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Wednesday, January 29, 2014

"Waiting on" Wednesday (WoW, #3)



 "Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine that highlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly awaiting!

This week's selection is:


Author(s): Melissa Landers
Series: Alienated, #1
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Publication: February 4, 2014
 Goodreads Blurb:
Two years ago, the aliens made contact. Now Cara Sweeney is going to be sharing a bathroom with one of them.

Handpicked to host the first-ever L’eihr exchange student, Cara thinks her future is set. Not only does she get a free ride to her dream college, she’ll have inside information about the mysterious L’eihrs that every journalist would kill for. Cara’s blog following is about to skyrocket.

Still, Cara isn’t sure what to think when she meets Aelyx. Humans and L’eihrs have nearly identical DNA, but cold, infuriatingly brilliant Aelyx couldn’t seem more alien. She’s certain about one thing, though: no human boy is this good-looking.

But when Cara's classmates get swept up by anti-L'eihr paranoia, Midtown High School suddenly isn't safe anymore. Threatening notes appear in Cara's locker, and a police officer has to escort her and Aelyx to class.

Cara finds support in the last person she expected. She realizes that Aelyx isn’t just her only friend; she's fallen hard for him. But Aelyx has been hiding the truth about the purpose of his exchange, and its potentially deadly consequences. Soon Cara will be in for the fight of her life—not just for herself and the boy she loves, but for the future of her planet.


What books are you "Waiting On" this week? 

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Top Ten Tuesday, (TTT, #2)

 
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's post is:

Top Ten Worlds I'd Never Want To Live In

Top Ten: ( in no particular order)

The Program (The Program, #1)The Pledge (The Pledge, #1)Article 5 (Article 5, #1)

The Pledge: This world is one I would not love to live in despite my love for this book. The people in this book live in fear of their government and are separated by the one thing that can bind them all together: language. Language separates the classes and makes the people fear each other.

Legend (Legend, #1)Divergent (Divergent, #1)Shatter Me (Shatter Me, #1)  
Shatter Me: In this book the people have put their trust in a new government system that promised to make the perfect, ideal world for them all to live in. All goes downhill when this system takes everything away from them: their money, homes, and food. I would not like to live in a world where my trust has gone into the very thing that has taken everything away from me.

 The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden, #1)Monument 14 (Monument 14, #1)Dearly, Departed (Gone With the Respiration, #1)
Dearly Departed: In this world a zombie plague called "The Laz" has basically taken over in the year 2195. This virus raises the dead and turns all the helpless people that come in contact with it into zombies. Although it would be a sight to see a zombie, I am afraid this world would terrify me to death (no pun intended). A war fought with zombies with the help of other zombies, although interesting, would not be for me.

*****

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Article 5


 Article 5 (Article 5, #1)

 Author:Kristen Simmons
Series: Article 5, #1
Pages: 362
Challenge: A-Z Author Challenge/ Goodreads Challenge 2013
Genre: Post-Apocalyptic, Dystopian
Acquired: Library
Rating: ★★★

Goodreads Summary:

New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., have been abandoned.

The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.

There are no more police—instead, there are soldiers. There are no more fines for bad behavior—instead, there are arrests, trials, and maybe worse. People who get arrested usually don't come back.

Seventeen-year-old Ember Miller is old enough to remember that things weren't always this way. Living with her rebellious single mother, it's hard for her to forget that people weren't always arrested for reading the wrong books or staying out after dark. It's hard to forget that life in the United States used to be different.

Ember has perfected the art of keeping a low profile. She knows how to get the things she needs, like food stamps and hand-me-down clothes, and how to pass the random home inspections by the military. Her life is as close to peaceful as circumstances allow.

That is, until her mother is arrested for noncompliance with Article 5 of the Moral Statutes. And one of the arresting officers is none other than Chase Jennings—the only boy Ember has ever loved.


  *****

 My Thoughts:


This novel is about a girl and her quest through a dystopian United States to retrieve her arrested mother back from the government. The main character Ember Miller and her determination to find and get her mother back is inspirational. She never loses sight of her goal of finding her mother and wants nothing more than to be reunited with her. The other main character Chase Jennings was one of those characters that I connected with as the book progressed. I liked how he was determined to keep Ember safe and to live up to the promise that he told her mother. I also loved how he seemed to undermine his own safety to completely devote himself to Ember and her cause.

For most of the book, I was kept guessing and I really liked that. I couldn't really guess what would happen next to Ember and Chase on their journey and I really liked that. My favorite part was the creepy old lady scene in the woods. It was all very weird and creepy and I loved it. I also liked the scene at the rebel base, although it broke my heart, I still thought it was needed and appreciated how the author went about writing that scene.

Some things that frustrated me was the romance between Ember and Chase. I felt that I didn't care if the relationship fell apart and ended or if it survived and thrived, this bothered me a bit because I usually really care about the relationships between characters, whether it be romantic or a platonic friendship.

Also the world building... gets a 5/10. It was original with the idea of the Moral Statutes but I felt that it could have been taken further somehow. Now on the subject of character development... it was ok... I wasn't really invested in the characters. I did not care too much about them but the story was pretty interesting. On the side of annoyance.... EMBER....gah....! I felt that she was a very naive character. I thought her pinned up, confused feelings concerning Chase lasted too long. I was over her being mad then not mad at him... he is trying to help you find your mother... give him some credit!

This book is not exactly a tear-jerker kind of book, but it was gripping and kept me interested. The ending was both happy and sad. I went through a mini-spell of the feels at the ending. The book does end in a small cliffhanger and I was pleased at where the book ended.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book...despite some of my issues with it. As far a recommendations go...7/10 from me. I will be continuing this series because I really would like to know how things end and what will happen to Ember and Chase as they continue their lives in this world.

*****

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Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive a very small affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
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Saturday, January 18, 2014

Dearly, Departed

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post below are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive a very small affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” 


 Dearly, Departed (Gone With the Respiration, #1)

 Author: Lia Habel
Series: Gone With the Respiration #1
Pages: 470
Challenge: A-Z Author Challenge/ Goodreads Challenge 2013
Genre: Paranormal
Acquired: Library
Rating: ★★★

Goodreads Summary:

 Love can never die.

Love conquers all, so they say. But can Cupid’s arrow pierce the hearts of the living and the dead or rather, the undead? Can a proper young Victorian lady find true love in the arms of a dashing zombie?

The year is 2195. The place is New Victoria, a high-tech nation modeled on the manners, mores, and fashions of an antique era. A teenager in high society, Nora Dearly is far more interested in military history and her country’s political unrest than in tea parties and debutante balls. But after her beloved parents die, Nora is left at the mercy of her domineering aunt, a social-climbing spendthrift who has squandered the family fortune and now plans to marry her niece off for money. For Nora, no fate could be more horrible until she’s nearly kidnapped by an army of walking corpses.

But fate is just getting started with Nora. Catapulted from her world of drawing-room civility, she’s suddenly gunning down ravenous zombies alongside mysterious black-clad commandos and confronting “The Laz,” a fatal virus that raises the dead and hell along with them. Hardly ideal circumstances. Then Nora meets Bram Griswold, a young soldier who is brave, handsome, noble . . . and dead. But as is the case with the rest of his special undead unit, luck and modern science have enabled Bram to hold on to his mind, his manners, and his body parts. And when his bond of trust with Nora turns to tenderness, there’s no turning back. Eventually, they know, the disease will win, separating the star-crossed lovers forever. But until then, beating or not, their hearts will have what they desire.

In Dearly, Departed, romance meets walking-dead thriller, spawning a madly imaginative novel of rip-roaring adventure, spine-tingling suspense, and macabre comedy that forever redefines the concept of undying love

  *****

 My Thoughts:

This story follows two main characters Bram and Nora through what is a zombie apocalypse set in the future. Bram is a very likable character, but when I pictured him in my head, I wanted him to appear more zombie-like. I pictured him like the main character in the movie/book Warm Bodies, and for some reason I did not like that.

On another note, the novel had varying POVs including Bram's and Nora's separate POVs, which I liked the most and connected with better, and also the other character's POVs such as Pamala's and Nolle's stories. Overall I connected with Bram's story better. I think it was the fact that he was a zombie and I had never read a book with zombies or from the point of view of a zombie, so his story was definitely more appealing than the others.

Although I liked the novel well enough, I was disappointed with the story and its predictability.  I also felt that there was not enough action in the novel considering that it was a novel about a zombie war/ apocalypse. I felt that the story was too calm for a book about a zombie takeover. I wanted more action especially since the book was centered around a military based plot and setting.

I honestly cannot recall any parts that jump out as my "favorite scenes" but I did enjoy reading about Bram's and Nora's stories. They were cute and enjoyable, despite the rest of the book which I found slightly uninteresting and drawn out. Having said that I felt that the end of the book was very rushed and ended abruptly. I couldn't understand this because the whole book felt drawn out but the ending was rushed.

In rating the world building I would give it a 5/10.
In recommending the book I would give it a 4/10, it was a little disappointing for this to be my first taste in reading a book about zombies.

On the author, I felt that Lia Habel was very successful in helping the reader visualize her story. Although I did not like the story as much, her writing was really refreshing.

Will I check out the next book? MAYBE?? I'm really on the fence about this series. I hate not finishing a series so I might end up reading the rest of the books in the series eventually.



*****

Friday, January 3, 2014

Books Read in 2013

2013

April 2013: 6 Books Read

Divergent-Veronica Roth
Mockingjay- Susanne Collins
Monument 14- Emmy Laybourne
Nightshade- Andrea Cremer
Altered- Jennifer Rush
Harry Potter and the Socerer's Stone- JK Rowling

May 2013: 3 Books Read

The Immortal Rules- Julie Kagawa
Article 5- Kristen Simmons
The Program- Suzanne Young

 

June 2013: 7 Books Read

Sweet Venom- Tera Lynn Childs
Delirium- Lauren Oliver
Golden- Jessi Kirby
Beastly- Alex Flinn
The Pledge- Kimberly Derting
Unearthly- Cynthia Hand
Numbers- Rachel Ward

 

July 2013: 9 Books Read

The Disenchantments- Nina LaCour
Hallowed- Cynthia Hand
The Summoning- Kelley Armstong
Scarlet- Marissa Meyer
Wither- Lauren DeStafano
Blue Bloods- Melissa De La Cruz
The Raven Boys- Maggie Stiefvater
Insurgent- Veronica Roth
Masquerade- Melissa De La Cruz

 

August 2013: 3 Books Read

Revelations- Melissa De La Cruz
The Forsaken- Lisa M. Stasse
Burn for Burn- Siobhan Vivian & Jenny Han

September 2013: 0 Books Read

 

October 2013: 0 Books Read


November 2013: 1 Book Read

Night- Elie Weisel

 December 2013: 1 Book Read

The List- Siobhan Vivian



2013 Book Challenges Review

This is how far I managed to get on my 2013 Book Challenges. Let's just say that the reading slump I hit at the end of the year really hurt my chances of completing my challenges completely, but overall I'm happy with what I managed to get accomplished.

**Also I am working to get all my reviews up for the books on here as quickly as possible. I read these before I started my blog so bare with me! I am in the process of posting reviews for the ones I can remember.**


 A-Z Author Challenge:

Armstrong, Kelly- The Summoning
Bailey, Em- Shift
Collins, Suzanne- Catching Fire
Derting, Kimberly- The Pledge
E.
Flinn, Alex- Beastly
G.
Habel, Lia- Dearly, Departed
I.
J.
Kagawa, Julie- The Immortal Rules
Laybourne, Emmy- Monument 14
Meyer, Marissa- Scarlet
N.
Oliver, Lauren- Delirium
P.
Q.
Rush, Jennifer- Altered
Simmons, Kristen- Article 5
T.
U.
Vivian, Siobhan & Jenny Han- Burn for Burn
W.
X.
Young, Suzanne- The Program
Z.

Goodreads Challenge: 50 books

 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10

11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20

21  22  23  24  25  26  27  28  29  30

31  32  33  34  35  36  37  38  39  40

41  42  43  44  45  46  47  48  49  50

Weekly Reading Update (WRU #3)

This week I finished The List by Siobhan Vivian and also Embrace by Jessica Shirvington, so this week has been pretty good as far as reading goes. I have a lot of 2014 Challenges for myself that I would love to complete this year so I figured that I would try to get them started! Today I am currently starting The Van Alen Legacy by Melissa de la Cruz, the fourth installment in the Blue Bloods Series.

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post below are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive a very small affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” 

The Van Alen Legacy (Blue Bloods, #4)

  The Van Alen Legacy


Author: Melissa de la Cruz
Pages:Currently on page 1 of 369
Acquired: Library
Published: 2009

Goodreads Blurb:
With the stunning revelation surrounding Bliss's true identity comes the growing threat of the sinister Silver Bloods. Once left to live the glamorous life in New York City, the Blue Bloods now find themselves in an epic battle for survival. Not to worry; love is still in the air for the young vampires of the Upper East Side. Or is it? Schuyler has made her choice. She has forsaken Jack for Oliver, choosing human over vampire. But old loves die hard.... And even coldhearted Mimi seems to suffer from the ties that bind.

Young vampires unite in this highly anticipated fourth installment of the New York Times best-selling series.


***** 
Tell me what you're currently reading or what you've read this week!