Book Review-Wake

I just finished reading Wake by Amanda Hocking for an Around the World ARC Tours.

From Goodreads:

Amanda Hocking takes you deep into a new world with the first book in the Watersong series.

Beautiful. Fearless. Dangerous. They're the kind of girls you envy; the kind of girls you want to hate. Strangers in town for the summer, Penn, Thea, and Lexi have caught everyone's attention, including the eye of practical Harper. But it's her sister, Gemma, they've chosen to be part of their group.

Sixteen-year-old Gemma seems to have it all - carefree, pretty, and falling in love with the boy next door. But her greatest passion has always been the water. She craves late night swims under the stars, where she can be alone yet belong to the sea. Lately she's had company. Penn, Thea, and Lexi spend their nights dancing, singing, and partying on the cove--and one night Gemma joins them. When she wakes up groggy on the beach the next morning, she knows something has changed.

Suddenly Gemma is stronger, faster, and more beautiful than ever. As she uncovers the truth about her new mythical powers, Gemma is forced to choose between staying with those she loves or entering a dark world brimming with unimaginable secrets.
 
I am always fascinated by mermaid stories (I just know its because of my love for The Little Mermaid) and that flows over into a love of siren stories as well. 
 
I really liked the characters in this story.  Harper was the older sister with the tough outer shell.  She's had to step up to become the mother-like figure, protective and worrying, and can't let anyone see the softer side of her.  Gemma is the typical younger sister--more relaxed and free except with her hobby of swimming and goal of being in the Olympics.   Then there's the boys-  Alex and Daniel.  Both great guys and one for each of the sisters (no love triangle in this story!)  Even the sirens are well written.
 
The one thing I didn't like was that the book left you hanging.  And while I guess it could be considered a cliff hanger, I felt more like the story didn't wrap up well.  I don't know how to explain it, but usually with cliffhangers I get the feeling of it being in the right spot (if that makes any sense).  But I feel that in this book, more needed to be told before the cliffhanger. 
 
Anyways, I will defintely be picking up the next book in the series when it comes out!
 
I gave this book a rating of 3.5/5.
 
Wake will be released on August 7, 2012.
 
This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2012 Reading Challenge 150+: 35
2012 ARC Reading Challenge: 30
2012 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 32
 
*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of the Around the World Tours.

12 Days of Morganville Madness and Giveaway!

Today starts the 12 Days of Morganville Madness!  It all leads up to the latest book in the Morganville Vampire series by Rachel Caine, Black Dawn, which will be released on May 1.

Each day there will be a review of that book, a Q&A with Rachel Caine, and a giveaway of that book.  Here is the tour schedule


April 20th: GLASS HOUSES (Book 1)
http://www.pageturnersblog.com/

April 21: THE DEAD GIRLS DANCE (Book 2)
http://melaniemccullough.blogspot.com/

April 22: MIDNIGHT ALLEY (Book 3)
http://book-splot.blogspot.com/

April 23: FEAST OF FOOLS (Book 4)
http://hobbitsies.net/wordpress/

April 24: LORD OF MISRULE (Book 5)
http://bookmonsterreviews.blogspot.com/

April 25: CARPE CORPUS (Book 6)
http://myoverstuffedbookshelf.blogspot.com/

April 26: FADE OUT (Book 7)
http://missvainsparanormalfantasy.com/

April 27: KISS OF DEATH (Book 8)
http://www.thestorysiren.com/

April 28: GHOST TOWN (Book 9)
http://www.awesomesaucebookclub.com/

April 29: BITE CLUB (Book 10)
http://www.totalbookaholic.com/

April 30: LAST BREATH (Book 11)
http://www.literaladdiction.com/

MAY 1: BLACK DAWN (Book 12, NEW!)
http://mundiemoms.blogspot.com/

And I am lucky enough to be able to giveaway a copy of the first book, Glass Houses, along with a bookmark for Black Dawn!  Fill out the Rafflecoper below US addresses only, no PO boxes.

Waiting on Wednesday- April 18, 2012

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

Underworld (Abandon #2)
by Meg Cabot
Publication Release Date: May 8, 2012

From Meg Cabot's website:

Escape from the realm of the dead is impossible when someone there wants you back.

Seventeen-year-old Pierce Oliviera isn’t dead. Not this time.

But she’s been taken by John Hayden, lord of the Underworld, to the dim, twilit world between heaven and hell, where the spirits of the deceased wait before embarking upon their final journey.

John claims it’s for her own safety, to protect her from the Furies who yearn for vengeance against him. But John may have reasons of his own for wanting to keep Pierce close…

And soon Pierce learns that while she might be safe from the wrath of the Furies in the Underworld, the people she loves back on earth are not. Can she convince John to release her in order to save the life of someone in her family? Or will the price he asks her to pay for her freedom turn out to be too high?

Book Review- Elemental

I just finished reading Elemental by Emily White for an Around the World ARC tour.

From Goodreads:

Just because Ella can burn someone to the ground with her mind doesn't mean she should.

But she wants to.

For ten years—ever since she was a small child—Ella has been held prisoner. Now that she has escaped, she needs answers.

Who is she? Why was she taken? And who is the boy with the beautiful green eyes who haunts her memories?

Is Ella the prophesied Destructor… or will she be the one who's destroyed?

After reading the summary, I thought this book would be paranormal in nature so I signed up to read it.  But it turned out to be sci-fi with religious undertones so I really didn't enjoy it.  I need to stay away from sci-fi books.

There were too many different species (or was it religions?  I couldn't figure it out) and worlds/planets for me to really grasp anything.  I got confused reading it a lot, and that's not what I want to happen with a book.

I didn't like Ella.  She seemed weak to me with nothing really strong about her.  I get that she was held captive for ten years, but come on.  She broke down and fainted with everything.  And Cailen--cool name.  But not a male character I cared about.  I didn't really get all his hot and coldness.  Neither of these characters were likeable or sympathetic to me. 

There was a lot of action in the book, a little of it pretty graphic.  That's fine with me, but I need some character story too.  I dunno.  This book just didn't do anything for me (although the star rating on Goodreads is on the higher end).

I gave this book a rating of 2/5.

Elemental will be released on May 1, 2012.

This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2012 Reading Challenge 150+: 34
2012 ARC Reading Challenge: 29
2012 Debut Author Challenge: 10
2012 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 31

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

In My Mailbox- April 16, 2012

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


TUESDAY

Love In a Nutshell- Janet Evanovich & Dorien Kelly-PaperbackSwap

Book Review- A Closer Look

I finished reading A Closer Look by Karen DelleCava for a Teen Book Scene Tour.

From Goodreads:

Freshman year is going well for Cassie, a standout sprinter who is about to move up to varsity; school has been fine, her best friend Tara is also running track, and Tommy, that cute sax player she likes has asked her to come see his band rehearse. But in a matter of weeks, Cassie has a secret she is trying to hide from everyone. Her hair has started falling out, and she s doing everything possible to keep it from showing. When her parents tell her it happened to her once before, at age 3, she s horrified, and a trip to the dermatologist confirms what she has been afraid of: that all of her hair may fall out. She has alopecia, and there s no known effective treatment. Cassie eventually gets a wig when she can no longer disguise the truth, and she finally confides in Tommy about it. But when he starts being standoffish and avoids her, she feels betrayed. Then, at a track meet, Robin, her rival on the team, exposes her secret to the whole crowd. With her worst fears realized, will Cassie ever be able to face her classmates, her teammates, and most of all, Tommy?

My heart just broke for Cassie.  I cannot imagine having to start high school and get used to all the quirks of being a freshman and have to deal with losing all of your hair too.  Yes, I know that there are far worse things than losing your hair, but at an age where looks are important, this must have been devastating.

For some reason, I just couldn't really get into Cassie.  I'm not sure if it was the way she was written or her personality or what.  But I really loved Tara!  Every teenager (heck everyone in general!) needs a friend like her!  Tara was so supportive!  She truly cared about Cassie.  She didn't so much as blink when she saw Cassie's bald spot and was always there to cheer her up or help her cover up her patches and just be a great friend in general.  As for Tommy, I was mixed on him.  I think the summary kind of spoiled it for me because the whole time I was reading the book, I kept waiting for him to turn into a jerk (because it says he starts avoiding her after she tells him) so I knew that he was going to be a bad guy.  But when this situation happened, I knew right away that it was for a different reason and so I realized he wasn't such a bad guy.  And I spent the whole time thinking, incorrectly, that he was. 

(And on a completely random note, I was fascinated by all of the running talk.  I just got into running recently.  I hate running but I like the races!  So this part of story intrigued me.)

Anyways, I think that this would be such an important book for teens to read if they were dealing with alopecia or any other condition where they would feel different.  The book has such a strong message about being yourself and loving who you are inside, not just what you look like on the outside!

I gave this book a rating of 3.5/5.

This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2012 Reading Challenge 150+: 13
2012 ARC Reading Challenge: 11
2012 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 11
Completely Contemp Challenge 2012: 2011-1

*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of the Teen Book Scene.

The Sunday Salon- April 15, 2012

The Sunday Salon

The race yesterday went well.  It was the first time we have run on something unpaved.  There was a lot of dirt and sand.  We kept saying that we had mini beaches in our shoes.  And there were parts where there was so much sand (on a hill!) that it was hard to walk, much less run!  But we only took about a minute longer than normal, so not too bad, I don't think.  Next week is a run at Sea World!

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

The Calling by Kelley Armstrong

Explorer X Beta by LM Preston


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I fulfilled items in the following challenges in the past week:
2012 Reading Challenge 150+: 32, 33
2012 ARC Reading Challenge: 28
2012 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 29, 30

I am currently reading Elemental by Emily White and up next (if I don't get any more tour books) is Nadia Knows Best by Jill Mansell.

Book Review- Explorer X Beta

I just finished reading Explorer X Beta by LM Preston for a blog tour.

From Goodreads:

Barely escaping their captors, Aadi and Eirena are determined to save their dying friend. After their final confrontation with the species that tortured them, they've changed-unfortunately, not for the better. The changes caused by a terrible experiment force Aadi to accept the possibility that he may never be fit to go home, and that holding onto his sanity, or leading his friends to safety will end in failure and may rip his friendship with Eirena apart, forever. Time is slipping away and the possibility of losing his friend is not an option, but the foe that awaits them may be worse than the one they left.

I read the first book in the series awhile ago so I was confused at the beginning of the book, but after that, I pretty much remembered what had happened.  Although like in last book, I got a lot of the different species and characters confused.  I don't normally read sci-fi so maybe this is why. 

There is definitely lots of action in this book!  I was continuously wondering just what was going to happen next and if the teenagers were going to get home!

I would definitely reccommend this for teen boys.  I'm not so sure that teen girls would get into it much, but I think that teen boys need something they can really get into.  And I think this series would definitely be it.  There's fighting and aliens and different species and different planets.  I think this book would be right up any teenage boy's alley!

I gave this book a rating of 3/5.

This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2012 Reading Challenge 150+: 33
2012 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 30

*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of a blog tour for publicity of this book

LM Preston's website
LM Preston's blog

LM Preston's Facebook

LM Preston's Twitter

Book Trailer
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Book Review- The Calling

I just finished reading The Calling by Kelley Armstrong for an Around the World ARC Tour.

Summary:

In The Calling, the sizzling second book in the Darkness Rising trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong pumps up the romance, danger, and suspense that left readers of The Gathering clamoring for more.  Maya Delaney’s paw-print birthmark is the sign of what she truly is—a skin-walker. She can run faster, climb higher, and see better than nearly anyone else. Experiencing intense connections with the animals that roam the woods outside her home, Maya knows it’s only a matter of time before she’s able to Shift and become one of them. And she believes there may be others in her small town with surprising talents. Now, Maya and her friends have been forced to flee from their homes during a forest fire they suspect was deliberately set. Then they’re kidnapped, and after a chilling helicopter crash, they find themselves in the Vancouver Island wilderness with nothing but their extraordinary abilities to help them get back home. Plentiful action and romance in this second installment in the Darkness Rising series will keep readers enthralled to the very last page!

So I spent the first good half of this book confused.  I couldn't remember what had happened in the first book, and this book took a while to explain it all well enough so that I remembered it.  And then the whole different side of the scientists thing--I got lost trying to keep everything straight.

This book was all action and not really any character development.  In fact, it was simply about their escape.  It felt like it should have just been the middle of one book, instead of a whole book long.  I think I would have enjoyed the book more if this had been the case.  I need some character story, not just action in my books.

Looking back at my last review, I did get some of my questions answered, but I'm still left wondering about Daniel and his feeling for Maya.  And I don't really get the appeal of Rafe.  I don't really remember him from the first book, but there was nothing really in this one that made me think that he was a good choice for Maya and I'm not really sure why she always forgives him so easily.

Oh, and I just got that these books are related to the Darkest Powers series (The Summoning, The Awakening, and The Reckoning!) and that the characters in both  might possibly join together eventually.  That alone will probably have me picking up the next book in the Darkness Rising series, otherwise I'm not sure that I would have.

I gave this book a rating of 3/5.

This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2012 Reading Challenge 150+: 32
2012 ARC Reading Challenge: 28
2012 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 29

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

Waiting on Wednesday- April 11, 2012

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

 

Foretold : 14 Stories of Prophecy and Prediction

edited by Carrie Ryan

Published by: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Publication Release Date: August 28, 2012

From Goodreads:

Have you ever been tempted to look into the future? To challenge predictions? To question fate?

It's human nature to wonder about life's twists and turns. But is the future already written—or do you have the power to alter it?

From fantastical prophecies to predictions of how the future will transpire, Foretold is a collection of stories about our universal fascination with life's unknowns and of what is yet to come as interpreted by 14 of young adult fiction's brightest stars.