Waiting on Wednesday #2

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

The Diviners by Libba Bray
Release Date: November 6th, 2012

Evie O'Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City--and she is pos-i-toot-ly thrilled. New York is the city of speakeasies, shopping, and movie palaces! Soon enough, Evie is running with glamorous Ziegfield girls and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is Evie has to live with her Uncle Will, curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult--also known as "The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies." 
When a rash of occult-based murders comes to light, Evie and her uncle are right in the thick of the investigation. And through it all, Evie has a secret: a mysterious power that could help catch the killer--if he doesn't catch her first. 

I adored Libba Bray’s Gemma Doyle series, but this....well, this has FLAPPERS! The Roaring Twenties = Prohibition! Jazz! Rebellious ladies! ...and now the supernatural! I can’t wait, it’s going to be the Bee’s Knees!

What are you waiting on?

Teaser Tuesday #1

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

1. “Dmitri shook his head and walked off, muttering something in Russian that didn’t sound complimentary. But as for me...well, just like that, I was one of the novices again.”


2. “Hey Mason, wipe the drool off your face. If you’re going to think about me naked, do it on your own time.”


Page 28 of Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead











I especially like that second teaser! Rose doesn’t take crap from anybody and I love it! I’d love to read your teasers, feel free to leave your link in the comments.

Everneath by Brodi Ashton

Title: Everneath

Author: Brodi Ashton

Pages: 370

Release: January 24^th, 2012

Synopsis:(from Goodreads) Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she's returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished back to the underworld... this time forever.
She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.
Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there's a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen.
As Nikki's time grows short and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she's forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's…

My Thoughts:

Oh my gosh, guys! Oh my goodness, gracious, gosh!!! This has got to be my favorite book I have read so far in 2012! I can’t even explain how much I love this book, but I will sure try!

Beautifully written and heart-wrenching, I found myself reading until I lost track of time on several occasions. The story of Nikki and the Everneath is unlike any other book I have read in a long time, and it was so refreshing! Unlike many YA novels that start with a normal person and build the fictional world around the main character’s discovery of the paranormal, Everneath launches you right into the turmoil and just constantly grows from that through the entire book.

I loved every part of this book, but I really loved the storyline of how Nikki was lead to the Everneath. I liked how it was woven throughout the story, and in addition to that, it was very believable. I can understand how everything that was going on with her would have made her desire an escape. It added to the deep emotional tug I felt through this book. I also must mention how realistic everything about this book felt, the emotions of the characters was so real to me. Responses of her return, the way her friends and family reacted. Let me not forget how easy it was to believe in the love that Jack and Nikki had for one another. Jack Caputo has earned his rightful place on my list of YA boys I adore.

To be honest, forming words about this book is hard. There is so much I would love to share and talk about through this review, but I wouldn’t dare want to spoil it, so all I can leave you with is, PLEASE, purchase this book, read it. You will not regret it.

In Short:

Rating: 5/5

Purchase or Check Out? PURCHASE!

Would I read it again?: Yes!

In My Mailbox #3

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme created by Kristi from The Story Siren as a way to share the books you received over the past week whether for review, purchase, or borrow.

Borrowed from my forever amazing friend, Nicole:

Ascend - by Amanda Hocking

Torn - by Amanda Hocking

It’s a pretty short IMM this week, but I still have plenty left over from last week’s haul. What did you get in your mailbox this week? Feel free to share your link in the comments!

TGIF! #2

TGIF! is a weekly meme hosted by Ginger from GReads! where you can recap the weeks posts and respond to a question.

Required Reading: Which book from your school days do you remember reading & enjoying? Is there a book published now that you'd like to see in today's curriculum for kids?

There are two books in particular that I remember reading in school that I also enjoyed immensely. Both of the books are from Elementary School, oddly. After that required reading wasn’t so fun anymore!

The first book I enjoyed in school was Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. I always remember that my 3rd grade teacher read it to us; that was before the movies had come out and my teacher pronounced Hermione as “Her-mee-one.” It did lead me to becoming a devoted fan to the series!

My other favorite book I was ever introduced to through school is The Giver by Lois Lowry. I thought it was such a good book that I went out and read the two other books in the series right afterward and they are still some of my favorite books to this day. Oddly enough, I cannot remember the grade or the teacher that I had to read this for.

As for what I think should be required reading today in schools, I cannot give a specific book because I do NOT like or support required reading. I think that every person likes different kinds of books and will enjoy some books, and dislike others. By forcing a child or even a teen to read something they don’t have an interest in is just pushing them away from reading altogether. I think that children in schools should always have the option to pick their reading material and never be pushed into something they don’t want to read. Okay, this is me....stepping off my soapbox now.

This Week’s Posts at Leather Bound and Lovely:

In My Mailbox #2

Review: Born Wicked

Top Ten Tuesday #2

Waiting on Wednesday #1

Review: Switched

What books did you enjoy reading in school? Feel free to leave me your links! 

Switched by Amanda Hocking

Title: Switched

Author: Amanda Hocking

Pages: 304

Release: July 12^th, 2010

Synopsis:(from Goodreads) When Wendy Everly was six-years-old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. It isn't until eleven years later that Wendy discovers her mother might have been right. With the help of Finn Holmes, Wendy finds herself in a world she never knew existed - a world both beautiful and frightening, and Wendy's not sure she wants to be a part of it.

My Thoughts:

This is the kind of book that I was immediately taken with, just by reading the synopsis(and that synopsis is short, too!) I had heard such good things about it and I had even read a couple other books by Amanda Hocking, so when I picked this one up, I already was expecting a lot. Man, oh man was I thrilled! Switched far surpassed all of my expectations and left me eager to pick up Torn as soon as it’s released.

In my opinion, Wendy is a very likeable character. She is stubborn and headstrong, but she always means well and has had a very unfortunate past that she is having difficulty coming to terms with. Oh, and not to mention her ability that she doesn’t even understand! I found her to be one of my favorite YA female protagonists.

The story shifts in tone when Wendy becomes more aware of what she is, and I’m trying to be vague here, but at one point Wendy relates her life to The Princess Diaries and I couldn’t agree more. Through at least half of the book I was humming to the tune of “Miracles Happen” from the film. Needless to say, I enjoyed the similarities, but don’t take that as a sign that this book is all hearts and royal parties. This book has so much more to it, that I don’t want to give away!

Lastly, because I can never resist mentioning a total heartthrob, be prepared for Finn. He’s mysterious, protective, and not to mention daringly attractive. Really, all of the characters had some depth to them. The author makes sure to tell you a little background for everyone and that was probably my favorite part of the entire thing!

In Short:

Rating: 5/5

Purchase or Check Out? Purchase!

Would I read it again?: Yes

Waiting on Wednesday #1

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This Is Not a Test by Courtney Summers
Release Date: June 19th, 2012

It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self. To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up. As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live. But as the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in startling ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life—and death—inside. When everything is gone, what doyou hold on to?

Zombies!!! Flesh-eating Zombies! I’m so excited to read this and an added plus, is the cover. Spooky!

What are you waiting on this week?

Top Ten Tuesday #2

Top 10 Tuesday is a weekly meme started by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week’s topic is Top 10 Books I Would Save in the Event of a Disaster:

10. Time Traveler’s Wife 

This is actually a repeat from last week’s list. I would rescue it because I became very emotionally invested in this book and I feel some sort of attachment because of how much I loved it.

9. Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn is my idol! I have several books about her, including biographies, books specifically about certain films, and picture books. This one is my absolute favorite, though. It was fascinating to me and reaffirmed my love for her as not just an actress, but also a person.

8. Millicent Min
You know Scholastic Book Fairs that would come to your elementary school. Well, I am sure most of you will agree with me when I say that was like field day to us book nerds! Millicent Min was actually the first book that I ever bought with my own money. My mom wouldn’t give me the money for it and I had been admiring it in the scholastic sales ad they gave us a week early, and I did dishes every night that week so I could earn the money to buy it. Maybe that’s corny, but it meant a lot to me and I ended up really liking the book too!

7. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
This was the first Harry Potter book I ever had! I know, I know it’s out of order, but my poor parents did their best. I got the other books later on, but I remember how excited I was to have this one. I even wrote “Belongs to Darlene” on the inside of the cover just to further claim it as my own.

6. The Outsiders
This was the first book I read in class for a grade. I felt so grown up reading for a grade. The class had a set for us to use but I convinced my parents that I needed my very own copy. It’s a good thing I ended up loving this book! For some reason, I also think it reminds me of my Dad....don’t know why though. He wasn’t born til the late ‘50s and he wasn’t a greaser. I don’t know, it’s still an important memory!

5. Sookie Stackhouse Series
First, I must be honest and say, no, I have not read these. Let me explain why they are on this list though! I LOVE True Blood(highly recommend it if you like vampires) and I always feel so sad when the season is over. I JUST WANT MORE! So, I bought the books so when I missed True Blood in between seasons I could read the books and be happy again. Well, now that I have them, I can’t bring myself to read them because I am afraid I will love them more than the show and I really want to like the show. I’m oddly, still attached though. I would have to take them if something happened to my house. I just know one day I will get the courage to pick them up and love them.

4. City of Bones
I love The Mortal Instruments series. I was introduced to it by a friend my senior year of high school when I was going through a very rough time in my life. I read them when I stayed weekends in the hospital with my Dad and they took me to a happier place. For that distraction, I can never thank Cassandra Clare enough.

3. The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games is a great book. It’s one of those books that everyone feels a connection to and I am no exception! My copy of The Hunger Games is well read and has been shared many times. It’s the kind of book that shows the signs of use and I am glad that I could share it with so many people.

2.Gathering Blue
This was a book I read in 6th grade and it, along with The Giver were the first books I read that were not contemporary novels. I don’t know if they qualify as Science Fiction or maybe Dystopian? Anywho, it is such a good book that it also became the first book I ever read twice!

1. My Nook!
Okay, not technically a “book” book, but it is definitely number one because it holds so many books that I love!

What’s on your list this week?

Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood

Title: Born Wicked

Author: Jessica Spotswood

Pages: 330

Release: February 7^th, 2012

Synopsis:(from Goodreads) Everybody knows Cate Cahill and her sisters are eccentric. Too pretty, too reclusive, and far too educated for their own good. But the truth is even worse: they're witches. And if their secret is discovered by the priests of the Brotherhood, it would mean an asylum, a prison ship--or an early grave.
Before her mother died, Cate promised to protect her sisters. But with six months to choose between marriage and the Sisterhood, she might not be able to keep her word... especially after she finds her mother's diary, uncovering a secret that could spell her family's destruction. Desperate to find alternatives to their fate, Cate stars scouring banned books and questioning rebellious new friends, all while juggling tea parties, shocking marriage proposals, and a forbidden romance with the completely unsuitable Finn Belastra. If what her mother wrote is true, the Cahill girls aren't safe. Not from the Brotherhood, the Sisterhood -- not even from each other.

My Thoughts:

Oh, where do I begin with this one? I guess I could start by saying I LOVED IT! There has been this hole in my heart that was left there when Libba Bray’s Gemma Doyle Trilogy finished. Well, Born Wicked has all of the elements that Gemma Doyle had that made me love it so much without seeming like an imitation knock-off.

The story reminds me a lot of Salem Witch Trials, but in a different era. I think it’s such a fantastic concept to turn into a book. Oh, and on top of that, the whole story with the three sisters who are all witches, forced to hide their abilities from everyone, including their family, was just too good!

I found the characters to all have well-developed personalities, and even a few characters might surprise you along the way. I will say, when you love a character in this book (such as, Finn, the gardener) you will LOVE them, but when you hate a character (such as, Elena, the governess), you might be a little conflicted with your feelings! I also will warn you that at the end, I shed a couple tears, so if you are prone to getting emotional with books, you might want to keep your Kleenex box handy.

I do hope you all will take the chance to read this book. It is one of those books I hate to be finished with and I can’t wait for more from Jessica Spotswood or the Cahill sisters!

In Short:

Rating: 5/5

Purchase or Check Out? Purchase! Purchase! PURCHASE!

Would I read it again?: Yes!

In My Mailbox #2

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme created by Kristi from The Story Siren as a way to share the books you received over the past week whether for review, purchase, or borrow.

Borrowed from Library:

Crossed - by Ally Condie

Frostbite - by Richelle Mead

Vampire Academy - by Richelle Mead

Everneath - by Brodi Ashton

Soulless - by Gail Carrigan

Purchased:

Born Wicked - by Jessica Spotswood

I’m so excited about all the good books I have to read! I’ve already started Born Wicked (loving it), but after I finish that, I don’t know how I will make the decision on what to start next!

What did you get this week?

TGIF! #1

TGIF! is a weekly meme hosted by Ginger from GReads! where you can recap the weeks posts and respond to a question.

Book Blogger Pride: What do you take pride in when it comes to blogging?

I am brand new to the community, and while I do not know many people yet or have a firm grasp on everything that a book blogger should be doing, I am very proud for taking the initiative to start my blog. I followed tons of book blogs prior to starting mine. For several months I pondered over whether book blogging was something I wanted to do. I finally decided that it was, indeed, something I was serious about and so I took the initiative to make it happen. I know I just started, but I am really proud of myself for making it happen and putting effort into my blog every day.

This Week’s Posts at Leather Bound and Lovely:

In My Mailbox #1

Cover Crazy #1

Top Ten Tuesday #1

Review: The Demon Trapper’s Daughter

Review: Hereafter

What do you pride? Leave me your links! I’d love to check out your TGIF responses!

Hereafter by Tara Hudson

Title: Hereafter

Author: Tara Hudson

Pages: 404

Release: June 7^th, 2011

Synopsis:(from Goodreads) Can there truly be love after death? Drifting in the dark waters of a mysterious river, the only thing Amelia knows for sure is that she's dead. With no recollection of her past life--or her actual death--she's trapped alone in a nightmarish existence. All of this changes when she tries to rescue a boy, Joshua, from drowning in her river. As a ghost, she can do nothing but "will" him to live. Yet in an unforgettable moment of connection, she helps him survive. Amelia and Joshua grow ever closer as they begin to uncover the strange circumstances of her death and the secrets of the dark river that held her captive for so long. But even while they struggle to keep their bond hidden from the living world, a frightening spirit named Eli is doing everything in his power to destroy their newfound happiness and drag Amelia back into the ghost world forever.

My Thoughts:
I will be honest and say I did not enjoy this book. Before I start discussing what I did and did not like, I would like to make it clear that this is my personal opinion and my taste in books could be completely different from any other reader.

What I did like about this book was the cover art obviously! It’s a gorgeous cover and I know that is one reason why I was drawn to this book. I also really liked the plot and what it could have been. It was a great story, don’t ever doubt that; a girl who died and has no memories but is drawn to a guy who is the only human who can see her. I also liked the character development of Joshua and his family. I liked the little glimpse of his home life we were given.

As for what I did not like, this novel had a great plot, but it wasn’t executed in a way I felt was believable or kept me eager to keep reading. I found the main villain, Eli, to be not threatening in the least bit, and the “organization” after Amelia, never followed through, so that was a pretty empty plot line that the author made out to be a bigger deal than it was. My biggest problem was the ending. I understand it is meant to be a series of books, but there were so many loose ends that I did not feel satisfied with the book being over. I still had so many questions, but unfortunately, no drive or interest to purchase the next book.

In Short:

Rating: 2/5

Purchase or Check Out?: Borrow, if you really want it.

Would I read it again?: No

Positive Reviews:

The Starry-Eyed Revue

Book Passion For Life

The Demon Trapper’s Daughter by Jana Oliver

Title: The Demon Trapper’s Daughter

Author: Jana Oliver

Pages: 355

Release: February 1^st, 2011

Synopsis:(from Goodreads) It’s the year 2018, and with human society seriously disrupted by the economic upheavals of the previous decade, Lucifer has increased the number of demons in all major cities. Atlanta is no exception. Fortunately, humans are protected by Demon Trappers, who work to keep homes and streets safe from the things that go bump in the night. Seventeen-year-old Riley, only daughter of legendary Demon Trapper Paul Blackthorne, has always dreamed of following in her father’s footsteps. When she’s not keeping up with her homework or trying to manage her growing attraction to fellow Trapper apprentice, Simon, Riley’s out saving citizens from Grade One Hellspawn. Business as usual, really, for a demon-trapping teen. When a Grade Five Geo-Fiend crashes Riley’s routine assignment at a library, jeopardizing her life and her chosen livelihood, she realizes that she’s caught in the middle of a battle between Heaven and Hell.

My Thoughts:

This book really had all the outwardly appeal to draw me to it. The cover was pretty cool looking, the title seemed interesting enough, and my best friend had previously recommended I read it so I figured it had to be good.

Well, boy was I right! I gobbled up this book within about 2 days and was eager to buy the sequel “Soul Thief” almost as quickly.

My only real qualm with this book is…Where is the backstory? We get set up in this (slightly) futuristic world and it hints that the economy had something to do with the downfall of society as we know it, but there is never really any explanation and that was something I was looking forward to but unfortunately, never got.

I must say a couple other quirks that I didn’t like but that I don’t feel had a huge impact on my feelings of the book:

      1.)  It was also a little slow, but the ending brings it together so well that I could easily overlook the slow parts.

       2.)  Beck is supposed to be country, but I found a lot of his dialogue really unrealistic and hard to mentally digest what/how he would speak. Although that was kind of something that I found “different” it didn’t bug me too much and a lot of the time I didn’t get hung up on it.

Other than that, I loved the book, characters, setting, and plot. I found Riley to be a relatable character and I enjoyed that she had a best friend, Peter, who was not a part of the love triangle? Square? Heck…it will just qualify as some sort of polygon. I felt like Oliver’s version of Atlanta was easy to imagine and had some really cool locations in it. So, it was a good book and I enjoyed it.

In Short:

Rating: 4/5

Purchase or Check Out? Purchase, for sure! It’s a book worth having on your shelf.

Would I read it again?: Maybe.

Top Ten Tuesday #1

Top 10 Tuesday is a weekly meme started by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week’s topic is Top Ten Books that Broke my Heart a Little:

10. Wintergirls - by Laurie Halse Anderson
Wintergirls was a book that I picked from the library one day over the summer a couple years ago. I had no clue what I was getting into. It deals with the sad subject of eating disorders and self-hate. I related to it like I think a lot of girls do, not because I have ever had an eating disorder, but because I’ve never been comfortable with my body.

9. The Notebook - by Nicholas Sparks
Not YA, but I cried and cried AND CRIED!
I read it after watching the movie, knowing what to expect already but I still cried like a baby because I just couldn’t get over how good it was and how sad I was.

8.If I Stay - by Gayle Forman
If I Stay is one of the books in my collection that I cherish because it stuck with me. It’s not my favorite book, or even one I ever think I will read again but the message I got from it was something special that I will never forget.

7.Burned - by Ellen Hopkins
My best friend loves Ellen Hopkins, so I gave this a shot. I have never picked up another Ellen Hopkins book since. Not because it wasn’t good, but because I knew I would never be able to handle the sort of heartbreak she inflicts upon readers. It’s not a happy story, there is no happy ending, plain and simple.

6.The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter
Maybe, this one is a little strange for it to be on my list for breaking my heart a little. However, without giving the whole story away, let me just say, although the ending was happy in a sense, it was also incredibly sad in another sense, too. Anybody catch my drift here?

5.Revolution - by Jennifer Donnelly
This book was troubled from the start with Andi’s younger brother being killed and her other family issues. It was historical and related to the French Revolution, so I really enjoyed it, but it was a very sad story and I shed a few tears along the way.

4.Mockingjay - by Suzanne Collins
Okay, I will be brief because I don’t want to say anything that would ruin it for someone who hasn’t read the series (if you haven’t, READ IT!)
It was so upsetting and didn’t end at all how I would have thought, but unlike other readers who hate the way it ended or feel like Mockingjay “ruined” the books, I thought it was an appropriate ending and I can’t imagine it being any other way.

3. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
Don’t judge me! I read this book five years ago, when I was fifteen and I probably cried so hard my pages got warped. I was so upset by Edward leaving that I simply tore through the book to find out if he was alive. Then I cried tears of joy when Bella and Edward were reunited. It was the first book I ever cried through.

2. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
Without even reading this book, you already know she’s going to die. That’s not the part that broke my heart. It was the way her family changed and moved on without her that tore me up. Once again, trying to be vague so I don’t spoil anything, but it was incredibly sad to realize that she was not getting the justice she deserved and her dad couldn’t get over it.

1. The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
My #1 heartbreaking novel is actually the first grown up novel I read(of my own choosing). The love story between Henry and Clare is so developed that I felt like I knew them personally. So when they had troubles, I felt the pain and it killed me inside. It was so romantic and tragic at the same time. It goes without saying that every time I picked this book up I was bawling like a baby. It took me at least 2 weeks to read because I couldn’t stand crying when I was in public.





So that’s my list! Which books made the cut on your Top 10 this week?


By the way, just a little question if you don’t mind giving an opinion. I’m thinking about hosting a giveaway in celebration of the opening of Leather Bound and Lovely and I want your thoughts: What good YA books would you like to see in the giveaway?