Check This Out!

Hi everyone! *waves energetically*

As my Spring Break wraps up (back to school on Monday), I'll be around less and less, due to upcoming AP exams and graduation exercises. BUT, I haven't missed a day of blogging yet, since the day I started. I will have a fresh blog post every day for you, even if it's late.

Like today's.

But, I have something cool to show you! Two things, actually.

I'm featured HERE, at Read My Breath Away. I shared my opinion and my love of historical fiction, in honor of Jessica's Into the Archives April event. Check it out! There are some fantastic posts going up every day, and she has a cool giveaway!

Also, today (yes, today!) is my day to host and discuss my section of the Shade Readalong! I am hosting Chapters 12-18 of Shade (Book One of the series) HERE. Come discuss what you thought of this section of the book with me! And don't forget to use the #ShadeReadalong hashtag if you're sharing thoughts or quotes on Twitter!

And that's all for now, folks! Happy Friday!

Blog Tour Review and Giveaway: Strangelets by Michelle Gagnon

Strangelets by Michelle Gagnon
Publisher: Soho Teen
Publication Date: April 9, 2013
Rating: 3 stars
Source: eARC from NetGalley

Summary (from Goodreads):

17-year-old Sophie lies on her deathbed in California, awaiting the inevitable loss of her battle with cancer…

17-year-old Declan stares down two armed thugs in a back alley in Galway, Ireland…

17-year-old Anat attempts to traverse a booby-trapped tunnel between Israel and Egypt…

All three strangers should have died at the exact same moment, thousands of miles apart. Instead, they awaken together in an abandoned hospital—only to discover that they’re not alone. Three other teens from different places on the globe are trapped with them. Somebody or something seems to be pulling the strings. With their individual clocks ticking, they must band together if they’re to have any hope of surviving.

Soon they discover that they've been trapped in a future that isn't of their making: a deadly, desolate world at once entirely familiar and utterly strange. Each teen harbors a secret, but only one holds the key that could get them home. As the truth comes to light through the eyes of Sophie, Declan, and Anat, the reader is taken on a dark and unforgettable journey into the hearts of teens who must decide what to do with a second chance at life.

What I Liked:

Well, this book was quite the change from what I've been reading recently! When I signed up to be part of the tour, I took one look at the synopsis, and knew that it would be different from what I was used to. I don't read a lot of mystery or suspense thriller books.

I liked the idea of this book - time-traveling (ish), alternate worlds (sort of like Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris) and creepy-as-who-knows-what dinosaur things that aren't even the prehistoric kind! The science part of the book was intriguing. I don't believe in alternate universes and time-traveling, but Gagnon definitely did her research to create such an interesting story about those elements. And those dinosaurs... good touch!

There is a bit of romance in this book, and it is obvious. There isn't an active love triangle, but there are two females and one male in this sort-of love triangle. I didn't really care about that - because honestly, it's not really a love triangle. And the romance is obvious. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing for some people, but it's fine with me. 

The characters were all very different in their own ways, which is good, because one thing I abhor is when there are many protagonists, and they all sound and act the same. I like Declan, for his easygoing yet protective nature. Sophie is okay at best. Anat is FIERCE - which works for her. Those three are the core of the story, and before you wonder, no, they are not all part of the love triangle (one of them isn't).

The ending was a good one, all things considered. In fact, it was a little too perfect, all things considered. And I still have a ton of questions. And I'm a little confused. But the ending is... good.

What I Did Not Like:

There were several I really didn't like I about this book. The pacing, several of the characters, and the ending.

The pacing was... bad. Okay, maybe bad isn't the right word. But whatever it was, it didn't work for me. I read this book on my Kindle, and let me tell you, I was flipping through the e-pages really quickly. Often times, there were parts of the books that were so slow and so boring, you didn't need to read them. And that is just what I did. I skimmed a ton of this book, and that is something I rarely do.

I wasn't skimming the book because I was crunched on time or anything. I was skimming because there were sections of the book that were really boring, or that just didn't add to the plot. The descriptive paragraphs of the book were too many and not as much needed. 

I already mentioned that the characters were very different, which was nice, and that I especially liked Declan and Anat. I didn't really like Sophie. I get that she was sick before the big event, but probably wouldn't be someone that I would want to be stuck with in post-apocalyptic times, for her attitude. She's a bit of a whiner. Not encouraging for a protagonist. 

The ending, as I said, is too perfect. For a book about end-of-the-world, post-apocalyptic, dinosaur-ridden madness, the ending was all rainbows and butterflies. Not that I have anything against rainbows and butterflies. But goodness. I expected some psychological damage in the, um, remaining characters. And everything wrapped up too nicely! I don't want to give anything away, but seriously! How did everything just fall into place?! There was like, a billionth of a chance of everything working out the way it did. Boo.

Would I Recommend It:

Umm... sort of. For those of you who like interesting, action books with crazy science? You might like this one. Those of you who liked a good romance with that? Nope. You probably won't like this one. For the rest of you, I doubt this is the book for you.

Rating:

3 stars. I enjoyed this book to a good degree while I was reading it, but despite what I liked, and bearing its faults in mind, I probably won't read it again. It was worth the read though!

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository

Was this review helpful? Please let me know in the comments section!

About the Author:

Michelle Gagnon is a former modern dancer, bartender, dog walker, model, personal trainer, and Russian supper club performer. Her bestselling adult thrillers THE TUNNELS, BONEYARD, THE GATEKEEPER, and KIDNAP & RANSOM have been published in North America, France, Denmark, Spain, Argentina, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Australia. BONEYARD was a finalist for a 2009 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense.

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter


The Giveaway (tour-wide):

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Swoon Thursday (#13): The Collector by Victoria Scott

Swoon Thursday is a hot meme hosted by the fabulous ladies at YA Bound!

- From the book you’re currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding, your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering

- Try to make the swoon excerpt 140 characters (or less), if you are going to tweet about it. Use the hashtag #YABOUND when tweeting

This week, my swoon is from The Collector by Victoria Scott!

I tug her against me and smash my mouth over hers. I feel everything - her hair between my fingers, her skin pressing against mine. And her lips. I feel those soft pink lips freeze for a moment beneath my kiss. And then I feel her relax, opening her mouth and mirroring my movements. 

Author Website | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

***A note. I realize that two other bloggers used a swoon from this book. I chose this swoon a few weeks ago, but I didn't want to post it until after the official release date. When I re-read the book for the tour earlier this week, I created this post with this swoon. I am sorry for that.***

Check out my review HERE.

This book was fantastic! And though the swoons came later on, they were perfect :D

So, what made you swoon this week?

Waiting on Wednesday (#14): Awaken by Meg Cabot

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

This week, I'm featuring:

Awaken by Meg Cabot

Book Three of the Abandon series

Publisher: Point (Scholastic, Inc.)

Publication Date: July 2, 2013

Summary (from Goodreads):

Death has her in his clutches. She doesn’t want him to let go.

Seventeen-year-old Pierce Oliviera knew by accepting the love of John Hayden, she’d be forced to live forever in the one place she’s always dreaded most: the Underworld. The sacrifice seemed worth it, though, because it meant she could be with the boy she loves.

But now her happiness — and safety — are threatened, all because the Furies have discovered that John has broken one of their strictest rules: He revived a human soul.

If the balance between life and death isn’t fixed, both the Underworld and Pierce’s home back on earth will be wiped away. But there’s only one way to restore order. Someone has to die.

Author Website | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

While I did not particularly like Underworld (Book Two), even though I really liked Abandon (Book One), I am very excited to read this final installment of the Cabot's Hades and Persephone retelling. I am hoping for a lot more character development on Pierce's part, and really, for Pierce to end up in the Underworld with John. 

But, we'll see.

2013 Belongs to Dante Blog Tour Review and Giveaway: The Collector by Victoria Scott

Welcome to my stop of the 2013 Belongs to Dante blog tour! I'm honored to be a part of this tour, especially on the official release day! To discover more about the tour, click HERE.

The Collector by Victoria Scott

Book One of the Dante Walker series

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Publication Date: April 2, 2013

Rating: 4 stars

Source: eARC from publisher

Summary (from Goodreads):

He makes good girls...bad. 

Dante Walker is flippin’ awesome, and he knows it. His good looks, killer charm, and stellar confidence have made him one of hell’s best—a soul collector. His job is simple: weed through humanity and label those round rears with a big red good or bad stamp. Old Saint Nick gets the good guys, and he gets the fun ones. Bag-and-tag.

Sealing souls is nothing personal. Dante’s an equal-opportunity collector and doesn't want it any other way. But he’ll have to adjust, because Boss Man has given him a new assignment:

Collect Charlie Cooper’s soul within ten days.

Dante doesn't know why Boss Man wants Charlie, nor does he care. This assignment means only one thing to him, and that’s a permanent ticket out of hell. But after Dante meets the quirky Nerd Alert chick he’s come to collect, he realizes this assignment will test his abilities as a collector…and uncover emotions deeply buried.

What I Liked:

I really, really enjoyed this book! Not that I didn't think I would. I've got Dante PLASTERED all over my blog. See taht left sidebar? Yep - that's me - the crazy #VMafia girl. I knew I would like this book without having read it - and I did!

Dante Walker IS flippin' awesome. I love that this book is in his point-of-view, and not Charlie's, or in third person. There aren't enough good YA books in first-person male point-of-view. And he is so interesting! His thought processes are so unique, and I suppose that's because he is so fantastic, right? :D

Charlie is an amazing foil to Dante. In the beginning, all we see in her is a not-so-pretty, self-conscious teenage girl. BUT, she isn't any of those things, as Dante comes to realize. Charlie does some growing up throughout this book, though not much. Really, it's Dante that undergoes a ton of character development.

The secondary characters, Annabelle, Blue, Grams, and Max, are all so PERFECT for this book! Meaning, they fit the book so well, because Victoria did an excellent job incorporating them into the story. I loved each and every one of them (though I constantly thought Blue was a bad guy), and I really hope they make some generous appearances in the nice book (with the exception of one of those four). 

The ending is KILLER (errr, no pun intended... not really. You figure it out). I seriously did NOT expect the ending. We find out who the bad guy is, someone I really did not expect, as he is mentioned, like, ONCE, and in passing, basically. There are deaths. Just saying. 

But the ending is happy! I hope that's not a spoiler, as the statement itself is very general, but seriously. Don't NOT read this book because you think the ending is not a good one. It's a nice ending. And I can see the segue to The Liberator. Prepare yourselves...

What I Did Not Like:

Hmm. There were several places of the book where I simply had to put my Kindle down and take a step back, and for one primary reason:

I was bored.

It takes quite a bit to bore me. I'm generally one of those readers that MUST FINISH what they start (not that I was ever in danger of not finishing this book). Nevertheless, there were several scenes, about halfway through the book and up until the climax, that I was metaphorically stifling yawns.

But I kept going, because I had no intentions of NOT finishing. The ending is a good one!

Would I Recommend It:

Yes! I think the majority of people who read this book will really like Dante and Charlie, and all of the other characters in the book. It is an excellent debut novel, and I cannot wait to see what else Victoria Scott has for us. You're on my auto-buy list, Victoria!

Rating:

4 stars. I really enjoyed this book, and cannot wait for more! You KNOW I'm pre-ordering The Liberator. And The Liberator comes out in August!

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository

Was this review helpful? Please let me know in the comments section!

Check out The Liberator!

The Liberator by Victoria Scott

Book Two of the Dante Walker series

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Publication Date: August 27, 2013

Summary (from Goodreads)

Bad boy, meet bad girl.

Dante has a shiny new cuff wrapped around his ankle, and he doesn't like that mess one bit. His new accessory comes straight from Big Guy himself and marks the former demon as a liberator. Despite his gritty past and bad boy ways, Dante Walker has been granted a second chance.

When Dante is given his first mission as a liberator to save the soul of seventeen-year-old Aspen, he knows he’s got this. But Aspen reminds him of the rebellious life he used to live and is making it difficult to resist sinful temptations. Though Dante is committed to living clean for his girlfriend Charlie, this dude’s been a playboy for far too long…and old demons die hard.

With Charlie becoming the girl she was never able to be pre-makeover and Aspen showing him how delicious it feels to embrace his inner beast, Dante will have to go somewhere he never thought he’d return to in order to accomplish the impossible: save the girl he’s been assigned to, and keep the girl he loves.

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository

About the Author:

I'm a YA writer represented by Laurie McLean. Author of THE COLLECTOR (Entangled Teen, April 2013) and THE BRIMSTONE BLEED (Scholastic, 2014). I have a master's degree in marketing, and live in Dallas with my husband. When not writing, I can be found munching cotton candy and snuggling obese cats.

Website | Blog | Twitter | Goodreads | Dante’s Website

The Giveaway (tour wide):

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Amazon Has Kindle Books on Sale - That Means GIVEAWAY!

Hi everyone! *waves*

So, you know how last month, I did a giveaway for a HarperTeen Impulse novella? I'm thinking that every month, I'll do a giveaway for an ebook of some sort. The theme? It'll change every month. Last month was the HarperTeen Impulse novellas (there were MANY released in that month). 

This month, I'm doing ebook full-length novels. Every month, Amazon has Kindle ebooks discounted, including Adult, Young Adult, and Middle Grade genres. 

So, I'm giving away your choice of one of these three fantastic novels!

The Choices:

Just For Now by Abbi Glines

Book Four of the Sea Breeze series

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Publication Date: October 30, 2012

Summary (from Goodreads):

An insatiable attraction heats to the boiling point in this brand-new book set in the shore town of Sea Breeze, from bestselling author Abbi Glines.

Preston is one bad boy. And Amanda has harbored a crush on him for forever. When she finally makes her move on him, it does not end well. But still, she can’t resist him. Especially now that he seems to be pursuing her, too.

No one wants wants them to be be together. Not Amanda’s brother Marcus, who is on the verge of his marriage to Low, and definitely not any of Preston's buddies. They know way too much about Preston’s dark side. Yet the dangerous attraction is there...and neither Preston nor Amanda are going to deny it.

Add Just For Now to your Goodreads shelf!

Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Publisher: Harper Collins

Publication Date: July 3, 2012

Summary (from Goodreads):

Before Peter Pan belonged to Wendy, he belonged to the girl with the crow feather in her hair. . . .

Fifteen-year-old Tiger Lily doesn't believe in love stories or happy endings. Then she meets the alluring teenage Peter Pan in the forbidden woods of Neverland and immediately falls under his spell.

Peter is unlike anyone she's ever known. Impetuous and brave, he both scares and enthralls her. As the leader of the Lost Boys, the most fearsome of Neverland's inhabitants, Peter is an unthinkable match for Tiger Lily. Soon, she is risking everything—her family, her future—to be with him. When she is faced with marriage to a terrible man in her own tribe, she must choose between the life she's always known and running away to an uncertain future with Peter.

With enemies threatening to tear them apart, the lovers seem doomed. But it's the arrival of Wendy Darling, an English girl who's everything Tiger Lily is not, that leads Tiger Lily to discover that the most dangerous enemies can live inside even the most loyal and loving heart.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Peaches comes a magical and bewitching story of the romance between a fearless heroine and the boy who wouldn't grow up.

Add Tiger Lily to your Goodreads shelf!

Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs

Book One of the Fins series

Publisher: Harper Collins

Publication Date: May 19, 2010

Summary (from Goodreads):

Lily Sanderson has a secret, and it’s not that she has a huge crush on gorgeous swimming god Brody Bennett, who makes her heart beat flipper-fast. Unrequited love is hard enough when you’re a normal teenage girl, but when you’re half human, half mermaid like Lily, there’s no such thing as a simple crush.

Lily’s mermaid identity is a secret that can’t get out, since she’s not just any mermaid – she’s a Thalassinian princess. When Lily found out three years ago that her mother was actually a human, she finally realized why she didn’t feel quite at home in Thalassinia, and she’s been living on land and going to Seaview high school ever since, hoping to find where she truly belongs. Sure, land has its problems – like her obnoxious, biker boy neighbor Quince Fletcher – but it has that one major perk – Brody. The problem is, mermaids aren’t really the casual dating type – when they “bond,” it’s for life.

When Lily’s attempt to win Brody’s love leads to a tsunami-sized case of mistaken identity, she is in for a tidal wave of relationship drama, and she finds out, quick as a tailfin flick, that happily-ever-after never sails quite as smoothly as you planned.

Add Forgive My Fins to your Goodreads shelf!

The Rules:

- Enter via the Rafflecopter

- Open to anyone who owns a KINDLE (or the app) and can accept gifts from Amazon

- One winner will receive one of the titles above

- If there are more than 1000 entries, I will pick two winners

- The winner (s) has 48 hours to respond to my email

- I RESERVE THE RIGHT TO CLOSE THE GIVEAWAY AT ANY POINT I PLEASE. 

- Do not cheat!

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Reveal: To My Hero by Danielle Sibarium

Here is yet another stunning cover I have the privilege of revealing!

Here it is (I made it extra big)!

To My Hero by Danielle Sibarium

Publisher: KFR Communcations

Publication Date: April 2013

Summary (from Goodreads):

It would’ve been different if I had courage, even an ounce of it. But I was a coward from the day I met you, Ryan Crowley. I still am. In the end it doesn’t matter. The bottom line is the same. It’s my fault. 

When the unthinkable happens Carly Cavanough is left beaten, betrayed, and devastated. Her best friend doesn’t understand. Her parents won’t listen. Everyone in her life turns against her. She’s alone. Completely alone, except for Ryan Crowley, the boy she’s been crushing on for years. She won’t admit to him what she can’t admit to herself. But he understands without words. He knows more about what she’s going through than she can possibly imagine and he knows what it will take to start the healing. 

With Ryan’s help Carly begins to piece together the fragments of her once perfect life and embarks on a journey of love and healing, just long enough for the rug to be pulled out from under her again. Can she find the strength and will to pull herself together to save Ryan and herself when their lives are on the line?

Add To My Hero to your Goodreads shelf!

About Danielle Sibarium:

Danielle Sibarium grew up as an only child of divorced parents in Brooklyn, New York. Her imagination was developed at an early age. Surrounded by stuffed animals and imaginary friends, she transported herself into a fantasy world full of magic and wonder. Books were the gateway between her play world and reality. On any given summer afternoon she became Snow White sweeping and cooking for the dwarfs, or Cinderella waiting for the prince.

Danielle always loved dialogue and in elementary school began writing plays and short stories. This is when she began to understand she could not only bring her fantastical world to life for herself, but she could enchant others as well. And so she wrote. She wrote and wrote and wrote.

Sadly the first piece she ever sent out for publication of any sort was a letter to the editor of The Home News Tribune. It was a piece thanking the first responders for their bravery and selflessness on Sept 11th. It was chosen as letter of the week.

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