{Review} Frostbite by Richelle Mead

Frostbite
by Richelle Mead
Series: Vampire Academy #2
Pages: 327
Release Date: April 10, 2008
by Razorbill (an imprint of Penguin)

Goodreads / Purchase

Rose loves Dimitri, Dimitri might love Tasha, and Mason would die to be with Rose...

It’s winter break at St. Vladimir’s, but Rose is feeling anything but festive. A massive Strigoi attack has put the school on high alert, and now the Academy’s crawling with Guardians—including Rose’s hard-hitting mother, Janine Hathaway. And if hand-to-hand combat with her mom wasn’t bad enough, Rose’s tutor Dimitri has his eye on someone else, her friend Mason’s got a huge crush on her, and Rose keeps getting stuck in Lissa’s head while she’s making out with her boyfriend, Christian! The Strigoi are closing in, and the Academy’s not taking any risks... This year, St. Vlad’s annual holiday ski trip is mandatory.

But the glittering winter landscape and the posh Idaho resort only create the illusion of safety. When three friends run away in an offensive move against the deadly Strigoi, Rose must join forces with Christian to rescue them. But heroism rarely comes without a price...

What a sequel!  Wow.  I don't really know what to say about this book other than that it was awesome!  The combination of kick-ass action and heartbreaking romance made this book oh so good.  I loved how this book continued off of Vampire Academy but also had its own story.  It continue the story perfectly and added so much to the series.  The writing, I've realized, isn't amazing.  It's kind of juvenile at times, but the story line and staging and action make up for it.  The twists and turns in this book kept me on my toes constantly.  The staging was so well done, and the story line led up to the ending so perfectly.  It was really heartbreaking, and the romance added so much to the story.  The ending was absolutely amazing and wrapped up everything that had been introduced in the beginning of this book.

I must say, Dimitri is one smoking hot Guardian.  Please, can I have him?  The combination of sexiness and selflessness just makes me melt.  It's so hard to describe him, and Mead did such a good job of developing him and showing a different side to him in this book.  He is such a nice guy, and he really cares about Rose.  If he didn't he wouldn't act like he does.

Rose, I have to admit, is pretty kick-ass.  I really like her and her spunk and attitude.  Seriously, she's me in half-vampire form.  In this book she had a lot of flaws, or mistakes I should say, and she grew so much in this book.  She learned from her mistakes, fixed them, and moved on.

I honestly can't wait to read the next book.  This series is so amazing and I can't wait to see the characters develop even more.

5 stars

 

 

Richelle Mead's other YA books:

 

Vampire Academy series (6 books)

Bloodlines series (5 and counting books)

 





What On Earth Is Going On With Me?

Most of you probably saw my last post about how I am shutting down this blog.

Well the thing is, the second I posted that announcement I started to miss blogging.  It's something that I've been doing for 3 years and I can't just dismiss it from my life in 5 minutes and one blog post.

First, I want to apologize for going back and forth again and again on what the heck I'm going to do with this blog.

This is my perspective: I started this blog 3 years ago because I love books with a fiery passion and I wanted to talk to other people who loved books too.  I used to get a decent amount of comments on my posts and reviews about what that person thought of the book and I loved every single one.  It made my day when I saw someone who cared enough about that book to leave a comment on my blog.  That was about a year ago when I was able to post regularly and before I started college.  Since I started my first semester of college last year I put a hold on the blog to focus on my school. But this semester I'm going to try and keep the blog alive...the only problem is it's been out of commission for so long that no one really checks on it anymore.  So when I post a review I don't get any comments or views.  I'm not obsessed with how many views I get, but if I work for a long time to review the book and put together the post then I kind of want someone to see my work.

The reason I was going to shut this blog down was because I wasn't getting as much traffic as a year ago, which is completely understandable.  I can't expect that kind of traffic back in a week.  But my problem is every review I post is special to me and I want it to be seen and appreciated by people, and I just don't feel like it's fair to the book when no one sees the review because I haven't been posting regularly for a long time now.

So that is my dilemma.

I have decided that I WILL continue on with this blog, and I will post as often as I can.  I can get easily discouraged if no one comes to my blog, but I'll try and keep to it and work as hard as I can to make this blog what it used to be.

Thank you all for handling all my mood swings and back and forth and I love and appreciate every single one of you! ♥

{Review} Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Vampire Academy
by Richelle Mead
Series: Vampire Academy #1
Pages: 332
Release Date: August 16, 2007
by Razorbill (an imprint of Penguin)

Goodreads / Purchase

St. Vladimir’s Academy isn’t just any boarding school—it’s a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They’ve been on the run, but now they’re being dragged back to St. Vladimir’s—the very place where they’re most in danger...

Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy’s ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi—the world’s fiercest and most dangerous vampires—make Lissa one of them forever.

What an amazing start to an amazing series!  This book was awesome.  I can already feel another fandom growing within me haha.  I'm going to be obsessed.  Basically, to sum up this book, it wasn't very well written, but it was very entertaining.  I'm not ragging on Richelle Mead or anything but her writing isn't amazing, but her characters and story make up for that.  The romance pretty much killed me.  The feels were intense man!  The build to this book was very well done, and I loved how Mead introduced the setting, characters, and situation so effortlessly, and was able to manipulate it as the story progressed.  And that ending!  OH MY GOD!  That ending gives a new meaning to edge-of-your-seat.  It was a double ending, meaning there was a climax...and then another one.  Killer, yes.

I love these characters SO MUCH!  First off, Rose is hilarious.  I love her attitude, snark, personality, and kick-ass-ness.  I love the way she doesn't take shit from anyone, and her fierce protectiveness of Lissa.  Dimitri...hold on I gotta go cool off for a bit.  He's too hot I can't take it.  Seriously though, this man is amazing.  Sexy, kick-ass, reserved, mysterious...yeah, I want him.  Lissa was a great character too.  It was really intense to watch read about her though because she was a mess, but in the end I thought she was pretty good character.

I can't wait to get completely immersed in this series.  I know it's going to become another obsession but hey, I'm looking forward to it.

5 stars

 

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

So as most of you know, the movie came out February 7 (last Friday) and sadly I didn't go see it, nor can I go see it anytime soon.  Trust me, I'm not happy.

It looks so amazing.

But I would really recommend everyone go see it if you can because I've heard nothing but good things about it, and also Dimitri is in it...do you really need another reason?

Whether or not we get a sequel movie depends on how much money it makes in the first couple weeks so PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE go see it!

 

Here is the trailer, if you need anymore convincing:

 

 

I'm Shutting Down This Blog

I've thought about this for a long time and I think it's something I have to do.

Don't get me wrong, blogging these past 3 years has been amazing...it's just my life is a lot different now than it was when I started.

I'm now in college and I have less time both to read but to also put as much effort into this blog as I would like to.

I've loved all my followers and blogging friends and I'll miss everyone, but I think this is best.

Don't worry, I won't stop reviewing!  I'm still going to be active on Goodreads so if you want to friend me on there I'll talk to everyone!

Thanks for understanding and for sticking with me through all this crazy blogging!!

Love you all!!!!

 ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

{Review} Manor of Secrets by Katherine Longshore

Manor of Secrets
by Katherine Longshore
Pages: 320
Release Date: January 28, 2014
by Point (an imprint of Scholastic)

Goodreads / Purchase

The year is 1911. And at The Manor, nothing is as it seems . . .

Lady Charlotte Edmonds: Beautiful, wealthy, and sheltered, Charlotte feels suffocated by the strictures of upper-crust society. She longs to see the world beyond The Manor, to seek out high adventure. And most of all, romance.

Janie Seward: Fiery, hardworking, and clever, Janie knows she can be more than just a kitchen maid. But she isn't sure she possesses the courage -- or the means -- to break free and follow her passions.

Both Charlotte and Janie are ready for change. As their paths overlap in the gilded hallways and dark corridors of The Manor, rules are broken and secrets are revealed. Secrets that will alter the course of their lives. . . forever.

*A copy was provided by Scholastic for review purposes*

 

A complex, fast-paced, impossible story is not what you would expect from a historical fiction book.  But that was what this one had.  I have to say, I was very impressed with it.  The setting and situation were very well explained to I got the full picture pretty quick, and man was it dismal.  Everyone was unhappy in this book and as I was reading I was trying to figure out how Katherine Longshore was going to make it right.  But she staged everything in such a way that when she did make it right, it made perfect sense.  The story line and plot was very complex and interesting, and the story moved very fast.  There were a lot of different elements to this book, romance, intrigue, drama...you get the idea.  I liked the 2 POVs in this book.  When having 2 POVs there is the danger of one being less interesting, but in this book they were both equally gripping and it really showed the difference in how Charlotte and Janie lived.  The ending was absolutely awesome and definitely gives a new meaning to “fairytale ending”.

The characters in this book were great.  Charlotte and Janie were very well developed and you got to know them very well.  Charlotte is trapped in her life and she wants to rebel, but can't.  She was a pathetic character in the beginning but over the course of the book you can see her grow and become stronger.  I really loved Janie's spunk and attitude, and her selflessness.  I also really like Henry and Andrew Broadhurst – he's so sweet, though I found it a little convenient that he was so unconventional.

All in all, a fantastic historical fiction book that managed to be gripping and interesting throughout.

 

4 stars

 



MAJOR CHANGES + GIVEAWAY!

Hi everyone!

So school started.  Poop.

So yeah I'm making some major changes to my blog. I'm changing literally everything (except maybe the reviewing).

Since I started this blog over 2 years ago I've become completely obsessed with something known as fandoms.  Fandoms are basically a following of fangirls who are emotionally damaged and completely dedicated to a certain book (or anything else).

I have an Instagram for this, and this blog has kind of taken a back seat.  But the problem is, I really love reviewing books and talking to other readers.

So here's what I'm going to do. I am going to change this blog into a multi-fandom news source.  I will change the design and name, and I will post bookish/movie-ish things on here.  I will still be reviewing books, just maybe not so many review books or ARCs.  But I won't be doing anymore memes or blog tours.

I am in the Hunger Games, Vampire Academy, TFIOS, Divergent, and TMI fandoms, so I will post everything and anything from those fandoms.

The change begins now.  If some of you don't like that I changed my blog, I completely understand.  If you want to unfollow, that is perfectly fine.  No hard feelings :)

I hope that some of you do stay, though, and I hope that we can talk and interact a lot while suffering through the feels of fictional characters and movies.

This change will also allow me to post more often because instead of just posting reviews (like I have been for a while) I can post other things as well.

And, because I feel like it, I am going to be doing a HUGE  giveaway!

The Rules:

~This giveaway is US only

~All prizes are in ARC format

~Due to the fact that I am a teenager with little money, the winner will be required to pay $5 for shipping

~The first winner will get first pick on what package he/she wants, second winner gets second book, so on.

~Giveaway ends February 4, 2014 @ 12:01 a.m.

~Box 1~

~Box 2~

~Box 3~

~Box 4~

~Box 5~

a Rafflecopter giveaway

{Review} Perfect Ruin by Lauren DeStefano

Perfect Ruin
by Lauren DeStefano
Series: The Internment Chronicles #1
Pages: 356
Release Date: October 1, 2013
by Simon & Schuster

Goodreads / Purchase

On Internment, the floating island in the clouds where 16-year-old Morgan Stockhour lives, getting too close to the edge can lead to madness. Even though Morgan's older brother, Lex, was a Jumper, Morgan vows never to end up like him. She tries her best not to mind that her life is orderly and boring, and if she ever wonders about the ground, and why it is forbidden, she takes solace in best friend Pen and her betrothed, Basil. Then a murder, the first in a generation, rocks the city. With whispers swirling and fear on the wind, Morgan can no longer stop herself from investigating, especially when she meets Judas. He is the boy being blamed for the murder — betrothed to the victim — but Morgan is convinced of his innocence. Secrets lay at the heart of Internment, but nothing can prepare Morgan for what she will find — or who she will lose.

*A copy was provided by Simon & Schuster in exchange for an honest review*

After reading the Chemical Garden trilogy I had average expectations for this book, but I actually really enjoyed it.  The writing was very good, and I liked how the story line flowed perfectly, the romance and society issues working very well together.  The idea was very good, in my opinion, and the world building and explanations were very well done.  However, I did feel like some things were stolen from other books, [SPOILER: like people being killed at age 75 Matched  or Stung  and being betrothed to someone from a young age (I think that was Matched too, but this one is okay really because that happens in a ton of books) ].  But dystopian books are so over-done these days that they all seem the same.  I really liked how the romance was shaped in this book, and the action was very interesting and thrilling, and there were parts in the book where I was completely engrossed.  The plot twists were crazy and I didn’t see them coming.  Also the ending set up a second book really perfectly, and it feels like the story is only just now beginning.

I really liked this cast.  Like I mentioned before, I liked how the romance was shaped.  [SPOILER: What I mean by that is Basil and Morgan are betrothed, and I was expecting Morgan to fall in love with someone else and leave Basil, but I’m really glad that she stayed with him because he seems like a really great guy. ] Basil was a really great character and a really nice guy.  He was sweet, smart, obviously loved Morgan, and was a strong love interest.  I also liked Morgan, because she was a strong character and defied the world she was in and was spirited and independent.

All in all, I really did enjoy this book, and I loved how this book ended and set up the second book perfectly.  I am expecting great things from this series, and this was a great way to kick it off.

4 stars

{Review} Wild Cards by Simone Elkeles

Wild Cards

by Simone Elkeles

Series: Wild Cards #1
Pages: 342

Release Date: October 1, 2013

by Walker Books for Young Readers (an imprint of Bloomsbury)

Goodreads / Purchase

After getting kicked out of boarding school, bad boy Derek Fitzpatrick has no choice but to live with his ditzy stepmother while his military dad is deployed. Things quickly go from bad to worse when he finds out she plans to move them back to her childhood home in Illinois. Derek’s counting the days before he can be on his own, and the last thing he needs is to get involved with someone else’s family drama. Ashtyn Parker knows one thing for certain--people you care about leave without a backward glance. A football scholarship would finally give her the chance to leave. So she pours everything into winning a state championship, until her boyfriend and star quarterback betrays them all by joining their rival team. Ashtyn needs a new game plan, but it requires trusting Derek—someone she barely knows, someone born to break the rules. Is she willing to put her heart on the line to try and win it all?

*A copy was provided by Bloomsbury in exchange for an honest review*

Even though this book was a really good love story, it wasn’t my favorite.  To me, it wasn’t as good as Perfect Chemistry, which I thought was amazing.  I can’t really put my finger on why I didn’t love this one.  The writing was very good, and I loved the humor of the book.  The staging and the beginning of the romance were really well done, and I really liked how Elkeles shaped the romance in the beginning.  I think the romance grew really well, but I did get kind of annoyed with the drama and the I-love-him/her-but-I-don’t-want-him/her-to-know stuff going on.  It made it interesting in the beginning, but as it kept on happening I kind of got sick of it.  I think the romance grew really well though, and the fact that Elkeles changed the POV really enhanced the book.  And I though the ending was pretty well done, but also a bit over-perfect, if that makes sense.

This cast was pretty awesome.  Derek, first off, is a character.  As in, he’s entertaining (obviously he’s a character, he’s in the book haha).  He definitely had an ego, and that made it really fun to watch him and Ashtyn fight and argue all the time.  He was funny, sexy, big-mouthed, but still a good character.  [SPOILER: But did find it annoying when the romance finally started to get going about three-fourths of the way through the book that Elkeles suddenly made Derek a one-night-stand kind of guy ].  Ashtyn was a good female main character, only I didn’t really like some of the choices she made throughout the book.  [SPOILER: I didn’t like the fact that she changed her own needs in a relationship to fit Derek’s needs.  As I said above, Elkeles said Derek was a one-night-stand guy, but Ashtyn was looking for commitment, but she changed her mind one night to try and please Derek.  That really annoyed me ].

All in all, this book wasn’t awesome, and I’ve read better romance books, but I did like the humor and the romance.

3 stars

{Review} The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer
by Michelle Hodkin
Series: Mara Dyer #1
Pages: 452
Release Date: September 27, 2011
by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Goodreads / Purchase

Mara Dyer doesn’t think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.
It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can’t remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.
There is.

She doesn’t believe that after everything she’s been through, she can fall in love.
She’s wrong.

I couldn’t figure out this book. The entire time I was reading I was trying to figure out what on earth was making Mara do what she did and it was killing me. I have to give huge props to Michelle Hodkin for writing a story as engaging and interesting as this one. I basically loved pretty much everything about this book. The mystery, the characters, the writing, the story. The setting was introduced very well and the staging throughout for what was going on was fabulous ,especially the staging. The staging for the actual story line, like how Mara figures out what she is, is kind of too easy, but oh well. The writing was engaging and flowing and humorous, and I loved it. The ending was killer! I was literally just sitting on my front porch gasping and gesturing at my book in plain view of my neighbors haha. But I didn't care, I'm a book nerd.

This cast...wow. I'm just trying to think of a sexier love interest than Noah Shaw, and I'm finding it very hard. It's weird to say that a fictional character has sex appeal...but he does. And he's British, which, in my opinion, makes you 60% sexier. Yes, 60%. exactly ;P Basically Noah is amazing, sexy, perfect, ugh. I want him. I loved Mara as well. I loved her spunk, personality, sass, and big mouth. She was crazy, yes, but awesome at the same time.

After that ending I need to read the next book like now. Right now!

5 stars