In My Mailbox

For Review:

Lost Souls

Don't Breathe A Word by Holly Cupula

From BEA:

Straw House by Daniel Nayeri

IN OTHER NEWS:

Pottermore! So the first clue went up to register at 5AM and because i'm a night owl, I was totally awake! Were you awake? Did you register? How awesome do you think this is going to be? Because i'm totally going into this blind.

Exposed by Kimberly Marcus

Who: Kimberly Marcus

What: Exposed

Where: Random House

When: Feburary 22nd

Why: N/A

How: Random Buzzers

In the dim light of the darkroom, I'm alone, but not for long.
As white turns to gray, Kate is with me.
The background of the dance studio blurred, so the focus is all on her
legs extended in a perfect soaring split.
The straight line to my squiggle,
my forever-best friend.

Sixteen-year-old Liz Grayson is photogirl—sharp, focused and ready to take the world by storm with her camera. But Liz's entire life is called into question when her brother is accused of a crime—and the accuser is Liz's own best friend. As the aftershocks from that accusation rip through Liz's world, everything she thought she knew about photography, family, friendship and herself, shifts out of focus. And for the first time in her life, Liz finds herself unable to trust her own point of view.

Exposed by Kimberly Marcus is a story of Liz who's life gets turned upside down by an awful chain of event starting with her best friend suddenly acting like she doesn't exist, and told in completely prose.

Now, i've never read a book with prose (I know you're all gasping, clutching your Ellen Hopkins books, I am shameful.) and I was worried I wouldn't be able to fully connect with the story due to it's short length (and also that i'd be like poetry, all not making sense, and I hate poetry) but i'm happy to say this won't be my last prose book! Kimberly has a way of writing that is beautiful and packs a punch while still managing to be a quick read.

Liz was someone who was going through a hard time in life, and the rediscovery of herself was really something I loved reading about. She went through all these phases of fear and anger, and wanting her mold back to a new version of herself through her photography and also just threw her family made me rooting for her the entire way! One thing that did upset me was that no one really...stuck by her in her time of need, all her friends (and even her boyfriend, which totally surprised me) just kind of started drifting away when things got too complicated to be around her.

I also liked how in the end, you never really find out who was telling the truth, but it gets resolved anyway because in the real world, that's how things work! Sometimes you don't always get the truth or justice, but it has to keep on turning, and Kimberly does a great job at showing that. And in the end, you know that while everything doesn't return to the way it was, it was honest to itself. A perfect ending definitely wouldn't have belonged.

Overall, a great read, especially if you like prose and "edgy" subjects.

Happy Reading!

Interview (of sorts) with Maggie Stiefvater, Meg Cabot, and Libba Bray

So on Saturday I was lucky enough to attend the signing for This Is Teen Live with Meg Cabot, Libba Bray, and Maggie Stiefvater at my local indie, Books and Books (whose website you should totally check out if you live in Florida, since they have amazing YA events almost every month)

And today, I have all (if not, most) of the questions asked by the audience to all three of the authors so you guys can enjoy! (Sad, I don't have pictures because my camera decided to throw a tantrum but here we go!)

What inspired you to write Shiver?

Maggie: Well, you know how people cry at sad movies or books? I never do. So imagine when i'm rereading the Time Traveler's Wife and even though I know what's going to happen, I start crying! And not that kind of crying that makes your husband say 'Aw, you're so cute when you cry!' It was that ugly crying that makes your husband say 'Why do you do this to yourself?!' And then, I thought: 'I want to write a book that ruins someone's evening like that.

How did you start writing stories?

Meg: At first, I was going to be an illusterator. Because when people didn't like my drawings, I didn't really care but when people don't like your writing, it stings! But I finally put my writing out there and got rejected every day for 3 years except for Chrismas and Sundays, because you don't get mail on those days. And then my mother calls me and says she's dating my old art teacher and Princess Diaries was born.

Who was your favorite character to write?

Libba: From the Gemme Doyle trilogy, it would have to be Miss Moore. I don't want to spoil anything, but it she was an interesting character to write. For Going Bovine, I totally have to pick Gonzo. And from Beauty Queens, it would be either Taylor or Petra, they both surprised me

Meg: From Abandon, it would be John. As for my Insatiable series, it has to be Alerik, the vampire hunter. Both of them are tortured souls and Alerik has great taste in hotels.

Maggie: Definitely Cole St. Clare. He started off as an ass and changed the most from beginning to end.

How did you come up with all the weird things in our books?

Libba: Well, I grew up in a family where people would just walk by and say things that didn't really make sense and then things would randomly catch on fire. I also grew up with episodes of Monty Python so I never notice when something's weird. Someone will say "Going Bovine is about a kid who has Mad Cow disease and he meets a punk angel who is addicted to sugar..." and I'll say, "What's weird about that?"

And then the rest was pretty much crazy antics from Meg, Maggie, and Libba until signing time! So if you guys ever get a chance to meet these ladies, go for it!

Happy Reading!

Title Announcement (And another contest!)

Hey guys! So I actually have another post for you guys and it has to do with Lisa Desrochers, who you know is one of the coolest people in the world.

So, her last book in the Personal Demons trilogy (Personal Demons and Original Sin being the first two) used to be called Hellbent but for various reasons had to be changed. And the new title is:

I absolutely love it! And we have Andrea Cremer to thank since she came up with it! And then we've got an amazing tag line:

"What happens when you can't outrun Hell...or trust the ones you love?"

And now I officially can't wait to read it!

__________________________________________________________

Giveaway:

Lisa decided to be even more amazing and offer up a copy of Original Sin to give away!

• contest ends August 7th
• you have to be 13 or older to enter
• open for US/Canada
• fill out the form below to enter
  
  

Love Story by Jennifer Echols (And Giveaway!)

Who: Jennifer Echols

What: Love Story

When: July 17th, 2011

Where: MTV Books

Why: Premise

How: For Review

For Erin Blackwell, majoring in creative writing at the New York City college of her dreams is more than a chance to fulfill her ambitions—it's her ticket away from the tragic memories that shadow her family's racehorse farm in Kentucky. But when she refuses to major in business and take over the farm herself someday, her grandmother gives Erin's college tuition and promised inheritance to their maddeningly handsome stable boy, Hunter Allen. Now Erin has to win an internship and work late nights at a local coffee shop to make her own dreams a reality. She should despise Hunter . . . so why does he sneak into her thoughts as the hero of her latest writing assignment?

Then, on the day she's sharing that assignment with her class, Hunter walks in. He's joining her class. And after he reads about himself in her story, her private fantasies about him must be painfully clear. She only hopes to persuade him not to reveal her secret to everyone else. But Hunter devises his own creative revenge, writing sexy stories that drive the whole class wild with curiosity and fill Erin's heart with longing. Now she's not just imagining what might have been. She's writing a whole new ending for her romance with Hunter . . . except this story could come true.

I gotta say: this was my first Echols book but it won't be my last!

Love Story is about a girl named Erin who moved from Kentucky to New York City, living her rich farm girl life behind to pursue what she really wanted to do, which was be a novelist instead of her grandma's dream of her running the farm when she graduates. But even though she tries really hard to leave that life behind, things start catching up to her. Things like a boy named Hunter, who worked as stable-hand and then proceeded to inherit her fortune, for example.

I loved the way the book alternated between real life and then the stories both of them wrote for their creative writing class. Everything flowed together perfectly, and I didn't feel like the short stories weighed the novel down. In fact, they were probably my favorite parts! I liked the way most of their fighting happened more subtly, through the stories they wrote and shared with the class.

Erin was a great narrator, and someone you can really relate too. All she wants to do is forget what happened in the past and try to get on with her life, but she can't seem to with all the things that happened to her before she left. I loved all the side characters, especially Summer and Manoher, and they weren't just background noise. And then comes Hunter. Now here, i'm a bit conflicted. I mean, I liked reading about Erin's relationship with Hunter. But towards the end of the book, Hunter as a person was not good for me. Erin was just way too unsure where his loyalties lied and I was sick of her finally seeing something in him and then it being ruined.

Overall, I definitely recommend this to anyone who loves contemporary or wants to give it a shot.

_________________________________________________________________

About the author:
Jennifer Echols is the author of romantic dramas for MTV and romantic comedies for Pulse. She currently lives in Birmingham. Visit her on the web at www.jennifer-echols.com .

Giveaway:
Thanks to the lovely people at Big Honcho Media, I have TWO copies of Love Story for you to win!

• contests ends August 15th
• you must be 13 or older to enter
• contest is open to US/Canada
• fill out the form below to enter

Happy Reading!

In My Mailbox (44)

Hosted by Kristi from The Story Siren.

Totally Booksessed
What's Your Story?

For Review:

So Silver Bright by Lisa Mantchev

Love Story by Jennifer Echols

Bought:

Legacy by Cayla Kluver

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantasky (needed a new copy!)

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Order of the Phoenix by J.K Rowling

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

Happy Reading!
-Harmony

The Hourglass Door by Lisa Magnum

Who: Lisa Magnum
What: The Hourglass Door (Hourglass Door #1)
When: May 13th, 2009
Where: Shadow Mountain
Why: Interesting Premise
How: Bought

His past. Her future. Can love bring them together in
time?Abby's senior year of high school is textbook perfect: She has a handsome
and attentive boyfriend, good friends, good grades, and plans to attend college
next year. But when she meets Dante Alexander, a foreign-exchange student from
Italy, her life suddenly takes a different turn. He's mysterious, and
interesting, and unlike anyone she's ever met before. Abby can't deny the
growing attraction she feels for him. Nor can she deny the unusual things that
seem to happen when Dante is around. Time behaves differently when they are
together - traveling too fast or too slow or sometimes seeming to stop
altogether. When the band Zero Hour performs at the local hangout, Abby realizes
that there's something dangerous about the lead singer, Zo, and his band mates,
Tony and V.

And Abby's best friend, Valerie, is caught in their
snare. Dante tells Abby the truth of his past: he once worked for Leonardo Da
Vinci, helping to design and build a time machine. When Dante was falsely
implicated as a traitor to his country, he was sent through the machine more
than five hundred years into the future as punishment. As the past and the
present collide, Abby learns that she holds a special power over the flow of
time itself. She and Dante must stop Zo from opening the time machine's door and
endangering everyone's future. More than one life is at stake and Abby's choice
could change everything.

This was a book that I had put off reading for a while, mostly because the cover didn't really grab at my attention until I saw the book trailer (which i'll put down below because it is awesome.) But sadly, this book was a "meh" for me.

One thing I wasn't too much of a fan was of Abby, at least in the beginning. I completely understood the fact that she felt her relationship with Jason withering and Lisa made a good job of it throughout the beginning of the book, but really, did the friendship that they had have to disappear too? I mean, they had been friends for years! And she doesn't even try, which really did bug me. But as soon as Dante appeared, that wasn't even on her mind.

I liked the characters, especially Leo! I liked all the plot twists that concerned him as well as how much he cared for Dante. I loved Lisa's writing style and my favorite part had to be the whole concept of time travel! As you know, I love time travel and all it's complicated shenanigans so I loved hearing about it in the book! And especially how it dated all the way back into Dante's past! As for Abby and Dante's relationship...cute. Really, that's all I can say about it, I didn't get enough time to really love them in The Hourglass Door.

Overall, it was a good read, but it failed to totally grab me in a way that would really make me connect with the characters and the story.

Happy Reading!
-Harmony

Waiting on Wednesday (8)

So today we have some more awesome 2012 releases! This is hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine.

Dead to You by Lisa McMann
February 7th, 2012 Simon Pulse

Ethan was abducted from his front yard when he was just
seven years old. Now, at sixteen, he has returned to his family. It's a
miracle... at first. Then the tensions start to build. His reintroduction to his
old life isn't going smoothly, and his family is tearing apart all over again.
If only Ethan could remember something, anything, about his life before, he'd be
able to put the pieces back together. But there's something that's keeping his
memory blocked. Something unspeakable...

The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe
January 24th, 2012 Disney Hyperion

When a deadly virus begins to sweep through
sixteen-year-old Kaelyn’s community, the government quarantines her island—no
one can leave, and no one can come back.

Those still healthy must fight
for dwindling supplies, or lose all chance of survival. As everything familiar
comes crashing down, Kaelyn joins forces with a former rival and discovers a new
love in the midst of heartbreak. When the virus starts to rob her of friends and
family, she clings to the belief that there must be a way to save the people she
holds dearest.

Because how will she go on if there isn't?

Love & Leftovers by Sarah Tregey
January 1st, 2012 Katherine Tegan (HarperCollins)

When her parents split, Marcie is dragged from Idaho to
a family summerhouse in New Hampshire. She leaves behind her friends, a group of
freaks and geeks called the Leftovers, including her emo-rocker boyfriend, and
her father.

By the time Labor Day rolls around, Marcie suspects this
"vacation" has become permanent. She starts at a new school where a cute boy
brings her breakfast and a new romance heats up. But understanding love,
especially when you've watched your parents' affections end, is elusive. What
does it feel like, really? can you even know it until you've lost it?

What are YOU excited about this upcoming year?
Happy Reading!

Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement Moore

Who: Rosemary Clement Moore
What: Texas Gothic
Where: Delacorte (Random House)
When: July 12th, 2011
Why: Author Love
How: Bought

Amy Goodnight's family is far from normal. She comes
from a line of witches, but tries her best to stay far outside the family
business. Her summer gig? Ranch-sitting for her aunt with her wacky but
beautiful sister. Only the Goodnight Ranch is even less normal than it normally
is. Bodies are being discovered, a ghost is on the prowl, and everywhere she
turns, the hot neighbor cowboy is in her face.

Texas Gothic had everything you could want in an awesome book: practical magic, ghosts, mystery, family, romance, and most importantly, an awesome heroine!

Texas Gothic is about a girl named Amy Goodnight and her sister Phin who are taking care of their aunt's herb garden for the summer while she travels. Which wouldn't be such a big deal if not for the crazy rumors about ghosts around town, the amount of people who think her aunt is a crazy old witch (at least one of those is true) and therefore, her niece's must be crazy as well. Add to that a crime scene a few blocks away and a neighboring farm, specifically a hot neighbor boy, who thinks the Goodnight family is trying to ruin them with all this ghost talk!

Amy is my favorite type of heroine. Spunky, funny but also set on trying to stay out of the family's heritage of magic and spells. She calls herself the person who makes sure everyone in the outside world thinks their normal and she had been doing a pretty good job until they got to Goodnight farm. I liked how she got pulled into these situations with magic that she just didn't want to deal with, but in the end, after much resisting, knew what she had to do to just make it all stop. And along the way learned a lot about her family and about how sometimes it's not so bad.

Secondary characters were awesome! I loved all of the excavation team for the crime scene, especially since Moore made them pretty important characters throughout the novel. Mark and Phin were adorable together, and I liked how Phin, the supposed genius, didn't know a thing about interacting with normal people. The mystery in the book is enough to set you on edge, between the murders, dead bodies, and ghosts popping up all over the place!

And then you have Ben. Ben had my heart since the beginning, and I liked how he slowly, but surely, worked his way up to trusting Amy enough to get himself caught up in all this ghost-hunting stuff. It was a rocky path for them but I loved reading every minute of it! Overall, an amazing book and Rosemary Clement Moore is definitely someone you guys should check out!

Happy Reading!
-Harmony

In My Mailbox (43)

This is hosted by Kristi from The Story Siren

For Review:
Wildefire by Karsten Knight

Bought:
Eon by Allison Goodman
Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement Moore

Happy Reading!
-Harmony

Witches of East End by Melissa De La Cruz: giveaway!

So thanks to the lovely people over at Hyperion, I have a copy of Witches of East End to give away to you today! This is an adult title, but it's Melissa whose Blue Bloods series I absolutely adore.


The three Beauchamp women--Joanna and her daughters
Freya and Ingrid--live in North Hampton, out on the tip of Long Island. Their
beautiful, mist-shrouded town seems almost stuck in time, and all three women
lead seemingly quiet, uneventful existences. But they are harboring a mighty
secret--they are powerful witches banned from using their magic. Joanna can
resurrect people from the dead and heal the most serious of injuries. Ingrid,
her bookish daughter, has the ability to predict the future and weave knots that
can solve anything from infertility to infidelity. And finally, there's Freya,
the wild child, who has a charm or a potion that can cure most any heartache.

For centuries, all three women have been forced to suppress their
abilities. But then Freya, who is about to get married to the wealthy and
mysterious Bran Gardiner, finds that her increasingly complicated romantic life
makes it more difficult than ever to hide her secret. Soon Ingrid and Joanna
confront similar dilemmas, and the Beauchamp women realize they can no longer
conceal their true selves. They unearth their wands from the attic, dust off
their broomsticks, and begin casting spells on the townspeople. It all seems
like a bit of good-natured, innocent magic, but then mysterious, violent attacks
begin to plague the town. When a young girl disappears over the Fourth of July
weekend, they realize it's time to uncover who and what dark forces are working
against them.

________________________________________________________

Official Rules:

• please fill out this form below



• you must be 13 or older to enter



• contest is open for US/Canada



• deadline for this contest is August 1st

Happy Reading!

Mini-Reviews: From the Back of my Bookshelf

So i'm taking the oppurtunity today to write mini-reviews of books that I either read before I started blogging or that I read and just never ended up writing a review for! These won't have any set dates but will probably do it once a month. (This is hosted by Katie's Book Blog and The Book Cellar)

XVI by Julia Karr

Penguin

January 6th, 2011

Nina Oberon's life is pretty normal: she hangs out with
her best friend, Sandy, and their crew, goes to school, plays with her little
sister, Dee. But Nina is 15. And like all girls she'll receive a Governing
Council-ordered tattoo on her 16th birthday. XVI. Those three letters will be
branded on her wrist, announcing to all the world-even the most predatory of
men-that she is ready for sex. Considered easy prey by some, portrayed by the
Media as sluts who ask for attacks, becoming a "sex-teen" is Nina's worst fear.
That is, until right before her birthday, when Nina's mom is brutally attacked.
With her dying breaths, she reveals to Nina a shocking truth about her past-one
that destroys everything Nina thought she knew. Now, alone but for her sister,
Nina must try to discover who she really is, all the while staying one step
ahead of her mother's killer.

I have to say, I neither loved nor hated this book. It was okay and a read that wasn't entirely too memorable. The concept was wonderful and I really wanted to see how Julia combined teenage sexuality and media. And the things was: I didn't get any background noise. I like knowing the history behind why things happen, what made it come to that point, etcc. But I didn't get any of that, which didn't let me fully enjoy what I was reading. I liked the characters, especially Wei and Sal, and Nina was a good character to read about. The end of the book did lift itself up for me, getting a lot more action-packed but in the end, it was simply an enjoyable read.

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Simon Pulse

February 8th, 2005

Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait. Not
for her license -- for turning pretty. In Tally's world, your sixteenth birthday
brings an operation that turns you from a repellent ugly into a stunningly
attractive pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only
job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks Tally will be there.
But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to be pretty. She'd rather
risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new
side of the pretty world -- and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer
Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or
never turn pretty at all. The choice Tally makes changes her world forever.

This is the book that awakened my love for Scott's books! Another dystopian, Uglies is what happens when people become so obsessed with beauty and image that it tears society apart. In Tally Youngblood's world, at sixteen you have a surgery to cure any imperfections and you move to the other side of town. That's where all the "pretty" people live and you don't have to work, go to school, or really do anything besides be beautiful and go to parties. But because of her friend Shay, she gets thrown on a wild adventure into the Smokes, where Uglies who don't believe in the operation run from this crazy government! These books are amazing and the characters in it are as well. I liked how Tally's opinions changed over the course of the book, as well as what she wanted for herself!

The concept was beautiful and the development of not only the plot, but the characters throughout the books, really made the story for me. Pretties was the least favorite of the four but definitely don't let it make you quit because Specials is the best one!

Happy Reading!
-Harmony

Top Ten Tuesday (5): Authors I'm Dying To Meet!

So for today's Top Ten Tuesday we have the authors that I'm dying to meet, living or dead!

_______________________________________________________

1. Kristin Cashore
I'd just love a moment to sit down with you and talk about Graceling and her writing and just this whole world that really opened up writing for myself!

2. Maggie Steifvater and Libba Bray

I'm counting these two as one since I'm meeting them in two weeks (OMG I KNOW I KNOW) but really, they're two of the best YA authors out there and their books are absolutely amazing. Plus, they're really funny and seem like awesome ladies!

(BY THE WAY: if you love in South Florida area it's at Books and Books in Coral Gables the 23rd! If you DON'T, I shall be live-tweeting from the event where you can ask questions and know everything that's going on!)

3. Jane Austen
I actually....haven't read any of her books. Don't mob me (I get enough of that from Julie.) but I'd love to just meet her and get to talk to her about how she's become such an inspiration for so many things. I mean, it'd be crazy to bring her back and show her all these adaptations and retellings of things she wrote a really long time ago!

4. Stephanie Perkins
1) I really want to see how awesome her hair looks in real life and 2)ANNA and LOLA. 'Nuff said.

5. Sarah Ockler

She's super sweet and funny and i'd love an opportunity to just sit down and talk to her since her contemporaries introduced that sub-genre to me!

6. J.K Rowling

OBVIOUSLY. Mostly just to thank her and wig out and ask her what she thinking when she wrote "x" scene or "y" scene and just...gah.

7. Kiersten White

Please? Can she come down here? Because she is so funny and awesome and I love her books and I really, really just want to meet her!

8. Tahereh Mafi or Michelle Hodkin

OKAY, let me elaborate. I met both (Tahereh briefly at her BEA signing and Michelle at Author-Blogger Talk, which was awesome.) but now that i've read their books, I want to see them again and just...wig out and tell them how awesome it was and ask questions that they probably can't answer.

9. William Shakespeare
Just so I can ask him why the hell everyone always ends up dying in his plays.

10. Lauren Oliver
Because man, her books are so brilliant.

Who'd you guys want to meet?

Happy Reading!

Wildefire by Karsten Knight

Who: Karsten Knight
What: Wildefire
When: July 26th, 2011
Where: Simon and Shuster
Why: Cover Love
How: For Review

Every flame begins with a spark.
Ashline Wilde is
having a rough sophomore year. She’s struggling to find her place as the only
Polynesian girl in school, her boyfriend just cheated on her, and now her
runaway sister, Eve, has decided to barge back into her life. When Eve’s violent
behavior escalates and she does the unthinkable, Ash transfers to a remote
private school nestled in California’s redwoods, hoping to put the tragedy
behind her. But her fresh start at Blackwood Academy doesn’t go as planned. Just
as Ash is beginning to enjoy the perks of her new school—being captain of the
tennis team, a steamy romance with a hot, local park ranger—Ash discovers that a
group of gods and goddesses have mysteriously enrolled at Blackwood…and she’s
one of them. To make matters worse, Eve has resurfaced to haunt Ash, and she’s
got some strange abilities of her own. With a war between the gods looming over
campus, Ash must master the new fire smoldering within before she clashes with
her sister one more time… And when warm and cold fronts collide, there’s
guaranteed to be a storm.

To quote my mini goodreads review: Absolutely brillant. Spunky heroine, amazing mythology, sexy love interest, and kickass concept.

Wildefire is the story of Ash finding out exactly what the hell is going on with not only her life, but her sister Eve as well. The relationship between the two of them was intense and possibly my favorite part about the entire thing! They had a crazy tension and build up of anger between them because of everything that had happened over the years and I loved how resiliant Ash was to forgive her for everything she had done. I don't know if I would've been able too either!

Add a boarding school full of gods who are equal parts awesome and powerful, and you won't be able to put it down. I also loved how not all the gods were Roman or Greek (some variety in life, please!) but came from all parts and mythologies of the world! I loved finding out about scandinavian, polynesian, and egyptian gods throughout the entire thing. Also, the action was crazy and the writing was brash, real, and the characters well-rounded and totally kickass.

Ashline was just seriously funny and smart and knew what she wanted (and sometimes didn't know what she wanted, which is awesome.) She was a real teenager who snuck out of her school and went to party and had a fun time with her life! And in the end, she was
real despite all the craziness going on around her!

In the end, LOVED this book and i'm dying for a sequel (by the way, satisfying ending)

Happy Reading!
-Harmony

In My Mailbox (42)

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi from The Story Siren!

I'm back! Regular posting WILL come back!

For Review:
Past Midnight by Mara Putenhagen
Tithe by Holly Black (Audiobook)
Ironside by Holly Black (Audiobook)

Gifted:
Power of Six by Pitticus Lore

Happy Reading!
What did YOU get?
-Harmony

Supernaturally by Kiersten White

Who: Kiersten White
What: Supernaturally (Paranormalcy #2)
Where: Harperteen
When: July 26th, 2011
Why: Series Love
How: For Review

Evie finally has the normal life she’s always longed
for. But she’s shocked to discover that being ordinary can be . . . kind of
boring. Just when Evie starts to long for her days at the International
Paranormal Containment Agency, she’s given a chance to work for them again.
Desperate for a break from all the normalcy, she agrees.

But as one
disastrous mission leads to another, Evie starts to wonder if she made the right
choice. And when Evie’s faerie ex-boyfriend Reth appears with devastating
revelations about her past, she discovers that there’s a battle brewing between
the faerie courts that could throw the whole supernatural world into chaos. The
prize in question? Evie herself.

So much for normal.

A great sequel to the equally amazing Paranormalcy! It was funny, charming, and absolutely amazing!

Supernaturally starts around where Paranormalcy ends, and Evie is back and witty as ever! I can always count on Kiersten to give me funny but deep writing and she hasn't let me down! Evie's journey to not only discovering herself but how exactly she fits into the IPCA and the, well world, is taken to all new heights with a new cast as well as some old favorites!

Evie, of course, is a girl who should be my best friend. She's smart and funny and always seems to know what to say, even though on the inside she's freaking out. Her life is crumbling and she was no idea how to control when all she wants to be happy and safe! I loved Evie's personal point of view and it really adds to the story in a way that Third Person couldn't have! Jack, a new character who reminds me of an 8 year old on candy crack, was someone who I totally didn't expect I'd end up liking. He was sweet and ALL of his plot twists, I never saw coming! And you know me, I love a good surprise!

Finally, Lend. Oh how I swoon over Lend! Of course, the relationships does hit some bumpy roads, especially since Evie is such a headstrong individual but I just love how easygoing their relationship is while still having that tension that makes it enjoyable to read and not fluff. Lend is sweet and caring and just the right amount of awesome. Plus, I love how hard he tries (and so does Evie) to make everything work out, despite the complications along the road.

Happy Reading!
-Harmony

Top Ten Tuesday (4): Rebels in Books !

Hey guys! So today, we have a top ten tuesday featuring the top ten rebels in literature! So of course we have...

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1. Alex from Delirium by Lauren Oliver

See, I would've put Lena but I feel she kind of just...fell into this whole thing with the goverment and her problem with wanting and not wanting the antidote. But Alex! Alex knew what he was getting into from the beginning, he was a rebel hidden among brainwashed believers, and I loved him for it.

2. Katniss from The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

While I have very conflicted feelings over Katniss in the course of the books, she really was an iconic and important figure of rebellion!

3. Gemma from A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

Don't go looking at me weird. Gemma, living in the victorian age in a rigid and proper boarding school, managed against all odds to always remain true to herself and her magic!

4. Jacinda from Firelight by Sophie Jordan

She likes her pride! I love her commitment and love for her pride, and how against she has for her mother to move them away. She was determined to keep the draki inside her alive, regardless of the conditions in front of her.

5. Tris from Divergent by Veronica Roth

She became Dauntless even though she knew it A) Wouldn't be easy and B) Make her family sad and angry while at the same time shaming them. But she did what she had to do, but sometimes you have to be selfish!

6. Tally from The Uglies Series by Scott Westerfeld

While she did get kind of thrown into this mess, Tally becomes one of the most famous rebels her world had ever seen! She was headstrong and (most of the time) got what she wanted, even though she hit a lot of bumps along the way.

7. Katsa from Graceling by Kristin Cashore

She did not let herself be manipulated by anyone, especially her uncle. She did what she wanted, even though sometimes she wasn't exactly sure what that was.

and...that's really everyone I can think about! BUT let me know in the comments who are some of YOUR favorites!

Happy Reading!
-Harmony

A Big Announcement!

Hey guys! So I have an amazing and awesome announcement to make and it's that I along with four other bloggers (who you either you happen to read their blogs and know who they are or will have to watch their videos to find out yourself) have formed a youtube collab channel called...

TOTALLY BOOKSESSED!

Here the five of us, Monday-Friday, will talk about bookish, bloggish, and even not-bookish things! Just like our blogs, but in vlog form and a whole lot more fun! We've officially launched today and as Monday, I got to introduce everyone to the site!

The link is HERE! I hope you guys enjoy it because we had an amazing time planning everything and preparing for this week! ALSO: have an awesome fourth of July!

Happy Reading!
-Harmony

p.s I am ON VACATION currently, celebrating my 15th birthday (and if you didn't know, i'm hispanic so this is my equvilant of a sweet sixteen!) so posts will be not very frequent this coming week! I do have a Top Ten Tuesday and a review planned so stay tuned for that! But this does mean I won't be answering any emails, tweets, or checking any comments until I get back!)

Contest: Supernaturally by Kiersten White!

Hey guys! So today I have a contest for you guys! Up for grabs is a copy of Kiersten White's amazing sequel to Paranormalcy, Supernaturally. Here's the cover and summary for you guys:

Evie finally has the normal life she’s always
longed for. But she’s shocked to discover that being ordinary can be . . .
kind
of boring. Just when Evie starts to long for her days at the
International
Paranormal Containment Agency, she’s given a chance to work
for them again.
Desperate for a break from all the normalcy, she agrees.

But as one
disastrous mission leads to another, Evie starts to
wonder if she made the right
choice. And when Evie’s faerie ex-boyfriend
Reth appears with devastating revelations about
her past, she discovers that
there’s a battle brewing between the faerie courts
that could throw the
whole supernatural world into chaos. The prize in question?
Evie herself.

So much for normal.

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I absolutely loved this sequel and my review should be up in the following week!

• Contest Ends JULY 25TH


• You have to be 13 and older to enter in accordance to the Private Policy
  Agreement of the Internet


• US/Canada ONLY


• Form is here!

Happy Reading!
-Harmony