Review: Abandon by Meg Cabot

Abandon by Meg Cabot

Release Date: April 26, 2011

New from #1 New York Times bestselling author Meg Cabot, a dark, fantastical story about this world . . . and the underworld.

When Pierce first sees him, she thinks he is a murderer. She's right about one thing -- he does take lives. But not in the way she ever imagined. Pierce is drawn to the dark stranger even as she tries to uncover the mystery surrounding the tragic death of someone close to her. As she gets closer to the truth -- and the stranger -- unexpected secrets are revealed, even in her own heart.

My Review:

Meg Cabot knows no boundaries. From ghosts to middle-graders to surprise princesses, she wows us with her words. And with Abandon I felt so wowed that I read it in one sitting!

The book immediately starts sucking you in with the promise of answered secrets. I badly wanted those answers, which meant stopping for even a second was impossible. Every page you learn something new and so totally mind-blowing about Pierce and Him. There were no stale moments, every scene was fresh and witty.

Another great thing about this book was that Pierce was independent. She didn't cling to this guy like most other YA heroines would, she stood up for herself and had her own voice. Pierce makes me extremely proud to say that I read YA Paranormal Romance.

The end of the book happened so quickly that I felt like bawling! I can't believe that I have to wait for the next book to come out in order to learn more secrets! This book is most definitely one of my top reads of 2011.

If you haven't read any books by Meg Cabot (What is wrong with you?), then go pick up Abandon on April 26th and start!

*I received an ARC of this book from Point/Scholastic this in no way altered my review/opinon.

**Thank you so much for sending me an ARC Scholastic!

Wither Review

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Release Date: March 22, 2011

What if you knew exactly when you would die?

Thanks to modern science, every human being has become a ticking genetic time bomb—males only live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out.

When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden's genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape—to find her twin brother and go home.

But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden's eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant Rhine is growing dangerously attracted to, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limted time she has left.

My Review:

This concept is brillant! The people are so young when they die, yet they are so much older than the people who live out their lives in today's society. They are forced to grow up, forced to have children and forced to die. They have no control.

I was sucked in from the first chapter! This book leapt straight into the action and left me desperate to flip the page. I told myself to stop and take a break multiple times and I just couldn't do it.

The side characters are so well-defined that I couldn't find fault in any of them. They were surviving. They knew what they wanted and they made their decisions. I loved them!

Rhine was in an impossible situation, she had been taken from everything and yet she knew blubbering in her room all day wouldn't solve anything. She had the willpower to escape. However, Rhine needed to express herself more in the end. It just felt like she should be screaming about how they had messed up her life and how she shouldn't be here. I just wanted her to fight more.

The ending is a somewhat satisfactory cliffhanger. There's no mid-scene stop and I like that. I'm kind of tired of other books and their necessity to keep the reader on edge.

All in all I'd have to say that this Dystopian novel is one of the best I've read. It's on its way to beating the Hunger Games book (the first book only because the last two weren't anywhere near as good as the first one) as my favorite Dystopian book and if the next installment in the series is even a smidge better than this one I will safely be able to say that this is my favorite series in that genre.

4.5/5

*I received an ARC of Wither from Simon & Schuster this in no way altered my review/opinion.

Gotta Go Grab (4)

I've gotta go grab:

Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow

Dru Anderson has what her grandmother called “the touch.” (Comes in handy when you’re traveling from town to town with your dad, hunting ghosts, suckers, wulfen, and the occasional zombie.)

Then her dad turns up dead—but still walking—and Dru knows she’s next. Even worse, she’s got two guys hungry for her affections, and they’re not about to let the fiercely independent Dru go it alone. Will Dru discover just how special she really is before coming face-to-fang with whatever—or whoever— is hunting her?

I've already read this book on Kindle however, I bought the second and third books in the series in paperback, so now I have to buy the first one in paperback too.

What do you need to grab?

Review: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Release Date: February 1, 2011

Publisher: HarperTeen

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 441/hardcover

Source: Bought

Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love -- the deliria -- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the governments demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.

But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.

Review:

The idea of this book fascinates me. What is a world without any love? I don't think it can exist and Oliver definitely shows us that it doesn't.

I really like that there are no love triangles in this book because having that to deal with plus a new dystopian world would have hurt my head a little. Consequently, there were portions of the book that were just pages upon pages of Lena's feelings and thoughts, there was no action in these sections at all! If those pages had been cut down then the plotline would have been amazing.

The ending for me is what makes this book. The big cliffhanger is here with all of the risks and obstacles and I LOVED it! I was biting my tongue to keep from screaming at Lena and Alex to hurry it up!

This paragraph contains spoilers.

One thing I didn't like was a certain scene in the book where Alex did something irredeemable. He was pretty scrumptious up until then. He just left Lena! While they were running he left her to be captured!!! GRR!!! But like I said, the ending helped me get over that, slightly.

So if you're a fan of dystopian novels or forbidden love then I suggest scooping this book up. I'm sure the beautiful cover won't hurt your eyes to look at either.

*All reviews are my opinion.

Supernaturally Cover

Supernaturally by Kiersten White

Life's never fair when faeries are involved. The sequel to Paranormalcy.

Is this not gorgeous??? I LOVE it! I'm glad they kept the same model and I love the title at the bottom and the waves underneath it like with Paranormalcy. This is the bomb!!!

Make sure to check out Kiersten's Supernaturally Contest.

Delirium Winner

I know this is overdue and I appreciate your patience, so finally I can say that the winner of the Follower Love Giveaway is...

Theresa at Fade into Fantasy

I've e-mailed her and if she doesn't contact me within 48 hours I will choose another winner.

Sweet Venom Cover Reveal

So here it is! The fantabulous cover for Tera Lynn Childs new book:

Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs

Three teenage descendants of Medusa, the once-beautiful gorgon maligned by myth, must reunite and embrace their fates in a world where monsters lurk in plain sight.

If you want to see a collage of the three sisters, Grace, Greer and Gretchen, then go here.
If you would like to see the Facebook page for the trilogy then go here.

This book is set for an October 2011 Release Date.

Personally I adore this cover! It's more simplistic than Tera's other covers, yet elegant. The title is beautiful and the hair is SWEET!

What do you think?

Gotta Go Grab

Gotta Go Grab is a feature I made to highlight those books that I need to go grab that are already on the shelves.

This week I've gotta go grab:

The Mediator by Meg Cabot

Ghosts ruin everything, especially your love life.

Suze is a mediator—a liaison between the living and the dead. In other words, she sees dead people. And they won't leave her alone until she helps them resolve their unfinished business on earth. But after a cross-country move to sunny California, Suze is looking forward to a fresh start and a life free of spectral interventions.

Too bad Suze can't escape the undead that easily. She might not mind Jesse, the sexy ghost who haunts her bedroom, but there are plenty of other poltergeists out there with less friendly intentions. Some of them are out for revenge . . . of the murderous kind. And Suze might be the only one who can stop them.

I already own the original copies, but having this pretty bind-up will be so awesome!

Follower Love Giveaway Hop

It's February! The month of loooooove... And I love you guys SO much that I'm giving away something extra special.

An ARC of Delirium!!!

I think it's appropriate given the holiday. :)

So here are the rules:

1. You must be a GFC follower.

2. It's for US followers only because I'm a teenager and money is not my friend.

3. You must be 13 or older in order to participate.

4. It ends on Sunday at midnight.

5. You have to fill out this FORM.

Extra Entries include:

1. Following me on twitter.
2. Having a confirmed e-mail subscription. (left sidebar)
3. Tweeting this giveaway.
4. Telling me about your favorite books because I need some good books to read!

Good luck and be sure to check out all of these other fantabulous Follower Love Giveaway Hoppers of which I am number 38.

Gotta Go Grab (2)

I really need to go grab this book:

The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima

Times are hard in the mountain city of Fellsmarch. Reformed thief Han Alister will do almost anything to eke out a living for himself, his mother, and his sister Mari. Ironically, the only thing of value he has is something he can’t sell. For as long as Han can remember, he’s worn thick silver cuffs engraved with runes. They’re clearly magicked—as he grows, they grow, and he’s never been able to get them off.

While out hunting one day, Han and his Clan friend, Dancer catch three young wizards setting fire to the sacred mountain of Hanalea. After a confrontation, Han takes an amulet from Micah Bayar, son of the High Wizard, to ensure the boy won't use it against them. Han soon learns that the amulet has an evil history—it once belonged to the Demon King, the wizard who nearly destroyed the world a millennium ago. With a magical piece that powerful at stake, Han knows that the Bayars will stop at nothing to get it back.

Meanwhile, Raisa ana’Marianna, Princess Heir of the Fells, has her own battles to fight. She’s just returned to court after three years of relative freedom with her father’s family at Demonai camp – riding, hunting, and working the famous Clan markets. Although Raisa will become eligible for marriage after her sixteenth name-day, she isn't looking forward to trading in her common sense and new skills for etiquette tutors and stuffy parties.

Raisa wants to be more than an ornament in a glittering cage. She aspires to be like Hanalea—the legendary warrior queen who killed the Demon King and saved the world. But it seems like her mother has other plans for her--plans that include a suitor who goes against everything the Queendom stands for.

The Seven Realms will tremble when the lives of Han and Raisa collide in this stunning new page-turner from bestselling author Cinda Williams Chima.

I loved the first two books in Chima's Heir trilogy but I didn't like the third one at all, so I'm hesitant to purchase this book. I keep seeing it in the store however, and each time I drool a little.

What book do you need to go grab?

Review: Born at Midnight by C.C. Hunter

Born at Midnight by C.C. Hunter

Don’t miss this spectacular new series that will steal your heart and haunt your dreams, Welcome to Shadow Falls camp, nestled deep in the woods of a town called Fallen…

One night Kylie Galen finds herself at the wrong party, with the wrong people, and it changes her life forever. Her mother ships her off to Shadow Falls—a camp for troubled teens, and within hours of arriving, it becomes painfully clear that her fellow campers aren’t just “troubled.” Here at Shadow Falls, vampires, werewolves, shapshifters, witches and fairies train side by side—learning to harness their powers, control their magic and live in the normal world.

Kylie’s never felt normal, but surely she doesn’t belong here with a bunch of paranormal freaks either. Or does she? They insist Kylie is one of them, and that she was brought here for a reason. As if life wasn’t complicated enough, enter Derek and Lucas. Derek’s a half-fae who’s determined to be her boyfriend, and Lucas is a smokin’ hot werewolf with whom Kylie shares a secret past. Both Derek and Lucas couldn’t be more different, but they both have a powerful hold on her heart.

Even though Kylie feels deeply uncertain about everything, one thing is becoming painfully clear—Shadow Falls is exactly where she belongs…

Release Date: March 29th

Review

This book was a fun, cute and quirky twist on paranormal characters. Vampires, and werewolves and fairies, oh my!

The side characters were great! I loved Kylie's two roommates, they were goofy and witchy with a capital B and I adored them! Lucas and Derek are two supernaturals I would love to have as my own. But that brings me to an issue with Kylie, she was a little too easy. She would kiss any guy who held her after she cried and it got on my nerves.

Also, the plot wasn't as good as it could have been. The ending conflict didn't even play a big part in the rest of the story. I was disappointed that the big mystery wasn't even that big of a deal! People were getting blamed for something that made absolutely no sense!

I really loved the concept of this book and the secondary characters, however the main character and the plotline just weren't good enough to give the story a great review. In other words it was a good book, not a great one.

*I received an ARC from St. Martin's Griffin, this in no way altered my opinion/review.

Coverlicious: Once Every Never

Once Every Never by Lesley Livingston

Clarinet Reid is a pretty typical teenager. On the surface. She’s smart, but a bit of slacker; outgoing, but just a little insecure; not exactly a mischief-maker… but trouble tends to find her wherever she goes. Also? She unwittingly carries a centuries-old Druid Blood Curse running through her veins.

Now, with a single thoughtless act, what started off as the Summer Vacation in Dullsville suddenly spirals into a deadly race to find a stolen artifact, avert an explosive catastrophe, save a Celtic warrior princess, right a dreadful wrong that happened centuries before Clare was even born, and if there’s still time—literally—maybe even get a date.

This is the kind of adventure that happens to a girl once every… never.

Release Date: July 1st 2011

This book sounds really good, and I love the cover, except for that blue pillowcase looking sky and the bird, I just think that they're a little too much and they take away from the cover model. What do you think?

Review: Falling Under by Gwen Hayes

Falling Under by Gwen Hayes

Theia Alderson has always led a sheltered life in the small California town of Serendipity Falls. But when a devastatingly handsome boy appears in the halls of her school, Theia knows she's seen Haden before- not around town, but in her dreams.

As the Haden of both the night and the day beckons her closer one moment and pushes her away the next, the only thing Theia knows for sure is that the incredible pull she feels towards him is stronger than her fear.

And when she discovers what Haden truly is, Theia's not sure if she wants to resist him, even if the cost is her soul.

My Review:

(SPOILERS MAY LIE HERE)

This book was AWESOME! At first I thought it was a little slow but after the first chapter I couldn't contain myself, I had to get the words that this book held into my brain as fast as possible!

The world reminded me of a gothic Wonderland, it was creepy, fascinating and beautiful. The writing style was elegant and haunting. Every time I would put the book down, whether for just a second or two hours, I would hear Evanescence playing in my head. That's the background music I listened to in my head while reading.

Theia is a little too shy, but with a father like that, who could blame her? She's also a little too accepting, a demon happens upon her backyard and she thinks, "This is weird, but I'll go along with it." And you know what I didn't care that she just accepted it because it WORKED!

Haden made me swoon... He is so jealous, possessive and HAWT! His story is completely different from all other paranormal YA and that makes me smile.

All in all, this book is a haunting world that made me beg for the release date so that I can go pick up my very own copy of this marvelous story.

A word of caution: This book is not for the faint of heart. It contains very sexy scenes.

*I received an ARC of this book from Different Area Codes Book Tour, this in no way altered my opinion/review.