Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday #46

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly Meme. It's hosted on Breaking the Spine. It spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pick:
Man Made Boy by Jon Skovron
Release date: October 3rd 2013

Love can be a real monster.

Sixteen-year-old Boy’s never left home. When you’re the son of Frankenstein’s monster and the Bride, it’s tough to go out in public, unless you want to draw the attention of a torch-wielding mob. And since Boy and his family live in a secret enclave of monsters hidden under Times Square, it’s important they maintain a low profile.

Boy’s only interactions with the world are through the Internet, where he’s a hacker extraordinaire who can hide his hulking body and stitched-together face behind a layer of code. When conflict erupts at home, Boy runs away and embarks on a cross-country road trip with the granddaughters of Jekyll and Hyde, who introduce him to malls and diners, love and heartbreak. But no matter how far Boy runs, he can’t escape his demons—both literal and figurative—until he faces his family once more.

This hilarious, romantic, and wildly imaginative tale redefines what it means to be a monster—and a man.
 

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Review: The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman

The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman
Published: January 19, 2012
Publisher:
Ember
Pages:
464 (Paperback)
Series:
N/A
Source: Bought
My Rating:
3.5 of 5 stars

One night. One body, broken in a pool of blood.
One killer, lost in the shadows.
One girl, left behind.
Left alone, to face the consequences.
To find the truth.
To avenge the dead.

One night is all it takes to change Nora Kane's life forever. Her best friend is dead; her boyfriend has vanished. And the trail of blood leads straight back to her: The person who might be responsible. The person who might be next.

Desperate to save the people she loves and determined to find justice for the ones she's lost, Nora unearths a dark web of secret societies and shadowy conspirators, all driven by a mad desire to possess something that might not even exist. Something to which Nora herself might hold the key. It turns out her night of blood is just one piece in a puzzle that spans continents and centuries—and solving it may be the only way she can save her own life.

At first, The Book of Blood and Shadow was hard to get into. Even with the first sentence in the book being "I should probably start with the blood." That was enough to get me interested but after that it was so boring and confusing. It took me forever to figure out what was going on and who was actually dead (probably longer than it should have).

For the most part this book was a slow read. The pages and pages of Nora translating Latin didn't exactly captivate me, but I still wanted to find out what was going on. The author did a fantastic job of giving away little pieces of the puzzle as the book progressed and maybe if I was more patient, I would have enjoyed the book much more.

Nora was a likeable heroine. Even after all she went through, she was still able to make jokes and get a few laughs out of me. Her grief over losing her best friend and her brother was what made her seem more real to me. It was strongest in the beginning and while it did fade as the book went on, it didn't disappear.

Nora's best friend, Chris is murdered early on in the book and I knew that he would only be around for a short time, but I couldn't help loving him. His relationship with Nora was perfect and I just enjoyed his personality. I have mixed feelings about Nora's other friends. From the start I thought Max was just plain creepy. Something about him just seemed off but I can't quite put my finger on what bothered me about him in the beginning. At first I thought Eli was just as creepy as Max and with good reason. He was basically a stalker, but by the end I warmed up to him because of all the truth that was revealed.

The best part of the book had to be the parts about the Lumen Dei. It was fascinating to read about and the whole mystery that Nora had to solve that involved the machine was what kept me reading until the very end. The ending was also fantastic because it left it up to the reader to decide what happened to the Lumen Dei because it is never stated what happened to it.

Monday, July 29, 2013

Words for the Week #24

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”

― Mahatma Gandhi

Saturday, July 27, 2013

ARC Review: Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas
Published: August 27, 2013
Publisher:
Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Pages:
432 (Hardcover)
Series: Throne of Glass #2
Source:
Netgalley
My Rating:
4 of 5 stars

An assassin’s loyalties are always in doubt.
But her heart never wavers.


After a year of hard labor in the Salt Mines of Endovier, eighteen-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien has won the king's contest to become the new royal assassin. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown – a secret she hides from even her most intimate confidantes.

Keeping up the deadly charade—while pretending to do the king's bidding—will test her in frightening new ways, especially when she's given a task that could jeopardize everything she's come to care for. And there are far more dangerous forces gathering on the horizon -- forces that threaten to destroy her entire world, and will surely force Celaena to make a choice.

Where do the assassin’s loyalties lie, and who is she most willing to fight for?

Oh that was painful. Not the kind of horrible book painful but the heartbreaking type of painful.

Crown of Midnight was a step up from the first book. It was easier to get sucked into the world because I was already invested in some of the characters. Plus I love the idea of a female assassin and in this book Celeana is being an actual assassin instead of trying to become the king's Champion. In the first book, to me she didn't feel much like an assassin but in this book she was completely badass!

I especially enjoyed the magical part of the book. It's mysterious and very interesting because there isn't always a reason for why something happened or how something happened (or there isn't yet). This part of the book just keeps me guessing. What is Maas going to pull out of her magical hat next?

There was a love triangle in the first book and it's still kind of there in this book, but it's very obvious who Celeana loves romantically and who she loves as a friend. I loved Chaol in the first book and after reading this book I love him even more. He really develops as a character and I had been waiting for something to happen between him and Celeana for so long. They are so perfect and cute together. What happens between them is so heartbreaking and horrible.

The downside is that the beginning was a bit slow for me and it took awhile before I was completely hooked and the ending was predictable. I guessed the twist as soon as Celeana had doubts about the rebel movement. But other than that it was very good.

This sequel is very action packed and isn't without its fair share of bloodshed. The next one can't come out soon enough!

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Thoughts for Thursday: The Love Triangle

 It seems that almost every book I pick up has a love triangle. It’s certainly a trend in Young Adult books but I have never fully understood the purpose of putting one in a book. For some romantic tension? Or maybe the author is an evil mastermind that likes toying with readers' feels.
 
The typical love triangle in YA books consists of two guys after the same girl. I even made a diagram to go along with it because I like diagrams (and I was bored).
How many books have you read with an actual love triangle? I’m pretty sure I’ve only come across two or three. Most of the time love triangles aren’t even triangles they are V shaped. In order for it to be an actual love triangle don't the two guys have to like each other (not necessarily in love) because that line is connecting them together too. I guess love triangle just sounds better than love v.

More often than not the “bad boy” gets the girl and the “nice guy” doesn’t. Why? I know people that have been in a relationship with their best friend. I can’t think of many books where the best friend ends up with the heroine.

Love triangles can make the book interesting or it can make it unbearable. There are already so many books out there with love triangles that it gets old after awhile. The only love triangle that I loved was from The Infernal Devices because the guys in the triangle loved and cared for each other not just the girl they both loved.

Personally I would be fine with reading a YA book without a love triangle. Once in a blue moon I enjoy a love triangle, but most of the time I find them irritating. Now this may seem that books with love triangles automatically get lower ratings from me, but this isn't true. I have given plenty of books with love triangles four or five stars. The love triangle only brings down the rating if it bugged the crap out of me and succeeded in making me want to bang my head against my desk.

What do you think of love triangles?

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday #45

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly Meme. It's hosted on Breaking the Spine. It spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pick:
All the Truth That's in Me by Julie Berry
Release date:  September 26th 2013

Four years ago, Judith and her best friend disappeared from their small town of Roswell Station. Two years ago, only Judith returned, permanently mutilated, reviled and ignored by those who were once her friends and family. Unable to speak, Judith lives like a ghost in her own home, silently pouring out her thoughts to the boy who’s owned her heart as long as she can remember—even if he doesn’t know it—her childhood friend, Lucas. But when Roswell Station is attacked, long-buried secrets come to light, and Judith is forced to choose: continue to live in silence, or recover her voice, even if it means changing her world, and the lives around her, forever. This startlingly original novel will shock and disturb you; it will fill you with Judith’s passion and longing; and its mysteries will keep you feverishly turning the pages until the very last.

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

ARC Review: This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales

This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales
Published: September 17, 2013
Publisher:
Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Pages:
288 (Hardcover)
Source:
Netgalley
My Rating:
5 of 5 stars

Making friends has never been Elise Dembowski’s strong suit. All throughout her life, she’s been the butt of every joke and the outsider in every conversation. When a final attempt at popularity fails, Elise nearly gives up. Then she stumbles upon a warehouse party where she meets Vicky, a girl in a band who accepts her; Char, a cute, yet mysterious disc jockey; Pippa, a carefree spirit from England; and most importantly, a love for DJing.

Told in a refreshingly genuine and laugh-out-loud funny voice, THIS SONG WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE is an exuberant novel about identity, friendship, and the power of music to bring people together.

This Song Will Save Your Life is unbelievably relatable. It's real. It's what many teenagers go through all the time. Leila Sales doesn't miss anything in this book. The emotions of a teenage girl that questions why people would want to be around her and is bullied because she's different is captured beautifully.

The main character, Elise is at the bottom of the social ladder. She gets picked on by many people and believes that the entire school hates her just she because she doesn't fit what everyone else thinks is "normal". The honesty about what it's really like to be a teenager in her position is what really makes this book special. Plus her voice is unique and even though this book deals with some very serious topics, I found myself smiling and laughing at Elise's sense of humor.

The side characters in the book weren't cardboard cuts outs. They had their own personality and many of them dealt with their own problems with themselves. Each of them were there for a purpose. It was nice to see that the bullies in this book had more to them then just being mean to Elise.

The best part of the book has to be the DJ club that Elise goes to called Start. The way it is described made me feel like I was right there with Elise. I had no idea what DJing was like until I read this book. I loved how Elise didn't master being a DJ right away. In so many books the main character barely has to work to be good at a new skill but Elise devoted her self to DJing for weeks.

I wasn't a huge fan of Char because he was a complete jerk most of the time. I did like that he taught Elise how to DJ so I don't completely hate him but what he does to Elise and Pippa is unforgivable. I was so happy with how it ended because it didn't end up the way I thought it would.

Once I started reading I could barely stop. I loved how realistic this book is. Right down to the part about how schools deal with bullying. I wish there were more books like this.

Monday, July 22, 2013

Words for the Week #23

“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What! You too? I thought I was the only one.”

― C.S. Lewis

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Review: Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
Published: June 4, 2013
Publisher:
Henry Holt and Co.
Pages:
435
Series:
The Grisha #2
Source: Bought
My Rating:
3 of 5 stars

Darkness never dies.

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land. She finds starting new is not easy while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. She can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her–or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.

I was never a huge fan of this series, so going into this book I didn't expect much and I think my expectations were met. Siege and Storm was enjoyable, but it lacked intrigue. The book was over four hundred pages, but it felt like nothing happened.

Unfortunately, the same problem I had with Alina in Shadow and Bone was present in the second book. All she seems to care about is looks. She wonders how her friend Genya could have fallen in love with someone she considers ugly. What a wonderful friend. She also calls Zoya vain and ambitious but she has no right to. Alina is extremely vain and all she wants is more power. I found it ridiculous that she insulted someone like that. Despite that I enjoyed Alina a little bit more in this book because she was powerful and prepared to fight.

Most of this book was spent preparing for war with the Darkling and I found it sort of boring. After Alina and Mal teamed up with Nikolai everything seemed to slow down. It was all about drama between Mal and Alina. The end was probably what brought my rating up because it was intense and definitely the best part of the book.

As I said before, a good portion of the book was taken up by Mal and Alina drama. Those two are extremely insecure about each other and it got on my nerves. Thankfully Nikolai was there to make sarcastic comments and lighten the mood. I love Nikolai and I'm not entirely sure how I feel about Nikolai and Alina but I know I prefer him to Mal. Then there's the Darkling. I think he's great villain but I don't like him as a love interest because I think he's creepy. The visions Alina has of him just drive home the fact that he's creepy as hell.

After reading so many glowing reviews for this series, I wanted to fall in love with it, but I just couldn't. I enjoyed it and will probably end up reading the next book, but I doubt that this will ever be one of my favorite series.

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday #44

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly Meme. It's hosted on Breaking the Spine. It spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pick:
Of Beast and Beauty by Stacey Jay
Release date: July 23rd 2013

In the beginning was the darkness, and in the darkness was a girl, and in the girl was a secret...

In the domed city of Yuan, the blind Princess Isra, a Smooth Skin, is raised to be a human sacrifice whose death will ensure her city’s vitality. In the desert outside Yuan, Gem, a mutant beast, fights to save his people, the Monstrous, from starvation. Neither dreams that together, they could return balance to both their worlds.

Isra wants to help the city’s Banished people, second-class citizens despised for possessing Monstrous traits. But after she enlists the aid of her prisoner, Gem, who has been captured while trying to steal Yuan’s enchanted roses, she begins to care for him, and to question everything she has been brought up to believe.

As secrets are revealed and Isra’s sight, which vanished during her childhood, returned, Isra will have to choose between duty to her people and the beast she has come to love.
 

Monday, July 15, 2013

Words for the Week #22

“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”

― Oscar Wilde

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Excerpt & Giveaway: Rush by Eve Silver


Release Date: June 11, 2013
Publisher: Harper Teen

So what’s the game now? This, or the life I used to know?

When Miki Jones is pulled from her life, pulled through time and space into some kind of game—her carefully controlled life spirals into chaos. In the game, she and a team of other teens are sent on missions to eliminate the Drau, terrifying and beautiful alien creatures. There are no practice runs, no training, and no way out. Miki has only the guidance of secretive but maddeningly attractive team leader Jackson Tate, who says the game isn’t really a game, that what Miki and her new teammates do now determines their survival, and the survival of every other person on this planet. She laughs. He doesn’t. And then the game takes a deadly and terrifying turn.

Available from:
 photo addtogoodreadssmall_zpsa2a6cf28.png  photo B6096376-6C81-4465-8935-CE890C777EB9-1855-000001A1E900B890_zps5affbed6.jpg  photo 111AD205-AA04-4F9E-A0F4-C1264C4E9F30-1855-000001A1E8CEB6D7_zps9b730b94.jpg   photo KoboIcon_zps515cdc1a.jpg

***Excerpt***
There’s a flash of light, blindingly bright. Colored haloes obscure my vision. They dance and flicker and then disappear, leaving only a rectangle of light boxed in by the dark doorframe.

I see then that the door’s gone and in front of me are people. No…they aren’t people. They have limbs, hair, faces, but they aren’t human. After the first glance, they don’t look even remotely human. They’re pure, painful white, so bright they throw off a glare. They look like they’ve been dipped in glass, smooth and polished, but fluid. And their eyes…they’re a silvery color, like the mercury in the antique thermometer that my mom used to have at the side of the front porch.

When I was ten, I knocked that thermometer off with my wooden kendo sword, shattering the glass. The little blobs of mercury went all over the porch. I was a kid. I didn’t know better. I touched them, prodding the little balls until they joined the bigger blob. My mom swooped down on me and snatched me away, telling me it was poison. It could kill me.

I stare at the things in front of me: the Drau. I can’t look away.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I remember Jackson talking about Medusa.
Don’t look at their eyes.

Their mercury eyes.

They’re poison.

They will kill me.
Copyright © 2013. Eve Silver. All Rights Reserved.



About the Author
Eve Silver lives with her gamer husband and sons, sometimes in Canada, but often in worlds she dreams up. She loves kayaking and sunshine, dogs and desserts, and books, lots and lots of books. Watch for the first book in Eve’s new teen series, THE GAME: RUSH, coming from Katherine Tegen Books, June 2013. She also writes books for adults.

Author Links:
     

***GIVEAWAY***
Signed copy of Rush, US and Canada only.

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Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Review: Hooked by Liz Fichera

Hooked by Liz Fichera
Published: January 29, 2013
Publisher:
Harlequin Teen
Pages:
347
Series:
Hooked #1
Source: Harlequin Teen Panel
My Rating:
2 of 5 stars

When Native American Fredricka ‘Fred’ Oday is invited to become the only girl on the school’s golf team, she can’t say no. This is an opportunity to shine, win a scholarship and go to university, something no one in her family has done.

But Fred’s presence on the team isn’t exactly welcome — especially not to rich golden boy Ryan Berenger, whose best friend was kicked off the team to make a spot for Fred.

But there’s no denying that things are happening between the girl with the killer swing and the boy with the killer smile...

GET HOOKED ON A GIRL NAMED FRED.

My Review: This book was definitely not my type. It's not that it was completely horrible, but I don't seem to like books like this very often. Some people will love this book, but I just couldn't get into it.

For the most part the main character was alright, but her name was a bit annoying. Her Native American heritage and being really good at golf were basically the only things interesting about her. A few times she tried to make jokes but they just sounded forced. I didn't really feel anything for her even though I know that I should have felt sorry for her and proud that she could play golf better than the guys at her school.

I was not a fan of the other main character. He's the typical popular star athlete with the beautiful girlfriend. All Ryan does for a good part of the book is complain about how horrible his life is. He's friends with a guy that seems to always be angry and likes to hurt other people but of course Ryan doesn't realize this until more than halfway through the book. His angry friend, Seth put bricks in Fred's golf bag for one of the tournaments and Ryan knew about it but he didn't do anything about it until the last hole. He didn't even know Fred but he hated her just because she took Seth's spot on the golf team and she was the only girl on the golf team. How in the world did Fred fall in love with a guy like that?

It was very hard to tell when Ryan and Fred stopped hating each other. It just happened. I knew it was coming but I thought there would be a reason for the change. Ryan tried to be nicer to her after the incident with the bricks but that doesn't mean that should automatically fall in love. Ryan was still dating another girl when he asked Fred out. Even if his girlfriend was rude to Fred, he should have broken up with her before dating Fred.

Almost all the side characters had no depth to them. Especially Ryan's girlfriend Gwyneth. She was the typical bitchy girlfriend that is just there to be rude to the main character. Fred doesn't understand Gwyneth's problem with her and I don't either. Why would Gwyneth care if Seth was kicked off the golf team? Seth isn't her boyfriend. Is it because Fred is Native American? At least Seth has more of a reason to dislike Fred but that doesn't mean he should try to sabotage her chances at winning and threaten her. Ryan said that he didn't even like playing golf!

I'm sure than many other people will like this book but it just wasn't for me.

Monday, July 8, 2013

Blogoversary!

Today Living for the Books turns one! It doesn't seem like a whole year has gone by since I started this blog and I never thought that I would enjoy blogging this much. Thanks so much everyone for supporting my blog! A special thank you to Lottie @ Book Adoration, Annabel @ Fallen for Fiction, and Delaney @ The Awkward-ness you guys are awesome! My blog would be nothing without my readers. Every single time I get an email about someone commenting on my blog I get really excited. So I've decided to celebrate by hosting a giveaway for you guys! But first some blog stats. I saw another blogger doing this for her blogoversary and I really liked the idea so I decided to do it too.

General Stats
  • 363 blog posts
  • 94 reviews
  • 25,714 page views
Most Popular Posts
Review stats
  • twenty 5 star reviews
  • one 4.5 star reviews
  • twenty six 4 star reviews
  • five 3.5 star reviews
  • seventeen 3 star reviews
  • one 2.5 star reviews
  • twenty one 2 star reviews
  • zero 1.5 star reviews
  • three 1 star reviews
Favorite Books I've Read So Far This Year

 

Giveaway

I'm giving away one of the ARCs I've received over the past year.

Rules:
You must be a US resident to enter
Winners will have 48 hours to respond from the time that they are notified before a new winner is picked
You must be at least 13 or have your parents permission to enter
Only one entry per household

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