I finished and reviewed the following book in the last month:
I am currently reading Divided (Dualed #2) by Elsie Chapman and up next is Four: A Divergent Story Collection by Veronica Roth.
Sunday, May 31, 2015
The Sunday Salon- May 31, 2015
I finished and reviewed the following book in the last month:
I am currently reading Divided (Dualed #2) by Elsie Chapman and up next is Four: A Divergent Story Collection by Veronica Roth.
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Book Review- Nowhere But Here
I finished reading Nowhere But Here (Thunder Road #1) by Katie McGarry last night for an Around the World ARC Tour.
From Goodreads:
Seventeen-year-old Emily likes her life the way it is: doting parents, good friends, good school in a
Oz wants one thing: to join the Reign of Terror. They're the good guys. They protect people. They're…family. And while Emily—the gorgeous and sheltered daughter of the club's most respected member—is in town, he's gonna prove it to her. So when her father asks him to keep her safe from a rival club with a score to settle, Oz knows it's his shot at his dream. What he doesn't count on is that Emily just might turn that dream upside down.
No one wants them to be together. But sometimes the right person is the one you least expect, and the road you fear the most is the one that leads you home.
safe neighborhood. Sure, she's curious about her biological father—the one who chose life in a motorcycle club, the Reign of Terror, over being a parent—but that doesn't mean she wants to be a part of his world. But when a reluctant visit turns to an extended summer vacation among relatives she never knew she had, one thing becomes clear: nothing is what it seems. Not the club, not her secret-keeping father and not Oz, a guy with suck-me-in blue eyes who can help her understand them both.
I've read several of Katie McGarry's books and loved them. But I have to admit, reading the summary of this one didn't do it for me. But I signed up to read it just because of who the author was. And a few chapters in, my mind hadn't changed. Motorcyles and gangs just didn't do it for me. Oz, the "leading man" was too rough for me. There wasn't much sweetness to him. And even in my bad guys, I need some kind of sweetness.
But then suddenly the book was over and I found myself realizing that I had gotten completely absorbed in it. Somewhere along the line, Oz had turned sweet. And the tough guy was still completely there, but there was sweetness lurking. Oh, and you know I loved Emily's comebacks. Her personality cracked me. She didn't take any crap!
The way of life of the Reign of Terror was completely not my style. It's kind of everything I'm against. But I found myself loving all the members of the huge "family."
The ending and the big surprise about Emily's past really did surprise me. I had a few ideas about what it could be but I was so far off! It was shocking and completely had me hooked!
I need more by Katie McGarry!
I gave this book a rating of 4/5.
Nowhere But Here will be released on May 26, 2015.
*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of the Around the World Tours.
From Goodreads:
Seventeen-year-old Emily likes her life the way it is: doting parents, good friends, good school in aOz wants one thing: to join the Reign of Terror. They're the good guys. They protect people. They're…family. And while Emily—the gorgeous and sheltered daughter of the club's most respected member—is in town, he's gonna prove it to her. So when her father asks him to keep her safe from a rival club with a score to settle, Oz knows it's his shot at his dream. What he doesn't count on is that Emily just might turn that dream upside down.
No one wants them to be together. But sometimes the right person is the one you least expect, and the road you fear the most is the one that leads you home.
safe neighborhood. Sure, she's curious about her biological father—the one who chose life in a motorcycle club, the Reign of Terror, over being a parent—but that doesn't mean she wants to be a part of his world. But when a reluctant visit turns to an extended summer vacation among relatives she never knew she had, one thing becomes clear: nothing is what it seems. Not the club, not her secret-keeping father and not Oz, a guy with suck-me-in blue eyes who can help her understand them both.
I've read several of Katie McGarry's books and loved them. But I have to admit, reading the summary of this one didn't do it for me. But I signed up to read it just because of who the author was. And a few chapters in, my mind hadn't changed. Motorcyles and gangs just didn't do it for me. Oz, the "leading man" was too rough for me. There wasn't much sweetness to him. And even in my bad guys, I need some kind of sweetness.
But then suddenly the book was over and I found myself realizing that I had gotten completely absorbed in it. Somewhere along the line, Oz had turned sweet. And the tough guy was still completely there, but there was sweetness lurking. Oh, and you know I loved Emily's comebacks. Her personality cracked me. She didn't take any crap!
The way of life of the Reign of Terror was completely not my style. It's kind of everything I'm against. But I found myself loving all the members of the huge "family."
The ending and the big surprise about Emily's past really did surprise me. I had a few ideas about what it could be but I was so far off! It was shocking and completely had me hooked!
I need more by Katie McGarry!
I gave this book a rating of 4/5.
Nowhere But Here will be released on May 26, 2015.
*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of the Around the World Tours.
Book Review- Emmy & Oliver
I finished Emmy & Oliver by Robin Benway a week or so ago for and Around the World ARC Tour.
From Goodreads:
Emmy just wants to be in charge of her own life.
She wants to stay out late, surf her favorite beach—go anywhere without her parents’ relentless worrying. But Emmy’s parents can’t seem to let her grow up—not since the day Oliver disappeared.
Oliver needs a moment to figure out his heart.
He’d thought, all these years, that his dad was the good guy. He never knew that it was his father who kidnapped him and kept him on the run. Discovering it, and finding himself returned to his old hometown, all at once, has his heart racing and his thoughts swirling.
Emmy and Oliver were going to be best friends forever, or maybe even more, before their futures were ripped apart. In Emmy’s soul, despite the space and time between them, their connection has never been severed. But is their story still written in the stars? Or are their hearts like the pieces of two different puzzles—impossible to fit together?
Readers who love Sarah Dessen will tear through these pages with hearts in throats as Emmy and Oliver struggle to face the messy, confusing consequences of Oliver’s father’s crime. Full of romance, coming-of-age emotion, and heartache, these two equally compelling characters create an unforgettable story.
I thought this was a fresh take on a tragic kidnapping story. Instead of it being about the kidnapping, or about how the victim deals with life after returning home, this was about how the kidnapping affected the best friend of the victim.
I really liked Emmy and Oliver. Emmy was so easy to get absorbed in. She was so real. Her feelings were real, her actions were real, and the way she talked was real. And Oliver. Wow. I felt so much for him! Stuck in the middle because even though he knew what his dad did was wrong, he was still his dad and loved him.
And I loved the connection between the two of them. It was quick and that often feels forced or fake to me, but here it didn't. Maybe because they knew each other when they were little. Either way, it felt right to me.
This was a sweet story--one that had me rooting for Emmy & Oliver.
I gave this book a rating of 4/5.
Emmy & Oliver will be released on June 23, 2015.
*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of the Around the World Tours.
From Goodreads:
Emmy just wants to be in charge of her own life.She wants to stay out late, surf her favorite beach—go anywhere without her parents’ relentless worrying. But Emmy’s parents can’t seem to let her grow up—not since the day Oliver disappeared.
Oliver needs a moment to figure out his heart.
He’d thought, all these years, that his dad was the good guy. He never knew that it was his father who kidnapped him and kept him on the run. Discovering it, and finding himself returned to his old hometown, all at once, has his heart racing and his thoughts swirling.
Emmy and Oliver were going to be best friends forever, or maybe even more, before their futures were ripped apart. In Emmy’s soul, despite the space and time between them, their connection has never been severed. But is their story still written in the stars? Or are their hearts like the pieces of two different puzzles—impossible to fit together?
Readers who love Sarah Dessen will tear through these pages with hearts in throats as Emmy and Oliver struggle to face the messy, confusing consequences of Oliver’s father’s crime. Full of romance, coming-of-age emotion, and heartache, these two equally compelling characters create an unforgettable story.
I thought this was a fresh take on a tragic kidnapping story. Instead of it being about the kidnapping, or about how the victim deals with life after returning home, this was about how the kidnapping affected the best friend of the victim.
I really liked Emmy and Oliver. Emmy was so easy to get absorbed in. She was so real. Her feelings were real, her actions were real, and the way she talked was real. And Oliver. Wow. I felt so much for him! Stuck in the middle because even though he knew what his dad did was wrong, he was still his dad and loved him.
And I loved the connection between the two of them. It was quick and that often feels forced or fake to me, but here it didn't. Maybe because they knew each other when they were little. Either way, it felt right to me.
This was a sweet story--one that had me rooting for Emmy & Oliver.
I gave this book a rating of 4/5.
Emmy & Oliver will be released on June 23, 2015.
*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of the Around the World Tours.
Book Review- Magonia
I finished Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley a little while ago but am behind on reviews!
From Goodreads:
Aza Ray is drowning in thin air.
Since she was a baby, Aza has suffered from a mysterious lung disease that makes it ever harder for her to breathe, to speak—to live.
So when Aza catches a glimpse of a ship in the sky, her family chalks it up to a cruel side effect of her medication. But Aza doesn't think this is a hallucination. She can hear someone on the ship calling her name.
Only her best friend, Jason, listens. Jason, who’s always been there. Jason, for whom she might have more-than-friendly feelings. But before Aza can consider that thrilling idea, something goes terribly wrong. Aza is lost to our world—and found, by another. Magonia.
Above the clouds, in a land of trading ships, Aza is not the weak and dying thing she was. In Magonia, she can breathe for the first time. Better, she has immense power—and as she navigates her new life, she discovers that war is coming. Magonia and Earth are on the cusp of a reckoning. And in Aza’s hands lies the fate of the whole of humanity—including the boy who loves her. Where do her loyalties lie?
Weird. Weird weird weird. I just could not get into this. Without spoiling it for you, it turns out that Aza is something not human. And what she is, is something I've never read about before. Which quite honestly is a good thing. I can't even really wrap my head around it enough to write a proper review. So I'll sum it up by saying it again. It was just plain weird.
I gave this book a rating of 2/5.
*FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
From Goodreads:
Aza Ray is drowning in thin air.Since she was a baby, Aza has suffered from a mysterious lung disease that makes it ever harder for her to breathe, to speak—to live.
So when Aza catches a glimpse of a ship in the sky, her family chalks it up to a cruel side effect of her medication. But Aza doesn't think this is a hallucination. She can hear someone on the ship calling her name.
Only her best friend, Jason, listens. Jason, who’s always been there. Jason, for whom she might have more-than-friendly feelings. But before Aza can consider that thrilling idea, something goes terribly wrong. Aza is lost to our world—and found, by another. Magonia.
Above the clouds, in a land of trading ships, Aza is not the weak and dying thing she was. In Magonia, she can breathe for the first time. Better, she has immense power—and as she navigates her new life, she discovers that war is coming. Magonia and Earth are on the cusp of a reckoning. And in Aza’s hands lies the fate of the whole of humanity—including the boy who loves her. Where do her loyalties lie?
Weird. Weird weird weird. I just could not get into this. Without spoiling it for you, it turns out that Aza is something not human. And what she is, is something I've never read about before. Which quite honestly is a good thing. I can't even really wrap my head around it enough to write a proper review. So I'll sum it up by saying it again. It was just plain weird.
I gave this book a rating of 2/5.
*FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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