6.30.2011

Hereafter by Tara Hudson

Who: Tara Hudson
What: Hereafter
Where: Harperteen
When: June 7th, 2011
Why: Ghost Story
How: For Review


Can there truly be love after death?

Drifting in
the dark waters of a mysterious river, the only thing Amelia knows for sure is
that she's dead. With no recollection of her past life—or her actual death—she's
trapped alone in a nightmarish existence. All of this changes when she tries to
rescue a boy, Joshua, from drowning in her river. As a ghost, she can do nothing
but will him to live. Yet in an unforgettable moment of connection, she helps
him survive.

Amelia and Joshua grow ever closer as they begin to uncover
the strange circumstances of her death and the secrets of the dark river that
held her captive for so long. But even while they struggle to keep their bond
hidden from the living world, a frightening spirit named Eli is doing everything
in his power to destroy their newfound happiness and drag Amelia back into the
ghost world . . . forever.

Hereafter was a enjoyable and light (and somewhat cheesy) ghost love story with villains that are going to creep you out! Hereafter is about a girl named )) who died next to bridge and is when forced to wander around the place as a ghost. Until a boy named Joshua almost dies there, and they meet! When the book starts, you're immediately sucked in by Amelia's story and the writing! Her vivid nightmares, her confusion, and her pain made Amelia a real --albeit dead--character in my head. Joshua was adorable, kind, and a charming hero without all that bad boy nonsense!

But then, Amelia sort of dimmed, for me. She became much less of the vibrant main character and more of a follower of whatever Josh happened to be doing. And it stays like that for most of the time, which put a damper on reading. Most of the book is based on Joshua and Amelia's romance, with parts thrown in of her trying to find out who she is. They were a sweet couple, and while their romance was definitely instalove, I found myself less annoyed with it than I usually am.

And then you get to the last fourth of the novel. This is where I really started loving it! Eli is a villain that is unpredictable, scary, and someone you're going to love to hate. And he really takes it up a notch at the end of the book. Plus, it finally pushes not only everyone around him, but Amelia, to her limits and really propels the story to what I had been looking for-- a crazy supernatural read!

Overall, for fans of paranormal romance and don't mind a bit of instalove on the side.
Happy Reading!
-Harmony

6.28.2011

Waiting on Wednesday: Damn you, 2012 Edition

By these, you'll be able to tell the Harper Winter Catalog came out full of deliciousness of 2012. And I am jealous. And they all look fantastic but here are a few!

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Everneath by Brodi Ashton
Harperteen January 3rd




Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an
underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of
despairing humans. Now she's returned- to her old life, her family, her friends-
before being banished back to the underworld... this time forever.

She
has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes
she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack,
the one person she loves more than anything. But there's a problem: Cole, the
smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki
to the mortal world. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time
as his queen.

As Nikki's time grows short and her relationships begin
slipping from her grasp, she's forced to make the hardest decision of her life:
find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the
Everneath and become Cole's...

Arcadia Awakens by Kai Meyer
Harperteen February 14th



To Rosa Alcantara, the exotic world of Sicily, with
its network of Mafia families and its reputation for murder and intrigue, is
just that—exotic and wholly unknown. But when her life in Brooklyn begins to
fall apart, she must travel there, to her family’s ancestral home, where
centuries of family secrets await her.

Once there, Rosa falls head over
heels for Alessandro Carnevare, the son of a Sicilian Mafia family, whose
handsome looks and savage grace both fascinate and unsettle her. But their
families are sworn enemies, and her aunt and sister believe Alessandro is only
using Rosa to infiltrate the Alcantara clan. And when Rosa encounters a tiger
one night—a tiger with very familiar eyes—she can no longer deny that neither
the Carnevares nor the Alcantaras are what they seem.

Hidden caves,
dangerous beasts roaming the hills, and a history of familial bloodlust mean
that Rosa can’t trust anyone. Torn between loyalty to her family and love for
their mortal enemy, Rosa must make the hardest decision of her life: stay in
Sicily with her new love…or run as far and as fast as she can.





Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
Harperteen February 7th



Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie,
Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland—nicknamed The Death
Shop—are slim. If the cannibals don’t get her, the violent, electrified energy
storms eventually will. In this dystopia, even the very air she breathes could
kill her. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He’s wild, dangerous—a
savage. He’s also her only hope.

Perry needs Aria, too. She alone holds
the key to his redemption. And their unlikely alliance will determine the fate
of all who live under the never sky.


Happy Reading!

6.26.2011

In My Mailbox (41)






This is hosted by Kristi from The Story Siren

____________________________________________________

For Review:
Witches Of East End by Melissa De La Cruz
Bone Dressing by Michelle L. Brooks

Gifted:
Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Happy Reading!
What did YOU get in your mailbox?

6.25.2011

Ten Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn't Have) by Sarah Sarah Mlynowski

Who: Sarah Mlynowsky
What: Ten Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn't Have)
Where: HarperTeen
When: June 7th, 2011
Why: Hype (more specifically, THIS review.)
How: BEA (For Review)




2 girls + 3 guys + 1 house – parents = 10 things April
and her friends did that they (definitely, maybe, probably) shouldn't have.

If given the opportunity, what sixteen-year-old wouldn't jump at the
chance to move in with a friend and live parent-free? Although maybe
"opportunity" isn't the right word, since April had to tell her dad a tiny
little untruth to make it happen (see #1: "Lied to Our Parents"). But she and
her housemate Vi are totally responsible and able to take care of themselves.
How they ended up "Skipping School" (#3), "Throwing a Crazy Party" (#8), "Buying
a Hot Tub" (#4), and, um, "Harboring a Fugitive" (#7) at all is kind of a
mystery to them.

While this book started out rocky for me, I really ended up enjoying Ten Things We Did (and also ended up staying up until 4AM reading it) Fun beach read!

Starting out, I had to take a break around page 90 because I got pretty frustrated with a few things. Mostly because I knew how things were going to turn out and seeing April be so oblivious about it just made me go: "No! Why can't you see what is going on???" But once I picked it back up, I couldn't stop! April was funny, charming, and really, a typical teenager. I don't think i'd ever had the guts to pretend I was living at my friend's house but hey, that made everything a lot more fun!

All of April's friends had their little quirks and problems, and were really people that I would like to meet in real life (well, maybe just to tell Vi to take a chill pill.) But they were tight-knit and I loved that despite everything that could--and probably did-- happen, they stuck together like best friends should! Plus, Sarah wasn't afraid to tackle some big issues without getting all serious about it and maintaining that easy-going, funny voice that April had throughout the novel!

Finally, Noah. I never liked you, boy. Not saying anything else but, that's my opinion on that! Overall, I totally recommend it, especially if you're in the mood of a light-hearted contemp.)

Happy Reading!

6.23.2011

Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter

Who: Ally Carter
What: Uncommon Criminals (Heist Society #2)
Where: Disney Hyperion
When: June 21st, 2011
Why: Author Love
How: For Review


Katarina Bishop has worn a lot of labels in her short
life: Friend. Niece. Daughter. Thief. But for the last two months she’s simply
been known as the girl who ran the crew that robbed the greatest museum in the
world. That’s why Kat isn’t surprised when she’s asked to steal the infamous
Cleopatra Emerald so it can be returned to its rightful owners.

There
are only three problems. First, the gem hasn’t been seen in public in thirty
years. Second, since the fall of the Egyptian empire and the suicide of
Cleopatra, no one who holds the emerald keeps it for long — and in Kat’s world,
history almost always repeats itself. But it’s the third problem that makes
Kat’s crew the most nervous, and that is . . . the emerald is cursed.

Kat might be in way over her head, but she’s not going down without a
fight. After all, she has her best friend — the gorgeous Hale — and the rest of
her crew with her as they chase the Cleopatra around the globe, dodging curses
and realizing that the same tricks and cons her family has used for centuries
are useless this time.

Which means, this time, Katarina Bishop is making
up her own rules

I didn't think I'd love Uncommon Criminals as much as I did, actually! Heist Society was a fun read but this one? WOW. Once I started Uncommon Criminals, I couldn't stop!

We come back to our original set of characters, Kat, Hale, and Gabrielle. They're contacted by a women who wants them to steal the Cleopatra Emerald since it really belongs to her family but there's one little problem: it's the most protected gem in the world. Also? It's cursed. I loved the adventures that Kat got to go on in this book! But mostly, I loved how much more emotionally relatable she was than in Heist Society. She was really having an identity-crisis of sorts, and I loved reading her get through that!

As always, all the side characters are lovely (not gonna mention Hale, because he WILL be talked about separately.) Gabrielle was funny and an amazing thief, like always BUT all the old cast from Heist Society slowly but surely makes the comeback! I really liked how they all slowly started appearing until they were back in their original team by the final climax! The twins were funny as always and Simon was there, who I find totally adorable! Also Nick! Who I will always find suspicious.

Then we get to HALE. Aw man, I loved Hale in this guys. The sexual tension, the 'will they, won't they' in this book was just perfect enough to make me cheer them on the whole way! Plus, it was realistic and sweet and so well done that I was shaking the book in anticipation for what would finally happen!

Overall, amazing book and an amazing series! Definitely check it out!

Happy Reading!
-Harmony

6.20.2011

Top Ten Tuesday (3)

TOP TEN TUESDAY: BLOGGING

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1. The Bloggers


Seriously guys, i've never met such amazing people who like the same things I do! It's one thing going to school where, yeah, you'll find plenty of people who you have mutual interests with and such but the blogging community is something so wonderful and tight knit and fantastic. Sure, they're are fights, but we're all in this together in the end and we all have one thing in common: books.


NOTE: BESIDES I probably never would have met Julie and what the hell would I be doing with my life THEN? Hmm?


2. The books you find out about


Seriously, I doubt I would know so much about books if I hadn't started blogging. Now I know books that are coming out in 2012, books that haven't even sold yet, books that are coming out in the months to come that I might even already have a copy of. It's total insanity how much information about books I have stored in my head. It scares my friends sometimes :P


3. The people you get to talk to


Tell me, if you're a book blogger, do you really think you'd be able or even think about talking to this many bloggers, publicists, and basic industry people as you do if you weren't a part of this community? I don't! I love being able to finish a book and tweet the author in question about it and being able to have a conversation!


4. Reading in real life


Blogging DEFINITELY made me a much bigger reader than I was before. And ALSO, it gives me an excuse not to talk to people in class because i'll just say I have a deadline I need to read this book by (which is usually not true, but when i'm reading a REALLY good scene, I don't want to go talk to you. Sorry!)


5. The community


I kind of explained this in the beginning but seriously, this community is amazing. Whenever YA gets bashed, it feels nice to know that we all band together to tell people they're wrong! It's nice to know so many people have your back if something happens!


6. Reviewing books


Yeah, sure, sometimes it's a pain! But I love sharing my opinion with people (can't you tell?) and this blog is just a outlet to really get to discuss books with people and you guys!


7. Events


You have no idea how awesome it is to go to an author event and KNOW people. Sure, you can bring a friend, but what real life friend is going to know everything you're going to gush about that you could with your fellow bloggers? Book bloggers make book events three times as fun!


8. The Learning Experience


It's nice to discover just how publishing works and working with marketing teams and publicists (as well as talking to authors) really knows you that!


9. Getting to do what I want


I don't know about you, but as a teenager, I get told how to do a lot of things, when to do it, why i'm doing it. This blog is something that is totally, 100% mine and I decide what I want to put on it. That creative freedom is absolutely amazing to me.


10. Last but not least, YOU GUYS.


And yeah, i'm about to get all cheesy up in here. But god, it's still insane trying to wrap my head around the fact that you guys like hearing my opinion and seeing what I think about things. Always gives me a great feeling when someone comments saying they'll try a book because of a review I wrote, and that'll never change!


I know some of you guys aren't bloggers, but how about you?

Happy Reading!

Forgotten by Cat Patrick + GIVEAWAY!

Who: Cat Patrick
What: Forgotten
Where: Little Brown
When: June 7th, 2011
Why: Premise
How: Gift

What if every day when you woke up, you had no recollection of the days before?

Each night at precisely 4:33 am, while sixteen-year-old London Lane is asleep, her memory of that day is erased. In the morning, all she can “remember” are events from her future. London is used to relying on reminder notes and a trusted friend to get through the day, but things get complicated when a new boy at school enters the picture. Luke Henry is not someone you’d easily forget, but try as she might, London can’t find him in her memories of things to come.

When London starts experiencing disturbing flashbacks, or flash-forwards, as the case may be, she realizes it’s time to learn about the past she keeps forgetting – before it destroys her future.

Forgotten is the story of a girl who wakes up and can't remember anything that happen the day before except for what she writes down in her notes and her mom tells her. I thought it was a great concept and really liked the whole thing about knowing the future but forgetting the past. In the beginning, I was more than a little confused, and couldn't fully grasp the concept of her forgetting but not fully forgetting, but I found my way around the idea soon enough.

I liked London as a character, especially since she was so sincere and genuinely frustrated about everything that was going on in her life. Jamie, while portrayed as a slut, really was a good friend (at least in the beginning) and you could see what helped her through her problems. She definitely had me laughing and I believed her struggles the whole time!

Luke, I liked! Finally a love interest that doesn't start out like a total douchebag and is actually nice. I found their relationship, especially it's start, to definitely be believable, seeing as how well..that's how high school relationships work guys! Watching London's journey to discovering what exactly is going on with her while at the same time affecting the people around her made for a novel that I definitely couldn't put down! Cat Patrick is an author to catch.

_____________________________________________________________

And for course, A CONTEST!
Keep favorite memories near with this Forgotten prize pack!

One winner from your site receives:

1. A Digital Photo Keychain 2. A copy of Forgotten


contest ends July 2nd and it's US/Canada to enter! FORM IS HERE.


______________________________________________________________

Forgotten's Official Website
And for more extras, there's even London's video diaries! http://teen-readme.com/page/video-diaries



Happy Reading!


6.19.2011

In My Mailbox (40)



Hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren!

Review:
Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon
Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter

Gifted:
Moonglass by Jessi Kirby

Traded:
The Girl of Fire And Thorns by Rae Carson

Happy Reading!
-Harmony

6.17.2011

Sirensong by Jenna Black

Who: Jenna Black
What: Sirensong
When: July 5th
Where: St.Martin's Griffin
Why: Series Love
How: For Review



When Dana is invited to Faerie to be officially presented at the Seelie Court, it’s no easy decision. After all, everyone knows Titania, the Seelie Queen, wants her dead. But Titania claims not to be the one behind the death threats; and her son, Prince Henry, makes the decision a whole lot easier when he suggests Dana might be arrested for (supposedly) conspiring with her aunt Grace to usurp the Seelie throne. So she and her father better do as they're told…

The journey through Faerie is long – and treacherous. Dana thought it would be a good idea to have friends along, but her sort-of-boyfriend Ethan and her bodyguard’s son, Keane, just can’t seem to get along, and Kimber’s crush on Keane isn’t making things any easier.

Arriving at Titania’s beautiful palace should be a relief. But Dana is soon implicated in an assassination attempt against Titania’s niece, and is suddenly a fugitive, forced to leave her father behind as she and her friends flee for her lives. Will she be able to prove her innocence before the forces of the Seelie Court catch up with her? Or, worse, the Erlking? And will she save her father before he pays the ultimate price in her stead?

We finally get to go into Faerie! In Sirensong, we join Dana and the gang after she is invited to the Faerie Queen's court as part of a royal invitation that she...well, isn't allowed to refuse. Even though, everyone is trying to kill her, and the faerie queen may very well fall into that catagory. I loved the entire relationship that develops between Dana and her father, and it was one of my favorites to see grow throughout the series! On the journey to court, pretty much everything that could go wrong does, including a few suprises visits from the Erkling, the man who I can't decide is GOOD or BAD.

I loved Black's writing in this, especially her descriptions of Faerie. As you all know, I love fey books, so i've heard quite a lot of descriptions about Faerie and this one sounds just as fascinating as the other one! Magic shortcuts, Stone Hedge-esque escapes, and green ladies with horrible toll payments! The setting was perfect for the next step in Dana's journey, especially since it was so tense and new to her. Traveling with the queen's son, who in turn hates pretty much everyone ever, definitely brought on a lot of questions as to who exactly her enemies were, which I love that it is never entirely clear.

Dana's character development, as well as those of Keane, her father, and Ethan, was great reading about as the entire series progresses. Dana especially, really turned into a strong and independant person, possibly even more than she was already. Ethan, as always, I loved and Keane was exactly how I expected him to be, even though he learned his lessons along the way.

Finally, the ending! I really liked it and I'm actually surprised this isn't a trilogy, since the end to Sirensong tied up very nicely and left many loose ends all tied together! But I guess we'll see what other trouble Dana gets into.

Happy Reading!

-Harmony

6.15.2011

Waiting on Wednesday (9)

Born Wicked (Cahill Witch Chronicles #1)
Jessica Spotswood
Feburary 7th, 2012


Putnam (Penguin)


Everybody knows Cate Cahill and her sisters are
eccentric. Too pretty, too reclusive, and far too educated for their own good.
But the truth is even worse: they’re witches. And if their secret is discovered
by the priests of the Brotherhood, it would mean an asylum, a prison ship–or an
early grave.

Before her mother died, Cate promised to protect her
sisters. But with only six months left to choose between marriage and the
Sisterhood, she might not be able to keep her word…especially after she finds
her mother’s diary, uncovering a secret that could spell her family’s
destruction. Desperate to find alternatives to their fate, Cate starts scouring
banned books and questioning rebellious new friends, all while juggling tea
parties, shocking marriage proposals, and a forbidden romance with the
completely unsuitable Finn Belastra.

If what her mother wrote is true,
the Cahill girls aren’t safe. Not from the Brotherhood, the Sisterhood–not even
from each other.




Holy. Crap. This sounds amazing! Historical, witches, forbidden romance, and mysterious diaries! Plus, that cover is absolutely gorgeous! Definitely watching for this one in 2012.


Happy Reading!

-Harmony

6.14.2011

Invincible Summer by Hannah Moskowitz

Before I start the review guys: HOURGLASS by Myra McEntire is out today and you guys know I absolutely adore this book and it's amazing and everyone should have a copy. SO you should go get it.

Who: Hannah Moskowitz
What: Invincible Summer
Where: Simon Pulse
When:
Why: Hype
How: Bought


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?

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....


Invincible Summer was not what I thought it'd be and this is actually a good thing! I don't like the summary at all, because it suggests that Melinda, Chase, and Noah's awful relationship (more on that later though) is the main part of the story. Which, it completely wasn't.

Invincible Summer was a story about family, which I really wish they would have emphasized. It was an amazing story of Chase and Noah and Claudia trying to keep their family together while at the same time in the prime age of discovering themselves and who they are. The book takes place over 4 different summers (Chase starts out as a fourteen year old boy, and ends being eighteen) and you really get the see the unraveling of this huge family being split in two while the children try so hard to stick together.

Noah and Chase's relationship had to be my favorite. They were brothers, and both of them were sometimes really crappy at it, but they loved each other anyway. Which really, is what family is all about. Their relationship with Gideon, their deaf brother, sometimes made me simultaneously want to laugh and cry because it was so beautiful and heartbreaking and when bad things started to happen, I just felt like I couldn't comprehend it, much like Chase.

And then there's Melinda. I hated her. I hated her so much for everything she did and didn't do and ruined. You're in Chase's head, and you really see Melinda in a lot of different ways as the story progresses. And I just...like Chase, I blame her for a lot of things. Invincible Summer, like most of Hannah Moskowitz's books, was raw and powerful and honest.

Happy Reading!

6.12.2011

In My Mailbox 38

Sorry guys, no vlog today! Didn't feel up to it and my hair is an absolute mess due to the fact that I have a shoot tomorrow.






















For Review:

Supernaturally by Kiersten White

Want To Go Private? by Sarah Darer Littman



Happy Reading!
What did YOU get?

6.11.2011

Mistwood by Leah Cypress

Who: Leah Cypress
What: Mistwood
Where: Greenwillow Books
When: April 27th, 2010
Why: High Fantasy Love
How: Gift from Mitali



The Shifter is an immortal creature bound by an ancient
spell to protect the kings of Samorna. When the realm is peaceful, she retreats
to the Mistwood. But when she is needed she always comes.

Isabel
remembers nothing. Nothing before the prince rode into her forest to take her
back to the castle. Nothing about who she is supposed to be, or the powers she
is supposed to have.

Prince Rokan needs Isabel to be his Shifter. He
needs her ability to shift to animal form, to wind, to mist. He needs her lethal
speed and superhuman strength. And he needs her loyalty—because without it, she
may be his greatest threat.

Isabel knows that her prince is lying to
her, but she can't help wanting to protect him from the dangers and intrigues of
the court . . . until a deadly truth shatters the bond between them.

Now
Isabel faces a choice that threatens her loyalty, her heart . . . and everything
she thought she knew.

First of all, yay for more High Fantasy! Overall, I liked it. It wasn't anything amazing, but I enjoyed reading Isabel's story.

I wish it was longer, mostly because I wanted to be...plunged into this world of mist and shifters and politics. It wasn't invested in any of the characters or anything that was going on, which took away some of the enjoyment for me. I was kinda just reading "This happened" and then "This happened" without really feeling it.

Isabel was a great character, and I get why they saw this is for fans of Graceling. She's fierce, determined, but at the same time, she's grappling with her humanity and if she has any at all. I found Isabel to be a solid and well-rounded character, especially because of her ability to play her cards right in different situations. Rowan had to be my favorite character! He was sweet and really would make a good and just king.

Clarisse was evil and amazing at the same time, mostly because you never really know where her loyalties lie. One minute, you think she's evil, another she was really just undercover and then back again. And in courts, this is how things work! People go with what works best for them.

In the end, an enjoyable read but I wish it had been longer. I really wanted to go deep into world and understand the courts and the legends and all this, but she just skimmed the surface! Although, i'm pretty sure her latest release is a companion novel? So definitely checking that out!

Happy Reading!
-Harmony

6.09.2011

Top Ten Couples: Lisa Desrocher's Edition + Contest






Hey guys! Today, I have Lisa Desrocher's, the fabulous author of Personal Demons and the upcoming sequel Original Sin, to tell you her favorite YA couples! You guys know I absolutely loved Personal Demons and with Original Sin coming out soon, you want this!

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1. Mia and Adam from If I Stay/Where She Went by Gayle Forman because, OMG!

2. Katsa and Po from Graceling by Kristin Cashore

3. Leslie and Niall from Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr

4. Kaede and Taisin from The Huntress by Malinda Lo

5. Ash and Seth from Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

6. Katniss and Peeta from The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

7. Ron and Hermione from Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

8. Macy and Wes from The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

9. Jace and Clary from City of Bones by Cassie Clare

10. Elizabeth Bennett and Fitzwilliam Darcy from Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice

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Also, contest time! I have a copy of Original Sin up for grabs, courtesy of Lisa and The Teen Book Scene.



  • deadline is JUNE 16TH

  • you have to be 13 or older

  • US/Canada ONLY

  • Form is here!

If you want some more Lisa-related things:
Interview with Luc
Interview with Frannie
Interview with Gabe


Thanks Lisa!
Which other couples would YOU have added?
Happy Reading!

6.08.2011

Mini-reviews: Shatter Me and the Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

Shatter Me
Tahereh Mafi
November 15th, 2011
Harper Teen



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.
Not even kidding, this book is absolutely astounding. Shatter Me tells the story of Juliette, a girl who has gone 265 days without human contact, mainly because her touch is lethal. It's the future, and things (as always) aren't looking too great. The world-building is fascinating and the way we've collasped over the years something that we all fear enough to make it believable. I think my favorite part of Shatter Me has to be Tahereh's writing style, because it's beautiful. It's raw and emotional and adrupt, and really puts you in the head of who Juliette exactly is. The love interest, Adam, is sexy, sweet, and completely won me over from the beginning!

It's lyrical, beautiful, and i'm already dying for the sequel.





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The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer
Michelle Hodkin
September 27th, 2011
Simon and Schuster




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.


The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is mysterious, thrilling, and heatbreaking. This tells the story of Mara Dyer, a girl who woke up in a hospital of no recollection of how she got there after a building collasped with all of her friends in it, and her coming out suspiciously unharmed. She moves to Miami, Florida (Eep! I like that :P) to leave it all behind, but you know that never works out too well. Mara Dyer is an intense book, and completely stunning. Michelle has beautiful style, Mara is well-rounded and flawed, and Noah is as well. He's everything you want in a fictional boy and more!

I didn't see any of those twists coming, and I was just as lost as Mara was until everything finally gets revealed! Prepare yourself for a bit of heart-wrenching with this one guys!

And there you go!
Happy Reading!
-Harmony

6.07.2011

Top Ten Tuesday: Settings.

Today the lovely ladies over at The Broke and the Bookish chose Settings: places you want to go to in books as this week's top ten tuesday! So here we go!








1. The Seven Kingdoms (Graceling by Kristin Cashore)

Seriously? This place sounds absolutely beautiful. Full of war and spies, but beautiful!

2. Camp Half Blood (Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riorden)




This. Would. Be. So. Epic. Not even kidding, i'd probably wig out!

3. The Faerie Realm (Paranormalcy by Kiersten White)

OKAY. She doesn't exactly make it sound like a fun place but I kinda of really want to see what i'd be like! Especially since apparently, everyone is drop-dead gorgeous. Although soulless.

4. Hogwarts (Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling)

Still waiting for that letter.

5. Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead)


This place sounds too amazing. Isolated, awesome badassery, and hot boys. Yes please!



6. The Nevernever (Iron Fey Series by Julie Kagawa)




She always makes it sound so beautiful!




7. Narnia (Chronicoles of Narnia by CS Lewis)




Okay, back in like 5th grade there was a door in my Elementary School that never opened. We liked telling everyone it was Narnia. I've still held on to this fantasy!



8. Victorian England (Most Historicals.)



Because come on, guys! Those dresses? YES. I absolutely love dressing up and i'm always going crazy about dresses in historicals. Although there is the whole rigid moral standerds things, but i'd like to live in Victorian England (of course, like a duchess or something because that's where the fun is at) for a least a week!




9. The Future in (Divergent by Veronica Roth)



I really, really want to see which faction i'd be in! Truthfully, it definitely wouldn't be dauntless! Jumping off a train?! No way!




10. Romania (Jessica Rules The Dark Side by Beth Fantasky.)





Honestly people, Lucius' castle sounds amazing. And all that mischief and secrets going around? I'd probably get myself killed but hey, it sounds amazing!



Anything you guys would like to add?
Happy Reading!

6.05.2011

BEA11: part dos !

Wednesday:




Wednesday started with pretty much the name shenanigans! Met up with Shana and Laura and off we went! We went directly to the Ally Condie line since we knew it was going to be crazy! And then we went over to the Jocelyn Davies and Jennifer Castle signing and they were both super nice!


Then I separated from Shana (it didn't start out well, I was totally lost without her) but I finally found Julie Kagawa's signing for Iron Queen! I was standing there, minding my own business, when I hear an extremely familiar voice in front of me...


And then I went: HOLY CRAP. It's Nicole.


So I turned around and was like OMG NIKKI. And she recognized me and ah, I was so excited to meet her! I ended up spending the rest of the day with her. We went to the Harlequin Signing and that's where I finally found Alex and Erika in line! We found Shana and went to go eat lunch and then ended up wandering until it was time to go home!


Thursday:


Thursday was the least busy day, so we all got there and went straight to the Maureen Johnson signing. This line was totally insane and people were going crazy! I was the last person to get a copy of the book! I met Susan from Wastepaper Prose, and Lydsey from Narratively Speaking (who has the best English accent ever!) Then I went over to the Lisa Magnum signing and found Katie from Katie's Book Blog so we went to go eat lunch with Laura and Shana after hitting up some random signings we found!

After that, we wandered until it was time for the Book Blogger Reception! I went downstairs and ran into April from Good Books and Good Wine (who is super funny and sweet!). We talked until she had to leave for the Scholastic party (which, sadly, my parents had a previous engagement and I couldn't attend). Then I chilled with Darla until my parents came to pick me up.

Friday:






Finally, Friday was the Book Blogger Con. I got there early to eat breakfast with Katie and Lauren from 365 Days of Reading (both of whom I ended up spending the whole day with.) We went to the Ask A Publicist Panel. It was really fun and I knew a lot of the publicist so that was awesome! The Q&A portion was actually pretty cringe-worthy since it was mostly some bloggers complaining about not getting enough books but some people asked some good questions!

Then we went to go eat lunch where I met Emily from Emily's Reading Room and off to the Author Speed Dating!


I was a bit nervous about it because I didn't want to meet a bunch of Adult Authors I wouldn't be able to recognize, but they divided the room! We had a small table, but we had Tirzah from The Compulsive Reader, Katie, Lauren, Erica from The Book Cellar, and Danielle! All the authors were funny and awesome and we ended up just...talking about our favorite books and trends and all that. Plus, we meet Elizabeth Scott! She was so sweet.


After that was the technology panel which I saw with Jamie from Broke and Bookish! After that, my parents came to pick me up to go to the airport so I said my final goodbyes to everyone and went home!


And that was my completely amazing BEA experience!

Happy Reading!

6.04.2011

BEA11: part uno !

Monday:

Total insanity. So I got to New York around 2:30PM and here came the question: go straight to Teen Author Carnival which was about an hour away? Or stop by the apartment. We stopped by the apartment. BAD IDEA. So we dropped off our things and off we went to the Mulberry Library! And then we got lost.

And then we got really lost.


And then I flagged a UPS guy to give us direction and we finally found it! Once I was there, I saw awesome people like Andye and Michelle and Jeremy (and Karsten Knight, who recognized me!) but mostly, I went back and forth between panels because I wanted to see all of them! Also, I finally met Mitali, who is super nice and awesome. All the authors were funny and smart and all of their books sounded like a dream.

But then it started to get late and I had been up for long time so I got my goody bag, said my goodbyes, and went back to the apartment.

Tuesday:

So I woke up incredibly early to get to the Javits, since flagging down a taxi is almost impossible in the Lower East Side. Once I got there though, I had absolutely no idea what to do. The registration didn't open unto eight and I was just kinda looking around like a dumbo until Laura found me! She introduced herself and recognized me and it was all super awesome. She introduced me to Shana Silver (who is a total sweetheart and ORGANIZED) and Janet Guntler. They took me under their wing and we waited for the floor to open.


Once it did, we went to the Scholastic booth since one of the publicists had tweeted a picture of the Scorpio Races display and also Forever!




The thing about the Javits is, it's absolutely amazing to just wander. We didn't have anything pending for about another hour, so we ended up just walking around and meeting people. We passed by Hyperion and everyone was super sweet (and I got these awesome playing cards that have books on them!)



Then we went everywhere because Tuesday was the busiest signing day ever! The ones that I remember the most were Tahereh Mafi's signing for Shatter Me (because her line was INSANE and I got to meet my contact over there), Claudia Gray's, Lisa Desrochers', and Kiki Hamilton's. I chilled with Kody Keplinger and met Emilia Plater (who is funny and amazing and you should follow her blog) before heading off to Richelle Mead's line!

Which of course, was absolute chaos. I was third in line, BUT the publicist next to me kept threatening the middle that they needed to get in a single file line or she'd call security. It was crazy!




After her signing, I grabbed a copy of All These Things I've Done from Macmillan (which included meeting my publicist over there, who was also at the Publicist Panel during BBC and is amazing!)



And then, I went home to collapse from exhaustion.




Part Two tomorrow!


-Harmony

6.03.2011

Hourglass by Myra McEntire

Who: Myra McEntire
What: Hourglass
Where: EgmontUSA
When: June 14th, 2011
Why: Everything
How: For Review



One hour to rewrite the past . . .

For
seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn’t there: swooning
Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in
an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents’ death, she just wants the
apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She’s tried everything, but the
visions keep coming back.

So when her well-meaning brother brings in a
consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson’s willing
to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future,
it may change her past.

Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy,
barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she
says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he’s
around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death
that never should have happened?

Why yes, yes I am going to do a review for this book. You probably all already know i'm totally in love with it, but let's go this!

Hourglass is pretty much everything you expect from that gorgeous cover and more. It tells the story of Emerson, who lives with her older brother and sister-in-law, and thinks she's insane. Mostly on account of the fact that she sees things that, well, aren't there. Her brother has tried psychologists, gypsies, fortune tellers, but decides to give it one last shot with a committee called The Hourglass. Insert absolute madness here.

Emerson is funny, snarky, and totally badass. She's the kind of girl you'd want to be friends with, if not only for her loyalty, but also for her fierce personality. Myra's writing was absolutely fantastic and you never know what's coming and don't even try. Because seriously, that ending? WILL BLOW YOUR MIND. I totally didn't see any of those twists coming. It's the type of book that will force you to stop reading for a moment, even if you don't want to, to give you a moment to compose yourself (from anger or from sadness.)

The plot is absolutely phenomenal and brilliant and Myra McEntire is a total genius. The concept of time is a huge thing in the story and I love how everything flows together in the story, until you reach that one point where everything that didn't make sense, just does. Michael, is a doll. He's sweet and protective but also knows the word sacrifice. Sometimes I wanted to hit him, sometimes I wanted to hug him. But mostly, I loved his sense of honor, and the ability he has to put aside what he wants, no matter how much he wants it, for the greater good.

And oh, don't get me started on Kaleb. Yumm. the secondary characters are totally fantastic, especially Kaleb. He's sexy, snarky, and totally loveable. Her brother is a sweetheart and her sister-in-law is one of the nicest people ever!

So. YEAH. PRE-ORDER (she also has a contest going on here)
Happy Reading!
-Harmony

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