4.28.2011

Wake Unto Me by Lisa Cach

Who: Lisa Cach
What: Wake Unto Me
Where: Speak (Penguin)
When: March 31st, 2011
Why: Hype
How: Gift


A haunted castle, a handsome young man dead for four
hundred years, one heck of a scary portrait of a witch, and a treasure hunt --
not to mention a princess for a roommate! -- all await 15 year old American girl
Caitlyn Monahan when she earns a scholarship to a French boarding school.

There are secrets behind the stone walls of Chateau de la Fortune,
buried for centuries along with the mystery of who killed Raphael, the charming
ghost who visits Caitlyn at night. But as Caitlyn unearths the history of the
castle, nothing scares her as badly as the secret she learns about herself, and
the reason she was chosen to come to the Fortune School.

And nothing
breaks her heart as badly as falling in love with a dead guy

Wake Unto Me is the story of Caitlin moving from her small town in Oregon where it seems like no one understands her, to the rural boarding school called the Chateau De La Fortune in France, where crazy ghosts stories and mysterious dreams begin to haunt her. The beginning is a bit slow, but once it gets you, you don't be able to stop!

Caitlin was a little hard for her to relate too, since while she was in Oregon, I found her melodramatic. She was really "woe is me" and until she leaves for France (which is pretty early in the book), she gets her head back on her shoulders and is good again. She was likeable and a bit gullible, which made the story actually flow correctly, to my surprise. My favorite part had to be the historical intrigue, especially having to do with Bianca and Raphael. Not only her dreams, but the things she discovered with Naomi really bring the mystery and suspense to the story.

Cach plants small seeds in your head of what's coming, but you have no idea they're actually clues until it's been revealed. I loved every plot twist and turn, because I never saw them coming! Finally, we have Raphael. I was a little nervous about that whole "instant love" connection thing, because as you all know, there's nothing I love more than a nice, slow romance (see: Unearthly by Cynthia Hand, Anna and the French Kiss by Stephine Perkins) but they had a sweet, yet smoldering relationship that worked for the book and the mystery that they had to solve.

I do hope there's a second book, because there are definitely strings left untied about Bianca's history and the whole circle thing.

4.26.2011

The Naughty List by Suzanne Young

Who: Suzanne Young
What: The Naughty List
Where: Penguin (Razorbill)
When: February 4th, 2010
Why: Hype
How: Traded.







As if being a purrfect cheerleader isn't enough
responsibility! Tessa Crimson's the sweet and spunky leader of the SOS (Society
of Smitten Kittens), a cheer squad—turned—spy society dedicated to bringing
dastardly boyfriends to justice, one cheater at a time. Boyfriend-busting
wouldn't be so bad . . . except that so far, every suspect on the Naughty List
has been proven 100% guilty!

When Tessa's own boyfriend shows up on the
List, she turns her sleuthing skills on him. Is Aiden just as naughty as all the
rest, or will Tessa's sneaky ways end in catastrophe?

The Naughty List.
Is your boyfriend on it?


The Naughty List was fun, quick, and sweet read about a girl named Tessa who runs a society called the Society of Smitten Kittens that catches cheaters in the act, though publicly known as the cheer leading squad of their high school. But when twins move into their town, one boy and one girl, they start stirring up trouble. Especially with her adorable boyfriend, Aiden.

The Naughty List is the type of book you read in one sitting, sweet and short. The writing is exactly like i've come to know Suzanne for, simple but relatable. While not every teen does around sneaking around to catch douche-bags, Naughty List does a great job of showing how much it hurts to be cheating on and how damaging it could be to your self-esteem. The teenagers were genuine and real, and dear god, cursed. Nothing irritates me more than a YA High School setting with absolutely no curse words. Sure, Tessa didn't, but the rest of the school did! The SOS had such a commitment to their fellow students, which was endearing and sweet.

Tessa was witty and nice. She wanted to do what was best for her squad and the rest of the school, but also wanted to take care of herself. And she definitely kept her wits about when she had to deal with that stupid girl. NRGtiuntjhg. God, I hated that girl. And Aiden! He was so sweet and cute. I really loved Tessa and Aiden's relationship and while the ending was surprising, I loved it as well!

Happy Reading!
-Harmony

4.24.2011

No IMM because....

it's my birthday!

And i'm turning 15, which is kinda a major deal around here since i'm hispanic and all. So this is why you guys have had weird posting issues this week because I haven't been around much to deal with it due to quince stuff but yes!

I'll be back with my regular (-ish) posting this coming week, but for now, i've decided not to vlog because HEY, it's my birthday!

I'll be lumping together this week's and next week's in next week's IMM.

Happy Reading guys! And have a great Easter/Passover/Sunday!
-Harmony

4.23.2011

Waiting and Wanting (3)

So this post was up and then for some reason, it got deleted without me knowing! So here you go, so i'm super excited for.

















All The Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin
September 27th 2011 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux


Juliet Immortal by Stacey Jay
September 13th 2011 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers


The Girl of Fire And Thorns by Rae Carson
September 20th 2011 by Greenwillow/HarperCollins

















Luminous by Dawn Metcalf
July 7th 2011 by Dutton Childrens Books


Once Every Never by Lesley Livingston
June 14th 2011 by Penguin Canada

Carrier Of The Mark by Leigh Fallon
September 20th 2011 by Greenwillow/HarperCollins

Happy Reading!
-Harmony

4.19.2011

Entwined by Heather Dixon

Who: Heather Dixon
What: Entwined
Where: Harperteen
When: March 29th, 2011
Why: Retelling
How: For Review


Azalea is trapped. Just when she should feel that
everything is before her . . . beautiful gowns, dashing suitors, balls filled
with dancing . . . it's taken away. All of it.

The Keeper understands.
He's trapped, too, held for centuries within the walls of the palace. And so he
extends an invitation.

Every night, Azalea and her eleven sisters may
step through the enchanted passage in their room to dance in his silver forest.

But there is a cost.

The Keeper likes to keep things.

Azalea may not realize how tangled she is in his web until it is too
late.

This is a retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses, which if you didn't know, is definitely one of my favorite fairy tales of all time. And I hadn't found one that really evoked the sweet but essentially dark story that it really has until I read Entwined. Even with an entourage of characters like the 12 Dancing Princesses has to have, each sister (my favorite being Bramble and Clover) had their own personalities. And I'm sure I'm not the only one who got so annoyed by Delphinium! I didn't get lost and confused in the cast. I loved the concept of all the magic that was subtlety woven into the story through the magic tea set and the hidden doorways. Until the Keeper arrives, people know magic is there but it's so light and subtle that it didn't take over the story.

Azalea was a headstrong and relatable main character that I enjoyed reading about. Taking on the responsibility of mother after her own mother dies was something she had to live with, and she took it very seriously. Her sister's meant the world to her and even if it was against the rules, she was willing to do things to make them happy. But sometimes, she slipped. Sometimes she made mistakes and made them upset and thought about herself. The balance made her a good character, and I'm glad that while I admire her for her sense of family, she also cares about herself.

Keeper was a creeper. He was an excellent villain, and I loved his back story when it came time to explain things. Even though I knew he was evil (this is a retelling, after all. So I knew the general gist of how this was going to go down), I didn't fell like I was reading the same story over again. Keeper was suave, charming, and really made the girls happy. All the love interests (because each eldest girl: Azalea, Bramble, and Clover find love) was again subtle and just enough to want them together but not enough to overpower the family-love in the story.

Happy Reading!
-Harmony

4.17.2011

In My Mailbox 33


This is hosted by Kristi from The Story Siren.

So no vlog today, guys! After two parties in two nights, I'm way too exhausted to talk into a camera (and also, my voice is gone)

For Review:

Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer (AHHHHHH!)

Gift:

The Mortal Instruments Trilogy by Cassandra Clare (needed my own copies)

Happy Reading!

What did YOU get?

-Harmony

4.15.2011

Why Hourglass is epic and frigging amazing and you WANT IT.

I've complied a list of things that pretty much make Hourglass by Myra McEntire (who is also lovely) epic and you should PRE-ORDER IT NOW. You've probably seen me raving about it on twitter on more than one occasion (along with Julie, who raves about it here.) and of course, the online twitter battles over Michael and Kaleb that seem to happen weekly now-a-days. So without further ado, here's the list!

1. I may or may not be reading it for a third time right now. Which means it has to be good!

2. Emerson. She's kickass, spunky, hilarious, and has a brown belt. I wish I could flip people over!

3. THE ROMANCE AND SEXUAL TENSION. So well done. And not just Michael either! More on him, later. But Myra has this way of writing sexy scenes without it being overdone and you're just like: "GO GO GO GO."

4. Michael Weaver. He's sweet and amazing and I just wanted to hug and hit him most of the time, which is good. I like the balance.

5. Kaleb. Can I keep him? Sexy, smoldering, and funny, I absolutely love this guy.

6. THE GENIUS. Seriously, Myra McEntire? A genius, quite simply put. There were literally moments where everything tied together and I was like: "Holy s***, this is insane. And brilliant. And why did I stop to think? KEEP READING." All her plot points, no matter where they come from, have such genius unraveling that you're just going to be amazing.

7. TIME TRAVEL. Nuff' said.

8. THAT COVER. Sweet Jesus, how can you not want to buy it? And it's gonna be all shiny and shimmery, and BEAUTIFUL.

9. Emerson's best friend, Lily? Is Cuban. I'm Cuban. Cubans are FUN.

10. Did I mention Myra has a blog and she's awesome? HERE IT IS.

11. It's frigging amazing and YOU WANT IT.

Happy Reading!
-Harmony

p.s THANK YOU guys for all the congratulations and comments! It's been an amazing blogoversary and I hope you guys stick around.

4.14.2011

Special Day. (and yes, a contest.)

So I have an epic post planned for tomorrow that involves a book I love and fangirlin' and lists but today, it's a pretty important day (maybe only for me, but still.)

Why? Because last year on April 14th, I wrote a blog post. Only like three sentences long, on a blog with a really crappy layout, and 1 follower (being Julie, so that doesn't really count), and really it only said: 'Hi, I'm new. I hope you all don't hate me. KISSES.' (I'm paraphrasing, of course.) But people commented. And even back when I started, blogging was not this big. Not yet, you had to give it a few months before it started turning anything close to how it is now. And that little blog post turned into this. This...is insane. And one of the best things that's happened to me. I love this community, I love all the friends I've made over this past year, I love all of you. I never thought, in a thousand years, this will get off its feet. That people would you know...want to read whatever craziness I was saying. That people would watch videos of me spaz out about books and shove them in a camera's face. That I would be going to the biggest book expo in the world in less than two months to meet amazing people.

I want to thank Melina from Reading Vacation, because she's such a sweet girl and was the first person to comment and welcome me into the blogging world (again, Julie excluded.) Jennifer from Crazy For Books for giving me my first ARC (which was Firelight by Sophie Jordan.) Candlewick for my first review book (Stork by Wendy Delsol) and all the other publishers and publicists now that I have the honor of working with. As always, Julie, who getting me off my ass and telling me if I wanted to do this, just do it. No matter what you say, you're awesome.

I want to thank all the bloggers who shamelessly promoted me when I was a baby blog, to all the authors who answered my emails when I had no idea what I was doing, and especially you. This blog isn't possible without you. And to celebrate this event (and the fact that there will be many more to come. I don't plan on stopping anytime soon), yes, I am having a contest. Because I fell like you all deserve it for putting up with my rambling self. THE PRIZES ARE:

  • Abandon by Meg Cabot (ARC, April 26)

  • Bumped by Megan Cafferty (ARC, April 26th)

  • Wildefire by Karsten Knight (YEAH I KNOW. ARC, July 26)

  • Illusions by Aprilynne Pike (ARC, May 3rd)

  • Lark by Tracy Porter (Novella ARC, May 24th)

  • LOTS OF SWAG

The contest ends APRIL 24TH (Yes Easter! Mostly because that's also my REAL birthday, so I wanted to be cool).


The form is here and sadly, I can't make this contest international. SORRY! US & Canada only. Also, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE A FOLLOWER to enter this contest. There is an extra entry if you are, because of course I want to reward my lovely followers, but it's definitely not required.


Thank you so much for spending this amazing year with me, guys. As always, happy reading! -Harmony

4.11.2011

The Liar Society by Lisa and Laura Roecker

Who: Lisa and Laura Roecker
What: The Liar Society Where: Sourcebooks Fire

When: March 1st, 2011

Why: Hype

How: Contest


Kate Lowry didn't think dead best friends could send e-mails. But when she gets an e-mail from Grace, she’s not so sure. Kate, I'm here… sort of. Find Cameron. He knows. I shouldn't be writing. Don't tell. They'll hurt you. Now Kate has no choice but to prove once and for all that Grace’s death was more than just a tragic accident. But secrets haunt the halls of her elite private school. Secrets people will do anything to protect. Even if it means getting rid of the girl trying to solve a murder...

The Liar Society was fun, quirky, and a wild ride with heroine Kate Lowry trying to find out what exactly happened to her best friend, Grace, before she died.

The Liar Society was everything I expected it to be and more. It was cute and at the same time, had me flipping through pages until I finally reached the end. Kate's Nancy-Drew-esque missions to find out what happened to Grace the night of the fire that lit up the chapel of her posh private school, Pemberly Brown. Everyone who I had a sneaking suspicion on turned out to be guilty and i'm sure I had a lot more fun trying to uncover everyone's secrets than Kate did!

I think my favorite thing about Kate was her sense of loyalty to Grace, even if she was dead. She was determined and dead set on finding out how and why she died, and didn't let anything (including her own feelings) get in the way of that. She wanted answers, and she went for it. Even if it included going into creepy places and getting mixed up in secret societies. Besides, she didn't let her pride or anything get in the way of asking for help. Plus, she had spunk, which I enjoyed. Besides, pink hair? Girls got guts.


Said help? Came in the form of a sexy Liam and adorable Seth. Liam was a bad boy in a way that he wasn't a total jerk, which was a refreshing change to all these other bad boys going around in YA that make me want to throw something at them. He was just a nice guy with a bad reputation, and was willing to help Kate with anything she needed. Seth reminded me of that annoying little brother you can't seem to live without, so that was cute. I also loved how oblivious he was to the bullying. He just let it breeze by, so kudos for him. As for the ending, I was glad they didn't just tie it up in a pretty bow.


Happy Reading!

-Harmony

4.10.2011

In My Mailbox 33



Hosted by Kristi from The Story Siren

Monster High T-Shirt
Unrequired Reading Water Bottle

The Liar Society by Lisa and Laura Roeckler
THE LIAR SOCIETY TWIZZLERS
The Liar Society J-Crew Bracelet

Happy Reading!
What did YOU get?
-Harmony

4.08.2011

Interview with Hannah Moskowitz; Break & Invincible Summer


Today on the blog, I have Hannah Moskowitz who's upcoming novel Invincible Summer (Noah’s happier than I’ve seen him in months. So I’d be an awful brother to get in the way of that. It’s not like I have some relationship with Melinda. It was just a kiss. Am I going to ruin Noah’s happiness because of a kiss? ) is coming out April 19th from Simon Pulse. Here we go!

~~~

Across four sun-kissed, drama-drenched summers at his family’s beach house, Chase is falling in love, falling in lust, and trying to keep his life from falling apart. But some girls are addictive.... )

Tell us something unusual about yourself.

I eat pizza crust-end first.

If you could live with three YA characters, who would they be? (Your own don’t count!) Oh, good, because I would never ever live with mine. Frankie from THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY OF FRANKIE LANDAU-BANKS, and Seb and Lydia from THE YEAR OF SECRET ASSIGNMENTS.

Which character in Invincible Summer do you think is more like you? Least? Noah, the older brother, is the most like me. I got to feed a lot of my frustrations about college into him, and that was immensely comforting.


Chase, the main character, is definitely the least like me.

If you could say something to your younger writing self, what would it be?


Read more. Calm down and shut up and read more.

What’s coming up next for you?


More books! Always more books! I have my first middle grade novel, Zombie Tag, coming this December. It’s about a boy who wakes up the zombies because he wants to see his dead brother again. After that I have my next YA, GONE, GONE, GONE, about a year from now. That’s a story about two boys during the Washington D.C. sniper shootings. It’s about love and guns and other dirty things.

I hope you guys enjoyed the interview and go check out Hannah's upcoming release, Invincible Summer!

Happy Reading!

Harmony

4.06.2011

Enclave by Ann Aguirre

Who: Ann Aguirre
What: Enclave (Razorland #1)
When: April 12th, 2011
Where: Macmillan
Why: Hype
How: For Review


New York City has been decimated by war and plague, and most of civilization has migrated to underground enclaves, where life expectancy is no more than the early 20's. When Deuce turns 15, she takes on her role as a Huntress, and is paired with Fade, a teenage Hunter who lived Topside as a young boy. When she and Fade discover that the neighboring enclave has been decimated by the tunnel monsters—or Freaks—who seem to be growing more organized, the elders refuse to listen to warnings. And when Deuce and Fade are exiled from the enclave, the girl born in darkness must survive in daylight, in the ruins of a city whose population has dwindled to a few dangerous gangs. As the two are guided by Fade’s long-ago memories, they face dangers, and feelings, unlike any they’ve ever known.


Enclave was definitely not what I expected. It was dark, gritty, and absolutely fantastic.

Enclave is the story of a girl named Deuce, who lives in this underground Enclave where, when she turns sixteen, will become a Hunter and go into the tunnels to find food and kill freaks. Freaks are like zombies, but so much freakier. Then she's paired up with a boy from outside named Fade, and together, they're exiled a couple of pages in. This is the kind of story that pulls you in from the start with it's amazing world-building. The fact of total underground towns and tunnel systems connecting each one was original and imaginative, especially how they would make journeys through them to hunt and gather. I like what there was different pieces of the puzzle that is their society and you don't get them all at once, but you have to piece them together and guess what exactly is going on here.

Deuce was a kickass heroine. She knew what she wanted, and she knew what she had to do. But, she was loyal, and while not always, she stood up for what was right. At the same time though, she wasn't one of those crazy, "revolution" style heroines, which I thought was refreshing. Growing up in that society, you start to feel like it's right. That that's how things are supposed to go. It takes something from the outside to really make you see that not everything is like that. That thing was Fade.

Fade and Deuce had a dynamic that I think worked perfectly for the book, though after they meet up and start traveling with some other characters, I think their connection was totally lost. I could see it, but they just stopped talking a lot to each other and it seriously frusterated me to see how well they worked together, and watch it fizzle. On the other hand, I liked that the romance came second to the plot (I know, shocker coming from me, right?), because it was that that was the main focus. Besides, I'm pretty sure we'll be getting into their relationship a lot more in book 2.

Happy Reading!
-Harmony

4.03.2011

In My Mailbox 32



For Review:
Die For Me by Amy Plum
Hereafter by Tara Hudson

Traded:
Bumped by Megan McCafferty

Happy Reading!
-Harmony

4.02.2011

A Touch Mortal by Leah Clifford

Who: Leah Clifford
What: A Touch Mortal

When: March 22nd, 2011

Where: HarperTeen Why: Hype

How: Traded


Eden didn't expect Az. Not his saunter down the beach toward her. Not his unbelievable pick-up line. Not the instant, undeniable connection. And not his wings. So long, happily-ever-after. Now trapped between life and death, cursed to spread chaos with her every touch, Eden could be the key in the eternal struggle between heaven and hell. All because she gave her heart to one of the Fallen, an angel cast out of heaven. She may lose everything she ever had. She may be betrayed by those she loves most. But Eden will not be a pawn in anyone else's game. Her heart is her own. And that's only the beginning of the end.

I definitely didn't expect A Touch Mortal to be as freaking badass, intense, and absolutely stunning as it was! If you were expecting your typical angel love story, you're gonna be mega wrong.

A Touch Mortal is the story about a girl named Eden, who falls in love with a fallen angel, and then has to pay the consequences. I was surprised and elated to find that her entanglement with Az might have caused the whole story to happen, but it was never the ultimate focus. A Touch Mortal was 100% Eden's story, and her dealing with the (unwanted, may I add) consequences of loving an angel. Eden in the beginning and Eden after the incident are two completely different people, and I'm glad for that. Eden was kickass, independent, and knew what she had to do, even if she didn't like it. She handled her situation with Az perfectly, and I admired her sense of right and wrong which made her choose what she did.

Character's are big in A Touch Mortal, and they each compliment the plot differently. Adam was not my favorite person in the world, but I liked that he was there for Eden when she needed him and that was the most important thing. Jarrod and Gabe were definitely my favorite of the entire cast, and very well-crafted characters on Leah's part. Libby? I knew it is all I have to say. Kristine was fantastic, and I loved her, though I'm not entirely sure why. Plus, she conveys emotions in poetry, how epic is that?

Finally, we have Az. I love to hate this boy. There were times where I wanted to hit him, hug him, or just read until he went away. What he did was downright wrong, even though in the end, it's where Eden would've ended up anyway. Well, what both he and Gabe did. That ending, I had not been expecting. I love that we find out just where everyone's loyalties lie, and that it's obvious this battle with Luke is far from over.

My rating? AMAZINGNESS


Happy Reading!

-Harmony

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