Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday- April 25, 2012

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Size 12 and Ready to Rock (Heather Wells #4)
by Meg Cabot
Publication Release Date: July 10, 2012

From Meg Cabot's website:

Former pop star Heather Wells has settled nicely into her new life as assistant dorm director at New York College—a career that does not require her to drape her size 12 body in embarrassingly skimpy outfits. She can even cope (sort of) with her rocker ex-boyfriend's upcoming nuptials, which the press has dubbed The Celebrity Wedding of the Decade. But she's definitely having a hard time dealing with the situation in the dormitory kitchen—where a cheerleader has lost her head on the first day of the semester. (Actually, her head is accounted for—it's her torso that's AWOL.)

Surrounded by hysterical students—with her ex-con father on her doorstep and her ex-love bombarding her with unwanted phone calls—Heather welcomes the opportunity to play detective . . . again. If it gets her mind off her personal problems—and teams her up again with the gorgeous P.I. who owns the brownstone where she lives—it's all good. But the murder trail is leading the average-sized amateur investigator into a shadowy world. And if she doesn't watch her step, Heather will soon be singing her swan song!

Monday, April 23, 2012

In My Mailbox- April 23, 2012




In My Mailbox: Here's what came in my mailbox this week


MONDAY
Wake- Amanda Hocking--review for an Around the World ARC Tour











TUESDAY
Other- Karen Kincy--PaperbackSwap











WEDNESDAY
7 Clues to Winning You- Kristin Walker--review for an Around the World ARC Tour










City of Fallen Angels (The Mortal Instruments #4)- Cassandra Clare--PaperbackSwap










FRIDAY
Such a Rush- Jennifer Echols--review for an Around the World ARC Tour

Sunday, April 22, 2012

The Sunday Salon- April 22, 2012

The Sunday Salon

Yesterday was our 5k at Sea World.  We did pretty well, but my shins are hurting today!  Also, my computer is all messed up!  I have a bunch of viruses apparently and I have used a couple of virus scanners to get rid of them, but then one of the them ended up making it so I couldn't get on to Windows, so I had to fix that and then the other one made it so my keyboard wouldn't work!  Grr!  I don't know how to get rid of them safely!  (and I even did the scanning in the safe mode!)

I finished and reviewed the following books in the past week:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I fulfilled items in the following challenges in the past week:

I am currently reading 7 Clues to Winning You by Kristin Walker and up next is Such a Rush by Jennifer Echols.

Book Review-Wake

I just finished reading Wake by Amanda Hocking for an Around the World ARC Tours.

From Goodreads:

Amanda Hocking takes you deep into a new world with the first book in the Watersong series.

Beautiful. Fearless. Dangerous. They're the kind of girls you envy; the kind of girls you want to hate. Strangers in town for the summer, Penn, Thea, and Lexi have caught everyone's attention, including the eye of practical Harper. But it's her sister, Gemma, they've chosen to be part of their group.

Sixteen-year-old Gemma seems to have it all - carefree, pretty, and falling in love with the boy next door. But her greatest passion has always been the water. She craves late night swims under the stars, where she can be alone yet belong to the sea. Lately she's had company. Penn, Thea, and Lexi spend their nights dancing, singing, and partying on the cove--and one night Gemma joins them. When she wakes up groggy on the beach the next morning, she knows something has changed.

Suddenly Gemma is stronger, faster, and more beautiful than ever. As she uncovers the truth about her new mythical powers, Gemma is forced to choose between staying with those she loves or entering a dark world brimming with unimaginable secrets.
 
I am always fascinated by mermaid stories (I just know its because of my love for The Little Mermaid) and that flows over into a love of siren stories as well. 
 
I really liked the characters in this story.  Harper was the older sister with the tough outer shell.  She's had to step up to become the mother-like figure, protective and worrying, and can't let anyone see the softer side of her.  Gemma is the typical younger sister--more relaxed and free except with her hobby of swimming and goal of being in the Olympics.   Then there's the boys-  Alex and Daniel.  Both great guys and one for each of the sisters (no love triangle in this story!)  Even the sirens are well written.
 
The one thing I didn't like was that the book left you hanging.  And while I guess it could be considered a cliff hanger, I felt more like the story didn't wrap up well.  I don't know how to explain it, but usually with cliffhangers I get the feeling of it being in the right spot (if that makes any sense).  But I feel that in this book, more needed to be told before the cliffhanger. 
 
Anyways, I will defintely be picking up the next book in the series when it comes out!
 
I gave this book a rating of 3.5/5.
 
Wake will be released on August 7, 2012.
 
This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2012 Reading Challenge 150+: 35
2012 ARC Reading Challenge: 30
2012 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 32
 
*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of the Around the World Tours.

Friday, April 20, 2012

12 Days of Morganville Madness and Giveaway!

Today starts the 12 Days of Morganville Madness!  It all leads up to the latest book in the Morganville Vampire series by Rachel Caine, Black Dawn, which will be released on May 1.

Each day there will be a review of that book, a Q&A with Rachel Caine, and a giveaway of that book.  Here is the tour schedule


April 20th: GLASS HOUSES (Book 1)
http://www.pageturnersblog.com/

April 21: THE DEAD GIRLS DANCE (Book 2)
http://melaniemccullough.blogspot.com/

April 22: MIDNIGHT ALLEY (Book 3)
http://book-splot.blogspot.com/

April 23: FEAST OF FOOLS (Book 4)
http://hobbitsies.net/wordpress/

April 24: LORD OF MISRULE (Book 5)
http://bookmonsterreviews.blogspot.com/

April 25: CARPE CORPUS (Book 6)
http://myoverstuffedbookshelf.blogspot.com/

April 26: FADE OUT (Book 7)
http://missvainsparanormalfantasy.com/

April 27: KISS OF DEATH (Book 8)
http://www.thestorysiren.com/

April 28: GHOST TOWN (Book 9)
http://www.awesomesaucebookclub.com/

April 29: BITE CLUB (Book 10)
http://www.totalbookaholic.com/

April 30: LAST BREATH (Book 11)
http://www.literaladdiction.com/

MAY 1: BLACK DAWN (Book 12, NEW!)
http://mundiemoms.blogspot.com/

And I am lucky enough to be able to giveaway a copy of the first book, Glass Houses, along with a bookmark for Black Dawn!  Fill out the Rafflecoper below US addresses only, no PO boxes.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday- April 18, 2012

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Underworld (Abandon #2)
by Meg Cabot
Publication Release Date: May 8, 2012

From Meg Cabot's website:

Escape from the realm of the dead is impossible when someone there wants you back.

Seventeen-year-old Pierce Oliviera isn’t dead. Not this time.

But she’s been taken by John Hayden, lord of the Underworld, to the dim, twilit world between heaven and hell, where the spirits of the deceased wait before embarking upon their final journey.

John claims it’s for her own safety, to protect her from the Furies who yearn for vengeance against him. But John may have reasons of his own for wanting to keep Pierce close…

And soon Pierce learns that while she might be safe from the wrath of the Furies in the Underworld, the people she loves back on earth are not. Can she convince John to release her in order to save the life of someone in her family? Or will the price he asks her to pay for her freedom turn out to be too high?

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Book Review- Elemental

I just finished reading Elemental by Emily White for an Around the World ARC tour.

From Goodreads:

Just because Ella can burn someone to the ground with her mind doesn't mean she should.

But she wants to.

For ten years—ever since she was a small child—Ella has been held prisoner. Now that she has escaped, she needs answers.

Who is she? Why was she taken? And who is the boy with the beautiful green eyes who haunts her memories?

Is Ella the prophesied Destructor… or will she be the one who's destroyed?

After reading the summary, I thought this book would be paranormal in nature so I signed up to read it.  But it turned out to be sci-fi with religious undertones so I really didn't enjoy it.  I need to stay away from sci-fi books.

There were too many different species (or was it religions?  I couldn't figure it out) and worlds/planets for me to really grasp anything.  I got confused reading it a lot, and that's not what I want to happen with a book.

I didn't like Ella.  She seemed weak to me with nothing really strong about her.  I get that she was held captive for ten years, but come on.  She broke down and fainted with everything.  And Cailen--cool name.  But not a male character I cared about.  I didn't really get all his hot and coldness.  Neither of these characters were likeable or sympathetic to me. 

There was a lot of action in the book, a little of it pretty graphic.  That's fine with me, but I need some character story too.  I dunno.  This book just didn't do anything for me (although the star rating on Goodreads is on the higher end).

I gave this book a rating of 2/5.

Elemental will be released on May 1, 2012.

This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2012 Reading Challenge 150+: 34
2012 ARC Reading Challenge: 29
2012 Debut Author Challenge: 10
2012 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 31

*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of the Around the World Tours.

Monday, April 16, 2012

In My Mailbox- April 16, 2012


In My Mailbox: Here's what came in my mailbox this week


TUESDAY
Love In a Nutshell- Janet Evanovich & Dorien Kelly-PaperbackSwap

Book Review- A Closer Look

I finished reading A Closer Look by Karen DelleCava for a Teen Book Scene Tour.

From Goodreads:

Freshman year is going well for Cassie, a standout sprinter who is about to move up to varsity; school has been fine, her best friend Tara is also running track, and Tommy, that cute sax player she likes has asked her to come see his band rehearse. But in a matter of weeks, Cassie has a secret she is trying to hide from everyone. Her hair has started falling out, and she s doing everything possible to keep it from showing. When her parents tell her it happened to her once before, at age 3, she s horrified, and a trip to the dermatologist confirms what she has been afraid of: that all of her hair may fall out. She has alopecia, and there s no known effective treatment. Cassie eventually gets a wig when she can no longer disguise the truth, and she finally confides in Tommy about it. But when he starts being standoffish and avoids her, she feels betrayed. Then, at a track meet, Robin, her rival on the team, exposes her secret to the whole crowd. With her worst fears realized, will Cassie ever be able to face her classmates, her teammates, and most of all, Tommy?

My heart just broke for Cassie.  I cannot imagine having to start high school and get used to all the quirks of being a freshman and have to deal with losing all of your hair too.  Yes, I know that there are far worse things than losing your hair, but at an age where looks are important, this must have been devastating.

For some reason, I just couldn't really get into Cassie.  I'm not sure if it was the way she was written or her personality or what.  But I really loved Tara!  Every teenager (heck everyone in general!) needs a friend like her!  Tara was so supportive!  She truly cared about Cassie.  She didn't so much as blink when she saw Cassie's bald spot and was always there to cheer her up or help her cover up her patches and just be a great friend in general.  As for Tommy, I was mixed on him.  I think the summary kind of spoiled it for me because the whole time I was reading the book, I kept waiting for him to turn into a jerk (because it says he starts avoiding her after she tells him) so I knew that he was going to be a bad guy.  But when this situation happened, I knew right away that it was for a different reason and so I realized he wasn't such a bad guy.  And I spent the whole time thinking, incorrectly, that he was. 

(And on a completely random note, I was fascinated by all of the running talk.  I just got into running recently.  I hate running but I like the races!  So this part of story intrigued me.)

Anyways, I think that this would be such an important book for teens to read if they were dealing with alopecia or any other condition where they would feel different.  The book has such a strong message about being yourself and loving who you are inside, not just what you look like on the outside!

I gave this book a rating of 3.5/5.

This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2012 Reading Challenge 150+: 13
2012 ARC Reading Challenge: 11
2012 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 11
Completely Contemp Challenge 2012: 2011-1

*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of the Teen Book Scene.

Sunday, April 15, 2012

The Sunday Salon- April 15, 2012

The Sunday Salon

The race yesterday went well.  It was the first time we have run on something unpaved.  There was a lot of dirt and sand.  We kept saying that we had mini beaches in our shoes.  And there were parts where there was so much sand (on a hill!) that it was hard to walk, much less run!  But we only took about a minute longer than normal, so not too bad, I don't think.  Next week is a run at Sea World!

I finished and reviewed the following books in the past week:
The Calling by Kelley Armstrong
Explorer X Beta by LM Preston


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I fulfilled items in the following challenges in the past week:
2012 Reading Challenge 150+: 32, 33
2012 ARC Reading Challenge: 28
2012 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 29, 30

I am currently reading Elemental by Emily White and up next (if I don't get any more tour books) is Nadia Knows Best by Jill Mansell.

Book Review- Explorer X Beta

I just finished reading Explorer X Beta by LM Preston for a blog tour.

From Goodreads:

Barely escaping their captors, Aadi and Eirena are determined to save their dying friend. After their final confrontation with the species that tortured them, they've changed-unfortunately, not for the better. The changes caused by a terrible experiment force Aadi to accept the possibility that he may never be fit to go home, and that holding onto his sanity, or leading his friends to safety will end in failure and may rip his friendship with Eirena apart, forever. Time is slipping away and the possibility of losing his friend is not an option, but the foe that awaits them may be worse than the one they left.

I read the first book in the series awhile ago so I was confused at the beginning of the book, but after that, I pretty much remembered what had happened.  Although like in last book, I got a lot of the different species and characters confused.  I don't normally read sci-fi so maybe this is why. 

There is definitely lots of action in this book!  I was continuously wondering just what was going to happen next and if the teenagers were going to get home!

I would definitely reccommend this for teen boys.  I'm not so sure that teen girls would get into it much, but I think that teen boys need something they can really get into.  And I think this series would definitely be it.  There's fighting and aliens and different species and different planets.  I think this book would be right up any teenage boy's alley!

I gave this book a rating of 3/5.

This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2012 Reading Challenge 150+: 33
2012 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 30

*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of a blog tour for publicity of this book

LM Preston's website
LM Preston's blog

LM Preston's Facebook

LM Preston's Twitter

Book Trailer
.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Book Review- The Calling

I just finished reading The Calling by Kelley Armstrong for an Around the World ARC Tour.

Summary:

In The Calling, the sizzling second book in the Darkness Rising trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong pumps up the romance, danger, and suspense that left readers of The Gathering clamoring for more.  Maya Delaney’s paw-print birthmark is the sign of what she truly is—a skin-walker. She can run faster, climb higher, and see better than nearly anyone else. Experiencing intense connections with the animals that roam the woods outside her home, Maya knows it’s only a matter of time before she’s able to Shift and become one of them. And she believes there may be others in her small town with surprising talents. Now, Maya and her friends have been forced to flee from their homes during a forest fire they suspect was deliberately set. Then they’re kidnapped, and after a chilling helicopter crash, they find themselves in the Vancouver Island wilderness with nothing but their extraordinary abilities to help them get back home. Plentiful action and romance in this second installment in the Darkness Rising series will keep readers enthralled to the very last page!

So I spent the first good half of this book confused.  I couldn't remember what had happened in the first book, and this book took a while to explain it all well enough so that I remembered it.  And then the whole different side of the scientists thing--I got lost trying to keep everything straight.

This book was all action and not really any character development.  In fact, it was simply about their escape.  It felt like it should have just been the middle of one book, instead of a whole book long.  I think I would have enjoyed the book more if this had been the case.  I need some character story, not just action in my books.

Looking back at my last review, I did get some of my questions answered, but I'm still left wondering about Daniel and his feeling for Maya.  And I don't really get the appeal of Rafe.  I don't really remember him from the first book, but there was nothing really in this one that made me think that he was a good choice for Maya and I'm not really sure why she always forgives him so easily.

Oh, and I just got that these books are related to the Darkest Powers series (The Summoning, The Awakening, and The Reckoning!) and that the characters in both  might possibly join together eventually.  That alone will probably have me picking up the next book in the Darkness Rising series, otherwise I'm not sure that I would have.

I gave this book a rating of 3/5.

This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2012 Reading Challenge 150+: 32
2012 ARC Reading Challenge: 28
2012 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 29

*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of the Around the World Tours.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday- April 11, 2012

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

 
Foretold : 14 Stories of Prophecy and Prediction
edited by Carrie Ryan
Published by: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Publication Release Date: August 28, 2012

From Goodreads:

Have you ever been tempted to look into the future? To challenge predictions? To question fate?

It's human nature to wonder about life's twists and turns. But is the future already written—or do you have the power to alter it?

From fantastical prophecies to predictions of how the future will transpire, Foretold is a collection of stories about our universal fascination with life's unknowns and of what is yet to come as interpreted by 14 of young adult fiction's brightest stars.

Monday, April 9, 2012

In My Mailbox- April 9, 2012


In My Mailbox: Here's what came in my mailbox this week



MONDAY
The Diary- Eileen Goudge--Bookmooch











Just Say Yes- Phillipa Ashley--from publisher for review











THURSDAY
Moonsong (The Vampire Diaries: The Hunters #2)-L.J. Smith--PaperbackSwap










The Compelled (The Vampire Diaries: Stefan’s Diaries #6)- L.J. Smith--PaperbackSwap










Silence (The Queen of the Dead #1)- Michelle Sagara--from publisher for review










FRIDAY
Black Dawn (Morganville Vampires #12)- Rachel Caine--from publisher for review

Sunday, April 8, 2012

The Sunday Salon- April 8, 2012

The Sunday Salon

Happy Easter!  Not too much to talk about this week.  I start running again on Tuesday.  I took 2 weeks off because I was in so much pain in my shins.  And for now it really seems to help.  I only have twinges of pain here and there instead of constant pain.  I guess we'll see how it goes on Tuesday.  And we have races every Saturday for the next four weeks!

I finished and reviewed the following books in the past week:
Fractured Light by Rachel McClellan
Dangerous Boy by Mandy Hubbard


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I fulfilled items in the following challenges in the past week:
2012 Reading Challenge 150+: 30, 31
2012 Debut Author Challenge: 9
2012 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 27, 28
2012 ARC Reading Challenge: 27
2012 Standalone Reading Challenge: 6

I am currently reading The Calling by Kelley Armstrong and up next is Explorer X-Beta by LM Preston.

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Book Review- Dangerous Boy

I just finished reading Dangerous Boy by Mandy Hubbard for an Around the World ARC Tour.

From Goodreads:

Harper’s new boyfriend Logan Townsend is everything she never knew she always wanted—tall, muscular, with tousled brown hair that falls effortlessly around his face. But what’s most exciting about Logan is that he’s exhilaratingly dangerous, and dating him allows Harper to say, “buh bye” to her good-girl past and “hello” to newfound adventure.

There’s only one problem with Harper’s otherwise heart-stopping romance: Logan’s twin brother Daemon. Harper knows he’s a bad seed, but she tries to look past his dark, icy stare and his chilling demeanor. After all, he and Logan are a package deal.

Then cow bones start appearing in people’s mailboxes, a flock of birds show up dead, and all of the cars in the senior parking lot are given flat tires—and covered with blood-red handprints. Logan insists that Daemon isn’t involved—sure, he’s had some trouble in the past, but they moved to Harper’s quiet northwest Washington town so that they could both start over.

Harper desperately wants to believe Logan, but the more he tries to protect his brother, the more she wonders what she isn’t being told. Now, Harper must unearth the hidden secrets of the mysterious Townsend brothers’ history if she and Logan are to have any hope of a future. But learning what brought Logan and Daemon to town won’t put just her heart in jeopardy... She’s playing with her life.
 
When I started reading this book, I was immediately sucked in.  I do have to admit that I guessed pretty early on what was happening, but that didn't hurt my enjoyment of the story at all!  The story just flowed so well and the writing was so easy and comfy to read (if that makes any sense) that I was just completely into the book.
 
I loved Harper.  I do think that she was a little naive to some of Logan's actions, but I guess we are all in our first love.  And I love the environment the book was set in.  I've never read a book about a girl who was so into farming.  It was pretty neat.
 
There was lots of action, and while I was pretty sure that I knew who the bad guy was, it was still so intriguing to see if I was right or to see what was going to happen next. 
 
I've read 2 other books by Mandy Hubbard and loved all three of them.  I can't wait to read more by this fabulous author!
 
I gave this book a rating of 4/5.
 
Dangerous Boy will be released on August 30, 2012.
 
This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2012 Reading Challenge 150+: 31
2012 ARC Reading Challenge: 27
2012 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 28
2012 Standalone Reading Challenge: 6
 
*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of the Around the World Tours.

Contest Winners- The Dark Divine Set

According to Rafflecopter,

McKenna Gagne
and
Beth Book Review

have won a complete set of The Dark Divine series by Bree Despain! Please email your address to me at belle2211(at)yahoo(dot)com by Monday at 5pm and I'll have your book mailed out to you!

Friday, April 6, 2012

The Teen Book Scene: Guest Blog: Karen DelleCava

I am honored to host Karen DelleCava, author of A Closer Look, on my blog today as part of a Teen Book Scene Blog Tour.

I got to interview Tommy, from the book!

1.What is your favorite quality in Cassie?
She’s open to jazz and is willing to listen to anything I write even if it stinks. If I hit an off note, she’ll call me out in a nice way, “Did you mean that little part there?” I like that she’s honest.

2.What were your first thoughts when hearing about Cassie's condition for the first time?
Immediately I thought she had cancer. Crazy, I know. Chemotherapy is the only thing that I heard of that would cause someone’s hair to fall out. I felt scared for her and for me--which was really lame of me since she was the one dealing with something so major.

3.You wrote a song with Cassie in mind. If the song had lyrics, what would chorus be like?
We act like strangers now we’re in danger of tearing this apart.
The danger is you just can’t see it’s you who holds my heart.
It’s our last chance and we’re both here
So shed your doubt. Release your fear.
The danger is you just can’t see it’s me who holds your heart.

4.When did you finally get to meet your new sister and how did it go?
It was about two weeks after Cass’s meet against Cranford. I had bought Jenny that book The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carl when Cass and I were at the mall. Anyway, it was weird. I went with my brothers, Eric and Rich, to a playground in town to meet her and my father who I haven’t seen in who knows how long. The sight of him really pissed me off because of what he did to my mother-all of us--but since this was supposed to be about meeting Jenny I held my shit together.
When I saw her, it finally sunk in that I was a big brother now. I gave her the book and Jenny not being shy at all, gave me hug and asked me to read it on the spot. That pretty much won me over. Then she gave us a drawing she’d made--a pink frog--that was covered in glitter. We took turns pushing her on the swings, just spending time all together. My little sister, Jenny. Kind of a mind blow but very cool.

5.Pretend I'm in high school...create a hall pass for me with a poem to get out of class to meet you!
If you tell Cass about this I’m dead meat. I did a little research on you so, okay, just for fun....

Roses are red
Hummingbirds hover
The library @ 1
But come undercover

Thanks, Andrea!

Visit www.karendellecava.com for details on how to win a signed copy of A Closer Look plus a surprise gift but “Do not open it until page 153.”

A Closer Look Book Signing Friday, April 13th 6:30-8pm
Teens will receive a surprise gift but “Do not open it until page 153.” (While supplies last.)
Well Read (New & Used) Bookstore
425 Lafayette Ave
Hawthorne NJ 07506
973-949-3440

http://www.karendellecava.com/ Read Chapter 1 of A Closer Look

http://www.thewellreadbookstore.com/

Thanks for joining us Tommy and Karen!

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday- April 4, 2012

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Shadow Bound (Unbound #2)
by Rachel Vincent
Publication Release Date: May 22, 2012

From Rachel Vincent's website:

If you live in the dark long enough, you begin to forget the light…

KORI DANIELS is a shadow-walker, able to travel instantly from one shadow to another. After weeks of confinement for betraying her boss, she’s ready to break free of the Tower syndicate for good. But Jake Tower has one final job for Kori, one chance to secure freedom for herself and her sister, Kenley, even if that means taking it from someone else…

The job? Recruit Ian Holt—or kill him.

Ian’s ability to manipulate the dark has drawn interest from every syndicate in the world, most notably an invitation from Jake Tower. Though he has no interest in organized crime, Ian accepts the invite, because he’s on a mission of his own.

Ian has come to kill Tower’s top Binder: Kori’s little sister.

Amid the tangle of lies, an unexpected thread of truth connecting Ian and Kori comes to light. But with opposing goals, they’ll have to choose between love and liberty….

Book Review- Fractured Light

I finished reading Fractured Light by Rachel McClellan for a Teen Book Scene Tour.

From Goodreads:

Llona Reese is used to living on the run. After the Vykens killed her parents, she knew they would eventually come for her too. But she never felt ready to face them---until now. Defying the Auran Council and everything she's been taught, Llona must learn to use her power over light as a weapon if she wants to survive.


Fractured Light started off pretty rough for me.  I think the premise of the story was pretty  good but it was the writing at the beginning and the characters that turned me off.
 
Llona annoyed me.  She was selfish and cold and dramatic.  And some of the details of her thoughts were just random (when she first bumps into Christian, they're on the bleachers and she almost falls but he saves her by wrapping her arms around her and so she thinks he's hot and reminds her of a Navy Seal.  I don't know many teenage girls who would first jump to the thought of a high school guy being a Navy Seal.  It just struck me as weird).  And then Christian.  He supposed to be this strong guy protecting Llona but he seemed kinda weak to me.  I never really read any scenes that led me to believe that he actually could protect her.  Then there's Matt...I thought there was something up with him that would be important to the paranormal part of the story, but there wasn't.  He was nice enough but there was something just strange enough about him that I thought there was more going on.  I did like May though!  I liked that she was her own person but fit into every clique and was so nice!
 
That being said, the book did get better towards the end.  Once the action started, I was drawn in and wanted to know what was going to happen next.  Yes, I did guess who the bad guy was right away, but that was okay.  The sequel of the book seems like it will take place mostly at a school for girls who who have special powers like Llona.  I seem to always really like books that take place at colleges or boarding schools so I'll probably still give this one a try.
 
I gave this book a rating of 3/5.
 
This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2012 Reading Challenge 150+: 30
2012 Debut Author Challenge: 9
2012 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 27

*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of the Teen Book Scene.

Monday, April 2, 2012

In My Mailbox- April 2, 2012

In My Mailbox: Here's what came in my mailbox this week


WEDNESDAY
Where She Went- Gayle Forman--PaperbackSwap











Perception (Clarity #2)- Kim Harrington--review for an Around the World ARC Tour










THURSDAY
A Catered Affair- Sue Margolis--PaperbackSwap











Elemental- Emily White--review for an Around the World ARC Tour











SATURDAY
Welcome Caller, This is Chloe- Shelley Coriell--review for a Teen Book Scene Tour










Dangerous Boy- Mandy Hubbard--review for an Around the World ARC Tour










The Calling (Darkness Rising #2)- Kelley Armstrong--review for an Around the World ARC Tour










Skirting the Grave (Vintage Magic Mystery #4)- Annette Blair--PaperbackSwap