Trilogy Thursday! I'm kind of excited to make this post because it was partly my idea :)
This is where we pick three trilogies, rate them, and say three things we love about them!
Lets begin, shall we?
This first trilogy is one we all know is going to be mentioned at some point, so I thought I'd just begin with it.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Rating: 5 STARS (of course)
PEETA. I love that boy. He is so incredibly sweet. I've said this before, and I'll say it again: I will never understand how anyone can ever pick Gale over Peeta. I just can't comprehend this.
The rest of the AMAZING characters. Cinna, Haymitch, Finnick . . . the characters in thsi trilogy were marvelous. Oh, and President Snow--the ultimate villain ;)
The Games. The Games were positively riveting to read. They were so different from other things I'd usually read (at the time--I read The Hunger Games years ago) and that only made the book a great experience. This trilogy definitely opened my interest to lots of other YA books.
Next is a trilogy you may or may not have knows about before now.
The Forbidden Game by L.J. Smith
(Yeah, one of those trilogies you can buy all in one book!)
Rating: 3 STARS
JULIAN. I always love the bad boy, whether 'm on his team or not. In this case, I wasn't really sure what team I was on until the end, but I'm not going to share this with y'all. My point here: Julian was the bad boy who has a weakness. Those weaknesses are what I love.
I really liked the idea in this book. The idea of these games becoming reality. Very amusing and fun to read.
Why, if I mentioned Julian, I have to mention TOM, now don't I? I will not show bias. Plus, Tom is the steady guy. Steadiness is never--never ever--a bad thing.
Now for our last trilogy! The reason I created my blog to begin with:
The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan
Rating: 5 STARS! (duh)
NICK! NickNickNickNickNick! I loved that dude! I have a bunch "Hey, Nick" statements that are always fun to Tweet from time to time. A wonderful character, him.
The demons! I don't read stories with demons all that often, so this trilogy was a great way to switch it up a bit.
Mae! She was such a great female character. I am always SO picky toward the girls in books, but Mae was one that I certainly will not complain about.
I LOOOOOOVED The Demon's Lexicon trilogy. If you haven't read it yet, DO IT NOW.
All right, that's it for my leg of today's posts in this Fun Hop. Y'all should go see what everyone else posted!
Welcome back to the Fun Hop! Today is What?! Wednesday! What is that, you ask? Why, this is where we tell y'all about three books that shocked us to our core and why. So, THIS is your WARNING.
**WARNING: THIS POST HAS SPOLIERS**
That's kind of the whole point of this post. So I am breaking my rule of no spoilers this one time. And now you have been warned . . . ;)
My first book that shocked me was:
BETWEEN by Cyndi Tefft
As you all probably know, I LOVED this book. Most of this love springs from Aiden MacRae, of course, but another part of this love comes from the huge turn-around in the middle of this book that I was positively not expecting. I don't know what I was expecting in this book, exactly. Maybe I expected Lindsey and Aiden to go to heaven together or something? I'm not sure. But whatever I WAS expecting, it was not for Lindsey to live again. And then take Aiden to the living world with her. That shocked me, and I loved it! I love when things happen that I don't expect.
Next, we have . . .
DELIRIUM by Lauren Oliver
Honestly, I was going to list Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver here instead, because I was not expecting Sam to die in that one, but then I realized WAIT. Lauren has an even bigger shocker to tell y'all about. I absolutely hated the ending of this book. The rest of this book was marvelous. I enjoyed it completely. But the ending was horrid. Nevertheless, the ending was also a HUGE shock. Seriously, my jaw-dropped. I cried. It was devastating. I did not expect Alex to *sniffle* DIE. He was one of the main characters. And I mean IMPORTANT main characters. The kind of main character that we never expect anything as horrible as death to happen to. Until it does.
(For the record, I have yet to read the sequel to this book: Pandemonium. Just thought I'd say this.)
Last, we have . . .
We'll Always Have Summerby Jenny Han
I know, you are all probably shocked that this book is on this list. But, oh, this book really belongs here. I was a million percent SHOCKED when we found out that Jeremiah cheated on Belly. I know I've made it clear that I am Team Conrad. And I am, I really am. But I did feel for Jere and want the best for him. I loved him, too. And never in a million years would I have pegged him for the cheating type. That would probably be because he's really not that type. Which makes what he did that much more shocking!
I. LOVED. THIS. TRILOGY. SO. MUCH.
It hurts my heart, but it is so amazing.
All right, everyone. Those are my three WHAT?!s. Now you shold hop on along to see what my fellow Fun Hop bloggers have listed as they're shocking books:
For the third day on this little Fun Hop, we're doing Top Tuesday! This is where we will all pick our own topics to choose our top five of. So, what am I doing my Top five of?
♥Top Five Male Characters♥
Yeah. I said it. because I'm me, and clearly obsessed with the guys within books, I decided to do my top five on what I know. Like that saying, "Write what you know." For the record, this Top Five is only my Top Five AT THE MOMENT. This is always subject to change and stuff as time goes on and my mind shifts and changes and explodes with new/different awesomeness.
So, let's see my Top Five, yes?
5. Conrad Fisher♥
Yeah, one of the Fisher boys from The Summer Trilogy by Jenny Han. If you've read these books, you know that it is impossible not to fall in love within the pages. Some of you are probably screaming at me right now about how Jere is better and sweeter and HOW COULD I PICK CONRAD OVER HIM?!?!! And the answer is simple: I go with my gut. I've always felt for Jere, by Conrad was always my #1 in this trilogy. Which means he makes this list.
4. Dimitri Belikov♥
Oh, Dimitri. Vampire Academy was a truly amazing series. So smazing, actually, that I haven't even read Bloodlines yet. I'm too afriad to disrupt the fragile peace I have made with the fact that VA was over. I will read it someday, but for now . . . well, for now I have Dimitri.
And now y'all are wondering why I didn't pick Adrian. I loved Adrian, I really did, but Dimitri won at the end of that series for me.
3. Peeta Mellark♥
Um, does this one really need an explanation? IT"S PEETA FLIPPING MELLARK! 'Nuff said, right there. And as for why I didn't choose Gale--I didn't like Gale. A good friend, but that's it. I was never on his team, and I never considered joining his team. I was all Peeta, all the way. Because Peeta is AMAZING.
2. Christophe Reynard♥
If you have no clue who Christophe is, then I am seriosuly crying for you right now. You MUST--must must must--get your hands on the Strange Angels series by Lili St. Crow and read until you reach the end. Because these books are seriously that awesome. And dear ole CHRISTOPHE (OH, CHRISTOPHE) is my snapping boooooy in these books. And in all books, clearly. Once we met him, I really began to get into this series. He just makes everything better! He whispers comfoting words I don't understand and keeps his promises and gets things done. Of all the characters in this series, I miss him the most. (Yeah, even more than Dibs or Shanks--surprising, but true.)
And why not Graves? Same answer as "why not Gale?" Because I've always loved Chris more. Plus, Graves bothered me a bit. So dependent and whiny. Don't get me wrong, he had some wonderful traits, but compared to Christophe, well, he faded.
All right. Now it's time for number one, and I'm pretty sure we can all guess who it's going to be . . .
1. Daemon Black♥
Yep, we all saw it coming. Now this one REALLY doesn't need an explanation. I must say, though, that all of my Daemon-love comes soley from following the 30 Days of Damon Tour:
There is a lot of Daemon swoon-ish-ness going on in this tour, and I positively CANNOT wait to read Obsidian! It really must be something if this guy made such a huge impression on me BEFORE I EVEN READ THE BOOK. Yeah. True story.
So, that, my friends, is my Top Five list. I wonder what the other blogs in this Fun Hop are listing . . .
YOU should totally keep on hopping along and find out!
Welcome back for another day of MEEEE on this Fun Hop! Today, my dear friends, is Mash up Monday! What does that mean? Well, today I shall be telling y'all about two characters I'd love to put into a story together and why. Since I'm me, this could be very interesting. . . or very boring. It depends on the day.
So, who'd I mash into a story together?
Well, OF COURSE I had to throw Daemon Black into this. We ALL should have seen that coming.
Ah, isn't he so nice to look at? *sigh*
Ahem. . . okay, I'll stop swooning and move on now. Who would I throw him into a story with? Y'all can probably guess this one, too. Who would be the most perfect character to throw into a story with DAEMON?
Another Damon, of course! (Though the spelling IS different. . .)
Damon Salvatore. The wonderful, wonderful vampire.
Now you all may be wondering WHY I would want to throw these two amazing, gorgeous, swoon-worthy, attractive males into a story together. Well, I believe I just gave you the answer. Because they are:
-AMAZING
-GORGEOUS
-SWOON-WORTHY
-ATTRACTIVE
-SOOO MANY OTHER THINGS I'M NOT GOING TO LIST BECAUSE YOU SHOULD ALREADY KNOW
Yeah. Plus, they both have very . . . strong personalities. I'd love to see how they act with each other.
Personally, I think I'd be Team Daemon for this. Which Da(e)mon would YOU root for? Answer in the comments if you'd like!
Okay, now that we've seen my mash up, y'all should totally go check out everyone else's! I wonder how many of them are using Daemon, too. . .
Heeeeey, everybody! I posted What I Got just like always earlier today, but other than that, this week will be soley devoted to this little Fun Hop. It's to help out bloggers who have this week full of hard schoolish things because we all know that it is nearing the end of the year. And what does that mean? Well, it means final exams and final projects and other stressful things. So instead of taking a whole week off, we're hopping!
Today is the first day of our Fun Hop, and this is for Salutation Sunday! So I will tell y'all a little bit about myself. Things that are NOT in the "About Me" tab. An introduction, if you will. So, here goes!
Hey, I'm Jessica!I'm 16 and run a lovely little book blog (which you all obviously know). I have three brothers and three nephews. I grew up in Buffalo, NY, but moved to Austin, TX about two years ago. (Well, not exactly Austin, but super close by there!)
I seriously miss Buffalo, where my closest friends are and where it actually, you know, SNOWS. I loooove snow. It is beautiful and wonderful and it SPARKLES. Really, it does. but while I miss Buffalo, Texas hasn't been exactly bad for me, either. I've met quite a few authors since I've moved here and have made some super awesome best friends! They can't replace my other friends, but they help with the whole moving-across-the-country-while-in-high-school thing. Really, moving across the country while in high school STINKS. Like a skunk, but in a figurtive sense.
I try to be a nice person because nice people are just pure AWESOME. I know some seriously great people and would love for others to think of me the way I think of them.
I'm a huge Yankee, Paramore, Spongebob, Taylor Swift, ADTR, Literary Exploration, Daemon Black, (fill in more awesome things here) fan!
All right, this "salutation" is getting somewhat long . . . so I guess I'll leave it at this. If there is something y'all would like to know or need help with or anything, you can totally contact me and I'll answer/do my best to help! I promise, I don't bite or anything.
Okay, so that was my first post in this Fun Hop! I hope it wasn't a total bore to read. I'm kind of a boring person. (Well, unless you know me well enough--then you find me HILARIOUS.) Buuuuut, you should totally check out the other blogs in this hop! I'm sure they're much more interesting than me:
What I Got is a weekly meme hosted by Monica over at Cover Analysis :) where we tell y'all about the wonderful brag-worthy bookish things we got this week!
FOR BLOG TOUR:
The Dream Slayer by Jill Cooper. I got an ebook of this to review for my stop on the blog tour. I'm actually kind of really excited to read this. My tour stop will be on July 12, and a quick heads-up: There will be a giveaway! ;)
Hmm. . . I actually got this in the beginning of May, but I somehow missed it. I am seriously like "WHOA" right now. Interesting.
Moving on. . .
I also recieved-- Dreamwalker by Andrea Heltsley. This book is ALSO for a blog tour. My stop will be on July 6! This book looks seriously interesting, so I'm excited to tell y'all what I think of this one.
WINNINGS:
All right, y'all. I was so incredibly excited when I won this book, and even more ECSTATIC when I got it. Seriously, I pretty much screamed. And almost--ALMOST--cried. Yeah, I was that happy. So, now I give you all what I recieved in the mail as a winning this week from Gone With the Words--
SHINE by Jeri Smith-Ready!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ohmygoodness, I am currently reading this book as I write this (well, not at the same time, but you understand what I mean) and I am incredibly grateful to Jess for sending me this book because I am LOVING it! This series is just so AH! Thank you so oh very much, Jess!
All right, that's it for me this week, Friends. Which is actually not a bad thing since I have so many books I have yet to read that are sitting all lonely on my shelf. I feel for them. :)
So, what bookish goodness did y'all get this week?
The Cupid War by Timothy Carter Release Date: August 8, 2011 Format: Paperback, 229 pages Publisher: Flux Source: From the author in exchange for an honest review
Ricky Fallon spends his afterlife as a Cupid, helping people fall in love. The job would be cool if it weren't for the dorky pink bodysuits, his jerky boss, and attacks from joy-sucking shadowy entities called Suicides. When Fallon discovers a dangerous new breed of Suicide, a terrific battle erupts. Can Ricky save the girl he's falling for?
The Cupid War was a book that really intrigued me. Personally, I haven't seen many books that are about Cupid, though I have an odd adoration for him. I'd explain why here, but it would take too long and is beside the point. If you want to know, contact me or something. Back to the point: the fact that this book is about Cupid caught my attention right away. Then, after I read the description, I knew I had to read this book. Let me tell you -- I really liked this book.
One aspect I loved about this book was how completely UNIQUE it is. This is a million times different than any Cupid love story you have ever read before. Tim puts a whole new twist on Cupid that was immensely interesting and completely amusing. The description of this book only skims the very sparse surface, so I wasn't really expecting all that much as far as what being "a Cupid" meant. Let me tell you now--it means more than you'd think.
Another thing I enjoyed while reading this book was the interactions, especially the ones between Fallon and Louis, his boss. They made me laugh, which (as I've mentioned before) is never a bad thing. A sense of humor in a character--and a book, for that matter--always holds my attention. Plus, it adds a little to the dialogue. In reality, people crack jokes all the time. (Or at least, the people I know do . . . myself included.)
Character rundown: Why, first we have Ricky Fallon. He actually likes to be called Fallon, though, so we'll respect his wishes. AH RICKY FALLON. I swear, Fallon was such a sweet guy. All he wanted to do was help others and keep what happened to him from happening to someone else. He is a very kind character and I loved the story through his mind. He's quick-witted, too. Which is great because not-bright main characters can be . . . not fun. Next we have Trina, Fallon's favorite human ;) Trina is a totally normal, plain girl. Not the kind of girl you'll notice unless she has some sort of . . . special power. What I personally liked about Trina was that she was incredinly strong-willed. She didn't cower to torment or bullying. Solidarity, my dear girl.
Sweetness. Well, I believe I just told you that Fallon is a sweet, sweet boy. Totally un-self-centered and nice. (Well, until you zap him, then he gets angry.) So when he meets Trina and then finds that he likes her . . . well, he is so selfless. That is all I must say. It is so endearing.
The ending. The ending was a very good conclusion to this story, in my opinon. It didn't drag on or leave me wanting at all. Actually, the ending made me happy. I positively LOVED the last line of the book. Obviously, I'm not going to tell y'all what it is, but it seriously made me go "AWWWW!" because I have grown to adore Ricky Fallon just as I adore other book characters. I loved how he felt and how he was doing at the end. My point: a very good way to finish the story.
Overall, I really liked this book. It was so much different from a lot of books I read these days. Not predictable, but not a brain-pain either. A wonderful story that piqued my interest and held it, once I got past the beginning stages of the book where we find out what the snap is going on. Pretty much, once we met Trina, the book completely held my attention from then on. Honestly, The Cupid War could be a nice way for anyone to switch up the same-old-same-old.
Thank y'all for reading my review and thank you to Tim for sending me this copy to review. I truly enjoyed it!
Destiny's Revenge by Nancy Straight Release Date: August 2, 2011 Format: Paperback, 225 pages Series: Destiny #2 Source: The author from a giveaway!
Description from Goodreads: There was no reason for Lauren to be in a coma. Her physical injuries had healed, but she had been non-responsive for so long that her doctors told her family and Max to move on. She awoke to find her life in a shambles; the man she loved was gone, her friends had moved on with their lives, and her family was ripped apart by her accident. No one knew of the evil forces watching, waiting for her in the shadows, in the lonely corners, even in the eyes of those she loved. Lauren needed to reclaim her destiny, to get her life back; the last thing she ever expected was Destiny’s Revenge.
Remember how I said in my review of Meeting Destiny that the ending of that book was horrible with a cliff-hanger and I had to immediately pick up the next book to start reading it? Well, this book was a very good sequel. As the middle book in a three-part series, it was expected to lack a little because I have seen this so many times before in second books. But this book was not any less good than Meeting Destiny was.
Something I loved about this book was that right at the beginning of the book, we were given answers. Rewsna drops by and we get a whole bunch of answers that helps some things in the last book make sense that made zero sense before. We don't get every explanation we deserve here, but it was certainly nice to get SOME answers instead of none.
Since Meeting Destiny ended the way it did, I expected to be bored for a good portion of the beginning--until some things got set right that were in a mess. I was elated to find that I didn't really have to wait that long--only 40 pages or so. From that page on, this book was interesting. I loved the interaction between Lauren and Max, and Joe was a hoot. A lot of this portion of the book is very heartfelt and sweet but funny as well.
Then we get to somewhere around halfway or a little more through the book. And things happen that lead to the story getting boring for me. As I said before, Max is what really MAKES this story for me, and in Destiny's Revenge this is no different. So when things happen that mess with my perfect Max-time, I am not very satisfied. I found myself wanting to skim more than read this part, until things were made at least somewhat nice again.
The dragging part DOES end, and from then on the book finished in a great way, and in Max's point of view no less. I positively loved being inside his head and seeing how he thought and the truth behind some . . . hurtful things that had happened. His reasoning is much more noble than I would have imagined and I love him for it.
Character rundown: Lauren. Lauren is the exact same in this book as she was in Meeting Destiny. I honestly don't think there was any change in her. She's still her strong, confident self, just a little more confused. But then she becomes less confused. So, really, not much change at all. And Max. In this book, Max actually tries to do something and help. In the first book, he was pretty much just there. He didn't do much except love Lauren and throw little hissy fits when she did something without telling him. But now he stands up for himself, which makes him so much more lovable! I seriously love Max. A wonderful man, him.
The ending. This ending was a million times better than Meeting Destiny's ending. Since there is a book following, there is an open ending, but not anything worth breaking things over. Plus, this ending makes a lot more sense to us as readers.
Overall, this book was okay, just as Meeting Destiny was. I enjoyed reading it and I'm glad I got to despite the bothersome qualities within the pages. The aspects of this book that I liked outweighed the ones I did not, I think. Now I can't wait to read the third book in this trilogy--though I can't rush to it just yet, sadly.
Thank y'all for reading my review and please come back again soon! Also, thank you to Nancy for sending me this book along with the first one! I am very grateful for that, for obvious reasons. :)
Meeting Destiny by Nancy Straight Release Date: June 26, 2010 Format: Paperback, 291 pages Series: Destiny #1 Source: Won in a giveaway on http://escapingonebookatatime.blogspot.com/!
Description from Goodreads: Lauren is visited in her dreams for years by a stranger claiming to be her destiny. Destiny becomes reality when paths cross during a failed robbery attempt. Lauren and the stranger experience chemistry like no other and now her doubt over her long time relationship with her high school sweetheart is not her only secret…someone else knows about her keen intuition and sixth sense.A mysterious clairvoyant seeks Lauren out and tells her not only of her life now but what the future may hold. Soon Lauren is in the middle of a murder investigation and a questionable friendship with the key suspect. Law enforcement, friends and family are concerned for Lauren but unfortunately they are unaware of the true danger…Sinister forces are at work and will stop at nothing to destroy Lauren’s abilities.
After reading the description, I thought Meeting Destiny looked like a very intriguing read. I was SO happy when I won it, and I'm still happy that I did. I got really into this book and read it fast--fast, but not in a day like some of my other reading endeavors. Sometimes I have other things to do, sadly. Still, most of the time, I was happy when I got to pick this book back up and continue on with my reading.
The beginning of this book is AMAZING. I was so enthralled by it, I was reluctant to put it down even to get some much needed sleep. We jump right into a robber (literally) and then we meet Max. And then a whole bunch more things happen that are so cool and fun to read about. Meeting Max was the big thing for me, though. Whenever he was around, I was content. I also enjoyed the concept of this story. The idea of everyone predetermining their own destinies and then being born to live out what they choose. It was so different from what we usually read in insta-love stories. There was a SUPER good reason for the insta-love in this book.
And that brings me to something that didn't really sit too well with me. Reasons for things and whatnot. I didn't understand a lot of the "why" questions in this book. By this I mean that some things were just not really explained. They were fun to read but didn't fit together all that well because there was no explanation stringing certain things together.
Character rundown. Lauren and Max. There are a bunch of other characters, too, but these are the two main characters. Lauren is a truly brave character that is so independent it can be surprising sometimes. I mean, for certain things that I KNOW I would have accepted some help with, she was adamant to do it herself. I respect that. And Max. OH MAX. Max is the guy. The guy who falls in love with Lauren instantly. The guy who is amazingly sweet and self-sacrificing (or he tries to be) but none of these are in an irritating way. What DOES get bothersome, though, is his protectiveness. I always think these things are sweet, but even I have to admit that Max being overprotective was getting annoying. Still, he was so great.
Sweetness. The sweetness is what MAKES this book for me. If there weren't to be a Max, I'm not sure I'd like it as much as I do. This said, the sweetness in this book is kind of mushy. Remember, there was insta-love in there. So mushiness should be expected. A whole bunch of "I love you" and "You complete me." I'm okay with that, but it is a wee bit unrealistic.
The ending. There is no better way to put this, and I'm sorry for that, but the ending is horrible. Seriously, something monumental happens, and then Lauren wakes up and we find out a few things and then BOOM. The book ends. Very frustrating. Luckily, I had the next book to start on right away, but otherwise, I would have probably been seriously mad. Huge cliff-hanger. Plus, the book ends with zero explanation of what the heck had just happened. So we are left with crushed hope and confusion. Not a good combo, in my opinion.
All in all, this book was okay. Not exactly my favorite read ever, but I enjoyed it. I'm so glad I won it and I can't wait to read the third book in the trilogy when I get a chance (since I had no choice but to begin reading the second book IMMEDIATELY after finishing this one). Thank you to Nancy and Tiff for this book! You two rock!
When Elliot dies for the third time, she knows this is her last shot. There are no fourth-timers in this afterlife, so one more chance is all she has to get things right. But before she can move on to her next life, Elliot will be forced to face her past and delve into the painful memories she’d rather keep buried. Memories of people she’s hurt, people she’s betrayed… and people she’s killed.
As she pieces together the mistakes of her past, Elliot must earn the forgiveness of her best friend and reveal the truth about herself to the two boys she loves…even if it means losing them both forever.
Why am I excited for this book? Um, SOMEONE wasn't paying attention to that description. It looks AMAZING! Totally my kind of book. And of course, there are boys. We all know how I love books like this.
Y'all can leave your links to your own Waiting On Wednesday posts, if you'd like and I'll stop by and check them out!
Do you want to participate in Teaser Tuesdays? It's simple and hosted by MizB from Should Be Reading. All you have to do is:
-Grab your current read
-Open to a random page
-Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
-BE CAREFUL NOT T INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
-Share the title & author, too, so that the other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
All right, everybody, 'tis time for yet another teaser brought to you by little ole ME. :)
This one's from a book called The Cupid War by Timothy Carter--check it out!
Ricky Fallon spends his afterlife as a Cupid, helping people fall in love. The job would be cool if it weren't for the dorky pink bodysuits, his jerky boss, and attacks from joy-sucking shadowy entities called Suicides. When Fallon discovers a dangerous new breed of Suicide, a terrific battle erupts. Can Ricky save the girl he's falling for?
Teaser:
"Bud stared at him silently for a few moments, giving Fallon time to consider what he was doing. Basically, he was telling off the one being who currently had control of his fate. Not the smartest thing to do." ~pg. 13, The Cupid War, Timothy Carter
And that was me teasing-goodness for this week! My review for this book should be up later this week, so be sure to keep an eye out for that! As always, if y'all have any teasers you want to share with me, leave a link and I'll do my very, very best to check them out (which means, I'll check them out).
Hey, everybody! So, today I'm having a fun little cover reveal! The new cover for My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century by Rachel Harris! But before I show y'all the cover, I'm going to show you some super nice other things. Pretty much, this post is PACKED with lots of nice things you may (totally will) like to see. Plus, if you stick around, there's a little surprise at the end of this post . . . ;)
First, let's learn a wee bit about the author, yes?
Rachel Harris
As a teen, I threw raging parties that shook my parents' walls and created embarrassing fodder for future YA novels.
As an adult, I read and write obsessively, rehash said embarrassing fodder, and dream up characters who become my imaginary friends.
When I'm not typing furiously or flipping pages in an enthralling romance, you can find me homeschooling my two beautiful princesses, hanging out with my amazing husband, or taking a hot bubble bath…next to a pile of chocolate.
MY SUPER SWEET SIXTEENTH CENTURY is my first novel. I did have my own fantabulous Sweet Sixteen in high school. Sadly, it wasn't televised.
-All right, now for the blurb!-
On the precipice of her sixteenth birthday, the last thing lone wolf Cat Crawford wants is an extravagant gala thrown by her bubbly stepmother and well-meaning father. So even though Cat knows the family's trip to Florence, Italy, is a peace offering, she embraces the magical city and all it offers. But when her curiosity leads her to an unusual gypsy tent, she exits . . . right into Renaissance Firenze.
Thrust into the sixteenth century armed with only a backpack full of contraband future items, Cat joins up with her ancestors, the sweet Alessandra and protective Cipriano, and soon falls for the gorgeous aspiring artist Lorenzo. But when the much-older Niccolo starts sniffing around, Cat realizes that an unwanted birthday party is nothing compared to an unwanted suitor full of creeptastic amore.
Can she find her way back to modern times before her Italian adventure turns into an Italian forever?
Am I the only one that seriously wants to read this book now, after that description? I don't think I am because this book looks fun!
Okay, so I suppose it is cover reveal time, yes?
. . .Tah-dah!
Preeeeeeetty! Certainly something I'd like to have making my shelf b-e-a-u-tiful! I think it is fabulous. What do you think?
All right, now I have something extra for everyone who is sticking to reading this post. . .
I have an excerpt! That's right, a NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN excerpt!
Never-Before-Seen Excerpt from MY SUPER SWEET SIXTEENTH CENTURY:
“I thought I'd teach you a dance from where I come from,” I tell him. “One that's much easier than that multi-step mess inside.”
I place my left hand on Lorenzo's shoulder and slip my right one into his. I pause to listen to the music floating over the tinkling voices and bubbling fountain, and begin counting the three-beat tempo. “One, two, three. One, two, three.”
I stand still, only my head moving, slowly nodding with my words so he can hear the rhythm.
When his head begins subtly bobbing with mine, I show him how to add his feet. He takes a tentative step forward with his left while I step back with my right, then we side step, close, and repeat the steps with our other feet, all while I lightly whisper the beat count.
The breeze picks up, blowing my skirt and skimming my veil across the back of my neck. Chills run down my spine, but the warmth coursing through my veins from being in his arms provides a delicious contradiction.
Lorenzo continues nervously darting his eyes to our feet, but he is dancing. As he relaxes into the movement, his shoulders rising and falling with the steps, the confidence he always seems to exude creeps back on his face, and he tightens the hold around me. Our faces are kissably close, our lips a hairs breadth away from touching. I stare into the chocolate depths of his eyes and the rest of the ball fades away. The only music guiding our steps is my light whisper and the erratic rhythm of our breathing. Time slows. Lorenzo grins.
“I think you got it,” I say breathlessly, running my hand along the soft fabric of his shoulder, feeling the rock-hard muscles underneath.
My body curls inward, pressing against his. The proper form for the waltz is a straight spine and shoulders back, but if there was ever a time to break the rules, this is it.
AWWW! Why did it have to end there? *sigh* GREAT excerpt, in my opinion.
Now it's time for the book trailer! I always find book trailers amusing, for some reason. Let's see what we've got this time, shall we?
I liked that trailer. Especially the music in the beginning. And, urm, the picture of the gorgeous boy in the middle. Hehe.
Okay, moving on yet again . . .
I TOLD y'all that there would be a surprise at the end of this post. Well, here it is - a giveaway! It is not mine, though. It is being hosted at YA Bound! Buuuut, I also have the widget, so you can just fill the Rafflecopter out here and be good to go!
All right, thank you all for taking a look at all of these nice things today! There was so much goodies in this post! Good books always make for a great time. :)
What I Got is a weekly meme hosted by Monica over at Cover Analysis :) where we tell y'all about the wonderful brag-worthy bookish things we got this week!
FORE REVIEW:
The Cupid War by Timothy Carter. All I have to say about this is that it looks like something I'll really like. I can't wait to read it!
Destiny's Revenge and Destiny's Wrath by Nancy Straight. Nancy threw these in with my winnings so I could read the whole trilogy! So generous of her--thank you, Nancy!
The Messenger's Handbook by Pamela DuMond. I downloaded this from Amazon for free because it looks really good and certainly like something I'd like to read. Well, if I ever get to it, that is. I am super swamped on e-book reading. Wah.
All right, that's my haul this week. What did y'all get? Leave a link or something if you'd like, and I'll do my very best to check it out in a timely manner. :)
Description from Goodreads: For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in the palace and compete for the heart of the gorgeous Prince Maxon.
But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.
Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself- and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.
I want to sing from rooftops. And ball my eyes out. And gush and gush about how much I LOVED this book. Ah, The Selection. The book in B&N that just would not let me leave until I bought it. The book that I have heard so many good and not-so-good things about. The book that I am currently full-out in love with. Yeah, it was that good.
I would say that this book is like that show The Bachelor, but I've never watched it, so I couldn't tell you. It IS what comes to mind, though, when I think of things to compare The Selection to. A good thing to compare this book to, as far as I can tell. Pretty much, this book is a bunch of girls thrown into a palace competing for the heart of a . . . urm . . . well, I'll get more descriptive later--the heart of a prince.
This was one of those books that was so addicting I lost quite a bit of sleep because I could not put it down. I was so happy as I read this book. Seriously, I'd read it in class when I could, and whenever I couldn't, it was in my lap and I was telling everyone within earshot about how amazing it was as I stroked the gorgeous hardcover lovingly. I get like that sometimes.
I really liked the mix of cultures that I noticed in this book. There were probably more than I caught, but the caste thing, mixed with--yeah, I'm mentioning this again--The Bachelor mixed with a monarchy. I personally feel that this society was described well enough for me to understand what was happening, but was somewhat mysterious in a way that I have a hunch that some topics I am currently wondering about will pop back up later in the series. Another thing about this topic is that we were also limited by America's point of view. If America didn't know about something--and it seems like a lot of people were in the dark about quite a few things--we couldn't know about it either. I like that in a book because it helps me understand the characters better.
While I'm on the topic, Character Rundown time! First we have America. I really want to like America, but am on the fence about her because of some choices she makes that I totally disagree with. At the end of the book, though, I was happy with how she stood up for herself and set on a path of resolve. Overall, America was a nice character. Humble and realistic and talented and kind and shy. And while she was all those things, they also adapted in certain situations when necessary, which added dignity to her character. America . . . certainly a character I am excited to read more about.
Aspen. I'll get him out of the way first. I have thought and thought about what to tell y'all about him, but I can't come up with anything better than this: I don't like him. At all. He did some jerkish things, no matter how selfless he thought he was being, and I honestly do not see why America is so hung up on him. Sadly, I think it may only be his pretty face and the fact that he was her first love. Female leads tend to have trouble getting over those, which makes me unhappy. Anyways, now we have a character I love: Maxon! OH MAXON. I positively adored Maxon. I am 100% on his team, no doubt in my mind. He is kind and caring and charming in his own quirky way. Plus, he's a prince, if that's really worth anything next to his other wonderful traits. I love how he's so inexperienced. It was the total opposite of what I was expecting from him as the prince. Usually the princes are rebellious and stuff, right? Well, this one is sweet and lovable.
And THAT brings me to sweetness. This story is sounds like one that is overflowing with this kind of thing, right? Well, it's not really. Yet it is. I am aware that those statements were contradicting. That would be because this book is SO sweet. So so so sweet. Definitely satisfied me there. But there isn't really an official couple for a majority of the book. There is the friendship between Maxon and America, but that doesn't morph into something like would be totally predicted. So yes, there are positively sweet moments that made me smile and wish I knew Maxon in person. But all of these moments were not necessarily couple-ish ones. Some of them were, though. The details of what I am telling you right now shall remain a mystery until you read the book yourself. So I suggest you go read it. Just saying. ;)
This book was not some big, epic battle story that was a thrill to read the whole way through. It was a total pageant-gush-type book. Clothing and sweetness and friendship and drama. Even though it is not full of action, The Selection still held my attention with the setting, characters, dialogue, and actual events in the book. Maybe not super-hardcore events, but interesting and enthralling all the same.
The ending. I liked the end of this book in the sense that it didn't end at a point where all hope was lost for me. Because that happens more often than it should. BUT, I didn't like that it ended right in the middle of a big character change and revelation about herself. It certainly sets up the next book, but leaves me totally wanting! Needless to say, I plan to attack the next book the moment it gets on shelves. I'm serious, I've already been preparing my mom for it and everything--the moment it comes out, I will be ALL OVER IT.
Now I must comment on the acknowledgements page. I've never done this before because I usually don't feel the need to. But right now I do. I always read the acknowledgements page(s) of books. Always. Sometime I read them before AND after I read the book. Yeah, I'm weird. Anyways, I just want to say that I love that the readers were thanked not once but TWICE. It makes me feel special when things like that happen. I also like that Kiera mentioned that we may have stayed up late reading. Because I did. I finished this book at, like, 2 AM on a school night. I was tired. And I honestly hope Monica and I think of something totally EPIC between now and six months from now.
Okay, now that I'm done confusing you all and commenting on something that really has nothing to do with the content of The Selection, I shall thank y'all for reading my review! And I kind of want to thank Kiera for writing this book because I loved Maxon. And the book, too. ;)
Transcendence by C.J. Omololu Release Date: June 5, 2012 Publisher: Walker & Company Format: ARC, 336 pages Source: Won in a giveaway!
Description from Goodreads: When a visit to the Tower of London triggers an overwhelmingly real vision of a beheading that occurred centuries before, Cole Ryan fears she is losing her mind. A mysterious boy, Griffon Hall, comes to her aid, but the intensity of their immediate connection seems to open the floodgate of memories even wider. As their feelings grow, Griffon reveals their common bond as members of the Akhet—an elite group of people who can remember past lives and use their collected wisdom for the good of the world. But not all Akhet are altruistic, and a rogue is after Cole to avenge their shared past. Now in extreme danger, Cole must piece together clues from many lifetimes. What she finds could ruin her chance at a future with Griffon, but risking his love may be the only way to save them both. Full of danger, romance, and intrigue, Transcendence breathes new life into a perpetually fascinating question: What would you do with another life to live?
Transcendence was so much better than I expected it to be. I had been putting off reading it for a really long while now, so I decided I should read it. Now I'm so glad I did. I read this book in something like 24 hours. I started it Saturday night and finished it Sunday night -- Mothers Day! It was intriguing and sweet and just something I couldn't help but keep reading. It was practically glued to my hands throughout the duration of last weekend.
At first glance, this book seems to be just one of those books where people keep reincarnating and finding their true love and fighting to be together and fighting against the evil of the galaxy and everything else and blah blah blah. A run-on sentence-worthy story. But that is NOT -- not not not -- what this book is. I have to say, it certainly puts a different spin on the whole angle of reincarnation (which was nice because I always enjoy a good reincarnation story). The aspects of the story that were involved in being born again and again were interesting. I didn't feel like a bunch of information was randomly being thrown at me to store in my brain for a later event in the book. Instead, the facts came gradually and in a natural way that was truly enjoyable to read and learn about. There are also some things that are not fully described, but I could figure out myself, which was great becasue I like getting explanations, but not to the point where I am treated like an imbecile. I DO have a grain up there that I try to use on a regular basis. So score for C.J. on that front.
Character rundown time! First we have Cole. The astounding cellist. The shy girl. The female lead with OCD tendencies who also possesses a few nerd-ish qualities. But then there's the strength in her that is beneath the surface throughout everything. And the determination that pops out when it needs to. Cinfidence in herself which is always a trait I admire in anyone. So, I liked Cole. Honestly and truly, the character of Cole made me happy. Nexr we have Griffon. OH GRIFFON. Attractive, attractive boy. While he IS most attractive, he also has brains. More brains than any average boy nowadays could possibly attain, to be honest. (I am not insulting the male race with that, just stating a fact -- read the book if you really want to understand!) I love Griffon's special little abilities. Some made me last and others just amazed me. Throw this all together, and we have a strong, wonderful character that I ADORE.
I have to comment on SWEETNESS yet again. This book was stock-full of sweetness! From the moment Cole and Griffon met to the very last page, great things were happening in some form or another. Plus, they made a cute couple that was not hard to believe in. They did some ordinary things--mixed in with WHOA things, of course--and that added a realistic quality to them in the midst of a whole bunch of paranormal-reincarnating things. Another good thing was how Cole and Griffon met. It wasn't overplayed or unbelievable. It was something that could actually happen to any of us, anywhere. I liked not having to go along with some big, extravagant meeting scene between the love interests for a change.
The ending. There is going to be a sequel, so of course there's some wanting left over. BUT the main plot in this particular book was played out in full, so that appeased me. The ending did not make me unhappy in any way, nor did it leave me with my jaw hanging open. It left me smiling. And now I am immensely eager to read the sequel! Which I am surely going to have to wait forever and a day for. *sigh* Oh well. Until them, I'll drool over what we got of Griffon so far in this book. :)
I recommend this book to anyone who likes the paranormal romance thing. Especially where the romance is prominent, but not necessarily instant. All in all, this book was a great read and I feel lucky to have gotten to read Transcendence! Good books never fail to make me happy.
Thank y'all for reading my review and thank you to C.J. for sending me Transcendence for winning the giveaway! I loved this book!
Between by Cyndi Tefft Release Date: Already Released! (April 21, 2011) Publisher: Createspace Format: Paperback, 244 pages Source: Won in the Aiden's Angels giveaway!
Description from Goodreads: It just figures that the love of Lindsey Water's life isn't alive at all, but the grim reaper, complete with a dimpled smile and Scottish accent.
After transporting souls to heaven for the last 300 years, Aiden MacRae has all but given up on finding the one whose love will redeem him and allow him entry through the pearly gates.
Torn between her growing attraction to Aiden and heaven's siren song, Lindsey must learn the hard way whether love really can transcend all boundaries.
Yes, all you nice people, I HAVE FINALLY READ BETWEEN!!! And it was just as amazing as I imagined it would be. Ah, I love when that happens. I seriously devoured this book. (Yeah, devoured, like Kreag's blog: I Devour Books.) This book made me so happy and even surprised me a little. When it was over, though, I was grinning like a fool. :)
What I expected from this book was not what I got, but that was really not a bad thing. As I first started reading Between, it seemed to be going in the direction of just being one big love story. I have no problem with that since I am a huge softy, as you have probably noticed. But then other things happened and this book became more than just a story about a grim reaper falling in love with a dead girl. I loved every moment of reading this book.
Let me quickly rundown the characters for you so that is out of the way: Lindsey. I can't really think of anything bad to say about her, but I didn't exactly LOVE her. If she were to be a read person that I knew in real life, I would DEFINITELY be friends with her. She has a kind soul and that makes her my kind of person. I think I'd have to know her somewhat better to decide whether or not I LOVE her, though. Maybe when I get and read Hell Transporter, yes? And we have Aiden MacRae. OH, AIDEN. I am 100% Aiden's Angel. He is the guy the word "SWOON" was invented for. And with good reason. He is caring and kind and did I mention TOTALLY GORGEOUS? Well, he is. I have so much love for that dude. Oh, and he has a Scottish accent! How can that not win?
Now, I have decided not to comment on "romance" anymore. I have decided instead to comment on sweetness. Because that is what I truly love in books, people, and everything else -- sweetness. (YES, like the Jimmy Eat World song; I love that song!) This book? Is positively teeming with sweetness. From all directions. Lindsey is a sweet girl and Aiden, well . . . Aiden is just . . . I believe I have already made my thoughts clear on him.
I must concede one little thing, though. The speed at which Aiden and Lindsey fall in love was very fast. That made it seem a wee bit forced and fake for a small portion of the book. As the story unfolded, though, their love grows to shine true 100% and raises not a single doubt of authenticity in my head now. Plus, once you consider the circumstances at which they fell in love -- more particularly Aiden's little premonition from a certain angel -- their speedy emotions make perfect sense. None of this mattered all that much to me since I was taken by Aiden's swoon-worthy-ness, but I did notice and felt it important to say.
What was so great about this book? Well, it was, urm, SWEET. It contains Aiden MacRae, so how can it not be, right? But aside from that, I loved that this book surprised me. I mean, the book was totally going in one direction (NO, not 1D -- I'm not really a fan, though I hold nothing against them) and then BOOM! Something changed and I was left with my jaw hanging open. So of course I had to read read read and find out what was going on and if the ending would please me after all. We'll get to the ending soon, though.
First, I have to go back to my jaw. Hanging open. When you read this book, you should understand the exact moment I'm talking about here. It changed everything I was expecting from the story. This big shift did not really discourage me which was good. It added more of a plot to the story and captured my attention just when things were starting to get somewhat reptitive, more or less.
Now for the ending. The ending left me a zillion percent content. Well, for the most part. I honestly and truly CANNOT WAIT to get my hands on the sequel, Hell Transporter, as soon as I possibly can. But as far as the ending of a first book goes, it didn't really leave me hanging on any certain event or moment that particularly left me wanting and insane while waiting for the next book. There is certainly a huge opening for the sequel, though, and I am most eager to read it. I think most would be after the end of Between because even though I am not left screaming my head off in frustration (and it is SO GOOD to end a book in peace, by the way -- FINALLY, right?!?!) I am deeply curious as to where Aiden and Lindsey's story will go.
All in all, this book made me so happy and I just KNEW this book would be great. So I feel kind of smug because I totally called it. Cyndi has written a wonderful story that was sweet and interesting and even surprising. A story which now leaves me wondering what could possibly be in store for these kind characters.
I recommend this book to anyone looking for a sweet, quick book to read that involves a completely swoon-worthy male lead. Ohhhh, Aiden.
Thank y'all for reading my review, and thank you to Cyndi for having the Aiden's Angels contest! I truly appreciate this book.
Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine where we tell y'all about the books we cannot wait to get our hands on!
All right. Since this is my first Waiting On Wednesday, I thought I'd pick a super special book to feature.
Send Me a Sign by Tiffany Schmidt!
Mia’s used to being the perfect teenager: pretty, popular, smart, caring. But that was before she was diagnosed with leukemia. Now, her father has become Captain Cancer Facts and her mother is obsessed with maintaining Mia’s image. Her maybe-more-than-a-friend, Gyver, is judging her decision not to tell the other cheerleaders that she’s sick. Her life’s about to change and she’s terrified by the loss of control.
Mia’s always been superstitious, but as her body starts to feel like it belongs less to her and more to the doctors and their needles, she becomes irrationally dependent on horoscopes, fortune cookies, and good luck charms. As chemotherapy replaces cheerleading and platelets replace parties, Mia just wants normal back. But despite searching for clues in everything from songs on the radio to her Magic 8 Ball, her future is coming up Outlook not so good.
So, why is this book super special? Well, first of all, because the author is SUPER nice. I always love telling y'all about great books by friendly authors. Another reason this book is special: urm . . . HAVE YOU SEEN THE DESCIPTION? This book looks like it's going to make me laugh and cry and love it the whole time. I don't know about you, but I adore books like that. Though I DO need to read them in private . . .
Send Me a Sign comes out October 2nd, and I am seriously counting down the days. It is most definitely going on my Christmas list if I can't get it between its release date and then. AH! I can't wait for this book!
So, what are you guys waiting on? Leave links if you'd like, I always like to keep my eyes open for new great things.
Thank y'all for stopping by! Until next post, Friends!
Well, OF COURSE I had to throw 
Ah, isn't he so nice to look at? *sigh*
