Follow Friday #4

Follow Friday! Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee. It's a great way to meet new blogger friends!

This weeks weeks feature blog is Starting the Next Chapter

Q. Keeping with the dystopian and apocalypse theme that seems to be running rampant on parajunkee.com, I have one very hard question for you: If you were stocking your bomb shelter, what books would you HAVE to include if you only had space for ten?

It would probably be smart if I pick books that might help me learn survival skills but I wouldn't want to live without these books. I would take my Kindle but that would only last a few weeks without electricity. This is such a hard question!

My choices are ...

1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (3)
2. Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare (4)
3. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (1)
4. The Bible (1)
5. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (1)

Which books would YOU include?

Follow Friday #3

Follow Friday! Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee. It's a great way to meet new blogger friends!

Q. What is on your current playlist right now?

1. Florence & The Machine

2. Muse

3. Maroon 5

4. Wicked Soundtrack

What's on your playlist?

{Review}: Across The Universe by Beth Revis

Title: Across The Universe
Tagline: What does it take to survive aboard a spaceship fueled by lies?
Author: Beth Revis
Genre: YA Fiction
Publisher: Razorbill (Jan 2011)
ISBN: 9781595143976
Source: Bought on Amazon
Available on: Amazon
Rating: 4/5


Description on GoodReads:

A love out of time. A spaceship built of secrets and murder.Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.
Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone-one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship-tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.
Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

Review:


This is the first Sci-fi book I read. Verdict? I really enjoyed it.

This book captured my interest from the first pages. The way the author describes the experience of being frozen alive was scary. I remember pulling my blanket and shivering at the idea. Amy is an extremely brave girl, I cannot imagine volunteering to be frozen after I seeing how horrible and painful it is.

The dual narrative was great in this book. I like knowing what the characters are thinking and it was especially nice to read about the same event from two perspectives. I was able to see Godspeed and its inhabitants as an outsider and also as their future leader. This allowed for me to care about the people but also see their dark side. There was a scene that I almost put the book down because I was literally scared and disgusted but it showed how inhuman people can become.

The story kept me interested and eager to discover Godspeed's secrets. I admit, I wanted Amy to finally notice how awesome Elder is but the story also kept me reading. I love when books shock me, and this one has a few twists that left me reading with my mouth open in shock.

I like knowing why characters behave the way the do and what leads them to become who they are. So I was a little disappointed that the reasons behind Eldest and some other character's actions where not explained.  Hopefully, more will be explained in the next installment of the series.

I will definitely take another journey aboard Godspeed, a spaceship full of secrets, hope, and love.

Top Ten Tuesday (1) - Fictional Crushes

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by the The Broke and the Bookish.   This week’s TTT is a rewind, to give those of us who may not have participated in past TTT’s a chance to share our lists now.

This is my first time participating in Top Ten Tuesday. Hope I do it right.

 Top Ten Fictional Crushes

(Not in any specific order, I love them all)

1. Edward from Twilight by Stephanie Meyer  
2. Sam from The Wolfs of Mercy Falls series by Maggie Stiefvate 
3. Peeta from the The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins 
4. Eric from The Sookie Stalkhouse series by Charlaine Harris
5. Jace from The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare
6. Patch from Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzgerald
7. Tucker from Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
8. Tuxedo Mask from Sailor Moon (He might not be from a book but he was my first fictional crush)
9. Tamani from Wings by Aprilynne Pike
10. Damon from The Vampire Diaries by L.J Smith

{Review}: Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Title: Neverwhere

Author: Neil Gaiman

Genre: Fiction/Fantasy

Publisher: Harper Perennial (1996)

ISBN: 9780060557812

Source: Library

Description from GoodReads:

When Richard Mayhew stops one day to help a girl he finds bleeding on a London sidewalk, his life is forever altered, for he finds himself propelled into an alternate reality that exists in a subterranean labyrinth of sewer canals and abandoned subway stations. He has fallen through the cracks of reality and has landed somewhere different, somewhere that is Neverwhere.  

Review:

This is the Spring 2011 selection for One Book, One Chicago.

I watched the movie Coraline and was scared at idea of buttons in some the character's eyes.  (Yes, I was a little uneasy with a children's movie.) So, when I picked up Neverwhere I was a little hesitant on starting it.

I was glad that I finally got to reading it. It was different from what I usually read. Richard Mayhew, the main character in this book, falls through the cracks and discovers the world of London Below. A world where magic and monsters exist, where rats are respected. A world that helps Richard discover himself once he accepts it.

I found the character to be the best part of this book, especially Mister Croup and Mister Vandemar. I simply loved their conversations. On the other hand, the main characters, Door, the girl he finds on the floor, and Richard failed to win a place in my list of great characters. I never understood why Door liked Richard or what she thought as things where happening. Richard, on the other hand, was too whiny and spent most of the book confused.

The story felt empty to me. I don't know how to explain it. There was everything, a villain, conflict, character's self discovery, battle with a monster, and betrayal but it just didn't seem complete to me. It was probably because it was missing a love story. I know, that it's very dumb reason but that's the only thing I can think of for why it is not one of my favorite. What can I say, I enjoy my love stories.

So, overall did I love this book? No, not really, but I did enjoy it. I recommend this book to those who enjoyed Coraline and enjoy reading dark urban fantasy stories and want to read about a world where they can escape if they feel they do not belong in their city above.

*I just learned that the book is based on a BBC miniseries. It definitely sounds more like a great miniseries than a great book.

In My Mailbox (3)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme, hosted by The Story Siren, held usually on Sundays that encourages bloggers to share what they bought, borrowed, or begged for this week.

Title: Mermaid: A twist on the classic tale
Author: Carolyn Turgeon
Genre: Fantasy/Fairy Tales
Publisher: Crown Publishing Group (Feb 2011)
Hardcover: 240 pages
Borrowed: Library

Description from GoodReads:

The story of two very different women, one mortal, one mermaid, and the clash between worlds best kept apart... It is a cold day at the end of the world when a young woman, a princess in hiding, looks out across a Northern sea and sees something she could not have seen. It looks...it can't be. It looks like a mermaid's tail. And, as she looks more closely, she sees that the mermaid is dragging a drowning sailor in her arms. Because, only hours before, another princess, the daughter of the sea queen, has decided to risk everything and take a look at the world above the sea: the world of mortals. And there she finds a storm, a shipwreck, a sailor, and sets in train events which will change both women's worlds forever.

 Title: The Thirteenth Tale

Author: Diane Setterfield

Genre: Fiction

Publisher: Atria (Jan, 2006)

Hardcover: 406 pages

Borrowed: Library

Description from GoodReads:

Biographer Margaret Lea returns one night to her apartment above her father's antiquarian bookshop. On her steps she finds a letter. It is a hand-written request from one of Britain’s most prolific and well-loved novelists. Vida Winter, gravely ill, wants to recount her life story before it is too late, and she wants Margaret to be the one to capture her history. The request takes Margaret by surprise–she doesn’t know the author, nor has she read any of Miss Winter’s dozens of novels. 
Late one night while pondering whether to accept the task of recording Miss Winter’s personal story, Margaret begins to read her father’s rare copy of Miss Winter’s Thirteen Tales of Change and Desperation. She is spellbound by the stories and confused when she realizes the book only contains twelve stories. Where is the thirteenth tale? Intrigued, Margaret agrees to meet Miss Winter and act as her biographer. 
As Vida Winter unfolds her story, she shares with Margaret the dark family secrets that she has long kept hidden as she remembers her days at Angelfield, the now burnt-out estate that was her childhood home. Margaret carefully records Miss Winter’s account and finds herself more and more deeply immersed in the strange and troubling story. In the end, both women have to confront their pasts and the weight of family secrets. As well as the ghosts that haunt them still.

This is what I borrowed this week. I am so behind on my reading. I don't know why I keep getting more books.  Yes, I do... The reason I keep getting more books even though I have a pile of them on my desk is because they are awesome! :)

What's in your Mailbox? 

Follow Friday #2

"Follow My Book Blog Friday" is a weekly meme hosted by Rachel at Parajunkee's View. Check out her site for guidelines for participating and join in the fun!

Q. Do you have anyone that you can discuss books with IRL? Tell us about him/her.

Sadly, I don't have people that I can discuss books with. I usually just bother my poor fiancée. Even though he doesn't enjoy reading YA and paranormal romance novels he still knows most of them because I wont shut up about them. 

That's why I created a blog so I can meet fellow book lovers and talk to them. 

Have a great weekend!

{Review:} City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

Title: City of Fallen Angels

Author: Cassandra Clare

Genre: YA Fiction

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry (April 2011)

ISBN: 9781442403543

Source: Bought from Amazon

My Rating: 5/5

Description on GoodReads:

City of Fallen Angels takes place two months after the events of City of Glass. In it, a mysterious someone’s killing the Shadowhunters who used to be in Valentine’s Circle and displaying their bodies around New York City in a manner designed to provoke hostility between Downworlders and Shadowhunters, leaving tensions running high in the city and disrupting Clary’s plan to lead as normal a life as she can — training to be a Shadowhunter, and pursuing her relationship with Jace. As Jace and Clary delve into the issue of the murdered Shadowhunters, they discover a mystery that has deeply personal consequences for them — consequences that may strengthen their relationship, or rip it apart forever. 

Meanwhile, internecine warfare among vampires is tearing the Downworld community apart, and only Simon — the Daylighter who everyone wants on their side — can decide the outcome; too bad he wants nothing to do with Downworld politics. Love, blood, betrayal and revenge: the stakes are higher than ever in City of Fallen Angels 

My Review:

When I found out that there would be a 4th book to The Mortal Instruments I was a little worried it would not be as good as the last 3. I was wrong! It was amazing!

I love Cassandra's writing. She always takes me on an emotional roller-coaster. I found myself laughing (out loud) at the names of Simon's band, angry at the injustice of it all, falling in love with Jace all over again, and fear for what will happen next. The ending was hard for me to accept but I trust Cassandra and will wait (maybe not so patiently) for City of Lost Souls.

If you loved the other 3 this is a must read. We meet new characters, new twists in the story, more Simon and his vampire mojo and of course more Jace and Clary.

"Waiting on" Wednesday (3): Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly even hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming books that we are eagerly anticipating. 

Forever (The Wolfs of Mercy Falls #3) by Maggie Stiefvater

Hardcover:368 pages

Scholastic Press: July 12th 2011 

ISBN: 9780545259088

Pre-Order: Amazon

Description on GoodReads:

The thrilling conclusion to #1 bestselling Shiver trilogy from Maggie Stievater
In Maggie Stiefvater's SHIVER, Grace and Sam found each other. In LINGER, they fought to be together. Now, in FOREVER, the stakes are even higher than before. Wolves are being hunted. Lives are being threatened. And love is harder and harder to hold on to as death comes closing in.

I cannot wait for Forever! Only 3 months (which will feel like years) for us to finally see if their love is strong enough to keep them together. 
What are you waiting for?

In My Mailbox (2)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme, hosted by The Story Siren, held usually on Sundays that encourages bloggers to share what they bought, borrowed, or begged for this week.

Title: The Forest of Hands and Teeth

Author: Carrie Ryan

Genre: YA Fiction

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (February 2010)

Paperback: 336 pages

Bought: Barnes & Noble

Description from GoodReads:

In Mary's world there are simple truths. The Sisterhood always knows best. The Guardians will protect and serve. The Unconsecrated will never relent. And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth. But, slowly, Mary’s truths are failing her. She’s learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power, and about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness. When the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, she must choose between her village and her future—between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded in so much death?

 Title: Neverwhere

Author: Neil Gaiman

Genre:  Fantasy/Fiction

Publisher: Harper Perennial (September 2003)

Paperback: 400 pages

Borrowed: Library

Description from GoodReads:

When Richard Mayhew stops one day to help a girl he finds bleeding on a London sidewalk, his life is forever altered, for he finds himself propelled into an alternate reality that exists in a subterranean labyrinth of sewer canals and abandoned subway stations. He has fallen through the cracks of reality and has landed somewhere different, somewhere that is Neverwhere.

Title: Prophecy of the Sisters
Author: Michelle Zink
Genre: YA Fiction
Publisher: Atom Books (2009)
Hardcover: 352 pages
Borrowed: Library


Description from GoodReads:

An ancient prophecy divides two sisters-
One good...
One evil...
Who will prevail?
Twin sisters Lia and Alice Milthorpe have just become orphans. They have also become enemies. As they discover their roles in a prophecy that has turned generations of sisters against each other, the girls find themselves entangled in a mystery that involves a tattoo-like mark, their parents' deaths, a boy, a book, and a lifetime of secrets. 
Lia and Alice don't know whom they can trust.
They just know they can't trust each other.

For Review

Title: Fated

Author: Carolyn McCray

What's in your Mailbox?

{Review:} Matched by Ally Condie

Title: Matched
Author: Ally Condie
Genre: YA Fiction
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile (November 2010)
Hardcover: 384 pages
ISBN: 9780525423645
Source: Library
Available on: Amazon

My Rating: 4/5

Description on GoodReads:

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.

My Review:


I decided to read this book because I heard great things and I fell in love with the cover. I won't say I was disappointed because I did enjoy this wonderfully written book but I was just expecting more from it.

My biggest problem with this book was that it left me with more questions than answers. I never really understood how and why the Society came to existence. Who are they fighting? Why?

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed reading about the Society and how they control most aspects of their citizen's life, even their death. I found it interesting to see how the Society dealt with information overload and got rid of it along with obesity and most of the problem an industrialized society faces.

It is scary to think how they have been controlled, and their survival without the Society will be difficult because most of them don't know how to do things for themselves.

Now for the characters.

I don't see the best friends relationship between Xander and Cassia. They grew up together but she doesn't seem to do a thing for him. She ignores him, lies to him and puts him in danger. Hmm... I wouldn't want her as my friend.

Also, why does she fall in love with Ky? Does she like Ky just because they tell her to forget him?

I am looking forward to next book in this series because I want to know more. I want my questions answered! So I guess, Ally Conde did a great job because she left me wanting to read more.

I recommend it, but be prepared to be left wondering.

{Review:} Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks

Title: Safe Haven
Author: Nicholas Sparks
Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Romance
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (September 2010)
Hardcover: 340 pages
ISBN: 9780446547598
Source: Library
Available on: Amazon


My Rating: 5/5

Description on GoodReads:

When a mysterious young woman named Katie appears in the small North Carolina town of Southport, her sudden arrival raises questions about her past. Beautiful yet self-effacing, Katie seems determined to avoid forming personal ties until a series of events draws her into two reluctant relationships: one with Alex, a widowed store owner with a kind heart and two young children; and another with her plainspoken single neighbor, Jo. Despite her reservations, Katie slowly begins to let down her guard, putting down roots in the close-knit community and becoming increasingly attached to Alex and his family.

But even as Katie begins to fall in love, she struggles with the dark secret that still haunts and terrifies her . . .  a past that set her on a fearful, shattering journey across the country, to the sheltered oasis of Southport. With Jo's empathic and stubborn support, Katie eventually realizes that she must choose between a life of transient safety and one of riskier rewards . . . and that in the darkest hour, love is the only true safe haven.

My Review:


I am not normally a big Nicholas Sparks fan. I enjoyed a few, and I like many of the movies made from his books. Yet, I decided to give this book a chance and I really enjoyed it.

I like how he made me feel for these characters. I felt scared for Katie, feared and hated Kevin and fell in love with Alex. I  enjoyed the way real life problems are portrayed in this book it offered me a window to understanding how people feel when they experience these situations. Some of the parts of this book where a little hard for me to read because they contained violence towards women, but they were necessary for the story. 

The pace of this book also worked for me. I liked the slow beginning as I got to know the characters and their stories. I am not a fan of books that rush the beginnings and fail to make a proper introduction of their characters. 

The main reason I give this book a 5/5 is because of the crazy ending. I loved it! I was laying in bed reading with a wide smile on my face. I guess I should of seen it coming but I did not and am glad because it was a great ending. Some readers may find it strange because it's not really his style and a little strange but it worked for me. 

I recommend this book for anyone that wants to read a book about the power of love, but that doesn't ignore that life sometimes throws unexpected events that may make "happily ever after" seem impossible.

"Waiting On" Wednesday (2): Illusions (Wings, #3) by Aprilynne Pike

Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly even hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming books that we are eagerly anticipating. 

Illusions (Wings, #3) by Aprilynne Pike

Hardcover: 384 pages

HarperTeen (May 3, 2011)

ISBN: 9780061668098

Pre-Order: Amazon

Description from GoodReads:

Laurel hasn't seen Tamani since she begged him to let her go last year. Though her heart still aches, Laurel is confident that David was the right choice.
But just as life is returning to normal, Laurel discovers that a hidden enemy lies in wait. Once again, Laurel must turn to Tamani to protect and guide her, for the danger that now threatens Avalon is one that no faerie thought would ever be possible. And for the first time, Laurel cannot be sure that her side will prevail.

Looking forward to reading more about Tamani and Laurel and see if she finally leaves David. Also, check out PageTurners Blog for a free copy of Wings by Aprilynne Pike.

What are you waiting for? 

In My Mailbox (1)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme, hosted by The Story Siren, held usually on Sundays that encourages bloggers to share what they bought, borrowed, or begged for this week.

 

City of Fallen Angels by: Cassandra Clare 

Bought: Amazon

I have to wait for this one because it comes out April 5. I can't wait!! 

“City of Fallen Angels takes place two months after the events of City of Glass. In it, a mysterious someone’s killing the Shadowhunters who used to be in Valentine’s Circle and displaying their bodies around New York City in a manner designed to provoke hostility between Downworlders and Shadowhunters, leaving tensions running high in the city and disrupting Clary’s plan to lead as normal a life as she can — training to be a Shadowhunter, and pursuing her relationship with Jace. As Jace and Clary delve into the issue of the murdered Shadowhunters, they discover a mystery that has deeply personal consequences for them — consequences that may strengthen their relationship, or rip it apart forever. Meanwhile, internecine warfare among vampires is tearing the Downworld community apart, and only Simon — the Daylighter who everyone wants on their side — can decide the outcome; too bad he wants nothing to do with Downworld politics. Love, blood, betrayal and revenge: the stakes are higher than ever in City of Fallen Angels.”

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Bought: Amazon

A love out of time. A spaceship built of secrets and murder.Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules. Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone-one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship-tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next. Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks
Borrowed: Library

When a mysterious young woman named Katie appears in the small North Carolina town of Southport, her sudden arrival raises questions about her past. Beautiful yet self-effacing, Katie seems determined to avoid forming personal ties until a series of events draws her into two reluctant relationships: one with Alex, a widowed store owner with a kind heart and two young children; and another with her plainspoken single neighbor, Jo. Despite her reservations, Katie slowly begins to let down her guard, putting down roots in the close-knit community and becoming increasingly attached to Alex and his family.

But even as Katie begins to fall in love, she struggles with the dark secret that still haunts and terrifies her . . . a past that set her on a fearful, shattering journey across the country, to the sheltered oasis of Southport. With Jo's empathic and stubborn support, Katie eventually realizes that she must choose between a life of transient safety and one of riskier rewards . . . and that in the darkest hour, love is the only true safe haven.

What's in your Mailbox?