Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Review: The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Mathieu

I can't decide how I felt about this book. If I enjoyed it. If I hated it. Because I kind of did both. I know for sure that I did not love the book, but I also enjoyed reading it. But some things made me angry. While the ending sort of made me happy. I can't decide. I wish the book had been longer, as I felt it was too short. I liked the writing, just didn't always like the way the characters were thinking. I will try to describe what I liked.

And what I didn't like. Which at the moment seems to be winning in my mind. But I also liked a few things about this book. And just. Agh. I cannot decide how I felt about it. Hoping it will become clear when I write this review, lol. But anyway. I do think people will enjoy this book. Because it is honest. Very, very honest. A bit dramatic at times. But I think I liked it.

The book is told from five different point of views. Though we only get the point of view of Alice in the last ten pages. That was depressing. I wish the whole book had been from her point of view. Sigh. But I did like getting to know what the other characters were thinking. There is Kurt, who is the biggest nerd in the school. I liked him. He's awkward and cute. I loved reading his point of view. Wish it had been more of it and more of him. Then there is Josh. I sort of liked him. I liked who he was. But I hated how he lied. How he never ever said that he lied. The book needed to be longer so that he could confess, lol. It wouldn't change anything, but I would have liked seeing him as a better person. Not sure I truly liked any of the characters in this book. Huh.

Then there is Alice's best friend, Kelsie. I did not like her. She dumped Alice so fast after all the rumors started. She didn't care for her at all. And I hated her for it. Truly did. Yeah, sure, I felt a little bit sorry for her when she shared some of her story. But there is no excuse for what she did to Alice. Just to be a popular girl. Yeah. Kelsie sucked. I'm sorry, but she did. She was awful. And I really truly hope that she and Alice never become friends again, because Alice deserves so much better than a crappy one like her.

There is also the point of view of Elaine. The popular girl in the school. I didn't like her either. We don't get to know all that much about her. But enough for me not to feel sorry for her. She also made things bad for Alice. Sure, she tries to make it better. Kind of. After a long time. But I would never forgive her. Also. She has this on-and-off relationship with Brandon, who died, who supposedly had sex with Alice and another guy. I did not approve of Elaine and Brandon having a relationship like that. Sigh. Not good.

There is a lot of things in this book. Most of them I did not like. Yet I was interested in reading the book. And I'm glad I did. Though my head is not the best place right now. I hated how everyone turned against Alice. Except for Kurt, whom Alice never would have spoken to if the rumors hadn't started. We get to know things about Alice. True things. And I didn't like it. I didn't like her. Probably because I did not do things like that at her age. Not even now. I liked her hair and lipstick, but not her clothes.

I'm just not sure how to describe it. I think I liked Alice. A little bit. I felt sorry for her, because something like this should never happen to anyone. I was bullied a lot in school. So I know what Alice went through. Kind of. But anyway. I did feel sorry for her; cause her mom sucked. As well as all her previous friends. Anyway. I think I liked the plot in this book. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't perfect either. I have a lot of mixed feelings. I wished there had been a bit more, but at the same time I didn't.

Huge thank you to Ksenia at Macmillan Kids for the print ARC of this book. <3 So glad I got to read and review it early. Though my ARC cover is different from that hardcover. Hmm. I might have to buy it, hih, despite not loving the book. Cause that cover is all kinds of pretty. I like it. Anyway. The Truth About Alice was a good book. It was interesting and real. Not perfect, but good enough, I think. And I've settled on a two star. But also a very weak three star. As I did enjoy this book a little as well. <3

Review: (Don't You) Forget About Me by Kate Karyus Quinn

This was an evil book. I wasn't sure about it when I got it in the mail, but then I was curious about the summary. And I found the cover to be so gorgeous. So I started it. And then I could not stop. I found the writing to be beautiful most of the time. I was creeped out by the plot. I was surprised by the mysteries. I was interested from the beginning to the end. I really loved this.

I'm so glad I picked up this book yesterday. Because yeah. It was amazing. But some things bothered me a little bit. But I didn't mind that much, which is why I'm sticking with a five star rating for this book. Because I really enjoyed it. And I didn't want it to end. And I want a sequel so so bad, but there does not need to be one. But yes. I want one. I want so much more of Foote :)

(Don't You) Forget About Me is told from the point of view of Skylar. Whom I did love a lot. Though in the beginning I did not like her very much, as she had been taking these purple pills for years; and they made her forget so many things. I didn't like it. I didn't like that she did that. But she stopped. She got better. And I can't truly say that I blamed her for taking the pills, after I found out the reason for why. Agh. The mystery in this book is so good and so many things I did not see coming. Which was very exciting to read about, lol. Anyway. I loved reading about Sky's family. I loved her little brother, Wills. He was adorable. I liked her mom. Sort of. And her grandma, GG, was pretty scary. But I loved her too.

The thing about this story is the town, Gardnerville. It is creepy. It is this place far away from other places, where you arrive on a train. Though only those deadly sick gets to get there. Because in Gardnerville you are never sick. All your illnesses gets taken away. Which sounds like paradise. But then there are the 4th years. Where teenagers go crazy and most often murder a bunch of others. It was so awful to read about. Yet so interesting. I loved that plot twist to pieces. It was amazing to read about.

Skylar and her family is from the family of the man who created Gardnerville. So they have some powers. And at first that confused me a little; how Sky could read people's secrets. But then I grew to love it, because it was different from everything else I have read. Though I hated her dad's power. He is dead, though. There aren't many people in this town with powers. Most are just regular. Which I also liked. There is just so much to get to know in this town. I hated some of the people. Like Elton. Agh.

Sky has a sister. Piper. Who caused the 4th year curse thingy four years ago. It was awful to read about what happened then. But yess. So interesting. Also. There is a lot of people dying in this book. Pretty awful. I loved it, lol. Anyway. Piper. I'm not sure how I felt about her. You see, a lot of the book is parts from the past. A few chapters in-between normal chapters. We get to know Sky and Piper before she went away. And I hated how she was with Sky. She was mean. Yet kind. And Sky loved her so much.

But I did not. I did not love Piper. I truly didn't like the way she behaved around Sky. She didn't seem to care much about her. But I know she loved her. But this one scene. Piper and Sky was ruining this statue, because Piper wanted it, but she let Sky take the fault. Their dad beat Sky bloody so she couldn't walk straight for weeks. That was just awful. So awful and heartbreaking. I don't get why Piper allowed that to happen. Agh. Anyway. I very much disliked their dad. He did not love Sky. I'm so glad he's dead.

But anyway. We learn a lot about Piper in this book. But from the past. As in the present, she is not there. And Sky has spent the last four years taking the pills to forget about it all. But then she stops. Because of some other amazing plot twists, hih. Loved reading about it all. Anyway. There is this awful place they send kids that do wrong things. The reformatory. It was awful to read about, yet we don't get to know too much about it. Just that no one is the same after coming out from there. Sniffs. It was bad.

Anyway. There is so much happening in this book yet I wanted even more. I wanted the book to be longer. I wanted it to never end. There is so much plot in this book. So many surprises. I loved all of them. And the romance. Swoon. There is not much of a romance, though. It is small. And it breaks my heart that it wasn't a bigger part, hih. Because Foote. He is adorable. I loved him so much. And holy crap. His powers. His story. Heartbreak. It was the best and the worst and I need more of Foote. <3

I think I have said too much about this book, and yet not enough, lol. I want to say all the secrets. But I won't. Because it was so fun for me to read it and not knowing anything. I knew the ending, as always, kind of. But I loved reading what happened before it. And I really want to know what happens after it. Sigh. This book was just amazing. I really, truly loved it. And I know that I will re-read it later some time. It was that good, yeah. Just so happy that I got it. <3 I know you will all love it. Go order it.

Huge thank you to Megan at HarperCollins International for the print ARC of this book. <3 I am so glad that I was able to read it. It was just so so good. And I know I will be pre-ordering a hardcover of this book as well. I need it. And agh. It was just so amazing. And I need you all to read this book when it comes out in June. Because it is so good. (Don't You) Forget About Me is a stunning book. Full of surprises and amazing characters. The little romance made me swoon. This book was just awesome.

Waiting on Wednesday #133

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

WINTERKILL BY KATE A. BOORMAN

Goodreads Description:

Emmeline knows she’s not supposed to explore the woods outside her settlement. The enemy that wiped out half her people lurks there, attacking at night and keeping them isolated in an unfamiliar land with merciless winters. Living with the shame of her grandmother’s insubordination, Emmeline has learned to keep her head down and her quick tongue silent.

When the settlement leader asks for her hand in marriage, it’s an opportunity for Emmeline to wash the family slate clean—even if she has eyes for another. But before she’s forced into an impossible decision, her dreams urge her into the woods, where she uncovers a path she can’t help but follow. The trail leads to a secret that someone in the village will kill to protect. Her grandmother followed the same path and paid the price. If Emmeline isn’t careful, she will be next.


Hardcover, 336 pages
Expected publication: September 9th 2014 by Amulet Books 
Pre-Order here.

When I saw this gorgeous cover last week I knew I had to read this book. Because holy crap. That cover is amazing! I think it looks so good. And the summary is all kinds of awesome as well. I really, really hope and think that I will love Winterkill. <3 Fingers crossed :D September cannot get here fast enough.
What are you waiting for? 

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Cress Tuesday #27

I'm not sure how long I will be doing these teasers. I don't want to stop, hih. But I should probably do that sometime. I'm not sure. Should I stop at #30 or should I keep going? :) I must admit that I'm loving sharing all of these Cress Tuesday teasers with you all. Because picking the teaser each week makes me love the book all over again. And makes me even more excited to be re-reading the three books in the near future. Hopefully I'll have the time for that soon, as I need to re-read more about Cinder and Kai, hih. <3 Anyway. If you haven't yet had the chance to read Cress, I'm hoping these teasers will convince you to do that :) If you have read it, I hope these teasers reminds you how amazing this book was. See all the previous Cress Tuesdays here. <3 Hope you are enjoying these (mostly) non-spoilery teasers :)


~
 
It was all in her head, of course. She knew that. She even knew it when she was roughly banging 
her head on the floor to try to knock out the spiders and centipedes. But it didn't matter. 
Her body was convinced, her brain was convinced. Her rational mind was overcome. 
She hated that little boy. Hated him. She also hated that she was starting to be afraid of him.

~
 
My review of Glitches. My review of The Queen's Army. My blog tour post of Cinder.

Was allowed to do this by Marissa and Macmillan; Thank you. <3 Marissa is the best. Check out her amazing website :D I'm also very much in love with the Lunar Chronicles facebook. So pretty. I hope you enjoy the teasers :) There will be one teaser each Tuesday. Can't wait for you all to read Cress :)
The teasers are now from my finished hardcover copy of Cress :D And oh, how it is gorgeous. <3

Sunday, April 27, 2014

Review: Hungry by H. A. Swain

I can't with this book. I really can't. I truly wanted to love Hungry. I like the cover, and I found the summary to be interesting. Then I started reading it. And.. just, no. It was not good. I'm not sure there was a single thing I actually truly liked in this book. Which makes me so sad. It comes out in June, and I was able to read an ARC of it early because of Macmillan. <3

I have no idea what to write in this review of mine. How to start. I just did  not like it. I don't know how to begin. As there is so much that I could talk about; as there is so much that bothered me. I'm sorry, but this will not be a positive review. As there was nothing I enjoyed. Except for a very small thing.

The one thing I could have liked in this book was the world. It sounded interesting that no one ate anything. That all the animals were gone. All the green. A lot of things weren't there. But then. The book never turned interesting for me. As the characters live pretty great. Main character is rich with well-known parents. The book made me think it was Dystopia, but then it just wasn't. Not for me. It was too boring; yet so much happens. Too much, I think. It felt like the author tried pushing too many worlds into one story. I didn't like that. There was too much.

Hungry is told from the point of view of Thalia. I never once felt a connection to her. I disliked her a lot of times, as she was way too dramatic. She had a fight with Basil; she goes omg I can't believe I ever liked him. Seriously. And she watch her best friend say something about her in a newsfeed, and she thinks right away that she betrayed her. Thalia just didn't know how to think for herself. She was so naive. More than normal. Like the farm. Things were so obvious. She didn't get anything. Very annoying.

I just had a lot of trouble with the main character. She was just.. not for me. I hated how she was with her mom. It was just weird, in my eyes. And her mom. SERIOUSLY. I can't get over this. She forced her child into rehab. Who the hell does that to their own child? I would never forgive that. Never ever. (Granted, she manages to escape pretty early. But I will never forgive her mom.) And her dad. I actually liked him a little. And her grandma. But I also didn't really care for any of them. I wanted to, but I didn't.

I liked her best friend Yaz a little bit. Though not that much. I just did not connect to any of the characters in this book. Probably because I found the writing to be awful. I did not like it. At all. I had such huge issues reading this book. I did not like the way the characters talked to each other. Sigh. Then there was Basil. I wanted to love him. But seriously. Insta-love. A bad case of it as well. She sees him one time, and she can't stop thinking about him and she gets all excited and blah blah. Did not like it.

I kind of liked reading about Basil's past. But it wasn't that interesting. And I hated how he and Thalia were together. The romance was not good. I wanted to like it, I could have, but it was done very badly. They suddenly fight for no reason. Several times. They change personality. Several times. I just did not ship their relationship at all. Good part, though, there is no love triangle. But I couldn't even be happy about that. Sigh. I liked the ending, but not sure I will read a sequel. There must be one, though.

I don't want to say more about this book. There was just too much that I did not like. The writing. The characters. The romance. And I was so disappointed that the world ended up being so.. wrong. It could have been done so well. But yeah. I did not like it. Sorry. Not sorry. I haven't said much about the plot. Mostly because I didn't felt like there was much of a plot. Then there was this farm thing near the end that didn't make much sense to me; compared to the first part of the book. Just, not a book for me.

I was a little conflicted in how to rate this book. I had been thinking about a two star most of the time, but then I finished it. And I never once liked the book. Not once. I spent the whole time reading it wishing I was done reading. And I never want to feel that way while reading books. Sniffs. I'm so sad that I didn't like this book. But I also did not like it. And I will be honest about my feelings. Which is why I have decided on giving this book a one star. Maybe a one point five. But nothing above that; sorry.

Despite my very huge issues with this book, I'm happy with my ARC copy of it; as it is very pretty. <3 Huge thank you to Ksenia at Macmillan Kids for the chance to read and review Hungry early :) I'm sorry I couldn't love it. But yeah. It was just not a book for me. At all. I'm not sure if I think others would enjoy this book. I think some will. But I also know how much I disliked about it. So I am curious about what all of you would make of Hungry. Would love for you to share with me, if you read it :) Also, best of luck.

Saturday, April 26, 2014

In My Mailbox #130

Well, this is depressing. Last week I got two books. This week I got zero. I blame Easter. I am waiting on A LOT of pre-ordered books, yet none have arrived. They better get here on Monday. Sigh. I hope. But I did get a few other things, hih. <3 And those make me happy. And I downloaded this awesome-sounding book via Macmillan Kids via Netgalley. <3 And I had a few awesome blog posts this week as well. I haven't read much, as I haven't felt like doing much this week at all. Sigh. But yesterday I read and reviewed The Falconer, which I really loved. Which makes me happy. I also shared my collection of The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo. <3 It is pretty huge :D Love it all so much. Sigh. I also shared the cover and title for The Raven Boys #3. Which is so gorgeous and amazing. And I'm waiting on this awesome MG book. <3 And another Cress Tuesday. Which I will re-read soonish. I hope :) Ohh, and I did post my review for Rebel :D I'm hoping to read more. Which I also loved. What did you get this week?

The Winner's Curse & The Shadow Society. Amazing swag pack that I got from Marie. <3 Thank you so so much. I love them all to pieces! So gorgeous :D And I loved both her books so so much. They are amazing. Truly amazing. <3 Have anyone read them? :) Gorgeous eyeshadows, stickers and bookmarks.

How To Train Your Dragon. Gorgeous puzzles and dragons. <3 I love them so so much. But agh. I hate the site I have to order from. They keep LYING on the package value, so I must pay tons in taxes. It isn't allowed to lie, is it? And it sucks. Trying to get them to pay me back what I had to pay. Hopefully.
Toy Story. I just had to buy these, as I adore these movies. <3 And blu-ray. Sigh. I got them for £20.
Pocahontas 2. This one I had to own as well. Been ages since I saw it, but remember loving it much.





Evidence of Things Not Seen. Well, I don't know if I will enjoy this book :D But I think it looks pretty. And the summary sounds a bit creepy and amazing. I really do hope that I will enjoy this book. Not sure when I will read it, but hopefully pretty soon :)





In My Mailbox is an weekly meme made by The Story Siren.

Friday, April 25, 2014

Review: The Falconer by Elizabeth May

I got accepted to read this book back in December via Edelweiss. But I didn't read it until now. Because I didn't think that I would enjoy this book. I wanted to, but I worried. But then today I felt like giving it a try. And I'm so glad that I did so. Because this book was amazing. I really, really loved it. Ending up at a five star, I think. I really enjoyed this book.

There were a few things happening in The Falconer that could have bothered me. But they didn't. I actually enjoyed pretty much everything in this book. And it makes me so so so happy. I love it when books I read are amazing, hih. And I know this will be a favorite of mine. And that I will re-read it. Sigh. So excited to do that, lol. This was such a perfect book.

The book is told from the point of view of Aileana. Whom I actually really loved reading about. She's amazing. Though also so sad and angry and heartbroken. Her mom died a little over a year ago. And agh. It hurt my heart to read about her death, because Aileana knows so much about it. Sniffs. But it was also very interesting to read about. This book is set in Edinburgh in Scotland in 1844. Which I loved. There are so many amazing past things to read about. Since Aileana is a Lady, there is a lot of things she cannot do. It was pretty awesome, hih. But oh. I would never have been able to live like that. A bit confused about the kind-of flying cars, though. Enjoyed them, but not sure they existed? Still, awesome.

I really liked the writing in The Falconer. It was beautiful. And I loved the way the characters spoke. Most of all I just really loved Aileana. I won't say too much about the plot, just a few things. Like the fact that Aileana kills faeries in secret. Which was just so cool, to be honest. Not like the faeries I have read about before. And I liked that very much. There are so many bad ones, yet we don't even get to read about all of them. She is trying to get revenge for her mother, who was killed by a faery. Sniffs.

There is this really cute faery, though. That lives in Aileana's dressing room. Derrick. He is very small. And handsome. And all kinds of awesome. (Not any kind of romantic feelings, though, just so you know.) But he is amazing. I loved reading about him. Though he do keep a lot of secrets as well. Grrr. But yes. I loved reading about him a lot. He was a great friend for her. Another great friend of hers was Catherine. Whom I also liked reading about. She was very kind and sweet. I loved their friendship. It was very real.

Aileana has been killing the faeries for more than a year now. And she has been fighting with Kiaran for that long. And swoons. Kiaran. I loved him to pieces. He is also a faery. I'm still not sure if he is a good or bad one. Both, I think. Because I really truly loved him. He is just so amazing to read about. He is a bit cruel at times. But nothing that bad. There are some amazing tension between them that I really loved. Not much romance, but a little bit. I need more. So much more. I cannot wait to read the sequel.

Anyway. I really loved reading about Kiaran. But agh. He keeps a lot of secrets. I have some suspicion about some of it, but there is so much I need to know. I'm a bit sad that I didn't get to know anything about it in this book. Agh. But the next one. There must be more in the next one. I really hope so, anyway. The fighting scenes between him and Kam, as he calls Aileana, was so amazing to read about. And agh! Kam was such a sweet name for her. Sigh. And swoons. I think they would be perfect together.

His eyes meet mine, and for a brief second, I feel that connection to him again.
An innate understanding. A like-ness that I can't begin to describe or comprehend.

This is where there will be a little bit of spoilers. About this character named Gavin. I guess someone would call this book a love triangle. And I see how it could be so. But I don't think it is. You see, Aileana knew Gavin years ago, he is Catherine's brother. Aileana used to want to marry him. But he has been gone for two years. And now she does not feel any passion for him, as she says. She is not in love with him. But oh. There are some things that complicates.. A scandal. But I don't think it will be a triangle.

I want to talk about all the things. But I will not. Just that I really loved the plot in this book. And I really loved reading about the characters. Though, yeah, I loved Kiaran the most, hih. <3 But yesss. I need to know all his secrets. And it will break my heart if Aileana can't deal with his past. Sigh. But I have hope. And I cannot wait to read book two. Sigh. I'm just so excited! I really loved this book. Also, there are a few quotes from the book in my review. Be aware that they are from the ARC and they might change.

I am a little bit confused about when the sequel will come out. Chronicle Books is the US publisher, and they say 2015. But Gollancz, the UK publisher, says October 30th 2014. I really, really hope it will come out then in the UK. <3 Because I need The Vanishing Throne right away, please. I cannot wait to read it. Because holy crap. The ending for this book. It is heartbreaking. It is evil. It is just cruel. And I loved it. But yess. I need the sequel as soon as possible, please. I really, really must know what happens next.

Huge thank you to Chronicle Books for accepting my request to read and review this book via Edelweiss. <3 I'm sorry it took me so long. But I'm also so glad that I finally decided to give it a chance. Because I really did love it a lot. But holy crap. You can't end a book like that! You can't. So evil. I need to know what happens next. I need the sequel right away. <3 I cannot wait. Anyway. I think you would all love this book. I hope so. I didn't think I would like it, yet I loved it so much. Which was all kinds of awesome.

When he unfastens the first button, I begin to shake. This is too intimate.
Just when I think I have myself under control, that my facade is impenetrable,
he does something new to shatter it. To remind me that I'm still human,
and that no man has ever touched me like this.

Goodreads - Pre-Order

Update: Newer and better review of the book can be found here.

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Cover & Title Reveal: The Raven Boys #3 by Maggie Stiefvater

I am LOVING this cover and title. It is killing me a bit. I loved The Raven Boys and The Dream Thieves SO MUCH and this third book.. the wait is seriously killing me. I cannot wait to read it :D I just know that it will be amazing. <3 And this cover. Swoons. It is so perfect. I love it. And the title too. Dies. So gorgeous. I cannot wait to read more of Gansey; who is my favorite character. Though I also really love Blue :) And Ronan. And Noah. And just everyone. But yeah. Gansey, my love. <3 There must be some amazing romance between Gansey and Blue. There better be. Oh, how I hope. And Gansey and bees. It freaks me out. But I love heartbreak and pain so I very much want a few more scenes like that, please. October 28th needs to get here pretty soon. I need Blue Lily, Lily Blue in my life. Right now, please. (Also, you should know that Maggie's other book, The Scorpio Races is perfect as well. Go read it.)




Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo: My Collection

I've been wanting to share my collection of The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo for a while now. And today I'm finally doing so, hih. <3 It is pretty big. At least, I think so. And I love it all so much. Though I do wish it was even bigger :D And my collection will grow A LOT in June.. heh. More about that below all the pictures. And there will be a lot of pictures. So if you want to see them bigger, just click on them :) I have a lot of the books. A little bit of swag. And a lot of gorgeous jewelry that I bought from Hebel Design. <3 It is the best. Sigh. Also. I very much love these books by Leigh Bardugo. Ruin and Rising cannot get here fast enough. <3 And I adore Leigh as well. She's the best :) Hope you all enjoy this.

First, the books. Which is many. Yet not enough. Missing a few, still :D I have four hardcovers of Shadow and Bone. One to read. One is signed, that I won. <3 And two that are just pretty, hih. I have two hardcovers of Siege and Storm. One to read, one to look pretty. I have three US paperbacks of Shadow and Bone. Three because I am in it, kind of. My blog is. Which is all kinds of awesome. I have one UK paperback of The Gathering Dark, early name for Shadow and Bone. I also have one UK paperback of Shadow and Bone that is newer. And one Spanish paperback. And Shadow and Bone audiobook. <3 Will buy Siege and Storm one soonish. And then I have two UK paperbacks of Siege and Storm. They are gorgeous. And one ARC of Siege and Storm. And then the two German hardcovers of book one and two. Sigh. I very much love my collection. And it will get so much bigger in June. With: Three US harcovers of Ruin and Rising. One is special edition from B&N. Two UK paperbacks of Ruin and Rising. Two US paperbacks of Siege and Storm. One UK paperback of Siege and Storm. And one kindle edition. <3

And then, my swag. Parts of it. <3 Jewelry to come. And another picture of the swag below, which you should make bigger, so that you can see my gorgeous wall better, hih. This is above my bed. And I love it all so much. My signed Shadow and Bone poster of Ravka. <3 It is so gorgeous. My perfect Siege and Storm bookmarks. DIES. Only have two. And they are so damn special to me. And my note from Leigh. Sniffs. It is so perfect. Thank you, Leigh. <3 And my bookmarks from Hebel Design. I need more. But these are so pretty. Sigh. I love them so much. And my keychains from Hebel Design as well, which needed to go up on my wall, hih. And my buttons. Agh. They are so pretty. And then there are those two gorgeous notes from the UK publisher, Indigo, aka Nina. <3 Who is the best. I love being a part of the Grisha Army. And the Mal-entines card.. It is THE BEST. Close up below ;p Which you can click bigger.



Jewelry. Everything together. <3 And then below a close up picture of them. Sigh. They are PERFECT. As you can see, I have three Tracker bracelets. <3 That are bought from Hebel Design. Okay, all of this is bought from her :) She makes awesome jewelry. Then there is my Heartrender bracelet. I just had to buy it. Because, hello, gorgeous! I love it so much. I love all of this so so much. Then there are my two copies of the Stag Locket, which is BEYOND gorgeous. Cause, you know, Mal quote inside. Best quote. Swoons. Mal is the best. <3 And the gorgeous thing in the middle.. my Morozova's Collar. It is stunning. I love it so much. Sigh. All of this jewelry is amazing. I cannot wait to buy more. Which I will soonish :)




I will not go on about my love for these books. As I have done so in all of my reviews. Which are many, lol. But I will talk a little bit. I love these books so much. I just think they are unigue and exciting and just all kinds of amazing. I love reading about Alina. She's adorable. But mostly I love reading about Mal. He is my love. And you have no idea how much it breaks my heart to see people dislike him after Siege and Storm. I don't get it. Mal did nothing wrong in that book. He was hurt. I was hurt. I would have behaved the same, probably. But I won't get into that, since I have talked so much about it these days in the Grisha Re-Read discussion posts on goodreads, hih. Which I am loving, by the way. There is just so much to talk about when it comes to these books. I ship Malina so much. Just so you know. And I cannot wait for Ruin and Rising. <3 I have high hopes for that book. Along with a lot of dread, as I don't know how it will end. I worry too much. But I am beyond excited as well. June cannot get here fast enough. Anyway. I hope you have enjoyed seeing my Grisha Trilogy collection :) I'm excited for it to get bigger.

<3


My blog posts about The Grisha Trilogy.

Waiting on Wednesday #132

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

GUSTAV GLOOM AND THE CRYPTIC CAROUSEL  
(Gustav Gloom #4) BY ADAM-TROY CASTRO

Goodreads Description:

Gustav and Fernie begin their journey to the Shadow Country to save their fathers!

Fernie and Gustav leave the safety of the Gloom Mansion and begin their long journey to the Shadow Country to save their families from the evil Lord Obsidian. Aided by the magical Cryptic Carousel, Fernie and Gustav travel to lots of exotic locations as they try to locate the Shadow Country, meeting a few new foes along the way.

Featuring a unique paper-over-board cover and beautifully dark full page illustrations by Kristen Margiotta.



Hardcover, 248 pages
Expected publication: August 14th 2014 by Grosset & Dunlap
Pre-Order here.

I feel like I have waited forever for this book. And I still have to wait until AUGUST! AGH. But it will be worth it. Because I adore these Gustav Gloom books. And look at that gorgeous cover. Swoon. I love the illustrations in these books so much. Sigh. I cannot wait to read more of Gustav and Fernie. <3
What are you waiting for?

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Cress Tuesday #26

I must admit that I'm loving sharing all of these Cress Tuesday teasers with you all. Because picking the teaser each week makes me love the book all over again. And makes me even more excited to be re-reading the three books in the near future. Hopefully I'll have the time for that soon, as I need to re-read more about Cinder and Kai, hih. <3 Anyway. If you haven't yet had the chance to read Cress, I'm hoping these teasers will convince you to do that :) And if you have read it, I'm hoping these teasers reminds you how amazing this book was. Sigh. You can see all the previous Cress Tuesday posts here. <3 Hope you are enjoying these (mostly) non-spoilery teasers :)


~

 
Her heart was thumping as the elevator descended. She imagined those doors opening
again onto an army of guards, their guns aimed and ready. She figured that by now they
were no doubt being watched. Thorne's distraction could only count for so much, and there
were two cameras in each elevator in the palace. The only question was how long it would
take any guards to reach them once they figured out where they were heading.
 
~
My review of Glitches. My review of The Queen's Army. My blog tour post of Cinder.

Was allowed to do this by Marissa and Macmillan; Thank you. <3 Marissa is the best. Check out her amazing website :D I'm also very much in love with the Lunar Chronicles facebook. So pretty. I hope you enjoy the teasers :) There will be one teaser each Tuesday. Can't wait for you all to read Cress :)
The teasers are now from my finished hardcover copy of Cress :D And oh, how it is gorgeous. <3


Saturday, April 19, 2014

Review: Rebel by Amy Tintera

I'm glad I finally started reading this book. Because I really enjoyed Rebel. Also glad that I decided to re-read Reboot first :) I think this is an amazing series. Though there are only two books. And there doesn't need to be more. But, as always, I do wish for a third book, hih. <3 But oh. I really did enjoy Rebel.

I'm not sure what I should talk about when it comes to this book. There is so much that could be spoilery. Okay, fine, I only want to write about the spoilery parts, lol. But I won't. Probably. At least not much. I'll try. But anyway. Rebel is told from the point of view of Wren and Callum. Which I loved really much.

Wren is still such an amazing character. I adored her. She changes a bit in this book. But she's still pretty amazing and yeah. I like her a lot. It makes me happy that she is honest. Honest about how she feels and what she thinks. That is a good thing. Then there is Callum. I loved getting to read from his point of view. Because, yeah, he is all kinds of awesome. I adore him. I love how.. human, he is. In a way. Since he's only a twenty two. But he isn't fully human either. Which I loved even more. Sigh. I enjoyed getting to know him a little bit more in this book. And I love how much he cares for Wren. The romance is awesome.

There are a lot of new characters in this book. Many I hated. But also a few I liked. Like Riley. I think I liked him. He was Wren's trainer a while ago. I did enjoy reading about him, at least. He was interesting. I also loved getting to see more of Addie. She's still pretty amazing. But agh. This one thing that happens with her broke my heart. So sad. And awful. Yet I couldn't help but love it. Sigh. Then there is Micah. He confused me at first. I was worried. But then I ended up hating him, which was good, lol.

There is a lot of things happening in Rebel. A lot of interesting things. And hurtful things. And oh. There is so much murder in this book. I liked it. Though I didn't care too much about those who died, hih. But it was pretty sad as well. Sigh. Anyway. We also learn more about the Reboots in this book. And I really loved that, as I think it is an amazing plot twist. I loved reading about it. Though there are also a little bit of kind-of torture in this book. It was sad. But also kind of interesting. But yes. Broke my heart.

I don't want to say too much about Rebel. But I do want to say that it is an amazing sequel. And I loved the romance parts. I was worried. I was worried about a love triangle; but there isn't any hints of that. Just so you know. Which made me beyond happy. Sigh. It also made me happy that not that much time passes in this book. That was good. Anyway. I really loved the romance between Wren and Callum. <3 It is beyond sweet. And I loved reading about it so much. I loved reading about everything in this book.

I'm unsure how to rate this book. Because while I loved it, and I didn't hate any parts of it, I also had a few small issues with the writing. Which broke my heart. I enjoyed it a lot, honest. But I also thought that it wasn't all that perfect. And it made me have some issues with connecting to the book at first. So. I'm going to rate this book with a five star. Because I did love it a lot. But it was a four point five at times. But yes. Rebel is an amazing book full of action and murder and romance. It's pretty awesome.

Huge thank you to HarperTeen for the auto-approval on Edelweiss so that I was able to read and review Rebel early. <3 Though I do wish I had read it in January. Hm. But also just happy that I finally read it, hih. As it is an amazing book. And I cannot wait to get my hardcover of it. So pretty as well. I adore the book covers for Reboot and Rebel. They are pretty and unique. Anyway. As I said, Rebel is an amazing book. And I think you will all love it. So if you read Reboot then you really need to read Rebel as well. <3

In My Mailbox #129

I did not get a lot in the mail this week. Only two books! Agh. I am shocked, lol. But it is because of this easter thing. No mail for days. And no mail today either. Sniffs. So nothing until Tuesday. But hopefully things will start arriving then; as I am waiting for a bunch of books. :) But even though I got little in the mail, I have had a lot of new blog posts. I have read a lot as well. Which makes me happy. Going to share all the new posts, hih. First, my reviews for this week: Invaded. Prisoner of Night and Fog. Shipwreck Island. Reboot. And I'm currently writing my review of Rebel, which will post in a moment. <3 Cover reveals: Talon. The Cure for Dreaming. Everblaze. Cress Tuesday. My poor Scarlet. Sniffs. And my Waiting on Wednesday. So yeah. There were a lot of new posts this week :D What did you get this week?

Sea of Shadows. I will read this book soonish, I think :D And omg. I won a signed copy! Coming soon :)
The Mark of Athena. You all know of my love for Percy Jackson. <3 Best book. Gorgeous US paperback.

I was supposed to write about this last week. But I kept forgetting :p Just luck that I just remembered it, lol. Anyway. Last week I watched two movies at the cinema. First, Noah. Which I very much liked. I thought it was a great movie. Except that I didn't like Ham. The bible isn't anything for me, so I haven't read the "real" version of this story. Just know that I enjoyed this one. Cannot wait to watch it again.

Then I also watched Divergent the next day. And I'm not sure how to feel. It was a favorite book of mine for a long time; until I read better ones, lol. But yeah. I still love that book. But this movie. I'm not sure why, but it bored me. I sat there for over two hours being bored. And waiting for it to finish :p It was pretty good, though. It was probably the best book-to-movie adaption. But I also didn't love it. Because a lot of things were different from the book. The fear landscapes were different. Especially when Tris did her test at the end, with Four wanting to sleep with her. In the movie he tried to rape her and she kneed his balls. And seriously. IT WAS NOT LIKE THAT IN THE BOOK. It annoyed the crap out of me. Sigh. Anyway. There was just so much about that movie I did not like. I didn't feel much for it. I think I liked the actors. Though not that much. I wanted Tris to have blonde hair. Was it really THAT difficult to find a blond actor?! I think not. Ugh. And Four. He did not look like I pictured him. Sigh. He's handsome. Kind of. But not really for me. Sniffs. And Tris's friends. They all looked the same. Which confused me even more. (Will, Al, Peter) And omg! Just remembered. What pissed me off even more was how many initiates there were. Waaaaay above 30. Which was not in the book. Ugh. Sorry. I was just not very happy with this movie. Maybe a 2.5 star for me. Or just a 2 star. I can't be sure. Anyway. <3

In My Mailbox is an weekly meme made by The Story Siren.

Friday, April 18, 2014

Book Recommendation: Reboot by Amy Tintera


Re-reading Reboot made me happy. And I'm so glad that I finally decided to do so. I've been meaning to re-read it ever since I downloaded Rebel for review back in January. But I was nervous. I was nervous about not loving it the same way this second time, as it has been more than a year since I first read it. But I shouldn't have worried. Because I loved it so much. I still think Reboot is an amazing book. It is exciting and fun and full of amazing romance. I'm so happy that I finally read it again. It's awesome.

I'm not going to recap the book in this recommendation of mine. Because I feel that I would end up talking for ages, lol. But I will say that the plot in Reboot is amazing. I enjoyed it so much. It's exciting and surprising and full of action. And the romance. Swoon. More on that soonish. There is a lot of death in this book. But I didn't really mind. Except for this one death. That broke my heart. But it also made sense, and I think I would have made the same choice. Sniffs. But yes. It was very heartbreaking.

Reboot is told from the point of view of seventeen year old Wren. Who is all kinds of amazing. I loved her. And I loved reading about her. At first she doesn't feel all that much. Which I didn't mind. But then Callum arrives and she starts to change. And I loved that so much. I think she ended up an even better person. But anyway. I adored reading about her. I adored her scars, even though they shame her. I think she's beautiful. And agh. I really loved reading about her and cannot wait to get to know more of her.

Wren is a Reboot. There are a lot of them in this book. And that was such an awesome plot twist. I loved getting to know stuff about them. How much stronger they are than other humans. How fast they heal. How different they are as well. So awesome. Wren has been dead for 178 minutes, which is the most at the moment. What she had to go through was so heartbreaking to read about. Yet I wanted to read more and more. Sigh. I just love to torture myself, don't I? lol. But yeah. I thought the Reboots were amazing.

One of the things I loved the most about Wren was her roommate and friend, Ever. I adored her as well. But I really loved their friendship. It gets better and more real after Callum arrives. And they are just too cute. Sigh. Ever is amazing. Though holy crap. Such awful things happen with her. Heartbreak. But also so interesting to read about. It was amazing. Sigh. There are a few other characters in this book that I liked as well. Like Addie. Would like to get to know her more as well. She did seem awesome.

Then, of course, there is Callum. Who is a Twenty-Two. Which is a very low number for a Reboot. It means that he has more emotions that the others, and is more human. And sigh. I loved that. Because Callum is amazing. I loved reading about him so much. And I loved getting to know him. I loved how he was with Wren. He is horrified with how many she has killed, but I feel like he accept her. I hope. The romance is very sweet in this book. It made me grin like crazy. Callum is just all kinds of amazing.

I don't want to say more about this book. Just that it is incredible. And I need you all to read it. Especially since the last book, Rebel, is coming out in less than a month. <3 Though, yeah, I'm reading it in a moment since I have a review copy of it :D And I cannot wait. I need to know what happens next. Anyway. Reboot is a stunning novel. I loved it. And I loved the writing as well. Just loved everything about it. Sigh. I also cannot wait to read more books by Amy Tintera. She's pretty amazing as well.

~

He slid his hand into mine and leaned over to press a soft kiss onto my cheek.
I shifted a little closer, until his warm arm rubbed against mine,
and lowered my gaze to hide the goofy smile spreading across my face.

Cover Reveal: Everblaze by Shannon Messenger

I cannot not share this gorgeous cover. I die a little everytime I look at it. IT IS GORGEOUS. Simply perfect. Everblaze is the third book in this amazing middle grade series. I really loved Keeper of the Lost Cities and Exile. <3 They are both awesome books. And this. I cannot wait to read Everblaze. Just look at that cover! FITZ! My love! And Fitz and Sophie. He is holding her. Holding hands. Kind of. It is adorable and it is killing me. So much gorgeousness. Just wishing I didn't have to wait until November to read it. Grrr. But it will be worth the wait; I just know it. <3 (Biggest wish is for Sophie and Fitz to become a couple. Fingers crossed.) But I'm also so excited for more of that awesome world and plot. Sigh. November cannot get here fast enough. No summary yet, but hopefully soon. I cannot wait to read that, hih. Also. Shannon is amazing. I adore her. She's just awesome. What do you think of the cover?




Thursday, April 17, 2014

Review: Shipwreck Island by S. A. Bodeen

I wanted to read this book because of that gorgeous cover. It looks awesome. And then the summary. Though I was a little bit worried that I wouldn't like it. But I did. I liked it a lot. It is also a middle grade book, which is all kinds of awesome. The main character, Sarah, is twelve years old. And the other main character, her new stepbrother, Marco, who is also twelve.

This book truly isn't that long. Which I wish it had been. It was a very fast read. And I enjoyed reading it. Loved that it was told from the point of view of Sarah and Marco. Though I do wish we had gotten to know them both a little bit more. But I liked them. The plot in this book is that Sarah's dad just married Marco's mom. And now they all live together. Nacho as well.

We don't get to read all that much about it, which I'm a little bit sad about, because agh. I really enjoyed this book and I wanted to know more. I wanted it to be even longer. But I also liked that it was short. But yeah. There better be a second book, hih. <3 And it better be out pretty soon, as I do not like waiting, lol. But anyway. I felt with Sarah, who was not happy with the new wife. Sure, I wish she could have tried to make the best of it, but then. I probably wouldn't have been all that happy about it either, at that age. Marco isn't very happy either, since they had to leave their home and friends. Though his younger brother, Nacho, seemed more okay with it. He's adorable. I pretty much liked all the characters.

I don't want to say too much about this book, as it isn't that long yet a lot of things happen. But you know most of it from the summary. The family is going on a sail trip, and then they shipwreck. Which is pretty obvious from the title. I found all of that to be pretty awesome to read about, and also a little scary. I liked it. They wreck near this island and that is where it gets even more interesting. I'm not going to say more, just that I liked reading about the island. So creepy. And all kinds of awesome.

I'm giving this book a four star. I enjoyed it, but I didn't fully love it, as I had a few issues with the writing. And the length of the book. I wished it had been so much longer, as I'm really curious about what will happen next. And, you know, it ends with a cliffhanger. But I also really liked this book. I'm a bit surprised that I did. But I'm happy. I enjoyed it. It is also a bit creepy, which I enjoyed a lot. Not going to say more. Just, Shipwreck Island was an exciting middle grade book. It was fun to read. And I'm glad that I did. Huge thank you to Ksenia and Macmillan Kids for the print ARC of this gorgeous book. <3

Cover Reveal: The Cure for Dreaming by Cat Winters

I am so excited for this cover. It looks gorgeous. And I adore Cat Winters so much. The Cure for Dreaming cannot get here fast enough. <3 I loved her first book; In the Shadow of Blackbirds. And it makes me so excited that this book is from the same time period; sort of :D I just cannot wait to read this book. It sounds so amazing. And looks so awesome. And agh. I'm very excited. Because I adore Cat. And her writing. And yeah. The Cure for Dreaming will be amazing. <3 What do you think of the cover?


Olivia Mead is a headstrong, independent girl—a suffragist—in an age that prefers its girls to be docile. It’s 1900 in Oregon, and Olivia’s father, concerned that she’s headed for trouble, convinces a stage mesmerist to try to hypnotize the rebellion out of her. But the hypnotist, an intriguing young man named Henri Reverie, gives her a terrible gift instead: she’s able to see people’s true natures, manifesting as visions of darkness and goodness, while also unable to speak her true thoughts out loud. These supernatural challenges only make Olivia more determined to speak her mind, and so she’s drawn into a dangerous relationship with the hypnotist and his mysterious motives, all while secretly fighting for the rights of women. Winters breathes new life into history once again with an atmospheric, vividly real story, including archival photos and art from the period throughout.