Waiting on Wednesday - 8/31

This is a meme done by quite a few book review bloggers, and hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Waiting On Wednesdays shows books that I am stoked about and can't wait to read!

Here are some that I am drooling over this week...

Ashes
Ilsa J. Bick
9/6/2011

It could happen tomorrow . . .

An electromagnetic pulse flashes across the sky, destroying every electronic device, wiping out every computerized system, and killing billions.
Alex hiked into the woods to say good-bye to her dead parents and her personal demons. Now desperate to find out what happened after the pulse crushes her to the ground, Alex meets up with Tom—a young soldier—and Ellie, a girl whose grandfather was killed by the EMP.

For this improvised family and the others who are spared, it’s now a question of who can be trusted and who is no longer human.

Author Ilsa J. Bick crafts a terrifying and thrilling novel about a world that could be ours at any moment, where those left standing must learn what it means not just to survive, but to live amidst the devastation.

Creeeeepy cover!

Blood Wounds
Susan Beth Pfeffer
9/12/2011

Willa is lucky: She has a loving blended family that gets along. Not all families are so fortunate. But when a bloody crime takes place hundreds of miles away, it has an explosive effect on Willa’s peaceful life. The estranged father she hardly remembers has murdered his new wife and children, and is headed east toward Willa and her mother.

Under police protection, Willa discovers that her mother has harbored secrets that are threatening to boil over. Has everything Willa believed about herself been a lie? As Willa sets out to untangle the mysteries of her past, she keeps her own secret—one that has the potential to tear her family apart.

I loved Ms. Pfeffer's Life As We Knew It, and I am eager to get my hands on this one!

Shifting
Bethany Wiggins
9/27/2011

After bouncing from foster home to foster home, Magdalene Mae is transferred to what should be her last foster home in the tiny town of Silver City, New Mexico. Now that she's eighteen and has only a year left in high school, she's determined to stay out of trouble and just be normal. Agreeing to go to the prom with Bridger O'Connell is a good first step. Fitting in has never been her strong suit, but it's not for the reasons most people would expect-it all has to do with the deep secret that she is a shape shifter. But even in her new home danger lurks, waiting in the shadows to pounce. They are the Skinwalkers of Navajo legend, who have traded their souls to become the animal whose skin they wear-and Maggie is their next target.

Full of romance, mysticism, and intrigue, this dark take on Navajo legend will haunt readers to the final page.

I love the cover of this (even though I am terrified of snakes and it still creeps me out a little).

The Pledge
Kimberly Derting
11/15/2011

Words are the most dangerous weapon of all.

In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she’s spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It's there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she's never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed.

Charlie is intensely attracted to Max, even though she can’t be sure where his real loyalties lie. As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country’s only chance for freedom from the terrible power of a deadly regime.

I love The Body Finder, and yes, still need to get around to reading the second one, before the next one comes out. Either way, I really want this one when it hits the shelves!

Shatter Me
Tahereh Mafi
11/15/2011

Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days. The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

In this electrifying debut, Tahereh Mafi presents a world as riveting as The Hunger Games and a superhero story as thrilling as The X-Men. Full of pulse-pounding romance, intoxicating villainy, and high-stakes choices, Shatter Me is a fresh and original dystopian novel—with a paranormal twist—that will leave readers anxiously awaiting its sequel.

Simply, this one just sounds really, really good!

Divergent - Veronica Roth

Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Pages: 496
Genre: Young Adult/Dystopian
Publication Date: 5/3/2011

Beatrice "Tris" Prior has reached the fateful age of sixteen, the stage at which teenagers in Veronica Roth's dystopian Chicago must select which of five factions to join for life. Each faction represents a virtue: Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity, and Erudite. To the surprise of herself and her selfless Abnegation family, she chooses Dauntless, the path of courage. Her choice exposes her to the demanding, violent initiation rites of this group, but it also threatens to expose a personal secret that could place in mortal danger. Veronica Roth's young adult Divergent trilogy launches with a captivating adventure about love and loyalty playing out under most extreme circumstances. (Goodreads)

Tris lives in Chicago - but not the one we are familiar with. It is now split into the five factions: Candor (honesty), Abnegation (selflessness), Dauntless (bravery), Amity (peacefulness), and Erudite (intelligence). On their sixteenth birthday, the young adults of each of these five factions decide which faction to permanently reside in. Tris makes the choice of Dauntless over her home of Abnegation.

I liked loved reading this one. Tris kicks butt. Four is simply awesome (and a pretty great love interest I might add), not to mention she has some makes some great friends through initiation. A lot of it was reading about the Dauntless ways and seeing Tris and her friends (and yes, even a few enemies) go through their initiation into the faction, but boy, when things went down, they went. Threw me for a loop, I tell you. There were quite a few things I weren't expecting, and obviously a couple of things I did expect.

I am probably going to go mad waiting for the next book to be published. Divergent had me hooked from the first page to the last and I am positive the next one will as well. I think fans of dystopian will really enjoy this one.


What I give this book:

Teaser Tuesday - 8/30

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. You can visit her fantastic blog here.

These are the rules (anyone can participate):

- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This week's teaser comes from Divergent by Veronica Roth.

"I jog next to the car, wincing, then grit my teeth and grab the handle on the side. This is going to hurt."

pg. 80 of 324 (Kindle pages, 24%)

The Hunger Games Movie First Glimpse

Here is the video for those of you, who like myself, did not watch the VMAs. I'm so excited!!




I was only disappointed because they didn't show more, but from the clip it looks like it will be good! Lets hope it holds true (or at least mostly) to the book.

Ashfall - Mike Mullin

Title: Ashfall
Author: Mike Mullin
Pages: 466 (ARC copy)
Genre: Young Adult/Post-Apocalyptic
Publication Date: 10/11/2011

Under the bubbling hot springs and geysers of Yellowstone National Park is a supervolcano. Most people don't know it's there. The caldera is so large that it can only be seen from a plane or satellite. It just could be overdue for an eruption, which would change the landscape and climate of our planet.

Ashfall is the story of Alex, a teenage boy left alone for the weekend while his parents visit relatives. When the Yellowstone supervolcano erupts unexpectedly, Alex is determined to reach his parents. He must travel over a hundred miles in a landscape transformed by a foot of ash and the destruction of every modern convenience that he has ever known, and through a new world in which disaster has brought out both the best and worst in people desperate for food, water, and warmth. With a combination of nonstop action, a little romance, and very real science, this is a story that is difficult to stop reading and even more difficult to forget. (Goodreads)

There is a dormant (though capable of awakening) super-volcano lying underneath Yellowstone (which this is actually true). If that fact right is not enough to put some fear in you, I don't know what will. This novel was terrifying, gripping, and I couldn't put it down for anything (okay, I had to for work but that is irrelevant here). I will say now that although this is put into the genre of young adult fiction, I think it should be geared more toward older teens and adults due to the nature in some parts, i.e. some of the descriptions of violence, some sexual nature (although generally a fade to black type situation, but either way...), etc.

Alex is a fifteen year old boy who, until the Friday his parents and sister leave to visit family in Illinois, has lead a pretty normal life. After his parents leave, all heck breaks loose -- a super-volcano heck that is. In this novel, we follow Alex in the search for his parents after the eruption of the super-volcano that rests underneath Yellowstone, causing a cataclysmic reaction; ash, lightning, rains, volcanic winter, deafening thunders lasting for hours. Along the way, Alex runs into some of the more hospitable people in the world -- and unfortunately some of the nastier specimens we still label as human. Luckily for him he meets Darla. I loved Darla. She was sarcastic, witty, but still had a good heart underneath her tough exterior. Alex really was a typical teen boy, but through the chaos we see him grow and mature in a lot of ways, if not wholly. Even with it being written from his perspective, I still feel like it had a more adult tone.

All in all, I would recommend this, even if bits were disturbing and violent. If you think about it, this probably is pretty realistic for a situation this extreme. However, I still would not recommend for younger readers (under 16/17).




What I give this book:

Sunday Recap - 8/28

I hope everyone has had a great week and has a good week going into September! Woohoo, bring on fall! Thanks again to all my new followers, and to Parajunkee's View for featuring me this past Friday. If you see that I didn't follow you back, leave your link in the comments and I will happily stop by and follow you back. :)

What I'm currently reading: Ashfall by Mike Mullin

What I read this past week:




















As you can see, lately I have been drowning in dystopian/post-apocalyptic novels.

Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins
Delirium - Lauren Oliver
Matched - Ally Condie

This is what I am hoping to read this coming week (and finish reading):
I am going to try to fit more in there as well, but it's a busy work week for me!

Matched - Ally Condie

Title: Matched
Author: Ally Condie
Pages: 384
Genre: Young Adult/Dystopian
Publication Date: 11/30/2010

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

Look for CROSSED, the sequel to MATCHED, in Fall 2011! (Goodreads)

Cassia lives in a world where everything is controlled: the food you eat, the clothes you were, what you read, what you watch, what you listen to, who you love, when you die. Cassia accepts this and trusts the Society to make the right decisions to keep them safe, alive, and healthy. I could not imagine living in this type of world. You have no choices in what to make of your life and I could never give up such a freedom. When Cassia sees Ky flash for a second after seeing Xander, her match, she begins wondering if maybe the Society is as perfect as they have believed. What if she is really is meant to be with Ky instead of Xander? If she was meant to be with Xander, why did Ky's face flash across the screen?

One 'glitch' to the story is that it started out slow at first. It wasn't uninteresting, but the farther along it got, the better. In the beginning Cassia is so sheltered in the world, too trusting, maybe even going as far as naive. That first time she sees Ky, she knows it was a mistake and that is she supposed to be with Xander. Then, she really starts questioning things and discovers that maybe their infallible Society is more flawed than it seems. I think Cassia was a great character. Throughout the story, she really grows and develops in a strong young woman.

All in all, I thought this was a great read. I loved reading about Cassia slowly falling for Ky. Ky was so mysterious and broken, but unique in their world. I was rooting for them 100% of the way. I wanted to see her overcome her fears and doubts and show the Society a thing or two! I can't wait for Crossed, which comes out this November, to see if she does and what happens. Matched was left dangling, so I'm anxious for the next installment!

Also, the rights to the movie have been bought! Here is the link to read more about it:

http://www.thematcheddepartment.com/the-movie/


What I give this book:

Update!

Ok, I went back and tried to follow again and it worked for about half (even with refreshing several times). No worries though, I will still be following everyone back, it may just take a little time. :)

To all my new followers...

Thanks for following me, first of all! I am always happy to have new people checking out my blog. However, right now Blogger is being glitchy (again) for me and when I go to you blog, your follower widget is not showing up like it is supposed to so right now I am not able to follow you back. I will be doing so after it starts working properly. I did not want to come across as rude for not following back and thought you deserved an explanation. :) Happy (early) Friday everyone!

Follow Friday (4)

This week the feature follow at Parajunkee's View is: me! :)

This week's question is: In books like the Sookie Stackhouse (True Blood) series the paranormal creature in question "comes out of the closet" and makes itself known to the world. Which mythical creature do you wish would come out of the closet, for real?

I would either say a phoenix or a shifter. I have always loved phoenixes and shifters are awesome!

This week's feature @ Alison Can Read is: Jenni Elyse

Cover Crazy Thursday - 8/25

Cover Crazy is hosted by Tawni at The Book Worms.


This one is just creepy, but I love it. This one is also on my TBR list!

An ancient prophecy divides two sisters-

One good...

One evil...

Who will prevail?

Twin sisters Lia and Alice Milthorpe have just become orphans. They have also become enemies. As they discover their roles in a prophecy that has turned generations of sisters against each other, the girls find themselves entangled in a mystery that involves a tattoo-like mark, their parents' deaths, a boy, a book, and a lifetime of secrets.

Lia and Alice don't know whom they can trust.

They just know they can't trust each other.

I can't get enough of Wither. I loved the book, I love the cover!

Obviously, something went terribly wrong. Genetic mutations have festered, reducing human longevity to twenty-five, even less for most women. To prevent extinction, young girls are kidnapped, mated in polygamous marriages with men eager to procreate. Sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery, a recent victim of this breeding farm mentality, has vowed to break loose from its fetters; but finding allies and a safe way out is a challenge she can only hope she will survive. A dystopian fantasy series starter with wings.(Both summaries from Goodreads)

Delirium - Lauren Oliver

Title: Delirium
Author: Lauren Oliver
Pages: 441
Genre: Young Adult/Dystopian
Publication Date: 2/1/2011

Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love -- the deliria -- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the governments demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.

But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love. (Goodreads)

Lena Haloway is a good girl; she follows all the rules to avoid catching the deliria, she is counting down to the day she gets the procedure to cure her. She is also haunted by her mother's death - a suicide after failed procedures. She has a well laid out plan for her future... until she meets Alex.

Could you imagine living in a world where love is considered a disease and is worse than death? I couldn't. Ms. Oliver has created a world where there are strict rules, regulations, and everything is about avoiding and eradicating love and what happens when a girl who follows the rules religiously finds herself in love. This is a wonderful book and I found myself not being able to peel away from it. I am anxiously waiting for the second book, Pandemonium to be published.


When Lena meets Alex he shows her a world that she discovers may not be as wrong as she was raised to believe and that perhaps her mother might have been onto something when she wouldn't let love go for anything, not even her life. Their relationship is full of emotion and is definitely a ride worth going through. I wanted so bad for them to be together and make it in the end, but of course, there was the ever ominous cliffhanger ending, so I am hoping for the best in the next book.

Alex is wonderful. He is full of secrets, kindness, warmth, and above all: the forbidden emotion, love. Alex, along with her best friend Hana, show Lena what a different world it could really be without being trapped within the borders of the controlling world they live in.

I highly recommend this to fans of dystopian, I don't think you will be disappointed. It is deep, moving, and at some points will have you on the edge of your seat and biting your nails.

What I give this book:

Waiting on Wednesday - 8/24

This is a meme done by quite a few book review bloggers, and hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Waiting On Wednesdays shows books that I am stoked about and can't wait to read!

I have quite a few this week that I'm excited about! I know this is more than I usually have on my WOW, but I really couldn't help myself.


Spell Bound (Hex Hall #3)
Rachel Hawkins
3/13/2012

Hailed as “impossible to put down,” the Hex Hall series has both critics and teens cheering. With a winning combination of romance, action, magic and humor, this third volume will leave readers enchanted.

Just as Sophie Mercer has come to accept her extraordinary magical powers as a demon, the Prodigium Council strips them away. Now Sophie is defenseless, alone, and at the mercy of her sworn enemies—the Brannicks, a family of warrior women who hunt down the Prodigium. Or at least that’s what Sophie thinks, until she makes a surprising discovery. The Brannicks know an epic war is coming, and they believe Sophie is the only one powerful enough to stop the world from ending. But without her magic, Sophie isn’t as confident.

Sophie’s bound for one hell of a ride—can she get her powers back before it’s too late?

I loved the first one and have the second on my TBR list, so naturally, I have to add this one.


The Story of Us
Deb Caletti
4/24/2012

A new novel about love, life, and everything in-between... from fan-favorite and award-winner Deb Caletti.

Cricket's on a self-imposed break from her longtime boyfriend, trying to figure out whether she's in it for the right reasons. But this is a bad week to try to figure it all out. After ditching two previous husbands-to-be at the airport, Cricket's mother Daisy is finally getting married, to Dan Jax. Cricket loves Dan, but as the families and friends start to arrive for Wedding Week at the beautiful guest house on Bishop Rock, run by old hippies Ted and Rebecca Rose and their sweet, sexy son Ash, things start getting complicated.

There’s no airport on Bishop Rock, as far as anyone knows, but Cricket fears that Dan is in danger of becoming ditched husband-to-be number three, and Cricket’s own desires have chosen now to have a mind of their own. Because even though her boyfriend looms large in her mind, Ash is right in front of her...

I'm still on the fence with this author, so we will see! I also couldn't resist the gorgeous cover.


The Beginning of After
Jennifer Castle
9/6/2011

Anyone who’s had something truly crappy happen to them will tell you: It’s all about Before and After. What I’m talking about here is the ka-pow, shake-you-to-your-core-and-turn-your-bones-to-plastic kind of crappy.

Sixteen-year-old Laurel’s world changes instantly when her parents and brother are killed in a terrible car accident. Behind the wheel is the father of her bad-boy neighbor, David Kaufman, whose mother is also killed. In the aftermath of the tragedy, Laurel navigates a new reality in which she and her best friend grow apart, boys may or may not be approaching her out of pity, overpowering memories lurk everywhere, and Mr. Kaufman is comatose but still very much alive. Through it all there is David, who swoops in and out of Laurel’s life and to whom she finds herself attracted against her better judgment. She will forever be connected to him by their mutual loss—a connection that will change them both in unexpected ways.

Jennifer Castle’s debut novel is a heart-wrenching, surprisingly witty testament to how drastically life can change in the span of a single moment.

I really want to read this. Simply put, it sounds like a good can't-put-it-down book, even though it may be depressing.



The Last Echo
Kimberly Derting
4/17/2012

Violet kept her morbid ability to sense dead bodies a secret from everyone except her family and her childhood-best-friend-turned-boyfriend, Jay Heaton. That is until forensic psychologist Sara Priest discovered Violet’s talent and invited her to use her gift to track down murderers. Now, as she works with an eclectic group of individuals—including mysterious and dangerously attractive Rafe—it’s Violet’s job to help those who have been murdered by bringing their killers to justice. When Violet discovers the body of a college girl killed by “the girlfriend collector” she is determined to solve the case. But now the serial killer is on the lookout for a new “relationship” and Violet may have caught his eye....

I still need to read the second one, but if you remember, I loved The Body Finder. *coughVioletandJaycough*


Jessica Rule the Dark Side
Beth Fantaskey
1/10/2012

The highly anticipated sequel to Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side.

It’s one thing to find out you’re a vampire princess. It’s a whole other thing to actually rule. Newly married Jessica Packwood is having a hard enough time feeling regal with her husband, Lucius, at her side. But when evidence in the murder of a powerful elder points to Lucius, sending him into solitary confinement, Jessica is suddenly on her own. Determined to clear her husband’s name, Jessica launches into a full-scale investigation, but hallucinations and nightmares of betrayal keep getting in her way. Jessica knows that with no blood to drink, Lucius’s time is running out. Can she figure out who the real killer is—and whom she can trust—before it’s too late?

I looooved Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side and I can only hope this one will be just a good!


Pandemonium
Lauren Oliver
3/6/2012

Lauren Oliver captivated readers with Delirium, the first book in a thrilling dystopian trilogy in which Lena Haloway dared to fall in love with Alex and escape the cure, the government-mandated procedure that renders a person immune to the disease of love. Lena and Alex staked their lives on leaving their oppressive society, but only Lena broke free.

Pandemonium continues Lena’s gripping story. After escaping from Portland, Maine, Lena makes it to the Wilds and becomes part of an Invalid community, where she transforms herself into a warrior for the resistance. A future without Alex is unimaginable, but Lena pushes forward and fights, both for him and for a world in which love is no longer considered a disease. Swept up in a volatile mix of revolutionaries and counterinsurgents, Lena struggles to survive—and wonders if she may be falling in love again.

Full of danger, forbidden romance, and exquisite writing, Lauren Oliver’s sequel to Delirium races forward at a breathtaking pace and is sure to appeal to fans who crave the high-stakes action of The Hunger Games and the bittersweet love story of Romeo & Juliet(all summaries from Goodreads)

Currently reading Delirium. Enough said.

Teaser Tuesday - 8/23

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. You can visit her fantastic blog here.

These are the rules (anyone can participate):

- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This week's teaser comes from Delirium by Lauren Oliver.

"All I can think is: I need air. The rest of my thoughts are a blur of radio static and fluorescent lights and lab coats and steel tables and surgical knives - an image of Willow Marks getting dragged off to the labs, screaming, her house defaced with marker and paint."

pg. 80 of 338 (Kindle pages, at 23%)