Book Review: Gone.

Title: Gone.
Author: Michael Grant.
Series: Yes, #1.
Pages: 559.
Source: Library, Borrowed.
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books.
Published Date: 6/24/08.
Links:
Book Depository
Goodreads

Summary:

"In the blink of an eye, everyone disappears. Gone. Except for the young.

There are teens, but not one single adult. Just as suddenly, there are no phones, no internet, no television. No way to get help. And no way to figure out what's happened.

Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks. Animals are mutating. And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents—unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers—that grow stronger by the day. It's a terrifying new world. Sides are being chosen, a fight is shaping up. Townies against rich kids. Bullies against the weak. Powerful against powerless. And time is running out: On your birthday, you disappear just like everyone else..."

My Thoughts:

The Gone series has been out for quite some time now, considering the first book in the series was first published in 2008. Even before I started blogging and reading as much as I do now, I had heard many good things about this series, the characters and Michael Grant's writing.

After I read Messenger of Fear by Michael Grant, and LOVED it, I needed more. I honestly couldn't get enough, and couldn't wait for the sequel of Messenger of Fear to come out in 2015. That was just WAY to long!!

So I did a little bit of research and quickly rediscovered that he had an entirely different series out. Another strange and interesting one, that I could finally get my hands on. Of course I headed to the library right away, and picked up the entire series.

If you don't know what Gone is about, it basically takes place on an island full of kids, who's parents disappeared one day. No one knows where they went or what happened, but a lot of kids start to believe that it has something to do with the nuclear power plant on the island.

Days go by, and no parents are to be found. The older kids start taking a bit of charge, by turning off all the power in the houses, taking care of the little kids, and looking for food and medicine. Who knew there would be so much to do without the help of their parents?

Things haven't gone as smoothly as one would hope, and things aren't getting any easier, when kids from the private school on the other side of the island come down and start to take charge. Things get crazy when they start to create rules and put certain people in charge of various things.

Gone is just the beginning of the end...

Final Verdict:

While the size of this book is a bit intimidating, and it took me a bit longer than usual to get through I enjoyed Gone. But I wish some of the parts wouldn't have been so slow, or dragged out as they were. The first few chapters were crazy intense, the middle was slower and repetitive, but the ending was crazy awesome!

What usually pulls me into a book are the characters. I need characters that have depth and that I can relate to. If characters are two dimensional, the story becomes bland for me. But what pulled me in the most to Gone, was the story, the twists and turns, and the absolutely crazy and scary things that the cast went through!

I mean finding out one day that your parents are gone is bad enough, but when you learn that there are kids out there with super powers, some using it for good and others using it to bully people, is insane! Besides that, once you turn fourteen, to the exact time of your birth, you disappear. No one knows what happens to you, or where you go, but one second you're there, the next you're gone!

(I honestly couldn't imagine going through this kind of situation myself....)

I started reading Gone to feed my hunger for strange and interesting, after I indulged in Messenger of Fear and just couldn't get enough. Gone filled that void with pure intensity! There were so many things happening in this story, so many different characters, and I had so many questions. Some of those questions were answered by the end of this first installment, but some were also left in the air, waiting for the rest of the series to answer them.

I liked Gone, even though the middle of the book was a bit slower. I do plan on continuing the series, but I just don't know exactly when.

Have you read Gone? What did you think?

It's Monday, What Am I Reading?

Title: Mis Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children.
Author: Ransom Riggs.
Summary:

"A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs.

It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive."

My Thoughts So Far:

Do you ever get that feeling that you are the last person on planet earth to do something? That everyone else in the world has already done and finished, what you haven't? This is exactly how I feel about this book. I mean, I've owned it, and the sequel for a few months now, simply because I got them on sale, or had a gift card, and REALLY wanted to read them. But sometimes life gets in the way and other books need to be read first.

But what got me to finally pick up this book, and start reading it (which it eventually just suckered me), was that it's my YA book club's October read. I recently joined a book club, but I'll tell you ALL about it in another blog post.

ANYWAYS, so for I'm absolutely in love! I mean people have been telling me how good, creepy and interesting this book was, but I didn't know it was like this! I'm about 200 pages into it, and the characters are fantastic and the story is mind boggling.

I'm already excited to start writing my review! Have you read this one? Let me know what you think in the comments!

Update, Crazy Busy, Scheduling, Whaaa?

As some of you may already know, last Thursday was my first day back in school. Even though I didn't have a very long summer break, only about a month due to taking a summer class, it was a very relaxing one.

Throughout the summer I found a job and spent all of my free time either reading, blogging or hanging out with my friends and family. The weather was amazing, and overall I had a good month!

But with school starting back up again, and because I want to start running (again, since I've been slacking since June), things are becoming a bit busy and crazy.

I have a lot on my plate and I'm trying to keep everything going all at once. I'm going to school full time, and taking an additional class online, I'm working, I'm reading/blogging, and trying to stay healthy. And in between all that make time for my friends and family.

My room, car and bathroom are absolutely messy right now, which are just a few more things that need to be taken care of...desperately.

If you've stopped by in the last few days, you may have noticed that I haven't posted any thing. No worries! I don't plan to stop blogging any time soon, but I did need a few days off, to prevent myself from going completely crazy and to give myself a bit of room.

But tomorrow (Monday) everything is going to be right back to normal! I've created a schedule, and know exactly what posts and videos should be up when. I usually have a general idea for the upcoming week's posts, but with all this other stuff going on, there is no way I will make it through the week without knowing exactly what needs to go up and which day.

If you guys have any organizational ideas or tips, please! And I mean PLEASE comment down below!

This post is just me explaining myself, and my absence these last few days, but also a thank you to all of you for following Turning Pages, leaving very kind comments, and for all your support! You guys are awesome, and deserve to know what's going on.

It's Tuesday...What Am I Reading?

Title: The Book Thief.
Author: Markus Zusak
Summary:

"It's just a small story really, about, among other things, a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery.

Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak's groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can't resist: books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids - as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.

This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul."

My Thoughts So Far:

I'm pretty much finished with The Book Thief, with only having the epilogue to read, but I really wanted to include it in this post! I can't believe how much I loved this book! In school, it seems like we learn about World War Two every single year. And when I was searching for Young Adult book clubs to attend locally, this was one of the books they were reading.

Of course I wanted to attend with my friend Shawnee @ YA Fiction Review, but I wasn't too excited about reading a book that was revolved around the WWII. But I already had it sitting on my shelf, and thought why not.

I picked it up and within 48 hours I had this book read and finished. I fell in complete love! Even though I don't see where Liesel is a book "thief" besides maybe once or twice, I would consider her more of a book "borrower". Anyways, I couldn't get enough, and there's no way I won't be picking up Markus Zusak's other books!

Book Haul

Welcome to Turning Pages!

Anna Dressed in Blood, by Kendare Blake.

Before I Fall, by Lauren Oliver.

Afterworlds, by Scott Westerfeld.

Good Marriage, by Stephen King.

Poison Princess, by Kresley Cole.

Endless Knight, by Kresley Cole.

Have you read any of these title? What did you think? Do you have a review? Leave your link in the comments I would love to come by and check it out!

This Week's YA Releases!

Welcome to Turning Pages!

Paperback:

The Shade of the Moon, by Susan Beth Pfeffer.

United We Spy, by Ally Carter.

Steelheart, by Brandon Sanderson.

Reality Boy, by A.S. King.

Reign The Prophecy, by Lily Blake.

Shadows, by Robin McKinley.

Task Force, by Brian Falkner.

Hardback:

Skink No Surrender, by Carl Hiaasen.

Afterworlds, by Scott Westerfeld.

Unmade, by Sarah Rees Brennan.

Messenger of Fear, by Michael Grant.

Video Book Review: Kiss of Broken Glass!

Thank you all so much for watching!

Powell's Book Store Trip!

Can anyone say "world's biggest used and new bookstore"?!? I can! POWELLS!!!

A few weeks ago, my boyfriend asked me to go all the way to Portland with him. And when I say "all the way" I mean the three hour drive that it took us to get there. It isn't too far away from home, but I've never gone and REALLY wanted to!

The reason he wanted to go was to check out one of his favorite men's boutiques, and just to do some shopping. But the one stop I wanted to make, besides walk around and sight see, was Powells! 

I didn't know much about it, besides the fact that it's a new and used book store, that has three stories and about 6000 square feet of AMAZING books!

When we got there, I couldn't keep the big old nerdy grin off my face! I was surrounded by the guy who makes me the happiest, and millions of AWESOME books! The look, the feel, the smell, it was all so perfect, it's hard to describe in words. There was honestly such a good vibe in this place, and so many people it was heaven!

As all of you know, I grabbed Joshua by the arm and dragged him straight to the Young Adult section...okay I lied, I have zero sense of direction and he actually found it before I did..

The YA section was massive! There were rows and rows of YA and these shelves were three times my height! I couldn't get enough...it was honestly one of the coolest places I've ever been!

And the best thing was that Joshua embraced it with me. He isn't a reader, and books don't really interest him much. I mean he has read The Maze Runner, after I asked him to, but it was nice to see that he enjoyed being there with me. I appreciated him for trying to involve himself in something I love to do; it meant so much to me!

Of course we didn't leave empty handed, we did pick up a few goodies!

(Joshua also picked a shirt, but I just didn't get the chance to take a picture of it.)

Powells is honestly the one place every bookworm should visit at least once...if not a few times! Grab a coffee, a snack, a book and just stroll through!

Have you been to Powells? Or any other book store like it? Let me know!

Waiting On Wednesday

Title: Afterworlds.
Author: Scott Westerfeld.
Summary:

"Darcy Patel has put college on hold to publish her teen novel, Afterworlds. With a contract in hand, she arrives in New York City with no apartment, no friends, and all the wrong clothes. But lucky for Darcy, she’s taken under the wings of other seasoned and fledgling writers who help her navigate the city and the world of writing and publishing. Over the course of a year, Darcy finishes her book, faces critique, and falls in love.

Woven into Darcy’s personal story is her novel, Afterworlds, a suspenseful thriller about a teen who slips into the “Afterworld” to survive a terrorist attack. The Afterworld is a place between the living and the dead, and where many unsolved—and terrifying—stories need to be reconciled. Like Darcy, Lizzie too falls in love…until a new threat resurfaces, and her special gifts may not be enough to protect those she cares about most."

Release Date: 9/23/14.

Why I'm Waiting: 

Does it still count as a "Waiting on Wednesday" if I already have an audio version of this book? ...who cares! I'm so excited to get to Afterworlds!

Scott Westerfeld has the Uglies series out, which everyone seems to have read and loved...but I never got around. Even though, this audio book is TWELVE discs long, I'm pumped to start listening to it on my long rides to school. I haven't read anything about writing or publishing books, especially none that include "special gifts"!!

And of course, if I LOVE this one, I'm picking up the Uglies series ASAP! Have you read or heard anything about this one? Let me know!!

Blog Tour: Haze

Haze, by Paula Weston

Series: The Rephaim #2.
Pages: 448.
Publisher: Tundra Books.
Published Date: 9/9/14.

""But what if we can’t find Jude?" 
He leans closer. His breath is warm on my ear. "We will."
"How can you be so sure?" I want to believe him so badly, but this is Rafa. The guy who’s all action and no plan. His smile is tired, knowing. An echo of a shared past I don’t remember. 
"Because I’m not smart enough to give up, and you don’t know how to." 

Gaby Winters’ nightmares have stopped but she still can’t remember her old life. Still can’t quite believe she is one of the Rephaim—the wingless half-angels who can shift from place to place, country to country, in the blink of an eye. That she was once the Rephaim’s best fighter. That demons exist. That Rafa has stayed. 

But most of all, she can’t quite believe that her twin brother, Jude, might be alive. 

And Gaby can’t explain the hesitancy that sidetracks the search for him, infuriates Rafa, and sends them, again, into the darkest danger."


About the Author:

For my day job, I’m a self-employed writer-journalist-professional communicator, where my writing involves a lot less profanity. :)

I also love to read, blog, cook, eat, drink and travel and tend to get passionate about human rights, ethical food production… actually, I can get passionate about pretty much anything.

I’m also a huge fan of Australian literature, fantasy/paranormal writing across books, TV and film; I love comedy; I’m a closet comic reader and TV addict; and I’m borderline obsessed with the Foo Fighters.

Author Links:

Facebook|Twitter|Website

My Review:

The characters, the world, and the story in Shadows engulfed me completely; it was fascinatingly beautiful, but also dark and strange at the same time. Putting it down before devouring it entirely, was one of the hardest things to do.

Because of this, and my slight obsession with angels (which seems to never get fulfilled), I was dying to finally get the chance to read Haze!

Haze takes off, exactly where Shadows ends; its only been a week since Gaby was discovered by the man in her dreams, since she found out who she really was, that her memories were all actually fake, and that her dead brother, Jude, might not be...all that dead.

*I'm going to try and keep the next part as spoiler free as possible, for those of you who haven't read the first book in this series...which...I don't know why you haven't yet!*

Haze follows Gaby, Rafa, Maggie and Jason, through the search for Jude, the battle with Hellions and Demons, and the tension with Daniel, Taya, and Mya. Besides fighting the dark side, looking for her brother, and trying to rediscover her old self, Gaby is also trying to understand her relationships with with Rafa, then and now.

The story was completely action packed, and no moment was ever dull or boring. While we did get a few small tastes of romance here and there, Haze mainly focused on the task at hand, finding Jude, staying safe, and completing their purpose.

As some of you already know, I'm a sucker for a good romance, but I liked that this book didn't completely focus on it. I liked that we were given a few hints throughout the book, but it never overshadowed the actual story.

Besides the amazing fight scenes (both in the bar and out), and the crazy, mind blowing, heartbreaking ending, I loved the relationships some of the characters had. Gaby and Rafa's relationship is there, but also it isn't. They don't really know what they want, or at least don't know how to approach each other about it. I liked that it wasn't insta-love.

Gaby and Maggie's friendship was truly amazing. Gaby doesn't really have a family, but she found one inside of Maggie. It's absolutely incredible how much these two care and look out for each other.

Then Maggie and Jason's relationship! While we don't get to know too much detail about what's going on between these two cuties, we do get a few glimpses now and then. Both truly care about one another, and even with all these craziness going on around them, they make sure to still have time to themselves, and show a little affection.

Overall I loved Haze! For the reasons I mentioned, and for a lot more reasons I can't mention because they'll give too much away! I'm already dying to read Shimmer, especially with the way Haze ended! If you haven't gotten the chance to read these books, drop everything, and do it!

Which Character Am I:

After taking the character quiz, I learned that I'm most like Ez! She's so kick ass and hardcore! I loved her so much, and I hope to see more of her in the third installment!

September Giveaway! Three ARCS Up For Grabs!

Welcome to Turning Pages!

It's almost mid September which means I'm a slacker and completely late with this giveaway! But better late, than never, right?

...especially when I'm giving away, three ARCS to three lucky winners!

But before you go completely crazy, this giveaway is going to be a bit different this time around! 

ARCS are meant to be read AND reviewed. They are meant to get the word out about this new book, and to get other people interested. And that's why I'm giving away these three ARCs in the first place, because what good are they just sitting in my shelf, not being read again nor reviewed?

...which leads me to my next point....this giveaway is only for book bloggers...

Why? Well if it wasn't, that would defeat the whole point of giving away these books. I want someone to win these books, who will read, review AND give them another life.

Now that we have all that cleared up, want to know what's up for grabs?!

This month I'm giving away not only an ARC of Kiss of Broken Glass, and ARC of Don't Touch, but a third ARC as well, of Rites of Passage! That's three ARCs for three winners!

Besides having to be a book blogger, there are a few other requirements to enter any of these three giveaways...

1. You must be a GFC follower to Turning Pages!

2. You must live in the US. (Sorry Internationals! Shipping costs are a struggle!)

3. You must be at least 13 years of age, or have parental permission to enter!

4. Lastly, you must fill out the rafflecopters below!

Kiss of Broken Glass Rafflecopter:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don't Touch Rafflecopter:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rites of Passage Rafflecopter:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you all some much for stopping by and entering!