November Wrap-Up and December TBR

So November was a great reading month! Despite having a lot of papers due and tests to study for. Totally shows my procrastination level...

In the month of November I read a total of 14 books and reviewed 4 of them. 

 

 **Not pictured: Let's Get Lost by Adi Alsaid.

Reviewed Reads & Links:

• Unbreakable by Kami Garcia 
• Mothership by Martin Leicht and Isla Neal
• Diamonds are a Teen's Best Friend by Allison Rushby
• Pawn by Aimee Carter

TBR for December

What did you read this November? What do plan on reading this December?

 

Review: Pawn by Aimee Carter

Pawn (The Blackcoat Rebellion #1) by 

Aimee Carter

YOU CAN BE A VII IF YOU GIVE EVERYTHING.

For Kitty Doe, it seems like an easy choice. She can either spend her life as a III in misery, looked down upon by the higher ranks and forced to leave the people she loves, or she can become a VII and join the most powerful family in the country.

If she says yes, Kitty will be Masked - surgically transformed into Lila Hart, the Prime Minister's niece, who died under mysterious circumstances. As a member of the Hart family, she will be famous. She will be adored. And for the first time, she will matter.

There's only one catch. She must also stop the rebellion that Lila secretly fostered, the same one that got her killed, and one Kitty believes in. Faced with threats, conspiracies and a life that's not her own, she must decide which path to choose and learn how to become more than a pawn in a twisted game she's only beginning to understand.

My Review:

 I'm not really sure what to say about this book. I really enjoyed Aimee's Goddess Test series, but I kind of just felt like this book was a hot mess. 

The first few lines of the story really drew me in. I loved the concept behind the ranking system and the privileges that came with the certain ranks. But, while I loved the idea, the storyline itself just didn't deliver. Everything happens soooo fast and everything's just conveniently handed to the characters. There's no real struggle, whether for weapons, or simply getting from place to place, it all just poofs into existence. 

The characters of the story were interesting. Kitty was an odd individual who I couldn't find myself relating to at all. She was going to chose prostitution over working in a sewer. It was way too weird for me.  Also, she seemed to accept her body changes with hardly any issues. Sure, there were a few references to her being uncomfortable, but nothing astronomical. Plus, she starts to trust people really fast. 

I never got a real sense of danger from the story. Whenever Kitty would be in a bad situation I was just kind of like, "meh." Although this book didn't have the depth of most other dystopian novels, it was a fast read (only 293 pages). So, if you're looking for a book that doesn't get you so invested in the story, and that you can just chill with, Pawn is it for you.

*Note: I received a copy of this book to review from Netgalley. This in no way altered my opinion/review.

PAWN by Aimée Carter (Book Trailer)

Coverl Reveal: A Little Too Hot + Giveaway

A Little Too Hot by Lisa Desrochers

From USA Today bestselling author Lisa Desrochers, comes the third book in her sizzling New Adult series.

If you play with fire…

Tossed out of college and cut off by her parents, Samantha West is in pretty dire straits. So when her rocker best friend hooks her up with a job dancing at a gentlemen’s club, who is she to turn it down? Plus, there are rules to dancing at Benny’s: No touching, keep your clothes on at all times, and never get closer than three feet. Unfortunately for Sam, her first private client makes her want to break every single one of them.

Harrison Yates is scorching hot, but he’s got a past that involves being left at the altar not too long ago. Sam is determined to make him forget about his ex, but when she makes her move, it flings her life into a spiral of chaos she never saw coming.

Because Harrison Yates isn’t who he seems to be. And his secret will probably get her killed.

Giveaway

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Cover Reveal: Silver Shadows

Silver Shadows (Bloodlines #5) by 

Richelle Mead

Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets—and human lives.

In The Fiery Heart, Sydney risked everything to follow her gut, walking a dangerous line to keep her feelings hidden from the Alchemists.

Now in the aftermath of an event that ripped their world apart, Sydney and Adrian struggle to pick up the pieces and find their way back to each other. But first, they have to survive.

For Sydney, trapped and surrounded by adversaries, life becomes a daily struggle to hold on to her identity and the memories of those she loves. Meanwhile, Adrian clings to hope in the face of those who tell him Sydney is a lost cause, but the battle proves daunting as old demons and new temptations begin to seize hold of him. . . .

Their worst fears now a chilling reality, Sydney and Adrian face their darkest hour in this heart-pounding fifth installment in the New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series, where all bets are off.

Release Date: July 29, 2014

I like the color, and I like the guy. But I don't like Sydney's platinum blonde hair. No. Just no.

What do you think?

Review: Diamonds are a Teen's Best Friend by Allison Rushby

Diamonds are a Teen's Best Friend by 

Allison Rushby

Nessa Joanne Mulholland, aka Marilyn Monroe's No. 1 teenage fan, is used to moving house. This time, however, she's relocating in movie-star style—crossing the Atlantic on board the Majestic, headed for Paris from New York City. And it really would be in movie-star style if it wasn't for the fact that she's bringing her cringe-fest professor dad along for the ride (Dad's specialization: human mating rituals—need Nessa say more?). Oh yeah, and sharing a cabin that's five decks below sea level and next to the engine room. Still, at least Holly Isles is on board. Yes, really, that Holly Isles—star of stage and screen. Suddenly, things are looking up. Looking a little Marilyn, in fact, because events are strangely mirroring Nessa's favorite movie of all time, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.

Watch!

As Holly Isles, world-famous actress, confides in Nessa over mocktails.

Listen!

As Nessa coaches Holly in the amazing "Nessa's Lesson's in Love"—the ultimate man-catching rules to finding true and lasting lurv.

See!

Nessa fall for Holly's too-cute nephew, Marc. . . and

Cover your eyes!

As it all goes terribly, horribly, embarrassingly wrong.

There's no doubting it. This is going to be one pitchy crossing.

My Review:

So, first off, I have to admit that I've never watched any Marilyn Monroe movies. It's probably considered blasphemy in Nessa's eyes, but, alas, the review must go on.

I didn't have a hard time understanding the plot of the story, even though I was unfamiliar with Monroe's works. It's all kind of a cute, fun read. There's some dancing and awkward situations and just a lot of smiling potential in general.

I loved how absorbed Nessa was by Monroe's legacy. It was quirky, and yet sophisticated at the same time, that a thirteen-year-old girl could be so into something that happened years before she was even born. What I didn't like about all of this though, is that at times Nessa's thoughts seemed beyond her age level. And Holly, the mega star Nessa befriends, seems like a teenager when she's most definitely not. (We never learn her or Marc's real age.) And Marc, Holly's nephew, is a little too protective of a grown woman, it was kind of strange. Also, I didn't understand how Marc and Nessa could be friends so quickly when they barely spoke to each other during the cruise.

However, all minor issues aside, this book was entertaining. I read it in less than four hours and I officially feel like a member of Marilyn Monroe's fanclub after hearing Nessa's story.

*Note: I received a copy of this book to review from Netgalley. This in no way altered my opinion/review.

DIVERGENT - Trailer - Official [HD] - 2013

Review: Mothership by Martin Leicht and Isla Neal

Mothership (Ever-Expanding Universe #1) by Martin Leicht & Isla Neal

Teen pregnancy is never easy—especially not when extraterrestrials are involved. The first in a new trilogy.

Elvie Nara was doing just fine in the year 2074. She had a great best friend, a dad she adored, and bright future working on the Ares Project on Mars. But then she had to get involved with sweet, gorgeous, dumb-as-a-brick Cole--and now she’s pregnant.

Getting shipped off to the Hanover School for Expecting Teen Mothers was not how Elvie imagined spending her junior year, but she can go with the flow. That is, until a team of hot commandos hijacks the ship--and one of them turns out to be Cole. She hasn’t seen him since she told him she’s pregnant, and now he’s bursting into her new home to tell her that her teachers are aliens and want to use her unborn baby to repopulate their species? Nice try, buddy. You could have just called.

So fine, finding a way off this ship is priority number one, but first Elvie has to figure out how Cole ended up as a commando, work together with her arch-nemesis, and figure out if she even wants to be a mother--assuming they get back to Earth in one piece.

My Review:

First off, this cover is gorgeous! I want this book soooo badly in physical form! I'm super upset that this is the paperback copy and not the hardback. Cover changes... *sigh*

Teenage soon-to-be-moms is a cute idea in itself, but putting them in space with aliens is even better! Elvie was sarcastic and witty and she kind of reminded me of Evie from the Paranormalcy trilogy, simply because she's strong and resourceful and she has enough one-liners to make even Spider-Man jealous. I loved Ducky and Cole (although he had to grow on me a little). I got a little frustrated with the other girls on the ship, but so did Elvie, so that's probably the point.

The entire plot was an amazing idea that could have been done so well. Don't get me wrong, it definitely wasn't bad, it just felt like it was missing something. Everything was so fast paced and just needed to be slowed down, however there were other parts that seemed to go on forever and ever and ever. There were also some inconveniently placed flashbacks that had me very angry. The two at the beginning really threw me off.  As I got further into the story though, I actually started to enjoy the flashbacks. It just took some getting used to. Also, the descriptions of the ship were a little hard to follow, but that didn't have a huge impact on the story.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who's looking for a light-hearted, funny sci-fi. And remember, the sequel comes out this Tuesday!

*Note: I purchased a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Timestorm Cover

Timestorm (Tempest #3) by Julie Cross

Guys, I'm so freakin' excited about this cover! Why? Because I thought that the cover below was going to be the final cover.

  I'm just so glad that this green blob isn't going to force these books to not match, again. Sort of. The only thing that doesn't really match is the font for the first two books, but it's still annoying. 

What do you think?

Go here to read an excerpt of Timestorm.

Evertrue Trailer

Sing-Along Thursday: Deception

I decided to make a weekly post about songs that get stuck in your head. Not just any song, though. It's only the song that's on repeat while you're reading a certain book.

This week's book and song combo is kind of a funny one, and it is...

 

Deception (Defiance #2) by C.J. Redwine

And every single time I think of this title I have to sing this Disney song:

What song pops into your head when you think of this book?