Review: SHATTER ME by Tahereh Mafi

Blurb: Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

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

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

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior. (taken from Goodreads)


Let me just start by saying, I LOVED this book! So many feels!

I finished this book within a matter of hours. Once I started, I just could not put it down.
Tahereh Mafi has a brilliant gift when it comes to storytelling. She pulls you in and doesn't let you go.

The story is unlike anything I have read before. Most books start out slowly, and pick up the pace as the pages go by. With SHATTER ME, it started high and stayed there. Romance, intrigue, suspense, mystery....this book has it all and more.
 I cannot say enough good things about it. Just please, read it. You will not be disappointed.
And look for book #2, UNRAVEL ME, being released February 5, 2013!

Grace Doll Blog Tour + Giveaway! (Closed)

Today, I bring you my review of Grace Doll by Jennifer Laurens!

BLURB:

Grace Doll had everything: Fame. Fortune. Beauty. Everything except her freedom. So when a powerful movie producer forces an experimental treatment on Grace--one that's purported to make beauty immortal--she stages her own death to escape him. With the help of trusted friends, Grace slips into hiding. She's forever flawless. Forever young, and forever pursued by her past.

But when a stranger arrives on her doorstep, holding the key to a life she thought she'd left behind, Grace must decide between the safety she's known...and embracing the role she was born to play.

As soon as I started reading this book, I was hooked! I have read several of Jen's books, and this is nothing like anything she has ever written.   1940s Hollywood. Need I say more?

Grace Doll is an amazingly written character. She's strong, smart, thoughtful, and not to mention, extremely beautiful. In this book, she goes through so many struggles, but she always has a plan. I loved seeing her develop throughout the story. 

Brenden is also a character that I loved reading about. He lost his Father, but he immediately becomes entangled in a very sticky web. He is headstrong and super smart. And I loved the connection between him and Grace.

This book is full of twists, turns, and unexpected surprises! Jealousy, obsession, and heartache. It definitely kept me on my toes! If you are looking for something new to read, I highly recommend Grace Doll! 

Grace Doll Trailer:

Wanna win this amazing swag? Just leave me a comment and I'll pick a winner Sunday evening!

Jennifer's Twitter
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Jennifer's Blog
Jennifer's Website

Also, please check out Jen's Heavenly series! They are my absolute FAVORITE Jennifer Lauren's books!
Here are several links to where you can purchase Jen's books!

And last but not least, I would like to thank Jen for being such an amazing person! Jen, you are so wonderful  and I am glad to call you my friend! I wish you every success! :)

The Near Witch paperback release and "The Ash-Born Boy"

It's May 15th!

Not only does THE NEAR WITCH by Victoria Schwab come out in paperback TODAY, but, to celebrate its release, "The Ash-Born Boy" is finally up over at Disney*Hyperion's website!

So, what IS "The Ash-Born Boy"?

It's a free story Victoria wrote as a thank-you to her fans, and she wrote it to answer ONE question: "Who was Cole before he came to Near?"

Now, if you've already read THE NEAR WITCH, "The Ash-Born Boy" is guaranteed to change the way you see Cole.

And if you haven't read THE NEAR WITCH yet, don't worry, "The Ash-Born Boy" won't spoil anything!

So basically, either way, you should go read Cole's story ;)

And if you want to wait and read THE NEAR WITCH first, don't worry! Cole's story will stay up on Disney*Hyperion's website, and if it ever comes down, Victoria will carve out a space for it on her own site. It will always be available somewhere, and it will always be free.

And!

Cole's story isn't the only goodie to go along with the paperback release. In the back of the paperback itself, you'll find the first chapter of Victoria's new book, THE ARCHIVED, which doesn't come out until January!

So what are you waiting for?

Help Victoria celebrate today by taking a look at "The Ash-Born Boy," and don't forget to buy/order/pick up your own paperback copy of THE NEAR WITCH!

You can also find Victoria on her website, blog, and Twitter!

Review: The Many Lives of Avery Snow by Christy Sloat

Today I have a treat for you! My review of The Many Lives of Avery Snow by Christy Sloat! Christy was very generous and offered to let me review her book, so thank you Christy!


I'll start off with the description of the book, pulled from the books Facebook page!

Description:

Avery Snow led a boring, no thrills life. After her father left the family when she was young, Avery’s mother died when she was only twelve, leaving her all alone except for her Aunt Paulina. Now, at twenty-six, Avery is very used to being lonely.
She enjoys her job at Sunrise Estates, it’s the one place where she doesn’t feel left out. Her boss, Kerri, is her best friend and Lucy O’Shea, a resident at the home, is a good friend to her as well. The night Lucy dies in Avery’s arms she delivers a haunting message to Avery. She tells her that there is a man looking for her from a past life. And he will stop at nothing to have her.

Now Avery is unable sleep for more than a few hours, her dreams are keeping her awake. She is too terrified to sleep for the dreams are too vivid and too real. The only catch? She cannot remember what they are about. Until her Spirit Guide, Ianni, comes to help. Ianni shows Avery her past lives and tells her about the man who is stalking her soul. Now Avery remembers every life she has ever lived and she remembers the man she shared them with. He will not give up until she falls in love with him. The problem is Avery is in love with someone else. Ianni must help keep Avery from making the wrong choice. One her soul doesn’t want. She also must keep her safe from the Dark Guides who are after Avery.
Now Avery must make choices she never has before. This once lonely girl is now surrounded by Spirit Guides, psychics, Demonic Angels and two men fighting for her love.

Do you believe in reincarnation and a love that can last lifetimes?



Now, on to my review!

I was really excited to start this book. I am definitely a firm believer that we have all led past lives! So I couldn't wait to start reading!

To be honest, I devoured this book rather quickly. The world that Christy created was so intriguing! The characters were developed very well, and the plot was quite awesome!

Avery is a very strong character.  Someone that I felt could hold her own really well. With everything going on in her life, she deals with it straight on and pushes forward. 


Her love interests were great to read about as well. (Dallas and Landon) I have to admit though, Dallas was definitely my favorite! Without giving too much away, Landon just seemed kind of iffy to me. 


And Ianni, Avery's Spirit Guide, was someone nice to read about as well! 


All in all, I really enjoyed the book! And I hope you all decide to give it a try!




You can find Christy on Facebook HERE!




Thanks for reading! :)
And another big thanks to Christy for letting me review her awesome book!

Guest Post : They Might Not Like Your Books-Leah Cypess

Here today with a guest post is amazing author, Leah Cypess! Thank you so much to Leah for letting me be a part of her Nightspell blog tour!

I Like You, I’m Just Not That Into Your Book

One of the most amazing things about being published – and one I wasn’t really thinking about, when I was seeking to get published – was that suddenly, I was part of a community of authors. Both of my debut author groups, the Tenners and the Classof2K10, have been amazing in terms of support, and through The Enchanted Inkpot I’ve made a whole bunch of like-minded fantasy-loving friends.

But here’s the thing: all those authors? Have written books. Kind of by definition. In my first flush of excitement, I determined to read all the books written by the members of authors I was becoming friends with online.

And here’s the problem: How many of you have liked every single one of the last 60 or so books you’ve read?

Obviously, this can lead to some awkwardness. What if I like an author personally – have chatted with him or her about marketing, commiserated over bad reviews, cheered over the book’s successes… and then I read the book itself, the reason the two of us even know each other. And I don’t like it.

It’s not even a what if. It’s inevitable.

Also inevitable, of course, is that some of my writer-friends will not like my book. Some won’t even be interested in reading it. Some will read it and hate it.

The fact that not everyone is going to like your book is something every author has to get used to. But it’s on a different level when it’s your peers, your support group, who dislike your book – and maybe secretly think those bad reviews you’re complaining about are dead-on.

So what do I do about it? Well, to be honest, mostly I try to avoid it. This is one of the reasons I don’t write reviews, and in fact try not to talk about books online in any sort of systematic way. I know some writers argue that criticism and negative reviews are necessary, and I don’t disagree. But I don’t think it’s necessary that they come from me. Every writer has to develop a thick skin when it comes to reviews, but some of us are more successful at it than others. And even the thickest skin can be punctured by a friend.

It’s a bit stilted and artificial to refrain from talking about books online when books are so much of what I love and what I do. But I also think it’s wise. As a writer reading reviews, you come to understand something about your own book: that not everybody likes it, and the people who dislike it don’t cancel out the ones who do. And hopefully, you learn to understand that about other peoples’ books too, including the ones you dislike. Other people do love that book you threw against the wall, and it’s not because they’re unintelligent or have no taste or don’t appreciate good literature. If anything, it is easier to understand this when you know the author personally, so you’re well aware that he/she isn’t lacking in taste or unappreciative of good literature. You’re not part of that book’s audience. That’s fine.

The situation is alleviated by the fact that, since writers usually write to their own tastes, these feelings are often mutual. There’s nothing quite like finding out that a writer whose books you greatly admire admires your books as well. Similarly, if I don’t find a writer’s book to my tastes, it is incredibly likely that writer isn’t really into my books either. I have some close writer friends with whom I suspect this is true. It doesn’t have to stop us from sharing and supporting each other in all aspects of our writing careers. Maybe it wouldn’t be the greatest idea for us to be critique partners. But with a little tact, there’s no reason we can’t just be friends.

Again, I would like to thank Leah Cypess for her amazing guest post. NIGHTSPELL is out now!
Check out Leah's website here!
Follow her on Twitter!
Like Nightspell on Facebook!

Review: Children of the Lost Moon by Gabrielle Blue

Here is the blurb from the back of the book:

"Savannah, werewolves may not be quite as fast as we are, but they are much faster than humans. They will rip you apart before you even have a chance to react. They also have one defining trait that we do not- if they do not kill you, you will become infected."

He grabbed me by the upper arms and stared down at me, face grim, indigo eyes frightening.

"You would become a werewolf. And then I would have to kill you."

Let me start by saying, I started this book and could not put it down! I finished it in a few hours!

Savannah, the main character is portrayed as a very strong individual. I think she is amazing! She fences, which is something I have never seen in a YA book before. She has confidence and that is something that girls need to see in books!

Luke is unlike any male character I have ever read before. He's passionate and so caring.
I could feel his love for Savannah pouring off the pages. It was great.
Luke is also very family oriented, whereas Savannah lacks that family structure.

The book is action packed. With most books, it takes a while to get to the action, and a lot of the time it kinda fizzles throughout the book. That is not the case with Children of the Lost Moon. With this book, the action was there all the way until the very end. Which I found that I really enjoyed.

I loved getting to know the characters as well. I felt like I knew Savannah and Luke quite well by the end of the book. Their relationship was so sweet. And at times they had little tiffs like any normal teenage couple does. It was refreshing to read something so real.

Reading about shape shifters was completely new to me. And I have to say, I loved it! It was super entertaining and quite interesting.

All in all, this book was amazing! I did not want it to end AT ALL!

I hope you will all read this book! And a big thank you to Gabrielle Blue for letting me review their incredible book!

You can purchase the book here.
And you can follow Gabrielle Blue on Twitter here.

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen: Review

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Speak (April 6, 2006)
• Language: English

Book Description

Macy’s summer stretches before her, carefully planned and outlined. She will spend her days sitting at the library information desk. She will spend her evenings studying for the SATs. Spare time will be used to help her obsessive mother prepare for the big opening of the townhouse section of her luxury development. But Macy’s plans don’t anticipate a surprising and chaotic job with Wish Catering, a motley crew of new friends, or … Wes. Tattooed, artistic, anything-but-expected Wes. He doesn’t fit Macy’s life at all–so why does she feel so comfortable with him? So … happy? What is it about him that makes her let down her guard and finally talk about how much she misses her father, who died before her eyes the year before? Sarah Dessen delivers a page-turning novel that carries readers on a roller coaster of denial, grief, comfort, and love as we watch a broken but resilient girl pick up the pieces of her life and fit them back together. *Taken from sarahdessen.com

When I started this book, I didn't know what to expect. I had never read a Sarah Dessen book before. But let me tell you, I am a true Dessen fan now!

This book was a dashing read from beginning to end.

Macy was a strong character. I could feel the hurt of losing her father pouring out of the pages.

I felt for her. She was smart, ambitious, funny, loveable, caring, and had the ability to love someone with all that she was. That is something that keeps me reading a book.

Wes was equally amazing. A tortured soul, yet he was so loving. The way he was with his brother was so incredibly sweet. (I have three brothers of my own, so it touched a sweet spot with me) And with Macy, you could just feel the connection.

Their story pulled me in more and more with the turning of every page. At points, I was breathless with the anticipation of what was to come next. I was truly amazed!

This is a book that I would read over and over again. Please, check it out!

And check out Sarah Dessen as well. She is an amazing author!