Blog Segment: Book News

So I've noticed a lot of awesome book covers being revealed lately. Some of them I'm sure you've already seen before as I'm a little late with this post, but some of them were announced as soon as yesterday.

So without further ado...

The fourth and final book in the Hush, Hush saga by Becca Fitzpatrick was just unveiled yesterday at BookExpo America.

AHHHH! I can't tell you how excited I am to read this book and seeing the cover just makes it feel that much closer!

Is it just me or is this cover a little too clean cut compared to all the others?? It's not really what I was expecting.

Coming October 23rd!

The Lies That Bind sequel to The Liar Society. I think this cover goes great with the first one. My only question is, what happened to Kate's pink hair?

Coming October of this year.

This book cannot come soon enough! Ever since I finished Awaken I have been dying to continue the journey with Maddie & Justin.

I like that they continued the pixelated look of the cover to match with the first one. I found the Awaken cover to be very symbolic, in the way that the cover design expressed one of the main points of the story. So I can't wait to see how this open window full of butterflies ties in with the sequel.

Coming November 20th

I absolutely LOVED the cover for The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer! While I don't love this one as much as the first, I still think it's pretty awesome. Photographer, Heather Landis, actually did a whole photo series called Abyss of the Disheartened, which is where these beautiful images came from. You can check out the whole series here.
Be prepared to be amazed!

I actually had my own favorite image from looking at the series that I was hoping would be the cover for this, maybe the next one...


Coming October 23rd.

So it seems that Tahereh Mafi and her team decided to go in a new direction with the books cover. This is the new cover that she revealed a few days ago that will be used for the paperback edition of Shatter Me. This is also the new direction the rest of the covers in the series will be following.

You can read Tahereh's blog post about it here: http://stiryourtea.blogspot.com/2012/06/new-shatter-me-cover-ahhhh.html

I usually don't like when series remake their covers but in this case I'll make an exception ;) I think this cover does a much better job of portraying the beautiful words and story that is inside.

I'm just in awe!

ABSOLUTELY STUNNING!

Now I have to re-buy the book because I NEED this version. Like now.

Book Review: Miles From Ordinary by Carol Lynch Williams

Title: Miles From Ordinary

Author: Carol Lynch Williams

# Of Pages: 208

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

Publication Date: March 15, 2011

Level: Middle Grade

Rating: 2 Hearts

Synopsis

(From Amazon.com)

Thirteen-year-old Lacey wakes to a beautiful summer morning excited to begin her new job at the library, just as her mother is supposed to start work at the grocery store. Lacey hopes that her mother's ghosts have finally been laid to rest; after all, she seems so much better these days, and they really do need the money. But as the hours tick by and memories come flooding back, a day full of hope spins terrifyingly out of control....

My Verdict

I could have stopped reading this book at any point and never thought twice about it. It was repetitive, boring, and just plain weird.

The whole story takes place in a 24-hour period, which I normally love. However, in this case there was not enough of a plot to even fill that 24 hours, instead it was full of repetition and scenes being dragged out painfully slow. 

The best part about this book was that Lacey is an easy character to connect with. She has a really hard life for a thirteen year old, and spends all of her time outside of school taking care of her mother who is mentally ill. You are instantly pulled into what it’s like for Lacey, the stress, worry, and fear she lives with make you wish there was something you could do to help. Although she’s just thirteen years old, Lacey has had to deal with stuff way beyond her age level so she seemed a lot older to me. 

I felt like this was intended to be a suspenseful story, but it just came off as strange and a little creepy rather than suspenseful. The author took the ending in a different direction than I thought, so that was a nice twist (I use that word very loosely). 

Randomness: The Day Before Out in Paperback!

Today is the day that The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder comes out in paperback. HOORAY *throws confetti* If you're a frequent follower of my blog then you already know my love for any and all of Lisa Schroeder's novels in verse! I'm already the proud owner of a hardcover copy otherwise I'd be on my way to the store right now!

Synopsis:

Sixteen-year-old Amber, hoping to spend one perfect day alone at the beach before her world is turned upside down, meets and feels a strong connection to Cade, who is looking for his own escape, for a very different reason.

In honor, I thought I would share some of my favorite quotes from the book... 

"I wish

for the breeze to blow away

our troubles.

I wish 

for the sun to

dry out

our sorrows.

I wish

for the friendship

to fill up

our hearts."

Want to read it yet? No... 

"Life is the bad

with all the good.

The deadly sharks 

with the beautiful sea stars.

The gigantic waves

with the sand castles.

The licorice 

with the lemon and lime.

The loud lyrics

with the rhythm of the music.

... (omitted spoiler) 

It's life.

Sweet, beautiful,

wind on your face,

air in your lungs,

kisses on your lips.

life."

How about now? Yes.

Good =)

Breathtaking Book Cover: Breathless

Today's Breathtaking Book Cover is...

Breathless

by

Jessica Warman

Goodreads

I just got home from the library where I discovered this stunning cover while browsing the YA shelves.

Blog Segment: Random Reads (1)

Random Reads is a monthly segment where you use Random.org to choose a book from your TBR list to read during that month. 

This is my first month participating in Random Reads and I couldn't be more excited! =D

I was a bundle of nerves and excitement as I hit the generate button.

Here is what I got...

Number 57 = Jellico Road by Melina Marchetta, on my list since January 1, 2012

Summary:

"What do you want from me?" he asks. What I want from every person in my life, I want to tell him. More.

Abandoned by her mother on Jellicoe Road when she was eleven, Taylor Markham, now seventeen, is finally being confronted with her past. But as the reluctant leader of her boarding school dorm, there isn't a lot of time for introspection. And while Hannah, the closest adult Taylor has to family, has disappeared, Jonah Griggs is back in town, moody stares and all.

In this absorbing story by Melina Marchetta, nothing is as it seems and every clue leads to more questions as Taylor tries to work out the connection between her mother dumping her, Hannah finding her then and her sudden departure now, a mysterious stranger who once whispered something in her ear, a boy in her dreams, five kids who lived on Jellicoe Road eighteen years ago, and the maddening and magnetic Jonah Griggs, who knows her better than she thinks he does. If Taylor can put together the pieces of her past, she might just be able to change her future.

I've already looked it up, and my library has a copy available so I'll be going to pick it up tomorrow!

Want to Participate in Random Reads?

1. If you’re on Goodreads enable sorting to your to-read shelf (you should see numbers next to each book now).
2. Go to Random.org and type in the Min as 1 and the Max as how many ever books are on your to-read shelf.
3. Scroll down to the book matching the number Random.org picks.
4. Link up your Random Reads over at imlovingbooks.com

It's that easy! =)

Book Review & Giveaway: Unbreakable Love by Angela Carling

Title: Unbreakable Love

Author: Angela Carling

# Of Pages: 220

Publisher: Acacia Publishing

Publication Date: November 21, 2011

Level: Young Adult

Rating: 3 Hearts

Many thanks to Acacia Publishing for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Synopsis

(From Amazon.com)

Jennie Townsend is unlucky in love, so she is immediately suspicious when a mysterious new student named Nate tries to gain her friendship. But there is something special about Nate, and in spite of her best efforts Jennie finds her feelings for the boy growing deeper every day.

In fact, Nate is more special than Jennie can even imagine. He is a guardian angel, sent to protect Jennie during a most dangerous time in her life. To do so, he must first become close to her – but not too close. The rules for Protectors warn against physical contact and strictly forbid falling in love. But the more time Nate spends with Jennie, the harder the rules are to follow. Will Nate be able to save Jennie from a premature end, or will his own emotions – and Jennie's – get in the way of completing the task for which he was specifically chosen?

My Verdict

This was a sweet, romantic and totally clean love story, which is something I really appreciated!

I’ve never been a fan of the narrative writing style in any book, I feel like it keeps people from getting to know the characters deeply and being able to fully connect with them. That was the case with this book as well. I felt like I didn’t get to know Jennie and Nate as much as I would have liked, which in turn, hindered me from getting too attached.

Although it took me awhile to get used to, and connect with the characters, once I did, I found them all to be very likable. Aside from Jennie and Nate, my favorite character was Marissa who is Jennie’s best friend. She wasn’t in the story a whole lot and I found myself wishing she had a bigger part. 

Nate was a too good to be true (but really is) kind of guy who also happened to be a guardian angel. His love for Jennie is so genuine and sweet it made my heart smile. 

One of the things I really liked about this book was the family dynamic. Jennie, her sister, and parents are a close-knit family who actually enjoy spending time together, having game nights and such. I feel like in most YA the main character has some form of broken relationship with their family, so it was a nice change to see a loving family in the picture.

While I enjoyed the book as a whole I didn’t really care too much for the ending. I can’t really say why without spoiling it but lets just say it was kind of overkill.

GIVEAWAY

Not only did Acacia Publishing provide me with a copy of Unbreakable Love, but they also gave me an extra copy to giveaway to you guys! =)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Reading Challenge: June Link Up

Link up your June review here =)