Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday 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!

My Teasers:

 
"It's been over a week since Callie painted those beautiful words up on the rock. They meant more to me than she probably understood."

Pg. 80 (e-book, Nook version), "The Coincidence of Callie & Kayden" by Jessica Sorensen 





 "Cold sweat broke out behind my knees as I side-stepped to my right, out of the blinding glare. As my eyes adjusted to the dark, I made out his face, confirming the identity his scent had already given me.'

Pg. 336, "Stray" by Rachel Vincent






That's my teasers for this week. What book or books did you feature in your post?
 

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Stacking the Shelves (08)

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews where we highlight the books we receive each week.

 

Bought

 
That's all for me this week. 
 
What did you get this week? 
 
*All book links are to Goodreads.*

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Movie Review: Beautiful Creatures

Beautiful Creatures

Movie Release Date: February 14, 2013




Beautiful Creatures is a movie that I had been waiting to see for months. I went to see it a couple of days after it was released. Overall, I thought it was a good movie. There were several things I was unhappy about, but I will definitely buy the DVD when it becomes available. 

I had never heard of the actors that played Lena and Ethan. That being said, for somewhat unknown actors, they did a wonderful job bringing Lena and Ethan to life. There was also a great supporting cast.

There are many thing about the movie I really liked. I enjoyed seeing a book that I loved so much being brought to life. I loved the acting and the setting. Being for the south, I love things based it in the south. 

However, there are also things that I didn't enjoy about the movie. I noticed that a few essential characters and important parts of the plot were left out of the movie and I was not happy about that. There were changes made to the storyline that I felt really affected the movie. There was also the ending. I did NOT like the ending. It was completely different for the book and made me wonder how they will continue with the movie series if they decide to. There were several times during the movie that I was thinking "That never happened!" or "What the heck!". I know that movies are always different from the book and with that being said, I think I can deal with the changes that were made. 

As I said, for me it was a good movie, despite all of the changes

Rating: 6/10    

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday: Ink

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.
Ink
by Amanda Sun
384 pages
Published by: Harlequin Teen
Expected Publication: June 25, 2013
Series: The Paper Gods #1
     
 I looked down at the paper, still touching the tip of my shoe. I reached for it, flipping the page over to look.

Scrawls of ink outlined a drawing of a girl lying on a bench.

A sick feeling started to twist in my stomach, like motion sickness.

And then the girl in the drawing turned her head, and her inky eyes glared straight into mine.
On the heels of a family tragedy, the last thing Katie Greene wants to do is move halfway across the world. Stuck with her aunt in Shizuoka, Japan, Katie feels lost. Alone. She doesn’t know the language, she can barely hold a pair of chopsticks, and she can’t seem to get the hang of taking her shoes off whenever she enters a building.

Then there’s gorgeous but aloof Tomohiro, star of the school’s kendo team. How did he really get the scar on his arm? Katie isn’t prepared for the answer. But when she sees the things he draws start moving, there’s no denying the truth: Tomo has a connection to the ancient gods of Japan, and being near Katie is causing his abilities to spiral out of control. If the wrong people notice, they'll both be targets.

Katie never wanted to move to Japan—now she may not make it out of the country alive.
-Goodreads.com description

The synopsis is what drew me to this book. It sounds very interesting and I am looking forward to reading it. 

What's your Waiting on Wednesday pick this week?  

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday 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!
  

My Teasers:

 

  "I swallowed my fear and nodded, taking a step back. It was hard to watch Alex slice his left palm with his knife."

Pg. 83, "Touch of Death" by Kelly Hashway

 

 

 

 

 

  "And then I felt my body seize up, and I knew I was blacking out - that I was probably going to die. It was like all the life had been sucked out of me, with the warmth of my blood."

Pg. 177, "Beautiful Creatures" by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
  




I have been eager to read Touch of Death for awhile. At the moment, I am a couple chapters in and I am liking where it is going so far. As for Beautiful Creatures, I saw the movie and it made me really want to re-read the book. So, I decide to. It's been a while since I last read it and I am enjoying re-reading it.  

That's my teasers for this week. What book or books did you feature in your post?

Sunday, February 17, 2013

The Darkest Minds

The Darkest Minds
Author: Alexandra Bracken
Page Count: 488
Release Date: December 18, 2012
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Series: The Darkest Minds #1
Source: Christmas Present

Read the synopsis here on Goodreads.

My Review:

I heard a lot of hype about this book, so I decided it was one that I had to read. Luckily for me, I received it as a Christmas present.

For the most part, The Darkest Minds lived up to all of the raving. There were a few things I didn't like too much, but I'll address that later.

I truly enjoyed the storyline of this novel. While there are books out there with slightly similar plots, there is a great level of uniqueness to The Darkest Minds. When children turn 10 year old, there are subject to one of two thing; death or developing special abilities. Ruby ends up with special abilities. However, sometime drastic happens with her parents and she is shipped of to Thurmond, a "rehabilitation" center. After several years there, the operator of the camp figure out her secret and she is forced to escape. Along the way, she meat Liam, a fellow escapee from a different camp, and his friend. Together they search for a place that is supposed to be a haven for people like them and form bonds with each other along the way.

Alexandra Bracken does an amazing job with the character development in this novel. Ruby, the lead character, is a strong individual. She has basically been on her own for years and therefore she is able to stand up for herself. Yet, because of this, she is afraid to let herself get close with anyone. Liam is a great character, as well. He's strong and unlike Ruby, he is willing to get close to people. There were also great supporting characters in this novel. I especially liked Suzume.

As for the romance in this novel, it honestly didn't really go that far. After much time, Ruby is able to let her guard down just a little and let herself get close to Liam, but it honestly doesn't really go much farther than that.

Now for the ending, it was honestly the most disappointing part of the novel for me. Even though it cuts off a good place, I personally just don't like the way it went down.

There were a few points of The Darkest Minds that I didn't like. For starters, I didn't think there was enough explanation about the abilities of the different "color". While I was able to figure out what some of the "color" were capable of, I am still lost regarding the other. Also, there wasn't a lot of backstory to the novel. While you do eventually learn a bit about Ruby's past, I just don't feel like you learn enough and I was left confused a few times. Other than that, the novel was great.

When I first saw this novel, I didn't understand the cover at all. I had no idea what the symbol stood for. However, after reading the book, I now understand the cover and I like it.

I would definitely recommend this book and I am looking forward to reading the sequel.




Rating: 4/5

Review also posted on Goodreads.

Stacking the Shelves (07)

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews where we highlight the books we receive each week.

 

Bought

 Sorry about the lack of post over the last couple of weeks. I have a new job and it's hard for me to find time to work on my blog sometimes. I'm going to try to get more post out in the upcoming weeks.
 
Well, that's all for me this week.
 
What did you get this week?
 
       *All book links are to Goodreads.*

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Stacking the Shelves (06)

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews where we highlight the books we receive each week.

 

Bought

The Trylle Trilogy Box Set

Random Buzzers

 
 I've been waiting on this one since December. It finally showed up a few days ago. 

 

E-books (bought)



E-books (free)


Well, that's all for me this week.

What did you get this week?

*All book links are to Goodreads.*

Friday, February 8, 2013

Alice in Zombieland

 Alice in Zombieland
Author: Gena Showalter
Page Count: 404
Release Date: September 25, 2012
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Series: White Rabbit Chronicles #1
Source: Library 




Read the synopsis here on Goodreads.

My Review:

I'll be honest; there were a couple of time were I thought this book was going to end up on my DNF list. There were some points in the book that I had to struggle to get though. In the end, however, I decided to stick it out, and I'm glad I did. Once through the tough parts, ALICE IN ZOMBIELAND turned out to be a fantastic book.

Despite the title, this isn't really a retelling of Alice in Wonderland. There are some aspects of the story that allude to Alice in Wonderland but it doesn't try to retell the story with zombies thrown in.

In the beginning, I really did think that Ali's dad was crazy, but as the story progresses, you learn that he is not. In fact, after the accident that take her family away from her, Ali is able to see the monsters too.

The characters were amazing. Ali is a strong lead character, and while she annoyed me sometimes, she is able to stand up for herself and her friends. Cole is a kind of a dark, brooding character, but I think he is a perfect match for Ali. The supporting characters also play a big role in the tale. Without them, this story just wouldn't have turn out the way it did.

Overall, a very good read. I would recommend this to fans of zombie books.

Rating: 4/5

Review also posted on Goodreads. 
 

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday: Icons

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.


Icons
by Margaret Stohl 

448 pages
Published by: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Expected Publication: May 7, 2013
Series: Icons #1



Your heart beats only with their permission.

Everything changed on The Day. The day the windows shattered. The day the power stopped. The day Dol's family dropped dead. The day Earth lost a war it didn't know it was fighting.

Since then, Dol has lived a simple life in the countryside -- safe from the shadow of the Icon and its terrifying power. Hiding from the one truth she can't avoid.

She's different. She survived. Why?

When Dol and her best friend, Ro, are captured and taken to the Embassy, off the coast of the sprawling metropolis once known as the City of Angels, they find only more questions. While Ro and fellow hostage Tima rage against their captors, Dol finds herself drawn to Lucas, the Ambassador's privileged son. But the four teens are more alike than they might think, and the timing of their meeting isn't a coincidence. It's a conspiracy.

Within the Icon's reach, Dol, Ro, Tima, and Lucas discover that their uncontrollable emotions -- which they've always thought to be their greatest weaknesses -- may actually be their greatest strengths.

Bestselling author Margaret Stohl delivers the first book in a heart-pounding series set in a haunting new world where four teens must piece together the mysteries of their pasts -- in order to save the future.

- Goodreads.com description 

I am a big fan of the Caster Chronicles, Margaret Stohl's novels with Kami Garcia. Therefore, I am very eager to see what Margaret Stohl produces own her own. 

What's your Waiting on Wednesday pick this week?

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Stacking the Shelves (05)

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews where we highlight the books we receive each week.

 

Bought

 

ARCycling


This was my first time participating in ARCycling. Thanks so much to the ladies over at ARCycling and the bloggers who donated their books.  

 

E-books (bought)

 
  •  Crash by Nicole Williams

 

Netgalley

What did you get this week?

 *All book links are to Goodreads.*

Saturday, February 2, 2013

Eon

Eon
Author: Alison Goodman
Page Count: 531
Release Date: August 31, 2010
Publisher: Firebird
Series: Eon #1
Source: Purchased
*Paperback Info*
Read the synopsis here on Goodreads.

My Review:

 ** Possible Spoiler** 
  
A very good book. At one point in time, I absolutely did not like fantasy novels. However, after putting my dislike aside, I have found that I really enjoy fantasy.

This book had been sitting at the bottom of my to read pile for over a month when I finally decided that it was time to read it. Very glad I decided to read it. Even though Eon was over 500 pages long, it was not long and drawn out. It is very well paced and keeps you drawn into the story. You get plenty of back story also. The author created a wonderful world in this book. Very action packed. I also enjoyed the Asian mythology and culture.

Eon is a twelve year old boy training to take part in the Dragoneye ceremony. But that is not his true identity. Eon is actually a sixteen year old girl named Eona, who has to hide her real identity because females are not allowed to be Dragoneyes. At the ceremony, Eon is picked by the Mirror Dragon, who had disappeared 500 years earlier.

Throughout the novel you learn more about Eon/Eona and the struggles she goes through training to be a dragoneye. While the first half of the novel doesn't have many big events, the second half certainly makes up for it. Eona was kind of slow in figuring things out, but I've noticed that this happens in a lot of books, so it really didn't bother me that much. I personally thought the ending was a bit predictable, but I still enjoyed the way it played out. The novel does end in a cliffhanger and leaves you eager to read the next book.

Rating: 5/5
Review also posted on Goodreads.