A Serious Amount of EPICNESS

Yes. Epicness is a word. If it wasn't before, it is now. Why am I using such words do you ask? Well because I am reviewing Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson today! I know, my blog has been very neglected for the past couple of days. To be honest, I've been very preoccupied with the YA Scavenger Hunt going on. It ends tomorrow at noon, so if you haven't started it yet. . .GET STARTED. After you finish reading my post, that is. I'm sure you don't want to miss this because Amy & Roger is an EPIC book, I swear. Since I finished the Scavenger Hunt today, I am free to write my post! Yay. So let's take a look at the cover of this book first, shall we?

I don't know why, but I LOVE this cover. It gives a really good impression of what the book is going to be about, but still leaves SO MUCH out.

Alright, so I LOVED this book. This was actually a re-read. I already told you that before, right? Well either way, it was. I had read it this past summer before I even started my blog. But this was just one book I HAD to include here, so I re-read it. This book was just as great, if not more, the second time around. I love the adventure, the emotion, and just the writing style in this book. It's funny, it's serious, and it's riveting. Once you start this book, you have no choice but to finish it happily.

Okay, so WHAT'S IT ABOUT? Well, gee, calm yoursleves. I'm getting there. Amy & Roger is about a girl named Amy and a boy named Roger who take a roadtrip across the country together. Simple, right? WRONG. That was leaving a bunch of things out. Some of which I will cover in my character rundowns late in this post, and others you will have to discover for yourself when you read this book. Because you really should read this book. If you don't I have an itching suspicion you'll regret it. Morgan is a wonderful author and I KNOW she has many great things to come.

One thing in particular I was pleased with in this book was the playlists. Throughout the book, there are several playlists made by Roger for the trip; he makes them along the way. Some of the music on them I knew (Owl City, The Killers, Guns 'N Roses, A New Found Glory, etc.) and others were completely new to me (Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin...). Yes, I only listed one band in that category because I love the name of that band. I love bands with names that sound like inside jokes or you-just-had-to-be-there moments. It adds a. . .complexity, I guess, to the band. Back to the point, I loved the music on the playlists. I knwo for a fact that if you search some of the songs on the lists on YouTube, in the comments there will be something about this book. Not all of the songs, but some. "Travel Song" by Someone Still Loves you, boris Yeltsin, for one. Another thing about the playlists: the titles cracked me up. Seriously. I mean "The Ballad of Amy's Lost Sunglasses"? I love these titles. Plus, they strike me as sweet in some ways. Some of them, I mean.

Alright, time for my character rundown. Who will I be telling you about today? You guessed it - Amy and Roger! First, Amy. the story is told from her point of view. She is very unhappy, you may even want to call it depressed, after the death of her father. Now she has to drive all the way across the country with some guy she's supposed to remember from her childhood but has virtually no recollection of. Yeah. That doesn't exactly strike her woo-hoo! bone. But as the trip goes on, she changes and grows as a person/character. In the end, I liked Amy. She's a good lead. Now for Roger - OH ROGER. Hehe, yep, he's one of those. Completely sweet, friendly, seemingly okay with carting a high-school girl across the country while he's going to his dad;s in Philidelphia even though he's about to be a sophmore in college. But that's just on the surface. On the inside, he is still 100% puzzled as to why his ex-girlfriend dumped him. With pretty much no explanation at all. (I KNOW, RIGHT? Such a witch with a b.) - (I don't understand how anyone can dump Roger.) So, yeah. Roger has that little conflict circling within his attractive little head.

Yes. A romance DOES spark between Amy and Roger, but it is NOT over the top or anything. It is definitely perfect for this story. It fits in perfectly and satisfies readers like me. Yep, romance junkies. You get a wonderful fill of "AWWWW!" moments that make you wish Roger and another certain character I have a soft spot for are real. So, not to worry, Friends. this book will make you happy.

Okay, the character I have a soft spot for is named Lucien, and he is a perfect southern gentleman. Whom I enjoyed reading about immensely. Plus, he is descibed as totally gorgeous! Get this - Gorgaous AND kind AND a gentleman. If only, right?

The ending. Oh, trust me, the ending of this book is not torturing. Though you WILL wish you could hear more about these lovely characters, you are let down easy when the book is over. You know it's coming. You're ready for it. And the ending isn't devastating. It wraps up the whole plot geniusly.

RATING: 5/5 stars for Morgan. Kudos, chica. I LOVED and ENJOYED this book so oh very much. I thank you for writing this book, Morgan. It was amazing. As for other books you can read by Morgan Matson, Amy & Roger was her first, but her second book, Second Chance Summer, comes out May 8th of this year! That's really not that far away, if we're being realistic. I know I'm excited about it, and I'm sure you will be too once you read Amy & Roger.

Okay, so that i it, Friends. I'll let y'all know more about books I'm going to read in another post sometime. Thank you all for reading this and PLEASE remember to FOLLOW. Yep, I said it: FOLLOW my blog. Please and thank you.

Until next time, Friends!

♥Jessica(:

Oh, I'm There :)

I finished Take Me There by Susane Colasanti! Before I get into what I thought of the book and whatnot, I must tell you about how much I love this author. This is the fourth book I've read by this author and I think I only have one more to read before I've read them all. Well, until her next book, Keep Holding On, comes out in a few months, but I shall share info about THAT with you all later. (EEEK! I can't wait for it to come out so I can read it!) Anyways, back to my point. Susane Colasanti is definitely in the upper ranks of my Fave Authors list. Like, I don't even have to read the description of a book by her to want to read it. Just stick her name on the cover and I'm sold. Yes. She is just that amazing. She is working her way up to sarah Dessen status in my mind- and believe me that is worth a lot. I've read all of Sarah's books and own, like, five of them. I do own one of Susane's, too. . . To the point again. Susane Colasanti is awesome.

Okay, so on to Take Me There. As always with Susane, I loved this book. I always love the specific voices and tones she sets inside her characters. It gives them unique personalities that we can all identify with. Which we all know is important because if we can't identify with the characters, then the book rings false and isn't as interesting. Take Me There, though, made me fall in love with the characters (for the most part) and kept my attention all the while. I got kind of sad when I read the last page. Not in a depressing way, but in a way that certainly means I wouldn't have been disappointed to read more. (I would have been elated to read more!)

Okay, so now for the character rundown. I shall share with you a little about the three main characters. Yes, I say THREE this time and not TWO because this book shifts between the points of view of these three characters- Rhiannon, Nicole, and James. Let's start with Rhiannon. She is the smart, kind, OCD girl that everyone knows and loves. I personally liked her, and I hoped for the best for her throughout the whole book. Like, seriously, it was about time she saw the light. (You'll get it when you read it yourself.) Now Nicole. Nicole is the quiet girl who looks much more outgoing than she really is. Just because she dresses the way she does doesn't mean she acts that way too. Nicole was okay. I admired her devotion to her best friend (Rhiannon) and her courage to help out another friend (not Rhiannon). She bothered me a little, though. Although it is for a biased reason that works out to make me happy in the end. (DANNY.) Now on to James. Oh, James. James was my favorite character. He was the one who had it all together but was really falling apart the whole time. Yes, this makes sense. What I mean by this is that he was going through things just like the other characters, but he held it together best, I think. He came to his senses the quickest and then ACTED on it. Seriously, YOU GO, DUDE! :)

I feel the need to point aout something in particular I loved in this book. At one point, when he was describing his friendship with Rhiannon, James says, "We're solid." I personally LOVE this phrase or saying or whatever it is categorized as. It just makes me think of mellow people and being mellow and stuff and it just makes me so happy whenever I read/see it. Another thing. The Beatles song "Because" is used in this book. I love the Beatles. I am even listening to "Because" right now as I write this. Kudos, Susane. Your characters have awesome tastes in music!

The ending. I have nothing bad to say about the ending at all. This is a stand alone book (obviously), so there is no reason for a dreadful ending or anything. It just ends in a way that I really liked. It gave me a nice, peaceful feeling.

Rating time! I rate this book 5/5 stars. Man do I love this book. Especially James. He totally won me over. I suggest this book to everyone. Boys, girls, apes. EVERYONE. It is not a total girl book if you don't let it be. Plus, there are whole parts narrated by a BOY. In a realistic way, too. So you should read it.

Okay, so I thank you all for reading this! I'll give you another reading list sometime soon and update you all on my current reading endeavor then, too. Be sure to follow this blog if you haven't already! If there is some other way you usually follow blogs that I DON'T have, be sure to let me know. I'm new to this. Help me out a little. Again, thank you all & please follow!

Until next post, Friends!

♥Jessica(:

Veil Between Worlds

So, I just finished The Grimoire Chronicles: Veil Between Worlds by Sally Dubats. To be honest, when I began reading this I did not expect to enjoy it as much as I did. Yes, I thought it looked good and it was certainly the kind of book I would read- witchcraft, gorgeously enchanting male interest that has some secrets -but I didn't really set my hopes too high. Then I began reading the book. It was a great book! The prelude prompts questions that has answers within the secrets of the book, and the first chapter draws you in so you can understand what the heck she - Cassie - means.

Ah, then there is the romance. I do not hide the fact that I am a romance junkie. If there is romance in a book, I will probably read it no matter what other factors are involved. Cassie and Trenton - who I will tell you about later in my character rundown - meet in circumstances that aren't the best. But then they grow on each other. It's one of those relationships where they're sort of annoyed with each other a bit in the beginning, but then grow on each other because they are such nice, caring people. And then there's the fact that Trenton has a Match, but I'll let you learn that stuff yourself when you read it. My point here is, there is a decent amount of romance, and it holds the story up but does not dominate the story. There is much, much more to this story than romance, but the romance is sufficient to keep people like me riveted.

All right, NOW it is character rundown time. I shall tell you about the two main characters- Cassie and Trenton. Cassie is the protaganist, the girl we're hearing - or reading, I guess - the story from. She practices Wicca and is the odd girl out in school and around town. Immensely shy, exceedingly friendly most of the time, and genuinely kind. (Yes, the kind thing is different than the friendly thing. Trust me.) What gets me about Cassie is that she has this unexpected drive in her. A drive that leads her into protecting and helping those she cares about. I really liked that about her. Now on to Trenton. Oh, Trenton. I liked Trenton. In the beginning he tried to play the whole I-don't-really-care-leave-me-alone-at-least-I-let-you-live thing, but then he sincerely cares about Cassie and I loved that. He ends up adoring Cassie, which made me very happy. Sweet boys always get me. What I particularly liked about Trenton, though, was his confidence. He was confident, but only to a certain point. I liked that he knew his limits regarding this and wasn't one of those over-confident idiot boys. They can irriatate me. It's like: seriously, dude. You need help, TAKE IT ALREADY. Geez. So I thoroughly enjoyed Trenton.

**Quick note: I personally really really REALLY liked Jean-Luc. I have a real soft spot for him and his French accent.**

Okay, so the ending. The ending was not terrible. I was happy about that. Since there IS going to be more books to go along with this one - this was the first in an eight part series; the next book is called Winter Solstice - I was dreading the fact that there would be a huge cliff-hanger at the end, like there was at the end of The Lost Saint. Luck was with me, though. The ending is NOT a dreadful cliff-hanger, though it is intriguing. It pushes you toward the next book, and man do I want to read the next one NOW, but it does not shove it at you and make you want that book so so so so so bad when you can't have it. I can breathe as I wait.

Now for the rating. I rate The Grimoire Chronicles: Veil Between Worlds with 4 out of 5 stars. I truly enjoyed this book and suggest it to anyone who like witchcraft type things or has an interest in Wicca. You can learn a bunch in this book. It's super interesting. Or if you're just looking for a nice adventure with a nice male lead. You should totally check out this book. I think you will end up enjoying it just as I did.

All right, that's it, Friends. I'm currently reading Take Me There by Susane Colasanti and will have a review up for that sometime during the beginning of this week - Monday or Tuesday, probably. I'll give you guys my updated reading list sometime, too.

Thank you all for reading my review and please, please, PLEASE remember/feel free to follow my blog! Thanks to everyone who has already done so. And another thank you to Sally Dubats for this book. I am glad I read it.

Until next post, Friends!

♥Jessica(:

A DIVINE Book! (Part 2)

Last night, I finished The Lost Saint by Bree Despain, the sequel to The Dark Divine. Yet again, Bree Despain has woven an enchanting story that holds my attention super efficiently. As you know, I read in school a lot, so that is certainly a good quality for a book to have on my part. I will admit, this book was more frustrating than the first. Then again, that should be expected when we're on the second book in a series- we know the characters better, so when they decide to do stupid things when we KNOW they aren't really that dumb. . .well, it gets irritating.

I DID love this book, though. Since I gave you a rundown of Grace and Daniel last time (in my post titled "A DIVINE Book!"), I'm just going to throw in a little rundown of a new character introduced in this book that I am growing wuite fond of- Talbot. OH TALBOT. Talbot- the firce, tough guy who is super friendly but can kick some serious butt. He will surprise us but win us over in the process. I suggest we all hold some faith in him.

Just like in The Dark Divine, there was a big question of faith and keeping hold of one's soul. Just like in the last book also, this aspect was refereshing and supremely interesting. There is no shortage of "AWWWW!" moments, and certainly no scarcity of moments that we all just want to slap Grace. And again, we can't help but really like Grace anyway. Grace is such a strong character, no matter what she's done we can't help but be on her side rooting for her the whole way.

I know that the ending of the first book was very nice and closure-filled, but this book was TOTALLY DIFFERENT. The ending of this book makes me want to cry because who knows when I'll get a chance to read the next book, The Savage Grace? The ending KILLED me. Not because it was a bad ending really, but because it was such a cliff-hanger! Ugh, goodness please bring me some good luck so I can read this next book ASAP.

As for my rating, I am changing up the rating system a little bit. Since I am now on Goodreads, and Goodreads does their ratings with five stars, I'll go with the flow and rate mine out of five. (For the record, The Dark Divine would have gotten 5 out of five stars.) I rate The Lost Saint with a 4 out of five stars. A great sequel to The Dark Divine, and a captivatin bridge to the last book in the trilogy. Bree Despain, I LOVE YOU.

Okay, that's all folks. Thank you for reading my post! I shall post again soon, but not as soon as today, Friends! Oh, and please remember to follow my blog! Again, thank you all so much!

♥Jessica(:

♥TEAM PEETA♥

So, as I told you I was going to yesterday, I saw Hunger Games last night! I must say- OH. MY. GOSH. It was such an amazing movie. It stuck by the book enough to satisfy me, but not too much so that it wouldn't make sense to others or be boring for people who did read the books (like me). And was it just me, or did we all have a little mini heart attack at you-know-what-part? I mean, we all knew it was coming, but then BOOM! They just jumped out and it was loud and I. personally, was startled.

All right, now I will be the first to admit that I had a bunch of doubts about Josh Hutcherson playing Peeta. I have always liked Josh, but I wasn't sure Peeta would be the best role for him. Boy, was I wrong about that. Josh played the best Peeta I ever could have imagined. I am glad to say: I was certainly not disappointed. I always was Team Peeta, ever since I read the books. I never wavered. But Josh just gave me a nice big burst of Team Peeta pride.

And Haymitch? Woody Harrelson played a marvelous Haymitch. Everyone played their parts spectacularly. I swear, this movie was career-making for every single actor there who wasn't already, you know, "established" since there were a lot of newbie actors/actresses in this movie. Every single one did an amazing job and portrayal of the characters.

Even if you didn't read the books, you should most DEFINITELY see the movie. I promise you, you'll love it. It's not just some love story or anything- though there are aspects of that kind of tale as well. There is loads of action and AWESOME things that happen. You will laugh, you may cry, and you'll probably jump out of your seat in mini-heart-attack style, and you will LOVE it.

AND, if you haven't read the books, I suggest you do. They were truly wonderful books. Plus, they explain some things that may not be clear in the movie in fuller detail. Also, if you want to know what happens next after the first story ends, you can read on to Catching Fire and find out! See, it could be so beneficial.

All right, that's all I'll say because I don't want to actually, you know, spoil anything. Spoilers can be irritating. That's totally not me. So, keep an eye out for my next post, which should be up soon, like real soon: a review od The Lost Saint by Bree Despain. Thank you all for reading my post and PLEASE, feel free to follow my blog!

Good day, Friends, and may the odds be EVER in your favor. ;)

♥Jessica(:

May the Odds be EVER in Your Favor!!

HAPPY HUNGER GAMES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah, that's right - today is Hunger Games Day!!! I am aware that I have said, like, nothing about the Games so far, but 'tis only because I am immensely excited and I tend to get annoying. So I decided to let myself have one post on THE DAY. And today is that day: March 23, 2012! The day I have been waiting for, along with millions of others, for ages! Ah, I am so excited! I'm seeing the movie tonight at 10:30. Sadly, I was not able to do midnight release for this movie like I did with a couple of the Twilight movies. Still, I'm going the day of, so I think that's better than nothing, right?

So, I am proud to say I am one of the people who have been reading these books from the beginning - since before there was even talk of a movie. I waited and waited for Catching Fire, read it, and then waited and waited for Mockingjay. (Please note: I am not saying reading the books later makes anyone less of a fan. I am simply explaining my deep love for these books.) It is so odd to think that a book I started to read warily so long ago is now a movie. I think this book has the possibility to make a great movie, though, if they did it right. So far, from what I've seen in trailers, I'm liking what I'm seeing.

So now, my opinions on SOME of the cast:

 JENNIFER LAWRENCE as Katniss. When I first saw the trailer (in the previews before Breaking Dawn, just saying) the first thing I thought was: That is SO Katniss. She looks just like I could imagine Katniss to look, and she seems to have Katniss' serious demeanor down to a tee. I don't really know anything about Jennifer Lawrence, and I'm glad about that. I do not think I've ever seen a movie with her in it before, and I'm glad about that, too. Jennifer Lawrence shall be only Katniss to me forever more. I hope she does a good job, I really do.

 JOSH HUTCHERSON as Peeta. Okay, I'm going to be honest. When I first saw he was going to be playing Peeta and saw him with the blonde hair and everything, I was a wee bit disappointed. I thought Peeta should have been cuter. I mean, I had pictured Peeta as this gorgeous blonde boy who was way better off than Katniss and then thrown into the Games tragically. But as time keeps going by, I'm really starting to like Josh. And I have heard (or read would be more accurate) only good things about how he plays Peeta. He is supposedly a very very very VERY good Peeta. And you know what? I think he will be a great Peeta, too. I have always loved this kid but did not think he would make a nice Peeta. My faith in him is growing, though, and I don't think I'm going to be disappointed. This is the guys who played in Bridge to Terabithia and made me cry. Who played in Zathura and made me laugh. Oh, yes, do I have high hopes for him.

  **FOR THE RECORD: I am very adamantly TEAM PEETA. Always have been, always will be.**

 LIAM HEMSWORTH as Gale. I do admit that I have no soft spot anywhere for Gale. But I will concede that Liam looks like a PERFECT Gale. I am so serious. I am so glad they picked him. With the dark hair, he is a stunning portrayal of the character whom I felt for, but did not hold much affection for. I think Liam will play a good Gale.

 LENNY KRAVITZ as Cinna. Yeah, I know you're all thinking "Why are you jumping to him?!" Well, Friends, that would be because I LOVE CINNA. I truly do. As far as Lenny playing him, I'm not sure. When I was reading the book, I always had trouble actually picturing Cinna in my head. I'm not sure why since I loved him so much, but I just couldn't. Seeing Lenny as Cinna, I think it really could work. I am not disappointed at all with him being cast as Cinna. I have no clue how well he will act the part, though. This will certainly be one character I shall be on my toes for, hoping for the best through and through. No matter what, though, I will ALWAYS LOVE CINNA!

The last character I'm going to talk about is going to be. . .

 WOODY HARRELSON as Haymitch. Quite frankly, Woody is NOT who I pictured Haymitch to be. I pictured Haymitch as more attractive, but in a letting-himself-go kind of way, you know? Because the victors are usually attractive, but Haymitch had become an alcoholic. I don't know how well he will play Haymitch, but I have a very optimistic attitude for the whole movie in general, so I don't think he will ruin the character of Haymitch. Again, from what I've seen, Woody does a pretty good job. If you think about it, it actually worked out well with Woody being cast as Haymitch. Haymitch was a very humorous character a lot of the time in the books; he made me laugh a bunch. Then again, there is also a solemnity that Haymitch possesses, and must possess, to nail the role. Haymitch may be. . .well, HAYMITCH, but he has his serious side, too.

Okay, that is all I'm doing for my opinioin of the cast because there are just SO MANY people in this movie and I have to cut it off somewhere. I did my favorite characters from the book. Notice that I say BOOK and not BOOKS. That would be because I LOVE FINNICK WITH ALL MY HEART, but we don't meet him until Catching Fire. So I shall lie in wait for his brave, beautiful, attractive self.

I keep thinking about this and it is just so surreal to imagine: in 24 hours, I will have seen Hunger Games. Then I will be hopping around waiting for Catching Fire (because they MUST be doing the whole trilogy, right? It wouldn't be very wise to let THAT opportunity to slip past).

All right, Friends. So I must go now, for I am seeing the movie soon and I really need to, like, calm down. I get very hyper sometimes when I get supremely excited. I can't help it, but I try to rein it in so as not to irritate others. Yeah, that's me, always thinking of others' needs! So I shall bid you all good night and I hope that your own little Hunger Games adventures (if you plan on having any) are just splendiforous!

Oh, and I DO have the GFC thingy on the side of my blog now for you guys to follow. So, what are you waiting for? DO IT. :) AND, I have the thingy for you to subscribe via e-mail. See? No more excuses. Thank you all!

I'll post again soon, Friends!

♥Jessica(:

A Temptation of Angels!

No, Friends this is not a review. This is an announcement: A TEMPTATION OF ANGELS BY MICHELLE ZINK HAS BEEN RELEASED!!!!!!!

What is this book, you ask? Well here is an overview:

Even angels make mistakes in this page-turning epic romance

When her parents are murdered before her eyes, sixteen-year-old Helen Cartwright finds herself launched into an underground London where a mysterious organization called the Dictata controls the balance of good and evil. Helen learns that she is one of three remaining angelic descendants charged with protecting the world's past, present, and future. Unbeknownst to her, she has been trained her whole life to accept this responsibility. Now, as she finds herself torn between the angelic brothers protecting her and the devastatingly handsome childhood friend who wants to destroy her, she must prepare to be brave, to be hunted, and above all to be strong, because temptation will be hard to resist, even for an angel.

Michelle Zink masterfully weaves historical fantasy with paranormal romance to create a gripping tale of love and betrayal.

(This overview is used from B&N's website. I did NOT write this myself.)

A Temptation of Angels was released only yesterday. Yeah, 24 hours ago! I have not read this book yet, but I positively AM. I am simply waiting for my copy to arrive in the mail. Then I shall read it and (I have a GREAT feeling about this) LOVE it! Thank you to Stephanie at Stephanie, A History for the giveaway that won me the book and Michelle Zink for the book in general! Generous people are the best!

So here is what this post is telling you:
1. Take a look at this book.
and
2. READ IT. Seriously, you will not regret it, Michelle Zink is a wonderful author! But those books are a topic for another time.

I WILL be reviewing A Temptation of Angels after I get it and then, you know, read it. So, keep you eyes open for that!

Quick update: I am currently reading The Lost Saint by Bree Despain. Yes, it is the sequel to The Dark Divine, which I reviewed just yesterday, so if you haven't checked it out yet, then. . .what are you waiting for? The post is titled "A Divine Book!"

Are you new to checking out my blog? Then please, follow me! Click the un little button up top that says "follow" and you get to see my regular posts! DO IT.
Do you visit my blog regularly, but don't follow me? DUDE. Follow me! It will save you some time finding my new posts!

All right, so I will bid you all good night now. Thank you so much for visiting my blog! Please, do come again!

Talk to you soon, Friends!

♥Jessica(:

A DIVINE Book!

EVERYONE: READ THIS BOOK!
I swear, this book was so great. What book? Well, those of you who have not read my previos posts, I finished The Dark Divine by Bree Despain yesterday. I am so sad that it's over, but all is well because I have the next book in this trilogy on reserve at the library right now. I shall pick it up ASAP and read it and have more of Daniel and Grace.

A big defining feature about this book would probably be the fact that it IS a werewolf book. I am not going to give any disillusions about that. But this is not any ordinary werewolf book. Actually, Bree used the word "Urbat"- dogs of death. I love learning new words like that. I was also SO so so so so so SO happy that she used the term loup-garou. I really love that term, ever since I read the Strange Angels series by Lili St. Crow. (If you haven't read it, I strongly suggest you give it a shot.) My point is: this book is not just an everyday, boring werewolf-pack story. Actually, the wolf in this book isn't even IN a pack. So, I rest my case. This story is not based around the aspect of Daniel being a werewolf, not really. I'll get more into that in a minute, though.

First, I shall do my character rundown! I'll start with the main character, Grace. Grace is the kind of a girl that will not take "no" for an answer. She is determined and driven, but not in a witch-with-a-"b" way. In a very pure, believing kind of way. She truly BELIEVES that what she is aiming to get done will happen, so she does it. To be honest, I used to think "Grace" was such a boring name. But now, after reading this book and the Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy (by Maggie Stiefvater) I truly think Grace is a beautiful name. It is rare that I actually LIKE the girl main characters in books I read. I usually have so many complaints about them, but I really like Grace. I hope for the best for her. Now, on to Daniel- OH DANIEL. Yeah, Daniel is that lovable kind of guy. You feel for him and his horrible past and love him and his bad boy attractiveness now. I'm not going to give much away about him because it is usually the boy's mysteriousness that adds to the draw of a book, and we all know I do not spoil. Ever. It's just not right, in my opinion.

Okay, now on to the big BOOM reason why this book is just so AMAZING. I think it was very different and intriguing how this book is based around religion, or faith. Not in a "I'm trying to convert you" way - definitely not - but in a matter of fact way. Grace has a strong faith that resonates throughout the whole book. Then, when the big climax part happens, Grace is not so bothered about what she has to do or her huge possibility to mess up with Daniel - well, she is, but that's not the point of that part - she is conflicted about her SOUL and Daniel's SOUL. I love that. It gives a much deeper meaning and pureness to the story being told. Plus, it is very different in a werewolf book. Usually werewolves are worrying about how they keep control. Yes, this is one of Daniel's concerns, but the bigger dilemma is the issue of his soul and an opportuinty to make it into heaven after he dies. And that is absolutely all I am going to say on that matter.

All right. So, I usually say something about the ending -  whether it was good, bad, whatever. The ending to The Dark Divine was actually not too bad. It did leave me wanting more, but not in a way that tore my heart out. More in a way of "Okay, so. . . I'm getting that book now. Whew, that book was GOOD." If that makes any sense. I mean, bookworms like myself should understand. The fact that I am not stretching my view of what a curse word is (because I do not curse) shows just how much closer was had at the end of this book. It was enough to satisfy for a little bit, but not too little so that you forget the book. Oh, you remember. You just remember CALMLY and wait and wait and wait for the next book.

My rating: 10/10. no doubt in my mind. This book was just that terrific. Honestly, Friends- READ IT. You will love it! Don't be like me and keep putting it off. Yeah, I did that with this book. For some reason the books I am most skeptical about at first are usually the ones I enjoy the most in the long run.

All right, I have to wrap this up now, but thank you all for reading my review! READ THIS BOOK and check my other things out, please! If you like what you see, then follow my blog! I will not disappoint. ;)

Until next time, Friends!

♥Jessica(:

YAAAAWN.

Hello, Friends. In case you did not notice from the title of this blog post, I am tired. Here's a fun fact about me: I NEVER get enough sleep. Ever. I try and try, but it just doesn't happen. Now I'm throwing my small level of sleep in with attempting to learn and actually thinking about boring things like accounting. (Yes, I am actually taking an accounging class. It's a double credit, folks!) Anyways, back to the point: I am tired, as I always am, but school just makes it worse. I shall live, though, so I shall move on to things you all care about more than my horrible sleep habits.

Yesterday I gave you a fun little list of what I planned to read in the order in which I planned to read them. I think I may have done something I do not do very often, and never on purpose: I think I lied. Not intentinally or in any way that is super important. The thing is: I am back at school now. I'm not whining this time, I'm just saying that my copy of Veil Between Worlds by Sally Dubats is on my computer (with my Kindle PC app). That means I cannot take it to school with me to read, which is what I do with pretty much all my books. I mean, think about it- how else would I get any major reading done? I have a very tiny amount of time for leisure things on school nights, unfortunately. Back to my point, because I seem to keep getting off track - I told you I tend to ramble - I will probably wait to do big heavy-duty reading of Veil Between Worlds until the weekend. I'll read the beginning during the week, but other than that I will probably be reading Take Me There by Susane Colasanti for now. Probably.

Why did I just say probably? Well - you sharp reader, you - I said PROBABLY because I am only a few pages from finishing The Dark Divine. Now you are asking why this changes things. Well, I'll tell you! This changes things because The Dark Divine is a wonderful book that has a sequel I have put on reserve in the library. That means I should get it soon, and when I get it, I shall devour the awesomeness I KNOW is waiting inside.

On that note, I will have the review for The Dark Divine by Bree Despain up tomorrow sometime. Probably sometime after five- yeah, the school thing again. I'm definitely finishing the book tonight, though. At this moment, there is NO WAY I could sleep leaving off where I stopped reading during accounting. (Yes, I read during class, but only certain ones and during down time. Remember- I am a smart chicky!) I have also decided that I will do individual reviews for each of the books in The Dark Divine trilogy. This is based off of a few reasons:
1. I NEED to tell you about this first book, like, NOW. Yeah, it's just that great.
2. I do not actually have the second book in my hands yet and I don't want to leave you guys waiting forever for a review because that would be mean, and I try not to be a mean person.
and
3. The last book in the trilogy, The Savage Grace, is not in my library yet. I have not a clue when or if my library will get it, so I guess I can't really make any promises. When/if my library gets it, I promise I will get my hands on it ASAP. For you and for me. :)

All right, I think that's it and I have a chemistry test tomorrow. Ew. I'm not too good with chem. Math, yes. English, yes (clearly). But chem? NOPE. Off I go to finish my current marvelous reading endeavor and then work on some review for chem. Wish me luck!

Oh, and for my nice friends who visit my blog often: Can you do me a favor and follow my blog? I KNOW that a bunch of you check it out, but it would be cool to have some actual, you know, followers. I thank you in advance for being so awesome.

Okay, I bid you all a good night. I will post again tomorrow, Friends!

♥Jessica(:

How Time Flies. . .

Friends, my Spring Break is already over! I find this so upsetting. It passed by so quickly and it feels as if I have done nothing with my week off. Honestly, Spring Breaks should be longer. Then again, both you and I know that I actually have done things during this break. . . a whole lot of reading and reviewing, I took my SAT (thank goodness THAT'S over), and stuff of the blogging nature. Still, lost time is sad.

Now on to lighter topics, I am tweaking my Reading List a bit. Not a bunch, just a little. Here is the updated one:
1. The Dark Divine by Bree Despain (I'm currently reading this one. INTERESTING.)
2. The Grimoire Chronicles: Veil Between Worlds by Sally Dubats
3. Take Me There by Susane Colasanti
4. Dark Souls by Paula Morris
and
5. Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson (This one is a reread, but again I say: I LOVED IT. So I will be glad to read it again.)
Again, **Please Note: When I get Between, it automatically goes to the very top of the list. Yeah, I want to read it that bad. what can I say? I'm a sucker for guys named Aiden with Scottish accents.**

I have happy news, well kind of. One piece of this I told you guys yesterday- I'm expecting an ARC of Transcendence by CJ Omololu. I am so excited about this! I don't really get ARCs on a regular basis, unfortunately. It would be great if I did, though! Anyways, my unknown-to-you piece of news now: I am expecting ANOTHER ARC! Yay for me! This one will be an ARC of Immortal City by Scott Speer. It is these kinds of things that make me happy. I shall give more information on these books and stuff when I actually, you know, receive them. I'll read them and review them and all the usual stuff, of course.

Quick thank you to Mrs. ReaderPants for my ARC of Immortal City, Sally Dubats for my copy of The Grimoire Chronicles, and CJ Omololu for my ARC of Transcendence. I am so excited to read all of these books! I have that tingly feeling right now (again) just thinking about it!

Now I just want to say that I do still plan on reading and reviewing and whatnot. I am just giving a heads-up, though that they may not be as frequent now that school is starting back up tomorrow. I am a smart chicky - I'm not bragging, just being serious (I'm graduating a year early, you know) - but high school is a huge time suck. Yes, a necessary one, but nonetheless true. I will still read like a speed demon, but you've been in high school- it is very stressful. I will do the best I can juggle it all, I promise, but cut me a little slack?

Okay, one last thing before I go to do. . .things. I think I'm going to my brother's house today. . . I did not plan on saying this, but I am listening to this song by Paramore called "Oh, Star" and it is such a great song! I don't know why but it is sticking with me right now and I need to tell you about it. It's not new, but it is an old demo that you may not have heard. I, for one, am a huge Paramore fan. So I feel it necessary to spread the word when I discover a particularly awesome song of theirs. Check it out HERE.

All right, and that is it. Thank you all, as always, for checking out my blog, and certainly feel free to take a look at my other posts!

Until next time, Friends! (And wish me luck at school tomorrow!)

♥Jessica(:

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Okay, So I'm jamming a couple things into this post. First: Happy St. Patrick's Day! Amazing how it landed on a Saturday this year, isn't it? Sometimes things are just lucky like that. I hope every single one of you has a great day, though I am not doing anything of excitement. Quick suggestion, read this whole post so you don't miss anything! There really IS going to be a bunch jammed in here.

Which brings me to my next piece of business (I'm not sure how, but I'm moving on anyway): A book review! I told you at the end of my Anna Dressed in Blood review yesterday (post titled "Her Name Looked Beautiful in Blood") that I was reading Sapphique and would review it sometime soon. Well, I finished Sapphique last night- yeah, I'm a fast reader -and now it is time to review the book! So, here it goes. . .

Sapphique by Catherine Fisher. This book was the sequel to Incarceron, so if you want to read this book, read that one first. Unlike the other books I've read and reviewed, this book is not very full of romance. There is some love there, though. Between friends and a parent love, and then some kind of special bond between certain characters that I'm not going to go too much into right now. But back to my point: this book is more of a fantasy adventure. Catherine Fisher whisks you away to the world of Incarceron and the Realm with a special effect that I think a lot of adventurous readers will love. I, personally, do not think these types of books are my cup of tea, but I read them anyway.

When you first begin the books, you are kind of bored and wonder when something will actually, you know, HAPPEN. You think, "hey, maybe I'll just skim this a bit to see what happens. . ." And that's what you do for a while. You skim. Then you get to a part that is so interesting that you actually read it. Then you skim some more. Then  you get to another part worth reading. Then you skim some more. And this whole cycle keeps going until the interesting bits get closer together and you don't even want to skim anymore. Yes, this happened to me. For a while at the beginning of Sapphique I thought I wouldn't be able to write a review because I would not have actually READ the book, and we all know how  I feel about writing reviews on book I haven't even given a chance. Oh, you don't know? I do not write reviews on books I have not finished. If I'm not going to give the book a chance and READ it, I don't have the right to say anything negative about it in a review. Because what would I really be reviewing? The one chapter that is probably -or could be- the most boring chapter in the book? No. Not what I do.

Anyways, moving on. I did like this book. I didn't LOVE it or anything, but it wasn't bad. What gets me about this book is that it has a few storylines happening at the same time. They all fit together in the end, yes. but I would have preferred to have just stayed with the characters outside of Incarceron instead of switching back and forth between being inside and outside. I am a big advocate for Finn+Claudia, so I'm probably biased. Still, I didn't like the whole jumping in and out. I understand that they were both pieces to the story and fit together perfectly at the end so everything would make sense. That does not change my opinion, though.

Okay, quick character run down. Claudia- the Warden of Incarceron's daughter. . .or so she thought. Now faces a bunch of bother in trying to convince people that Finn is the true Prince Giles. She is a strong, clever character that I really had a lot of respect for. Next, Finn- OH FINN. He is. . .well I am not sure how to descibe Finn. He is a very loyal, caring character. He gets somewhat whiny sometimes, but his overall charm makes up for it, in my opinion. and now, Attia. I will not say anything really about Attia, because I do not like her very much. She is one of the characters, along with Keiro- I'll get to him in a minute- inside the prison. She has a bunch of faith in Finn keeping his promise and, yeah. That's all I really want to say about her. Lastly, Keiro! Finn's oath brother. He is the kind of character that looks out for himself, but really has a secret softspot for his oathbrother, though he would be the last person to ever admit it. I find this very appealing in Keiro, which is good because there is not much that is appealing about him. Keiro is not one of many redeeming qualities.

Okay, so my rating. I rate Sapphique a 7/10. That is just my personal opinon, though. I did like the book, but it's not like reading it changed my life or anything. I DO recommend these two books- Incarceron and Sapphique -to any reader that is a big fan of fantasy and adventure and does not put a lot of weight on romance aspects of books. Maybe even if you do, actually, because the love IS there, you just have to really look for it.

All right, so that was the review! Moving on. . .

I got wonderful news yesterday! I opened my e-mail and what did I find? An e-mail saying that I won an ARC of Transcendence by CJ Omololu! This is a big deal for me. I enter a bunch of giveaway/contest thingies for books, and I haven't won any of them. Until now, that is. I am so happy about this! Okay, now before I begin to brag, I'll move on.

I shall give you my Reading List for my next 4 reading endeavors!

1. The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

2. Take Me There by susane Colasanti

3. Dark Souls by Paula Morris

and

4. Amy&Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

**Please note that when I get Between by cyndi Tefft, it will go directly to the top of this list. Just sayin'.**

Okay, so I THINK that was it. . . Yeah, it seems so. I cannot think of anything else I planned to say right now. So I will bid you all good day and thank you for checking out my blog. Please come again. 'Tis a beautiful day outside, Friends. I shall go do something in it? Maybe.

Until next time, Friends!

♥Jessica(:

Her Name Looked Beautiful in Blood

I finally finished reading about a girl named Anna who is dressed in blood last night. We  all know what that means. *drum roll* It's review time! Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake.

So, overall this book was really good. 'Tis a breath of fresh air in the YA paranormal world of books, in my opinion. Anna put a different spin on the boy-meets-girl thing that is so common (and addicting) these days. I'll say more about this later.

First, though, I'm going to let out all my criticism. I really enjoyed this book, but that does not mean it is perfect. And that's a good thing. Perfect books would probably be boring because nothing in this world is perfect. It's just not possible. Anyways, I personally did not like the slow-moving beginning of the story. Now, there was a reason for the pacing of the story, I understand that. This was how Kendare painted the setting of the book so the rest of the story would make sense. This was how she made sure we understood the situation about what was happening to this boy named Cas (though I prefer to call him Cassio). Honestly, my little complaint is not a deal breaker on whether or not to read the book. Clearly it's not, because I finished it. And now I'm reviewing it. remember how I said that I would never review a book I haven;t finished? That still rings true.

And that was my only complaint on the book. That I had to read quite a bit to get past the exposition. I must admit that some of the back story given there was interesting, so that wouldn't even be a whole complaint. More like a half one. So, moving on. Back to the boy-meets-girl thing I was saying earlier. It seems that the boy-meets-girl story line is big within YA books these days. I personally love this type of story because I am a romance junkie. In Anna, though, it is not as simple as that. I knw what you're thinking: It never IS as simple as that. And I know, but this time it's more. . . complicated. Because the girl is dead and a murderer, and the boy is a ghostbuster (don't tell him that, though. he may punch you or something.) Because of this, there truly is no possible way for their emotions to work out. Now, I know what you're thinking AGAIN. (I'm just a little mind reader today, aren't I? Just call me Edward Cullen. I'M KIDDING. DON'T CALL ME THAT.) Right now you're thinking that somehow Cas and Anna are going to find a way for their love to conquer all, because that is what so commonly happens. Here is what I have to say to that: Don't count your chickens before they hatch. And in my no-spoiler fashion, that is all I shall say on that matter.

Quick character rundown. This time, I'm only going to tell you about the two most important characters. First off, the narrator- Cas. His real name? Theseus Cassio Lowood. Theseus Cassio. Yes, I am serious. Everyone just calls him Cas, though. I like to call him Cassio. It sounds so appealing that way. Back to the point, Cas is a ghost-killer. Or, as I said earlier, ghostbuster. He does not like to be called that, though. He makes a nice big point of that in the book which I found funny. You'll see when you read it, and you'll laugh too. So, Cas is a ghost-killer-dude and has come to this town called Thunder Bay where he plans to "kill" (he can't really kill her since she's, you know, dead) a ghost known as Anna Dressed in Blood. This plan, obviously, leads him to meet Anna, the second important character I'm going to tell you about. Anna. The girl who clothes herself in a dress covered in blood. I really like to play on words with her name. anna is such a wonderful ghost. She is self-aware, she is terrifying and strong yet not self-righteous, and she has a special vulnerable but still capable charm that WILL win you over. i mean, it even won over Cas, the boy who was so totally unattainable because of his traveling ghost-killing path in life. The career choice he was so set on. Until Anna came along... And that's it for my character rundown.

I'm going to jump back to the subject of LOVE again. I've already told you that I am a romance junkie, and I am. And by "romance" I mean the whole aspect of "love" that is given in books. Every book I read. Love in every form. And by "every form" I mean love between significant others, love between sblings, love between other family members, love between friends, etc. You get my point. If it makes me go "awwww!" at some point or another, that is what I'm talking about. Anna Dressed in Blood is wonderful with the aspect of love. It has a love that isn't in your face but is instead just. . . there. A love that is inevitable and the vharacters have no choice but to FEEL. A subtle love that is not over the top yet still fulfilling to a reader like me. This was another great facet within the book.

Okay, now I must comment on the ending. I'm not going to say what exactly happened, but it was one of those endings that was not super suspenseful, but makes you want to read the sequel, like, NOW to see what happens. There are so many possiblities. Will Cas figure it out? What will happen to him and Anna? How will their story continue? As far as I know, yes, there is supposed to be a sequel. Once you read the ending, you will understand that a sequel should definietly happen because with an ending like that, if there is not a sequel I may cry. (just kidding. Kind of.) The ending of this book will leave you hoping for the best for our two love birds and eager to cheer them on in the next book.

Wrapping this up, I rate Anna Dressed in Blood an 8 on a scale from 1 to 10. 8/10. I honestly enjoyed this book and suggest that anyone who wants a ghost story with a little more beef to it to read this book. Or anyone who is looking for a fresh new romance that will subtley beat at your heart as you read, in the most terrific way.

Okay, so that's it. Thank you all for reading my review! I'll review Sapphique by Catherine Fisher. . . sometime soon. (Ha.) I just started it last night, so I'll give your guys updates on that later!

Until next time, Friends!

♥Jessica(:

Stars Go Dim♥

Hey, Friends! Today I am going to tell some people who I am glad to be able to call friends of mine. They are also in a little band called Stars Go Dim. Yeah, I know; I usually talk about BOOKS, and now here I am talking about MUSIC. It's all good, though, because these guys are awesome.



(Source)





Stars Go Dim is a band (as I said) made up of three guys named Chris, Michael, and Joey. Honestly, they are three of the nicest guys ever and they make some seriously awesome music. Isn't that enough? Well it should be.



They've played on the same stage as many, many people youjust may listen to every day. This includes (but is certainly not limited to) John Mayer, Sara Bareilles, and Daughtry. Yeah, even if you aren't a fan of those three musicians, you know you've heard them on the radio at some point in your life. Well, Stars Go Dim are just as great, but not as well-known. YET. They have so many awesome songs. My personal favorite of said songs is "Come Around" and there's a mighty good acoustic verion that just makes me so happy. Wanna see it? You can watch it HERE.

What I must say is Stars Go Dim's most common known album is called Love Gone Mad and has loads of great songs that YOU, yes you, should check out. Their new album, Between Here and Now, is, well, new. This is something YOU, yes you again, should also check out because I have and I love it which means it has to be wonderful. It's true. Remember what I said about having  a special skill to pick the good things out of a pile of bad? (If you don't, then check out some of my other posts, I'm sure I mentioned it at least twice). Well that is what I have done with these guys. An amazingly great band picked out of a bunch of. . . not so good bands.



(Source)



Oh, and before I forget (I have a very rambunctious-I'm not even sure I spelled that right, but you get the point-mind. I forget things sometimes as I ramble) I must tell you about how SGD's song "Crazy" was on a BONES commercial during American Idol last night. You saw that commercial? And heard that crazy (pun intended) good song? Well that was by these guys, Stas Go Dim! You're welcome for saving you a Google search. If you didn't see the commercial and would like to see what I am talking about (because I am not a crazy person, I am making perfect sense here) then you can click HERE and view the commercial. Did you watch it? Well now you are in the SGD loop. Welcome.

Okay, so now you have read this post and trust my ninja instaincts and want to check out the amazing band? Yeah, I thought you might. So now I give you LINKS! Yes, I said LINKS.

Would you like to see Stars Go Dim's website? Well if you do, click HERE.
Would you like to check out Stars Go Dim's YouTube page? Well then I've got you covered. Just click HERE.

All right, Friends. I thank you as always for visiting my blog! I hope you check out my other posts and see what random things I have to say about other random things (but usually books). I do tend to ramble, and it can be amusing so maybe you'll look? Quick book update: I am within 100 pages from finishing Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake, and I am already thinking up things to say about this enthralling book. The review should be up tomorrow around. . . I'm not sure when, actually. Before 6 probably, but I can't give you an earliest time because I am on Spring Break and I love to sleep, so. . .yeah. I will post the link on my Twitter, though, so you can always check there! @makesmeworse12 if you haven't already seen this on my other posts. Oh, and back to the point of this post, Stars Go Dim has a Twitter, too! @StarsGoDim. Not that hard to remember, now is it?

I think that's it. No, I have not gotten Between by Cyndi Tefft yet. I know you are all probably wondering when I will because, you  know, I've been telling you how I want that book so much (I do) and it looks so good (it really does) and Aiden has a SCOTTISH ACCENT (*swoon*) but I have unfortunatly not gotten that books yet. I am working on it, though, so keep your eyes open. When I get it, it goes right to the top of my TBR list.

Now that seriously is everything I have to say for now. If I think of anything else, trust me, you will be the first to know. Thanks you for checking this out again, and come again soon! I shall go eat pie now :)

Until next time, Friends!

♥Jessica(:

Happy Pi Day!

It's pi day! What is pi day you ask? (If you don't know, that is.) Well in math the first three digits of pi are 3.14. Today, dear friends, is March 14th. 3/14. See it? Yeah. So Happy Pi Day everyone! Now we shall all be happy and smile as we eat pie. YUM.

All right, so I have no particulary good story to tell today... I'm on Spring Break for this week, so I didn't go to school thusforth have no interesting story to share. I DID, however, go see Act of Valor. Now, it was pretty much a war movie, but not in the overgruesome way. More in the way that makes a point. There wasn't violence because it was a war movie. There was violence because it added to the point and impact of  the movie. I suggest you go see it- it was a beautiful, beautiful movie. Plus, there are some cool action things that happen. It may jerk some tears, though: FAIR WARNING. :)

And yes, I snuck Twizzlers into the movie. THEY WERE DELISH. That's not the worst we've done, though. One time, we brought in Wendy's. Yeah, we're like that. Don't judge us. Haven't you ever brought anything random into a movie? I think we all have at some point in our lives. It happens.

SO, I am currently reading Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake. I was only about 100 pages in yesterday and had nothing really to say about it. Now, I am farther in and have to say that this book is so interesting. What is subtly happening right now between Cas and Anna is exactly what I like to read about. Okay, that is all I'll say about the book right now because otherwise I will go on and on and run out of new things to say for my review. The review should be up tomorrow or Friday at the lastest. I haven't finished the book yet, but I read fast and this book is GOOD. That usually speeds up my reading. I'll probably finish it today.

Okay, I am listening to this cover of that Jimmy Eat World song "Hear You Me." Have you ever heard it? (THat's a trick question: everyone's heard it. You may not know that you've heard it, though. Yeah. One of THOSE songs.) Anyways, I'm listening to a cover of it by Paramore. This song is so beautiful. Relaxing. It makes me think of that book Between I've been telling you about. I have no clue why since Between is (as far as I can tell) about a grim reaper, not an angel, but hey. I cannot control my random thought processes. They are what make me ME. Unique and awesome and all that. :)

At this moment, I think this is all I have to say. Oh, wait, no. Go vote for SHIFT by Jeri Smith-Ready HERE: http://www.greadsbooks.com/2012/03/ya-march-madness-first-round-vote-vote.html
Trust me, this book is awesome. Vote for the SHADE boys! Please? I hear that the more votes we get, the more great things will happen... DO It, friends. Just do it.

Okay, now that is all. Thank you for visiting my blog, friends, and I hope you come again soon and maybe check out my other posts? If you wanna check me out on Twitter... well, here ya go: @makesmeworse12

Until next post, Friends. And again, Happy Pi Day!

♥Jessica(:

Sneaking Candy into Movie Theatres...

Yup. I am one of THOSE people who sneak candy into theatres. I can't help it; the candy they sell at the establishment is always super overpriced. I'd rather save some money and bring my own Twizzlers, thanks. Okay, now you're probably wondering why I'm even talking about this. Well because I'm going to see a movie later, silly! I'm going to see Act of Valor. Apparently it's some war movie...? My mom wants to see it, and my brother and his wife have already seen it and liked it, so we're going to see it together. I don't remember even seeing prviews for this one, so it should be interesting for me.

Moving on, I (finally) went to the library today! Therefore, I now have a few books to add to my TBR list:
Take Me There by Susane Colasanti
Dark Souls by Paula Morris
Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson (ACTUALLY, this one will be a reread since I already read this book over the summer. I loved it, so I want to read it again!)
And last, but certainly not least:
The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

That last one I chose because today is a very special day for the author: today is the release day of the last book in The Dark Divine trilogy- The Savage Grace! So I thought I should probably read this trilogy. Better late than never, right? I'll probably review these books individually instead of as a whole trilogy like I did Nightshade and The Demon's Lexicon, but I'm not sure yet. . . we'll see how it goes. I only have the first one checked out of the library so far which leads me to predict I'll do the reviews seperately. But again I say: we'll see.

So, I was thinking yesterday, and I realized that we are really getting into book release season. I mean, honestly. There are so many books coming out in May, and I know of a few in April too. A few of the books I am personally waiting for in May are:
Shine by Jeri Smith-Ready (the last in the Shade trilogy)- May 1, 2012
Until I Die by Amy Plum (sequel to Die For Me)- May 8, 2012
and
Endure by Carrie Jones (last book in Need series)- May 8, 2012

For the record: I know that all three of those books are in series or are sequels. I'm just saying that those are a few books that I am looking forward to in the month of May. Later in the summer, I certainly have some stand alone books that I am excited for. I'll list those some other time, though.

Now, for my last piece of good news (if I even had any good news before this...?). You all know that book called Between by Cyndi Tefft that I have been yapping about for abnout a week now? (see my other posts, I've mentioned this book in a few of them) Well my parents said I could get it! *this is where the angels start singing* I am so happy! The only catch: I have to wait until the beginning of next month for it. So now I am waiting. I am not a very patient person. But I shall deal! If you haven't heard my convincing argument on how every single person who reads any of my blog posts should read Between, then. . . READ IT. Come on, there is a super attractive male Scottish male character named Aiden MacRae. I don't know about you, but that alone is enough to prompt me to read it. Plus, did you notice I said SCOTTISH. As in- SCOTTISH ACCENT. Dude, an accent! So appealing. Ah, I love accents. Throw an accent on an attractive male character and I am a happy gal. Anyways, I'll be reading it sometime and I will review it and actually have true credibility of recommending it instead of just my strong tingly feeling in my tummy whenever I think of that book and Aiden MacRae♥

Last piece of business- I am currently reading Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake. I am just shy of 100 pages in, and have no actual opinion of this book so far. It seems promising, though. The story's really starting to unfold. And that's all I'm going to say on that front.

All right, blog readers. This is all I have to say right now. I now have to go email my bestest friend. I won't promote my Twitter this time, but if you want to check it out, I told y'all my username in my last few posts. As always, thank you al for taking the time to read my rambling blog! I am truly grateful.

Until next time, Friends!

♥Jessica(:

The Unbecoming of Many, Many Readers

As promised, I finished The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin.

What do I have to say about it?
This. Book. Was. Incredible.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is such a different book than those I usually read. Not in that it's not fiction or doesn't include a totally attractive male lead- it is/has both of those things. No, it's different because the story is different. It's not vampires or werewolves, but it's not something normal. And that is so interesting. Throughout the whole entire book I was guessing what was happening, I was getting confused and then I would make an assumption and then whatever that assumption was would be blown to bits. There is no possible way anyone could accurately guess everything that happens in this book. There are so many unexpected twists and turns that I was scrambling to keep up, and I LOVED THAT. Yes, it was frustrating here and there when I kept getting no answers and millions more questions. But then I would read something that just made me smile and I got over it.

I realize that my reviews are a bunch of praise, but I am beeing 100% honest when I say that the books and authors I've reviewed DESERVE it. Their books have been masterpieces that tore at my heart in the most satisfying way. This book is no different. Two thumbs up to Michelle Hodkin for writing this wonderful, wonderful story. It is so DIFFERENT and UNPREDICTABLE. I may have said this before, but there are so many books that we can easily predict how they're going to end. Don't get me wrong, those books can have their own charms that draw readers in as well, but this book has it all. You will never ever guess the ending (I practically slapped somebody) and you will fall in love within the pages. So many twists, turns, and secrets that just pop out of nowhere and draw a reader in, wanting to find out what is happening to this girl by the name of Mara Dyer and her gorgeous male suitor Noah Shaw. It's truly riveting.

Okay, character rundown time. I'm just going to say a few things about the two main characters because they are really what the story is based around. Mara Dyer (obviously she's a main character)- ah, Mara. A troubled girl who has just been through a traumatic event that she just can't seem to shake. PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) up the yin-yang and a huge fear that she's insane. But she has a smart mouth and can be funny, too. She's not whiny, either which is an awesome thing because no one like s a whiny lead. That would just be irritating. And Noah Shaw- OH, NOAH. Completely hot - yup, he is making me use this word; I usually like to use the word attractive or something, but Noah is undeniably HOT- completely unsattainable, and completely into our lead girl. Or so it seems. Or, wait, he really IS. Or not. Yup. He is. That's pretty much how it goes with Noah, you think he likes Mara, then you don't. Then you do, then you don't. The fact that Noah's been the player for his whole time in America (he's English! accent, anyone?) does not help this fact. I am not going to give away what exactly happens with him and Mara, but trust me, you'll love it. For me to be pleased, there has to be a surely sufficient amount of romance. I can't help it, I'm a junkie. Noah certainly does NOT disappoint. He's actually amazingly caring once we get down to the knitty grit of our boy, and you will fall in love, too. *sigh* Oh, Noah. Such a wonderful boy. LOVE.

All right. I rate this book on a scale from 1 to 10. . . (I'm thinking). . . a 9. I really REALLY want to give this book a 10, but I can't because of the ending. It was infuriating and gave NO closure whatsoever. It just ended. Just. Like. That. I understand there's going to be a sequel - anyone hear anything about it, by the way? I need to know! - but the ending of this book made me want to almost cry with how it just dropped off in the middle of something important. It hooked me, though. No doubt in my mind that I'll read the sequel, that's for sure. If I don't, I may spontaniously combust or something. That wouldn't be good.

All in all, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer was an amazing book that I am so so so so so SO glad I read (I've been holding out on this one for a while, for some stupid reason I can't even remember now). I suggest anyone who reads this to read it. I usually do, because I read great books. It's a gift I have. I'm good at picking out great books off those library shelves. Let's add this one to the list!

Thanks to everyone reading this for checking out my blog, and as always I invite you to check out my other posts, I have a few other reviews you should check out- terrific books- and follow me/check me out on Twitter if you haven't already! @makesmeworse12

Okay, until next time, Friends!

♥Jessica(:

What a Weekend

The weekend is over. Usually I would be bummed out about this, but luckily I'm on Spring Break for this week! I am so happy- I'll get to actually SLEEP. (Sleeping is something I rarely get to do much of on school days.) I don't have any particularly exciting plans for this week, just reading and writing some. Nothing gorund braking, clearly. Still, I get to do it uninterupted. Thank goodness.

So, Saturday. I took my SAT on Saturday! I am so so so so so glad it's over. It's a huge relief, really. That test was just a gillion pounds of weight on my shoulders, a bunch of pressure. Now it's gone, done and over with, and I am just flying. I was so nervous the night before and the morning of. Now I think I was so silly to be worried about anything. I don't think I made any records with my scores, but I don't think I bombed the test, either, so that's a good thing. The test started around 8 a.m. and dint' end until, like, 1 p.m. It is such a long test, and yet you don't have enough time to do everything. It is such a frustrating contradiction. Fortunately, I answered a huge majority of the questions, so I should be all right. Wow, I'm writing this, and it is such a boring topic, I realize. SATs are so boring, yes?

So I'll move on. Absolutely nothing newsworthy has happened this weekend. I am almost fiished reading The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin, though, and this book is just. . . I think it's good. Really good, actually, so far. I plan on finishing it sometime in the next 24 hours, then I'll write a review, and I'll start Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake. then I'll write a review and start the next book on my list (my list is on my post titled "I Have a (kind-of) Plan!") and so on. I plan on taking a trip to the library sometime in the next couple of days, so I'll update the list after my trip.

Other than this, I have nothing really to tell you, dear friends. I just thought I should post SOMETHING because I didn't post anything yesterday, and I'd rather not skip two days of posting instead of just one. You guys would miss me. As always, I thank everyone for reading my post, and recommend you read my other (more interesting) posts. There are. . . three reviews. Yeah, it's three. I had to think about it for a minute. Ha. It's late, my brain is acting sluggish. There's also other stuff that you may find interesting. My ringing endorsement on the book Between by Cyndi Tefft- it truly does look like a marvelous book, and I want to read it SO SO SO bad. I am in the process of asking -begging- my parents to get it for me so I can read it. If I can do it, you can do it too!;) as far as I can tell, there's an attractive male character named Aiden who has a scottish accent. SCOTTISH ACCENT- selling point right there.

Okay, I will stop with my advertising now and bid you all good night/day/whatever it is. . . Oh, and check out my Twitter if you haven't already! (@makesmeworse12) I'll post again soon! Bye, Friends!

♥Jessica(:

I am SHATTERED!

Okay. So. Last night, I finished Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi. And now I have nothing to say. I am utterly speechless. The only two words that are popping into my mind are READ THIS. Seriously, read it. It was an amazing book, the first in a trilogy. I have no idea anything about the next two books, but I plan on getting the next book the moment it comes out if I can.

Okay now actually onto the REVIEWING part of this post. This book was stunning. Enchanting. Marvelous. You can pretty much insert any positive adjective in here, and it will be correct. Shatter Me was beautifully written and has the most perfect pacing, like, EVER. It does not take too long to jump into the action, and it doesn't jump into the actual happenings too fast, either. The whole book just runs amazingly smooth. Every little secret or story is told and clicks into place at just the right moment, just when we realize what must have actually happened or how something must truly be for ourselves.

I refuse to spoil anything in this book, but I'll tell you about a few of the characters(the ones that aren't secret-like). First off: Juliette. Juliette is such a wonderful leading character. She is both strong and weak, which is perfect because aren't all humans both strong and weak at some times? She has this lethal power that she has grown to hate, that distances her from humans. She's wistful and that is always a good quality to have in a leading character; it gives them something to fight for. Next, Adam. I will not go into detail because of my no-spoiling rule, but he is such a sweet character. The perfect match for Juliette. (so far.) And Warner, ah Warner. Such a tempermental character with a softspot for the girl he wants to understand, the girl he wants to be like him, perfect for him. He's the character we can all collectively feel bad for that just makes us want to slap somebody at his out-of-nowhere changes. His mind is so hard to follow and it keeps us on our toes. Lastly, I'll say something about Kenji- OH KENJI. Kenji is the funny guy. He's the funny guy with some secrets of his own. Secrets we don't suspect until, BOOM, the truth is thrown in our faces. He is just awesome that way. And that's all I can say about characters without giving things away. . .

In case you cannot tell, I LOVED THIS BOOK. I had to force myself not to read it too fast because I could not bear to finish it. My one, solitary little complaint about this book is that it was not long enough! That's probably not a legit topic to complain about, though, considering there are two more books to come. The wait will be brutal, of this I am certain.

So, all in all, I rate this book a 12.5 out of 10 because it was just that fantastic. It was one of those books that made me want to laugh and cry and go "AWWW!" at just the right moments. I would have rated it a miilion and four point five out of 10, but I thought that would be a wee bit obnoxious. I am not usually an obnoxious person. Well, unless you know me well.Then I am totally obnoxious and you love me for it, but that's not important at this moment. So, I recommend everyone who ever reads my blog to read Shatter Me. I would bet (almost) anything that you will love it.

I bid you all good day and thank you for reading this post! If you haven't already, check out my other posts! I have reviews for The Demon's Lexicon trilogy and the Nightshade trilogy. (Both are great trilogies). Check them out and maybe read those books? They are just wonderful, too! I am currently reading The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, and I'll be writing a review for that. . . I'm not sure when, but I will write a review. After I finish it, obviously. And I usually read books super fast, so. . . yeah.

Alright, now I'm seriously saying goodbye! I will post again soon, friends!

♥Jessica(: