Book Review: Shadows.

Title: Shadows.
Author: Paula Weston.
Series: Yes, #1.
Pages: 400.
Source: Author.
Publisher: Tundra Books.
Published Date: 9/10/13
Links:
Goodreads
Barnes and Nobles

Summary:

"It's almost a year since Gaby Winters watched her twin brother die. In the sunshine of a new town her body has healed, but her grief is raw and constant. It doesn't help that every night in her dreams she fights and kills hell-beasts. And then Rafa comes to town. Not only does he look exactly like the guy who's been appearing in Gaby's dreams, he tells her things about her brother and her life that cannot be true, things that are dangerous. Who is Rafa? Who are the Rephaim? And who is Gaby? The truth lies in the shadows of her nightmares."

Cover:

If you've read a few of my reviews, you know how important covers are to me. Covers of books are first impressions, yes, we aren't supposed to judge books by their covers, but really, who doesn't? Covers are what pulls people, and makes them pick up the book to see what its about.

When looking at this cover, right away you know it's about angels! Awesome! (For once, not just a person, or face.)

My Thoughts:

The first time I heard about Shadows, was when a fellow reviewer over at Burn Bright suggested it for our monthly book club reviews; since then I haven't stopped hearing about it! Shadows has gotten amazing reviews, and numerous five star ratings from book bloggers I trust! With more than one person bullying me (JK) into reading this book, I knew it was time I picked it up, also my review is due!

For the month of September, Shadows was on the top of my TBR list, and the first book I picked up!

After reading Starcrossed I've been craving angel books, and this is exactly what Shadows is all about, This story follows a girl named Gaby, who has recently lost her twin brother in a car accident and is still dealing with it today. It seems that no matter how much therapy she goes to, or time passes, she isn't able to fully grieve her bother's death.

Gaby was tired of living her life, and decided to pack up and leave. She got on a bus one day, where she meet her now best friend, Maggie. Living together in Pan Beach, Gabe is in the hopes that she will be able to get through the loss of her brother and be able to continue on with her life.

But all that is shattered when Gabe meets Rafa at a bar one night, and changes everything. Gabe isn't who she thinks she is, her brother Jude didn't die the way she thought he did, and she is thrown into the world of Rephaim.

After finally reading Shadows, I can tell you first hand, that everything, everyone is raving about in their reviews is correct! The story is so different from the average YA angel book. The characters are mature, have substance as well as grow and change throughout the book. The romance between Gabe and Rafa is hateful at first, but sexy and sweet later on.

Maggie is the best friend anyone can ask for! It doesn't seem to matter what Gabe, or the world throws at them, Maggie always seems to understand and be there for her.

Overall I fell in love with this book. I've had cravings for angels, and Shadows satisfied me to the fullest!I know I usually say a little bit about the ending of the book, but with Shadows I don't think I can do that without giving anything away. All I can say is something crazy happens, and almost every single chapter ends with a cliffhanger. Putting down Shadows, to go eat, or shower, was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.

If you get the chance to pick up and read Shadows, DO IT! I know you're all tired of the whole "angel" thing, but I promise you, this one is different!

Blogger of the Week: Joana In The Sky With Books

Your Name/Blog's Name: Hi! My name is Joana and my blog is called Joana In The Sky With Books (yes, it is very, very loosely based on a Beatles song haha)
Genre: I usually review YA books of pretty much any kind. Sometimes I might review one or two NA books (even though I haven’t done that…yet)
Blog Established: My blog is very recent! I created on May 24th, 2013 and my first post was on May 26th (I am terrible with HTML so it took me two extremely stressful days to get everything to work properly! Hahaha)
Inspiration: I have to admit that I didn’t really know about the existence of book blogs until a few weeks before I created my own blog (well, I was aware that people blogged about books, I just never imagined there would be such a great, big community behind it). The moment I saw how many book blogs there were and how amazing the community was, I just felt the need to start sharing my opinions and hopefully meet new people with the same interests as me 
Coffee or Tea: Neither, actually! Both of them make me a bit sick (it has been like that my whole life and I have no idea why…which is a shame because I could use some coffee in class). I would say that my favourite drink is water (and I also like chocolate milk quite a lot!).

1. Where is your favorite place to read?

Definitely in bed! It’s so comfy! And the other day I read on the train…it was quite pleasant too!

2. How often do you go out, planning on not purchasing any books, but end up buying some anyways?

It doesn’t happen a lot…I spend hours at book stores and every time I find a book I want I just need to check the price tag and immediately I put it down thinking “You’re cheaper on The Book Depository” haha.

3. Name one book you didn’t think you would enjoy, but ended up loving it.

My Best Friend’s Girl by Dorothy Koomson. I wasn’t much into contemporary fiction at the time so it was a nice surprise!

4. Which do you prefer paperback, hardback, or ebook? Why?

I LOVE paperbacks! They aren’t too heavy and difficult to handle like hardbacks. I read quite a lot of ebooks (since they are cheaper) but it’s never the same thing…

5. One morning you wake up with super powers what would they be?

It might sound awful, but I am pretty sure it would be to be able to listen to people’s thoughts…I’m really curious about what goes inside everyone’s mind. I guess I could help the police catch the bad guys, right?

6. If you won ten million dollars, what would you do with it?

I have thought about this quite a lot! First of all, I would help my parents pay off any debts they had. Then I would save some money for the rest of my university years and also save some so I could go study abroad for a year or two! Then I would buy lots of books and travel the entire world (and maybe invest some of the Money? I’m not sure about it yet!)

Joana's Links:

Blog

Facebook

Twitter

Goodreads

Thank you so much for stopping by Joana and answering a few questions!

Book Haul!

Welcome to Turning Pages!

And thanks for stopping by! This week I picked up two book from Costco, which I can't wait to start reading! I've heard amazing things about both titles.

Eleanor and Park, by Rainbow Rowell.

"Set over the course of one school year in 1986, ELEANOR AND PARK is the story of two star-crossed misfits – smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you’ll remember your own first love – and just how hard it pulled you under."

Fangirl, by Rainbow Rowell.

"Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan . . .

But for Cath, being a fan is her life — and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?

Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?

And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?"

What's Coming This Week?

Welcome to Turning Pages!

"What's Coming This Week?" is a meme hosted here at Turning Pages, showcasing all of the new YA books coming out within the next seven days. Interested in any of the books mentioned below? Click on the books title, it'll take you to that book's Goodreads page, where you'll be able to read more about it!

Paperback:

Finale, by Becca Fitzpatrick.

Rebel Heart, by Moira Young.

Monstrous Beauty, by Elizabeth Fama.

Hardback:

The Enchanter Heir, by Cinda Williams Chima.

Wild Cards, by Simone Elkeles.

Endless, by Jessica Shirvington.

How to Love, by Katie Cotugno.

Cover Reveal: Mine to Tarnish

Mine to Tarnish (Mine .5)

by Janeal Falor

Release Date: 12/02/13

Summary from Goodreads:

"Katherine’s place is the same as any woman’s—on the shelf next to the dresses and bolts of cloth. When she’s sold to a warlock, life grows even bleaker. Her new owner is as old and rancid as he is cruel, driving her to do the unthinkable: run.

Nothing prepared her for being on her own. And she’s definitely unprepared for the warlocks hunting her down. But she must stay one step ahead because if caught, the best she can hope for is death."

Book One:

(linked to Goodreads)

About the Author:

Janeal Falor lives in Utah where she’s finally managed to live in the same house for more than five years without moving. In her spare time she reads books like they’re nuts covered in caramel and chocolate, cooks whatever strikes her fancy, and enjoys the outdoors. Her husband and three children try to keep up with her overactive imagination. Usually they settle for having dinner on the table, even if she’s still going on about the voices in her head.

Author Links:

   

****GIVEAWAY***

10 e-ARC copies of Mine To Tarnish (INT)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Reveal Organized by:

Book Review: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer.

Title: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer.
Author: Michelle Hodkin.
Series: Yes, #1.
Pages: 452.
Source: Purchased.
Publisher: Simon and Schuster.
Published Date: 9/27/11
Links:
Goodreads.
Barnes and Noble.

Summary:

"Mara Dyer doesn’t think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.
It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can’t remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.
There is.

She doesn’t believe that after everything she’s been through, she can fall in love.
She’s wrong."

Cover:

Interesting. Intriguing. Mysterious. The cover of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is dark, and it's what pulled me in! But after reading the book, I'm not really sure how this cover ties in with the story...

My Thoughts:

I can't believe this book was released almost two years ago, and even though I was so excited to read it, since the day it hit stores, I didn't get the chance to until now...I know, it's sad. I've read a countless number of reviews, some raving and some not so much, and I knew it was about time to write my own.

But who cares, right? I read it, and I'm reviewing it right now!

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, follows a girl named Mara Dyer, which I'm actually not sure if that is her real name or not...but I'll get into all that later. Anyways, "Mara Dyer" is the main character, and she is suffering from a traumatic event that just recently occurred. Not only did Mara lose her two best friends, and boyfriend throughout this event, but now she and her family are left questioning her sanity.

Mara and her family decided that mental treatment wasn't the best choice, but instead decided to move, in hopes that she will be able to also move on in her life. So the family packed up everything and left. Mara was sure the new house, the new neighborhood, the new school, and the new people around her would help.Until that is she starts seeing visions of her friends and boyfriend, and flashbacks of what happened that night.

*Mara doesn't really know what happened the night her friends died, or why she was the only one who survived, but throughout the story, she has these flashbacks and visions that perk her memory.*

Just after arriving Mara gets know a beautiful boy named Noah. Who seems to be her light in all this dark. Noah doesn't mind flaunting his power or money...or car, which was a little annoying. But he was really  nice to Mara and was even willing to help her push through these hard times.

The sweetest thing he did was help Mara with the dog she saved from an abusive home, and drove both her and the dog to the vet's office, to get it medical help.

Mara still isn't sure why she is the only one who survived, and why she is having this weird visions now, but with the help of Noah and her older brother, is is sure to find out.

Many bloggers have completely fallen in love with this story and all its aspects while a handful disagree with the paranormal/creepy tag the story's been given. (I've read reviews, where bloggers claimed that they regretted reading the book at night, because it left them unable to sleep...) Many stated that the story focuses a lot more on the romance between the two main characters, leaving the real problem at hand in the shadows.

In a way, I guess I'm half way in between those two.

When picking up this book, and having read the synopsis, I was expecting something creepy and paranormal; maybe even a little bit scary. But it's true, the reader didn't get much of that, besides the occasional vision Mara had. But I felt like those were so short, and didn't really last long enough for me to connect or be "creeped" out by them. While the story wasn't keeping me up at night, it did focus a lot of Mara's relationship with Noah, which I didn't really mind. But it also wasn't what I expected from this story.

So I can see why people would be frustrated; they expected one thing, but got something completely different.

Overall I enjoyed the book, like I said, it didn't turn out to be what I thought it was going to be, but I still liked the story and the characters. Earlier in my review I wrote that I wasn't sure if her real name was even Mara Dyer, I'll try to explain now, what I meant.

Within the first two or three chapters the reader was introduced to the main character, but the way this was done, was a little confusing. The narrator (Mara) tells  the reader, that when she woke up in the hospital, after the traumatic event that started all this, she wasn't sure where or even who she was. I think it was her mom that told her just use the name Mara Dyer. The way her mother told her to "use" this name, made me feel like this wasn't her real name. But expect for the first two or three chapters, this issue is never mentioned again in the book.

I'm not saying this is a bad thing, but I think it's a little weird. I was expecting to find out something big around the corner while reading this entire book, but that never came. Maybe Hodkin will elaborate on this in the next book; I hope!

WWW Wednesday

Welcome to Turning Pages!

What am I reading right now?

Currently I'm about half way through Under The Never Sky by Veronica Rossi, and I'm really digging it so far! Under The Never Sky takes place in the future where the human population was once allowed to move into these Realms, where they would live until two hundred, would never get sick, and women wouldn't have children; children would be designed and created. But not everyone was moved into these Realms and are stilling living outside, struggling to find food and survive. Just the actual background information had me lured in!

What did I just finish reading?

My math book! With school starting up tomorrow, I decided a while ago to read and take notes ahead of time; I've been pretty busy with that!

What do I plan on reading next?

Zombie Blondes by Brian James! I recently bought this one at the huge Half Price Book Warehouse Sale, and I love the cover! I have no idea what the book is about, but it looks fun.