Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Review: My Soul to Save by Rachel Vincent


Synopsis: When Kaylee Cavanaugh screams, someone dies.

So when teen pop star Eden croaks onstage and Kaylee doesn't wail, she knows something is dead wrong. She can't cry for someone who has no soul.

The last thing Kaylee needs right now is to be skipping school, breaking her dad's ironclad curfew and putting her too-hot-to-be-real boyfriend's loyalty to the test. But starry-eyed teens are trading their souls: a flickering lifetime of fame and fortune in exchange for eternity in the Netherworld—a consequence they can't possibly understand.

Kaylee can't let that happen, even if trying to save their souls means putting her own at risk….

Details: YA fiction, paranormal, published December 29, 2009, 288 pages.

Most movie sequels are not as good as the first (especially true for Disney sequels, like those for Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Bambi, etc.), and unfortunately this was the case with My Soul to Save. When I read My Soul to Take last week, I was captivated and thrown into Kaylee's banshee adventures. But with the second book in the Soul Screamers trilogy, I wasn't that impressed with the plot or the characters. It all seemed a bit dull to me.

But I did keep reading it. And that's saying something, because when I really don't like the book, I don't torture my brain by continuing.

I also wasn't interested in Nash's character in both of the books. I thought that Tod was way more intriguing, with his sharp comebacks and sarcastic wit. Nash was a bit of a flat character.

Kaylee brings back memories of Bella in the Twilight saga. She is not confident in herself. Yeah, I realize she's a teenage girl and is self-conscious, but in a book it gets rather annoying when she's always putting herself down. Kaylee was also wondering numerous times why Nash would want to be with her when he's so much better looking and can have any girl he wants. (Ring any bells?)

I will, however, look out for My Soul to Steal, the third (and last?) book of the series, which comes out June 1, 2010. I can only hope that the series gets better rather than worse.

Waiting on Wednesday (4)

Synopsis:
Magic is dangerous—but love is more dangerous still.

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.

Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.

Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by—and torn between—two best friends: James, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length . . . everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world. . . . and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

Details: YA fiction, fantasy, releases August 31, 2010.

If you haven't yet read The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare, I suggest you do that right now! They are three of my favorite books. I was blown away by Clare's writing ability and plot directions and twists. Clockwork Angel, the prequel to this series, should be an excellent addition to my overflowing bookshelf!

August 31 is so far away, but since I currently have 67 books in my Goodreads' To Read bookshelf, I should be kept busy till then!

Monday, March 29, 2010

White Cat book trailer



Can I be more excited for this book? I think not.

It comes out May 4.

Review: Eighth Grade Bites

Synopsis: Junior high really sucks for thirteen-year-old Vladimir Tod. Bullies harass him, the principal is dogging him, and the girl he likes prefers his best friend. Oh, and Vlad has a secret: his mother was human, but his father was a vampire. With no idea of the extent of his powers, Vlad struggles daily with his blood cravings and his enlarged fangs. When a substitute teacher begins to question him a little too closely, Vlad worries that his cover is about to be blown. But then he faces a much bigger problem: he’s being hunted by a vampire killer.

Details: YA fiction, paranormal, published August 2007, 182 pages.

I'm so glad I found out about this series! I loved the first book of The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod. It sucked me in from page one (pun most definitely intended). It gives readers a look into what it would be like to be a vampire teenage boy. Vlad has all the normal teenage stuff going on, plus the urge to suck his classmates dry. There's humor, sarcasm, blood...all the good stuff.

When I saw the length of Eighth Grade Bites, I was thinking that the book would be rushed, trying to fit everything in. But thankfully it wasn't.

This book has pretty much everything I'm looking for in a good YA book: paranormal, intrigue, humor, and just a touch of mystery. I enjoyed getting to know Vladimir Tod, and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series. A huge thumbs up to Heather Brewer! I would recommend this book to vampire fans everywhere!

The only complaint I can think of about Eighth Grade Bites is that it's too short! I wanted more time with Vlad and Henry. But I'm glad to see that the other books in the series are longer.

Contest #27

Heidi R. Kling, author of Sea, is having a contest where she's giving away a book per week. They are all 2010-released books, and most are signed by the author!

Rules (you must do at least three):

*Blog about this contest-link in comments
*Tweet about this contest-@ reply me @heidirkling hashtag #SeaBluePeopleWin
*FB about this contest mention my name (it automatically links)
*Change your Twitter avatar to a SPRING 2010 BOOK COVER (it could be Hex Hall, Will Grayson, Restoring Harmony, Linger*, If I Fall, my book (what's it called?), or whicheverbookyouwantandthinkisawesome
*Make a VLOG.

Good luck everyone!

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Review: My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent

Synopsis: She doesn't see dead people, but…

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…

Details: YA fiction, paranormal, published August 2009, 279 pages.

I thought that the plot of My Soul to Take - screaming when someone dies - was really weird. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's nice to have a fresh idea in a publishing world filled with vampires and werewolves. This book was an easy, quick read and I enjoyed it. The book moved along smoothly with no lagging sections. I'm looking forward to reading what the author has come up with next in My Soul to Save.

One thing I thought I'd mention was the fast relationship between Kaylee and Nash. They met for the first time in this book, and they skipped completely past the "friendship" part of their relationship and dived headlong into the holding-hands-and-kissing. The book only covers 4 or 5 days, guys! Kaylee and Nash reminded me of Jack and Rose in Titanic...moving way too fast.

I also looked up Rachel Vincent's adult books, the Shifters series, and they also look good!





I'm off to read Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer. I'm really excited to read this series! It'll be fun to read books about a vampire who's a boy, especially after all the vampire books with girls as the main characters.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Don't Be Afraid to Write Negative Reviews!

Here's an excellent post by Staysi at Lost in Ink for bloggers about writing negative book reviews: LINK. I agree wholeheartedly! Even though it might be scary and uncomfortable to write a bad review for a book you've read, it's better to tell the truth. Yeah, the author might come across your blog post, but maybe your bad review will help her become a better author. Our blogger friends follow our book blogs to get our honest opinion about books, not for us to tell them a pack of lies. If we rate every single book we read as 5 stars, our credibility as book bloggers diminishes.

Anyway, read Staysi's post and stand up for your opinion!

In My Mailbox (1)

My first IMM post! I'm so excited to show you guys what all I got this week. They were won by contests. (Believe me, I don't win these all the time, they just decided to show up all in one week!)


The Van Alan Legacy by Melissa de la Cruz.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters (both audio books), and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls. I got these from Quirk Books, along with a poster, a journal, and a book of postcards.

Boxed set of the first three Fablehaven books by Brandon Mull, won by Simon and Schuster.

First three books of the Vladimir Tod series plus an ARC copy of the fourth by Heather Brewer. I also received a tote bag and buttons with the vampire smiley on them...so cute!


(I'm not sure why this picture keeps wanting to turn out sideways...)

Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom.

Wherever Nina Lies by Lynn Wiengarten. I actually got this more than a week ago on Friday, but who's counting?

I hope to do more of In My Mailbox posts in the future. I should be getting a review copy from BookSneeze in the next week or so, and I've signed up to win some books for review from Library Thing.

Happy reading!

-Kelsey

Book Blogger Hop


There's a MckLinky form at Crazy for Books to type in your blog address so more people can find out how cool you are!

There is, of course, rules (when is there not?)...must be a blog that is in some part related to books, must be a blog that is less than 3 months old or has less than 50 followers, you must do a blog post about the Book Blogger Hop to get the word out, and if you find a cool blog and you start to follow, just leave a comment on their blog saying you found them through the Blogger Hop. There's additional rules on how to enter your link in the form, so make sure you read them before.

I entered my link and you should too!

Review: Nebula's Music by Aubrie Dionne

Synopsis: Each note brings her one step closer to the truth. When the cyborg Nebula plays the piano she experiences memories from a time before her creation. These memories…which involve a captive rebel fighter being held on their ship…bring with them complex human feelings and awaken a desire for her to discover her origins. Radian is the long lost love of the woman from which Nebula was made. He’s vowed to avenge his fiancé’s death and rescue her sister from the Gryphonites, a fierce race out to enslave the galaxy. Nebula grapples with her identity and how much of who she is comes from someone else’s past. She is not the woman that died, yet she is undeniably drawn to Radian. Together Nebula and Radian seek to rescue his fiancé’s sister and end the Gryphonites’ cruel reign. But can Radian learn to love again and can Nebula accept a past made from someone else’s memories?

Details: Adult Science Fiction/Romance ebook, published March 2010, 68 pages.

First of all, I love this cover!

I was drawn into the world of Nebula's Music from the first page. Compared to some other science fiction books I've read, this one is easy enough to understand. The storyline drew me in, until I couldn't stop reading. I had to find out what happened next! Nebula's Music has non-stop action and creativity.

Whenever Nebula plays the piano, memories from her host body's life come back to her. I liked this part of the book because I also play the piano and have had seven years of training with various teachers.

While reading Nebula's Music, I was reminded of The Host by Stephenie Meyer (another great book, by the way), in the way that Nebula and Wanda were made. They were both put into a body that wasn't theirs.

The only semi-negative thing I have to say about this book is that it was too short! I wanted to get to know the characters more. I understand that this is a shorter book so the story had to move faster, but I would've liked to dive a little deeper into the story and have more expanding explanations of the fantasy world Nebula was living in.





I was sent this ebook from the author to review. You can find out more about Aubrie Dionne and her other books by going to her website and blog.

Friday, March 26, 2010

Review: The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley

Synopsis: The mythic legend of King Arthur, vividly retold through the lives of the amazing women who wielded power from behind the throne.

Details: Adult book, fantasy, published April 1984, 876 pages.

I probably wouldn't have pick this book up myself to read, mainly because of its size, but my mom picked this one up from a school book sale she was working at and thought I might like it. For the first 300 pages, I thought The Mists of Avalon was a really good book and would be in my favorites pile. But after the incest incident, it threw me off. In addition to that, I did not like the intense concentration on "the Goddess" and their whole religion. At times, it felt like I was reading a religious book rather than a fantasy book.

I couldn't help but compare The Mists to Juliet Marillier's books. Marillier is one of my all-time favorite authors. She has characters that you can relate to and sympathize with, very interesting plots, she describes the scenery in lush detail, and her dialogue is easy to read. Marillier's characters also worship "the Goddess," but that part doesn't take over the book like I felt The Mists did. Perhaps if I agreed with the philosophy of their religion, I would've enjoyed it a bit more.

Midway through the book, I lost interest and it seemed to take forever to reach the end. It kept going on and on. Some parts got me sitting at the edge of my chair, but those were few and far between. I skimmed the last 40 pages because I wanted to finish it so bad.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Scars, Contest #26



Scars
was released recently on March 24, and to help promote the book the author, Cheryl Rainfield, is hosting a contest!

Here's the prizes:


Grand Prize:
one lucky winner will receive:

  • a Sony Digital Reader;
  • a $15 gift card to an online bookstore of their choice: Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, BarnesandNoble.com, Chapters.Indigo.ca, Powells.com, etc,
  • AND a signed copy of SCARS.




First Prize:
one lucky winner will receive:
  • a $100 gift certificate to an online bookstore of their choice: Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, BarnesandNoble.com, Chapters.Indigo.ca, Powells.com, etc,
  • AND a signed copy of SCARS.

Second Prize:
one lucky winner will receive:

  • $50 gift certificate to an online bookstore of their choice: Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, BarnesandNoble.com, Chapters.Indigo.ca, Powells.com, etc.;
  • AND a signed copy of SCARS.

Third Prize:
one lucky winner will receive:

  • a $25 gift certificate to an online bookstore of their choice: Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, BarnesandNoble.com, Chapters.Indigo.ca, Powells.com, etc.;
  • AND a signed copy of SCARS.
Details are HERE.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

New Shel Silverstein book in 2011

I found an article on EW saying that there's going to be a 2011 release of Shel Silverstein's work.

My mom has an old battered copy of Where the Sidewalk Ends, and I remember reading it and looking at the illustrations while growing up. She used to read them to my sister and I when we were younger, so Shel Silverstein's poems have sentimental value, and I would love to read more of his work. The Giving Tree is also one of my favorite books that I was introduced to as a child.

More information about the 2011 release can be found here:

EW.com
PW.com

Waiting on Wednesday (3)

Synopsis: Eron DeMarchelle isn't supposed to feel this connection. He is a Sandman, a supernatural being whose purpose is to seduce his human charges to sleep. Though he can communicate with his charges in their dreams, he isn't encouraged to do so. After all, becoming too involved in one human's life could prevent him from helping others get their needed rest. But he can't deny that he feels something for Julia, a lonely girl with fiery red hair and sad dreams. Just weeks ago, her boyfriend died in a car accident, and Eron can tell that she feels more alone than ever. Eron was human once too, many years ago, and he remembers how it felt to lose the one he loved. In the past, Eron has broken rules to protect Julia, but now, when she seems to need him more than ever, he can't reach her. Eron's time as a Sandman is coming to a close, and his replacement doesn't seem to care about his charges. Worse, Julia is facing dangers she doesn't recognize, and Eron, as he transitions back to being human, may be the only one who can save her. . . . Even once they've become human again, Sandmen are forbidden to communicate with their charges. But Eron knows he won't be able to forget Julia. Will he risk everything for a chance to be with the girl he loves?

Details: YA book, released July 13, 2010

I'm a sucker for books that have a plot around sleep or dreams. Probably why I love Wake so much and read it in one sitting. So I can't wait to see how Sleepless is. It sounds crazy good!

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Eclipse poster


After reading Parajunkee's post about Eclipse, I was inspired to do my own about this poster.

Bella looks like she just woke up and badly needs some coffee. Now, I know this is how she normally looks, but this seems worse than usual. OPEN YOUR EYES, Bella. I know you have it in you! Or maybe she's trying to look sexy or something, but it's not working for me.

Edward's hair is flatter than normal, right? Or am I just seeing things. Also, he looks photoshopped and doesn't look like himself. If you click the poster to make it bigger, you'll see what I mean.

I loved the poster for New Moon, though. How Edward, Jacob, and Bella were standing perfectly described their relationship in the book. In the Eclipse poster, there's not much character in it.

Parajunkee's post (LINK) said that there is talk about splitting the last book, Breaking Dawn, into two movies. I am SO not on board with this! Why, why, why, must movie producers do this? First with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, now Breaking Dawn? Yeah, there's a whole lot of stuff in the book, but they packed it all in with the first three, so why not the fourth? I also heard recently that the producers of the Lord of the Rings trilogy were going to split the books into four movies, and I'm really glad they didn't. I think that the movies should be the same number as the books. If there's four books, there should be four movies. If they do this to the fourth Twilight, what are they going to call it? Breaking Dawn Part I and Part II? Gay.

I can't wait to see Eclipse! The first movie I didn't like, but the second blew me away. I hope the director makes Eclipse even better.

Friday, March 19, 2010

Contest #25

There's a great contest at The Bookologist, link HERE.

There are (3) boxes, each box contains (4) ARCs, there will be (1) winner who gets to pick one box.

The books up for grabs:

Box 1:

  • Pegasus by Robin McKinley (ARC)
  • Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (ARC)
  • Sea by Heidi R. Kling (ARC)
  • The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, & June by Robin Benway (ARC)
Box 2:
  • My Invisible Boyfriend by Susie Day (ARC)
  • Linger by Maggie Stiefvater (ARC)
  • Tell Me A Secret by Holly Cupala (ARC)
  • Winter Longing by Tricia Mills (ARC)
Box 3:
  • Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles (ARC)
  • Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs (ARC)
  • Something Like Fate by Susane Colasanti (ARC)
  • Everlasting by Angie Frazer (ARC)
Even though all the boxes include books I want to read, I am going with Box 1...Pegasus! I did a post on this book a while ago, and I am really looking forward to this book's release so I can go out and read it.

Good luck everybody!

-Kelsey

Contest #24

Ramblings of a Teenage Bookworm is having a big contest here: LINK.

List of books included in the giveaway:

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
Sing Me to Sleep by Angela Morrison
Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready
For Keeps by Natasha Friend
Claire de Lune by Christine Johnson
Anxious Hearts by Tucker Shaw
Winter Longing by Tricia Mills
Publish Post


"The winner gets to pick 12 books(or more depending on the how much well fit in the box*sqeeze* lol) Be looking out for more books added to the list."

Great books for a contest! And 12 books for the winner!!

So go on and enter, and good luck!

-Kelsey

Thursday, March 18, 2010

My D-Listed Books

I'm going to compile a list of books, most of which are popular and that, after reading, I thought "I wish I had those hours of my life back to read a better book." Some of these are in a series, which I've read a few books of and then quit.

Let me just say before I begin this list that I read a lot of vampire books. In fact, I read most every vampire book I come across because, let's just say, I'm obsessed with them and their bad-boy awesomeness. Another reason I read so many is because I'm trying to find my next big vampire-book craze, and I can't find it unless I read them all. But I have very high standards when it comes to vampires. For example, they can't be too cheesy, or too lovable that they aren't even in the vampire species anymore. They're more of a teddy bear with fangs. I think many authors take advantage of the vampire phenomenon by writing books that have vampires in them. This is especially true for debut authors who want to make it big in the publishing world. To me, this is just plain cheap. I mean, come up with some new stuff, you know? Not just feed off of another author's (Stephenie Meyer) success.

OK, now that I have that rant done, here's my D-List of Books I Wish You Wouldn't Read:

1. Vampire Kisses by Ellen Schreiber. I read and finished the first book of this series. It was terrible. I am an avid vampire-lover, and these books disgraced the entire myth of vampires. Also, the conversations between the main characters was weird and unrealistic.

2. The Vampire Diaries series by L. J. Smith. I admit, I didn't even finish The Awakening, the first book, because it was so bad. The dialogue between the characters, especially. And maybe I wasn't giving the book a fair chance. I certainly didn't like Twilight the first few times I tried to read it, but eventually I got through 100 pages and I started to really like it. So maybe I'll go back to this series some other time, but not in the near future. I watch the show, though, although it's not the best show ever made. But come on, who can resist a weekly Thursday dose of Damien?

3. The Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead. I have read two books and a half of this series. After finishing the first, I thought it was fine, but not the best vampire book ever. The second was also okay, but through reading some of Shadow Kiss I gave up. It became too much of a struggle to continue on with the series. (Sidenote: doesn't The Vampire Academy's cover-girl look exactly like Angelina Jolie? What is up with that??)

4. House of Night series by P. C. and Kristen Cast. It's a cool idea: a school just for vampires that have classes only at night. But the writing and the plot didn't elaborate on the cool idea. I've read two, and didn't bother picking up the third.

5. Gossip Girls series by Cecily Von Ziegesar. Definitely not a fan of this series, although I know so many are. But I don't get it. What's so exciting about reading who slept with who, what girl fight is going on today, etc. Read the first book, not impressed. Watched the show on CW, still not impressed.

6. Suite Scarlett and 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson. First off, let me say that I loved The Key to the Golden Firebird. That was the first MJ book I read, and I devoured it in a day it was so good. But Suite Scarlett and 13 LBE...I felt she didn't do her best work on these.

7. Jinx by Meg Cabot. Before I read the book, I read a summary about it, and was thinking this was going to be a cool addition to the Meg Cabot's ginormous list of books. I got halfway through and set it down because I didn't want to spend any more useless time on a book I didn't like. However, I do recommend The Princess Diaries! (Not the movie. Gag.)

8. Trickster's Choice by Tamora Pierce. Over the years, I've heard good things about the author Tamora Pierce, so I thought I'd read some of her books to see what all the fuss was about. Trickster's Choice SO didn't live up to my expectations. I didn't really get into it like I do with other books. I didn't understand some parts either.

9. What Would Emma Do? by Eileen Cook. I wrote a review on this book not too long ago: LINK. 'Nuff said.

10. Glass Houses by Rachel Caine. This is the first book in Caine's series: Morganville Vampires. I didn't read too much of this book, but I wasn't thrilled with the first 40 pages and didn't feel like going on.

11. Uglies and Peeps by Scott Westerfeld. Twice I attempted to finish Uglies, and twice the excitement of reading it failed. I love futuristic or alternate realities, but Uglies didn't bring it for me. Peeps...I don't know why exactly I don't like this one. Maybe I don't like the author, period.

Sorry if I offended someone's favorite book of all time by bashing it on my D-List, but there it is.

I was thinking of doing an A-List of books I think everyone should read, but that list could go on and on and on...and on.

So what are your D-Listed books? Have you read any popular books and thought "Why in the world do so many people read this trash? It's a disgrace to all books everywhere. A disgrace, I tell you!"?

Contest #23

Spellbound by Books, which I just discovered is having a great first giveaway celebrating almost 100 followers! The books to win are Gone and Hunger. You must be a blog follower to enter. Good luck!

Enter HERE.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Waiting on Wednesday (2)

Synopsis: At once an homage to one of America's greatest writers and a page-turning psychological mystery that is equal parts horror, humor, and romance, NEVERMORE is the story of Varen -- a Poe-fan and goth -- and Isobel -- a cheerleader and unlikely heroine. When a Lit. project pairs the two together, Isobel finds herself steadily swept into Varen's world, one that he has created in his notebook and in his mind, one where the terrifying stories of Edgar Allan Poe come to life. Isobel slowly learns that dreams can be much more powerful than she'd ever expected, and that pain and despair come in all sorts of shades. As labels of "goth" and "cheerleader" fade away, she sees more in Varen than a tall, pale outcast, and a consuming romance is braced against the ever-clearer horror that the most terrifying realities are those within our own minds. When Isobel has a single chance to rescue Varen from the shadows of his own nightmares, will she be able to save him -- and herself?

Details: YA book, released August 31, 2010

While I can't say I like the name Varen all that much, doesn't this book sound good? Part of my excitement might have to do with the fact that I love goth guys, but that's a whole other story. I'm also looking forward to this book because it deals with cliques and labels. As far as I know, dating a guy from another group doesn't happen very often in high school. Maybe after we read Nevermore, we can see how ridiculous cliques are and how we isolate ourselves and other people from friendships they may have had otherwise.

The cover is the first thing that attracted me to this book. They are contrasting characters in the book, and the cover reflects that by having the guy all dark and the girl with blonde hair and a pink shirt.

The publishing date is so far away! Thank goodness for Goodreads so I won't forget about it until then!

-Kelsey

I got a blog award!


Isn't the award pretty?? I got it from 25-Hour Books. Thank you!!!

The rules after you've received the award:

1. Thank and link to the person that gave you the award
2. Pass the award onto 15 bloggers you’ve recently discovered and think are fantastic
3. Contact said blogs and let them know they’ve won
4. State 7 things about yourself

My 15 bloggers I picked (and this was really hard! There are so many cute blogs out there to just choose 15!):

1. Candace at Candace's Book Blog
2. Dark Wyrm Reads
3. Karen and Julie at Edifying and Edgy
4. Melanie at Melanie's Random Thoughts
5. Bella at Obsessed!
6. The Serpentine Library
7. Kelly at Midnight Glance
8. Alicia at Alicia in Wonderland
9. Catie at Book Bound
10. Cara at From my Head Reviews
11. Audrey at Holes in my Brain
12. Lynsey at Narratively Speaking
13. Sara at Sara's Urban Fantasy Blog
14. Tina at Tina'sBookReviews
15. Guinevere at This is not my Day Job

7 things about me that you don't know:

1. I'm going to be a paramedic...eventually.
2. I hate wearing nylons or a skirt. This is probably because I was forced to when I was in private school.
3. I have a sister three years older than me. We fought non-stop when she lived in the same house as me, and ever since she left three years ago, we've only fought once.
4. I used to have a ferret, but I sold her a few weeks ago.
5. I'm 5'10 and 140 pounds.
6. I've never had a job in my life, though that's not because of lack of trying!
7. I love, love, LOVE Canada Dry/Gingerale. Besides coffee, it's my favorite drink.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Review: Take One by Karen Kingsbury

Synopsis: Could they change the world before the world changes them? Filmmakers Chase Ryan and Keith Ellison left the mission field of Indonesia for the mission field of Hollywood with a dream bigger than both of them. Now they have done the impossible: raised enough money to produce a feature film with a message that could change the world. But as Chase and Keith begin shooting, their well-laid plans begin to unravel. With millions of dollars on the line, they make a desperate attempt to keep the film from falling apart even as a temperamental actress, a botched production schedule, and their own insecurities leave little room for the creative and spiritual passion that once motivated them. Was God really behind this movie after all? A chance meeting and friendship with John Baxter could bring the encouragement they need to stay on mission and produce a movie that will actually change people's lives. In the midst of the questions and the cameras, is it possible to keep things above the line and make a movie unlike anything done before or is the risk too great for everyone?

Details: Adult book, Christian fiction, published March 2009, 352 pages.

Karen Kingsbury is one of the best Christian fiction authors I've found yet. (Another good one is Dee Henderson.) Her stories are captivating and completely draws me into her characters' lives. Every book of hers I've found it difficult to put down.

Take One is the start of a new series, but it is also a continuation of several of Kingsbury's series, which I've also read: the Redemption series, Firstborn series, and the Sunrise series, all of which follow the Baxter family. I was thrilled when I heard that Kingsbury was going to continue writing about the Baxters vicariously through new characters. And Take One is yet another Kingsbury accomplishment. I haven't yet read a book of hers that I didn't love!

The first Karen Kingsbury book that I read was Divine, and it is still one of my favorites by her. It's about a girl who was forced into prostitution when she was a girl. If you haven't read any Kingsbury books, I recommend starting with this one. It is a stand-alone novel.

In Take One, I was especially glad to see the Cody/Bailey/Tim storyline continued from the previous series. I have to say that I was more interested in what was happening to Bailey and her roommate Andi, then about Keith and Chase's film production. But that's probably only because I'm college-aged and I relate to Bailey's life better.

I can't wait to read the rest of this series. Take Two is already out, and Take Three is coming March 23. But since I have The Mists of Avalon (which is a mega-book!) to read, plus a ton of books coming in the mail, I will have to add it to my ever-growing TBR pile!

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Review: What Would Emma Do? by Eileen Cook

Synopsis: Thou Shalt Not Kiss Thy Best Friend's Boyfriend...again...There is no greater sin than kissing your best friend's boyfriend. So when Emma breaks that golden rule, she knows she's messed up big-time...especially since she lives in the smallest town ever, where everyone knows everything about everyone else...and especially since she maybe kinda wants to do it again. Now her best friend isn't speaking to her, her best guy friend is making things totally weird, and Emma is running full speed toward certain social disaster. This is so not the way senior year was supposed to go. Time to pray for a minor miracle. Or maybe, just maybe, it's time for Emma to stop trying to please everyone around her, and figure out what she wants for herself.

Details: YA book, published December 30, 2008, 320 pages.

What Would Emma Do? isn't a great book in my opinion. When I first started reading it, I was thinking "Oh, this girl is going to talk to God at the beginning of the chapters. That's cool." But throughout the book, she was making fun of Christianity and God, which I didn't appreciate. Seriously, what is with the YA books I'm reading lately that does this? First Meridian, now this one. As in Meridian, the Christians were taking their religion too far and practically making it a cult, with the main character being sarcastic about Christianity.

What I liked about this book was the hilarious conversations between the characters. There were times during reading that I would laugh out loud because of the humor. Eileen Cook is a great conversationalist writer, but other than that she's not.

If I would've read What Would Emma Do? when I was thirteen, I think I would have enjoyed reading it more. It's a bit like The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot (all of which I've read throughout my teen years), though not nearly as well-written.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Review: The Last Olympian

All year the half-bloods have been preparing for battle against the Titans, knowing the odds of victory are grim. Kronos's army is stronger than ever, and with every god and half-blood he recruits, the evil Titan's power only grows. While the Olympians struggle to contain the rampaging monster Typhon, Kronos begins his advance on New York City, where Mount Olympus stands virtually unguarded. Now it's up to Percy Jackson and an army of young demigods to stop the Lord of Time. In this momentous final book in the New York Times best-selling Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the long-awaited prophecy surrounding Percy's sixteenth birthday unfolds. And as the battle for Western civilization rages on the streets of Manhattan, Percy faces a terrifying suspicion that he may be fighting against his own fate.

I'm sad that I have finished the last Percy Jackson book, but it also provided a satisfying close to the series.

The Last Olympian was exciting and had a captivating storyline, but this one isn't my favorite of the series. I think the reason is because Percy and his friends weren't on a quest and journeying to different places. They stayed in one spot through the whole book: New York.

Riordan wrote the book so it was still interesting, even though there were limited changes of scenery.

I'm sad for Rachel, because she was made into the Oracle. It doesn't really seem like a happy ending for her. Just because it might've been her "fate," doesn't mean she had no options.

I'm looking forward to what Rick Riordan will write in the future, and I hope they're as adventurous as Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

For those of you who have read the books, what did you think of the movie? I've been told by a blogger that it's not worth viewing, and it doesn't even follow the first book at all, so I'm not planning on seeing it.

Waiting on Wednesday (1)

Summary: Cassel comes from a family of curse workers -- people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they're all mobsters, or con artists. Except for Cassel. He hasn't got the magic touch, so he's an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail -- he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago. Ever since, Cassel has carefully built up a façade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his façade starts crumbling when he starts sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He's noticing other disturbing things, too, including the strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him, caught up in a mysterious plot. As Cassel begins to suspect he's part of a huge con game, he also wonders what really happened to Lila. Could she still be alive? To find that out, Cassel will have to out-con the conmen.

Release date: May 4, 2010

Besides the cover (which I love!), this sounds like a really good book and a good start to the Curse Workers series. I loved her book Tithe, which is about faeries. I didn't like Valiant so much, though.

-Kelsey

Monday, March 8, 2010

Review: Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston

When Kelley moves to New York to pursue her dreams of theatrical success, she expects that her only encounters with mythical beings will be confined to the stage, in the Avalon Grande Theatre's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. All of that changes when she meets Sonny Flannery, who introduces Kelley to a world she never knew existed. A member of Auberon's Janus Guard, he patrols the portal (in Central Park) between the human and faerie worlds on the few dangerous nights when it opens and members of the Unseelie Court can pass into the mortal realm. He is strangely drawn to Kelley, and as he gets to know her, he begins to suspect that there is more to her history than either of them know. Through encounters with sirens, hellhounds, and kelpies, Kelley and Sonny are drawn irrevocably into a battle among the Fey. Despite the budding attraction between them, forces they can hardly understand seek to keep them apart. Set against the backdrop of present-day New York City, this enchanting first novel weaves together the worlds of theater and magic in a way that is sure to please fans of both. (School Library Journal Review)

I confess that I hate the book cover, so this isn't the reason why I decided to read this book. Around the blogosphere, this book, along with Darklight is lighting up like a "firecracker." (Those who read the book will know what I'm talking about!) So I decided to read and review it for myself to see what all the fuss is about.

Pros: the plot is well laid out, the characters are well-developed and entertaining, plenty of action and humor, and the book was well-written.

Cons: Wondrous Strange lagged in the beginning, and took me a while to get into. But I was glad a fellow blogger (Kelly at Midnight Glance) told me about that specific con of the book before I read it, so I knew that it was going to get better. And it definitely did! A minor con in the book was one of the main characters' name: Sonny. I didn't like his name at all. I wish Livingston would've switched Sonny and Maddox's names. I felt that "Maddox" was a better fit for Sonny's character, and the name "Sonny" seemed more like a main character's sidekick name. But like I said, very minor con.

Even though I really enjoyed Wondrous Strange, this isn't one of my favorite books. I can't really say why, but it's not.

Lesley Livingston wrote a great first novel, and I will add Darklight to my huge to-be-read pile. Does anyone know if this is going to be a trilogy, or is Lesley finished with the series?

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Sing Me to Sleep book trailor and Contest #23



I posted this as an entry into a contest at The Hiding Spot to win a copy of Sing Me to Sleep. Contest ends March 30. Enter HERE.

-Kelsey

Contest #22

Book-Lover Carol has a big contest to win:

THE IRON KING by Julie Kagawa
HUSH, HUSH by Becca Fitzpatrick
WHITE CAT by Holly Black (ARC)
MR.MONSTER by Dan Wells
O, JULIET by Robin Maxwell
NORTH OF BEAUTIFUL by Justina Chen Headley (ARC)
NUMBERS by Rachel Ward (ARC)
FADE by Lisa McMann
WILL GRAYSON, WILL GRAYSON by John Green & David Levithan (ARC)
GEEKTASTIC edited by Holly Black (ARC)
FALLEN by Lauren Kate (ARC)
PERCHANCE TO DREAM by Lisa Mantchev (ARC)
...and more to come.

Four winners! So that means more chances to win! Contest ends April 1. Enter HERE.

-Kelsey

Review: Meridian by Amber Kizer


Half-human, half-angel, Meridian Sozu has a dark responsibility.

Sixteen-year-old Meridian has been surrounded by death ever since she can remember. As a child, insects, mice, and salamanders would burrow into her bedclothes and die. At her elementary school, she was blamed for a classmate’s tragic accident. And on her sixteenth birthday, a car crashes in front of her home—and Meridian’s body explodes in pain.

Before she can fully recover, Meridian is told that she’s a danger to her family and hustled off to her great-aunt’s house in Revelation, Colorado. It’s there that she learns that she is a Fenestra—the half-angel, half-human link between the living and the dead. But Meridian and her sworn protector and love, Tens, face great danger from the Aternocti, a band of dark forces who capture vulnerable souls on the brink of death and cause chaos.


I was looking forward to this book from reading the description. It sounded really cool. Also, one of my commenters said they liked it. Well...I didn't. I continued reading this book through to the end only for the sake of reviewing it.

First off, most of the chapters ended at weird places in the dialogue. I felt that the chapter wasn't really finished before it started the next.

Secondly, the philosophy of the book I definitely didn't agree with. I understand that it's fantasy and not reality, but some aspects of the book were pertaining to current events. The author insinuated that neither prayer or creationism belongs in the school, and that it was a shame that Jesus Christ was replacing Santa Claus as the symbol for Christmas (Jesus is the meaning for Christmas, hence the CHRIST in Christmas). I'm trying really hard not to go into a political/religious spiel in this post, but the point I want to make is that Kizer was insulting my religion in places throughout the book, and I was offended. I am definitely not saying that I agree with some of the things the Nocti pastor was saying and doing. But I feel that if a person (young adult or adult) were reading this book and they have never stepped into a church, they would most likely not after reading this book. Perimo was made into a manipulative, awful person, and readers might think that is what all pastors are like. They're not.

Thirdly, I didn't get involved in the characters' lives. This was mostly because I didn't understand them, especially Tens. He was a very complex character, going from one emotion to the next in rapid fire. I couldn't understand why he was angry and spouting off at Meridian, and toward the end of the book he was happy and calm. Usually when I read a book, I can understand the characters and empathize with them. In Meridian, I couldn't.

Fourthly, the Fenestra history part of the book was very confusing, especially when Kizer packs it all into small conversations.

However, despite the negatives, I felt that the plot was interesting and that's why I'm giving Meridian two stars.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Review: Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers

Summary: Frozen out of her clique after vicious rumors circulate, Regina Afton takes solace in the company of Michael Hayden, a misfit whom she herself used to bully. Friendship doesn't come easily for these onetime enemies, and as Regina works hard to make amends for her past, she realizes Michael could be "more" than just a friend.

Wow. This book is: heartbreaking, intense, shocking, livid, honest-to-the-bone, and raw. One of the blurbs on the back of the book related Some Girls Are to Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. Speak is one of my all-time favorite books. While I didn't like Some Girls Are as much as I liked Speak, I can see the similarities. I loved this book. I admit, the only reason I picked up this book was because of the cool cover. But I'm glad to say that that's not the only reason I like this book now. Many times throughout reading it my mouth dropped open at how cruel and insensitive high schoolers can be. I was raised in a private school, and was sheltered my entire life. I was picked on, but it was nothing compared to what Regina went through. The entire school hated her, she had raw meat all over her belongings, "WHORE" spray-painted on her locker door, got beaten up, and harassed day after day. If this is the way kids get treated in public schools, I am so glad I wasn't enrolled in one. Don't get me wrong: I loathed school, even though I got good grades. Regina is my new fictional hero: she stood up to her ex-friends and didn't take their crap when they mentally and physically abused her. She wasn't always strong and tough, but that's precisely what makes her more of a hero to me.

I was glad that Summers wrote the relationship between Regina and Michael the way she did. It was realistic because Michael wouldn't immediately forgive Regina for the way that she treated him (and Liz). Even at the end of the book, I got the feeling that he still didn't fully forgive her, though he was getting up to it.

I'm a little hesitant to give Some Girls Are a full 5 stars because I felt it lagged on in a few sections, but overall this book is a must-read for those who aren't the most popular girl in school.

This is the first book I've read of Summers', and I will totally be reading more of hers in the future.

My current bookshelf

Went to the library on the way to church yesterday, and this is what I picked up:

Some Girls Are is really good so far. Not great, but good. High school books where there's rumors going on about who slept with who, girl fights, and drama galore are not really my thing. But I'd have to make an exception for this one.

Books that I won in contests and have yet to read (but I will soon):

I've heard a lot about these books, so I'm really excited to read them.

-Kelsey

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Forget-Her-Nots by Amy Brecount White and Contest #21


Something—some power—is blooming inside Laurel. She can use flowers to do things. Like bringing back lost memories. Or helping her friends ace tests. Or making people fall in love.

Laurel suspects her newfound ability has something to do with an ancient family secret, one that her mother meant to share with Laurel when the time was right. But then time ran out.

Clues and signs and secret messages seem to be all around Laurel at Avondale School, where her mother had also boarded as a student. Can Laurel piece everything together quickly enough to control her power, which is growing more potent every day? Or will she set the stage for the most lovestruck, infamous prom in the history of the school?


Link to buy the book on Amazon HERE.

-Kelsey

Dystopian Challenge



I just heard about the Dystopian Challenge a week ago, and I've been hearing about it ever since, so I thought I'd better join in. I had to look up what "dystopian" meant because I wasn't sure.

"A dystopia is a vision, of an often futuristic society, which has developed into a negative version of Utopia. A Dystopia is often characterized by an authoritarian or totalitarian form of government. It often features different kinds of repressive social control systems, a lack or total absence of individual freedoms and expressions and a state of constant warfare or violence." (Wikipedia)

Looking at this list, Wikipedia.com, I realized I've already read some dystopian literature.

My past dytopian reads:

1. The Giver by Lois Lowry. Read it for Children's Lit in college. Loved.
2. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. I didn't finish this book because I couldn't get into it. I've also tried to read Peeps by the same author, but I didn't like that one either.

I have Hunger Games and The Forest of Hands and Teeth already on my Future Reads list.

The Dystopian Challenge runs from January 1 to August 24, 2010.

There are 3 levels of the Dystopian Challenge:

Level 1 - Experimental - 5 books
Level 2 - Addict - 10 books
Level 3 - Junkee - 20 books

Parajunkee's View is hosting a contest for those who have read 20 Dystopian books. You will automatically get a dystopian button with the name of your blog on it, and you'll be entered to win a copy of Mocking Jay, the third book in the Hunger Games series. I have really got to get going on reading this series! I've heard so much about it.

If you're interested, go here: Parajunkee's View, enter your name and blog, and grab the button so more people can hear about the challenge. Also, once you read and review a dystopian book, don't forget to leave a link to your review in the Parajunkee's View's Dystopian Challenge comments.

-Kelsey

Contest #20


There is a contest to win Siren at La Femme Readers.

Summary: Seventeen-year-old Vanessa Sands is afraid of everything—the dark, heights, the ocean—but her fearless older sister, Justine, has always been there to coach her through every challenge. That is, until Justine goes cliff-diving one night near the family’s vacation house in Maine, and her lifeless body washes up on shore the next day. Though her parents hope that they’ll be able to find closure back in Boston, Vanessa can’t help feeling that her sister’s death wasn’t an accident. After discovering that Justine was keeping a lot of secrets, Vanessa returns to Winter Harbor, hoping that Justine’s boyfriend might know more. But Caleb has been missing since Justine’s death. Soon, it’s not just Vanessa who’s afraid. All of Winter Harbor is abuzz with anxiety when another body washes ashore, and panic sets in when the small town becomes host to a string of fatal, water-related accidents in which all the victims are found, horrifically, grinning from ear to ear. Vanessa turns to Caleb’s brother, Simon, for help, and begins to find herself drawn to him. As the pair try to understand the sudden rash of creepy drownings, Vanessa uncovers a secret that threatens her new romance—and will change her life forever. A seductive paranormal romance full of unexpected twists, Siren is certain to make a big summer splash.

*please let me win this, please let me win this!* This sounds exactly like my kind of book, and I'd love to review it for you guys. Contest ends March 30.

Website: http://lafemmereaders.blogspot.com

-Kelsey

Contest #19

Huge contest happening at The Undercover Book Lover. One winner gets:

1 Finished copy of The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
1 Finished copy of The Sight by Judy Blundell
1 Finished copy of Voices of Dragons by Carrie Vaughn
1 Finished copy of Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready
1 Finished copy of The Line by Teri Hall
1 Finished copy of The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott
1 Finished copy of The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting
1 Finished copy of Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken
1 Finished copy of Forget-Her-Nots by Amy Brecount White
1 Finished copy of Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
1 ARC of Harmonic Feedback by Tara Kelly
1 ARC of White Cat by Holly Black

This might be the best list of books to win that I've come across! Especially White Cat by Holly Black. Can't wait to see what it's about.

Website: http://theundercoverbooklover.blogspot.com

-Kelsey

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Before I Fall trailer

Trailer for the book Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver. Really cool trailer and sounds like a good book! Check it out:



-Kelsey

YA book review: Percy Jackson and the Olympians, books #2, 3, and 4



Doing things a bit different for the review this time. I ordered The Sea of Monsters, The Titan's Curse, and The Battle of the Labyrinth from the library, and (of course) they were all ten-day books. So I read them one after another, and instead of doing a separate review for each one, I'm going to combine them into one full review.

Needless to say, these books are magic. Every single one of the Percy Jackson books drew me into the plot and the characters. I cannot set these books down! Rick Riordan is a wordsmith and I highly recommend these books to not just teens, but adults as well. I'm going to recommend these to my mom. I know she'd love them!

As I was reading through the first four books, I can't help but draw some similarities between the Percy Jackson series and the Harry Potter series:

1. Both Percy and Harry have a mentor: Chiron and Dumbledore, respectively. They give their protegees advice, especially on their different quests.

2. Harry has Ron and Hermoine, Percy has Grover and Annabeth. Each of their friends joins Harry/Percy on their journeys and helps him.

3. Percy and Harry each have a "safe place" that they go to. For Harry, that place is Hogwarts, and for Percy it's Camp Half-Blood (whose name reminds me of the 6th book of the HP series).

4. There are prophecies told of both boys. Harry's prophecy is that he must overcome Voldemort or he will be killed by him. Percy's prophecy is that when he is sixteen years old, he will either destroy or save the world.

5. Speaking of prophecies, there is a prophet in both series: Professor Trelawney and the Oracle. Even though Pro. Trelawney's prophecies rarely come true, she is the one who spoke Harry's prophecy.

6. Hagrid and Tyson are similar characters. They are both huge: Hagrid being a giant and Tyson being a Cyclops. Another similarity between the two is that they like strange animals. For example, Hagrid is fascinated by dragons and Fluffy, and Tyson is enamored with Blackjack and those of his kind.

7. There is an object of invisibility in each series. Harry has his cloak of invisibility, and Annabeth has her hat that when wearing, one's body is invisible.

8. A similarity in The Battle of the Labyrinth that I noticed was the storyline about Kronos. When each member joins his cause, he gets a piece of his body back, until eventually he is all fit together and has a physical body. This reminded me a lot of Voldemort. Because after he was nearly destroyed when he tried to kill Harry, he had to rely on others to get his full body back. For example, Professor Quirrel in The Sorcerer's Stone allowed Voldemort to attach himself to his body.

9. Voldemort split his soul into (I think it was) seven horcruxes. This is almost exactly what Daedalus did when he created his five automatons.

I'm not sure if these similarities are intentional or not, but throughout reading the series I sure found a lot of them! I'm not saying that this series is not as good because of the parallelism, it's just that I wish Riordan would come up with something new and different that we haven't already read in another series.

An aspect that I enjoyed about these three books is the growing maturity of the three main characters: Percy, Annabeth, and Grover. Toward the end of the fourth book, Grover took the lead of the satyrs and told them what they should do to protect the wild. Annabeth said "Grover seems to be growing up." Percy and Annabeth's relationship gets more complicated with the return of Rachel Dare in The Battle of the Labyrinth. Annabeth becomes jealous and angry at Percy. But the maturity isn't so much that it's unrealistic. They make mistakes just like humans and they learn from them.

Another thing I'd like to mention about these books is that even though there is darkness and sadness in them, there is also plenty of humor. I have laughed so much during these books, which is rare for me because most of the books I read don't have original humor.