Waiting on Wednesday (6)

Hey guys!  Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights an upcoming release we are greatly anticipating! :)

Mine definitely has to be:

The Sweetest Dark by Shana Abé





Synopsis: 
When Lora is found wandering the streets of London—with no memories and no money—she’s spirited away to a crumbling orphanage. The thin, seemingly unremarkable girl soon reveals herself to be special: she hears songs that no one else can hear and a voice inside of her tells her she’s more than she seems. Life at the orphanage is dangerous for those who are different, but when WWI begins, Lora is chosen to be a charity student at Iverson, a beautiful boarding school along the coast. Once there, she meets two young men who challenge her heart and change her destiny—glorious, golden-haired Jesse, who immediately recognizes her for who and what she is, and Armand, the handsome, caustic son of a duke, who is hiding secrets that mirror her own. With their help, Lora will discover her long latent powers…just in time to fight an evil that is descending upon Iverson.


~


I think this sounds amazing! I can't wait to read it. The release date is set for August 21st 2012, so there'll be a long wait unfortunately!

Teaser Tuesday (9)

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

Just do the following:

                                                          

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!
~

                                           Crave (The Clann #1) by Melissa Darnell  

    

  "She's just a girl," I muttered to the leaves, the clouds, to no one at all. "A girl. Nothing more." pg. 112
 "While my first and only boyfriend, Tristan Coleman, had stood beneath the nearby oak tree, watching us, waiting for me. Waiting to give me my first and only kiss..." pg. 20 

Review: Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout

                                        

                                        Half-Blood (Covenant #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Pages: 281 Publisher: Spencer Hill Press Release Date: October 18th 2011
Source: Bought Cover: 8/10

Goodreads:
The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi-pure-bloods-have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals-well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures. Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway.

 There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1:Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden. Unfortunately, she's crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn't her biggest problem--staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is. If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck.

My Review:
Half-Blood is amazing! I cannot believe I haven’t read anything by Jennifer Armentrout before!! She has such an amazing way of writing that keeps me hooked onto every word. I would go to stop and then I’d just say one more page, which soon turned into chapter after chapter. 

I can definitely see why many people compare Half-Blood to Vampire Academy, but that is a great thing! I love Vampire Academy and this is as amazing! Alex (a Half-Blood) is the main character and she is one badass heroine! She’s sarcastic, funny, stubborn and brave. I loved her! She has a crush on Aiden - the Pure Blood who are not supposed to mix with Half-Blood‘s (forbidden romance coming ;)!) There is a huuuuge amount of sexual tension between these two and it definitely heats up a bit! I love the banter that the two of them have together, it made me laugh out loud! 

I loved reading about Aiden too, he’s the perfect YA guy! He loves to read, he’s caring, kind and sexy ;) He can fight amazingly! He’s protective, loyal and a bit of a bad boy! :) He also helps teach Alex how to fight and he’s not like all the other Pure Bloods who think they are better than the Half’s. 

Seth is the other guy in the love triangle, a lot of people like him, but I prefer Aiden over Seth. Seth seems controlling and I just didn’t warm to him, I’ve heard in some reviews of Pure (the next book) that they actually like Seth more, so I’m definitely interested in finding out why! Some of the characters I didn’t like, Marcus for example. He seemed really false and he didn’t really care for Alex or what she’d been through. 

Half-Blood is packed full with action! In the very first chapter there is a fight and a struggle, which kept me on the edge of my seat and where we meet Aiden. I enjoyed the whole Greek mythology intertwined throughout. 

The plot was amazing, I didn’t know what was going to happen when I turned the page and this is probably why I read Half-Blood in a day! I needed to find out! There’s a major twist near the end and it’s really really really good! 

Half-Blood will leave you gasping for more all the way throughout. It’s filled with tension, comedy, hot scenes ;) and fantastic writing that will keep you hooked until the very last page! 

Overall, 5 out of 5 stars.

In My Mailbox: (10)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren. List what you received, borrowed or bought :)

Won/Gifted:

Everneath by Brodi Ashton

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi 

Fracture by Megan Miranda

Review:

Crave by Melissa Darnell 

Bought:

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin (I've just finished this and it was really good!)

That's what I got In My Mailbox this week! :D 

Review: Pandemonium (Delirium #2) by Lauren Oliver

 Pandemonium (Delirium #2) by Lauren Oliver

Pages: 329  Publisher: Hodder  Release Date: March 1st 2012  Source: Won  Cover: 10/10 (I love that cover, it's much better than the Delirium one!)

Goodreads:

I’m pushing aside 

the memory of my nightmare, 

pushing aside thoughts of Alex, 

pushing aside thoughts of Hana 

and my old school, 

push, 

push, 

push, 

like Raven taught me to do. 

The old life is dead. 

But the old Lena is dead too. 

I buried her. 

I left her beyond a fence, 

behind a wall of smoke and flame.  

My Review: 

- Please note, there will be spoilers in this review, especially if you haven’t read Delirium yet.

Pandemonium is such a good book! Lauren Oliver has an amazing writing style that just captivates me. The different relationships between the characters was definitely highlighted in Pandemonium.

I truly felt as distraught as Lena did, she’s lost someone who was such an important part of her life and was now very upset. I wouldn’t know what to do either! Some of the scenes were she remembers Alex are so heartbreaking! He was the one who opened up her eyes and showed her what life and more importantly -love was like. 

I did not like the relationship with Julian. Sorry to all you Julian lovers! In my personal opinion, it felt like the whole relationship was rushed, I didn’t really know that much about Julian… and then suddenly Lena wants to feel his hands through her hair? Maybe it’s because I’m a hardcore Team Alex supporter! J but I just didn’t warm to him as much as Alex. Normally I’m a huge fan of love triangles -Will and Jem for instance, but this just felt wrong L I’m sorry! To be fair, [SPOILER] she did think that Alex was dead, so I understand her need to try and move on but not so quickly. 

Can I please just say akfghekghiehg!!!! That ending?!!! What was that?! I was naughty and read it as soon as I got the book haha, but I couldn’t wait! I’d heard so much about it, so I just had to look ;) Could you get a bigger cliff hanger than that? I don’t think so. [SPOILER!] I am SO SO SO happy that Alex escaped and found Lena, but I’m really worried about him! 

The plot was as good as ever, with numerous twists and turns! I loved all the new characters, Raven, Blue, Tack, Albino, Coin. They all had their own roles within the book and I loved it! Raven was such a dynamic character, considering how young she was she had to mature quickly and had to be strong not just for herself but for others around her. The scene with Blue was really sad! I really liked her character. Plus, her mother! Eeek, that was a good moment too! 

The new Lena was very interesting to read about! I loved the complete change in her attitudes and opinions. It’s like a part of her died when she left Alex beyond the fence, in a way it’s true because she is no longer being the meek, shy Lena that she once was, but a new Lena who’s brave and can lie without question and who is not afraid to attack if it means escape. 

I seriously cannot wait to get my mitts on Requiem! Why does it have to be so far away! L (February 2013) If the world does end in December, I will not be happy! 

Overall, Pandemonium was a really good read, I don’t think it was as good as Delirium in my opinion, but the writing is so good that you can’t stop reading. It’s captivating, exciting, fresh and filled with suspense! A must read for any Dystopian fans.

4 out of 5 stars.

                                                   

                                       

Review: The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg

                                  The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg

                           Pages: 400 Publisher: Penguin Release Date: February 21st 2012
                                                  Source: ARC (Review) Cover: 9/10 


Goodreads:

Dying of a broken heart is just the beginning.... Welcome to forever. 

BRIE'S LIFE ENDS AT SIXTEEN: Her boyfriend tells her he doesn't love her, and the news breaks her heart—literally. 

But now that she's D&G (dead and gone), Brie is about to discover that love is way more complicated than she ever imagined. Back in Half Moon Bay, her family has begun to unravel. Her best friend has been keeping a secret about Jacob, the boy she loved and lost—and the truth behind his shattering betrayal. And then there's Patrick, Brie's mysterious new guide and resident Lost Soul . . . who just might hold the key to her forever after. 

With Patrick's help, Brie will have to pass through the five stages of grief before she's ready to move on. But how do you begin again, when your heart is still in pieces?


My Review:

The Catastrophic History of You and Me is the perfect Young Adult novel. It was so enjoyable and sad -at times!- to read. I really felt like I was on a journey with Brie. 

The characters are so well developed and are each on their own little journeys. I loved all the twists and turns, I seriously did not expect some of the things to happen and there were definitely some shockers! Especially with her friends, I thought that the story involving Jacob was so sad! 

I could definitely emphasise with Brie, what she was going through was very very tough! She dealt with things the way any other normal teenage girl would do. She was stubborn at times, selfish too but this gave her a lot more depth. Some of the scenes with Brie were so upsetting, I may have shed a tear or two… but shh! :) She replays clips of her old life and goes over and over them, especially the moment when Jacob tells her that he doesn’t love her anymore -sob! 

It was good to see how she evolved during the rest of the book, particularly towards the end. The ending is a happy ending and everything is tied up nicely! Brie is feeling a lot better she has moved onto the acceptance stage and has discovered something new about her life that she didn’t know before -which involves Patrick! Patrick is as important as Brie in this story as he has his own secrets and emotions and is a very mysterious character, we don’t really find out much about him until nearer the end. I loved the banter between the two of them, the book needed that to make the story a bit lighter. 

The book dealt with the whole range of emotions, the D&G book (Dead and Gone) was quite clever! The five stages of grief are the main ideas in this book and they were dealt with in such a good way! I loved how all the chapter names were song titles, would be a great idea for a play list to accompany the book! 

Overall, The Catastrophic History of You and Me is a great read which deals with difficult emotions in a very clever way! This book will leave you laughing and crying - all on the same page! 

4 out of 5 stars.


* Thank you to Puffin for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Winners: 250 Followers Giveaway!

Hi everyone! 

Just wanted to say thank you to everybody who entered my 250 followers Giveaway! :) 

I used Random.org to pick the winner and that person was....

Chenise Jones! 
Congrats! I've e-mailed you :) Hope you enjoy the books!

Chenise chose:

Prized, Eve, Inside Out and Legend.

I'm going to be having some more giveaways very soon!

Teaser Tuesday (8)

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

Just do the following:

                                                          

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!

~

Pandemonium (Delirium #2) by Lauren Oliver




"If you take, we will take back. Steal from us, and we will rob you blind. When you squeeze, we will hit. This is the way the world is made now."  Pg. 130

"Then he runs his fingers through my hair and I relax, and the squeezing goes away, and I'm breathing and alive and it's all fine and everything will be okay." Pg. 155

~

Oooooh what do you think? I love this cover much better than Delirium, it's gorgeous!

 

In My Mailbox: (9)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren. List what you received, borrowed or bought :)

I think this is meant to be posted on Sunday's, but I haven't done one for ages so I'm just going to do it today :)

Physical copies:

Won: 
Hurricane by Jenna-Lynne Duncan on the Cover Contest!
Shakespeare's Love Sonnets by Caitlin Keegan from Abrams and Chronicle!
The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton from The Aussie Zombie's Giveaway :) - I love how the pages are slightly yellowed to make the book look old :)
Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver from The Cait Files Giveaway! :) -eeeeeeek, SO excited!!!

RAK:
Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer from Cassie from Vamps, Weres and Cassay :)  Thank you! 

Review:
Gamers by Thomas K. Carpenter 
The Darkening Dream by Andy Gavin 
Toxic Treacle by Echo Freer 




Jenna and Andy signed the books for me which I thought was really sweet! Thank you! :)
And I wanted to show you guys the illustrations in the Sonnets book, they're gorgeous and so pretty!!!



   

E-books: 

Review:
    
Intangible by J.Meyers                         Rae of Hope by W.J.May
(both from the authors for review -thank you!)


Free:
                
Exiled by RaShelle Workman                        Dark Waters by Shannon Mayer
(I got this yesterday when it was free!
How gorgeous is that cover??!)

 
          Awakening by Jessica Gibson                       Metamorphosis by Devon Ashley
      (Still free at the moment -go grab it!)  

So, pretty packed week for me! :) I need to start doing this regularly again!

I love looking at other people's IMM's too, so just leave me the link if you want me to take a look! :)

Review: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Delirium (Delirium #1) by Lauren Oliver

Pages: 393 Publisher: Hodder Release Date: February 1st 2011 Source: Bought Cover: 3/10

Goodreads:

Lena Haloway is content in her safe, government-managed society. She feels (mostly) relaxed about the future in which her husband and career will be decided, and looks forward to turning 18, when she’ll be cured of deliria, a.k.a. love. She tries not to think about her mother’s suicide (her last words to Lena were a forbidden “I love you”) or the supposed “Invalid” community made up of the uncured just beyond her Portland, Maine, border. There’s no real point—she believes her government knows how to best protect its people, and should do so at any cost. But 95 days before her cure, Lena meets Alex, a confident and mysterious young man who makes her heart flutter and her skin turn red-hot. As their romance blossoms, Lena begins to doubt the intentions of those in power, and fears that her world will turn gray should she submit to the procedure.

My Review:

Delirium was absolutely amazing. One of the best books I’ve read for a long time. I’m so glad that I finally read it, because it’s beautiful. 

Lena is the main character and at the beginning she really annoyed me. I liked Hana the most, she was the outgoing, rebellious, outspoken one, whereas Lena was more quiet and stuck to all the rules and was frightened of most things. However, once she meets Alex -I’ll get to him in a bit ;) she changes massively! I loved the contrast between her at the beginning of the book to the end! She is more outgoing, secretive, becoming her own person. I loved it! She was a strong character and I loved reading about her. She wasn’t perfect and she had her faults which made her a much more believable character. 

Now Alex, he must be the perfect boy ever, in my opinion anyway :). The Elizabeth Barrett-Browning poem is one of my all-time-favourite love poems and for it to be in the book was amazing! It was perfect. I love Alex, he showed Lena what it’s like to love and help her to understand herself more. We also find out a lot about his past as well and why he’s the way he is. 

The ending. It nearly killed me. Seriously. I was like, WHAT???!!!! COME ON!!! Screaming at the book, I must have looked a little bit crazy. That cliff hanger was devastating, I was so sad. I really hoped everything would work out and be perfect, but of course nothing really does work out in the end. 

Plus, THAT TWIST!?? Argh, I'm dying to talk about it, but I can't! It's about The Crypts! Eeek. That was so good! 

The world structure was really interesting to read about. How the world is the way it is. The whole idea of love being a disease is very unique and a scary one to think about. I can understand why people would be afraid of straying from the right path, especially with those Regulators. The absence of love was so sad, I think that’s why I loved the relationship between Alex and Lena even more. 

Some of the scenes were so perfect. I don’t want to go into all of them, if you haven’t read this book yet but they are so sweet. I want my own Alex! :D 

If you haven’t read this yet, I seriously suggest you read this pronto! It’s amazing, will definitely make you think about the book a lot afterwards, like me! I went to bed thinking of it and woke up still thinking about it! I received Pandemonium in the post today from a contest that I won, so I’m going to start that so I can find out what happens! Although I’ve read a couple of reviews and Alex is not in it??? Whyyyyy?! :( 

Overall, 5 out of 5 stars.