Happy Halloween Giveaway!

 

Happy Halloween, y'all!

I promised a while ago I'd do a Halloween giveaway and a giveaway for 100,000 page views. THIS IS THAT GIVEAWAY. Just so you know. I was going to write the post last night so it could post earlier this morning, but it was storming here and a Halloween marathon was on AMC...

So I'm writing it now. Yaaaay!

First: what I'm giving away in honor of Halloween. It's two books, actually, and I've read the first and it was so good. I haven't gotten around to the second book yet, but I'm going to give it away because I can. Plus, I've heard great things. So one winner will get these:

 

One person. Two books. AWESOME, RIGHT?

 

(That fits, right? Even if it doesn't, I'm going to pretend like it does.)

Now, remember this?

Well, now for what I'm giving away in honor of THAT happening:

The other giveaway was something creepy, so now I'm going to give away something more fun. It's still paranormal, because it IS Halloween, but it's not creepy. It is also one of my favorite books of 2013 so far. Just so ya know ;) One winner will get this:

 

King Hall is only in digital formats, so that would be an e-copy, but ohmygoodness, you WANT THIS BOOK. It's freaking fabulous. I love it so hard. I re-read my favorite parts often. And it's one of my favorite books this year, as I said. So YAY!

Were you counting? Because I was.There will be TWO WINNERS this time around. Which is kind of a big deal to me, because I usually don't so that.

Oh, and this giveaway? INTERNATIONAL!

 

(Now that one totally fit! I think. I hope. PRETEND FOR ME, Y'ALL.)

THE DETAILS, just so we're clear:

- There will be TWO winners. One to get the ANNA books, and the other to get KING HALL.

- The giveaway is international!

- As always, my giveaway policy applies. If you haven't read it, you should take a look in my "Policies" tab.

- HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

- Enter through the Raffletcopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

♥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(:

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 Have a (kind-of) Plan!

What do I have a plan about you ask? Why I have a reading plan! And by that I mean that I have a plan on the next, like, three? books I'm going to be reading. Ready? Here it is:

1. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi (I currently reading this and almost finished)
2. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
3. Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
4. Sapphique (sequel to Incarceron) by Catherine Fisher

These are all the books sitting on my "Need to Read" shelf in my room. There's usually more, but. . . well, I read them. I'm going to the library on Saturday after my SAT (I am so sacred) so I'll probably pick up a couple more to hold me over during my spring break which is... next week! After my SAT I am free as a bird for a whole nine days. Thank goodness!

As I said, I am currently reading Shatter Me, and I refuse to actually start on my opinion of this book because if I do, I will be unable to stop. I am going to write the review for this book TOMORROW after I finish it today. And I WILL finish it today. Of this I am certain. I do not have the self control to hold it off any longer.

I also feel the need to recommend a book. This is probably silly because I haven't even read this book - YET - but I'm going to say this because just talking about this book gives me a warm and tingly feeling and that's usually a good sign for me. I have a naturally good taste in books, what can I say? ;) I think we should all read Between by Cyndi Tefft. It involves a Scottish male which means something wonderful. ACCENT! If there were ever a reason to read a book, that would probably be it. (well, I kind of kidding here...). Either way, I think this book should be read by many, many people, myself included. I DO plan to read it sometime. I just haven't yet because my library does not have it and that's usually my main source of books, and I do not own an ereader or nook or anything, and I have not actually seen the book at B&N or anything and I do not have enough money to order it, so. . . yeah. Regular life dilemmas. I am figuring it out, though. Looking into PDF format to read on my computer. . . ANYWAYS, am 100% serious when I recommend Between. It looks like a book I can fall in love with. (I actually think I already did, and I haven't even read it yet!) So, yeah.

Okay, so I think that's it. . . if anyone checking out my blog does not already follow me on Twitter, then you should totally try it! @makesmeworse12 (don't ask, it's. . .actually, go ahead and ask if you want.) Now I am off to do other things! (SAT practice questions. . .) Bye, friends! :)

♥Jessica(: