Follow Friday #1 #100FactsAboutMe

"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. Inspired by the inane twitter trend of #100factsaboutme, give us five BOOK RELATED silly facts about you

1. I am always reading a physical book and listening to an audio-book.
2. If I start a book I have to finish it, so far no book has been bad enough to ruin my record.
3. My fiancée knows every story I read because I wont shut up about it for days.
4. I have to go to the library at least once a week or I would be penniless because I always have to have a book to read.
5. When a new book from a series comes out I always have to go back and re-read some of the books. If I don't I end up thinking that Sookie is a shadowhunter.

{Review} Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Title: Unearthly
Author: Cynthia Hand
Genre: YA Fiction
Publisher: HarperTeen (Jan 2011)
Hardcover: 435pg
ISBN: 9780061996160
Source: Purchased from Amazon
Available on: Amazon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Description on GoodReads:

"In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees . . . .Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has apurpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place—and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make—between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?Unearthly is a moving tale of love and fate, and the struggle between following the rules and following your heart."

Review:

I admit that the reason I grabbed this book was the amazing cover. I know you are not supposed to judge a book by its cover but I have done some of my best book discoveries this way. Then when I read that it was about angels I just had to buy it. What can I say, I love my fallen angels and this book delivered.

Let, me begin by telling you what I liked about this book.

• The girl is the angel not the guy 
• I love Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick and Fallen by Lauren Kate but enjoyed the girl being the heavenly creature and she being the one that takes him flying
• Clara's friend Wendy is wonderful, the gift she gives Clara for her birthday is amazing :)
• The relationship she develops with her love interest (I won't tell you who it is so that you can enjoy) is a healthy relationship
• She get's to know him, goes on dates, and become friends before she realizes that she is in love
• I am tired of books where the characters fall in love at first sight and then 70 pages later are willing to sacrifice the world for them without getting to know them.
• She is a 17 yrs old, and acts like it. She doesn't want to spend an eternity with the first guy she meets. She has the right to change her mind.
• The last 100 pages or so are amazing, I could not put the book down. 
• I was holding my breath for some of it, I couldn't believe what was happening
• Cynthia Hand has an interesting view on angels and their world and writes a book that takes you in 

Now for what I didn't like:

• The character of Angela
• I understand that she needed a friend that understood her angelic side but I don't see how she contributed to the story. Maybe, she will be more important in the next book.
• Apparently everyone and their neighbors are angels
• I liked the twists in the story but it just seemed a little strange how they are everywhere and humans don't know of their existence. Even when they fly during the day.
• The character of Christian was a little flat for my taste.
• We don't really know much about him other than he wants to study business and likes to ski and then the reason of why he is standing in the forest while there's a forest fire. Hopefully, the next book tells us more about him since he is a main character.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. If you are like me and want another angel YA novel to fall in love with then pick this one up.

{Review:} Cleopatra: A life by Stacy Schieff

Title: Cleopatra: A Life
Author: Stacy Schiff
Genre: Biography & Memoirs
Publisher: Little Brown & Co (Nov 2010)
Hardcover: 380 pages
ISBN: 9780316001922
Source: Library
Available on: Amazon

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Description on GoodReads:

Her life spanned fewer than 40 years, but she was the last Egyptian pharaoh and one of the most influential women of the age. She married twice, each time to a brother; she poisoned one and waged a war against the other. To this day, the life of Cleopatra VII (69-30 B.C.) intrigues us. This adept biography by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Stacy Schiff tells us why it should. The true story of the woman behind the myth.

Review: 

I have always been fascinated with Egypt and its history. So, when I came across this book it became a must-read. I wasn't surprised to find put that the men that wrote the history decided to paint a picture of Cleopatra that might not have been the truth. The details of this book are impressive. Her family history horrifying, her life captivating. I was surprised to find out many things about Cleopatra VII. I won't go over the details because I believe that those are what makes this book interesting. I did not like how Schiff jumps around, I understand that she is trying to follow Cleopatra's life but it was still a little hard to understand.

Overall, this is a must read if you want to learn about a strong, intelligent and powerful women, Cleopatra VII.

View all my reviews

"Waiting On" Wednesday (1): City of Fallen Angels

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

I can't wait for...

City of Fallen Angels ( The Mortal Instruments, #4) by Cassandra Clare

Hardcover: 432 pages

 Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry (April 5, 2011)

ISBN:978144240354

Pre-Order: Amazon

Description from GoodReads:

City of Fallen Angels is the fourth book in the bestselling series The Mortal Instruments. 
“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.”

I know April 5th is almost here but I can't wait to return to the world of The Mortal Instruments and learn more about Jace, Clary, Simon and Magnus.

Am I the only one???