Book Review- Perception

I just finished reading Perception by Kim Harrington (Clarity #2) for an Around the World ARC Tour.

From Goodreads:

When you can see things others can't, what do you do when someone's watching you?

Everybody knows about Clarity "Clare" Fern. She's the psychic girl in school, the one who can place her hands on something and see hidden visions from the past.

Only Clare would rather not be a celebrity. She prefers hanging back, observing. Her gift is not a game to her.

But then someone starts playing with her head . . . and heart. Messages and gifts from a secret admirer crop up everywhere Clare turns. Could they be from Gabriel, the gorgeous boy who gets Clare's pulse racing? Or from Justin, Clare's hopeful ex-boyfriend who'd do anything to win her back?

One thing is certain. Clare needs to solve this mystery, and soon. Because the messages are becoming sinister, and a girl in town has suddenly disappeared.
 
I remember being pleasantly surprised by the previous book in the series, Clarity, so I just knew I would enjoy this one too.  And I was so right!
 
There is such a great mixture of things in this series...just a touch of paranormal, a little bit of mystery, and some romance thrown in...and add a great main character along with fantastic secondary characters and you've got one great read!
 
Clarity is just such a great character.  She's shows that she wants to be a "normal" teenager but she does this while staying true to herself and not giving in to the temptation of being something she's not.  And Mallory was a great new character (although honestly, I couldn't decide if she was going to turn out to be good or evil).  Plus the boys--yum!  Justin and Gabriel were two great guys.  Such a hard decision.  But I knew which one I thought was right for her (certain small things happen that made me feel that way) and luckily, that's the guy she picked in the end.
 
I do have to say that I figured out the mystery in this one pretty early on, although there were times when I doubted myself.  But I was right in the end.  The  book definitely had me thinking though and trying to peg the pieces together.
 
So I'm not sure if there will be more books in this series or not.  But I sure hope so..I'm hooked!
 
I gave this book a rating of 4.5/5.
 
This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2012 Reading Challenge 150+: 29
2012 ARC Reading Challenge: 26
2012 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 26
2012 Sophomore Reading Challenge: 3
 
*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of the Around the World Tours.

Book Review and Giveaway!- The Savage Grace

I just finished reading The Savage Grace by Bree Despain.

From Goodreads:

A troubled soul. An impossible choice. A final battle.


Wrestling with the werewolf curse pulsing deep inside of her, Grace Divine was finally able to find her brother, but it nearly cost her everything.


With her boyfriend, Daniel, stuck in wolf form and Sirhan's death approaching, time is running out for Grace to stop Caleb Kalbi and his gang of demons. If she fails, her family and hometown will perish. Everything rests on Grace's shoulders.


The final installment in The Dark Divine trilogy brings Daniel and Grace's love story to a breathtaking conclusion.
 
I always have such a hard time remembering what happened in previous books in a series.  And at first, I couldn't remember what had happened in The Dark Divine and The Lost Saint, but it soon came back to me and I fell right back into Grace's world. 
 
I knew that this book was the last in the trilogy so I knew that everything would have to be wrapped up.  I just didn't know how.  And I have to say that I liked the way everything ended.  It stopped at a good place and I was happy with the ending.  I don't think there were any questions left unanswered, which I much appreciated!  (although I think there could be more with Talbot, things are okay with the way they were left.)
 
I still love Daniel and Grace together.  Their relationship is intense but innocent at the same time.  And I really liked the way that Jude was in this installment.  And the lost boys were so cute (and gotta love the Peter Pan connection!)
 
There were definitely some tears at the end.  But that's part of what made the book so enjoyable.  I love when books get the emotions going.  So while I will miss Grace and Daniel, it was a great ending to a fabulous series!  (Oh, and the cover is gorgeous once again!)
 
I gave this book a rating of 4/5.

This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2012 Reading Challenge 150+: 28
2012 ARC Reading Challenge: 25
2012 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 25
2012 Mammoth Book Challenge: 3

*FTC Disclosure: This book was given to me for free by the publisher for a honest review.

Waiting on Wednesday- March 28, 2012

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Undead and Unstable (Undead #11)
by MaryJanice Davidson
Publication Release Date: June 5, 2012

From Amazon.com:

Betsy’s heartbroken over her friend Marc’s death, but at least his sacrifice should change the future—her future­—for the better. But it’s not as if Betsy’s next few hundred years will be perfect. After all, her half-sister Laura is the AntiChrist, Laura’s mother is Satan, and family gatherings will always be more than a little awkward.

What’s really bothering Betsy is that ever since she and Laura returned from visiting her mom in Hell, Laura’s been acting increasingly peculiar. Maybe it’s Laura’s new job offer: as Satan’s replacement down under. Unfortunately, the position comes at a damnable price: killing Betsy, her own flesh-and-blood.

Over Betsy’s dead body. And for that matter Marc’s, too, since he’s not quite as buried as everyone thought. Now a war has been waged—one that’s going to take sibling rivalry to a whole new level, and a dimension where only one sister can survive.

In My Mailbox- March 26, 2012

In My Mailbox: Here's what came in my mailbox this week



TUESDAY

The Way We Fall- Megan Crewe--contest win from Presenting Lenore











WEDNESDAY

Hemlock- Kathleen Peacock--review for an Around the World ARC Tour

The Sunday Salon- March 25, 2012

The Sunday Salon

I didn't do a Sunday Salon last week since all of the books I had read for the week were to posted at a later date and I didn't have anything to put up! 

Yesterday my friend and I ran our first 10k!  It's the longest I've run yet!  We ended up feeling pretty good but the course was rough.  A lot of it was on cobblestone, which doesn't sound bad but the bricks were uneven and there were lots of little dips and holes.  I was so afraid that I was going to fall!  Our time was 1 hour, 13 minutes and 57 seconds.  So for 6.2 miles, that just under 12 minutes per mile.  Not bad!  I just signed us up for the Disney Tower of Terror 10 Miler in September!  The training for that doesn't start until May 29th, so I think I'm going to give myself a week of rest.  I have pretty bad shin splints and I'm hoping the week of rest will help!

I finished and reviewed the following books in the past week:

Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris

The Last Echo by Kimberly Derting

Someone Else's Life by Katie Dale

Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock











I fulfilled items in the following challenges in the past week:
2012 Reading Challenge 150+: 24, 25, 26, 27
2012 ARC Reading Challenge: 21, 22, 23, 24
2012 Debut Author Challenge: 6, 7, 8
2012 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 21, 22, 23, 24
Completely Contemp Challenge 2012: 2012-4
2012 Standalone Reading Challenge: 5

I am currently reading The Savage Grace and up next, if no tour books come in first, is Fractured Light by Rachel McClellan.

Book Review- Hemlock

I finished reading Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock today for an Around the World ARC Tour.

From Goodreads:

Mackenzie and Amy were best friends. Until Amy was brutally murdered.

Since then, Mac’s life has been turned upside down. She is being haunted by Amy in her dreams, and an extremist group called the Trackers has come to Mac’s hometown of Hemlock to hunt down Amy’s killer: A white werewolf.

Lupine syndrome—also known as the werewolf virus—is on the rise across the country. Many of the infected try to hide their symptoms, but bloodlust is not easy to control.

Wanting desperately to put an end to her nightmares, Mac decides to investigate Amy’s murder herself. She discovers secrets lurking in the shadows of Hemlock, secrets about Amy’s boyfriend, Jason, her good pal Kyle, and especially her late best friend. Mac is thrown into a maelstrom of violence and betrayal that puts her life at risk.

Kathleen Peacock’s thrilling novel is the first in the Hemlock trilogy, a spellbinding urban fantasy series filled with provocative questions about prejudice, trust, lies, and love.

This book had me pretty intrigued.  The whole idea of a werewolf virus being spread was a pretty new one (not sure if I've read a plot like that before). 

I liked Mac.  She was a take-charge girl and didn't just stand back and let the boys do everything.  I didn't like the way that she was okay with Kyle wanting to be with her, then not, then wanting to be with her again, then not, etc!  I mean, I get the reasoning, but still!  Although I did really like Kyle.  Except for the indecisiveness, he seemed like a great guy.  Jason on the other hand--I didn't get any good things from him.  He just seemed like a jerk. 

There were lots of twists and turns. And I can usually figure out the mystery at least just before we read about it, but not in this case. I had no clue who the actual murderer of Amy was. It was a complete shock! 

Hemlock will be released on May 8, 2012.

I gave this book a rating of 4/5.

This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2012 Reading Challenge 150+: 27
2012 ARC Reading Challenge: 24
2012 Debut Author Challenge: 8
2012 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 24

*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of the Around the World Tours.

Book Review- Someone Else's Life

I finished reading Someone Else's Life by Katie Dale for a Teen Book Scene Tour.

From Goodreads:

When 17-year-old Rosie's mother, Trudie, dies from Huntington's Disease, her pain is intensified by the knowledge that she has a fifty percent chance of inheriting the crippling disease herself. Only when Rosie tells her mother's best friend, "Aunt Sarah," that she is going to test for the disease does Sarah, a midwife, reveal that Trudie wasn't her real mother after all. Rosie was swapped at birth with a sickly baby who was destined to die.

Devastated, Rosie decides to trace her real mother, joining her ex-boyfriend on his gap year travels, to find her birth mother in California. But all does not go as planned. As Rosie discovers yet more of her family's deeply buried secrets and lies, she is left with an agonizing decision of her own, one which will be the most heart breaking and far-reaching of all.
 
I have always loved reading books about people coping with diseases (I think it goes back to my Lurlene McDaniel days) so I often jump at the chance to read them.  Lately, I've been disappointed.  But not with this book!
 
Someone Else's Life is FILLED with drama.  There is more drama and surprises around every corner.  But it didn't get tiring.  I actually liked all the drama (except for how Andy kept leaving Rosie and coming back..that got a little old).  But I liked all of the twists and turn--some of which I figured out and some of which I didn't. 
 
I really liked Rosie.  She's a great heroine.  Super sweet and easy to be sympathetic about.  Holly on the other hand, not so much.  I know she got the shock of her life but she didn't need to be so nasty about it (but I guess that's what makes for some good drama).  The boys were pretty great too.  Both Josh and Andy seemed like sweet guys and supportive (for the most part). 
 
Overall, just a great drama and one that sucked me right in!
 
I gave this a rating of 4/5.
 
This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2012 Reading Challenge 150+: 24
2012 ARC Reading Challenge: 21
2012 Debut Author Challenge: 6
2012 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 21
Completely Contemp Challenge 2012: 2012-4
2012 Standalone Reading Challenge: 5
 
*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of the Teen Book Scene.
 

Waiting on Wednesday- March 21, 2012

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:
(a little late this week)

Taken at Dusk (Shadow Falls #3)
by C.C. Hunter
Publication Release Date: April 10, 2012

From C.C. Hunter's website:

Independent and strong-willed Della Tsang hadn't believed in ghosts until she saw her dead cousin darting into the shadows of an alley. She hadn't believed in vampires until in the dark of that same night she is turned into one. Introduced to a strange world of supernaturals, she struggles to accept this new reality. Unfortunately, the boy she loves senses something different about her and can't accept her. Should she follow her vampire cousin's lead-walk away from everything she's knows and loves-and fake her own death? Or should she set her pride aside and ask for help from the camp leader of Shadow Falls-a camp where supernaturals go to learn how to cope with their powers. Either way, her life as she knows it, will never be the same.

Book Review- The Last Echo

I just finished reading The Last Echo by Kimberly Derting for an Around the World ARC Tour.

From Goodreads:

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....

While I enjoyed reading this book, I didn't enjoy it as much as I enjoyed the first two.  That's not to say that I didn't like it, because I did, but it wasn't like the other two where I didn't want to put them down.

At first, I remembered how much I liked Violet and Jay's relatationship.  But then it got a little too..maybe intense is the word.  I don't really know.  But like I was feeling uncomfortable.  And I didn't like Rafe or Violet's budding feeling for him.  Stay away from him and stay with Jay, Violet! 

The case this time was really creepy.  It had me completely freaked out.  So sick.  But that's what made it good!  There was definitely lots of action and we got to know more about the secret group that she's in.  I'm glad that things were explained more.

The very very end was a complete surprise to me.  I didn't see that coming (although I never liked this person).  For some reason the title of the story had me thinking that this would be the last book in the series, but after reading the last couple of pages, there just HAS to be at least another book.  There's no way the series could end on that!  (And after just checking out Kimberly Derting's website, I see that the fourth book in the series is due out in 2012.  Whew!)

I gave this book a rating of 3.5/5.

The Last Echo will be released on April 17, 2012.

This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2012 Reading Challenge 150+: 26
2012 ARC Reading Challenge: 23
2012 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 23

*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of the Around the World Tours.

In My Mailbox- March 19, 2012

In My Mailbox: Here's what came in my mailbox this week



MONDAY

Unraveling- Elizabeth Norris--review for an Around the World ARC Tour











THURSDAY

Vampire Dragon (Works Like Magic #3)- Annette Blair--PaperbackSwap

The Last Echo- Kimberly Derting--review for an Around the World ARC Tour










SATURDAY

Unseen (Outcasts Season #3)- Rachel Caine--PaperbackSwap