Thursday, May 23, 2013

Book Review: Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout







Title: Obsidian (Lux #1)
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
# Of Pages: 361
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Publication Date: November 23rd 2011
Source: Library
Level: Young Adult
Rating: 4 Hearts 





Synopsis

(From Goodreads)
Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I'd pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring.... until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something...unexpected happens.

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon's touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I'm getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.

If I don't kill him first, that is.

My Verdict

I can’t tell you how excited I was to read an alien book! Vampires, werewolves, zombies, there are plenty of books out there about them, but aliens? Not so many. I don’t know if any of you have seen the TV show Roswell (or read the books) it’s about a group of teenage aliens and my favorite show ever! If you haven’t seen it I highly suggest you go watch it immediately! Anywho, the synopsis of this book sounded very similar; boy saves girl, girl finds out boy is an alien, chaos ensues. So obviously I had to read it.

The whole love/hate relationship between main characters Katy and Daemon is what really pulls you in. There is something addicting about their constant bickering that keeps you turning pages.
I really liked Katy most of the time. Her snarky comebacks, loyalty to her friends, and selflessness were admirable. Plus, she gains a few bonus points for being a book blogger =) However, there was one event, (a school dance) where she made some unbelievably STUPID decisions against her friends warnings just to spite them. I was like WHY are you being so stupid?! Listen to your friends, they’re trying to protect you!! Also the way she would totally melt down and believe Dameon hated her when he would lie about his feelings for her. It was obvious he liked her, but when he would say otherwise she totally believed him even though she denied her feelings for him as well.

Dameon was a piece of work. Looked like a Greek god, acted like the biggest jerk on the planet. His attitude was infuriating 98% of the time. There were a few moments where he was actually sweet, but those moments were far and few between!

I think the alien part could have been done better. The fact that Dameon and Dee had been hiding their true identities for years was hard to believe, considering they weren’t very good at it. They said completely obvious things to Katy like “You’re not one of us” and  “I want Dee to have friends like her” but didn’t expect Katy to pick up on the fact that something was off. How dumb did they think she was? Some of the alien aspects also weren’t explained enough for my liking but what can you do.

Overall, this book kept me turning pages and dying for the next installment, which I’m probably going to end up downloading on my Kindle because the library only has one copy that’s going to take way too long to arrive!! It was no Roswell, but I’ll take what alien love stories I can get thank you very much.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Book Review: Nelson Mandela




Title: Nelson Mandela
Author: Kadir Nelson
# Of Pages: 40
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Publication Date: January 2nd, 2013
Source: Library
Level: Children’s (Pre-School - 4th Grade)
Rating: 4 Hearts






Synopsis

(From Goodreads)

One day when Nelson Mandela was nine years old, his father died and he was sent from his village to a school far away from home, to another part of South Africa. In Johannesburg, the country's capital, Mandela saw fellow Africans who were poor and powerless. He decided then that he would work to protect them. When the government began to keep people apart based on the color of their skin, Mandela spoke out against the law and vowed to fight hard in order to make his country a place that belonged to all South Africans.

Kadir Nelson tells the story of Mandela, a global icon, in poignant verse and glorious illustrations. It is the story of a young boy's determination to change South Africa and of the struggles of a man who eventually became the president of his country by believing in equality for people of all colors. Readers will be inspired by Mandela's triumph and his lifelong quest to create a more just world.

My Verdict
I know I don't usually review children's books on here but since this one was told in verse, I made an exception =) 

The biography of Nelson Mandela and his role in Apartheid is brought to life by author and illustrator, Kadir Nelson, through free verse and beautiful paintings that are rich in color and large in scale. A fellow blogger reviewed this book and when I heard it was told in verse I knew I absolutely HAD to read it!

It’s very unique to have a biography written in free verse but I think it worked really well and will help to keep kids interested. This book is a great resource for kids to learn about an important time in history but also one that I think they will thoroughly enjoy reading as well.

“Nelson stood proudly
with the wind at his back
and spoke to a colorful sea of people.
‘We must forget our terrible past
and build a better future for South Africa,
Let us continue to fight for justice
and walk the last mile to freedom.’ "

Monday, May 20, 2013

Book News: Cover Reveal

Looks like I'm a few days behind with this one but I still had to share because I love, love, LOVE this series! On the 14th Ally Carter announced the title and cover of the sixth and final Gallagher Girl book! EEEEPPPPPPPPPPP =O


Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Cammie Morgan has lost her father and her memory, but in the heart-pounding conclusion to the best-selling Gallagher Girls series, she finds her greatest mission yet. Cammie and her friends finally know why the terrorist organization called the Circle of Cavan has been hunting her. Now the spy girls and Zach must track down the Circle’s elite members to stop them before they implement a master plan that will change Cammie—and her country—forever.


I LOVE both the title and cover! I can't believe Cammie's graduating *wipes tears from eyes*
I've been reading this series since 2006, that's 8 years! I've read most of them 2-3 times each so I'm both super excited for the last installment as well as completely depressed that it's over. Excuse me while I go cry...

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Quote of the Week: Dr. Seuss


Quote of the Week is a new segment where I will be sharing some of my favorite quotes, whether they be from books or just something I find inspiring.



"You're off to great places,
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting,
So... get on your way!"
               -Dr. Seuss

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Shuffle Saturdays 15: Pomp and Circumstance

Shuffle Saturdays is hosted by the girls at Pretty In Fiction, where you post a random song from your ipod each week. 


Okay so this song isn't really on my iPod but I'm posting it because Pomp and Circumstance has become known as "the graduation march" and guess what? TODAY I'M GRADUATING!!! I may  even be walking across the stage as you read this. As of today, I will wield a Bachelor's Degree in Art with a concentration in Graphic Design and my dreams of becoming a book cover designer are one step closer to coming true!!! Enough gushing and enjoy the symphony genius below =)

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Book Expo America 2013


Ever since I joined the blogosphere a couple years ago I had heard sooo much about BEA and how wonderful it is. I briefly thought about going last year but didn't really understand how it worked. It  just seemed so overwhelming I decided not to go. Which I ended up regretting for months to come. So this year when I heard a few other bloggers had registered, I decided I wasn't going to let the opportunity pass me by again. I signed up! I'm still a little confused and overwhelmed by it all but I know that it's going to be an AMAZING experience and I cannot wait!!!

I am now in the planning stages, wading through the ocean of information to try and make a rough plan of everything I want to do while I'm there. Unfortunately, I'm going to be arriving mid-day Thursday which means I miss the chance to meet three of the most awesome YA authors there; Ally Carter, Lauren Oliver, and Veronica Rossi!  =''( 

During my searching of authors attending BEA for autograph sessions I came across a lot of familiar names whose books have been on my TBR (some for a VERY long time). In the next few weeks I'm going to try and read as many of these books as possible so I don't pass up the opportunity to meet a great author and regret it later when I do read their book and fall in love with it! Without further ado here is my list:
  1. Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder (finished)
  2. Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout (finished)
  3. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein (started)
  4. Taken by Erin Bowman
  5. What's Left of Me by Kat Zhang
  6. Freckleface Strawberry by Julianne Moore (Children's)


Are YOU going to BEA? What author are you most excited to meet?
Gone to BEA in the past? Any helpful hints?  I'd love to hear them!

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Wordlover Wednesday: Bunbury

Todays Wordlover Word is...

Bunbury (BUN-buh-ree)
Noun- An imaginary person whose name is used as an excuse to some purpose, especially to visit a place.
Earliest Documented Use- 1899
Example- "There are birds who bunbury. One of them is the blackbird."

Discover more about this word here: http://wordsmith.org/words/bunbury.html