"Waiting On" Wednesday (WoW, #45)

 "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:

The Leveller

Author(s): Julia Durango

Series:The Leveller, #1
Publisher: HarperCollins
Expected Publication: June 23, 2015

Pre-Order Now!: Book Depository

 Goodreads Blurb:

Nixy Bauer is a self-made Leveller. Her job? Dragging kids out of virtual reality and back to their parents in the real world. It’s normally easy cash, but Nixy’s latest mission is fraught with real danger, intrigue, and romance.

Nixy Bauer is used to her classmates being very, very unhappy to see her. After all, she’s a bounty hunter in a virtual reality gaming world. Kids in the MEEP, as they call it, play entirely with their minds, while their bodies languish in a sleeplike state on the couch. Irritated parents, looking to wrench their kids back to reality, hire Nixy to jump into the game and retrieve them.

But when the game’s billionaire developer loses track of his own son in the MEEP, Nixy is in for the biggest challenge of her bounty-hunting career. Wyn Salvador isn’t some lazy kid looking to escape his homework: Wyn does not want to be found. And he’s left behind a suicide note. Nixy takes the job but quickly discovers that Wyn’s not hiding—he’s being held inside the game against his will. But who is holding him captive, and why?

Nixy and Wyn attempt to fight their way out of a mind game unlike any they’ve encountered, and the battle brings them closer than either could have imagined. But when the whole world is virtual, how can Nixy possibly know if her feelings are real?

Gamers and action fans of all types will dive straight into the MEEP, thanks to Julia Durango’s cinematic storytelling. A touch of romance adds some heart to Nixy’s vivid, multidimensional journey through Wyn’s tricked-out virtual city, and constant twists keep readers flying through to the breathtaking end.

What books are you "Waiting On" this week? "

Top Ten Tuesday (TTT, #27)

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

This week's post is:

Top 10 Books On My Spring TBR List

In no particular order...

These are some of the books I've been wanting to finally read for the last couple months. Most of them came out either earlier this year or sometime last year. There are also some thrown in there that haven't been released yet that I cannot wait to read!!

What Are Your Picks?

Ruby Red (The Ruby Red Trilogy, #1)

 

 Author: Kerstin Gier
Series: The Ruby Red Trilogy, #1
Pages: 336
Challenge: Goodreads Challenge 2014
Genre: Sci-Fi
Acquired: Bought
Rating: ★★★★

*****

Goodreads Summary:

Gwyneth Shepherd's sophisticated, beautiful cousin Charlotte has been prepared her entire life for traveling through time. But unexpectedly, it is Gwyneth, who in the middle of class takes a sudden spin to a different era!

Gwyneth must now unearth the mystery of why her mother would lie about her birth date to ward off suspicion about her ability, brush up on her history, and work with Gideon--the time traveler from a similarly gifted family that passes the gene through its male line, and whose presence becomes, in time, less insufferable and more essential. Together, Gwyneth and Gideon journey through time to discover who, in the 18th century and in contemporary London, they can trust.

  *****

 My Thoughts:

Gwyneth Shepherd has always known that there was a time traveling gene in her family. She has also always known that her cousin, Charlotte, who has been preparing since birth to travel time, would inherit that gene. That is until one day Gwyneth slips back through time. Now she must come to terms with her new ability as well as help unravel the mystery surrounding her family and time travel.

Gwen is an interesting character. She has always accepted Charlotte as having the gene thankfully and willingly. I enjoyed her funny and strong-willed personality; I am curious as to how her character evolves in the next books in the trilogy. Another character that I am beginning to like in Gideon, Gwen's time traveling partner. He is an arrogant boy who I grew to love once he stop being such an enormous ass-whole!.... I mean that's how almost all boys start out right? Haha Soooo it wasn't hard to warm up to him and enjoy reading about him. :)

With this book I didn't really have any big problems with the plot that couldn't be fixed and addressed in the next books. All of my questions were more based on vagueness or understanding of the act of time travel.... which should be easily explained more in the rest of the trilogy. Also I would like to point out that this book reminded me of All Our Yesterdays, but seeing as I never finished that book I can't really compare the two. So if you enjoyed this book, All Our Yesterdays would be a recommendation. :)

I liked the mystery of literally EVERYONE in the book... I honestly didn't and still don't know which characters to trust or believe or whose side to be on. I disliked the explanation and details of the chronograph. Still COMPLETELY confused as to its purpose or how it worked but... it could just be me....

My favorite scene was the ending scene with Gwen's cousin. Although it made me even more confused as to who to trust and believe, I liked the placement of that scene in the novel. It makes you think and come to your own conclusions about what you think will happen until you read the next book. Also not a hug problem... but I felt that not much happened in this book. It was like a teaser to what the story could become in the later books. But of course it is what to be expected with this being Book 1.

Cover: 5/10. Not amazing, but the covers match so that's a plus!
World Building: 5/10. Still confused, but it's Book 1
Cliffhanger? Not really. It ended calmly and I wasn't fretting over having Book 2 immediately.

The ending was okay: it satisfied me well enough for me to want to read the next book soon-ish.
I would recommend this to someone who wants a light book with time travel and mystery!

If you have read this book, let me know your thoughts below!!

*****

Top Ten Tuesday (TTT, #24)

 

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

This week's post is:

Top 10 2014 Releases I Meant To Read But Didn't Get To

In no particular order...

What Are Your Picks?

Top Ten Tuesday (TTT, #13)

 

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

This week's post is:

Top Ten Underrated Books

Sci-Fi

1. The Program by Suzanne Young

The Program was one of those books that you are a little apprehensive about reading. For starters the plot deals with a suicide epidemic that starts affecting the teens across the nation and what the government decides to do about it. With that being said this may not appeal to everyone, but I can say that I went into it with an open-mind and I LOVED it!

2. Altered by Jennifer Rush

Now when reading the synopsis to Altered, a couple words jumped out at me. Hot Teenage Boys..... Experiments..... Genetically Altered..... plus look at that cover.... need I say more?! I was definitely interested and I wasn't dissappointed.

3. Unwind by Neal Shusterman
Unwind was a completely random pick up from the library one day. I thought the premise sounded different from what I had read and I was right. This book is full of suspense and twists and the ending I could have never guessed. Need to get my hands on the rest of the trilogy!

Dystopian
1.The Forsaken by Lisa M. Stasse
I LOVE this cover! I don't know why, but I love its uniqueness. The Forsaken is one of those books that from the beginning gives me a sense of suspense and thrill. It reminds me of The Maze Runner and even The Hunger Games in a way while being captivating on its own.

2. The Testing by Joelle Charboneau
Also if you liked The Hunger Games and want a similar type of storyline, this is the book for you. Although the plots are similar, this book was still good on its own. I read through it pretty quickly and am interested to see how the story progresses in the rest of the trilogy.

3. Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne
This book caught my attention first by the map/diagram on the inside ( I have a thing for maps in books!) and then by its interesting storyline. I was caught off guard by how much I liked this story about a group of kids in an unfortunate situation. The thrill and suspense kept me wanting more and by the end of it I really wanted book 2. 

4. The Pledge by Kimberly Derting
I push this book on so many of my friends, I'm guilt! I really like how this book compares to the modern world and the division of social class by the language you speak. I was very intrigued by the plot and find The Pledge to easily be one of my favorites!

5. Article 5 by Kristen Simmons
This was one of those unlikely discoveries that I made while at the library. I was actually surprised at how much I really liked the storyline. I think it is underrated because of the cover.... well that would be my reason for glancing over it. But don't judge a book by its cover and check it out!
View my thoughts on Article 5!

Paranormal

1. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

 The Raven Boys was one of those "well the book I want isn't on the shelves so I guess I'll try this one" type of books. I was on the bottom of my TBR list for a while because from the premise I felt that it would be boring to be honest. Boy was I wrong! I really loved how the book progressed and the twists throughout blew my mind because I couldn't see them coming. I recommend you try it out!

2. The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa
When I first heard Julie Kagawa was coming out with a new book, I jumped on it the minute it hit my local library. I had been a fan of her books ever since I read her Iron Fey Series and I was interested to see how she took on vampires. It was nothing like I expected and I really loved it!
View my thoughts on The Immortal Rules! 

What Are Some Of Your Top Underrated Books?

Top Ten Tuesday (TTT, #6)

 

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

This week's post is:

Top Ten Books On My Summer TBR list

I am desperately trying to kick myself into gear to read more as well as tackle my TBR list this summer especially since I have a personal goal to try to read at least 25 books this summer before I start college. So to accomplish this I hope to read some of the books I own as well as possibly finish or progress in the many series I have started. So here are some of the books I hope to try to read this summer!

Top Ten: ( in no particular order)

Clockwork Prince: Since I just recently finished reading Clockwork Angel, I am in desperate need for the next book to continue following Tessa Gray's story and see what happens next!



 Unravel Me: I Definitely NEED this one for obvious reasons!! Hopefully I'll get my hands on a copy to read it this summer.



 Cress: I'm so anxious to move along with this series! Marissa Meyer has an amazing storytelling and story-weaving ability that is incredible and leaves readers, myself included, extremely excited for the next installment in the series!

*****
What's on your Summer TBR List? 
Comment and let me know!!

Top Ten Tuesday (TTT, #5)

 

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

This week's post is:

Top Ten Books I've Read So Far This Year

So considering that I've only read about 10 books so far this year, I don't have much of a choice in picking the best ones that I've read. Currently I'm around 13 books behind schedule for my Goodreads 50 book challenge but hopefully I'll be able to turn that around this summer since I'm challenging myself to read 25 books by the end August. It's time to kick it into gear! Fingers crossed! Nonetheless, here are the books I've read so far this year!

Top Ten: ( in order)

Shatter Me: I finally read this book this year and it did not disappoint! I really enjoyed it and need to read Unravel Me very soon!



 Clockwork Angel: This is one that I am very ashamed to have not read sooner. It was the first Cassandra Clare book that I read and I am excited to continue on with The Infernal Devices trilogy and also start The Immortal Instruments series as well!



 Miss Match: This book was one that I picked up on impulse from my library's adult fiction section. I really wanted to branch out this year and read more adult fiction books and figured I would start off with a light read like this one. I was pretty good and is the first in a series. If you have any suggestions for adult chick-lit books or authors let me know!


*****
What are your favorite books that you've read so far this year? 
Comment and let me know!!