Monday, December 30, 2013

End of the Year Wrap Up: New Authors Challenge

Goal: 15+
Challenge: MET
  1. Stephanie Parent
  2. Stephanie Hemphill
  3. Karen Hesse
  4. Jane Higgins
  5. Kate Brian
  6. Katja Millay
  7. Coleen Patrick
  8. John Green
  9. Kadir Nelson
  10. Maria V. Snyder
  11. Julianne Moore
  12. Jennifer L. Armentrout
  13. Kat Zhang
  14. Denise Grover Swank
  15. Rick Yancey
  16. Taila Vance
  17. Nancy J. Cavanaugh
  18. Laura Nowlin
  19. Robyn Schneider
  20. Lauren Myracle
  21. C. J. Redwine
  22. CJ Lyons
  23. Laura Bickle
  24. Cassandra Clare
  25. Gabrielle Prendergast
  26. Sarah Crossan
  27. Romily Bernard
  28. Diana Peterfreund
  29. Markus Zusak

Did YOU discover any awesome new authors in 2013?

Sunday, December 29, 2013

End of the Year Wrap Up: All About Middle Grade Challenge

Goal: 1-10
Challenge: MET


The Wild Book by Margarita Engle, Love That Dog by Sharon Creech, 
Hate That Cat by Sharon Creech

Witness by Karen Hesse, This Journal Belong To Ratchet by Nancy J. Cavanaugh,
The Weight of Water by Sarah Crossan

Now for a little Q & A:

Favorite Middle Grade of 2013?

This Journal Belongs to Ratchet by Nancy J. Cavanaugh

Favorite Cover?



What was YOUR favorite middle grade book from 2013?

Saturday, December 28, 2013

End of the Year Wrap Up: Contemporary Challenge

Goal: 15+
Challenge: MET

Hysteria by Megan Miranda, The Language Inside by Holly Thompson, 
Come Back to Me by Coleen Patrick

Spies & Prejudice by Talia Vance, Perfect Scoundrels by Ally Carter, If He Had Been With Me by Laura Nowlin, Time After Time by Tamara Ireland Stone

This is W.A.R by Lisa & Laura Roecker, The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider, 
The Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle, Broken by CJ Lyons

After Math by Denise Grover Swank, Audacious by Gabrielle Prendergast, 
Find Me by Romily Bernard, Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham


Now for a little Q & A:


Favorite Contemporary of 2013?

Time After Time by Tamara Ireland Stone
Perfect Scoundrels by Ally Carter

Best cover?

Favorite protagonist?

Anna from Time After Time 
  Kat from Perfect Scoundrels

Most crush worthy guys?

BENNETT from Time After Time
 W.W. Hale the Fifth from Perfect Scoundrels

Best couple?

I know I'm getting a little repetitive here but...
Anna & Bennett from Time After Time
Kat & Hale from Perfect Scoundrels

What was YOUR favorite Contemporary of 2013?

Friday, December 27, 2013

End of the Year Wrap Up: Debut Author Challenge

Goal: 12+
Challenge: FAILED

Come Back to Me by Coleen Patrick, If He Had Been With Me by Laura Nowlin

The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider, Find Me by Romily Bernard, 
Audacious by Gabrielle Prendergast


Now for a little Q & A: 



Favorite debut of 2013?

Find Me by Romily Bernard


Favorite cover?

Most promising new series?

Find Me by Romily Bernard

Favorite stand alone debut?

Come Back to Me by Coleen Patrick

What was YOUR favorite book by a debut author this year?

Thursday, December 26, 2013

End of the Year Wrap Up: Sequel Challenge

Goal: 12+
Challenge: MET

Double Crossed by Ally Carter, Where She Went by Gayle Forman, 
Through The Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

Onyx, Opal, Origin, & Shadows by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Hate That Cat by Sharon Creech, Once We Were by Kat Zhang, Perfect Scoundrels by Ally Carter, Time After Time by Tamara Ireland Stone

The Elite by Kiera Cass, The Outside by Laura Bickle, Enders by Lissa Price, 
Formerly Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham



Now for a little Q&A:

Favorite Sequel?

Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi, Perfect Scoundrels by Ally Carter,
Time After Time by Tamara Ireland Stone

Most disappointing Sequel?

Formerly Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham

Favorite Cover?


What was YOUR favorite sequel from 2013?

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

End of the Year Wrap Up: TBR Pile Challenge

Goal: 1-10
Challenge: MET

The Bridge by Jane Higgins, Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse, If I Stay by Gayle Forman,
Where She Went by Gayle Forman


The Fault In Our Stars by John Green, Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder, Displacement by Thalia Chaltas, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Now for a little Q & A:

Book on your TBR the longest?

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Book you wish you had read sooner?

Almost all of them!

Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Favorite cover?

Monday, December 23, 2013

End of the Year Wrap Up: Dystopia Challenge

Goal: 7-12 books
Challenge: Met


Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi, The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey, 
The Elite by Kiera Cass

The Hallowed Ones by Laure Bickle, The Outside by Laura Bickle, 
For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diane Peterfreund, Enders by Lissa Price




Now for a little Q & A: 


Favorite Dystopian of 2013?

Ahhhhh, they were almost all favorites, but if I were forced to chose. 

Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi  and Enders by Lissa Price

Favorite Cover?


Favorite kick-butt heroine? 


What was YOUR favorite Dystopian of 2013?

Sunday, December 22, 2013

End of the Year Wrap Up: Novels in Verse Challenge

Goal: 9-12+
Challenge: MET

Defy the Stars by Stephanie Parent, Sisters of Glass by Stephanie Hemphill, 
Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse

Witness by Karen Hesse, The Wild Book by Margarita Engle,
The Language Inside by Holly Thompson

Nelson Mandela by Kadir Nelson, Love That Dog by Sharon Creech,
Hate That Cat by Sharon Creech

Audacious by Gabrielle Prendergast, Displacement  by Thalia Chaltas

Read but didn't Review:

The Weight of Water by Sarah Crossan, Formerly Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham



Now for a little Q & A: 

Favorite Young Adult novel in verse?

Defy the Stars by Stephanie Parent
Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse

Favorite middle grade novel in verse?

The highest rating a gave to a MG verse novel was 3 hearts so I wouldn't say any of them were favorites.

Favorite cover?




What was YOUR favorite verse novel read in 2013?

Saturday, December 14, 2013

Five Christmas Giveaways!

I had planned to do a 12 days of Christmas type giveaway but couldn't pull it together in time. But don't worry I'm not gonna leave you empty handed. Below are five giveaways with a total of 9 prizes up for grabs. Each has it's own Rafflecopter, you can enter to win just one or all five, whatever your little heart desires! 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!



Grand Prize: A copy of the page-turning, suspense novel, What She Left Behind by Tracy Bilen.
1st Runner Up: Bookmark
2nd Runner Up: Bookmark





One Prize: ARC of Wild Cards by Simone Elkeles

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Grand Prize: Three cards of your choice, any faction.
1st Runner Up: One card of your choice, any faction.
2nd Runner Up: One card of your choice, any faction.






One Prize: ARC of Broken by CJ Lyons

a Rafflecopter giveaway

One Prize: Signed copy of After Math & ARC of sequel, Redesigned by Denise Grover Swank 
(New Adult)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday, December 13, 2013

YA Review: Broken by C.J. Lyons





Title: Broken
Author: C.J. Lyons
# of Pages: 336 
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Publication Date: November 5th 2013
Source: BEA
Level: Young Adult
Rating: 2 Hearts




Synopsis
New York Times bestselling author CJ Lyons makes her YA debut with a fast-paced thriller sure to keep readers guessing to the very last page

The only thing fifteen-year-old Scarlet Killian has ever wanted is a chance at a normal life. Diagnosed with a rare and untreatable heart condition, she has never taken the school bus. Or giggled with friends during lunch. Or spied on a crush out of the corner of her eye. So when her parents offer her three days to prove she can survive high school, Scarlet knows her time is now... or never. Scarlet can feel her heart beating out of control with every slammed locker and every sideways glance in the hallway. But this high school is far from normal. And finding out the truth might just kill Scarlet before her heart does.

My Verdict

I think it's going to be hard to judge this book for what it is rather than how it was marketed. The back of the book calls Broken a "riveting suspense and taut drama" a lot of reviews I read previously also talked about it as if it were a fast-paced thriller. This is not the case at all. It was basically your average contemporary romance with a slight mystery that doesn't turn suspenseful until the last few chapters. Had I just been expecting a contemproary romance going into it, I may have enjoyed it more than I did. Unfortunely, I was expecting an edge of your seat medical thriller that wasn't there.

The main character, Scarlet, has been diagnosed with Long QT disease, which means her heart beats irregularly and could kill her at any moment. After spending most of her life in the hospital, Scarlet decides she wants to take the time she does have left and go to high school like a normal kid. Her parents are dead set against it, but they decide to let her go on a trial basis.

Scarlet immedietly makes friends with Jordan, Nessa, Celina and Tony. The "wrong" crowd according to Scarlets mother. Ugh, her mother drove me nuts! She made all of Scarlet's decisions for her and did things like feed her vitamins in front of all her friends in the middle of the school cafeteria. Seriously?! I can't think of any teenager that would put up with that.

The book is divided into five sections set over the course of one school week (Monday - Friday). A lot of the time I was bored with the little details of Scarlet's school day, but I guess we were supposed to be overwhelmed by the experience as much as she was.

I was appaled by the bullying that went on at the school and that the students so easily got away with it. I was home schooled, so thankfully I never had to deal with bullying first hand or see it happening to those around me, but I know it's a big issue that is overlooked all too much!

With the ending came a big twist and a few fast-paced pages, but it was pretty short lived for a so-called "riveting suspense." If you're a contemporary lover looking for a romance with a little something different I'd check this one out. If you're looking for a fast paced medical thriller, keep looking. 

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Novels in Verse Reading Challenge: December Linky List!


This is it everyone, the last month of the year. How'd everyone do on the challenge? Did you reach your intended goal? Did you fall short? Don't worry you still have one month to get there =)

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Book News: December Releases!

I've only got my eye on a few books this month. 

COMING DECEMBER 10th . . . 

These Broken Stars 
by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

It's a night like any other on board the Icarus. Then, catastrophe strikes: the massive luxury spaceliner is yanked out of hyperspace and plummets into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive. And they seem to be alone.

Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a young war hero who learned long ago that girls like Lilac are more trouble than they’re worth. But with only each other to rely on, Lilac and Tarver must work together, making a tortuous journey across the eerie, deserted terrain to seek help.

Then, against all odds, Lilac and Tarver find a strange blessing in the tragedy that has thrown them into each other’s arms. Without the hope of a future together in their own world, they begin to wonder—would they be better off staying here forever?

Everything changes when they uncover the truth behind the chilling whispers that haunt their every step. Lilac and Tarver may find a way off this planet. But they won’t be the same people who landed on it.

COMING DECEMBER 24th . . .

Roomies 
by Sara Zarr & Tara Alterbrando

It's time to meet your new roomie.

When East Coast native Elizabeth receives her freshman-year roommate assignment, she shoots off an e-mail to coordinate the basics: television, microwave, mini-fridge. That first note to San Franciscan Lauren sparks a series of e-mails that alters the landscape of each girl's summer -- and raises questions about how two girls who are so different will ever share a dorm room.

As the countdown to college begins, life at home becomes increasingly complex. With family relationships and childhood friendships strained by change, it suddenly seems that the only people Elizabeth and Lauren can rely on are the complicated new boys in their lives . . . and each other. Even though they've never met.

National Book Award finalist Sara Zarr and acclaimed author Tara Altebrando join forces for a novel about growing up, leaving home, and getting that one fateful e-mail that assigns your college roommate.

COMING DECEMBER 31st . . .

The Promise of Amazing
by Robin Constantine

Wren Caswell is average. Ranked in the middle of her class at Sacred Heart, she’s not popular, but not a social misfit. Wren is the quiet, “good” girl who's always done what she's supposed to—only now in her junior year, this passive strategy is backfiring. She wants to change, but doesn’t know how.

Grayson Barrett was the king of St. Gabe’s. Star of the lacrosse team, top of his class, on a fast track to a brilliant future—until he was expelled for being a “term paper pimp.” Now Gray is in a downward spiral and needs to change, but doesn’t know how.

One fateful night their paths cross when Wren, working at her family’s Arthurian-themed catering hall, performs the Heimlich on Gray as he chokes on a cocktail weenie, saving his life literally and figuratively. What follows is the complicated, awkward, hilarious, and tender tale of two teens shedding their pasts, figuring out who they are—and falling in love.

What books are you hoping to get this Christmas?