Waiting on Wednesday (19)

This is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating. 
This week I am waiting for - 

Review - Balthazar by Claudia Gray

Author - Claudia Gray
Publisher - Harper Collins
Release Date - March 6th, 2012, 374 Pages

Vampire heartthrob Balthazar More, first introduced to readers in the New York Times bestselling Evernight series, fights for true love in this electrifying stand-alone novel. 

Haunted by memories from his first days as a vampire, Balthazar has spent hundreds of years alone—without allies, without love. When he emerges from his isolation to help Skye Tierney, a human girl who once attended Evernight Academy, Balthazar has no idea how dangerous it will be. Skye’s psychic powers have caught the attention of Redgrave, the cruel master vampire responsible for murdering Balthazar and his family four centuries ago. Having learned of Skye’s powers and the remarkable effect her blood has on vampires, he plans to use her for his own evil purposes. As they stand together to fight the evil vampire, Balthazar realizes his lonely world could finally be changed by Skye...just as Redgrave realizes that he can destroy Balthazar once and for all by taking her for his own. 

I loved reading this. Balthazar was one of my favorite characters in the Evernight Academy series and to see things from his point was amazing. We get to see what his world was like before and after being changed. We got to see some of what he was feeling about his sister, Charity, and why in the other series but this gave the readers so much more background information. We get to see how he struggles with not only being turned but also being the one that turned Charity and how is has lived with that ever since.

Review - Shadows by Jennifer L Armentrout

Author - Jennifer L Armentrout
Publisher - Entangled Publishing
Release Date - February 21st, 2012, 179 Pages

The last thing Dawson Black expected was Bethany Williams. As a Luxen, an alien life form on Earth, human girls are…well, fun. But since the Luxen have to keep their true identities a secret, falling for one would be insane. Dangerous. Tempting. Undeniable. 

Bethany can’t deny the immediate connection between her and Dawson. And even though boys aren’t a complication she wants, she can’t stay away from him. Still, whenever they lock eyes, she’s drawn in. Captivated. Lured. Loved. 

Dawson is keeping a secret that will change her existence...and put her life in jeopardy. But even he can’t stop risking everything for one human girl. Or from a fate that is as unavoidable as love itself.

Wow…just wow! What can I say Jennifer has done it again with Shadows. I seriously don’t think she could write something that I won’t fall in love with. I haven’t been let down by any of her work and this just added another one to the list of novel/novellas I absolutely love written by her. I couldn’t wait for the release of Shadows and once I got it I couldn’t put it down until I absolutely had to. Dawson, Daemon and Dee’s brother, is mentioned in Obsidian and I couldn’t wait to get to know him and his story. What? You haven’t read Obsidian?! *gasps* Well we’ll have to do something about that now won’t we? Now back to Shadows.

Cover Reveal - Luminosity by Stephanie Thomas

My name is Beatrice. When I was born, I was blessed with the Sight. I was immediately removed from my parents and enrolled in the Institution. At the age of twelve, I had my first true vision, earning my raven’s wings. And when I turned seventeen, one of my visions came true. Things haven’t been the same since. 

The Institution depends on me to keep the City safe from our enemy, the Dreamcatchers, but I’m finding it harder to do while keeping a secret from everyone, including my best friend Gabe. It is a secret that could put us all in danger. A secret that could kill me and everyone close to me. 

But the enemy has been coming to me in my dreams, and I think I’m falling in love with him. He says they’re coming. He says they’re angry. And I think I’ve already helped them win.

What do you guys think? The cover is dark but eye capturing at the same time. I love the sound of the mystery behind this story and want to see what this gift of hers is.

To pre-order click here.
To add to your GoodReads you can either click on the cover or click here.

And here is the Author's twitter name so you can find and follow her there @stephthomasbook

-Shellie

In My Mailbox (19)

This is a weekly event held by The Story Siren where we show what we have received in the mail, borrowed, got from the library, or to review. This week was my husbands birthday, I had a back procedure and one of the books I've been waiting for forever came out so it's been a good week for me. I won Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink and that came in yesterday, surprised me that it was personalized. I love it! Anywho here is everything that I got this week - 

Feature & Follow Blog Hop (19)

This is a weekly event hosted by Parajunkee & Alison Can Read to help us bloggers venture out & find other blogs that we might not have come across. Each week there are 2 feature bloggers, you can find their information on either of the sites listed above. There is a new question up each week and this weeks question is -
      
Q: Activity!!! Take a picture or describe where you love to read the most...

Review - Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts

Author - Jeyn Roberts
Publisher - Simon & Schuster Children's
Release Date - September 2nd, 2011, 329 Pages

Since mankind began, civilizations have always fallen: the Romans, the Greeks, the Aztecs…Now it’s our turn. Huge earthquakes rock the world. Cities are destroyed. But something even more awful is happening. An ancient evil has been unleashed, turning everday people into hunters, killers, crazies. 

Mason's mother is dying after a terrible car accident. As he endures a last vigil at her hospital bed, his school is bombed and razed to the ground, and everyone he knows is killed. Aries survives an earthquake aftershock on a bus, and thinks the worst is over when a mysterious stranger pulls her out of the wreckage, but she’s about to discover a world changed forever. Clementine, the only survivor of an emergency town hall meeting that descends into murderous chaos, is on the run from savage strangers who used to be her friends and neighbors. And Michael witnesses a brutal road rage incident that is made much worse by the arrival of the police--who gun down the guilty party and then turn on the bystanding crowd. 

Where do you go for justice when even the lawmakers have turned bad? These four teens are on the same road in a world gone mad. Struggling to survive, clinging on to love and meaning wherever it can be found, this is a journey

Wow…what to say about this beside it is awesome. It was creepy, had action, love, fear…every raw emotion that anyone could feel. We are given this story through, I’m going to say five different points, Mason, Aries, Clementine, Michael, and Nothing. I don’t want to say too much and end up spoiling it. Dark Inside starts off, in each person’s point, where their life will forever be changed. Something is happening around the world and it’s not pretty.

Waiting on Wednesday (18)

This is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating. 
This week I am waiting for -  

Review - Partials by Dan Wells

Author - Dan Wells
Publisher - Balzer + Bray
Release Date - February 28th, 2012, 472 Pages

Humanity is all but extinguished after a war with partials--engineered organic beings identical to humans--has decimated the world’s population. Reduced to only tens of thousands by a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island. The threat of the partials is still imminent, but, worse, no baby has been born immune to the disease in over a decade. Humanity’s time is running out. 

When sixteen-year-old Kira learns of her best friend’s pregnancy, she’s determined to find a solution. Then one rash decision forces Kira to flee her community with the unlikeliest of allies. As she tries desperately to save what is left of her race, she discovers that the survival of both humans and partials rests in her attempts to answer questions of the war’s origin that she never knew to ask. 

I knew I wanted to read this the second I read the synopsis, and wasn’t let down. It has been 11 years since the attack and since they have seen a Partial. We learn what the Partials are and how they came to be. With the world decaying around them the Senate has enforced the Hope Act making it a law that at the age of 18 any girl is to become pregnant, knowing that every single birth since the RM virus has been out not one child has lived. We learn about the Voice who are the rebels, the Break which caused everything to backfire, and the Defense that they have built around the city to keep them safe. Or so they thought.

Cover Reveal - Inbetween by Tara A. Fuller

Since the car crash that took her father’s life three years ago, Emma’s life has been a freaky—and unending—lesson in caution. Surviving “accidents” has taken priority over being a normal seventeen-year-old, so Emma spends her days taking pictures of life instead of living it. Falling in love with a boy was never part of the plan. Falling for a reaper who makes her chest ache and her head spin? Not an option.

It’s not easy being dead, especially for a reaper in love with a girl fate has put on his list not once, but twice. Finn’s fellow reapers give him hell about spending time with Emma, but Finn couldn't let her die before, and he’s not about to let her die now. He will protect the girl he loves from the evil he accidentally unleashed, even if it means sacrificing the only thing he has left…his soul.

The cover is beautiful and the synopsis grabbed me. I can't wait for the release of this one.

You can find the author on twitter here - @Tara25Fuller
Add it to your GoodReads by clicking on the cover or clicking here.
And to Pre-Order through Amazon click here.

What do you guys think of this one?

-Shellie

Review - Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Author - Suzanne Collins
Publisher - Scholastic Press
Release Date - August 24th, 2010, 390 Pages

Young Katniss Everdeen has survived the dreaded Hunger Games not once, but twice, but even now she can find no relief. In fact, the dangers seem to be escalating: President Snow has declared an all-out war on Katniss, her family, her friends, and all the oppressed people of District 12. The thrill-packed final installment of Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy will keep young hearts pounding.

In Mockingjay, the final in this series, everything is crashing down on Katniss. She is trying her best to live this new life that she is expected to live but she does have her own request/demands before she is willing to do what they ask of her. They want her to be the symbol of rebellion but she will always be the girl on fire. What I loved most in this book was that Katniss and Prim were finally able to talk and get closer to each other. Katniss has now learned that Prim has grown a lot due to the situations that she has been faced with her whole life. She thought that she was protecting her, and she was, but the emotional toll that it had on Prim has made her grow way quicker than she ever wanted.

Feature & Follow Blog Hop (18)

This is a weekly event hosted by Parajunkee & Alison Can Read to help us bloggers venture out & find other blogs that we might not have come across. Each week there are 2 feature bloggers, you can find their information on either of the sites listed above. There is a new question up each week and this weeks question is -

Q: I like unique names for characters and am looking forward to coming up with some when I start writing. What's the most unique character name you've come across?

Cover Reveal - Finn Finnegan by Darby Karchut

Finn (not bleedin' Finnegan) MacCullen is eager to begin his apprenticeship. He soon discovers the ups and downs of hunting monsters in a suburban neighborhood under the demanding tutelage of the Knight, Gideon Lir. Both master and apprentice are descendents of the Tuatha De Danaan, a magical race of warriors from Ireland. Scattered long ago to the four corners of the world, the De Danaan wage a two thousand year old clandestine battle with their ancient enemy, the Amandán, a breed of goblin-like creatures. 

Now with the beasts concentrating their attacks on Finn, he and his master must race to locate the lost Spear of the Tuatha De Danaan, the only weapon that can destroy the Amandán, all the while hiding his true identity from his new friends, Rafe and Savannah, twins whose South African roots may hold a key to Finn's survival. Armed with a bronze dagger, some ancient Celtic magic, and a hair-trigger temper, Finn is about to show his enemies the true meaning of "fighting Irish." 

What do you guys think of this one?

-Shellie

Cover Reveal - Gravity by Melissa West

In the future, only one rule will matter: Don’t. Ever. Peek. 

Seventeen-year-old Ari Alexander just broke that rule and saw the last person she expected hovering above her bed--arrogant Jackson Locke, the most popular boy in her school. She expects instant execution or some kind of freak alien punishment, but instead, Jackson issues a challenge: help him, or everyone on Earth will die. 

Ari knows she should report him, but everything about Jackson makes her question what she’s been taught about his kind. And against her instincts, she’s falling for him. But Ari isn’t just any girl, and Jackson wants more than her attention. She’s a military legacy who’s been trained by her father and exposed to war strategies and societal information no one can know--especially an alien spy, like Jackson. Giving Jackson the information he needs will betray her father and her country, but keeping silent will start a war.

Doesn't this look and sound amazing?! You can add it to your GoodReads by either clicking on the cover or clicking here. I personally cannot wait for this to come out! Can't we fast forward a couple months?!? What do you guys think?

-Shellie

Blog Tour and more - A Place in This Life by Julie Duck

First I need to say a big thank you to Amanda and Julie for letting me be part of this tour for this awesome book. I'll be sharing my review, a character interview, and of course there will be some giveaways - we all love those right? I can honestly say that this was the first book that I had to have tissue's near by while reading, yes it was that good and played on my heart strings! So when you're reading this make sure you have some available lol. Okay now on to the good stuff!

Waiting on Wednesday (17)

This is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating. 
This week I am waiting for - 

Review - Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

Author - Isaac Marion
Publisher - Simon & Schuster
Release Date - April 26th, 2011, 239 Pages

R is a young man with an existential crisis—he is a zombie. He has no memories, no identity, and no pulse, but he has dreams. His ability to connect with the outside world is limited to a few grunted syllables, but his inner life is deep, full of wonder and longing.

After experiencing a teenage boy's memories while consuming his brain, R makes an unexpected choice that begins a tense, awkward, and stragely sweet relationship with the victim's human girlfriend. Julie is a blast of color in the otherwise dreary and gray landscape that surrounds R. His choice to protect her will transform not only R, but his fellow Dead, and perhaps their whole lifeless world.

Scary, funny, and surprisingly poignant, Warm Bodies explores what happens when the cold heart of a zombie is tempted by the warmth of human love.

I’m not sure what exactly I was expecting when I picked this up…actually I don’t think I even read the blurb until I picked it up, probably should stop buying books by their cover however with Warm Bodies I was glad that this was the case. I was instantly intrigued with what it was like to actually be a zombie, to wander around aimlessly and have the need to feed.

Blog Tour and more - Pyxis, Arson, and Airel

Hi guys! I have the honor of being part of this blog tour hosted by three very good authors. I love each one of their novels, for realz, they are awesomesauce! Today I'll be sharing my review of Pyxis by K.C. Neal and of course there are a couple giveaways, we all love those right?! So are you guys ready to hear more about these awesome books, read my review of Pyxis and enter those awesome giveaways that I talked about? Of course you are =)

In My Mailbox (18)

This is a weekly event held by The Story Siren where we show what we have received in the mail, borrowed, got from the library, or to review. This week was awesome, for the most part, well the beginning was the end kinda sucked but anywho. I started nights woo hoo! I finally get to see my husband which with me working days were very rare for us to see each other. Not only that but I got my glasses so I can see again YAY no more squinting and migranes. Okay I'm rambling now...so um...yeah...here's what I got this week. I just combined everything paper/hard copy into one picture.

Blog Tour, Guest Post & Review - Alex in Wunderstrande by K.M. Parr

Hey guys! Today I have the wonderful Katie Parr on the blog for her novel Alex in Wunderstrande. Just want to take this time to thank Katie for giving me a chance of being a part of her blog tour and for getting a chance at reading her awesome book! Here is a guest post by Katie and then following is my review of Alex in Wunderstrande!

Feature & Follow Blog Hop (17)

This is a weekly event hosted by Parajunkee & Alison Can Read to help us bloggers venture out & find other blogs that we might not have come across. Each week there are 2 feature bloggers, you can find their information on either of the sites listed above. There is a new question up each week and this weeks question is -

Q: What would your prefer: reading your favorite book over and over again until you got sick of it OR reading 100s of mediocre books? And why?

Review - Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Author - Suzanne Collins
Publisher - Scholastic Press
Release Date - September 1st, 2009, 391 Pages

Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark won the annual competition described in Hunger Games, but the aftermath leaves these victors with no sense of triumph. Instead, they have become the poster children for a rebellion that they never planned to lead. That new, unwanted status puts them in the bull's-eye for merciless revenge by The Capitol...

 

In this stunning sequel to The Hunger Games, Catching Fire definitely held my interest if not more than the first book. We are instantly brought back into the districts with Katniss dealing with the aftermath of everything that happened not only during the Games but after. The relationship she has, or had, with Peeta has went back to what it was before the Games, nothing. Katniss is still finding where her feelings stand for both Peeta and Gale now that she is home.

Waiting on Wednesday (16)

This is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating.
This week I am waiting for -

Review - Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Author - Stephanie Perkins
Publisher - Penguin Group
Release Date - December 2nd, 2010, 372 Pages

Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris—until she meets Étienne St. Claire: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.
As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near-misses end with the French kiss Anna—and readers—have long awaited?

 

First let me say that I loved the pages of Anna and the French Kiss they looked old or like her journal, to me anyway. The writing is wonderful and brings the right amount of quirkiness to it. I loved how Anna described her dad, it definitely sounds like a teenager sent overseas to a private boarding school for her last year of high school. She is faced with not only not knowing how to speak French all that well but now she has to make new friends and try to get by until she can get back home to Atlanta.

Review - Angel Fire by L.A. Weatherly

Author - L.A. Weatherly
Publisher - Candlewick Press
Release Date - January 24th, 2012, 636 Pages

In Book Two of L. A. Weatherly’s wildly romantic, action-packed trilogy, the angels are back with a vengeance . . . and they don’t have heaven in mind.

In the wake of the Second Wave, the angel menace has exploded, and Alex and Willow are on the lam. Willow’s prophetic dream points them to Mexico City, where they connect with a fledgling group of angel killers led by the exotically beautiful Kara, an Angel Killer from Alex’s past. But the team remains suspicious of Willow, even after the more-experienced Alex takes over as leader, training them hard for a rush attack on the Seraphic Council, or “The Twelve.” This elite group of all-powerful angels is also under the scrutiny of Willow’s angel-father, Raziel, who has his own sinister plan to defeat them.

What Willow hasn’t told Alex is that there was also a mysterious boy in her dream, one she felt overpoweringly attracted to. When brooding, gorgeous Seb shows up in the flesh, he turns out to be another—possibly the world’s only other—half angel. He’s been searching for Willow all his life, and when Alex enlists this rival to help keep Willow safe, he can’t predict what chemistry will pass between them . . . or how far Willow might go to keep Alex safe. Will their love endure or spell doomsday for the human race?

 

What can I say besides WOW! Can I just say L.A. Weatherly knows how to bring it?! In this highly anticipated sequel we are brought back into this world that L.A. has created and are on the run with Alex and Willow. I love these two together, they have already been through so much and that was just a taste of what they have yet to go through. Alex and Willow venture to Mexico City and here everything changes. We are introduced to several new characters, including Kara, who’s an AK from Alex’s past, and Seb.

In My Mailbox (17)

This is a weekly event held by The Story Siren where we show what we have received in the mail, borrowed, got from the library, or to review. Wow this week has flown by! I will be working nights as of tomorrow WOO HOO. I absolutely hated waking up at the hour of 4:30am...so not cool! So this is what all I got this week - 

Feature & Follow Blog Hop (16)

This is a weekly event hosted by Parajunkee & Alison Can Read to help us bloggers venture out & find other blogs that we might not have come across. Each week there are 2 feature bloggers, you can find their information on either of the sites listed above. There is a new question up each week and this weeks question is -

Review - New Girl by Paige Harbison

Author - Paige Harbison
Publisher - Harlequin Teen
Release Date - January 31st, 2012, 304 Pages

They call me 'New Girl'...

Ever since I arrived at exclusive, prestigious Manderly Academy, that’s who I am. New girl. Unknown. But not unnoticed—because of her.

Becca Normandy—that’s the name on everyone’s lips. The girl whose picture I see everywhere. The girl I can’t compare to. I mean, her going missing is the only reason a spot opened up for me at the academy. And everyone stares at me like it’s my fault.

Except for Max Holloway—the boy whose name shouldn’t be spoken. At least, not by me. Everyone thinks of him as Becca’s boyfriend but she’s gone, and here I am, replacing her. I wish it were that easy. Sometimes, when I think of Max, I can imagine how Becca’s life was so much better than mine could ever be.

And maybe she’s still out there, waiting to take it back.

             *A copy was provided from HarlequinTeen through NetGalley for honest review*

New Girl grabbed me from the beginning and it was hard to put down. I could easily relate to the main character living in Florida her whole life then packing up and heading up to New Hampshire where she didn’t know anyone, would be in a complete 180 of what she is use to, and doing it all by herself. I live in Florida and I complain when it gets below 70, can I imagine going up north during the winter…sure, would I ever do it...no!

Waiting on Wednesday (15)

This is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating. 
This week I am waiting for -