Book Review #10: The Iron King

Author: Julie Kagawa
Publish Date: February 1, 2010
Number of Pages: 363
Summary:

"Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school...or at home. When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change. But she could never have guessed the truth-that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face...and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart."

My Cover Opinion:

The cover is awesome, beautiful, and crazy pretty! I don't have any other words for it. I love the girl on the cover, I love the font and the blue is very cool!:D

My Overall Opinion:

My favorite character is Ash, hands down. His mysterious ways are very intriguing and dark guys are kinda hot(: Meghan's best friend named Puck, seems very interesting, but sadly you don't hear from him very much. Maybe, we will in the next book (which I'll be purchasing soon).
When you first meet Meghan Chase, she has a pretty average life (which girl doesn't?) she has a normal mom, a step dad (Luke), and a half brother named Ethan. When Meghan was younger her dad disappeared; they were in the park, when Meghan came back from the ice cream truck, he was gone. She hasn't seen him since.
Ethan (4 1/2 years old) has always looked up to his big sister, telling her secrets, and whenever he gets scared of "monsters" under his bed or in his closet, he runs straight to Meghan. One day when he gets kidnapped, Meghan is determined to get him back.
Throughout her adventure she learns her best friend isn't who she thinks he is, she finds her dad (but doesn't find it in here heart to believe it), she meets the ice prince, a talking cat, and a evil iron king. Meghan doesn't want to hurt anyone, but she will do anything to get back her brother, after all he's still a baby and means a lot to her.
During some parts of her adventure, Meghan feels caught between Ash and Puck; who have history together. Even though she thinks Ash has feelings for her, shes not sure why he always seems to be pushing her away. I love, love triangles!:D
But anyways, great book, and cant wait til I purchase the next two books! I have very high expectations, hopefully they'll be exceeded! If you read The Iron King, or any of the other books, please comment below, and tell me what you think about the series and the covers!(:

Book Review #9:The Adoration Of Jenna Fox

Author: Mary E. Pearson
Publish Date: September 1, 2009
Number of Pages: 265
Teaser Sentences... Check My Teaser Tuesday For This Week, Here.

Summary:

"Seventeen-year-old Jenna Fox has just awoken from a year-long coma-so she's been told-and she is still recovering from the terrible accident that caused it. But what happened before that? She's been given home movies chronicling her entire life, which spark memories to surface. But are the memories really hers? And why won't anyone in her family talk about the accident? Jenna is becoming more curious. But she is also afraid of what she might find out if she ever gets up the courage to ask her questions."

My Cover Opinion:

My favorite part on this cover has to be either the puzzle pieces and how her face is part of a big puzzle, or the shiny sky blue and purple. Not only is the shiny-ness on the front where the pieces are missing but also on the back. So its a pretty cool cover(:

My Overall Opinion:

When Jenna wakes up, she knows nothing about anything. She doesn't know about the accident, she knows nothing about where she lives, her family, or her life before this "accident". The only thing she has is home videos up to year 16, since her surroundings tell her nothing about herself, and her very own family wont even tell her.

Not knowing what to do, Jenna wants her own life back, instead of being locked up. She soon meets her first neighbor. Right away, she knows they'll be friends, even though he is a lot older. He warns her that she should be careful, about the big white house down the street, even though she doesn't know why, Jenna takes the suggestion to heart.

This book is a little confusing and doesn't have too much romance but it is one of my favorites now. The only person Jenna has that is even trying to help her, is her grandmother Lily. When she goes to a small and out of the way school, Jenna meets the boy who lives in the big white house, she meets another sweet boy named Ethan (who she has some sparks with), and a girl who has prosthetic limbs name Allyis. Everyone that goes to this small school has their own issues; Allyis cant keep up with normal school because of her disability, and Ethan was charged with beating someone to nearly death.

My favorite part of this book, is actually the last two pages; which are flashes to the future and what happens not only to Jenna but the rest of her family and friends. The only frustrating thing about this story was, that you never find out what Danes all about, and what happens to him.

Whats New Wednesday #2; Demonglass

Author: Rachel Hawkins

Publish Date: March 1, 2011

Summary:

"Sophie Mercer thought she was a witch. That was the whole reason she was sent to Hex Hall, a reform school for delinquent Prodigium (aka witches, shapeshifters, and fairies). But that was before she discovered the family secret, and that her hot crush, Archer Cross, is an agent for The Eye, a group bent on wiping Prodigium off the face of the earth. Turns out, Sophie’s a demon, one of only two in the world—the other being her father. What’s worse, she has powers that threaten the lives of everyone she loves. Which is precisely why Sophie decides she must go to London for the Removal, a dangerous procedure that will destroy her powers. But once Sophie arrives she makes a shocking discovery. Her new friends? They’re demons too. Meaning someone is raising them in secret with creepy plans to use their powers, and probably not for good. Meanwhile, The Eye is set on hunting Sophie down, and they’re using Acher to do it. But it’s not like she has feelings for him anymore. Does she?"

My Cover Opinion:

If you go to my review on the first book of the series, Hex Hall, it tells you how much I love the cover. Its something new, instead of being dark like most witch, vampire etc books are. This puts a fresh spin on things.

Is This A Book I Want Read:

Yes, Hex Hall was awesome beyond belief. So I have very high expectations for this whole series!(:

Teaser Tuesday #1: The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by, MizB at Should Be Reading. Anyone can simply play along!

Just do the following:

~ Grab your current read

~ Open to a random page

~ Share two "teaser" sentences from that page

~ BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! You don't want to ruin the book for others!

~ Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

My Book This Tuesday:

The Adoration of Jenna Fox, by Mary E. Pearson, and heres my teasers(:

~"But everyone says, Don't Tell."

~"My God, I have a shelf life!"

~"If I only have ten percent of my original brain, what is the rest?"

~"I needed it like air."

~"In the darkest place that revisits me over and over again."

*Note, this is my first Teaser Tuesday and it probably isn't very good:/ But a review of this book is coming within the next day or so, and I hope to improve my teasing by next tuesday!:D

lisa

Update #2: Battle Of The Books

Nooo! Books don't have swords nor shields, and they don't fight each other. Even though that would be pretty cool. But if you haven't heard of a little (but very awesome thing) called Battle of the Books, you should definitely continue reading:D it's good for you.

Every year, each school district (high, middle and elementary schools) has one of these "battles". A list (usually ten, but a minimum of four are required to enter) of books (that questions will be asked about), is handed out in the schools' libraries. When everyone finally signs up, teams are created, and competed against other schools. Not only is this a fun experience, but you could also win money for your school library.

So this year my friend talked me into joining. I already read two books so far, and I'm almost done with the third; reviews will be coming up shortly. But I think Battle of the Books is great, because a lot of times school only revolves around sports, grades and after school clubs. This gives book lovers (like myself) a chance to compete in something I actually enjoy!(:

In this post I was actually going to just talk about Battle of the Books, and how I entered myself this year, but I wanted to add another thing. I just recently started this blog, not knowing if anyone would ever bother to read my posts. After all I'm only sixteen and learning how to drive. Reading is my hobby, my life is school and my family. But I just wanted to say thank you to all my followers, to whoever reads my posts, and also everyone whose ever left me a comment. I appreciate it soo much!:D

lisa

Book Review #8: Hex Hall

Author: Rachel Hawkins

Publish Date: February 1, 2011

Number of Pages: 323
Teaser Sentenced...
..."I awoke to Jenna's screaming and the smell of smoke."

..."Then, out of the darkness, she said,"Because I've seen them.""

"On her 12Th birthday, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. Three bumpy years later, after a prom-night spell gone wrong, she's exiled to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a witches, faeries and shape shifters. By the end of her first day, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies that look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tagalong ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire on campus. Then when a mysterious predator begins attacking students, and Sophie;s only friend is the number-one suspect, a horrifying plot beings to surface. Soon, Sophie is preparing for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her."

My Cover Opinion:

I love this cover; it caught my eye right away, and it was what caused me to purchase this book. The trees and the fog in the background, along with the black cat make it seem spooky. The mirror image through the water is also very interesting and different.

My Overall Opinion:

When you first meet Sophie Mercer, she's in actually in the restroom (at her school's prom), and once again she hears Felicia Miller crying (because of a boy) in the the stall. Sophie know she has some super natural power, she has experienced small bits and pieces of it before, so she decides to help Felicia. Using a love spell on him, everything goes really badly, really quickly.

But the nightmare doesn't end there, Sophie's mother explains why she has these powers (shes a witch) and that her dad has a lot to do with it. So for her safety, her mother sends Sophie to a bordering school for Prodigium (witches, faeries, and shape shifters).

When she first arrives, she doesn't want to be there and Sophie feels it's just a place for freaks. She rooms with the only Vampire at Hex Hall, named Jenna. Who has to wear a bloodstone necklace, just to live during the day time. Sophie meets three other Dark Witches, who desperately want her to join their coven. One of whom goes out with a very hot warlock, named Archer. Later she also meets the ground keeper, named Cal. He graduated Hex Hall last year, but Sophie doesn't know why his still at Hex Hall instead of at the court or out in the world, because he has very strong healing powers.

Before her first week of school even ends, shes already earned herself detention for the rest of the semester, but luckily with Archer. Becoming friends, detention wasn't as boring as she thought it would be, and Sophie was even a little excited to go. Over time she learns more about her family's past; about her father, her grandmother and herself. When she findsout that her dad is also a warlock, and the leader of the school court (and the reason why all the teachers were so tough on her), Sophie gets upset with her mom, because she never told her. She soon realizes that her mom was human and did the best she could.

After three attacks towards students (Jenna's previous roommate, and two of the Dark Witches), all vampires (Jenna and a teacher) are forced to leave Hex Hall and go to a court trial. Now it's Sophie's job to help and prove to others that not only her new best friend, but also her roommate, is innocent!

This book is almost like the House of Night series, except witches(: It was a really short and an enjoyable read. But I would love to hear your opinions, so please comment below and let me know!:D

Book Review #7: (HON #1) Marked.

Author: P.C. Cast + Kristin Cast.

Publish Date: May 1, 2007

Number of Pages: 306

Teaser Sentences...

...""In case you didn't realize it, it was me who saw that little scene between you and Aphrodite in the hall yesterday." "I know, and I wish you hadn't.""

..."He's young and the Imprint will be weak, so time and distance will make it fade eventually."

"Enter the dark, magical world of the House of Night, a world very much like our own, expect here vampyres have always existed. Sixteen-year-old Zoey Redbird has just been Marked as a fledgling vampyre and joins the House of Night, a school where she will train to become an adult vampyre. That is, if she makes it through the Change--and not all of those who are Marked do. It sucks to begin a new life, especially away from her friends, and on top of that, Zoey is no average fledgling. She has been chosen as special by the vampyre Goddess Nyx. Zoey discovers she has amazing powers, but along with her powers come bloodlust and an unfortunate ability to Imprint her human ex-boyfriend. To add to her stress, she is not the only fledgling at the House of Night with special powers: When she discovers that the leader of the Dark Daughters, the school's most elite group, is misusing her Goddess-given gifts, Zoey must look deep within herself for the courage to embrace her destiny--with a little help from her new vampyre friends."

My Cover Opinion:

I've always loved black book covers, they seem so mysterious and dark. When you look closely you see a beautiful glossy design, which covers most of the front, the side, and a little of the back. But my favorite part of the cover has to be the girl's eye; its a light shade of purple and gets darker towards the outside.

My Overall Opinion:

When you first meet Zoey, shes just a normal teenager, who goes to a normal high school (soon changes). She has a best friend, a boyfriend (Heath), a mom, a step dad, and (her perfect) siblings. Her best friend, Kayla, has always been there for her, through everything even Zoey's relationship problems with Heath. Heath has always had a thing for Zoey, (even in grade school) his always loved her and still does. Since his played football, Heaths been around the wrong crowd a lot (he begins to smoke and drink, which changes him). Zoeys at home life hasn't been that great either. Her mom just got re-married to a guy, Zoey likes to call "Step Loser", who is very religious. Before, Zoey was very close to her mom, but since the marriage began, "Step Loser" has all control over her, and she begins to change. When she needs to escape, the only place she can go is to her grandma, a older Cherokee women, who lives on a lavender farm.

During one of these escapes, Zoey doesn't feel good, and she cant find her grandma anywhere on the farm, that's when she passes out, shes going through the change (to a vampire fledgling). The only way a fledgling can survive is go to a vampire school, The House Of Night. Her entire life changes, she meets a cowgirl named Stevie Rae, who becomes her new best friend. She also finds her new "Nerd Herd", Damien and the twins. But whats a good teen romance novel without a mean girl? Zoey also meets the leader of the Dark Daughter, Aphrodite, who just happens to be doing something, (in the hallway on Zoey's first day) with a cute boy named Erik (who doesn't want, what Aphrodite wants to give him).

Single Zoey soon begins to have feelings for Erik, and he does the same. A very sweet relationship, which kept me reading this book till the end.

Aphrodite soon invites Zoey to one of their Dark Daughter meetings, this is where she realizes how unfair (sneaky, rude and back stabbing) Aphrodite is. I don't want to ruin the story for you guys, but at the end Zoey becomes the leader of the Dark Daughters with the help of her friends, and her new boyfriend(:

I love romance, but there wasn't too much in this story. But this book keeps you on your toes, and is a new spin on the whole "Vampire Thing".

Whats New Wednesday #1; Falling Under

Author: Gwen Hayes

Publish Date: March 1, 2011

Summary:

"Theia Alderson has always led a sheltered life in the small California town of Serendipity Falls. But when a devastatingly handsome boy appears in the halls of her school, Theia knows she's seen Haden before- not around town, but in her dreams.

As the Haden of both the night and the day beckons her closer one moment and pushes her away the next, the only thing Theia knows for sure is that the incredible pull she feels towards him is stronger than her fear.

And when she discovers what Haden truly is, Theia's not sure if she wants to resist him, even if the cost is her soul. "

My Cover Opinion:

To be honest I love everything about this cover, from her long curly blonde hair to her dress, to the black roses in the background. Her red dress and the black in the back create a beautiful contrast. Another awesome thing is how the girl is laying in the top left corner, which causes this picture to be even more appealing to the human eye.

Is This A Book I Want To Read:

Yes, definitely! My favorite type of book is a teen romance novel, and this book fits the criteria!(:

Book Review #6: Vampire Crush

Author: A.M. Robinson

Publish Date: December 28, 2010

Number of Pages: 404

Teaser Sentences...

..."He starts to reach for my chin, and a chill of panic rushes over my body."

..."He is cut off by Vlad's hand wrapping around his throat and slamming him into a cupboard."

"Normal house, normal family, normal school. My looks are average, I don't have any superpowers, no one's showing up to tell me I'm a princess--you get the picture. But when my junior year started, something not normal happened. There were new kids at school . . . new kids with as wardrobe straight out of a 19Th-century romance novel, and an inexplicable desire to stay at school until sundown. And on top of that, James Hallowell showed up. James, who stole my sandwiches in fourth grade and teased me mercilessly through middle school. James, who now seems to have the power to make my heart race any time he comes near. But something weird is going on. Because James rarely goes out during the day. And he seems stronger than your typical guy. And he knows the new kids, all of whom seem to be harboring some kind of deep secret. . ."

My Cover Opinion:

At first glance, all you notice is the bat, right in the middle of the cover, then the beautiful font used to write the title with. The way "crush" is italic, larger, and not block letters is very appealing to the eye (especially with vampire right on top, just slightly smaller). My favorite detail (hands down) has to be the different shades of red, its lighter towards the cover, and gets darker towards the outside. There's nothing too, fabulous about the cover, but it is simple and does the job.

My Overall Opinion:

Whenever someone tells or suggests me to read a book about vampires, I quickly jump to the conclusion that it will be just like Twilight. Now, don't get me wrong, I love twilight (TEAM JACOB, all the way), but all of the vampire books I've read lately have the same basic storyline (which gets really old, really quick). This book, proved me wrong! (it was a slap to the face....well kind of) And I'm really glad I gave it a chance(:

The main character in this book is called Sophie McGee, who wants to become Editor in Chief for her school news paper. She claims she lives an average life, and nothing special ever happens (well until now, of course). Until she sees James Hallowell, an old next door neighbor, who she's known ever since grade school. He had recently moved away, because of the death of his parents; moving back to the same house, where he grow up (just next door to Sophie). But James isn't the only new kid at Sophie's high school: a group of foreign exchange students. When she begins to realize that James isn't actually coming to school, she does some of her own investigating, just to find out not only is he a vampire, and that James knows the foreign exchange students, but they themselves are also vampires.

Throughout their adventure James and Sophie connect and have a romantic bit, which grows over time. Vlad's (leader of the exchange group) looks for his long lost love, who he suspects goes to school there, and also has a small romance with Sophie's younger sister (which doesn't last long). Willing to go to any distance to find his love, Vlad tries getting with all the girls who attend this school, looking for the girl with the tattoo of a star (somewhere on her body).

This story does have a happy ending, James and Sophie end up together, and some of the exchange students even stick to their side. So over all I really enjoyed reading this book, nothing like the stereo type vampire novel!

Sincerely,

lisa!

Blog Update, March 20, 2011.

Happy Sunday everyone!(: I hope you guys have had a relaxing weekend with lots of pages turned!

So let's get started; this will just be a short update (or long, depends). When first making this blog, I didn't really know how much I would get into writing posts (I love reading books, so that's not the hard part) and having people read and comment on them. But after the first couple of days and after writing a few posts, I've honestly fallen in love with it. I've met a lot of great people on this website that have the same interests as I do; which can be really hard to do either at school or at work (depending on the given situation). Along with that, I've added at least a million books to my wish list(:

But any-who! Getting off track (once again), back to my update. The blog name and layout; honestly the name and layout don't really have anything to do with reading or books, so I hope to soon change that. Sadly, I'm not really good with graphics, so it might take me awhile to figure things out and get it to the way I like it. If you have any tips or suggestions please (REALLY, please! I need help) comment down below and let me know.

P.S. that rhymed(:

If you've been reading my last couple of posts, they've only been reviews and hauls, which I plan on changing. Each day of the week will stand for a different type of post (I haven't exactly figured this part out yet), and reviews will just be random, while hauls will be on a specific day (some other types of posts will also be added, I'm just not sure which ones yet). This will help me keep organized, and keep the blog interesting(:

I hope to have a new a whole new layout and blog title by the 26Th (yes, of this month), that will also be the first day of the new posting technique (you could call it that). But I would love to hear any tips, or tricks you guys might have, so please comment below and I would really like to hear your opinions on this(: thanks.

Book Review #5: Someone Like You

Author: Sarah Dessen

Publish Date: May 1st 1998

Number of Pages: 281

Teaser Sentences...

..."She nodded, biting her lip. "I'm pregnant."

..."If we'd start to forget Micheal Sherwood, any of us, it would be a very long time before we would again."

"Halley and Scarlett have been best friends ever since they met. Halley has always been the quiet one, Scarlett braver and more outgoing. Halley has always turned to Scarlett when things get rough, and Scarlett has always known just what to do. It's the perfect setup. But everything changes at the beginning of their junior year. Scarlett's boyfriend is killed in a motorcycle accident; then Scarlett finds out that she is carrying his baby. For the first time ever, Scarlett really needs Halley. Now Halley has to learn how to be strong for Scarlett. It won't be easy, but Halley knows that she can't let Scarlett down. Because a true friend is a promise you keep forever."

My Cover Opinion:

I love this cover (the copy I have, I purchased @Goodwill, so it is a little worn and used), I really like the beachy-kinda feel it has. It does relate to one small part of the book, when Halley sneaks out and Malcolm takes her to this secret place.

My Over All Opinion:

This was actually the first Sarah Dessen book Ive ever read (soon purchasing more), and I loved it. I loved the friendship Hally and Scarlett had; how they were total opposites but yet best friends. The beginning of the book was actually kind of sad, and confusing. Scarlett's boyfriend who was killed in a accident, changed throughout the year he moved to California, when he finally comes back, he becomes that guy that all girls want to have. Scarlett has this short summer romance with him, right before the accident. She soon finds out she is pregnant with his baby, shes not sure whither to keep it or not. But either ways Halley stays strong for the both of them.

While all of this is happening Halley starts liking this guy (his the bad boy type) in her gym class, and he feels like same way. But when they begin to go out, in a way he almost becomes obsessive, always driving past her house, honking or making noises, sometimes she even mentions how he just sits in his car, at night, looking at her window. Of course her parents don't approve of this, and try to keep them apart.

This book has lots of romance, depressing-ness, and true friendship. I like the way it talks about a lot of things teenage girls go through now-a-days, its a must read(:

Book Haul #3

The first book I purchased from Barnes and Noble (well my dad payed for it) was Coffee House Angel by Suzanne Selfors...

"The first time Katrina saw Malcolm, he was lying in the alley behind her grandmother's coffeehouse. she didn't think that giving him a cup of coffee and yesterdays pastries was such a big deal. But now he's following her everywhere, claiming to be an angel who must repay her kindness by granting her deepest wish. Although Malcolm happens to be pretty adorable, Katrina is also convinced that he's a little bit crazy. Whether she believes in him or not, Malcolm is determined to fulfill her wish for true happiness. so what happens when you lie to an angel about what you most desire?"

And the second book was Jenna and Jonah's Fauxmance...

"Charlie Tracker and Fielding Withershave two jobs. One is to star in their hit show, Jenna &Jonah's How to Be a Rock star, and the other is to star in their own lives. Pretending to be a real-life couple just like their on-screen alter egos, Charlie and Fielding pose for the cameras and cuddle on cue to maintain their fauxmance, all for the sake of the show's rating. The only problem? They can barely stand each other. When a pesky member of the paparazzi starts an explosive rumor about Fielding that could destroy not only their fauxmance but both of their careers, they drop off the grid until the headlines calm down. Far from the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, Charlie and Fielding finally get to know each other as something more than cogs in the wheel of the Jenna & Jonah enterprise. Will they like what they see? Or has this fauxmance-gone-wrong ruined their chance for real love?"

Candace's Book Blog Giveaway!

This awesome giveaway which is hosted by Candace includes:

The Body Finder, paperback and signed.

Desires of the Dead, hardcover and signed.

The Body Finder Poster, signed.

Desires of the Dead, signed.

The Body Finder pin.

Desires of the Dead sticker.

And possibly more.

Now for the rules(:

1. Open US only, sorry:/

2. You must be at least 13 years old.

3. You must fill out the form, which ends on 3/24/2011

I love reading all of Candace's posts especially her book hauls/in her mailboxes, she has a great taste in books(:

So I hope you enter her contest, and good luck to anyone who enters:D

Book Haul #2: Target (1) and Barnes and Nobles (3)

I just received these books two or three days ago, one from Target and the other three from Barnes and Nobles. I haven't read any of them, but I'm very excited to. When I finished them I'll post a review for each of them!:D

Sooo here it goes!...


Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles.



"At Fairfield High School, on the outskirts of Chicago, everyone knows that south siders and north siders aren't exactly compatible elements. So when head cheerleader Brittany Ellis and gang member Alex Fuentes are forced to be lab partners in chemistry class, the results are bound to be explosive. But neither teen is prepared for the most surprising chemical reaction of all--love. Can they break through stereotypes and misconceptions that threaten to keep them apart?"

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han.



"When each summer begins, Belly leaves her school life behind and escapes to Cousins Beach, the place she has spent every summer of her life. Not only does the beach house mean home away from home, but her favorite people are there: Susannah, hers mother's best friend, and her sons, Conrad and Jeremiah. Belly has been chasing Conrad for as long as she can remember, and more than anything, she hopes this summer will be different. Despite distractions from a new guy named Cam and lingering looks from Conrad's brother, Jeremiah, Belly's heart belongs to Conrad. Will he offer his to her? will this be the summer that changes everything?"

Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause.



"Vivian Gandillon relishes the change, the sweet, fierce ache that carries her from girl to wolf. At sixteen, she is beautiful and strong, and all the young wolves are on her tail. But Vivian still grieves for her dead father; her pack remains leaderless and in disarray, and she feels lost in the suburbs of Maryland. She longs for a normal life. But what is normal for a werewolf? Then Vivian falls in love with a human, a meatboy. Aiden is kind and gentle, a welcome relief from the squabbling pack. He's fascinated by magic, and Vivian lings to reveal herself to him. Surely he would understand her and delight in the wonder of her dual nature, not fear her as an ordinary human would. Vivian's divided loyalties are strained further when a brutal murder threatens to expose the pack. moving between two worlds, she does not seem to belong in either. What is she really--human of beats? which tastes sweeter--blood or chocolate?"

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.

"As a young man, Jacob Jankowski was tossed by fate onto a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. It was the early part of the great Depression, and for Jacob, now ninety, the circus world he remembers was both his salvation and a living hell. A veterinary student just shy of degree, he was put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It was there that he met Marlena, the beautiful equestrian star married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. And he met Rosie, and untrainable elephant who was the great gray hope for this third-rate traveling show. The bond that grew among this unlikely trio was one of love and trust, and, ultimately, it was their hope for survival."

Book Review #2: Red Riding Hood

Hello Fellow Bookworms!(: I hope you've had a awesome Monday, and lots of great reading!
Lets get started, shall we?
Just like most books that are turned in to motion pictures, I enjoy reading the books first. Today's book review is going to be on Red Riding Hood (as seen in the title ^^) by Blakely-Cartwright/Johnson. This book was released only in paper and ebook format during January of 2011. Sooo here it goes!:D

"Valerie's sister was beautiful, kind, and sweet. Now she is dead. Henry, the handsome son of the blacksmith, tries to console Valerie, but her wild heart beats fast for another: the outcast woodcutter, Peter, who offers Valerie another life far from home. After her sister's violent death, Valerie's world begins to spiral out of control. For generations, the Wolf has been kept at bay with a monthly sacrifice. But now no one is safe. When an expert Wolf hunter arrives, the villagers learn that the creature lives among them--it could be anyone in town. It soon becomes clear hat Valerie is the only one who can hear the voice of the creature. The Wolf says she must surrender herself before the blood moon wanes. . .or everyone she loves will die."
Teaser Sentences...
..."Was it Peter or I who pushed the other into killing?"
..."The Wolf knew I had killed before."


I fell in love with this book, its such a great twist to fairytale that I have known my entire life.It had romance (omg, which I la la la love!) and action, a great combination of both. I'm glad to know that a second book is coming out (this hint was given in the last couple of pages) so I'm really excited for not just the second book, but also the movie (which is coming out this Friday).
Thanks for coming by, and as always happy READING!(:
lisa.

Book Haul #1; Goodwill

My first haul! YEPPPPYYYY!:D

Last weekend, a friend of mine told me all about Goodwill. She talked about how cheap, and inexpensive you could buy a lot of great things for. Whenever I drove past a Goodwill I thought it was just like a yard sale place, where people sold old, dirty and kinda of gross things. Well yesterday I was totally proved wrong (I mean yeah Goodwill still had that weird musky smell to it, but then again the library does too). Rachael, huge Goodwill shopping fan, took me to three different local Goodwills. Even though I was interested and intending to buy something, it wasn't going to be clothing. After walking around for about ten minutes I noticed they sold BOOKS! At first I couldn't believe my eyes, BOOKS for only TWO dollars??? So of course I couldn't leave without seeing what they had. After leaving the last Goodwill we visited, I had a total of five books, that I will now share with you:D

The first book I purchased was, The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks.

"Seventeen-year-old Veronica "Ronnie" Miller's life was turned upside down when her parents divorced and her father moved to Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. Three years later, she remains alienated from her parents, particularly her father. . .until her mother decides it would be in every one's best interest if she and her brother spent the summer with him. Resentful and rebellious, Ronnie rejects her father's attempts to reach out to her and threatens to return to New York before the summer's end. But soon Ronnie meets Will, the last person she thought she'd ever be attracted to, and finds herself falling for him, opening herself up to the greatest happiness--and pain--that she has ever known."


The second book, is Dear John also by Nicholas Sparks.



""Dear John," the letter read. And with those two words, a heart was broken and two lives changed forever. When Savannah Lynn Curtis comes into his life, John Tyree knows he is ready to turn a new leaf. An angry rebel, he had enlisted in the army right after high school, not knowing what else to do, Then, during a furlough, he meets Savannah, the girl of his dreams. The attraction is mutual and quickly growing into a kind of love that leaves Savannah vowing to wait for John while he finishes his tour of duty. But neither can foresee that 9/11 is about to change the world. Like so many proud men and women, John must choose between love and country. Now, when he finally returns to North Carolina, John will discover how love can transform us in ways we never could have imagined."

And the third, The Kiss by Elda Minger.

"When she finds her fiance with another woman the night before her wedding. Tess Sommerville's safe, dull, by-the-numbers life is over. Packing up her broken heart--along with her dog--she impulsively joins her older brother's best friend in a two-thousand-mile road trip cross-country.

Will Tremere always had a soft side for Tess when they were growing up--and now she's become a beautiful, intriguing woman. He also knows that Tess is hurting, and he's determined to help her get back on her feet, no strings attached.

But by the time the pair rolls into Las Vegas, all bets are off. Because neither Tess nor Will ever counted on finding their perfect match on the road..."

The fourth, Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen.

"Haley and Scarlett have been best friends ever since they met. Halley has always been the quiet one, Scarlett braver and more outgoing. Halley has always turned to Scarlett when things get rough, and Scarlett has always known just what to do. It's the perfect setup. But everything changes at the beginning of junior year. Scarlett's boyfriend is killed in a motorcycle accident; then Scarlett finds out she is carrying his baby. For the first time ever, Scarlett really needs Halley. Now Halley has to learn to be strong for Scarlett. It wont be easy, but Halley knows that she cant let Scarlett down. Because a true friend is a promise you keep forever."

And lastly, Princess On The Brink by Meg Cabot.

"At last, Mia is a junior. An upperclassmen. So why is it that everything is going so terribly wrong? What is she doing in Intro to Creative Writing? When she has made it through Algebra and Geometry, why must she be face with Precalculus? All this is nothing compared to the news Micheal springs on her, however. Her beloved boyfriend could be leaving for Japan for a year--or more! Precalc has nothing on preparing for the worst separation ever.

Turns out there is one way she might convince Micheal to stay. But will she? or wont she? No matter what, Mia seems headed for disaster."

Review #1: Shiver

Happy Tuesday!!
And welcome to my very first book review(: Today's book is called, Shiver by
Maggie Stiefvater (Released 1 August 2009). I read this book a while back, but I felt this would be a great start to my reviews. Shiver is part of the Wolves of Mercy Falls series (#1 Shiver, #2 Linger, #3 Forever), but this is the only book I read from both this series and this author.

"The Cold

Grace has spent years watching the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow - eyed wolf -- her wolf -- watches back. He feels deeply familiar to her, but she doesn't know why.

The Heat

Sam has lived two lives. As a wolf, he keeps the silent company of the girl he loves. And then, for a short time each year, he is human, never daring to talk to Grace . . . until now.

The Shiver

For Grace and Sam, love has always been kept at a distance. But once its spoken, it cannot be denied. Sam must fight to stay human -- and Grace must fight to keep him -- even if it means taking on the scars of the past, the fragility of the present, and the impossibility of the future."

My Thoughts:

The first thing I noticed when I began reading was the blue ink. Instead of using black like most books have, Shiver uses the same blue as its cover. The second thing I noticed was the layout of the writing itself. Every chapter is almost like a journal entry, of both Sam and Grace. Example: Chapter 5 ~ Grace.

I love this book, its story line was great! There's so many werewolves and vampire books lately, but this story is totally different, I just love the story line. Sam has a lot of personal problems, bad memories from his childhood caused by his religious parents. ( emo boys are super cute!! xD) I can say this is one of the best books I have ever read, and plan on not just reading the last two of this series but also more novels by Stiefvater.

So this concludes my first book review, and I cant wait to do more. Please comment below if I should make any changes to how I should review a book, and let me know what you thought. Thank you soooo much more coming by and I hope to see you again(:

Lisa(: