Sunday, April 29, 2012

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta GIVEAWAY

I can say without a doubt that Jellicoe Road is my favorite book ever. It changed my life (sorry for being dramatic) and I think everyone out there should read it! So, I'm giving away a copy!!! The giveaway will run for 2 weeks (4/29-5/13). Sorry US only.


Jellicoe Road




I'm dreaming of the boy in the tree. I tell him stories. About the Jellicoe School and the Townies and the Cadets from a school in Sydney. I tell him about the war between us for territory. And I tell him about Hannah, who lives in the unfinished house by the river. Hannah, who is too young to be hiding away from the world. Hannah, who found me on the Jellicoe Road six years ago.


Taylor is the leader of the boarders at the Jellicoe School. She has to keep the upper hand in the territory wars and deal with Jonah Griggs - the enigmatic leader of the cadets, and someone she thought she would never see again.


And now Hannah, the person Taylor had come to rely on, has disappeared. Taylor's only clue is a manuscript about five kids who lived in Jellicoe eighteen years ago. She needs to find out more, but this means confronting her own story, making sense of her strange, recurring dream, and finding her mother - who abandoned her on the Jellicoe Road.




Friday, April 27, 2012

Virtual Chair #1: Kristi from The Story Siren







Today sitting on The Virtual Chair is Kristi from The Story Siren. An incredibly nice person and awesome blogger. Enjoy!



  • What’s your favorite book of 2012 so far? 

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

  • Do you prefer reading long or short reviews? 

Short!

  • What's your least favorite thing about book blogging? 

The time that I spend working on my blog, when I could be READING!!

  • What author would you like to meet? 

Jennifer Echols.

  • What was your favorite toy as a kid? 

My Fisher Price house with the little people. I also had the barn with all the farm animals too. 

  • What do you do for fun (non-book related)? 

I love going to the movies!

  • What’s your favorite movie/TV show? 

Movie: The Princess Bride

TV show: Revenge!
  • Who’s your favorite character of all time? 

Hard one.. um.... probably Rose from the Vampire Academy books.

  • Write the first thing that comes to your mind after reading the word: 

Blog: books

Book: reading

Kryptonite: superman

Animal: dog

Spring: flowers

Food: pizza

Harry: potter

Heroine: hermione

Color: blue

Twitter: addiction

Thanks to Kristi for taking time out of her busy schedule to sit on the Virtual Chair.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Fifty Shades of Grey (Fifty Shades #1) by E.L. James

Fifty Shades of Grey (Fifty Shades, #1)When literature student Anastasia Steele is drafted to interview the successful young entrepreneur Christian Grey for her campus magazine, she finds him attractive, enigmatic and intimidating. Convinced their meeting went badly, she tries to put Grey out of her mind - until he happens to turn up at the out-of-town hardware store where she works part-time. 

The unworldly, innocent Ana is shocked to realize she wants this man, and when he warns her to keep her distance it only makes her more desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her - but on his own terms.

Shocked yet thrilled by Grey's singular tastes, Ana hesitates. For all the trappings of success – his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving adoptive family – Grey is a man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a passionate, physical and daring affair, Ana learns more about her own dark desires, as well as the Christian Grey hidden away from public scrutiny.

Can their relationship transcend physical passion? Will Ana find it in herself to submit to the self-indulgent Master? And if she does, will she still love what she finds?


NOTE: Sorry for the long review but I needed to write it like it is to get it right.

To be able to write this review I had to basically erase all opinions I had of this book. Before I started reading it I knew that some people hated it but I also knew that Fifty Shades of Grey had something that made LOTS of people go crazy for it. So I gave it a try. After I finished it, I still didn't know what to make of it. While I think James writing is not the best, and certainly not the worst, it wasn’t her writing what bothered me. What upset me the most was Ana. The reason why, is because Ana made me feel different emotions for her. Sometimes I wanted to slap her silly and sometimes I wanted to hug her and tell her everything was going to be okay.


Ana is probably one of the most frustrating characters I have ever read. But yet there was something about her that made me want to see her happy. But I decided I had enough of her indecisions, internal dialogues and “innocence”. After being 38 % done with the book I wrote a review, where I let my emotions do the writing instead of the reviewer in me. I also bashed Ana for being stupid, not speaking her mind and for having such long lashes. I wasn’t happy with the review so I discarded it and decided not to finish Fifty Shades. I hate not finishing books.


So, I picked it up again and decided to read at least 50% of it. Here is where my internal battle really began. How can I hate a book so much but still not be able to put it down? Did I really hate the book, or just parts of it? What I can tell you is this; after I started reading it again I didn’t even notice time going by. I was trapped in the story. I wanted to know what happen to the characters. At the end my opinion completely changed from, “What the hell am I reading” to “I see why people love this book.” Do I love this book? Probably not. Am I going to read the rest of the series? Hell yeah.



"Waiting On" Wednesday: Survivor Roundup (The Zombie West Series #2)


"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine. Here I will tell you of one upcoming book I can’t wait to read.


Expected publication: October 2012 by Evolved Publishing

Survivor Roundup (The Zombie West Series, #2)
                                  
Red always knew she would have to face the man who nearly destroyed her. She just didn't figure it would happen so soon...

With the plague sweeping across the nation, destroying many and turning others into walking corpses, survivors head West in search of a chosen land, a place designed to keep the infected out, while sealing survivors inside. In theory, the idea seems the only way to keep humanity alive. In practice, it doesn’t matter whether a person is on the inside or the out—there is no humanity.

...And even though John Gatherum hunted her down and instigated their reunion, Red’s no longer the passive girl he once manipulated. This time, she has a hidden agenda of her own.

Kill him. Save her family. Save herself

The first book was amazing! I can not wait for this one! Read my review of  WANTED: Dead or Undead (The Zombie West Series #1)


Goodreads

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

WANTED: Dead or Undead (The Zombie West Series #1) by Angela Scott

WANTED: Dead or Undead (The Zombie West Series, #1)Trace Monroe doesn’t believe in luck. He never has. But when a fiery-headed cowgirl saunters through the saloon doors, wielding shotguns and a know-how for killing the living dead, he believes he just may be the luckiest man alive.

Trace wants to join "Red’s" posse, but she prefers to work alone—less messy that way. In order to become her traveling companion, Trace has to agree to her terms: no names, no questions, and if he gets bit, he can’t beg for mercy when she severs his brain stem. He agrees, knowing only that Red is the sharpest shooter he’s ever encountered. The fact she’s stunning hasn’t escaped his attention either.

What he doesn’t know, is that Red has a very good reason to be on top of her game. She not only has the answer for how they can all outlive the plague taking over the wild, wild west, she is the answer.



This book was ridiculously good. What I like most about Wanted: Dead o Undead was that it caught my attention from page one. Then the rest of the book was equally amazing. I don’t like zombies at all but this book was an exception. Maybe because I just read it during the day. But it wasn’t all about zombies; it was more about surviving. 

Red is now in my top 10 favorite kickass female character of all time. She was AMAZING. I just enjoyed reading her character and seeing how much she grew throughout the book. I also loved Trace. He was a perfect balance to Red’s character. I wish I could say more but I’ll be giving away good stuff.



This book definitely surprised me a few times and I was upset when it ended. Not because it was a bad ending, I loved the ending, but because I wished it never ended. It was very well written and there was never a dull moment. I can’t wait to read the sequel!


Amazon/Goodreads

And... This is the perfect song for this book!







Thursday, April 19, 2012

Terrible Thursday #7: Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

Terrible Thursday is a weekly meme hosted and created by bookittyblog. Here I will feature one book that had a Terrible day. Either because it had a bunch of bad reviews and I loved it or everybody else loved it and I did not. 



Incarceron (Incarceron, #1)Incarceron is a prison so vast that it contains not only cells, but also metal forests, dilapidated cities, and vast wilderness. Finn, a seventeen-year-old prisoner, has no memory of his childhood and is sure that he came from Outside Incarceron. Very few prisoners believe that there is an Outside, however, which makes escape seems impossible.

And then Finn finds a crystal key that allows him to communicate with a girl named Claudia. She claims to live Outside- she is the daughter of the Warden of Incarceron, and doomed to an arranged marriage. Finn is determined to escape the prison, and Claudia believes she can help him. But they don't realize that there is more to Incarceron than meets the eye. Escape will take their greatest courage and cost more than they know.


I was very disappointed with this book. I thought the idea was very original and I loved the cover. The beginning was confusing but I thought that maybe I needed to get used to the writing so I kept reading. It didn’t get any better. I was confused throughout the whole book. I almost finished it but my brain couldn’t handle it any more.

Did anyone finished Incarceron? What did you think?

Amazon/Goodreads

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Purity by Jackson Pearce

PurityA novel about love, loss, and sex -- but not necessarily in that order.

Before her mother died, Shelby promised three things: to listen to her father, to love as much as possible, and to live without restraint. Those Promises become harder to keep when Shelby's father joins the planning committee for the Princess Ball, an annual dance that ends with a ceremonial vow to live pure lives -- in other words, no "bad behavior," no breaking the rules, and definitely no sex.

Torn between Promises One and Three, Shelby makes a decision -- to exploit a loophole and lose her virginity before taking the vow. But somewhere between failed hookup attempts and helping her dad plan the ball, Shelby starts to understand what her mother really meant, what her father really needs, and who really has the right to her purity.



Purity was a fun and light read. I love Pearce’s previous work (Sisters Read, Sweetly) and while Purity is in a different genre, it did not disappoint. 


Let’s talk characters, shall we? Not many people will get along with Shelby (our main character). The reason why, is because we are NOT teens anymore. Therefore we don’t think like them. At the end we won’t understand the whys behind Shelby’s actions. I recommend to get in touch with your inner teen and think of all the decisions you made back then. I bet not all of them were smart but the adults in your life cut you some slack. So… Let’s do so with Shelby.


One of the main points in the book is the purity vow Shelby has to take and how she’s trying to work her way around it. While this vow “thing” is a little weird, it brings something unique and interesting to the book. Something else we have to understand is that these vows are real. I’m not against it as long as the person who is taking the vow is 100% sure. To each their own. That’s my motto. 


What I enjoyed most was the end and of course Shelby’s relationship with her dad. Purity is full of funny and touching moments. I definitely recommend this book to fans of Jackson Pearce writing and to people who are open minded. 


Amazon/Goodreads

Monday, April 16, 2012

The Black Dagger Brotherhood by J.R. Ward (books 1-5) Review


I found out about The Black Dagger Brotherhood series trough Facebook. One of my friends on FB liked one of J.R Ward’s pictures and somehow made it to my timeline. The picture had hundreds of likes and comments so I looked her up and found out that her BDB series had amazing reviews. So I got the first book and then the next 4. 


This is the picture


NOTE to authors: even a like on Facebook or an RT on Twitter gets readers to buy/read your books! I also have to thank my library in West Haven CT for having some of the books available on eBook/audio-book form. 


The purpose of this post is for me to write a short review of each book (1-5). There are still 5 more books in the series already published and 1 more coming out next year, so that’s a total of a humongous series or 11 books! Click the Amazon/Goodreads link to read the summary of each book. I promise there are no spoilers in the reviews :)






Dark Lover (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #1)
Dark Lover (book 1) 



This was the perfect book to start this series. I absolutely loved Wrath and Beth together. There’s a bunch of characters and you get a glimpse of some of the brothers. It can get a little confusing sometimes. There are several POV in this book. I enjoyed must of them. I really didn’t care for Mr.X’s (the bad guy) POV.








Lover Eternal (book 2)


I didn’t think this series could get any better than Wrath and Beth’s story. Guess what? I was wrong! This book was amazing. I still love the first book, but oh man, you will fall in love with Rhage! He was dreamy, funny and so romantic. I think Mary and him are perfect together. Here I got to know new characters. Like: Bella and John Michael. I have to say that I fell in love with this John Michael kid from the beginning. This one is definitely one of my favorite books in the series.





Lover Awakened (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #3)Lover Awakened (book 3)


Ok, so I don’t know why but I was intrigued with Z since I first read about him. I wasn’t disappointed! This is my favorite book in the series. Bella is also one my favorite female characters in the series. She was strong and likable. Like the other books in the series, this one has different point of views. I enjoyed every single one of them. As for the main Lesser (which are the vampire’s enemies) in the story, I have to say that I also enjoyed his POV. Even though Mr.O was crazier than Britney Spears a few years ago, he brought something unique to the book. You get to see a different aspect of The Lesser society, which is not that pretty either.

                         

                           

Lover Revealed (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #4)Lover Revealed (book 4)


I wasn't expecting to like this book. It didn’t feel right that Butch wasn’t a vampire and Mrs. Ward was going to give him a fullbook.  Even though Butch proofed himself worthy many times, I though of him as weak. From book 1 you get to know he is in love with Marissa, another character I didn’t feel close to. The first 50 pages or so, proofed me right. I wasn’t attached to the main characters or their love story at all. It was a slow beginning. But then, the fun started! I grew closer and closer to Butch and Marissa. I found out that Butch tough of himselfas a leech. Using the Brotherhood's money to pay for his expensive taste in clothes and hard partying and he felt uncomfortable about it (so did I). As the book progresses Marissa finally grows, excuse my language, some balls. Anyways,this book was a slow starter, not as good as books 1-3 but still awesome.


Lover Unbound (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #5)LoverUnbound (book 5)



Not many people liked this one. I was very excited to read V’s story and when I read bad reviews about it I was I little disappointed. But bad reviews were not going to stop me from reading this book. To tell you the truth I enjoyed it. Jane is my favorite female character so far in the series. V was a complex character. There’s a lot back-story in the book. You get to know how V got his tattoos and there are 2 or 3 surprises in this book. Lots of people were disappointed with the ending. It didn't bother me as much because I knew about it. It was still a little weird ending but satisfying nonetheless.Note: careful while reading reviews about this book. There are lots of spoiler in many of them. 

Amazon/Goodreads

I will continue to read the series. I wasn't expecting to love it as much as I did and I'm glad I found out about it. 


Have you read any of The Black Dagger Brotherhood books? If you have, which one is your favorite? 

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Terrible Thursday #6: I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You





Terrible Thursday is a weekly meme hosted and created by bookittyblog. Here I will feature one book that had a Terrible day. Either because it had a bunch of bad reviews and I loved it or everybody else loved it and I did not.


Cammie Morgan is a student at the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women, a fairly typical all-girls school-that is, if every school taught advanced martial arts in PE and the latest in chemical warfare in science, and students received extra credit for breaking CIA codes in computer class. The Gallagher Academy might claim to be a school for geniuses but it's really a school for spies. Even though Cammie is fluent in fourteen languages and capable of killing a man in seven different ways, she has no idea what to do when she meets an ordinary boy who thinks she's an ordinary girl. Sure, she can tap his phone, hack into his computer, or track him through town with the skill of a real "pavement artist"-but can she maneuver a relationship with someone who can never know the truth about her? 

Cammie Morgan may be an elite spy-in-training, but in her sophomore year, she's on her most dangerous mission-falling in love.


I didn’t hate this one, I just could not finish it. I think at the time I was reading this book I was more into fantasy than contemporary. My attention wondered a lot while reading it. So I just stopped. I know there are more books in the series. I don’t know if is worth trying to read it again and see if the series gets better with each book. What do you think? Should try finishing I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You
?



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