Thursday, December 30, 2010

VICTORY DANCE!!!

I got my first ARC EVER in the mail today! There are absolutely no words to express how excited I am! I realize I have zero followers and my stats aren't all that great, but I got an ARC! That must mean something, right? I'd like to give a shout out to Saundra Mitchell and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt publishing: Thank you for the copy of THE VESPERTINE! So, now that I'm done gushing, I'm going to go read my book now. :)


Isn't that cover absolutely gorgeous?


Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Waiting on Wednesday: Slice of Cherry

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly feature started by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It's where we can gossip about yet-to-be-released books that we're looking forward to.


Kit and Fancy Cordelle are sisters of the best kind: best friends, best confidantes, and best accomplices. The daughters of the infamous Bonesaw Killer, Kit and Fancy are used to feeling like outsiders, and that’s just the way they like it. But in Portero, where the weird and wild run rampant, the Cordelle sisters are hardly the oddest or most dangerous creatures around.
It’s no surprise when Kit and Fancy start to give in to their deepest desire—the desire to kill. What starts as a fascination with slicing open and stitching up quickly spirals into a gratifying murder spree. Of course, the sisters aren’t killing just anyone, only the people who truly deserve it. But the girls have learned from the mistakes of their father, and know that a shred of evidence could get them caught. So when Fancy stumbles upon a mysterious and invisible doorway to another world, she opens a door to endless possibilities….

I absolutely loved Dia Reeve's Bleeding Violet and it sounds as if Slice of Cherry is set in the same world. Though quite odd and a little disturbing, I definitely recommend Bleeding Violet if you like books that are a little different. I can't wait to read this one!

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

MATCHED by Ally Condie

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.
 
The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

SPOILER ALERT!!!
Ally Condie has created an incredible world, far into the future, both alike and different from our own. The Officials control everything: what people eat, who you marry, how many children you have and when you can have them. It seems as if this future world is a perfect place for all, but quickly reveals its flaws as you dig deeper.
Though advertised as a romance, this book has so much more in store. Cassia is fighting for control of her life against the Officials, her Match, even her family. She has always accepted her world and what it is but now she finds herself crossing the line here and there, just to see what the reaction would be.
The romance between Cassia and Ky is very sweet and very realistic. The author takes the time to show why they are falling in love with each other, but that  brings the speed of the plot down quite a bit. If you're impatient to see a conclusion, you will be disappointed, but I recommend hanging in there to see what happens. This is a trilogy, so there is more to come (thank God!), but the ending of Matched is definitely unfulfilling. No conclusion, no sense of closure, though perhaps that's what the author intended.

I definitely recommend giving this book a try, but it is not for those who are looking for a quick read. In ways it's similar to Sarah Dessen's novels, character-wise, but Matched creates a world of its own.

4 stars

2011 Debut Author Challenge

My first year doing the Challenge and I'm so excited! I participated informally last year (16 books!) but now it's all official and everything....The object of the challenge is to read at least 12 YA novels by debut authors during the course of 2011. If you're interested in participating, sign up here. Though the challenge is to read 12 books I no doubt will read a few more. Here is my list so far:

January
1. Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
2. Entangled by Cat Clarke
3. Timeless by Alexandra Monir
4. Across the Universe by Beth Revis
5. Red Riding Hood by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright
February
6. The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney
7. Where I Belong by Gwendolyn Heasley
8. So Shelly by Ty Roth
9. Rival by Sarah Bennett Wealer
10. Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton
11. Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton
12. Haven by Kristi Cook
13. A Touch Mortal by Leah Clifford
March
14. Clarity by Kim Harrington
15. Falling Under by Gwen Hayes
16. Liar Society by Lisa and Laura Roecker
17. Wither by Lauren DeStefona
18. Entwined by Heather Dixon
19. Born at Midnight by C.C. Hunter
20. Wake Unto Me by Lisa Cach
April
21. Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton
22. Future Imperfect by K. Ryer Breese
May
23. Die For Me by Amy Plum
24. Mercy by Rebecca Lim
25. Hourglass by Myra  McEntire
26. Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini
June
27. Hereafter by Tara Hudson
28. Possession by Elana Johnson
July
29. Lost Voices by Sarah Porter
30. Falling For Hamlet by Michelle Ray
31. Luminous by Dawn Metcalf
32. Bad Taste In Boys by Carrie Harris
33. By Midnight by Mia James
34. Wildefire by Karsten Knight
August
35. The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab
September
36. Fury by Elizabeth Miles

Okay, so a LOT more than 12 books. Triple that. I know I'm going to change this list like crazy--add this, take away that--so bear with me. I'm really looking forward to all the new books next year will bring; they all sound, and look, SO GOOD!!! I'm a book-aholic and I'm not afraid to admit it :)

CRESCENDO by Becca Fitzpatrick

Nora should have known her life was far from perfect. Despite starting a relationship with her guardian angel, Patch (who, title aside, can be described as anything but angelic), and surviving an attempt on her life, things are not looking up. Patch is starting to pull away and Nora can't figure out if it's for her best interest or if his interest has shifted to her arch-enemy, Marcie Millar. Not to mention that Nora is haunted by images of her father and she becomes obsessed with finding out what really happened to him that night he left for Portland and never came home.
The further Nora delves into the mystery of her father's death, the more she comes to question if her Nephilim bloodline has something to do with it as well as why she seems to be in danger more than the average girl. Since Patch isn't answering her questions and seems to be standing in her way, she has to start finding the answers on her own. Relying too heavily on the fact that she has a guardian angel puts Nora at risk again and again. But can she really count on Patch or is he hiding secrets darker than she can even imagine?

SPOILER ALERT!!!
     First off, if you haven't read Hush, Hush than you will be hopelessly confused while reading Crescendo. Though the novel provides some back story it's not nearly enough to spell the story out to new readers. That aside, I couldn't put Crescendo down! The story never dragged and there was lots of action to keep me interested. Surprises were hidden inside every single chapter.
     The romance meter is surprisingly low in Crescendo. I expected Patch to be in much more of the story. There were whole chapters where he didn't make an appearance, though when he did it was always heated between him and Nora. He says that his only desire is to protect Nora but he constantly puts her in dangerous situations.
     Scott, a new character from Nora's childhood, is so frustrating! He jumped between nice guy and bad boy too often to count. His whole mysterious facade is indestructible unless he breaks down, and even then his only motive is to manipulate. I'm still not sure whether I like him or not, though he provides a lot of comedy and mystery.
     Nora is sometimes nauseating. There, I said it. I love the character but she absolutely pines after Patch the whole novel. Every decision she makes is about Patch, whether he'll like her more or be in danger because of her. She believes that the time he spends in her company will only cause him harm, so she dumps him because of it, then spends the rest of the novel regretting her decision. Her character jumps between weak and strong between pages, sometimes unrelated to the events unfolding in the story. Despite her weaknesses, Nora is a real character. I can relate to her and I'm sure other teenage girls can as well. Her faults and good points just make her a memorable character. My hat is off to Becca for her writing. It's absolutely brilliant!
     Vee! Vee is my favorite character from the series, no doubt about it. She is sweet and funny and full of surprises. While she provides excellent comic relief, the whole plot would come crashing down without her. Nora leans on her quite a lot in Crescendo and she responds accurately. She brings moments of lightness into some rather dark situations throughout the book.
     Hands down, this is a GOOD BOOK. I recommend it to anyone who loves paranormal novels. The plot is ingenious and has enough twists and turns to keep you reading until dawn. The characters are real and funny and I just plain loved it!

4.5 stars