The Girl In The Steel Corset by Kady Cross

Who: Kady Cross
What: The Girl In The Steel Corset
When: May 24th, 2011
Where: Harlequin Teen
Why: Steampunk!
How: For Review (BEA)

In 1897 England, sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne has no one except the "thing" inside her.

When a young lord tries to take advantage of Finley, she fights back. And wins. But no normal Victorian girl has a darker side that makes her capable of knocking out a full-grown man with one punch...

Only Griffin King sees the magical darkness inside her that says she's special, says she's one of them. The orphaned duke takes her in from the gaslit streets against the wishes of his band of misfits. Emily, who has her own special abilities and an unrequited love for Sam, who is part robot; and Jasper, an American cowboy with a shadowy secret.

Griffin's investigating a criminal called The Machinist, the mastermind behind several recent crimes by automatons. Finley thinks she can help-and finally be a part of something, finally fit in.

But The Machinist wants to tear Griff's little company of strays apart, and it isn't long before trust is tested on all sides. At least Finley knows whose side she's on, even if it seems no one believes her.

So I loved the plot. I love Steampunk because the entire idea of placing technology in a Victorian setting is the best of both worlds in the most awesome way. Finley's world has both corsets and automatons which is always fun. I loved seeing as her and the rest of the team banded together to solve everything that was going on with the Machinist while simultaneously trying to trust each other (particularly them learning to trust Finley). Something I didn't like about the plot was the fact that around the middle the book gets so, so slow. I mean, I seriously considered just skipping to the end at one point. But then it picks up again and i'm thrown into another  clue and adventure and crazy theory.

I loved all the characters! They were well-rounded and felt real to me. Neither was just funny and just frustrating, everyone was both! Emily was a total sweetheart and my second favorite character. She was a total genius and I admired her a lot for that! I loved to hate Sam, because of his pig headed stubbornness and general douche-bag air about him. Griffin was lovely and sweet and forever logical, even though his sometimes hesitant nature made me want to pull my hair out. Jasper the American Cowboy was AWESOME and funny and flirty and I adored him.

Finley was fierce! It was so intriguing to read about her fighting the two sides of herself: one dark and violent, the other lady-like and timid and also watching them mesh together to form everything that was her. She was strong, confident, and way ahead of her time! Haha. And then we get to my deliciously multi-layered favorite character: Jack Dandy. Resident notorious crime lord and charming heartthrob. He was a bad boy in every way a man can't be one. Does that make sense? Let me explain:

He had a reputation. A bad one, obviously. But he was also a gentlemen and never a douche-bag, always willing to help Finley and be concerned about her regardless of whether or not she actually returned away of his feelings. And that is frigging amazing. But while he was my favorite character, Griffin was who I wanted Finley with most of all! They were so sweet together.

Probably my only other complaint: it kind of leaves you hanging, particularly with Finley's romantic relationships. You're like: alright, 400 pages and there's no real decision? Nada? Thank god there's a sequel. Because that ending? WHAAA?

Happy Reading!

In My Mailbox (55)

Hosted by Kristi from The Story Siren

For Review:
Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
Hallowed by Cynthia Hand
The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers by Lynn Weingarten
Getting Over Garrett Delaney by Abby McDonald

Gifted:
Bad Girls Don't Die by Katie Alender
+ swag

Publisher Related Stuff:

VIP IRON KNIGHT TOUR BADGE

What did you get in YOUR mailbox?
Happy Reading!

YA WATCH (2)

Welcome to another edition of YA WATCH! This week, I have plenty of awesome stuff to share!
These WILL start coming with vlogs NEXT WEEK.

COVER REVEALS:

and whoa, have there been a lot this week!

 Who: Amanda Hocking
 What: Wake
 When: 2012
 Where: St.Martins
 Note: NO information about this book on goodreads!


















Who: Josephine Angelini
What: Dreamless (Starcrossed #2)
When: May 29th, 2012
Where: Harperteen
Note: The first book was a DNF for me but I still haven't met someone who hasn't liked it so I might give it another shot!

Who: Kiersten White
What: Endlessly (Paranormalcy #3)
When: July 24th, 2012
Where: HarperTeen
Note: HarperTeen pulled out a lot of covers this week! And ah, it's lovely! I love that it matches all the other covers and i'm completely dying to read this.

The third book in the Paranormalcy trilogy.

The final chapter of Evie's adventures. Old friends, new ones, all wrapped up in impossible decisions. And some ball gowns. Because what's a life of normal and paranormal drama without a ball gown or two?

Who: Kiera Cass
What: The Selection
When: April 24th, 2012
Where: HarperTeen
Note: I AM SO EXCITED. This is pitched as Hunger Games meets The Bachelor and GAH.

For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in the palace and compete for the heart of the gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself- and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

And finally, the SHADE TRILOGY by Jeri Smith Ready got a cover change for the last book coming out! What is up with publishers doing this? And of course, it definitely ISN'T for the better. While I can see them appealing to more teens, the original covers were much prettier:

BOOK NEWS & DEALS:

" Aimee Carter, author of THE GODDESS TEST, announced this earlier this week!

"There's going to be a free Goddess Test e-novella entitled THE GODDESS HUNT, and Harlequin Teen will release it in e-book form on March 1, 2012, about a month before Goddess Interrupted. Without giving too much away, it takes place between the first and second book, and it features multiple POVs - one of which is Henry's!"

" Sarah Ockler's novel THE LANGUAGE OF IMPOSSIBLE DREAMS has had a cover revamp (see Waiting On Wednesday for cover) and also got a new release date (JANUARY 3rd) and a new title: BITTERSWEET "

So there is a book called QUEEN OF GLASS that is coming out Fall 2012 from Bloomsbury by Sarah J. Maas. It is a High Fantasy and a Cinderella retelling where Cinderella is an imprisoned assassin so when I saw this? I was EXCITED:

" Starting early next year, Bloomsbury will be releasing FOUR (4!!) QUEEN OF GLASS novellas, all set before the events of Book 1. They’ll be ebooks, and the first novella will release around January, with the other three novellas released every 1.5-2 months afterward, leading up to the Fall 2012 release of Book 1. 

All of the novellas will be about Celaena, and are set in the 9 months leading up to her imprisonment (so about 2 years before the events of Book 1). While each of the novellas will stand on their own, the four novellas combined form the arc of events that explain how she went from being the world’s greatest assassin to getting captured and sent to the Salt Mines. "

MOVIE NEWS:

all my information comes from the lovely, lovely site called Page to Premiere.

" Liam Hemsworth, Thomas McDonell,and Max Irons Are All Auditioning for roles in THE HOST. "

MAN, this makes me excited! I actually loved that book (I have no idea why Twilight was so badly written because The Host was lengthy, but quite good) so i'm excited to see it on the big screen

" FORGOTTEN by Cat Patrick gets a screenwriter: Oren Uziel. This movie also already has Hailee Steinfeld attached as the heroine "

this book would make an AMAZING movie!

AWESOME LINK OF THE WEEK:

Oh my god, this was SO funny: If Historical Events Had Facebook Statuses. 

Lola And The Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Who: Stephanie Perkins
What: Lola And The Boy Next Door
When: September 29th, 2011
Where: Dutton (Penguin)
Why: DUH
How: For Review (BEA)

Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion . . . she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit -- more sparkly, more fun, more wild -- the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.

When Cricket -- a gifted inventor -- steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

Yup, she's done it again. Stephanie Perkins has given us a funny, heart-warming and whirlwind contemporary that reminded me why I love her writing so much!

Lola was a lovely heroine. She's vibrant and fun and loves putting on costumes almost as much as she loves making them and I loved every little qiurk about her, even the bad ones. And that's what I love: there are bad ones. Stephanie's characters always have two sides to a coin, like everyone in the world does. And while Lola was wonderful, she was also naive and a tad impulsive and she refused to see what was right in front of her eyes until it was almost too late. But it's Lola's journey of self-discovery and finding out who she really is under all the colors and feathers.

The plot revolves around first love, and what it's like when someone who completely disappeared from your life comes barreling back into it. It was so sweet and unique, because Perkins can take any idea and make it hilarious and amazing, that I actually loved it even more than I did Anna and the French Kiss! It was such a slow build for Lola to realize everything that she should've understood in the first place that you'll be cheering the minute she makes the decisions she needed too.

But this is a character-driven story, so let's talk about characters! Lola's parents are two gay men who basically adopted her. Both of them were funny and so caring and loving that...gah. I wanted to give both of them hugs. Especially Andy, considering the difficulties we had to go through when Lola's mother (his sister) comes back into town. Lindsey was so sweet and sounded like a great friend and Calliope sounds like that girl you can't help but envy, but can't even gather up enough hate to...well, hate.

And then you have Cricket who is one of the best YA boys I have read in a long time. He was sweet and awkward and a fumbler who didn't really know what he was doing but he was so sure about his feelings that I just completely adored him. Plus, he was charming and an inventor! Max was a total douche and I hated him and that's that.

And of course, i'm going to mention the cameo appearance of Anna and St.Clair. I loved this. I loved that they didn't just waltz in for one scene but both were recurring characters and an important part of Lola's journey. You get to learn about where there relationship went and more St.Clair loveliness and how much their relationship grows. Out of the two, Anna and St.Clair are still my favorite couple and I loved that I got both of them in this book.

Happy Reading!

Waiting On Wednesday (15)

THIS? Was supposed to go up yesterday. But Blogger is dumb. So here it is!

BITTERSWEET (used to be: THE LANGUAGE OF IMPOSSIBLE DREAMS) | SARAH OCKLER | SIMON PULSE | JANUARY 3RD

Once upon a time, Hudson knew exactly what her future looked like. Then a betrayal changed her life, and knocked her dreams to the ground. Now she’s a girl who doesn’t believe in second chances... a girl who stays under the radar by baking cupcakes at her mom’s diner and obsessing over what might have been.

So when things start looking up and she has another shot at her dreams, Hudson is equal parts hopeful and terrified. Of course, this is also the moment a cute, sweet guy walks into her life...and starts serving up some seriously mixed signals. She’s got a lot on her plate, and for a girl who’s been burned before, risking it all is easier said than done.

It’s time for Hudson to ask herself what she really wants, and how much she’s willing to sacrifice to get it. Because in a place where opportunities are fleeting, she knows this chance may very well be her last....

I love Sarah Ockler like WHOA. So i'm dying for her new book! It sounds like just her style and I know she'll do it justice!

Happy Reading!