Waiting on Wednesday

Okay, I'm kinda in a super excited mood. Right now. I have tons of books and reviews planned out (though I have to focus on actually reading and finishing  books to write them, which I'm working on). I joined the school varsity touch football team (I'm no athlete so this is an accomplishment), I've won a small prize after getting an honorable mention in a writing competition (!!!!) and I'm now a part of the amazing site New Books for New Bloggers. Basically, stuff's good for me and that's why I'm kinda gushy and excited in this post. :) 



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


This week I can't wait for...



Author: Kendare Blake
Release Date: August 30 2011
Synopsis (from Goodreads): Just your average boy-meets-girl, girl-kills-people story. . . 

Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead. 

So did his father before him, until his gruesome murder by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay. 

When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn't expect anything outside of the ordinary: move, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, but now stained red and dripping blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home. 

And she, for whatever reason, spares his life.

How amazing does that sound? I LOVE the kick but heros! I have a big feeling I'll love this book- I mean, have you SEEN the cover? It sounds a bit like a Supernatural episode (which incidentally is returning soon!!!!) Sorry, I'm gushing, but I really can't wait to read this. So what are you waiting for? Leave a comment and a link please so I can visit you too! And brownie points for voting in the Hades vs. The Demon's Surrender poll for my cover war on the right!

Review: Bitten

Author: R.L. Stine
Pages: 496
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Library
Synopsis: You'll love them—to death.


Twin sisters Destiny and Livvy Weller return home from summer vacation with a dark secret . . . and an inhuman desire to drink blood. What have they become? Can they ever turn back? As their deadly secret becomes harder to keep, more questions arise and loyalties are tested. And as one sister descends into darkness, the other must find a way to save her—and herself. Who will live to see the glow of the next full moon? Which sister will survive?


In Dangerous Girls and Dangerous Girls #2: The Taste of Night, published together in Bitten, bestselling author R.L. Stine explores the dark creatures of the night.

Bitten was the story of twin sisters Livvy and Destiny and their encounters with vampires.

The first thing I noticed was that it was easy to see who was the "good" sister and the "bad" sister early on. They were completely different from each other, so much that at times I couldn't believe how they possibly liked each other. It also made me not overly like them as characters. Livvy was selfish and impulsive while Destiny was so kind, caring and a bit whiny.

Destiny cried a lot and I know she had to deal with so much but at some points, I wanted to tell her to forget about Livvy. Livvy hurt everyone Dee loved and Dee just let her do it. I wanted to smack Livvy and Destiny.

The vampire element in this book was okay. I didn't feel near the end that vampires were so terrifying besides the fact that they could drink your blood and compel you to do things. They also could be good and felt guilt about their choices. They turned out way more sympathetic than they should have been.

So if I wasn't okay with all of this, why did I keep reading? Two words (or names): Renz & Patrick. Renz had an awesome story line and he sounded gorgeous. He was an interesting character though I wish I knew more about him. Patrick on the other hand was cruel and hot. I would have loved to read more of Patrick's motivations and actions.

The story had an old-fashioned feel to it but it was an interesting story. Basically, a classic vampire tale, 3 stars,

***

Cover Wars (Brief Note)

I've decided to leave a poll for cover wars so it's much easier for people to choose their favourites. Every week on Monday the winner will face a new match- let the best cover win! Also, review of Bitten by R.L. Stine coming up!

Cover War! Hades vs. The Demon's Surrender

I was thinking the other day of the trends in YA covers. So many covers are similar with the same colors and the such, and I'm wondering what covers work more for people. This began the idea of a cover war. All covers I choose have their merits, but which one is more liked? Which shall triumph?

Basically, I just want to look at some pretty covers.

So without further ado...

 vs. 

They both have orangish tints, guys with dark clothing and the backgrounds have objects where it's all dark (Hades has black trees, The Demon's Surrender has black buildings). Which is your favourite? Leave a comment!

In My Mailbox (1!)

This is my first in my mailbox post so I'm kinda nervous and hoping I'm doing it right. Since I read and check out so many amazing books from the library I can't show them all (over 40 books) so I'll show 10 that I'll be reading next until I can just do new books I got this week.

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi from The Story Siren and it's basically a feature once a week where bloggers get to showcase all the amazing books we're lucky enough to get our hands on.

*all pictures link to Amazon- it's the easiest way to get covers

Library Books: 
 

Why I'm Excited:
I've heard great things about Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist. I've also heard amazing things about Sarah Dessen though I've never read any of her books which is why I'm starting at the beginning. Undone has a beautiful cover and looks exactly like the kind of book I'd enjoy. I've read every Private novel so I'm excited to see what this one, the Book of Spells is about. Plus yet another pretty cover! Close to Famous looks very sweet and I'm excited to see what it's about. I've read many reviews of The Education of Hailey Kendrick and it looks really funny and interesting and the cover totally draws me in. Fallen Angel is again the paranormal type I love. The Five Flavors of Dumb- first the title rocks, as does the cover so as soon as I saw it I knew I had to read it. Immortal is again the kind of book I like to read, and The Kid Table seems like an interesting contemporary book.

For all new visitors, welcome and I hope you enjoy taking a look at my blog! Please leave a comment so I can check out your blog too! Have a great Sunday!

Blog Hops

I know it's not Friday but I didn't have a chance so I'll do the blog hops on Saturday.




Every Friday, Parajunkee's View hosts Follow Friday. Follow Friday is all about discovering new blogs and sharing the Follow love. This week's featured blogger is Rebecca from Confessions of a Page Turner. The question this week is..,

Inspired by the twitter trend of #100FACTSABOUTME, give five book related facts about you.


1. I finish every book I read. It's annoying sometimes but I just can't stand not finishing. I'm weird like that.

2. My TBR depends on what I need to review and what's due at the library next.


3. The most books I've ever checked out from the library is 51.


4. I rarely reread books. Too many new books to try.


5. I read one book at a time. No more, except for school or extremely rare occasions.




In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word!  This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books!  It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs to read!

This week's question comes from Mina Burrows who blogs at :

 "If you could physically put yourself into a book or series…which one would it be and why?"

I would say Harry Potter but that's too common. I love Hogwarts and it would be fun to live there. If not Hogwarts, than the world of Hex Hall. I haven't read Demonglass yet but I love the idea of schools for the supernatural.

That's it for today, please leave a comment with your link so I can follow you too! I hope you like my blog and happy hopping!

Review: The Uninvited

Author: Tim Wynne-Jones
Pages: 368
Publisher: Candlewick
Source: Library
Synopsis (Amazon):
Mimi Shapiro had a disturbing freshman year at NYU, thanks to a foolish affair with a professor who still haunts her caller ID. So when her artist father, Marc, offers the use of his remote Canadian cottage, she’s glad to hop in her Mini Cooper and drive up north. The house is fairy-tale quaint, and the key is hidden right where her dad said it would be, so she’s shocked to fi nd someone already living there — Jay, a young musician, who is equally startled to meet Mimi and immediately accuses her of leaving strange and threatening tokens inside: a dead bird, a snakeskin, a cricket sound track embedded in his latest composition. But Mimi has just arrived, so who is responsible? And more alarmingly, what does the intruder want? Part gripping thriller, part family drama, this fast-paced novel plays out in alternating viewpoints, in a pastoral setting that is evocative and eerie — a mysterious character in its own right.

The Uninvited by Tim Wynne Jones was completely different from what I expected.

The story was told in the alternating perspective of Mimi, Jay and Cramer. They were all very different characters with different voices. Mimi did many things through out the story that I found out of character so I didn't connect too much with her. Jay didn't have a huge part in the story after he and Mimi were initially introduced, and Cramer, well, he's special. I won't go any further than that.

To be honest, I wasn't very into the story. The characters didn't attract my attention and the plot didn't move much until near the middle and end by which everything was revealed. The revelation was interesting, but again I found that it didn't do much for me. I didn't find it very believable and I don't think I would be the target for this genre.

The thing I was disappointed in was that I expected a horror story here but I didn't get one. I wasn't frightened and that's where the story fell apart, because I couldn't get myself interested in it.

The story was set in a very small town in Ontario near Ottawa and Kingston. I enjoyed the Canadian references. The setting was well written. Even now I can easily imagine the small town they were from. The stalker was creepy and will keep you guessing.

Overall, the Uninvited was an eerie story but it didn't give me all I wanted as a reader. 2 stars,

**

Review: Infinite Days

Author: Rebecca Maizel
Pages: 336
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Source: Library
Synopsis (from Amazon): "Throughout all my histories, I found no one I loved more than you...no one."

Those were some of Rhode's last words to me. The last time he would pronounce his love. The last time I would see his face.

It was the first time in 592 years I could take a breath. Lay in the sun. Taste.

Rhode sacrificed himself so I, Lenah Beaudonte, could be human again. So I could stop the blood lust.

I never expected to fall in love with someone else that wasn't Rhode.

But Justin was...daring. Exciting. More beautiful than I could dream.

I never expected to be sixteen again...then again, I never expected my past to come back and haunt me...

Infinite Days was on my TBR pile for such a long time and I've finally read it. It's the story of Lenah, a former vampire queen.

The vampire element in this story surprised me. It was really good! These aren't glamorous vampires. They're suffering beings and I can't imagine the pain Lenah went through. The suffering was well written and so interesting to read (not in a creepy way though :P). The flashbacks added so much to the story and I'm so glad this vampire mythology is different and unique, not just another cliché story.

The characters were super interesting. Most of the major ones had lots of depth, history and background. They were unique people and easy to distinguish. Lenah herself was a good character. I instantly supported her and though she did make a few mistakes, I felt she redeemed herself in the end.

One thing I wasn't too fond of was how Lenah and Justin fell in love. Besides the fact that he's cute, popular, and sort of a daredevil, I didn't see why she was so interested in him. Later, I was okay with their relationship but I was still not feeling the chemistry that was supposed to be there. That part of the story kind of flopped for me but there were many other good parts that more than made up for it (like scenes with Rhode, who I liked much more than Justin).

The story didn't hook me early on. I was iffy on reading it and I didn't get as engaged as I should of for the first hundred pages or so. A good chunk into the middle the story picked up and was really interesting. The end was awesome. Tons of action, suspense, and surprise. Not all of them were good, either. Basically, the ending blew me away and ended with a bang which is mainly why I'm giving this book 4 stars.

****

Cover thoughts: Pretty, but misleading. I thought this would be a contemporary novel. I don't absolutely love the cover, but I do admit the eye and the tear is pretty cool.

-P.E.

Review: The Lost Hero

Author: Rick Riordan
Pages: 576
Publisher: Hyperion Books
Source: Library
Series: Spin-off of: The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson series)
Synopsis from Amazon: After saving Olympus from the evil Titan lord, Kronos, Percy and friends have rebuilt their beloved Camp Half-Blood, where the next generation of demigods must now prepare for a chilling prophecy of their own:

Seven half-bloods shall answer the call,
To storm or fire the world must fall.
An oath to keep with a final breath,
And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death.

Now, in a brand-new series from blockbuster best-selling author Rick Riordan, fans return to the world of Camp Half-Blood. Here, a new group of heroes will inherit a quest. But to survive the journey, they’ll need the help of some familiar demigods.

WARNING: FAN OF RICK RIORDAN HERE!

It's midnight (or it was when I wrote this review) and I've just finished The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan which I loved. It's a MG level book but it's definitely one of my favorite series. The characters are all mature, cool, and the story has little bits of comedic relief that make me laugh. Plus, it's about Greek myths and it's a spinoff kinda series to the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series so what's not to like?

The first thing I love about this book is how it's written. It's fast-paced with action, but it's funny and does a really good job at describing scenes in brief yet informative ways. The story jumps from the point of views of Piper, Jason and Leo.

Our new heroes are strong and each have to overcome different obstacles. I would have liked their characters to be a bit more developed because I still don't feel like I know them well but I'm sure the next books in the series will change that.

The plot is so engaging! There was lots of action, lots of Greek Gods and many new revelations. I completely devoured it and the plot looks epic so I can't wait to read the next book.

The ending: OMG now that's a cliffhanger. It may not seem so exciting to some people, but I absolutely went nuts when I read it. It's a typical Rick Riordan cliffhanger, very similar to the end of one of the Percy Jackson books.

This book is exactly what I hoped a spinoff would be. There's the same world but more of an expansion of it. (Gotta say, it's absolutely brilliant idea.) There are the same characters in the old series who are alive and well. And they're featured a lot in the new series. How much though has yet to be determined. There's a fresh prophecy and even more epic plot. What's not to love?

This series (combined with the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series) has reached a whole new standard of awesome for me. Harry Potter awesome, and if you were a fan of the old series, definitely check out the new series.

5 stars,

*****

Spotlight On... Melissa Marr

It seems like there are many authors I feel the need to gush about! On the top of my list would be the amazing Melissa Marr.



From Goodreads:


BIO STUFF:
I write books. I read books. That's all you need to know. The books matter, NOT the author.


Wow, I have to say that's so true! 


Website: http://www.melissa-marr.com/
Fansite: http://wickedlovely.com

Amazing books she has written include...

The Wicked Lovely series:

Short stories (WL related, already released):
 
Anthos she's written in: 
**
*not yet released
Graveminder (adult):



Everyone who knows me knows that I love love love love (x100...) Melissa Marr's Wicked Lovely series. In fact, I've read all of them (except Darkest Mercy which is actually resting right beside my laptop tempting me to pick it up and read it and the short stories). I'm even a Summer Court Head on the Wicked Lovely forum, the Rath and Ruins (which you should join if you're a WL fan- there's some great people there). But why do I love them so much? It's because of three things.

1. The amazing world. It's addicting to read about faeries. And no, we're not talking about Tinker Bell. These faeries are vicious, dangerous, otherworldly, and enthralling.

2. The fabulous plot. It's complicated and real. There's lots of action, and lots of romance. It is not black versus white or good versus evil in any sense. Melissa's world is a world of the grey, and the WL books actually make you think and challenge your views of right and wrong.

3. The characters. Holy $#*! there are so many real, lovable characters. My favourite would be Keenan, but there is a character for everyone to love. And I mean everyone. There isn't a clear hero or villain, so it really depends on who you are and what you believe in to support a character.

If you haven't read WL, READ IT! Now.

I'd like to warn people first that these are dark books, especially Ink Exchange, that deal with hard issues. They are in no way light reads (though they aren't too long) so keep that in your thoughts.

For those of you who have read them,  I have two questions. What Court would you be in and who's your favourite character?