Review: Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Release Date: (Re-released) May 8, 2012
Format: Paperback, 335 pages
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Series: Lux #1
Source: BOUGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Description from Goodreads:
Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I'd pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring.... until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something...unexpected happens.

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon's touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I'm getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.

If I don't kill him first, that is.

OH. MY. FLIPPING. GOODNESS.

This book . . . there are no words. There are seriously no words, but I'm going to try. Okay.

This book is 100% my favorite book EVER. The best book I've ever read in every single aspect of everything ever. The characters are amazing, the storyline is riveting, and the writing is just fabulous. I have absolutely no problems with anything in this book. None. Nada.

This book begins perfectly--with us meeting the OHMYGOODNESSGRACIOUS Daemon Black. From there, the story spans out into a big, understandable story about aliens. Yes, aliens. This may not sound so great right now, but trust me--Jen does this in the best possible way. It's sci fi, but not overbearing sci fi.

I absolutely, positively enjoyed Jen's writing style. Her writing just stands out. It's perfect for the characters and the story. It holds our attention and makes us laugh and is just AH. There is not one word in this whole book that Jen wrote that I want to change in any way.

Character Rundown: Katy. I LOVE KATY. Those words don't even express this enough. She goes from being a meek little book blogger to being the most awesome female lead I have ever had the pleasure of reading about. (And still a book blogger, hehe.) I love the fact that she's a book blogger. It adds some normalcy to her life. Next we have . . .

DAEMON. FLIPPING. BLACK. OH, DAEMON. Yeah, he deserves his own paragraph. Daemon is just . . . there are no words good enough. He can be a huge jerk. I know this. I admit it, but--dear goodness--he has his moments. And it's a mix of those moments with his neverending confidence and just that Daemon-ness that makes Daemon my favorite book character EVER. I usually love to use the word "swoon" when talking about male characters in books whom I love. That word doesn't really cover Daemon, though. He's totally swoon-worthy, but "swoon" may be too civilized of a word for this. Let's suffice it to say that there was a nice puddle of drool collecting as I read this book. Yeah, there's lots of Daemon. He's the amazing guy who just . . . you'll see. I could go on about this forever.
One more thing about Dameon, though--that guy on the cover? PERFECT person to portray Daemon.

The ending. IT KILLED ME. But this book was so marvelous that I can't even complain about this. All I can really do is wait impatiently for Onyx--the sequel--to come out on August 14. I legit CANNOT wait for this. Seriously. Just thinking about it gives me the tinglies.

Overall, this book is my favorite book ever. And Jen is now my favorite author ever. And I suggest everyone reads Obsidian because I loved it so SO so much. Therefore, I have much hope that everyone else will love it as well.

I just want to say real quick that this review is the hardest I've ever written. Because I love this book so much, it's hard to think of productive things to say other than OHMYGOSH, READ THIS BOOK. Still, I had fun gushing about how much I honestly love this book.

Thank you to Billy & Angie for getting it for me! I'm so glad I own this book. If I were to have borrowed it or something, I never would have been able to give it back.

All right, that's it, y'all. Thanks for reading my review!

Have a wonderful day, Friends!
♥Jessica(:

Crazy Dangerous Blog Tour: Review + GIVEAWAY!

Crazy Dangerous by Andrew Klavan
Release Date: May 1, 2012
Format: PDF, 330 pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Source: NetGalley / YA Bound Blog Tours

Description from Goodreads:

"You probably want to hear about Jennifer and the demons and how I played chicken with a freight train and—oh yeah—the weird murder and how I found out about it—you're definitely going to want to hear about that. But first, I have to tell you about the stupidest thing I ever did . . ."

Sam Hopkins is bored with his status as a preacher's kid. So when a group of guys notorious for being in trouble offers him friendship, he accepts. Before long, he has several new skills—including hot-wiring cars.

At school, there's an eccentric loner named Jennifer. When Sam defends her from being bullied, she begins to seek him out as her only friend. Her ramblings often seem illogical . . . but then start to contain grains of truth. One leads Sam to discover that one of his new friends has been killed. And then she tells him, "I'm looking for the devil." Sam doesn't know what that means, but he knows it's a matter of life and death that he figure it out.

Everyone else thinks Jennifer is suffering from schizophrenia. But Sam is starting to wonder if there could be something prophetic in her words. Discovering the truth is going to be both crazy and dangerous.

This book was really good. Completely thrilling and interesting from the very beginning of the book all the way through to the end. I had no idea what to expect when I started reading the book, but now that I have I can say that this book is certainly one that keeps us on our toes.

One thing I really enjoyed about reading this book was the writing style. It is as if the main character is actually telling us a story, recounting the events for us as if we're old friends. This is a great way for a reader (me) to feel connected to the story instead of feeling like an outsider looking in.

This book was poitively interesting. The way everything is pretty much a chain reaction of other things that had happened, and the way all of these little things connect, is truly enthralling. I loved reading more and more and finding a bit more to the pice of the big puzzle of this story.

Crazy Dangerous was absolutely thrilling. In this way, it certainly lives up to its name--many dangerous things happen, and they're so much fun to read about. Big BOOMs happen all over the place, sometimes literally.

Character Rundown: Sam, Sam, Sam Hopkins! Sam is such a wonderful protaganist. He is both strong and weak at the same time, but never ever really doubts himself. He is exceedingly kind in the very best way--not a pushover, but not cruel either. Plus, he's funny. Sarcasm can never be bad for a character to have, in my opinion. Jennifer Sales. Now, she's pretty much the "crazy girl," but she's not REALLY crazy. She was a nice character to learn about, piece by piece as the story develops. I also think it was the sweetest thing how Sam was her "magical friend."

I think this is my favorite quote from a book in a long while (this was before I read Obsidian): "There's magic in a friend's name." Think about it--this is SO true.

One more little aspect I must comment on in this book: there is a mystery. Yeah, a mystery. One that twists your mind for a little bit, until we find out the answer and then everything makes sense. It's not an obvious answer, though the mystery is not impossible to solve. It was exciting trying tto predict things and then changing them again and again until finally--FINALLY--I got it right.

The ending. A very good ending. It wraps up everything in the book, but still leaves us thinking. And though we're s thinking, it's not in a I-need-more way, but in more of a create-your-own-interpretation way. And I like that.

Overall, this book was a seriously fun read and I enjoed the whole thing. If you're looking for a book that will keep you on your toes, I suggest this one. :)

All right, it's giveaway time.

GIVEAWAY:

We're giving away ONE ecopy of Crazy Dangerous!

For all the rules of this giveaway, click HERE to see my giveaway policy. This giveaway is international and ends on June 20.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank y'all for stopping by!

Have a wonderful day, Friends!

♥Jessica(:

Review: A Little Friendly Advice by Siobhan Vivian

A Little Friendly Advice by Siobhan Vivian
Release Date: March 1, 2008
Format: Hardcover, 256 pages
Publisher: Scholastic
Source: Library

Description from Goodreads:
A wonderful debut for any teen with friendship issues (i.e. all of them)

Ruby's turning sixteen . . . but the day doesn't turn out to be as sweet as it's supposed to be. Her long lost father shows up, and Ruby doesn't want to have anything to do with him. Instead, she wants to hang out with her friends - loyal Beth, dangerous Katherine, and gossipy Maria. They have plenty of advice for her - about boys, about her dad, about how she should look and what she should be feeling. But really, Ruby doesn't know what to think or feel. Especially when a new boy comes into the picture . . . and Ruby discovers some of her friends aren't as truthful as they say.

You may remember my review of Not That Kind of Girl, where I was somewhat disappointed because I just could not get into the book even though I really loved this author. Weeeell, this time, I am super glad to say that I adored this book! It was so incredibly cute and sweet and interesting to me.

The beginning of this book was nice. I liked that it began with a little birthday party and then BOOM, Daddy Dearest shows up. A very nice way to jump into the plot and hold my attention. I also loved how the inroductions were taken care of early in the story (all except for Charlie, but we'll get there) so that we could just move on and get to the good stuff.

I loved the STORY of this book. The Dad--Jim--coming back and Ruby going through everything she goes through and needing her friends to help her out. And then of course Charlie shows up. A nice addition to a story that would otherwise be very basic, I think. Charlie adds some complexity to Ruby's life, in the bes possible way.

Character Rundown: Ruby. Newly sixteen. The quiet type. Has a harder time dealing with that thing called "her life" than most would think, and for good reason. Beth--Ruby's bestest friend. Apparently the best friend anyone could have, but there's really a lot more to it. And Charlie. Sweet boy. Artsy. Unique, but not in a geeky way. He's not a loser, he's just new. And he takes to Ruby quick. I positively adored Charlie. He's the kind of guy I wish I knew. He's a good listener and friendly and minds his own business when he knows he should. He doesn't pry, but he's THERE. OH CHARLIE.

Sweetness. The relationship between Charlie and Ruby in this book was a little rushed, since this whole book happens in the span of a week--give or take a day--but that was really okay. Because it's not like they were instantly in love, or even said the L word at all in this book. Their relationship was more of working towards creating a steady relationship than deepening their emotions.

The relationship between Ruby and her dad Jim wasn't much of a relationship at all. And it was intereesting to watch Ruby work through that in her mind, especially since all of these emotions were just brought back up with his random reappearance in her life.

The ending. The ending was not a perfect little package for the story. Which is good because life isn't perfect, as we all know. Still, imperfections and all, the ending left me smiling and happy.

Overall, I'm glad I gave Siobhan's books another shot. She really is an amazing writer. Y'all should read this book--it's a nice read and perfect for summer!

Have a wonderful day, Friends!
♥Jessica(:

Waiting On Wednesday! (4)

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!

Yeah, y'all can probably guess the book I've chosen for today. Considering my newfound love for the Lux series and books by Jennifer L. Armentrout. So I'm SERIOUSLY waiting on . . .

Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Expected Publication: August 14, 2012

Description from Goodreads:

Being connected to Daemon Black sucks…

Daemon’s determined to prove what he feels for me is more than a product of our bizarre connection. I’ve sworn him off even though he’s running more hot than cold these days. But against all common sense, I’m falling for him. Hard.

Our relationship issues aren’t out biggest problem…

The Department of Defense is here. If they ever find out what Daemon can do and that we’re linked, I’m a goner. So is he. And when a new boy shows up a school with a secret of his own, things get complicated fast. I need to choose between my own instincts and Daemon’s.

But then everything changes…

I’ve seen someone who shouldn’t be alive. Daemon’s never going to stop searching until gets the truth. What happened to his brother? Who betrayed him? And what does the DOD want from them—from me?

No one is who they seem. And not everyone will survive the lies.

WHY? Why am I waiting for this book? I have a better question: How could I NOT be waiting for this book? I am positively dying for this book right now. I legit CANNOT wait. It's going to be epic. And I'm going to cry. And laugh. And probably yell. And it's going to be AWESOME.

All right, as always feel free to share what you're waiting on!

Have a super great day, Friends!

♥Jessica(:

Teaser Tuesday! (9)

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, so we all know that I've been OBSESSING over Obsidian since I got it last week. Which, now that I think about it, is kind of funny because it feels like so much longer since I got it and read it. Anyways, since I am positively in love with this book, I shall give y'all a teaser from it!

Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

"There was no doubt in my mind that Daemon loved and cherished his sister. He'd gladly give his life for her. The way he was looking out for her was more than admirable. There wasn't a good enough word for it. And it made me wish I had a sibling." ~pg. 204, Obsidian, Jennifer L. Armentrout

Okay, so I'm off to obsess a bit more over the epicness of this series. Maybe I'll curl up into a ball until Onyx comes out in August, hehe. Feel free to leave links to your own teasers! I'm seriously low on books to read at the moment and some suggestions can never hurt.

Have a wonderful day, Friends!

♥Jessica(:

Review: Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

Of Poseidon by Anna Banks
Release Date: May 22, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 336 pages
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Series: Of Poseidon #1
Source: Bought!

Description from Goodreads:
Galen, a Syrena prince, searches land for a girl he's heard can communicate with fish. It’s while Emma is on vacation at the beach that she meets Galen. Although their connection is immediate and powerful, Galen's not fully convinced that Emma's the one he's been looking for. That is, until a deadly encounter with a shark proves  that Emma and her Gift may be the only thing that can save his kingdom. He needs her help--no matter what the risk.

Of Poseidon was an amazing book. Honestly, it amazed me. I was expecting it to be a really good book. I'd read countless reviews saying that this book was extraordinary and the description really caught my interest, but this book still surprised me. Mostly because I was expecting Of Poseidon to be just another one of THOSE stories. You know, boy meets girl, they fall in love, and then a bunch of other things happen that no one REALLY cares about, but it amuses us anyway. But that was SO not this story!

This book was incredibly unique. Essentially, it's a mermaid story, but they DO NOT like to be called mermaids. They're Syrena. Along with being Syrena, there's a tie-in to Poseidon, which attaches this book to mythology which fascinates me. Goodness knows that I'm one to get lost in the characters of most stories, but in Of Poseidon, the story in itself was more than enough to hold my attention. I really found this whole book interesing through and through.

The plot. Another aspect of this book that baffled me in the most amazing way. Some things I expected, but others threw me for a loop. Just as goodness knows about my character addiction, it also knows about my love for being surprised within the pages of books. I mean, who doesn't love that, right?

Character Rundown: Emma. The pretty girl who seems to be more than human. Completely stubborn and positively determined in everything she chooses to do. A very respectable character that I LOVED reading about from Galen's point of view. Now Galen. OH, GALEN. I have a thing for the name 'Galen.' Ever since reading Witchlight by L.J. Smith. If you can tell me the Latin root for the name 'Galen,' you will have my never-ending respect. Anyway, THIS Galen was incredibly awesome. I adore him, of course. Protective and every bit as stubborn as our girl Emma. Protectiveness (a healthy protectiveness, not an abusive one) always scores points in my book. He's caring and kind. Plus, his family and friends mean a lot to him--another thing that earns big points for me.

Sweetness. There is a love story within the Syrena story. It is incredibly sweet, but not an instant thing. No, there is no insta-LOVE. There is, however, an insta-connection. But that is different in my eyes. We actually watch Emma and Galen grow closer throughout the book and I truly enjoyed it. Emma and her stubbroness paired with Galen and his decisiveness just brings a smile to my face.

Something worth mentioning--this book does switch points of view, but it is only first person in Emma's POV. When we're looking through Galen's eyes, it's third person. I love this because I always like to see through more than one character's perspective, and the changing of POVs in this book is done in a way that is very easy to differentiate. It's not hard to turn the page and see that we're in Galen's head right now, or Emma's. Easy to follow.

The ending. I positively adored this marvelous book, but the ending killed me. Another cliff-hanger. I understand why it's there, but it is really torturous! We have to wait--and wait and wait and wait--to find out how it's going to continue. Grrrr.

Overall, this book is something you shoudl certainly read. Cliff-hanger ending and all, it's a wonderful story worth reading and a magnificent debu from Anna. I am highly anticipating reading more from this lovely author.

That's all for today, Friends! Have a wonderful Monday!

♥Jessica(:

What I Got! (5) +Anna'a Celebration!

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!

This was an absolutely AMAZING week for me!

FOR REVIEW:

Losing Elizabeth by Tanya J. Peterson. I just finished this book last night, and a review will be posted for this book sometime this month. :)

BOUGHT:

This, right here, is the best part of my week. I was SO HAPPY when I got this . . . I almost cried. I definitely screamed.

Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout! I can't even put my love for this book into words right now. I'm posting a review for this book sometime within the next couple of weeks, too, and all I can manage to say right now is that this book is my favorite EVER. I am so incredibly glad I got this book! Thanks a million to Billy and Angie for getting it for me!!!! :)

All right, so before I let y'all go to do whatever you may do on Sundays, I want to tell you about something AMAZING. We all know who Anna from Literary Exploration is, yes? If you've been following my blog for a while, you'll know that I adore Anna's blog and that I think Anna is the awesomest blogger on the planet. Weeeeell, Anna's blog has reached 1500 followers! Isn't that AMAZING? Her blog is seriously great, and she deserves every single follower she has. To celebrate her massive amount of awesomeness followers, she's having a giveaway! A super epic giveaway, to be honest. To check it out, click HERE because she is giving away some REALLY cool bookish things.

Congrats, Anna! *squeee!*

Okay, that is all I have to say for today. Have a marvelously wonderful Sunday, Friends!

♥Jessica(: