In My Mailbox (20)

In My Mailbox (IMM) is hosted by The Story Siren every week. IMM is where book reviewers get a chance to show others what they got that week in books. This week I was surprised twice with two great books showing up.

For Review:
I literally jumped up and down when I got a package from Simon and Schuster. Inside the package was:

Wither by Lauren DeStefano; coming March 2011.
Here is the synopsis for Wither (from the back of the ARC):
In the not-too-distant future, because of genetic engineering, every human is a ticking time bomb- males only live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty. To keep the population from dying out, girls are kidnapped and sold into polygamous marriages.
When sixteen-year-old Rhine is taken, she enters a world of wealth and privilege that both entices and terrifies her. She has everything she ever wanted- expect freedom. With the help of Gabriel, a servant Rhine is growing dangerously attracted to, Rhine attempts to escape before it is too late.


Injane by Douglas K Pearson
Synopsis (from Goodreads):
Most people think I'm crazy because I see things they cannot. But if they saw the blood and the torture, or felt an ounce of the pain I feel, they would know I'm not insane. No one believes me and that makes me more alone than I feel. To those who meet me for the first time, I'm Jane; once they hear my one-sided conversations and terrified screams, they refer to me as Injane.

Thank you to the people @ Simon and Schuster and Pot-Boilers Publishing!

So... what did you all get this week? Anything good?

UPCOMING Angel Books U Should Know About!!!

Coming next month on the 16th, SINFUL by Sara Dailey and Staci Weber will be available for purchase. To learn more about the authors and SINFUL go here. Here is the trailer:




I was just browsing the internet and stumbled upon this book and I'm pretty excited to know that there is another angel book coming soon! I absolutely cannot wait to read this book. Any YA book that has angels, fallen or not, you'll find me reading. The synopsis and the trailer has me wanting to go buy SINFUL this very second! What do you all think about SINFUL and the book trailer?

Last but not least, The Last Guardian by Michelle Wachbrit. The cover is so pretty! Plus I believe this book is going to be unlike any other angel book out there.

Synopsis: Run away… run away and hide! the voice in her head screamed.

Summoning every ounce of power and courage Mienya possessed, she manipulated her own energy to flare around her. Almost instantly, the room grew unbearably hot. Garin yelped and dropped her hand as orange tongues of fire scorched his hair and his body.

Mienya is only twelve when her twisted older brother, Garin, kills nearly everyone on Ckanizar, their home planet. Having lost everything dear to her, Mienya must fight to prevent Garin from destroying other worlds. As a winged Guardian — a being born only once every 5,000 years with the ability to wield tremendous energetic power — Mienya knows that she is the only one who can stop him.

Her pursuit brings her to Earth, where she meets three students — Robin, Nathan, and Christopher — who risk their lives to fight Garin and to protect Mienya. What begins as a tussle over an alien world quickly becomes personal for this trio as they join Mienya in a battle to save planet Earth and everyone on it.

So begins The Guardian series.

Taken from the publisher here: http://tendrilpress.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=180%3Athe-last-guardian&catid=4&Itemid=5

In My Mailbox (19)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by the Story Siren. IMM is where book bloggers get to show what they got that week in books.

For this week my mailbox was busy and so was the UPS man. =)
I had something that has never happened to me before, and that would be getting at least one book a day. Which I came really close to getting a book a day this week unfortunately Tues. and Sat. no books showed up at my house. Not complaining though!



For Review:
Elixir by Hilary Duff (with Elise Allen)

Vixen by Jillian Larkin

Banished by Sophie Littlefield

Special thanks goes to the wonderful people at Simon and Schuster, Randombuzzers, and Barnes and Noble's First Look Book Club!

Bought from Randombuzzers:

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

What did you get in your mailbox?

Mini-Review: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Synopsis (from Goodreads.com): Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love -the deliria- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the governments demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.

But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.

Book Details:

Publisher: HarperTeen

Pub. Date: Feb. 1, 2011

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 440

My Mini-Review, Full review will come closer to release date:

Lena's story of love is so powerful it will forever have a place in my heart. The last book that I read that has impacted me so much was The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks. Both books are tear jerkers. I found myself at least holding back tears twice throughout the novel. Only towards/at the end I had to put the book down run to the bathroom to cry privately. Lauren Oliver has written a book so beautifully you will often find yourself checking to make sure you are, in fact, reading a book. She paints such a vivid and clear picture of Lena's world you could actually feel like you are in Lena's head or there with her. Man, I'm finding it extremely difficult to write a mini review for this book, I just want to get very detailed and write that full review already! Anyways its really scary to think what if our government decided to right now find a cure for love and say that we can no longer love anything. I'd find it devastating if I was not able to love my life, family, friends, books, and my pets. In delirium, Lena finds out that there is a whole other world that has been kept secret from her and it opens her eyes to reality. Lena is a strong female protagonist and I was rooting for her and Alex all the way till the end. Delirium has made me grateful that I can love others and things and be able to do what I want. Added bonus is that I never saw anything in this book coming. Usually almost all books are a little predictable, but everything came as a surprise. In my opinion Delirium is just as amazing, if not better, than Lauren's debut Before I Fall. If you have not read Before I Fall buy it now. If you have not pre-ordered Delirium then pre-order NOW! I could sit here and talk all day about Delirium, but until my full review this will have to do.

In My Mailbox (18)

In My Mailbox (IMM) is hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren and inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie. IMM gives bloggers a chance to share with others what they got that week in books.

This week was slow for me. I only got one book. Not complaining though because I do have a good amount of books to read and review. So grateful for the opportunity to catch up on my reading and reviewing. Even if that means taking a break from school's tedious work. Namely my French course, which basically requires you to live and breathe the French language. Guess thats college for you though. haha. Alright, enough of me babbling about school. You guys want to see the book I got this week.

Here it is:

For Review:

Matched by Ally Condie (Thanks to Penguin and LBTER)

What did you get in your mailbox?

Review: Awakened (Book 1 of The Guardian Legacy) by Ednah Walters

Synopsis (from Amazon): Most teens turn sixteen and get the license to drive, but Lil Falcon gets the license to kill demons. Orphaned as a child and raised by an eccentric grandfather, Lil is concerned with surviving high school and is unaware that she's a Guardian-a being with super powers charged with killing demons and protecting humanity. When she meets Bran, a mysterious boy with amazing abilities, his psi energy unlocks her latent powers. But Bran has a secret that can ruin their growing relationship, and the truth she discovers may destroy everything she believes in unless she finds the right balance between love and sacrifice.
Book Details:Publisher: Pill Hill PressPub. Date: August/September 2010Format: PaperbackPages: 272
My Review:Let me start this review off by saying that Ednah Walters is an author to be on the look out for. Awakened is her debut novel and the debut to her series of The Guardian Legacy. I’m thrilled that this is a series! After reading Awakened, I’ve been trying for too long on how to write a review without looking like a total fan girl. I feel myself just wanting to gush how great this book is already! You really should go out and buy Awakened. I find that it is probably better that I did not write a review right away. I will leave the plot and more info about the characters for you to find out for yourself. Awakened is a story of Lil and how she discovers her family’s well kept secret. She also learns of her own special powers. In the beginning she meets a super handsome and mysterious boy, Bran. Lil’s meeting with Bran is in a way the starting point to her discovering a world she never did imagine.
Lil is a great main character. She cares a great deal about her family, and she would do anything for her grandfather. Her actions just prove it throughout the novel. And yes, there are a lot of family secrets that will come to light in both Lil’s and Bran’s cases.
All the supporting characters are wonderful. Some may take a little while longer to like than others. Towards the end I liked the Guardian Trainees, they are like their own little family.
Now back to Bran, what can I say I love him, I lived for every chapter that he was in. Lil is a very lucky girl even if at times she doesn’t think this. Bran is so sweet to Lil. They both look out for each other and the chemistry, dang...
Might I add that there are villains in Awakened. Even the villains can be sympathized with. Well some of the villains. Some have reasons for why they are the way they are and some are just plain mean.
There was only one problem that I had while reading this book. Well make that two! One was that there was an awkward moment between Lil and her new friend. Of course they were having the usual girl talk, but Lil’s friend said something in a weird, disturbing way. I wrote down the page number too, but not sure if its the same page in the final copy of the book. The second problem I had with the book was I wanted to be a part of Awakened. I think it would be fun to spend at least a day with all the characters. Awakened has its fair share of action also. The training sessions between the Trainees. The battle of good and evil collide in the end.
Awakened will leave the reader wanting more. I know I’m eagerly awaiting the second book, Betrayed. Ednah Walters has certainly written an epic novel. With action, romance, suspense, secrets, and mystery Awakened has it all. Needless to say that a lot of readers should find it hard to put this book down. 5 Stars!
Here is the book trailer:

Blog Hop (October 15-18)

The book blogger hop is hosted by Jennifer @ crazy-for-books.com. Its where bloggers can discover others' blogs.

This week's question is: "When you read a book that you just can't get into, do you stick it out and keep reading or move to your next title?"

My answer: I try to keep reading, but if the book has things I don't like in it I quit right away. I at least always try to give a book a chance of 100 pages, if I'm still not connecting with the book its over. Plus I have so many other books in my to-be-read pile I really don't have time to waste on a book that is not going to get a good review in the first place. I really don't like writing negative reviews so I read books that interest me and that I really want to read. I rarely read books that are below a 3 stars rating. I feel like I'm rambling?! I hope I made sense with all this talking!

In My Mailbox (17) & News!

IMM is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. It's a weekly meme where readers/bloggers get to share what books that got that week.

This IMM is really for two weeks worth of books. Last week I decided to just combine last week and this week's IMM. Last week I only got one book. Which would be...Lucy!
For Review: Lucy by Laurence Gonzales. (Thank you Bridget @Knopf)

This Week's Books are:
For Review: The Unidentified by Rae Mariz (Won from Goodreads.com)

Delirium by Lauren Oliver (Thank you Lauren and her publicist Elyse)

Bought: Ruined by Simone Elkeles (Thank you mom for going to the Borders and buying the book for me. I know bookstores are not your scene. Also, when I saw this was a combined edition of all three books to Simone's How to Ruin series I just had to have it.)
For My November Blogoversary! So I'm not telling you what the books are, you'll have to stay tuned. What I will tell you is that the package is from the amazing people at Little Brown! Special thanks to Julia!

Now on to the news. Kelly Oram, author of Being Jamie Baker, contacted me. She is giving away a signed book a week during the month of November. I believe you can start entering for the contest right now. For more details go to www.kellyoram.com.

Beautiful Darkness Tour

Hey everyone just wanted to let you guys know that Kami and Margaret have posted their Tour dates and information. Here is the link http://beautifulcreaturesthebook.com/beautiful-darkness-tour-details. See if they are coming to a town near you. Unfortunately the East Coast is not really included in the tour. Which seems odd to me on a count of the book is set in the south in South Carolina. Maybe there will be a whole other tour planned in the future?

Oh and remember the other week where I posted the trailer for Beautiful Darkness. Well turns out it was just the teaser trailer. If you have yet to see the official trailer, here it is:

Review: Firelight by Sophie Jordan

Synopsis (from Goodreads): With her rare ability to breathe fire, Jacinda is special even among the draki—the descendants of dragons who can shift between human and dragon forms. But when Jacinda’s rebelliousness leads her family to flee into the human world, she struggles to adapt, even as her draki spirit fades. The one thing that revives it is Will, whose family hunts her kind. Jacinda can’t resist getting closer to him, even though she knows she’s risking not only her life but the draki’s most closely guarded secret.

Book Details:
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pub. Date: 9/7/10
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 336

My Review:

Firelight is the first book I have ever read that has dragons or in this case Draki. Instead of only the well known fire-breathing dragons there are different kinds of dragons with a certain talent. Which I like Mrs. Jordan's twist on the dragon stereotype. Jacinda, the main character, is a fire-breathing Draki. In this world fire-breathers are a rarity. Her pride treats her like property, and so Jacinda's mother takes her and her sister, Tamra, to a desert town. Jacinda refuses to believe that her pride just sees her as property. So she does rebel against her mom in a way. Jacinda hates living in this town. The town is slowly draining her Draki out of her with the dry atmosphere. The only thing that she likes in this town is Will, who just so happens to be her hero.

The chemistry between Jacinda and Will was mesmerizing. Whenever they are together you can tell that they have the same feelings for one another. Only both hold back their feelings. Jacinda is in a constant battle to keep Will close, and at the same time keep him far away from her. She considers him a danger to her and her family, because he is associated with people who are out to kill her family and pride. She fears his family will find out who and what she really is. While struggling with her feelings for Will she is also thinking of the boy back at home whom she is supposed to mate with for life. Does she really want to leave her pride?

Jacinda's family is a normal everyday family, even if they are related to the Draki world. Mrs. Jordan has written a great story of sisterly relationships. Jacinda and her sister are just like every other pair of sisters out there. There is rivalry and jealousy between Tamra and Jacinda. I like how Jacinda, Tamra, and their mom have each other's best interests at heart. Even if they not always agree on things.

I really enjoyed reading this book. There was only one thing that is keeping me from giving it five stars, and that would be Jacinda and Will's relationship. Why you ask? Well I just really disliked how Sophie Jordan kept me constantly screaming "Man, Jacinda and Will get together ALREADY!!!" It was tiresome if you ask me. There comes a time where enough is enough and Jacinda and Will should not have held back for that long. I know that the author only put us through this to keep us in suspense and fly through the book. Which did work, but still I really would kept on reading even if they got together in the middle of the book. All in all I would recommend this wonderful book. Now I can't wait to read the next book, Vanished, coming to stores next year.
4.5 Stars!