Top Ten Tuesday: Words/Topics That Instantly Make Me Buy/Pick Up A Book

Top Ten Tuesday-It is a meme created by Jaime at The Broke and the Bookish where you create a list of your top ten favorite of any given category. I'm kinda confused about this topic, but I'm just gonna go along with it.

1. Sci-fi-This word automatically draws my attention, because I am kinda obsessed with aliens and outer-space etc.



2.Powers. I am also kinda obsessed with powers. I don't care what kind, I love all of them.


3.Kick-ass girls. Well, this is simple. I have always wanted to be a kick-ass girl. So I read about them. Reading=solutions to everything

4.Great romance. Hmm...hot guys are pretty irresistible.


5.Surprising plots. These are very hard to come by, which is why I love them so.

6.Relatable characters. When I can easily connect with a main character, I almost always end up loving/ liking the book. Even if the rest of it wasn't great.


7.Fairy tale re-tellings. I am in love with fairy-tales in the first place. Re-tellings are pretty much as great.

8.Historical. My favorite genre. So, this is a given. Girls in frilly dresses are amazing.


Okay, I have run out of ideas.

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The 5th Wave: Review

The Passage meets Ender’s Game in an epic new series from award-winning author Rick Yancey.

 After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

 Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother—or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

( I read this awhile ago, so if I say something off, sorry!)

Review:
My first thoughts on this book were slightly wary, due to the aliens-take-over-the-Earth concept. It didn't seem highly original.
 I was taken completely by surprise.


Not only were the characters amazingly written and described. The plot was just...almost too good to be true.
Am I reading a ya book? Like, right now?

 Nothing in this book was cheesy, and this book doesn't focus on the romantic air, more of the dangerous air. However, even the romance was not cheesy( okay, maybe slightly...when isn't romance cheesy?). There was some sort of love-triangle thing going on that never fully developed, but honestly, that makes me excited for the sequel. Who knew I would ever say a love triangle would interest me?

Firstly, the beginning starts off with Cassie talking sorta of about the alien take over, and wonders if she is the last person alive. She lives in the woods, her family died, except her brother...the usual of apocalyptic books. It didn't have me convinced at first. Actually, I spent alot of time avoiding this book. Please stop threatening me! I know, it was cruel of me!


It's not like it was bad. It was actually very interesting. Like, I said, it started off talking about her new life/ old life, and then things get crazy. She kills a guy.

After that( somewhere around there), Yancey switches the view to her past life. It gives us deeper depth to how her old life was, and how normal it was: school, crushes, etc. But, that just shows how very different her life was compared to her new life.

Talking about the different views, throughout the novel, you get to see "Zombie", Cassie, and other minor character's views. I actually really enjoyed this. It was meant to keep you guessing how aliens think, and how humans think. Could you be able to see the difference?

 Trust me- after the first 100 pages, I was sucked into the action, trying to guess who was human, and who was not.

Now, my favorite part of this whole entire book, is the plot. I am baffled how well this author can plan out everything. Right when you thought you knew how things would pan out, things would get...interesting. I know I say that most plots I enjoy, but this ONE is just so truly amazing. If anything, buy this book just for the plot.


Now, I'm not going to say anything about anything related to the plot, because I'm afraid I may hint as what will happen. Just read the book!


See that gif? It is you agreeing with me :P

Showers of Books Giveaway Hop

Up for Grabs:


The greatest warrior in all of the Seven Kingdoms... is a girl with yellow eyes.

 Kira’s the only female in the king’s army, and the prince’s bodyguard. She’s a demon slayer and an outcast, hated by nearly everyone in her home city of Hansong. And, she’s their only hope... Murdered kings and discovered traitors point to a demon invasion, sending Kira on the run with the young prince. He may be the savior predicted in the Dragon King Prophecy, but the missing treasure of myth may be the true key. With only the guidance of the cryptic prophecy, Kira must battle demon soldiers, evil shaman, and the Demon Lord himself to find what was once lost and raise a prince into a king.

 Intrigue and mystery, ancient lore and action-packed fantasy come together in this heart-stopping first book in a trilogy.

 And make sure to check out my giveaway policy before you enter!

That's it! Enter below.

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Under Construction

Hey, I just wanted to say, yes, I am kind of trying to re-design the good ole blog, but it may take some time. So, please don't get disturbed by the current look. I am HOPING it will turn out better!

Update: It doesn't look near as bad as it used to. That is a good sign.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Thought I Would Like More or Less

Top Ten Tuesday-It is a meme created by Jaime at The Broke and the Bookish where you create a list of your top ten favorite of any given category.( Sorry this didn't publish sooner! I swear I thought it had!)
1. The Raven Boys

I ended up loving this book much more than I thought! The characters, the plot, and pretty mch everything I loved!

2.The Diviners

I also ended up falling in love with the characters and setting for this! Way better than I had anticipated!

3.Matched

Oh boy, guys, this is kind of scary to even mention for me. That's all I will say.

4.Delirium

This one wasn't entirely bad, but since my expectations were HIGH from all the amazing reviews it was getting, I was let down by the slow pace of the book.

5.Across the Universe

This was my first ever sci-fi-ish book I read, and it didn't disappoint me...at all! It blew me away, seriously.

6.Seraphina

Surprisingly, I was nervous to start this book, due to the fact my twin didn't seem too keen to finish it, but this turned out to be an epic fantasy!

7.Crescendo

Do I even have to explain this?( I hated it...SO SO MUCH.)

8.The Book Thief

I actually never finished this book, but I got bored too easily. "avoids thrown tomatoes"

9.Daughter of Smoke and Bone

My favorite book ever! And believe it or not, I was once scared I wouldn't even LIKE it, since angels was a common use in ya novels.

10.The Fifth Wave

This turned out to be an amazing book! I just loved the concept and action in this book!

Link me up to your posts! :)

If You Find Me: Review

Author: Emily Murdoch
Page Number:256
Publisher:St. Martin's Griffin
Source:Won

Description:

A broken-down camper hidden deep in a national forest is the only home fifteen year-old Carey can remember. The trees keep guard over her threadbare existence, with the one bright spot being Carey’s younger sister, Jenessa, who depends on Carey for her very survival. All they have is each other, as their mentally ill mother comes and goes with greater frequency. Until that one fateful day their mother disappears for good, and two strangers arrive. Suddenly, the girls are taken from the woods and thrust into a bright and perplexing new world of high school, clothes and boys.

 Now, Carey must face the truth of why her mother abducted her ten years ago, while haunted by a past that won’t let her go… a dark past that hides many a secret, including the reason Jenessa hasn’t spoken a word in over a year. Carey knows she must keep her sister close, and her secrets even closer, or risk watching her new life come crashing down.

Review:
 Beautiful prose, a unique story, and realistic characters is what made this story for me.

 The story is centered mostly around Carey and Jennessa: their love for each other and how they get through all the tough times together. This show of love for each other really squeezed my heart and made me want to hug all my sisters. Both them are such amazing characters. They both had depth, qualities, and most important, flaws. Flaws is important to me, because it makes characters perfect for me. I want fictional characters to seem real, and in order for that to happen, they must have flaws.

The story is first set in woods, where Carey and Jennessa live with their not-so-much-there mother. Carey seems too old for her young age( only 14?!), since she has to make a living in the woods with her sister on little sustain. But, then her father finds her in the woods with a letter from her mother telling him where to find them. From there, Carey's whole life changes. There is suddenly too much food, electricity, and hot baths. It made me think how lucky I am.
Throughout this whole novel, Carey is realistic and smart at most times. But what made it most realistic, was when she missed her home in the woods. I suppose most people would wonder why she would miss the woods. But, that's where she lived most of her life and of course, she would miss that.

This story had little romance in it, mainly because, like I said, it is centered around the two sisters. However, I would have liked to see how Carey ended up handling her relationship.

Not recommended: If you are easily squimish, this book is probably not for you.

Cover Changes: Discussion

Hello, today. Sorry I have been slightly MIA, lately. But, to make up for that, I am doing a discussion, where I can ramble on and on!

Let us discuss: cover changes.

Cover changes, for me, are kind of annoying.


I mean, let's say you buy a book that you have been way too entirely excited to read, and you LOVED LOVED that book's cover. Then, a year later, the publishers decided that they wanted to re-design the cover. What?!


I'm sorry, but I usually get pissed off at those pubs! I still love them, don't worry, but why did they have to change the cover, and now I have to buy the new book so it can match the whole series!

I have this idea that publishers want to make more money off these books by re-designing the cover. This is just my idea, nothing serious, and I have no proof. But, haven't you seen bookish people complain that they now have to go off and spend more money on the book. Hmm...it sounds a bit suspicious.


But, those are my feelings about cover changes. And if you don't believe me about the whole cover change thing, here are some examples:





 

What's your thoughts on cover changes?

Undone Excerpt + Giveaway

Okie dokey, peeps. Today I'm, going to do an excerpt of Undone( a Novella). AND also a pretty sweet giveaway, if you ask me. So, stay tuned.

Sixteen-year-old Janelle Tenner is used to having a lot of responsibility. She balances working as a lifeguard in San Diego with an intense academic schedule. Janelle's mother is bipolar, and her dad is a workaholic FBI agent, which means Janelle also has to look out for her younger brother, Jared.

 And that was before she died...and is brought back to life by Ben Michaels, a mysterious, alluring loner from her high school. When she discovers a strange clock that seems to be counting down to the earth's destruction, Janelle learns she has twenty-four days to figure out how to stop the clock and save the planet.



Four months after Ben disappeared through the portal to his home universe, Janelle believes she’ll never see him again. Her world is still devastated, but life is finally starting to resume some kind of normalcy. Until Interverse Agent Taylor Barclay shows up. Somebody from an alternate universe is running a human trafficking ring, kidnapping people and selling them on different Earths—and Ben is the prime suspect. Now his family has been imprisoned and will be executed if Ben doesn’t turn himself over within five days.

And when Janelle learns that someone she cares about—someone from her own world—has become one of the missing, she knows that she has to help Barclay, regardless of the danger. Now Janelle has five days to track down the real culprit. Five days to locate the missing people before they’re lost forever. Five days to reunite with the boy who stole her heart. But as the clues begin to add up, Janelle realizes that she’s in way over her head—and that she may not have known Ben as well as she thought. Can she uncover the truth before everyone she cares about is killed?


Before the accident. Before their universes collided. Before they fell in love.
 Riveting and romantic, Undone: An Unraveling Novella contains three short stories set in the world of Unraveling, the first book in the gripping sci-fi duology by Elizabeth Norris.
 Before Ben Michaels saved Janelle Tenner’s life, Janelle saved Ben when he stumbled through an interuniverse portal into a completely new world. That day, he fell in love with the girl of his dreams. And he never forgot her.
 Through three stories told from Ben’s point of view, learn how Ben and his friends discovered their ability to travel between worlds, how Ben first met Janelle, and how he pined for her for years before he actually got the chance to meet her, save her life, and capture her heart. And find out what happens to Ben between the cliff-hanger conclusion to Unraveling and the beginning of its heart-stopping sequel, Unbreakable.

Here's an excerpt:

PROLOGUE

Certain moments in my life are imprinted in my memory.

They’re easy to recall with perfect clarify whether I want to remember them or not. Any small thing can trigger them: a phrase, a smell, a thought. It brings everything back like I’m reliving that moment, a brief scene in the movie of my life, complete with how horrible I felt at the time. And I usually felt horrible in those moments, because for some reason it’s the moments that I want to forget that stick around.

Like in eighth grade when I had my first kiss with Jane Sheriden and my arm got stuck awkwardly between her head and couch: just thinking about it still makes me cringe. Or when Ms. Wittak caught me cheating in Algebra freshman year because I’d saved the formulas I needed to remember in a fake game on my graphing calculator, and she tore up my test in front of the whole class.

Then there were memories that were more significant.

The pivotal moments that changed everything.

Those I don’t want to forget. Now that I’ve had too much time to think about them, to replay them over and over again in my mind, they’re the things I wouldn’t take back, that I wouldn’t do over.

Because of Janelle.

She saved my life when we were ten. She anchored me by being who she was, and somewhere along the line, I fell in love with her.

In just about every significant moment in my life, she’s there. Whether she knew it or not.

After that note, I've decided to give away a paperback copy of Unraveling and a hardcover copy of Unbreakable. Don't worry, by the time this giveaway is over, it WILL be released.

And before you enter, please check out my giveaway policy. This is not international. Sorry, international people! I will do one of those soon enough!

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Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Books I Read Before I was a Blogger

Top Ten Tuesday-It is a meme created by Jaime at The Broke and the Bookish where you create a list of your top ten favorite of any given category. This one is pretty dang easy...I have a Goodreads list fot it...;)
1. Daughter of Smoke and Bone



2.Lola and the Boy Next Door



3.Shatter Me



4.Cinder



5.Masque of the Red Death



6.Blood Red Road



7.The Immortal Rules



8.Under the Never Sky



9.The Iron Queen



10.Lastly, The Pledge



Okay then, there are my favorite books that I read before I was a blogger. Many of them are repeating, but what can I say? They are my favorites.

Link me up to your Top Ten Tuesday!

The Collector: Review

Author: Victoria Scott
Page Number:352
Publisher:Entangled Teen
Source:e-galley

Description:

 He makes good girls...bad. 
 Dante Walker is flippin’ awesome, and he knows it. His good looks, killer charm, and stellar confidence have made him one of hell’s best—a soul collector. His job is simple: weed through humanity and label those round rears with a big red good or bad stamp. Old Saint Nick gets the good guys, and he gets the fun ones. Bag-and-tag. 
 Sealing souls is nothing personal. Dante’s an equal-opportunity collector and doesn't want it any other way. But he’ll have to adjust, because Boss Man has given him a new assignment: 
 Collect Charlie Cooper’s soul within ten days. 
 Dante doesn't know why Boss Man wants Charlie, nor does he care. This assignment means only one thing to him, and that’s a permanent ticket out of hell. But after Dante meets the quirky Nerd Alert chick he’s come to collect, he realizes this assignment will test his abilities as a collector…and uncover emotions deeply buried.

Review:
The Collector: one of the most talked about spring YA 2013 published books( yeah, that's a mouthful). I, myself, was excited as every other young adult reader, as one ought to be. I mean, when you hear the word hottie...of course, you are drawn to the story. But, there were also some other aspects of the story that I thoroughly enjoyed. However, there were some things that I didn't enjoy, like almost every book I have read. There are positives...and there are negatives.

First, we have Dante, the main character, the hot guy, the brooding type of male,etc. That in itself always draws readers in, who knows why(okay, we all know why). I had hopes for him, and I pretty much already knew how he would act in the beginning, since I read some( perhaps alot) reviews. Hey, don't judge me. I had to do...some research. In short, he is extremely harsh and cruel to Charlie, but he changes his opinion of her throughout the novel.

What had surprised me the most was the character development for Dante. He changes so much from the beginning to the end. But, that is what I found...unrealistic. I know, people, I know. Why should I judge the character development? Just having character development is enough! However, it just seemed too...maybe planned out to me? I understand that he fell for Charlie, but should he change SO much just for a girl. I know alot of people will disagree with me, but I really don't think so. I guess what I would have liked better is too have some slower character development. I know I'm getting really picky but that just bothered me throughout the book.

Charlie is everyone's complete idol. Opinion or fact? Fact, people. Everyone will most likely feel for this girl from beginning to end. She is awesome. Seriously, I think the summary should be changed into Charlie is flippin' awesome, and she knows it. There is a slight problem to that statement. Charlie doesn't exactly believe in herself( or at least not as much as Dante). Let me reword that: Charlie does believe in herself until some people bring her down. She still is the same Charlie, but I could detect that she thought more about her actions and appearances after some run-ins with said people. On to the point, Charlie is very admirable. She is strong, and isn't afraid to tell people her opinions.

The plot was my main concern with this novel. It just didn't seem strong. It wasn't entirely a new storyline. In some aspects, yes, there was some new, but tell me you haven't heard about a demon falling in love with a girl? Well, even if you haven't, I have.

The storylone is basic: there are 6 collectors( did I mention that seems kind of impossible to have only 6 people for the whole world!?), who collect souls for( did I mention the whole world? Oh, yeah, I did) their Bossman. Dante is assigned to collect Charlie's soul within 10 days, and you know the rest...or most of it.

Some things just did not seem...right. There were holes in the plot, I guess. Not big holes, but small holes are just as annoying as big ones( not AS annoying, but you get my point). Above, I mentioned that there was only 6 collectors for the whole freakin' entire world. How is that possible for them to collect SO many souls? I perhaps should say not holes in the plot, but missed things. I wish they would have gone more into detail about how everything is run with just 6 collectors, and I wanted to learn more about Dante's before life. So, I'm hoping that will show up in the next book.

I have saved the best thing for last...the epic romance everyone has talked about? Yeah, you know the one. Between Charlie and Dante. It was barely there in the beginning, what with Dante hating her and all. But, eventually, you could see they felt for each other. That is what I loved most about their romance: it wasn't insta-love( though it was within a 10 period, but I won't say anything). I won't say anything more about the romance, since I want you to experience it for yourselves!

Overall, this book is great for young adult readers, who especially enjoy romance, and some paranormal!

3/5

And Then I Found You: Blog Tour

Blurb:

Kate Vaughan is no stranger to tough choices.
 She’s made them before.
 Now it’s time to do it again. Kate has a secret, something tucked away in her past. And she’s getting on with her life. Her business is thriving. She has a strong relationship with her family, and a devoted boyfriend whom she wants to love with all her heart. If Kate had ever made a list, Rowan would fill the imagined boxes of a perfect mate. But she wants more than the perfect on paperrelationship; she wants a real and imperfect love. That's why, when Kate discovers the small velvet box hidden in Rowan's drawer, she panics.
 It always happens this way. Just when Kate thinks she can love, just when she believes she can conquer the fear, she’s filled with dread. And she wants more than anything to make this feeling go away. But how?
 When the mistakes have been made and the running is over, it’s time to face the truth. Kate knows this. She understands that a woman can never undo what can never be undone. Yet, for the first time in her life she also knows that she won’t fully love until she confronts those from her past. It’s time to act.
 Can she do it? Can she travel to the place where it all began, to the one who shares her secret? Can the lost ever become found?
 And Then I Found You gives new life to the phrase “inspired by a true story.” By travelling back to a painful time in her own family’s history, the author explores the limits of courage, and the price of a selfless act.

About the Author:

Patti is hailed as a fresh new voice in southern fiction. She has been short-listed for the Townsend Prize for Fiction and has been nominated for the Southeastern Independent Booksellers Fiction Novel of the Year. She is a frequent speaker at luncheons, book clubs and women’s groups where she discusses the importance of storytelling and anything else they want to talk about. Patti grew up as a Minister’s daughter, learning early how storytelling effects our lives. She grew up spending her summers on Cape Cod where she began her love affair with the beach, ocean, tides and nature of the coast. Moving south at the tender age of twelve, she found solace in books and stories. While attending Auburn University, she met a southern boy who later proposed on Daufuskie Island, South Carolina, next to a historic lighthouse overlooking the Sound. After earning her Master’s degree in Child Health, Patti worked as a Clinical Nurse Specialist until her first child was born. Patti is a full time writer, wife and mother living with her husband and three children outside Atlanta on the Chattahoochee River where she is working on her next novel.
Giveaway for one copy:

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Purchase: Amazon