Waiting on Wednesday (11)

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme started by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It's for us bloggers to show our excitement about upcoming books. This week I'm waiting on:

Author: Stacey Jay
Summary: "These violent delights have violent ends
And in their triumph die, like fire and powder,
Which as they kiss consume."
—Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

The most tragic love story in history . . .

Juliet Capulet didn't take her own life. She was murdered by the person she trusted most, her new husband, Romeo Montague, a sacrifice made to ensure his own immortality. But what Romeo didn't anticipate was that Juliet would be granted eternity, as well, and would become an agent for the Ambassadors of Light. For 700 years, she's fought Romeo for the souls of true lovers, struggling to preserve romantic love and the lives of the innocent. Until the day she meets someone she's forbidden to love, and Romeo, oh Romeo, will do everything in his power to destroy that love. (From Goodreads.com)

My class read Romeo and Juliet for Language Arts earlier this year, so I'm pretty  familiar with this play, and this sounds so good! I never liked Romeo! But mostly because he cries and whines too much. But I really liked Juliet's character, and I'm excited to read about another version of her. Plus, isn't that cover beautiful?? So, what are you waiting on this week?

Ranting

So, in my Language Arts class we're reading A Separate Peace by John Knowles, and I need somewhere to rant about it. Since my teacher is close-minded and thinks we're wrong if we don't have the same opinions as her on all the books we read, it's hard to discuss things in class. So anyway, I'm about three quarters done with it, and at first it was fine. Although I thought it was a little too descriptive. It went on about things that didn't move the plot forward. But the thing that really bothers me about this book is Gene and Finny, the two main characters. First of all, Gene is a total nut-nut! He is so paranoid that everyone is out to get him, and it's like THE WORLD DOESN'T REVOLVE AROUND YOU, GENE. He is also really arrogant, which is one of the most annoying qualities in a person, in my opinion. Then, Finny. Oh, Phineas. How I hate you. (By the way, this book takes place in the middle of WWII.) Finny is convinced that there is no war on. That is just so insulting! Millions of innocent people died in the Holocaust, and he thinks it's all fake! ARRGGHH. Anyway, I don't even know why I'm posting this because you guys don't care. Oh, well. I feel better now. I'm a very picky person about my quality literature that is required reading in my school. My favorite books that were required reading are To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee (I wish Atticus was MY dad.) and Slaughter-House Five by Kurt Vonnegut. (I think it's so awesome that this book is required reading. It's on soo many banned books lists, just because it talks about some trippy alien stuff and mentions the f-word a few hundred times.) But I guess my school board is just really liberal. But last year we had to read The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, and it was really good writing, I just really despised Holden Caulfield. He thought everything was so PHONY. Well, you know what I think? I THINK YOU ARE A PHONY HYPOCRITE, HOLDEN. Does anyone else feel the same way about these characters as I do? What is required reading in your schools? Do you also wish Atticus Finch was your dad? Okay, rant over. So it goes.

Waiting on Wednesday (10)

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme started by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It's for us bloggers to show our excitement about upcoming books. This week I'm waiting on:

Author: Jocelyn Davies
Summary: Skye never questioned the story of her life. Her Aunt Jo adopted her after the death of her parents when she was just a child, and together they flip through memories the way some people flip through photo albums.

She never questioned if the stories were true.

Until the night of her 17th birthday, when the arrival of two strangers intrudes on her cozy life. Polar opposites, like fire and ice, Asher is dark and wild, while Devin is fair, cold, and aloof. Skye has no idea what they want—only that their presence coincides with the beginning of some shockingly strange events. Events that Skye, if she dares to think it, might be responsible for causing.

High up in the mountains of Boulder, Colorado, Skye finds herself caught in the middle of an ancient battle, one that began untold millennia ago. Torn between unpredictable Asher, whom she loves, and the infuriating Devin, who she can’t stay away from, her fate is murky as a starless night. And as the secrets of her true identity are revealed, Skye realizes that her destiny may reside in the Heavens—or somewhere darker. (From Goodreads.com)

OoOoOoOooo!!! Mysterious! And it looks like form the cover they'll be some near-death experiences which are always fun to read about. I just love the contrast and the spectrum of black and white on the cover. It's so pretty. So, what are you waiting on this week??

Shadow Hills

Author: Anastasia Hopcus
 Rating: 4.37
 Summary: After her sister Athena's tragic death, it's obvious that grief-stricken Persephone "Phe" Archer no longer belongs in Los Angeles. Hoping to make sense of her sister's sudden demise and the cryptic dreams following it, Phe abandons her bubbly LA life to attend an uptight East Coast preparatory school in Shadow Hills, MA — a school which her sister mysteriously mentioned in her last diary entry before she died.

Once there, Phe quickly realizes that something is deeply amiss in her new town. Not only does Shadow Hills' history boast an unexplained epidemic that decimated hundreds of its citizens in the 1700s, but its modern townies also seem eerily psychic, with the bizarre ability to bend metal. Even Zach — the gorgeous stranger Phe meets and immediately begins to lust after — seems as if he is hiding something serious. Phe is determined to get to the bottom of it. The longer she stays there, the more she suspects that her sister's untimely death and her own destiny are intricately linked to those who reside in Shadow Hills. (From Goodreads.com)

I'm FINALLY done with this book! I don't think I've ever taken so long to read a book. And I really liked it. It reminded me soooo much of Fallen by Lauren Kate. Even their writing style was similar. I think this book was a mix of Pretty Little Liars and Fallen. It had the mystery and suspense of Pretty Little Liars, bu the Gothic boarding school and love of Fallen. I was really smitten by this book, and until about 5/6 through the book I could put it down. It was a real page-turner. And although at times the romance between Zach and Phe was extremely annoying because it was so mushy, I really liked Phe. She was curious to learn about everything, and she went about it in a smart way.
    Also, maybe it was the way I dragged out the ending, but the end of the book was the worst part. The climax was really quick, and left me feeling like "that's it?".  I got into a state of mind where I was not caring what was happening.
    But, I really did like this book. But from the ending, I might be hesitant to read the sequel if there is one. I wouldn't mind continuing to read about Phe, but she and Zach were not romantic, they were ridiculous. But If you like that extremely mushy romance, with mystery and a little paranormalcy mixed in, then you'll love this book.

Sorry!

Guys, I'm really sorry I haven't posted in forever! I've been reading Shadow Hills, and I've been almost finished with it for like a week and a half, but I still haven't been able to finish it. But now I'm going away for the weekend and won't have access to a computer, and I feeel really bad about not posting any reviews in forever. I feel like I've been slacking big-time, so here is my apology! Sorryyyy!

Waiting on Wednesday (9)

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme started by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It's for us bloggers to show our excitement for upcoming books. This week I'm waiting on:

Author: Kimberly Derting
Summary: Words are the most dangerous weapon of all.

In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she’s spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It's there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she's never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed.

Charlie is intensely attracted to Max, even though she can’t be sure where his real loyalties lie. As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country’s only chance for freedom from the terrible power of a deadly regime. (From Goodreads.com)

This sounds so exiting and thrilling! I love dystopians, and I heard Kimberly Derting is a really good author. I want to read her The Body Finder series, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. What are you waiting on this week?

In My Mailbox (5)

IMM is a meme started by Kristi at The Story Siren. Its for us bloggers to show off all the new books we got this week. This week I got:  Those That Wake by Jesse Karp from Netgalley

The Cellar by A. J. Whitten from Netgalley
















The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell from Netgalley

 Unearthly by Cynthia Hand from my library















 Angel Burn by L. A. Weatherly from Netgalley

My Soul To Take

Author: Rachel Vincent
Rating: 4/5 Stars
 Summary:
She doesn't see dead people. She senses when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally.

Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest guy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about her need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee knows who'll be next.



    I've really been looking forward to reading this series. This is the first book, and it's been out for awhile, I just never got around to reading it. And it was so good! The concept of the soul screamers was really unique. This doesn't really follow the paranormal creature trend in YA. You know, first it was vampires, then werewolves, then angels. I really hope the next trend is mermaids or selkies, because those are my favorite! I love reading them in summer at the beach. But anyway, I didn't know any banshee lore or stories before reading this, and I also really liked how the grim reapers were thrown in there too.
     Even though there was nothing really special about Vincent's writing style, I still liked the way she made the plot play out, and the characters develop. There was never really a boring part; I was always kept interested in the story whether it was the main character, Kaylee, trying to find answers, the romance between her and Nash, or watching the next victim get attacked by the unseen killer. A lot of the problems were cleared up at the end, and I'm interested to see what will be going on in the next couple of books.
     In this book, I actually liked most of the characters. Kaylee was strong-willed and stood up for herself, which I liked. I hate when characters are weak, or don't have a spine and let people push them around. I also really liked her friend. She was really fun and supportive. The love interest, Nash, was not fantastic for me, but he wasn't bad. I was kind of suspicious of him at first, but he grew on me. But surprisingly, my favorite character was Tod, the reaper helping them. He was so angsty and mysterious, but I loved him. The only thing that really bothered me about the characters was that Kaylee didn't eat. She would always say "I could only pick at my food" or "I lost my appetite". It was so annoying! The girl never ate! And the thing was, she talked about one of the cheerleaders passing out because she "didn't eat enough to keep a hamster alive."
     So if you're looking for a quick read that you can keep coming back to in other books, this is the series for you. Good for lovers of paranormal romance, who doesn't want to read another vampire book.

Waiting on Wednesday (8)

I know it's Thursday, but I forgot to do a Waiting on Wednesday yesterday, and I wanted to do one. So, here it is. Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Author: Libba Bray
Summary:
From bestselling, Printz Award-winning author Libba Bray, the story of a plane of beauty pageant contestants that crashes on a desert island.
Teen beauty queens. A "Lost"-like island. Mysteries and dangers. No access to emall. And the spirit of fierce, feral competition that lives underground in girls, a savage brutality that can only be revealed by a journey into the heart of non-exfoliated darkness. Oh, the horror, the horror! Only funnier. With evening gowns. And a body count.

I looove Libba Bray! Most people really like her trilogy, A Great and Terrible Beauty, but I personally love Going Bovine. If you've read Going Bovine or her blog, you know she's crazy and really funny, so I'm looking forward to this one.

The Lonely Hearts Club

Author: Elizabeth Eulberg
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Summary: Love is all you need...or is it? Penny's about to find out in this wonderful debut.
Penny is sick of boys and sick of dating. So she vows - no more. It's a personal choice...and, of course, soon everyone wants to know about it. And a few other girls are inspired. A movement is born; The Lonely Hearts Club (named after the band from Sgt. Pepper). Penny is suddenly known for her nondating ways...which is too bad, because there's this certain boy she can't help but like...

     This was such a cute book! I'm a huge fan of The Beatles, and this book was constantly referencing them, hence the title. The main character and her sisters were even named after Beatles songs. There was also little snippets of lyrics in the beginnings of the chapters to set the theme, which was also pretty awesome.
     This was the first book I've read by this author, and I have to say, the writing style wasn't very unique. I couldn't hear a voice or personality like I can with some other authors. Also, it took awhile to get into. The beginning was a little boring. Before the plot really got rolling, I found myself thinking "Who cares?" to some of the things happening. But about 50 pages in, I started getting into it, and found I had finished it before I knew it. It wasn't a very long read, which was good, because there wasn't much you could do with the plot after awhile. I hate when in books, it just drags on, and you find yourself checking how many pages you have left, or feeling like everything was nicely tying up and everything was getting resolved, but then you have five more chapters! I hate that.
      I really did like the idea for this book, though. The club seems like it would be so much fun to be a part of. Like a big hunka sisterly love. I really liked the relationships between all the girls, and between Penny and her sister, Rita. It was a new thing to me because I only have a brother. But I don't know, I just really liked all the love between everyone. Even the relationship between Penny and her parents was pretty cool. Sometimes in books the main character has a bad relationship with their parents, and makes them out to be such horrible people, when they're just a little angsty. Her parents were huge Beatles fanatics, always spurting out quirky things.
     So, if you are in the mood for a cute little fluff book, or are just a Beatles fan like me, then this is the book for you. This is for fans of realistic fiction cutsy-wootsy books.

Friend Me

 Author: Cathy Hopkins
 Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
 Summary:  In Mates, Dates, and Inflatable Bras, Lucy is at a turning point. She doesn't feel like she fits in with her friends Izzie and Nesta. Then Lucy sees the most wonderful boy, and things start to change — in all areas of her life.
Izzie is smitten with Mark in Mates, Dates, and Cosmic Kisses. When Izzie cancels plans just so she's available if Mark should call, Lucy and Nesta know they need to intervene. But how can they help when Izzie is convinced that she and Mark are destined to be together?
Nesta meets a boy of her own in Mates, Dates, and Designer Divas. Simon is rich and his lifestyle is totally glamorous. So is his friend Cressida. But competing for Simon's affections could cost Nesta more than she anticipated.


Review: I was really looking forward to reading this, and it did not disappoint. It has three books in one, and it sounded really funny. It came out awhile ago, but I just never got around to reading it. Okay, so on with the review.
     If you have ever read Louise Rennison's Confessions of Georgia Nicolson series, you know what I'm talking about when I say that British slang is hilarious. It's awesome. I also really loved each of the characters. It was fun to read about the three best friends, each book from a different girl's point of view.
     Well, I actually can't really think of anything else to say about this book. It was a fun read, and I would recommend it to anyone who likes a fluffy book every once in awhile. I hate to write a review this short, but it was a simple book that I enjoyed. I'll definitely be reading the sequel soon.

Waiting on Wednesday (7)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, for bloggers to share our excitement about upcoming books! This week I'm waiting on:

Author: Aimee Carter
Summary: Every girl who has taken the test has died.

Now it's Kate's turn.

It's always been just Kate and her mom--and now her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall.

Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld--and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.

Kate is sure he's crazy--until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess.

If she fails...


This book sounds like no other book I've read. I've always been interested in mythology, and it sounds like whatever happens in this book, it's going to be exciting and dramatic! I can't wait for this one. Also the cover is so pretty! I love those colors and the surreal feel. So what are you waiting on this week?