing with a divorce and moving from Texas to NY. On her way, she stops at her birth place to take her kids to the ocean. While this is happening, you get her story with how she is dealing with her life and her son's diagnosis. All the while, she's trying to deal with her guilty feelings for abandoning her mother years ago.

This was a great story and it really opens your eyes to the disorder and how it affects everyone in a family.

Teaser Tuesday #7

 



- A weekly meme by Should Be Reading

If you would like to participate, this is how you do so: (directions from Should Be Reading)
  •  Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • share 2 teaser sentences from somewhere on that page.
  • Try not to include spoilers! Share the title & author, in case someone would like to add to their TBR shelf.
My Teaser:
 
 

  "Here is what I would say to those people who would judge her, what I say to myself on some days: What if all the transcendent moments of your life, the sound-track moments, the radiant detail, the gleaming thing at the center of life that loves you, that loves beauty-God or whatever you call it- what if all this were part of your illness? Would you seek treatment?..."
    
pg. 268-269, What I Had Before You by Sarah Cornwell.

I actually just finished this book. I couldn't wait to do my TT with this! It was such a great book.


Share your awesome TT in the comments below!! Happy Reading!
 

Legend of th Blue Eyes- B. Kristin McMichael

17559041
 

 
I want to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book. I had tried several times to win a copy through goodreads. When I saw this on Netgalley, I requested it and was excited to receive a copy. So Thank You!
 
First of all, that cover! It's beautiful. It drew me in right away. I know, it's horrible to judge a book by it's cover but it still happens.
 
Anyways, I liked this story but I had some trouble keeping up. All the different takes on vampires by authors is interesting enough but I was left a bit confused by this one. I don't think I ever got a clear stance on what this authors take is. All her questions are ignored and when she's being taught, it's all behind the scenes. You pretty much have to guess what is fake/real from the movies. They tell her but don't tell her. Confusing, right? So you kind of have to learn along the way by things that happen to her. I wish that the author would have gone into more detail. Not only with just the Dearg-duls but with the other creatures as well. I would like to know a little more about their differences and powers. I hope the second book will go into more details.  
 
This poor girl has lost her parents and is taken in by her parents close friends. She grows up not knowing anything about her life or what she really is. Then when she turns 16 it's a rush to get her to a safe place. She's turning into not one but two of the night creatures. She has no idea what is going on and kind of just goes along with it. I mean this girl questions things without really questioning things. She wonders all these questions in her head but when it comes to real life, she just goes along with whatever she is told. 
 
I really liked Devin's character. I can completely understand his love for her and his attachment. He's pretty much watched her grow up and been her guard for several years. The other boys.. I find that so hard to believe. These boys have met her once and then are suddenly in love with her, head over heels, kind of love. I just find that so hard to believe. It gets a bit annoying on how accepting they are of each other too. I mean she's practically all over one guy after just meeting him. What do her other two love birds do? Nothing! All is good and they understand they have to share. Okayy.
 
The storyline is actually quite interesting. Overall, the take on this world is really great but I just need a bit more clarity and some distinction between the different groups. I would also like to know more about the actual world as well. I think this book was really heavily based on the boy aspect. I'm very curious to see how it's all going to play out, and what's going to happen in Arianna's world, now that she's so powerful. I really want to know who the person is that betrayed them! That was definitely a great cliffhanger. I'm wondering what all this Legend entails too. I'm sure I'll learn a lot more about that in the second book!
 
 

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

W.W.W. Sept 3

 


 
This is a weekly meme hosted by http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you'll read next?


What I'm currently reading?

17559041

I got this from netgalley and am trying to get to it. I had a book that was due at the library that had a lot of holds. So I had to read that one and get it finished. The story sounds interesting so I can't wait to get this one started and finished!


What I recently finished reading?


8909152
 

Rainbow Rowell seems to be a big rage right now. My first book by her was Eleanor & Park, which I really liked. I'm glad that was my first book by her because I'm not sure I would have ever gotten to it from her others. So far I've read Landline (her newest one) and Attachments. I was a big disappointed with both. I think that Attachments was my least favorite of all three. It's a cute story but I find the stalker angle a bit weird.


What I'll read next:
     

18126198
 
 
I just saw that this is on it's way to me at the library. I'm pretty excited because I've been on a long list for it! I loved the whole Divergent series so I can't wait to get my hands on this!




PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own WWW Wednesdays post, or share your answers in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks!

Attachments- Rainbow Rowell

 
 
 
I'm glad that the first book I read by Rowell, was Eleanor & Park. So far, her other books aren't blowing me away. This was a cute story and I'm not sure that the months I was on hold for it, was worth it. I know that right now everyone wants to read all of her books because Eleanor & Park was so good.
 
I took this book on not knowing what it was about except for guessing from the cover. We meet Lincoln, who is just stuck in a rut. He hasn't really cared about anything but is STILL trying to get over his high school sweetheart NINE years later. Hmm.. There's something  wrong with that. He lives with his mom, has multiple master degrees, plays Dungeons & Dragons, and works the night shift reading other peoples emails. Now, when he was in high school, he was popular, had a serious girlfriend and had friends. I'm not getting the connection. How can this guy go nine years without another interested girl? He is supposed to be so good looking and muscular, but yet, when he explains it, girls don't ever seem interested in him. So he's either giving off some creepy vibes or he's just really bad at reading signals.
 
He is a loner and just doesn't really care about life, until he starts enjoying the email interactions between two co-workers, Beth and Jennifer. Their email gets flagged a lot, so he always has them popping up in his inbox. Instead of giving them warnings and letting them know they are caught, he just keeps reading them. So this is how the story begins. Months go on and he's falling in love with Beth through her email. Then one day, he reads an email about himself. Beth had noticed him and calls him her "Cute Guy."  All the while, she is in a committed relationship. Obviously, as much as she obsesses about him, she should know that if she were in a healthy relationship, she wouldn't be. Then it just gets a bit weird. She starts to stalk him! He ends up doing the same by going to the bar where her boyfriend plays in the band.
 
 If it were me, I think the idea of someone reading all my emails for months on end, is just creepy. How do you get past something like that? Yeah, it can be seen as romantic but it's really an invasion of privacy. Besides this big moral issue, I thought the story was cute. I did like Beth's character a lot. You really get to know her and Jennifer through these emails. The emails take on some deep issues but also are funny and interesting.
 
You also get some nostalgic feelings with all the references to the 80-90's (mostly 90's for me). It's a light, quick read that was interesting but fell flat for me.