Starcrossed Review

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

How do you defy destiny?

Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different she is—no easy task on an island as small and sheltered as Nantucket. And it's getting harder. Nightmares of a desperate desert journey have Helen waking parched, only to find her sheets damaged by dirt and dust. At school she's haunted by hallucinations of three women weeping tears of blood . . . and when Helen first crosses paths with Lucas Delos, she has no way of knowing they're destined to play the leading roles in a tragedy the Fates insist on repeating throughout history.

As Helen unlocks the secrets of her ancestry, she realizes that some myths are more than just legend. But even demigod powers might not be enough to defy the forces that are both drawing her and Lucas together—and trying to tear them apart.

Release Date: May 31, 2011

My Review:

Starcrossed starts out phenomenally! The usual boy meets girl, girl falls in love with boy, has no part here. I was so shocked with the beginning that I just had to keep reading, there was no other option.

Once the beginning part was over however, the book kind of falls into that YA Paranormal Romance schlump. I was disappointed, but it was still really good.

The main character, Helen, reminds me of all teenage girls. She's awkward, shy and insecure. What teenage girl isn't at least one of those things? You really feel for her and her impossible situation.

Lucas is an aloof character, which made him extremely sexy in my eyes. You never knew what he was going to do, or why he was going to do it. And let me just say, that a lot of the scenes with Lucas in them are so cute and lovey-dovey that I felt like squealing with delight! The other characters also were highly likable and very funny.

One thing I didn't like about this book was that it was written in third person. I'm just not that big a fan of it. Also, the book made a surprise couple of switches between character narrations that left me a tad confused because the story had been following Helen for so long and just BAM! went to a different character.

This book is a definite must-buy!

4/5 stars

*I received this book to review via Netgalley. This in no way altered my opinion/review.

Official Trailer for Abandon

I can't wait for this book to come out in Hardback! However, I am a little disappointed with the trailer actress and actor picks. They seem WAY too different and WAY older than the characters actually are.

Lisa Desrochers is Having a Giveaway

Lisa Desrochers, author of Personal Demons and the upcoming book Original Sin, is giving away some amazing prizes this month.

Just go here to enter.

I'm Back Giveaway!

Yes, I know I've been gone for a really long time. In order to make it up to you, I've decided to have a giveaway! EEK!

You can win one of these:

An ARC of Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Check out my review here.

An ARC of Vampire Crush by A.M. Robinson

Check out my review here.

An ARC of Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Check out my review here.

Or, a paperback copy of Evernight by Claudia Gray

An ARC of Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

Main Entry:

1. Be a blog follower and fill out this FORM.

Extra Entries:

1. Subscribe to this blog by e-mail.

2. Follow me on twitter.

3. Follow my friend Sara's blog.

4. Visit this page and share The Darkest Secret somewhere.

5. Share this giveaway.

Rules:

1. You must be thirteen or older to enter.

2. The giveaway ends May 1st at midnight (Central time)

3. Winner will be chosen by Random.org

4. If the winner does not respond in 48 hours, I will pick another winner.

5. U.S. only because I'm a teenager.

Coverlicious: Laying Down

I just realized that I haven't done a cover post in a *really* long time, so here are the covers depicting laying down models:

The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan

There are many things that Annah would like to forget: the look on her sister's face before Annah left her behind in the Forest of Hands and Teeth, her first glimpse of the Horde as they swarmed the Dark City, the sear of the barbed wire that would scar her for life. But most of all, Annah would like to forget the morning Elias left her for the Recruiters. Annah's world stopped that day, and she's been waiting for Elias to come home ever since. Somehow, without him, her life doesn't feel much different than the dead that roam the wasted city around her. Until she meets Catcher, and everything feels alive again. But Catcher has his own secrets. Dark, terrifying truths that link him to a past Annah has longed to forget, and to a future too deadly to consider. And now it's up to Annah: can she continue to live in a world covered in the blood of the living? Or is death the only escape from the Return's destruction?

Release Date: March 22nd, Delacorte Books for Young Readers

I haven't fully read the first two, so I'm weary to read this one. It's just that this cover is stunning!!!

Abandon by Meg Cabot

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.

Release Date: April 26th, Scholastic, Inc. Point

I've already read this book, and I LOVED the cover for the ARC soooo much that I can't even imagine how the hardcover edition will top it!

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.

Release Date: March 1st, New American Library

This was a beautiful book with a beautiful cover and I cannot wait to get my chubby little hands on a finished copy!

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

Every girl who has taken the test has died.

Now it's Kate's turn.

It's always been just Kate and her mom--and now her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall.

Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld--and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.

Kate is sure he's crazy--until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess.

If she fails...

Release Date: April 19th, Harlequin Teen

This cover is fantabulous! While the book was okay, I can definitely say that I'll be buying this pretty thing.

Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton

This page-turning debut novel will entice fans who like their paranormal romances dark and disturbing. It's a natural next-read for fans of Stephanie Meyer, Carrie Jones, and Becca Fitzpatrick. But instead of mythical creatures, blood magic has everything to do with primal human desires like power, wealth, and immortality. Everywhere Silla Kennicott turns she sees blood. She can't stop thinking about her parents alleged murder-suicide. She is consumed by a book filled with spells that arrives mysteriously in the mail. The spells share one common ingredient: blood, and Silla is more than willing to cast a few. What's a little spilled blood if she can uncover the truth? And then there's Nick—the new guy at school who makes her pulse race. He has a few secrets of his own and is all too familiar with the lure of blood magic. Drawn together by a combination of fate and chemistry, Silla and Nick must find out who else in their small Missouri town knows their secret and will do anything to take the book and magic from Silla.

Release Date: May 24th, Random House Books for Young Readers

This cover is interesting. I'm not sure whether I like it, or not.

What cover currently has your mind in a twist?

Beth Revis Is Giving Away Signed Breathless Reads Books

Author Beth Revis is giving away signed copies of all 5 of the Breathless Reads books here.

Now I don't know about you, but that deal is just too awesome to ignore!

Wolfsbane Cover Change

The cover was changed from this:

To this:

Now while I like the cover, it doesn't match my copy of Nightshade at all and I love for my books to match. So yes, I am highly agitated. Is anyone else a little ticked off that the hardback versions aren't going to look similar???

Here's the PB version of Nightshade:

Review: The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

Release Date: April 19th, 2011

Every girl who has taken the test has died.

Now it's Kate's turn.

It's always been just Kate and her mom--and now her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall.

Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld--and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.

Kate is sure he's crazy--until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess.

If she fails...

My Review:

I have to be honest, this book started out and all I could think was WHAT A MESS! The characters were shallow and made zero sense. I just couldn't believe that this beautiful cover was going to waste!

I read the first one hundred-ish pages of this book and had to stop between every chapter. I didn't think I was going to be able to get through it, but then I made it past the first half of the book and I was flying through chapters!

The pace started to slow down in areas that it needed to and speed up in areas as well. The plot became much easier to understand and the characters got a little deeper. I was happy that I had finished it.

So all in all, this novel was a little hot and cold for me. In the beginning I couldn't take it, but at the end I wanted the story to keep going. Let's hope the sequel is like the last half of this book!

*Thanks to Harlequin for letting me read this on Netgalley! This in no way altered my review.

** P.S. Sorry for being MIA, I've had a huge school project to work on. Probably won't be blogging much in the next couple of weeks.

Gotta Go Grab

Gotta Go Grab is a weekly feature I post on my blog. It highlights books that I need to buy that have already been released.

I need to go grab:

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

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?

This book has been blown all over the web and I feel so left out. I want to read it, but I'm afraid that it might not live up to the hype.

What book do you need to go grab?