Shiver Trailer

Alright everyone. Here it is. I want you all to know that Maggie spent a lot of time and hard work on this so appreciate it! :) I know I do. Also, feel free to repost it on your blog.

Teaser Tuesday (6)

This week's Teaser Tuesday is from Hacking Harvard by Robin Wasserman.

Teaser (pg.11)

"So what'd Schwarz do to deserve Grunt." Eric whispered.

"That's not a punishment. That's a description. Ever catch him with one of those vintage Playboys he loves so much?"


Teaser Tuesday is brought to us by Should Be Reading
Rules:
•Grab your current read
•Open to a random page
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
•Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Past, Present, Future (6)

So sorry I'm late posting this ya'll. I got caught up doing some other things.

This Past Week I......

• posted Teaser Tuesday
• posted Waiting on Wednesday
• posted In Memory of Michael Jackson
• gave out Awards
• posted IMM

What Is Going On At Present.....

Well, I recently finished Coffeehuse Angel. I have typed the review but am saving it for the 18th. Tune in that day to find out why, cause I'm not tellin' ya. It's.....well.....a bit of a surprise. And don't you just love surprises! Let's just say I'm going to post an interview with someone very awesome. Of course, now that I've said that, I'm sure you probably know who. I'll probably post about it later to acquire a little publicity for the author.

I've made 76 followers and am very happy about that! Right now I'm reading Hacking Harvard. It had been on my Next on My List but never seemed to be next. Maybe you noticed. lol.

What to expect from the future......

The crystal ball says my future is unclear. Hmmmm, that can't be good. I'm honestly not sure how much I'll post this week. I'm supposed to be going to visit a local author Tuesday and I'll be out of town part of Wednesday. You can be sure that I'll post all my normal memes and I've got another award I need to pass on. I really hope to get a review on Hacking Harvard up but I'm not promising anything.

So, I'll ttyl. Hope you all have a great week. :D

In My Mailbox (4)

This was a bit of a slow week for me, but I still got some awesome books. :) Hope you all were able to get some great books too.

~Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty (BookMooch)

~Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway (Won in contest held by Suzanne Young. Thanks!)

~Lament by Maggie Stiefvater (Mom bought for me!)

~Give Up the Ghost by Megan Crewe (ARC for review)

Awards!

There are so many great blogs out there and it was really hard to choose. I'm just glad I was able to choose so many!

I received this Award from Cornucopia of Reviews. Thank you!

This blog invests and believes in the Proximity - nearness in space, time and relationships. These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement! Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this clever-written text into the body of their award.

I nominate:

1) MssJos at Reviews of Young Adult Literature

2) Catt at The Dreamer Reader

3) Diane at The Book Resort

4) Shooting Stars Mag

5) Laina at Laina has too Much Spare Time

6) Eleni at /- La Femme Readers -/

7) Teddyree at The Eclectic Reader

8) Vania at Reverie Book Reviews

Awarded by Must and Lust for Books! and Escape in a Book. Thanks ya'll!

Rules:
~Link back to the person he/she received the award from.
~Nominate 10 bloggers who are deserving of this award.
~Put the Lemonade Award logo on your blog.

I nominate:
1) Eli at The Tainted Poet's YA Book Review
2) Taschima at Bloody Bookaholic
3) Sandy at Pirate Penguin's Reads
4) Michelle at Michelle's Book Shelf
5) Shelley at Book Fanatic
6) Jenny at Wondrous Reads
7) Kilee at Kilee's Closet
8) Kaila at YA Book Releases
9) Ashley at Books Make Great Lovers
10) Khy at Frenetic Reader

Awarded by Taschima at Bloody Bookaholic. Thank's girl! You rock!

These is also a meme, so here are the rules:

If you accept it, you are supposed to list seven of your favorite things and nominate seven blogs that deserve this award.

7 of my favorite things are:

1) My camera

2) Books

3) Internet/My blog

4) Music

5) Movies

6) Handbags

7) Food

I nominate these bloggers and their blogs:

1) The Compulsive Reader

2) Cheryl & Amber at Just Your Typical Book Blog

3) Vania at Vania's Life Captures (Not a book blog but still worth looking at!)

4) Alyssa at The Shady Glade

5) Elise at Reading Rocks

6) Lenore at Presenting Lenore

7) Reyna at Garden of Books for Teens

In Memory of Michael Jackson

Tonight, in clubs and at parties all around the world, people will be dancing to
Michael Jackson's Thriller.

I know he may have had his slightly whack moments but let's face it, the man could SING! Michael Jackson changed the world of music and broke through racial barriers.

It is so sad to lose such a world-wide icon at such an early age of only 50.
May he rest in peace and may God comfort all who have been hurt by his sudden and tragic death.

Michael Jackson may have died but he and his music will be with us forever.

R.I.P.
Michael Joesph Jackson
August 29, 1958 - June 25, 2009
Beloved father, son, brother, singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, choreographer, actor, author, buisnessman, and financier.

Waiting on Wednesday (6)

Hold Still by Nina LaCour
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Release Date: October 20, 2009
Pages: 304
Age Level: Young Adult

Synopsis
An arresting story about starting over after a friend's suicide, from a breakthrough new voice in YA fiction

dear caitlin, there are so many things that i want so badly to tell you but i just can't.

Devastating, hopeful, hopeless, playful . . . in words and illustrations, Ingrid left behind a painful farewell in her journal for Caitlin. Now Caitlin is left alone, by loss and by choice, struggling to find renewed hope in the wake of her best friend's suicide. With the help of family and newfound friends, Caitlin will encounter first love, broaden her horizons, and start to realize that true friendship didn't die with Ingrid. And the journal which once seemed only to chronicle Ingrid's descent into depression, becomes the tool by which Caitlin once again reaches out to all those who loved Ingrid - and Caitlin herself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I don't know about you, but I think this book is going to be really good. I have had the pleasure of talking to Nina LaCour and I really think she knows what she is doing. I suggest you put this on your list as one to watch for.

http://ninalacour.com/

Pre-Order It

Teaser Tuesday (5)

This week's Teaser Tuesday is from Coffeehouse Angel by Suzanne Selfors.

Teaser (pg. 17)

Stuck between a snickering freshman and a wide-eyed Elizabeth, I couldn't escape. I wanted to slide between the bleacher benches.

Teaser Tuesdays: brought to us by Should Be Reading.

Rules:

1) Grab your current read.

2) Let the book fall open to a random page.

3) Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page.

4) BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for the others!)

5) Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Past, Present, Future (5)

It is time for Past, Present, and Future. I hope everyone had a good week last week.

This Past Week I.....

• posted list of Great Author Sites which is always being updated. (Note: you can also link directly to this page by clicking the new button under my blog title header)
• posted review on Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr, as promised since I failed to do so the week before.
• posted Simply Irresistable book trailer (3rd book in Elite Series)
• posted Teaser Tuesday
• posted The View From My Window
• posted Waiting on Wednesday
• ranted about mother nature messing up my schedule
• posted review on Wake by Lisa McMann
• posted In My Mailbox (which contains books from week before since I missed doing my post that week)
• posted about fixing my html so my right sidebar is where it should be. YAY!
• added cute little My Pages button links under my blog title header.
• created Review Policy

What is going on at Present.....

Well, I'm currently reading Coffeehouse Angel. I have thankfully managed to reach 63 followers. I love you all, BTW! :D The YA Book Carnival hosted by Shooting Stars Mag is going on so check it out and participate. I'm trying to find something to give away as I'm typing this. lol.

What to expect from the Future.....

It would seem that my crystal ball is back in working order, which is very good cause I really didn't feel like having to buy a new one. :P Even though I'm reading Coffeehouse Angel you won't see a review this week. Why, you ask. Because I'm mean, that's why. No, I'm just kidding. Truth is I got something special planned which will be up next month. There may also be an author interview posted this week but I'm not saying who with. You'll just have to wait and see. :P I plan on reading The Debs and posting a review on it this week. I might give it away as part of the YA Book Carnival this week when I'm done. :) I hope you all have a great week.

Attention Firefox Users

It's Fixed!

I went in and tweaked my html and everything should be fixed with my sidebar now. Yay! Turns out all I had to do was change 895 to 896 in one of the places. lol. Also, if there were any of you who saw my blog but didn't follow cause it looked screwy, it's all been made better with a little pixie dust. :P

In My Mailbox (3) (Last Week's and this Week's)

In My Mailbox for last week and this week

Last week I received:

~ Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler (Won in contest hosted by The Stroy Siren)

~ Prom Crashers by Erin Downing (Won in contest from Erin Downing. Signed! Thanks girl!)

~ Drive Me Crazy by Erin Downing (Won in same contest held by Erin Downing. Signed!Thanks!)

~ The Last Days by Scott Westerfeld (BookMooch)

This week I received:

~ The Debs by Susan McBride (Not really sure how I got this one. I think a contest.)

~ A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray (BookMooch)

~ Rebel Angels by Libba Bray (BookMooch)

~ Coffeehouse Angel by Suzanne Selfors (From Suzanne Selfors for review. Signed! Thanks! :D)

~ Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (For Review. Thanks!)

~ Wings by Aprilynne Pike (BookMooch)

~ Raven by Allison Van Diepen (BookMooch)

~ Kissed by an Angel by Elizabeth Chandler (BookMooch)

~ Tantalize by Cynthia Leitich Smith (BookMooch)

Wake

Wake by Lisa McMann

Publisher:Simon Pulse

Pub. Date: March 4, 2008

Pages:224

Age Level: 15-16+/YA (For sexual content, language, underage drug and alcohol content, and mildly disturbing images.)

Synopsis

Not all dreams are sweet.

For seventeen-year-old Janie, getting sucked into other people's dreams is getting old. Especially the falling dreams, the naked-but-nobody-notices dreams, and the sex-crazed dreams. Janie's seen enough fantasy booty to last her a lifetime.

She can't tell anybody about what she does -- they'd never believe her, or worse, they'd think she's a freak. So Janie lives on the fringe, cursed with an ability she doesn't want and can't control.

Then she falls into a gruesome nightmare, one that chills her to the bone. For the first time, Janie is more than a witness to someone else's twisted psyche. She is a participant....

Review

I was really excited to read this book when I got it from the library. It sounded like it would be really good and I had heard a lot of positive things about it. Well, needless to say, I was a little disappointed.

I felt that Wake wasn't very well written and didn't live up to its potential. A lot of the sentences were choppy and, at times, fragments. McMann would often start sentences with past tense verbs, completely leaving out a subject. I found this disrupted the flow of the story. I also thought it very strange that McMann chose to write this novel in journal format , yet told the story using third-person narrative. It made Wake very hard to get into at first. I think it is kind of funny that it was on the chapter, 'And Picks Up Speed' that things started getting a little more interesting.

As for the story itself, I felt that Wake had a very good and unique plot, though some of the dreams were a little too cliche. Despite the lack of good writing technique, Wake was a fast paced and enjoyable read.

The characters could have been a little better developed and they were a little hard to connect with due to the writing.

The ending left me interested in what comes next and was satisfactory to my tastes.

I must say I was a little annoyed at how casual underage drinking is made to appear in this book. On more then one occasion, Janie and Carrie make themselves mixed drinks and get drunk with little to no consequences. Even though Cabel doesn't drink, you never once hear him say anything reproachful to Janie when she does. McMann could have also cut back on the language a bit.

Overall, I liked it well enough. This wasn't one of the best books I've read but it wasn't one of the worst either. The story itself was very good but I felt could have been amazing had it been written differently. I might would reread it and will probably read Fade. (I here it is supposed to be better.) I would probably recommend Wake to most teens and young adults because I am very aware that my opinion isn't the popular one and that many, many people loved this book. So don't let my review discourage you because you may still really enjoy it.

Grade

Characters: C+

Writing: C-

Plot: B

Ending: B

Cover: B

Recommendable: B-

Series: B-

Overall: C+

Grrrrr.......

Ok, I was going to use yesterday evening as time to get caught up on posts and what not. Well, at around 6:00 pm a very gruesome, though brief, thunderstorm hit out of nowhere. Despite the fact that it lasted less than 45min, the winds managed to gust up to around 40mph, there was hail, and it was enough to knock out power across my tiny town until 4:33am. And trust me, you do NOT want to live in Georgia -with the heat and humidity that comes with this time of year- and not have air conditioning. Blegh!

On the plus side, I thankfully had recently bought a little battery operated book light and was able to use the time to finish Wake. Keep your eyes open for the review.

Waiting on Wednesday (5)

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

As You Wish by Jackson Pearce
Publisher: Harper Teen
Release Date: August 25, 2009
Pages: 304

Synopsis
Ever since Viola’s boyfriend broke up with her, she has spent her days silently wishing—to have someone love her again, and, more importantly, to belong again—until one day she inadvertently summons a genie out of his world and into her own. He will remain until she makes three wishes.

But Viola is terrified of wishing, afraid she won't wish for the right thing, the thing that will make her truly happy. As the two spend time together, Jinn can’t deny that he’s slowly falling for Viola. But it’s only after Viola makes her first wish that she realizes she’s in love with Jinn as well…and that if she makes her final two wishes, he will disappear from her life—and her world—forever.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This book has received some great ratings and I'm really looking forward to reading it. It sounds so original.

Jackson Pearce's website

The View From My Window

This post was started over at Books and Literature for Teens.

Well here it is everyone. The spectacular and stunning view from my window. Isn't it marvelous? Pfff, yeah right. lol. Though you can't help but admire the clothes line for sticking around when it is so very much neglected. I truly do love the pecan tree, though. Plus there is a nice view of the unruly wildness and chain link fence that my neighbor calls his backyard. :P

Teaser Tuesday (4)

This week's Teaser Tuesday is from Wake by Lisa McMann.

Teaser (pg. 95 ):

He hops off the step and starts walking home, but turns back in the driveway. "Hey, can I see you tomorrow night?"


Teaser Tuesday is brought to us by Should Be Reading
Rules:
1) Grab your current read
2) Open to a random page
3) Share a couple “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
4) BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!
5) Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Simply Irresistable Book Trailer

Simply Irresistable is the third in the Elite series and will be released July 7th. You can pre-order it from Amazon here. I haven't read the series yet but it sounds pretty good and would like to.

http://jenniferbanash.com/
http://theelitebooks.com/

Wicked Lovely

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
Publisher: Harper Teen
Pub Date: June 12, 2007
Pages: 336
Age level: 15+/YA

Synopsis
The clash of ancient rules and modern expectations swirl together in this cool, urban 21st century faery tale. Rule #3: Don't stare at invisible faeries. Aislinn has always seen faeries. Powerful and dangerous, they walk hidden in the mortal world, and would blind her if they knew of her Sight. Rule #2: Don't speak to invisible faeries. Now faeries are stalking her. One of them, Keenan, who is equal parts terrifying and alluring, is trying to talk to her, asking questions Aislinn is afraid to answer. Rule #1: Don't ever attract their attention. But it's too late. Keenan is the Summer King and has sought his queen for nine centuries. Without her, summer itself will perish. He is determined that Aislinn will become the Summer Queen at any cost! Suddenly none of the rules that have kept Aislinn safe are working any more, and everything is on the line: her freedom; her best friend, Seth; her life; everything.

Review
Wicked Lovely is a dark and magical prose of fate and choice, love and hate. A captivating tale that I can guarantee you I will re-read again and again.

In Aislinn, we find a very strong heroin. All her life, Aislinn has had the Sight, the ability to see faeries. She hates them and she fears them, so she follows three seemingly simple rules that are meant to keep her safe. But what happens when those rules no longer apply? Faced with the trial of being in love with one man and being pursued by another, the fey's Summer King, she does what most girls probably couldn't. She takes a stand against fate and does everything in her power to take control of her future. She has her fears, of course, but it is how she faces them that makes her such a wonderful character. She is also very believeable and easy to relate to.

As for the other main characters, I felt Seth was a little to good to be true. Don't get me wrong, I loved him, but I would have liked to see him lose his temper once or twice. Keenan, despite that he is a faery, seemed a little more realistic. A part of me felt sorry for him because I came to discover that he had no more control than Aislinn had. Beira was written well and I can truly say I hated her. Last but not least, poor Donia. She has the misfortune of being the wintergirl, forced to follow Keenan, the man she loves, while he looks for his Queen.

Some of the supporting characters were a little cliche. For example, Aislinn's naughty Catholic school girl friends. Though I admit, they could be very funny at times. I also feel that having some of the minor characters a little less developed only made the main characters stand out even more.

As for the writing itself, I thought Melissa Marr did a good job and I liked getting to read the alternating perspectives. Although, I would have much rather seen Wicked Lovely written in first person point of view. The ending was exactly what I hoped for and left me craving for more, anxious to read the next in the series.

All in all, whether you are a fan of fantasy or not, I recommend this book to anyone who hasn't read it. I, myself, am still just starting to read fantasy and I loved it. I believe that even adults might would enjoy Wicked Lovely.


Grade
Characters: B+
Writing: B
Plot: B+
Ending: A
Cover: A+
Recommendable: A-
Series:A-

Overall: B+

Past, Present, Future (4)

Well to sum up last week........how should I put this........it sucked! Majorly. And I'm very sorry all of you.

This Past week I.......

• posted Teaser Tuesday
• posted Waiting on Wednesday
• received and nominated people for Blog Award

What's going on at Present.......

I'm feeling totally guilty for my lack of activity the past few days. Can you guys forgive me? I'll try and get caught up. I failed to post a Wicked Lovely review and an IMM. I have chronic migranes, which are usually controlled with medicine, and trouble sleeping. However, this is a rare thing for me so even though it might happen again, it shouldn't be any time in the near future.

What to expect from the Future.......

Obviously my crystal ball was wrong last week but I put some fresh batteries in so it better be right this time. If not, I'm going back to Wal-Mart and demanding a full refund. ;P Alright, lets see....*waves hands mystically over crystal ball*

My IMM post at the end of the week will consist of last weeks books and whatever I get this week. There WILL be a review on Wicked Lovely this week. I might read Wake this week and do one on it, as well. Also, I've got some more awards I need to pass on, so keep a look out for your name. :)

Thanks!

Thanks so much LiyanaLand! for presenting me with this award. I'm so glad you thought of my blog. :)

Blogs that receive the Let’s Be Friends Award are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers.

I Nominate:

~Eli at The Tainted Poet ( We go back to before we started blogging. Luvs ya sister blog!)

~Taschima at The Bloody Bookaholic (For being awesome and friendly.)

~Tina at FANTASTIC BOOK REVIEW (You have seriously helped me out. Don't know what I'd have done without you!)

~Suzanne Young (Hey girl! You are just so sweet and fun! I love visiting your blog.)

~ Diane at The Book Resort (Girl, your blog ROCKS! Totally nice, too.)

~Pirate Penguin at Pirate Penguin's Reads ( You practically always comment! Very friendly.)

~ Ladybug at Escape In A Book (You are another of my major commenters. :D)

&

~Michelle from Michelle's Bookshelf (Once again, one of my major commenters and you've been following my blog from the beginning!)

Waiting on Wednesday (4)

The Hollow by Jessica Verday
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: September 1, 2009
Pages: 544
Age Level: Young Adult

Synopsis:
When Abbey's best friend, Kristen, vanishes at the bridge near Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, everyone else is all too quick to accept that Kristen is dead?and rumors fly that her death was no accident. Abbey goes through the motions of mourning her best friend, but privately, she refuses to believe that Kristen is really gone. Then she meets Caspian, the gorgeous and mysterious boy who shows up out of nowhere at Kristen's funeral, and keeps reappearing in Abbey's life. Caspian clearly has secrets of his own, but he's the only person who makes Abbey feel normal again...but also special.

Just when Abbey starts to feel that she might survive all this, she learns a secret that makes her question everything she thought she knew about her best friend. How could Kristen have kept silent about so much? And could this secret have led to her death? As Abbey struggles to understand Kristen's betrayal, she uncovers a frightening truth that nearly unravels her—one that will challenge her emerging love for Caspian, as well as her own sanity.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ok, this book sounds totally awesome! So dark and mysterious. I really love the cover too. For some really cool stuff go to GET THE GOODS at Jessica Verday's website.

Teaser Tuesday (3)

This week's Teaser Tuesday is from Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

Teaser (pg. 4)

Then she felt it: warm air on her skin. A faery, its too-hot breath on her neck, sniffed her hair.

Teaser Tuesday is brought to us by Should Be Reading

Rules:

1) Grab your current read

2) Open to a random page

3) Share a couple “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

4) BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!

5) Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Past, Present, Future (3)

Hey everybody. I'm really sorry I'm a day late in posting this. I've had a killer migrane the past few days. Anyway, my third week of blogging has ended and I'm quickly approaching the one month milestone.

This Past week I.....

• posted the official New Moon trailer
• posted Teaser Tuesday
• posted Waiting on Wednesday
• wrote and posted review for Guitar Girl by Sarra Manning
• posted In My Mailbox (2)
• wrote and posted review for Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow

What's going on at Present.....

Right now I'm at 47 followers. Yay! Big thanks to all of you for supporting me in these first few rocky weeks of blogging! :D I'm currently reading Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr. Also think I may be suffering from caffeine withdrawl. :( blegh!

What's to come in the future.....

My totally awesome psychic abilities are telling me you can expect a review over Wicked Lovely this week. Then possibly another review from either Hacking Harvard or A Certain Slant of Light. Maybe both, but I doubt it. That part of my crystal ball is a little fuzzy. ;) Happy blogging everybody!

Strange Angels

Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow (Copy read is ARC)
Publisher: Razorbill
Pub Date: May 14, 2009
Pages: 304
Age Level: Young Adult

Synopsis (From Amazon):
Dru Anderson has what her grandmother called “the touch.” (Comes in handy when you’re traveling from town to town with your dad, hunting ghosts, suckers, wulfen, and the occasional zombie.)

Then her dad turns up dead—but still walking—and Dru knows she’s next. Even worse, she’s got two guys hungry for her affections, and they’re not about to let the fiercely independent Dru go it alone. Will Dru discover just how special she really is before coming face-to-fang with whatever—or whoever— is hunting her?


Review
I'd like to start by saying that I really didn't think I'd like this. I thought it would creep me out to much and I'd quit reading it. Even though I read a large variety of books, I don't particularly care for creepy, zombie and vampire type books. Well, it turns out that I actually really enjoyed this book. It might have been a tad creepy at times, but not enough to really weird me out or anything like that.

Strange Angels was a thrilling and suspenseful book that kept me turning the pages. Only a severe migrane kept me from finishing it sooner. I thought the characters were very well rounded and there was a great plot to it. However, though I liked her writing style in general, I felt the amount of swearing used was a bit unnecessary. The ending was satisfying, promising a sequel. (Which we already knew there would be.) You can be sure that this is going to be one that I'll re-read.

I'm extremely looking forward to reading Betrayals, the next in the series. Which releases November 17th, by the way. I believe Lili St. Crow's new YA series will definitely be the next big thing in paranormal lit for young adults. So, move aside Stephenie Meyer, you have more than met your match. (OOO...bet I get some nasty comments for that remark. :P)

Sorry this review was a lot shorter and less detailed but I haven't been feeling quite up to par the past few days. :(

Grade
Characters: B+
Writing: B
Plot: A-
Ending: B
Cover: A-
Recommendable: B+
Series: B+

Overall: B+

In My Mailbox (2)

In My Mailbox

Well, once his royalness got his lazy booty off my books, I was able to get them all nice and layed out. (as seen in picture 2) :P So, this is everything I got this week.

BookMooch

That Summer by Sarah Dessen

Drak Blue: Color Me Lonely by Melody Carlson

I Never Promised You A Rose Garden by Joanne Greenberg

Bad Connection by Melody Carlson

Frozen Rodeo by Catherine Clark

A Place Called Freedom by Ken Follett

Library

Hacking Harvard by Robin Wasserman

A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

Guitar Girl

Guitar Girl by Sarra Manning
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Pub Date: February 9, 2004 (Originally published by Hodder Children's Books in Great Britain in 2003.)
Pages: 224
Age Level: 15+/YA (For some drug and sexual content)

Synopsis:
Seventeen-year-old Molly Montgomery never planned on becoming famous. Molly's band, The Hormones, was just supposed to be about mucking around with her best mates, Jane and Tara, and having fun. But when the deliciously dangerous Dean and his friend T join the band, things start happening fast. Soon The Hormones are front-page news, and their debut album is rocketing up the charts. Molly is the force behind the band, but the hazards of fame, first love, screaming fans, and sleazy managers are forcing the newly crowned teen queen of grrl angst close to the edge. Fame never comes for free, and Molly's about to find out what it costs.

Review:
If you are the kind of person who only likes to read about the happy-go-lucky side of fame, then this book is not for you.

In Guitar Girl, Sarra Manning explores the harsher and more realistic side of being a teenage rock star through her main character, Molly Montgomery. With sharp wit and raw emotions, Molly tells the story of her, and her friends, time in the spotlight. In the beginning, I felt somewhat detached from the story and the characters because of the way this book tends to fastforward through weeks, even months, at a time. However, I quickly became accustomed to that and developed a good connection with this book, finding it extremely difficult to put down.

One of the things I loved about Guitar Girl was that it didn't shy away from the more poignant truths of being a star. Sure, being famous has its perks, but it has a nasty little habit of causing you to lose yourself, and others, in the process.

Manning's characters were very genuinely written. At times, they could be a little immature but I grew very fond of them. When one of them was hurt I felt hurt too. Guitar Girl even proceeded to bring tears to my eyes on occassion.

The ending was excellent. It was sad, I'll admit, but practical. I truly felt that it was the ending that this book required to make it believable and honest. In my opinion, a happy ending would have really messed up the whole purpose of this book.

I don't really want to give away a lot of the plot details because I believe that you may enjoy Guitar Girl better if you discover them on your own. So I'll just conclude by saying this. Overall, it was a great, thought-provoking read and I highly recommend it.

Grade
Characters: B+
Writing: B-
Plot: A-
Ending: A-
Cover: B
Recommendable: A

Overall: B+

Waiting on Wednesday (3)

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
Release Date: October 13, 2009
Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Synopsis:
For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch came along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment.

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure who to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.

For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

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Well, I think this book sounds totally awesome. I first heard about it when another blogger posted it for their Waiting on Wednesday, last week. According to Becca Fitzpatrick's website, there is going to be a sequel as well.

Teaser Tuesday (2)

This week's Teaser Tuesday is from Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow.

Teaser (pg. 145) :

What could I say? He'd already been bitten. Once the Real World gets its teeth in you, it's hard to go back to nine-to-five and Happy Meals.


Teaser Tuesday is brought to us by Should Be Reading
Rules:
1) Grab your current read
2) Open to a random page
3) Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
4) BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!
5) Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!