On My Wishlist (17)

In On My Wishlist I spotlight books that I'm really looking forward to. I know there's a meme Waiting on Wednesday and there even are others, but I'm going to rebel and do it how I want it (hehe). I'll feature the synopsis as posted on Goodreads and put a linkie to the Goodreads page of the book. This week: Torn by Cat Clarke.

Torn by Cat Clarke
Expected publication date: December 22nd, 2011

Synopsis
Four girls. One dead body. A whole lot of guilt.

Alice King isn’t expecting the holiday of a lifetime when she sets off with her classmates on a trip to the Scottish wilderness, but she’s not exactly prepared for an experience beyond her darkest nightmares…

Alice and her best friend Cass are stuck in a cabin with Polly, the social outcast, and Rae, the moody emo-girl. Then there’s Tara – queen of mean. Powerful, beautiful and cruel, she likes nothing better than putting people down.

Cass decides it’s time to teach Tara a lesson she’ll never forget. And so begins a series of events that will change the lives of these girls forever...

A compelling story of guilty secrets, troubled friendship and burgeoning love.


Goodreads page

In case you didn't know, I really liked Cat's debut, Entangled, and that makes me incredibly excited for Torn as well. She has a way of writing that really sucked me into the story and I hope that this one will do that as well. Even though this title was originally supposed to be published in January , I already preordered a copy in August to make sure I will get it as soon as it comes out. That's how excited I am! And thankfully they moved the publication date to late December! Eeeee! I cannot wait to get my grabby little paws on this pretty. Because let's just face it, the cover is stunning, innit?

In My Mailbox (53)

Another Sunday, another In My Mailbox! In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren where we show what book(ish thing)s we got this week. I had another small IMM - which means I'm doing GREAT in not-buying-as-many-books-as-usual! Woopwoop! Here's this week's vlog :)

For review from Netgalley:
On a Dark Wing by Jordan Dane
Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder

From Amazon:
A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare
Grimm's Fairy Tales
Dutch Fairy Tales for Young Folks by William Elliot Griffis

I know it's getting old, but I'm proud of myself again this week! (and I might have a job interview soon, so I might actually have money to buy books again in the future :P)  I have a couple of things on the way to me (preorders and two sequels that I ordered) so I'll probably have some more goodies to show you next week. 

That's all for me this week! What did you get in your mailbox this week? Happy reading :) 

Review: Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen

Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen 
Published: April 22nd, 2008
Publisher: Puffin
Pages: 422
Challenge: 100+ Reading Challenge, 350 Page Books Challenge
Other: NA
Buy the book: Bookdepository


"Ruby, where is your mother?" Ruby knows that the game is up. For the past few months, she's been on her own in the yellow house, managing somehow, knowing that her mother will probably never return. That's how she comes to live with Cora, the sister she hasn't seen in ten years, and Cora's husband Jamie, whose down-to-earth demeanor makes it hard for Ruby to believe he founded the most popular networking Web site around. A luxurious house, fancy private school, a new wardrobe, the promise of college and a future—it's a dream come true. So why is Ruby such a reluctant Cinderella, wary and defensive? And why is Nate, the genial boy next door with some secrets of his own, unable to accept the help that Ruby is just learning to give?

After reading This Lullaby and Keeping the Moon, I was on a bit of a Sarah Dessen reading frenzy and I decided to pick this one up. I expected it to be good, but I didn't expect to get as emotional as I did while reading it.

Ruby is a girl with a past. She's been through a lot when she comes to live with her sister and her husband, who try their hardest to crack her shell. Ruby prefers to stay alone, not really doing anything to fit in, and makes trips down memory lane by going back to the friends she had when she still lived with her mother. She has trouble picking up the pieces and struggles to be that teenage girl that Cora and Jamie want her to be.

I loved how Sarah put together the family and showed how they were all struggling to be that family. I quite liked Jamie - I thought he was a great father figure even though he was still young. He tried desperately to help Ruby get a normal life and what I loved was that he had difficulty with it. It wasn't perfect. Their relationship wasn't perfect either, and I loved how we saw the cracks in that, too.

And then there was Nate. Oh, sweet Nate. Nate has his own problems that he has to live with and it broke my heart to see him rejecting every bit of help that was offered to him. We find out what those problems are in the end, and that broke my heart all over again.

There was something about this book that made me break down in tears. With how Ruby struggles with her past, but also how she tries to help someone while she only just found out how to help other people. And yes, I really cried while reading this. I connected with the characters and I recognised their struggles, their problems, their way of dealing with everything when life threatens to get a little too much. I also connected with the helping hand, the caring family and the broken boy next door. I absolutely loved it.

My overall rating:


How can I give something I love so much less than five big fat stars?

The Apocalypse Gene Blog Tour: Excerpt and giveaway!

Today the blog tour of The Apocalypse Gene is stopping by on the blog! I'm hosting an excerpt of the book, as well as a giveaway so be sure to read the whole post so you'll be able to enter :) 

With Pandemic ravaging the globe, Olivya's psychic Sight compels her to see auras riddled with the colors of despair, and now her mother is infected.

Olivya’s only hope is the mysterious Mikah, a powerful Empath who claims the Pandemic is linked to his clan, the Kindred, and their brooding, monstrous, Immortal Lord. But can she trust this boy who can manipulate her very emotions?

With Mikah's aid, Olivya races to unearth Kindred secrets, desperate to find a cure, only to discover the Pandemic is far, far more than a mere disease . . .






Goodreads page

Excerpt
Chapter One – The Good As Dead: Olivya has just learned that her mother plans to upgrade their
home-based hospice center to euthanasia, a service called “deliverance”. GAD is short for “Good-As-Dead”. The first “customer” as arrived.

Deliverance. Olivya hated that slithery word, that thin euphemism. Why not call it what it was? Murder. Her legs tensed, straining to run through the front door, down the street, east to Lake Michigan, and keep on going, right into the cool deep waters. Instead, she crept to the foyer, careful to stay out of Mama's line of sight.
The new GAD lay mummy-bound in a pale blue blanket. This one had no intention of hanging out in a tranquilized coma or happily zoned on Hypno-Peace. He just wanted out. She wanted to look into the soul of this death-wisher. Did it take courage to broadcast that invitation to the Reaper? You are cordially invited to escort me to oblivion.
The sickly sweet stench of diseased flesh and stale urine wafted from the GAD. His sweat-soaked orange hair lay like worms on his forehead. Straps held his wrists to the side rails. His lips fluttered with each labored breath. She frowned. He looked just like all the others. Nothing special - shrunken, coma-tranked, and reeking. Was he a coward or a hero? The answer didn't show in his face, but she could find it in his aura.
A chill breeze rippled, raising gooseflesh on her arms. Maybe the old Reaper was already standing right there, ready to claim his prize. If she allowed herself to fully Sight, would she see Death's black robes, its bottomless eyes rimmed in bone? She wanted to curse it, spit in its hideous face. Like Papa, this newcomer had set out a welcome mat for Death.
Mama would be furious if she caught her gaping, disobeying orders to stay away. Olivya would have to hurry, but a moment was all she needed.
She closed her eyes, lifted her defenses and willed the Sight to come. Colors, shapes and lights swirled behind her lids. She compressed them into a single point of white-light deep inside her mind, then she opened her eyes.
The GAD's aura, at first vague and wavy, sharpened into view. Despite the drug-induced coma, misery rose from him in sluggish waves. The dull red of malignancy throbbed against a background of greenish-gray - similar to the other Good-As-Deads, but somehow weightier. Intuition told her to look more closely.
Faint hues darted behind that auric death-shroud, ghosts of the man's former emotions. A streak of robin's egg blue, shimmers of peach. An eerie feeling came over her. Something looked familiar about this combination of gentle pastels in this particular pattern.
The face of a smiling man rose in her mind's eye, one who had always been patient with the friendless psychic girl. Mr. Gragg. Her Seventh Grade English teacher from the old brick and mortar. Could this be him? It looked nothing like him. Mr. Gragg had been thick-muscled and robust, his hair a riot of bright orange ringlets. Yes. That pastel aura was Mr. Gragg's. She recognized the colors of his unique, unflagging kindness. Why him? Then again, so many in the world had cancer. Why not him?
Olivya caught Mama's voice in the kitchen. “Any family?”
“Not any more,” the deliveryman said.







------------------------

Giveaway
Liked what you just read? Here's your chance to win an eBook of The Apocalypse Gene! All you have to do is like the Facebook page (mandatory) and fill in the form below.

Rules:
- Open internationally
- Winner will be drawn at random
- Prize will be sent out by Naj
- Giveaway is open til November 6th, 2011

Fill in *[removed]* to be entered! Good luck! The winner will be announced here on the blog and will be sent an email to claim their prize. If you did not like the Facebook page, your entry will be disqualified. It's the one thing you have to do to be eligible to enter!!

Contest is now closed

Suki and Carlyle are also hosting a master giveaway where you can win a Kindle and more! Clicky clicky on the following link to fill in the form: CLICK!

Don't forget to check out the next stop on the tour! 

Bout of Books readathon!

If you have been following me on Twitter or Tumblr, you may have noticed that I joined the 24 hour readathon on Saturday. I cheated and extended it til midnight on Sunday. Even though I'm sick, I've managed to read three books and I plan on keep my reading mojo going. And then I saw the Bout of Books readathon! So I'm making it a week long readathon!! #likeaboss xD It's from Monday til Sunday, and I'll make sure to post a short little update every two days or so (and update this post of course).

So my updates will look something like this:
Day
Currently reading:
Books finished:
Pages read:
Time spent reading:
Total amount of pages read:

------------------------------

Monday

Currently reading: Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
Books finished: None
Pages read: 55
Time spent reading: 1 hour
Total amount of pages read: 55

It was a day filled with cleaning and other household tasks so didn't have that much time to read. Hopefully that will be different tomorrow! I have to apply for a couple of vacancies but I'm sure I'll be able to squeeze in more reading than I have today.

Tuesday

Currently reading: Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
Books finished: None
Pages read: 77
Time spent reading: 1 hour
Total amount of pages read: 132




Wednesday
Currently reading: Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
Books finished: None
Pages read: 0
Time spent reading: 0
Total amount of pages read: 132

This readathon is turning out to be a big fat failure for me. I spent my entire day doing other stuff and because Fame (remake from 2009) was on, I watched that instead of reading. And after that was some kind of movie about drummers and I ended up watching that one, as well. So my reading time was just.. gone. Ugh. I'm determined to make it though. We're over halfway into the readathon and I really want to finish *at least* two books. I'd better get on with it tomorrow.


Edited on Saturday
So.. You may have noticed that I haven't updated this post. That's because I didn't have anything to update it with. I have read 200 pages in this entire week, that's even less than I usually read! Instead I spent time playing with Scrivener (free trial for NaNo participants!) and I spent my Friday and Saturday solving a jigsaw puzzle of 1000 pieces (I just finished and it is 10 PM when I type this). So.. I haven't really made time for reading. Bad me! I'll try to squeeze in more reading time tonight and tomorrow, so hopefully I'll be able to tell you that I finished the book. Anyhow, this readathon was a bit of a fail for me.. Hopefully the next one will be better! :)

------------------------------

And I have a couple of books that I want to read:
- Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
- Born at Midnight by C.C. Hunter
- Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins
- The Darkest Passion by Gena Showalter
- The Poison Diaries by Maryrose Wood

And if I read all of those, I have enough books yet to read (mostly Galleys that I really should get to xD) At least I won't be bored!!

My goal is to read at least three books - because that means I've read an above average amount of books in one week for me. And since I've finished three books this weekend, I'm sure I can do it! *cheers herself on*

Are you joining as well? :)

In My Mailbox (52)

Another Sunday, another In My Mailbox! In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren where we show what book(ish thing)s we got this week. It's another small week for me - which means I'm doing good on my slow-down-the-book-buying-time! Here's this week's vlog :)

Kindle

Wuthering Hights by Emily Brontë

Jayne Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Fractured Light by Rachel McClellan (NetGalley)

The Next Door Boys by Jolene B. Perry (NetGalley)

Physical book

Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien

Tadaa! I'm really proud of myself. I have plenty of books here that are waiting for me to read them, so that motivates me as well to slow down the book buying. I want to read some classics, which is why I got the books by Jane Austen and the Brontë sisters. I haven't read any classics in school (except Animal Farm, which I hated) so I have a lot of catching up to do. I read tons of (new) YA books but I really want to read some other stuff as well, and those are high up my list. 

I'm very excited to read Birthmarked as I got the eGalley for Prized in a couple of weeks ago; plus it just sounds great!

That's all for me this week! What did you get in your mailbox? Happy reading :) 

On My Wishlist (16)

In On My Wishlist I spotlight books that I'm really looking forward to. I know there's a meme Waiting on Wednesday and there even are others, but I'm going to rebel and do it how I want it (hehe). I'll feature the synopsis as posted on Goodreads and put a linkie to the Goodreads page of the book. This week: Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare.

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
Expected publication date: December 6th, 2011

Synopsis
In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street—and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa’s powers for his own dark ends.

With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister’s war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move—and that one of their own has betrayed them.

Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, but her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will—the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do?

As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart.




Goodreads page
I know I wasn't the biggest fan of Clockwork Angel, which I liked, but I'm stoked for its sequel! Clockwork Angel really picked up the pace around halfway in and it has me begging for the second book! The cover is gorgeous and hopefully it'll mean that we will see a lot more of Jem! (I'm sorry about the amount of exclamation points in this post) I'm just so so excited that this will finally be coming out this year!! And Will!! I wanna know what he was doing in that last scene (or was it the first scene of book 2?)! Need it, stat!

Review: Bad Taste in Boys by Carrie Harris

Bad Taste in Boys by Carrie Harris
Published: July 12th, 2011
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pages: 201
Challenge: Debut Author Challenge 2011, 100+ Reading Challenge
Other: First book in the Kate Grable series. The second book, Bad Hair Day, will be published in 2012.
Buy the book: Bookdepository


Someone's been a very bad zombie.

Kate Grable is horrified to find out that the football coach has given the team steroids. Worse yet, the steroids are having an unexpected effect, turning hot gridiron hunks into mindless flesh-eating zombies. No one is safe--not her cute crush Aaron, not her dorky brother, Jonah . . . not even Kate!

She's got to find an antidote--before her entire high school ends up eating each other. So Kate, her best girlfriend, Rocky, and Aaron stage a frantic battle to save their town. . . and stay hormonally human.

In her hilarious debut, Carrie Harris creates a funny story mixed with mad scientist and I absolutely loved it.

Kate discovers that the school's football team is on Zombie Steroids and is frantically looking for a cure while trying to keep her hormones in check when Aaron seems to be interested in her. The combination of snarky comments, zombies, loss of limbs, hormonal teenagers, a sweet brother and smart science nerd as our main character made this a fabulous read.

One of the things I loved most about this book was that Kate was smart, but she wasn't annoying in what she knew. She was confident and had a hands-on mentality and had a strong mind about what needed to be done. Kate is funny and witty and snarky and yes, shy when it comes to boys.

And Jonah! How cute is he? I just wanted to squeeze his little cheeks because he was so adorable. He may be scared in some situations, but I think he would be willing to do anything for his sister and that's what makes him such an incredible character - even with a chicken suit.

My overall rating:


Four and a half stars for Kate Grable! I cannot wait to read Bad Hair Day, especially since there's going to be a shirtless cookie scene..

In My Mailbox (51)

Another Sunday, another In My Mailbox! In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren where we show what book(ish thing)s we got this week. I had another awesome week! I'm still doing good in buying less books - I bought only one book in 1.5 months or so, and everything I'm getting in now are preorders :) Here's this week's vlog :)

Kindle (all from Netgalley):

Dancergirl by Carol M. Tanzman

Dark Eden by Patrick Carman

Hushed by Kelley York

Reel Life Starring Us by Lisa Greenwald

The Juliet Spell by Douglas Rees

The Deserter by Peadar Ó Guilín

Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard

Saving June by Hannah Harrington

If I Tell by Janet Gurtler

Physical copies:

Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon

Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

Five Flavours of Dumb by Antony John

Most of these are 'overflow' from last week's IMM so I've had these for slightly longer. But jeesh so many good books! I'm very happy with what I got and I'm really trying to limit the book I buy - and I think it works (so far at least..) I'm particularly looking forward to reading Five Flavours of Dumb because I've heard *so* many good things about it. But hey, they all sound good! 

That's all that I got in my mailbox this week.. What did you get in yours? Happy reading :)

Review: The Maze Runner by James Dashner

The Maze Runner by James Dashner 
Published: October 6th, 2009
Publisher: Chicken House (UK)
Pages: 371
Challenge: 100+ Reading Challenge, 350 Page Books Challenge, YA Series Challenge
Other: First book in the Maze Runner series. The third and last book, The Death Cure, was published on October 11th, 2011 (US).
Buy the book: Bookdepository


When the doors of the lift crank open, the only thing Thomas remembers is his first name. But he's not alone. He's surrounded by boys who welcome him to the Glade - a walled encampment at the centre of a bizarre and terrible stone maze. Like Thomas, the Gladers don't know why or how they came to be there - or what's happened to the world outside. All they know is that every morning when the walls slide back, they will risk everything - even the Grievers, half-machine, half-animal horror that patrols its corridors, to find out.

After hearing so many good things about this book and the series, I picked up a copy and I have absolutely no regrets I did. It's a thrilling story that I couldn't put down.

In a dystopian future, a group of boys is thrown into a space they call the Glade and forced to survive. Thomas is the last boy to join the group and together, they need to figure out the massive Maze around the Glade. Every day, the Runners go into the Maze, looking for a way out.

The story was great, except for the little nagging thing in my mind that kept saying 'how does he know that?' of 'why now?'. Some things were quickly answered by Thomas, even though he was the last boy to arrive and should have the least amount of knowledge about the Maze and the Grievers. The answers were easily found and I would have liked a little more difficulty for the questions to be answered. After all, they don't have memories and shouldn't be able to answer certain questions.

Having said that, I thought The Maze Runner was a fabulous book and I loved how quick the characters grew up and took responsibility for whatever they needed to do to keep everything going in the Glade. The book made me wonder about things like why boys, why these boys, who are the makers of the Maze and more of those things, and I have to say the ending of this book had me intruiged to pick up The Scorch Trials - because it's pretty.. interesting. I loved it.

Dashner managed to create a world inside a world with distinctive charactaristics and great slang. While the story wasn't a rollercoaster ride in terms of action packed, the book held me thoroughly entertained the whole time and personally, I cannot wait to read the sequel.

My overall rating:


Four and a half stars to Thomas and the Gladers and their funny slang!

Review: Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley 
Published: February 14th, 2012 (US)
Publisher: Knopf
Pages: 272
Source: ARC via Netgalley
Challenge: 100+ Reading Challenge
Other: first published on August 1st, 2010 by Macmillan Australia
Buy the book: Bookdepository


Senior year is over, and Lucy has the perfect way to celebrate: tonight, she's going to find Shadow, the mysterious graffiti artist whose work appears all over the city. He's out there somewhere—spraying color, spraying birds and blue sky on the night—and Lucy knows a guy who paints like Shadow is someone she could fall for. Really fall for. Instead, Lucy's stuck at a party with Ed, the guy she's managed to avoid since the most awkward date of her life. But when Ed tells her he knows where to find Shadow, they're suddenly on an all-night search around the city. And what Lucy can't see is the one thing that's right before her eyes.

This is easily one of the best feel good books I have read this year. Engaging, cute and overall feel good: to me it was like You've got mail in a YA book.

On a night when they are supposed to be celebrating, Lucy is stuck with Ed and together they search the city to find Shadow, the graffiti artist who has left his art on just about every piece of bare wall he could find. Lucy is already half in love with a guy she doesn't even know and she will do anything to finally meet him.. Except maybe looking at what's right in front of her.

This is a fabulous cute read that I would easily recommend to everyone who is looking for a good contemporary read. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and it was better than I thought it would be after getting a copy from Netgalley for review. I then heard so many good things on Twitter, and I'm glad I picked it up almost right away - because it is that good. The relationship between Ed and Lucy is so well built up and it's so nice to see their feelings develop into something more.

My overall rating:


Four big fat stars for this Aussie story because it is one of the few that I could re-read again and again.

Review: Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Published: August 28th, 2007
Publisher: Knopf
Pages: 230
Challenge: 100+ Reading Challenge
Other: NA
Buy the book: Bookdepository


NAOMI AND ELY ARE BEST FRIENDS. Naomi loves and is in love with Ely, and Ely loves Naomi, but prefers to be in love with boys. So they create their "No Kiss List" of people neither of them is allowed to kiss. And this works fine - until Bruce. Bruce is Naomi's boyfriend, so there's no reason to put him on the List. But Ely kissed Bruce even though he is boring. The result: a rift of universal proportions and the potential end of "Naomi and Ely: the institution." Can these best friends come back together again?

After reading two of their other collaborations, Dash and Lily's Book of Dares and Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, I was excited to read another book from their hands. And it was even better than I was expecting it to be.

There was just something about this book that touched my heart and made it *that* good for me. Naomi and Ely are best friends, until Ely kisses Naomi's boyfriend, Bruce, and everything gets out of hand. The consequenses of their fight are told from various points of view, from Ely to Naomi, from Bruce the First (yes, you read that right) to Gabriel the Doorman. I loved seeing how their seperation influenced everyone around them, because they were always so close.

Their conversations (or should I say bickering sessions?) are equally hilarious as they are painful - because they know exactly how to hurt each other - but I couldn't help but laugh while reading the scene about the pants.

It's a story about friendship and love, and how similar they are. There's a brilliant quote in the book about that: "It's bullshit to think of friendship and romance as being different. They're not. They're just variations of the same love. Variations of the same desire to be close."

Outside of the story about Naomi and Ely, the book also explores the discovery of sexuality, dealing with being gay and dealing with hormones. I teared up several times while reading this because it hit close to home with the fight between the two best friends and I loved the fact that this book was able to do that for me.

My overall rating:


Four and a half stars for the Naomi and Ely institution - and a promise to pick up whatever these two great authors write together in the future.

On My Wishlist (15)

In On My Wishlist I spotlight books that I'm really looking forward to. I know there's a meme Waiting on Wednesday and there even are others, but I'm going to rebel and do it how I want it (hehe). I'll feature the synopsis as posted on Goodreads and put a linkie to the Goodreads page of the book. This week: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi.

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
Expected publication date: November 15th, 2011

Synopsis
Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days. The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

Goodreads page

Probably the most hyped title of 2011 so I guess everyone already knows about this book. I've been following Tahereh on twitter since before it was announced that she had a three book deal with HarperTeen and when I read the blurb for this one I went like *ZOMG* and I guess the entire YA blogging community did the same. I preordered my copy in July so I guess that tells you about how badly I want this book. I entered a gazillion contests in the hope of getting an ARC of Shatter Me but alas.. I'll have to wait until November, and I'll probably be out camping besides the mail box when we reach its release date. I. Cannot. Wait.

In My Mailbox (50)

Another Sunday, another In My Mailbox! In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren where we show what book(ish thing)s we got this week :) A great week for me this week! So good actually, that I had to split what I got in two and show you half next week.. Woopwoop! Here's this week's vlog :)

Kindle (all from Netgalley):

The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima

Geek Girl by Cindy C. Bennett

Prized by Caragh O'Brien

The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe

Stick by Andrew Smith

Lord of the Vampires by Gena Showalter

The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa

Physical copies:

Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon (for review)

The 13th Horseman by Barry Hutchison (for review)

If I Tell by Janet Gurtler

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan

Big MASSIVE thank you to Rosi from HarperCollins for sending me Carrier and The 13th Horseman! I'm really looking forward to reading both of them! 

And OMGOMGOMGOMG I GOT THE SON OF NEPTUNE AND OMGGGG!!! I'm reading it right now and ZOMG. So GOOD! *ridiculously excited* I'm a massive Rick Riordan fan (like you didn't already know that) and I'm so excited for this book. Eeeeee!! I'm not feeling so good this week (kinda ill, but they ran tests and nothing came out of that, so I still have no idea what's wrong with my health) so this is a welcome distraction :D 

Especially all the physical copies I got made me squeal and I'm so excited to read all of them. I'm Not Her was very good so I'm really looking forward to If I Tell! 

Anyhoo, before I ramble on.. I'd better end this post ;) 

What did you get in your mailbox this week? Happy reading! :)

Review: The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan

The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan
Published: May 3rd, 2011
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Pages: 452
Challenge: 100+ Reading Challenge, 350 Page Books Challenge
Other: Second book in the Kane Chronicles. The series is currently set to have three books, with the final installment to be published in 2012.
Buy the book: Bookdepository

Warning: this review might contain (slight) spoilers for those of you who haven’t read the first book in the series yet. Reading is at your own risk.

Ever since the gods of Ancient Egypt were unleashed in the modern world, Carter Kane and his sister Sadie have been in trouble. As descendants of the House of Life, the Kanes have some powers at their command, but the devious gods haven't given them much time to master their skills at Brooklyn House, which has become a training ground for young magicians.

And now their most threatening enemy yet - the chaos snake Apophis - is rising. If they don't prevent him from breaking free in a few days' time, the world will come to an end. In other words, it's a typical week for the Kane family.

To have any chance of battling the Forces of Chaos, the Kanes must revive the sun god Ra. But that would be a feat more powerful than any magician has ever accomplished.

First they have to search the world for the three sections of the Book of Ra, then they have to learn how to chant its spells. Oh, and did we mention that no one knows where Ra is exactly?

After reading and loving The Red Pyramid, I couldn’t wait to read the sequel and let me tell you; Carter and Sadie do not disappoint!

Rick Riordan does it again – with his brilliant sense of humor and amazing story telling, he writes yet another book that I thoroughly enjoyed and would recommend to anyone who likes to read adventure stories. Based on Egyptian mythology, we follow Carter and Sadie while they try to revive the Sun God without the help of Isis and Horus and it’s proving to be quite the task.

Like in the first book, we alternate between the two characters in reading the story; they both narrate every other chapter or so on the recording tapes and I love how they each have their own way of telling the story (even though they are both masters in using sarcasm) and how they are bickering throughout the entire book – but it doesn’t get annoying.

This is the second book in a trilogy and it has some of the in-between-books-characaristics, but nothing that bothered me while reading. I absolutely loved reading it and personally, I cannot wait to get my hands on the final book in this series.

My overall rating:


Four big fat stars for Carter and Sadie; and a promise to preorder your final adventure as soon as it’s available!

Review: Eve by Anna Carey

Eve Anna Carey
Published: October 4th, 2011
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 200
Source: ARC via Netgalley
Challenge: Debut Author Challenge 2011, 100+ Reading Challenge
Other: First book in the Eve Trilogy. The book will be made into a TV series.
Buy the book: Bookdepository


The year is 2032, sixteen years after a deadly virus—and the vaccine intended to protect against it—wiped out most of the earth’s population. The night before eighteen-year-old Eve’s graduation from her all-girls school she discovers what really happens to new graduates, and the horrifying fate that awaits her.

Fleeing the only home she’s ever known, Eve sets off on a long, treacherous journey, searching for a place she can survive. Along the way she encounters Caleb, a rough, rebellious boy living in the wild. Separated from men her whole life, Eve has been taught to fear them, but Caleb slowly wins her trust...and her heart. He promises to protect her, but when soldiers begin hunting them, Eve must choose between true love and her life.

Eve. Oh, Eve, where do I start. Eve lives at her all girls school in a dystopian world and she and all her schoolmates are taught that men should be feared. When Eve discovers that the graduates do not go on to learn trades and build the new city, but instead they are being used to give birth to litters of children, she escapes and tries to make it to a safe camp in the Wild.

For being a smart girl (top of her class!), she wasn't that smart when it came to surviving in the Wild. She barely makes it to a house where she spots movement - so of course she just shows herself without carrying a weapon. I mean, everyone is trustworthy int he Wild, right? Eve is on the edge of starvation and has run out of water days ago. Not all that smart, imo. But lucky for Eve, the person she meets there isn't that bad and together they go further into the Wild to find the camp. Instead, they find themselves picked up onto a horse by a rough looking man; Caleb. He saves the girls from the government officials who sweep the Wilds and are looking for Eve. Because she was top of her class, she was supposed to give birth to the Heir of the King. And even though Eve has no clue what that's supposed to mean, she runs and hides with Caleb and all of the guys in his group.

Let me start off that even though the plot souds a bit.. dubious when you think of it, I really enjoyed reading this book. No, it is not 'The Hunger Games meet Romeo and Juliet', but when claiming those things it often does not live up to it. I thought it was interesting to see how Carey formed the world. There were some things that didn't add up, but it didn't bother me while reading. The romance in this story was clearly there, but it didn't overshadow the rest of the story.

The ending bothered me a little bit. When you read the book, you will know exactly what I mean by this, but I don't want to spoil it for people who haven't read it yet. It felt like a bit of a letdown for this book, but I'm this will have a role to play in the sequel.

I enjoyed myself and I am looking forward to reading the second book in the series!

My overall rating:


Four stars for Eve - who will hopefully learn something more survival skills before we meet up again.

On My Wishlist (14)

In On My Wishlist I spotlight books that I'm really looking forward to. I know there's a meme Waiting on Wednesday and there even are others, but I'm going to rebel and do it how I want it (hehe). I'll feature the synopsis as posted on Goodreads and put a linkie to the Goodreads page of the book. This week: Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts.

Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts
Expected publication date: November 1st, 2011

Synopsis
Since mankind began, civilizations have always fallen: the Romans, the Greeks, the Aztecs…Now it’s our turn. Huge earthquakes rock the world. Cities are destroyed. But something even more awful is happening. An ancient evil has been unleashed, turning everday people into hunters, killers, crazies.

Mason's mother is dying after a terrible car accident. As he endures a last vigil at her hospital bed, his school is bombed and razed to the ground, and everyone he knows is killed. Aries survives an earthquake aftershock on a bus, and thinks the worst is over when a mysterious stranger pulls her out of the wreckage, but she’s about to discover a world changed forever. Clementine, the only survivor of an emergency town hall meeting that descends into murderous chaos, is on the run from savage strangers who used to be her friends and neighbors. And Michael witnesses a brutal road rage incident that is made much worse by the arrival of the police--who gun down the guilty party and then turn on the bystanding crowd.

Where do you go for justice when even the lawmakers have turned bad? These four teens are on the same road in a world gone mad. Struggling to survive, clinging on to love and meaning wherever it can be found, this is a journey into the heart of darkness – but also a journey to find each other and a place of safety.

Goodreads page

Where do I even start when I want to tell you why I am so looking forward to reading this book? It's a post apocalyptic story. It has zombies. People have been talking about how awesome it is. It's a 2011 YA debut. What more could I possibly ask for?! It looks amazing and I can't wait for this book to come out. I might even give in and order the UK edition because that one appears to be published almost 2 months before the US edition. I cannot wait!

Review: He's After Me by Chris Higgins

He's After Me by Chris Higgins
Published: October 7th, 2010
Publisher: Hodder Children's
Pages: 256
Source: for review
Challenge: 100+ Reading Challenge
Other: NA
Buy the book: Bookdepository


Anna's bruised and upset by the collapse of her parents' marriage. So much of the fallout - including responsibility for her wayward younger sister - seems to be heading in her direction. All she wants is to get the exam results she needs to get herself to university - and away from this mess. She certainly wants nothing to do with boys - until Jem appears. Gradually he wins her trust, and becomes everything Anna needs him to be.
But Anna's about to discover that love stories don't always have happy endings...

Anna's life is a mess after her parents split and when she meets Jem, he seems to be her answer to be happy again. They get in a relationship really quickly, and everything seems to be going great. Until cracks appear and the whole facade falls down..

This story shows how relationships can go wrong. The book is written from Anna's point of view, but also shows glimpses of someone with dark thoughts every other chapter or so, and I couldn't turn the pages quick enough to find out who that was and what was going on. Higgins has carefully woven a story around two young people in a relationship - and one of them has secrets.

The story is gripping and I couldn't stop reading when I picked it up. I read it in one sitting and was incredibly impressed with the ending of the book. Sad and heart breaking, but so realistic. This book surprised me, because I didn't think I would enjoy it as much as I did. But I did, and I thank Chris for giving this book an ending that it deserves - just as raw and intense as the rest of the book.

My overall rating:


Four big stars for He's After Me, because the book had me completely in its grip.

Sequels I'm Dying to Read (1)

In the last couple of months, I've been reading a lot of great books, many of them part of a series. There are so many great series around right now and I cannot wait for the sequels of a lot of them. In this post I'll show my most anticipated sequels - books that haven't been published yet and are highly anticipated. Aka The Books That Will Make Me Happy Dance!

Insurgent by Veronica Roth
Divergent was one hell of a rollercoaster ride and easily at the top of the list of books that I've read in 2011. This is my number one anticipated title of 2012 and I can't wait til I have this pretty baby in my hands when it's out. Roth's writing style has the same addicting qualities as The Hunger Games and I cannot give it a bigger compliment than that.


Expected publication date: May 28th, 2012 | Goodreads

Wings of the Wicked by Courtney Allison Moulton
Angelfire was one of the first galleys I ever received and I absolutely loved how action packed it was. When you add a kickass female heroine, a swoonworthy guardian and evil demons, you have an amazing and thrilling story. I absolutely loved it and I can't wait for Wings of the Wicked, because it promises to be an even more exciting story as its prequel.


Expected publication date: February 14th, 2012 | Goodreads

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
Initially, I wasn't a big fan of Clockwork Angel, but the ending was really good and made me hungry for more. In the past couple of months I've gotten more and more excited for the second book in The Infernal Devices and I'm almost desperate for some more Will and Jem. Thankfully it's not too long until December! This will make my perfect Christmas gift - if I can wait that long to read it ;)


Expected publication date: December 6th, 2011 | Goodreads

The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan
If I had to name one title for my most anticipated title of 2011, The Son of Neptune would win this, hands down. It's the sequel to The Lost Hero and I absolutely loved that book - if you ask me, it's even more epic than Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Thankfully it's released tomorrow (!!!!) and I should be getting my preorder copy in shortly. Good thing too, because I can't wait to find out what's going on..


Expected publication date: October 4th, 2011 | Goodreads

Enshadowed by Kelly Creagh
Nevermore was a brilliantly written book and I absolutely loved how Creagh has woven Poe into the story. I've heard some things about the publication date being pushed back from January to August, but since I haven't gotten a confirmation of this from the publisher, I'm not sure. I would be bummed if it's pushed back - I need me some Varen, quick!


Expected publication date: August 28th, 2012 | Goodreads

I'm sure I'll end up writing another one of these posts in 2011, but as of now these are my most anticipated books and I can't imagine NOT doing the ridiculous happy dancing routine for any of these. I'd be happy to push everything else aside to be able to read these babies as soon as possible and therefore I'd say I'm dying to read them!

What are your most anticipated sequels?

In My Mailbox (49)

Another Sunday, another In My Mailbox! In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren where we show what book(ish thing)s we got this week. A small week for me - but I'm proud of myself because a) I did good and b) the books I got are awesome! Here's this week's vlog:

For Kindle:

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

Physical books:

Dreamland by Sarah Dessen

Enthralled by Various Authors - Edited by Melissa Marr and Kelley Armstrong

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Swag:

Sucks to be me signed bookplates and temporary tattoos 

Of course I already own The Hunger Games, but it was really cheap for Kindle and well, I take my Kindle with me everywhere and I don't do that with my boxed set of hardcover books.. It's an amazing series and I want to be able to reread it whenever I feel like it :)

I'm doing pretty good in buying less books, if I may say so myself. Most of the books that I will be getting in October are preorders that I placed in July or even before that. It has a plus side though - I will finally be able to read some of the books that have been waiting for me to read them for a looooong time! It's not exactly a book buying ban, but money is low so I need to be (even more) picky. 

That's it for my mailbox this week! What did you get in yours? Happy reading :)

September wrap up

And that's the end of another month! September was a decent month in terms of reading - but it was way too hot to spend my reading time outside the house!

I've read a little less than average this month, finishing ten books, but I struggled with two that took up a lot of time. This makes my total of this year 107 books read. According to my Goodreads Reading Challenge widget, I'm 18 books ahead of schedule to read 120 books in 2011 (and to think I wasn't sure I would make it to 100) Some stats: I have read 107 books this year, which equals 37,205 pages read so far in 2011. That pagecount is rapidly going up! I was thinking of making my reading goal 50,000 pages instead of an X amount of books, but I'm not sure if I can read 13,000 pages in three months...

Here's this month's wrap up video :)

Read in September

XVI by Julia Karr
The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
Shadow Runners by Daniel Blythe
Bad Taste in Boys by Carrie Harris
Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen
The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
Nightshade by Andrea Cremer (DNF)
The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa
I'm Not Her by Janet Gurtler
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
The Host by Stephenie Meyer (DNF)



Started but not yet finished
Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins (not mentioned in video)



I was unable to finish The Host and Nightshade so I gave up on those, even though I feel really bad about it. I don't like giving up, because I still want to know how it ends, but I couldn't get myself to read more of either of them so it was the only logical thing for me to do.. I'm mostly disappointed that I couldn't finish Nightshade, because I had high expectations for that one, but I was just so annoyed by the stupid love triangle that I didn't want to continue.

This month's winner is without a doubt The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan - if you haven't read it yet, what are you waiting for?! - closely followed by Lock and Key and I'm Not Her. I bawled my eyes out with the latter and it was such a good book. I would recommend it to anyone, and it's a 2011 debut, too!

Anyhow, that's it for my wrap up this month! What did you read this month? What book was your favorite? Did you have any disappointing titles? If you have recommendations, please let me know in the comments! :)