Sunday, December 2, 2012

In My Mailbox #37


In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, where we spotlight the books that we've received for review, swapped, or purchased that week.

FOR REVIEW:

Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan
Unleashed by Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie
(from Delacorte Press)


FOR BLOG TOUR:

Princess of the Silver Woods by Jessica Day George (from  Bloomsbury)


ARCYLING:

The Calling by Kelley Armstrong


What did you guys get this week?
Link me up!!! :)

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Bookish Bits #2

Bookish Bits is a meme hosted here at Emily's Crammed Bookshelf that features new bookish news, such as giveaways, new releases, and cover reveals!  Posted every Saturday.

New Releases (Dec 1-Dec 8):



The Friday Society by Adrienne Kress (December 6, 2012 from Dial) My Review / Purchase
The Farm (The Farm #1) by Emily McKay (December 4, 2012 from Berkley Trade) Purchase
Burned (Pretty Little Liars #12) by Sara Shepard (December 4, 2012 by HarperTeen) Purchase
Never Let You Go by Emma Carlson Berne (December 4, 2012 from Simon Pulse) Purchase


Cover Reveals:



Dare You To (Pushing the Limits #2) by Katie McGarry (Harlequin Teen)
The Summer I Became a Nerd by Leah Rae Miller (Entangled Teen)
45 Pounds by K.A. Barson (Viking Juvenile)
How I Lost You by Janet Gurtler (Sourcebooks Fire)

Giveaways:

Friday, November 30, 2012

Review: The Friday Society

The Friday Society
by Adrienne Kress
Release Date: December 6, 2012
by Dial

Goodreads / Pre-Order
An action-packed tale of gowns, guys, guns–and the heroines who use them all. 
 Set in turn of the century London, The Friday Society follows the stories of three very intelligent and talented young women, all of whom are assistants to powerful men: Cora, lab assistant; Michiko, Japanese fight assistant; and Nellie, magician's assistant. The three young women's lives become inexorably intertwined after a chance meeting at a ball that ends with the discovery of a murdered mystery man.
 It's up to these three, in their own charming but bold way, to solve the murder–and the crimes they believe may be connected to it–without calling.
Set in the past but with a modern irreverent flare, this Steampunk who-dun-it introduces three unforgettable and very ladylike–well, relatively ladylike–heroines poised for more dangerous adventures.

*A copy was provided by Dial for review purposes*

The Friday Society was probably my most-anticipated release of 2012, and it really didn’t disappoint.  It was just one of those books that was so effortlessly awesome, you’ll never forget it.  I loved how Kress got right into the story from page one, and from then on it was a fast-paced rollercoaster ride.  It was funny, action packed, well-written, an just perfect.  I loved the wit and kick-ass-ness incorporated into the book, and most of all I liked that the main character were kick-butt women.  Awesome!
I will say that the only part of the book that I didn’t like was the ending.  For me, it all happened just a little to easily.  I think Kress was eager to just finish the book, so she became sloppy with the loose ends.  I also didn’t really like the ending after the ending.
But, other than those two small details, this book was awesome.  There aren’t many books that don’t have guys or romance in them, and while this book had a little of that, it was only a minor thing, and I loved that!  It was kind of a “girls only” book.

I must say, this group of girls might just be my favorite characters EVER!  Each one was kick-ass to the fullest, and I loved reading about them.
Nellie was so awesome!  I loved that she was pretty and girly but still really kick-butt.  Cora was really smart and brilliant, and it’s cool to see that in a book.  And, even though she couldn’t speak English, Michiko was freaking awesome!

This book is one of the few that I will probably keep forever and read over and over again, because seriously, it’s freaking awesome!


4 stars

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday #46

This is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlites upcoming new releases that we're highly anticipating.

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

The Dollhouse Asylum, by Mary Gray

Release Date: October 8, 2013
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

A virus that had once been contained has returned, and soon no place will be left untouched by its destruction. But when seventeen-year-old Cheyenne wakes up in Elysian Fields--a subdivision cut off from the world and its monster-creating virus--she is thrilled to have a chance at survival.

At first, Elysian Fields,with its beautiful houses and manicured lawns, is perfect. Teo Richardson, the older man who stole Cheyenne's heart, built it so they could be together. But when Teo tells Cheyenne there are tests that she and seven other couples must pass to be worthy of salvation, Cheyenne begins to question the perfection of his world.

The people they were before are gone. Cheyenne is now "Persephone," and each couple has been re-named to reflect the most tragic romances ever told. Everyone is fighting to pass the test, to remain in Elysian Fields. Teo dresses them up, tells them when to move and how to act, and in order to pass the test, they must play along.

If they play it right, then they'll be safe.

But if they play it wrong, they'll die.


What are you guys waiting on this week?

Link me up!!

Monday, November 26, 2012

US vs UK #4




US vs UK is a meme hosted by Book Passion for Life.  In this meme, I will post a US and UK cover from the same book, and you guys will vote which one you like best.  I'll keep track of the score, and it will be a running competition!


_________________________________________________

The Score:
US: 3 UK: 0 Draw: 0


Unearthly (Unearthly, #1)   VS  Unearthly (Unearthly, #1)


My Vote:

This book has the best US/UK covers I've ever seen, and I think I'm going to have to go with the UK cover.  While the US cover is really good, I think the UK version has more going on, and is more eye-catching.


Links: Goodreads / Purchase


Which cover do you like best?
Leave a comment to vote!

Sunday, November 25, 2012

In My Mailbox #36


In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, where we spotlight the books that we've received for review, swapped, or purchased that week.




FOR REVIEW:


The Mirrored Shard by Kaitlin Kittredge (from Delacorte Press)


YA BOOK EXCHANGE:

Origin by Jessica Khoury
Breathe by Sarah Crossan
Defiance by C.J. Redwine


What did you guys get this week?
Link me up!! :)

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Bookish Bits #1


Bookish Bits is a meme hosted here at Emily's Crammed Bookshelf that features new bookish news, such as giveaways, new releases, and cover reveals!  Posted every Saturday.


New Releases (Nov 24-Nov 30):





Lullaby (Watersong #2) by Amanda Hocking (November 27, 2012 from St. Martin's Griffin)
Fragile Darkness (Midnight Dragonfly #3) by Ellie James (November 27, 2012 from St. Martin's Griffin)
A Shimmer of Angels by Lisa M. Basso (November 29, 2012 from Month9Books)
Touched (Sense Thieves #1) by Corrine Jackson (November 27, 2012 from Kensington Teen)


Cover Reveals:







Mystic (Soul Seekers #3) by Alyson Noel (St. Martin's Griffin)
Awaken (Abandon Trilogy #3) by Meg Cabot (Point)
The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen (Viking)
The Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Elston (Disney Hyperion)
Pieces (The Breakaway #2) by Michelle Davidson Argyle (Rhemelda Publishing)
Riptide by Lindsey Scheibe (Flux)
Strangelets by Michelle Gagnon (Soho Teen)
Walking Disaster (Beautiful #2) by Jamie McGuire (Atria Books)
The Boyfriend App by Katie Sise (Balzer + Bray)
Notes from Ghost Town by Kate Ellison (Egmont USA)


Giveaways:

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday #45


This is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlites upcoming new releases that we're highly anticipating.

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

Nobody, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Release Date: January 22, 2013
Publisher: Egmont USA

There are people in this world who are Nobody. No one sees them. No one notices them. They live their lives under the radar, forgotten as soon as you turn away. 

That’s why they make the perfect assassins.

The Institute finds these people when they’re young and takes them away for training. But an untrained Nobody is a threat to their organization. And threats must be eliminated.

Sixteen-year-old Claire has been invisible her whole life, missed by the Institute’s monitoring. But now they’ve ID’ed her and send seventeen-year-old Nix to remove her. Yet the moment he lays eyes on her, he can’t make the hit. It’s as if Claire and Nix are the only people in the world for each other. And they are—because no one else ever notices them.

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING ON?
LINK ME UP!!

Monday, November 5, 2012

US vs UK #3




US vs UK is a meme hosted by Book Passion for Life.  In this meme, I will post a US and UK cover from the same book, and you guys will vote which one you like best.  I'll keep track of the score, and it will be a running competition!


_________________________________________________

The Score:
US: 2 UK: 0 Draw: 0

US vs UK Round 3

Eve and Adam by Michael Grant & Katherine Applegate

 VS 


My Vote:

I think I'm going to choose the US edition.  I'm sorry, but the UK one is just boring and not eye-catching at all.  I think the US cover is more vibrant, says something, and isn't as bland as the UK cover.


Links: Goodreads / Purchase


Which cover do you like best?
Leave a comment to vote!

Sunday, November 4, 2012

In My Mailbox #35



In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, where we spotlight the books that we've received for review, swapped, or purchased that week.


FOR REVIEW:

Dualed by Elsie Chapman (from Random House)
The Friday Society by Adrienne Kress (from Dial.  Reading right now...amazing!)
Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans (from Simon & Schuster)


LIBRARY:

Hidden by Sophie Jordan


WHAT DID YOU GUYS GET THIS WEEK?!
LINK ME UP!!! :)

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Review: Deity

Deity
by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Series: Covenant #3
Release Date: November 6, 2012
by Spencer Hill Press

Goodreads / Pre-Order

Alexandria isn't sure she's going to make it to her eighteenth birthday--to her Awakening. A long-forgotten, fanatical order is out to kill her, and if the Council ever discovers what she did in the Catskills, she's a goner... and so is Aiden. If that's not freaky enough, whenever Alex and Seth spend time "training"--which really is just Seth's code word for some up-close and personal one-on-one time--she ends up with another mark of the Apollyon, which brings her one step closer to Awakening ahead of schedule. Awesome. But as her birthday draws near, her entire world shatters with a startling revelation and she's caught between love and Fate. One will do anything to protect her. One has been lying to her since the beginning. Once the gods have revealed themselves, unleashing their wrath, lives will be irrevocably changed... and destroyed. Those left standing will discover if love is truly greater than Fate...

*A copy was provided by Spencer Hill Press for review purposes*

Note: There are a few spoilers in this review, but they will be marked off with brackets [ ] to signify them starting and ending. I would suggest you don’t read those parts unless you've read this book, or you just don’t care about spoilers.

Even though there were some similarities to Vampire Academy in the first to books of this series, as it progresses it starts to draw away from the VA story line and follow its own.

One thing that Armentrout has been very consistent in with this series is she always gets right into the action. This whole series is pretty much non-stop action, and I love that. I like being entertained. The writing was really good, as usual, and there were a ton of funny parts that I laughed at. However, there were a few problems, and they all had to do with the story line:

[[Problem #1: In Pure Alex goes to the Covenant headquarters and sees a servant there who isn’t doped out with the elixir like the rest. Armentrout mentioned the servant several times. And then, in this book, it turns out that he is Alex’s father. Now, the second Armentrout introduced him, I knew he would be Alex’s father. It might just be that I’m exceptionally smart, or it could be that it was kind of obvious. However, I didn't see the next big shocker that was a result of him being Alex’s father, so props to Armentrout for that.]

[Problem #2: In this book, Alex and her guardians were talking about the gods and why the Apollyons were created. It’s a really imaginative idea by Armentrout, but her reasoning behind it isn’t rock solid. Apparently, the gods didn't want an uprising, so they called all their kids (the pures) and those who didn’t come were killed. But, they completely forgot about the halfs (the product of pures and mortals). So they created the Apollyons to keep the halfs in check. What I don’t understand is why, when the gods figured out they had forgotten the halfs, they didn't just kill them then. It was a huge plot hole, and Armentrout failed to correct it.]


Because of those two plot holes, I didn’t like this book as much as the others, but it was still pretty good by its own rights. The story line was really good, the staging was really good, and the ending was really good. I loved that Armentrout did explain some things at the end that didn’t make sense in the beginning. Also, she ended the book with the biggest freaking cliffhanger in the history of all cliffhangers. I felt like screaming!

I said in my review of Pure that I was totally Team Seth. Well, sorry Seth, Aiden is my man! And whoo-weeee, is Aiden ever smokin’. He is so sexy and kick-ass and cute and nice and gosh…I can’t even find the words to describe him I love him so much. Go Aiden!!
Yeah, I’ve completely fallen of the Seth bandwagon. Any ground he gained in Pure he totally lost in this book. I know despise him with every fiber of my being. He’s mean, abusive, a jerk, and a manipulator, and I hope Alex kicks his butt for me.
Alex is pretty much the only one I didn’t do a complete 180 on. She’s still kick-butt, big-mouthed, and funny.

This book had a ton of things going for it, with action and romance (*fans self*) and AIDEN (*fans self and then faints*) but because of two HUGE plot holes, I unfortunately have to lower my rating. But Armentrout better get the fourth book out asap or I swear I will die from the suspense. DO YOU REALLY WANT THAT ON YOUR CONSCIENCE, ARMENTROUT!?!?


3.5 pink flowers
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