..Yesterday..

Yesterday, I was frantically googling to find out when the next book was coming out for TWO different series.  Yes, I finished two books yesterday and yes, they were both excellent reads and definitely worth picking up!

The first was one Nicole has written about on the blog previously, Unravel Me, by Tahereh Mafi (no idea how to pronounce that).  Right now if anyone asked me what to read I would tell them the Shatter Me series without hesitation.  I think any age, male or female would enjoy this series.  The writing is so unique and unlike any other book I've ever read and that is part of the reason I love it.  It is also intense all throughout and it leaves me completely torn between two characters.  The main character, Juliette, is so innocent and good and I have enjoyed reading about her finding herself.  READ IT!

Also, if you didn't know Destroy Me is a novella told from Warner's POV and will give you a new perspective on him.  Thanks Nicole for the recommendation!

The second was a recommendation I received from Kelli Knight from No Wasted Words.  If you have any love for the Bachelor on Monday nights then you will probably fall in love with this book.  Not only does it incorporate all the drama of a Bachelor-type competition but there are other stories and possibly danger that I think will play a huge role in the next books.  Any girl, young or old, will enjoy this book and be able to relate to what the main character, America, goes through.  As a bonus it is squeaky clean so I can fully recommend it to younger girls and my mom without feeling guilty at all!  Oh double bonus, they are making it into a TV show on the CW!

My list

So I was looking at my list because I am falling drastically behind in my reading list with school going on right now and all the new books coming out as of late. So I decided to post my list so you guys can have something to read/series to get hooked on while we wait for the next marvelous books to come out. Yes? These are in no particular order...

These are books that have just recently come out...
*Everbound (book number 2 of the Everneath series by Brodi Ashton)
*Blood Kissed Sky (book number 2 of the Darkness Before Dawn series by J A London)
*Through the Ever Night (book number 2 of the Under the Never Sky Series by Veronica Rossi)
*Boundless (book number 3 of the Unearthly series by Cynthia Hand)
*Prodigy (book number 2 in the Legend series by Marie Lu

Books that are soon to come...
*Unravel Me out Feb. 5th (book number 2 in the Shatter Me series by Taheren Mafi)
*Breaking Point out Feb 12th (book number 2 in the Article 5 series by Kristen Simmons)
*Apollyon out April 9th (book number 4 in the Covenant series by Jennifer L Armentrout)
*Walking Disaster out April 16th (Travis POV of Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire)
*Reckless out March 5th (book number 3 of the Thoughtless series by S C Stephens)
*Out of Breath out July 2nd (book number 3 of the Breathing series by Rebecca Donovan)
*Untitled Divergent out Fall of 2013 (book number 3 of the Divergent series by Veronica Roth)
*That Baby out July 13th (book number 3 of the That Boy series by Jillian Dodd)
*Things I Can't Forget out March 1st (book number 3 of the Hundred Oaks series by Miranda Kenneally)
*Origin out July 13th (book number 4 in the Lux series by Jennifer L Armentrout)
*Obsession out March 13th (spin off of the Lux series by Jennifer L Armentrout)

If you have any questions about any of these series or how I would rank them... where to start... anything... just ask :)

Book Review: Article 5

First of all I can not wait for tomorrow!!!! Why you ask? Because Boundless (3rd book in the Unearthly series) by Cynthia Hand...


and Everbound (second book in the Everneath series) by Brodi Ashton...


come out tomorrow (January 22)!!!! Like I said so excited :) :) Anyway, the reason for my true post... Article 5 by Kristen Simmons. I had a love/hate relationship with this book. I loved what the book was about and got hooked on the story line from the start but sometimes I had serious issues with the main female character, Ember. By the end of the book I was all about her but it took her a while to actually come into her self and find her braveness (is that an actual word?) and true potential. Article 5 is about the new government called the Federal Bureau of Reformation that is now in control of the United States. The FBR has many "Articles" aka laws that the people have to follow. Ember's mother breaks one of these articles... article 5... causing Ember's world to get turned inside out. The only person Ember can trust is Chase... one of the officers that arrested her mother. The next book in this series... Breaking Point comes out on February 2nd. If you like Divergent or Legend. You'll love this series.

Book Review: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

I'll admit I only read this book because the movie trailer looked so good, and my sister lent it to me.  I usually decide if enough people enjoy a certain book enough to turn it into a movie then it is probably worth a read.  At first when I picked it up I was frustrated by the style because it is all written as letters to an anonymous person.  I was also thrown-off because the main character, Charlie, is 14 yet his innocence and view on the events in his life made him seem a lot younger.  I doubt there are many 14 year-old boys who would have the thoughts and reactions that he does.  I think that is what made Charlie so special and the beautiful part of the book is that you get to discover why he is the way he is.  There is a moderate amount of adult material in this book, so I am unsure if it is an approved book to be taught in schools.  I hope it is because of the themes and messages of the book, which are beneficial for every age, but especially teenagers.  The messages from the book were the parts I loved and that made me extremely glad that I did read the book.  I can't wait for the movie to come out on DVD so I can check it out, hopefully it's as good!  Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book:

"You can't just sit there and put everybody's lives ahead of yours and think that counts as love."

"I didn't do things because I didn't want him to think different about me.  But the thing is, I wasn't being honest.  So, why would I care whether or not he loved me when he didn't really even know me?"

"So I guess we are who we are for a lot of reasons.  And maybe we'll never know most of them.  But even if we don't have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there."  

Author Spotlight: Jennifer Armentrout

I have to tell you about an author who is fast becoming one of my favorites!  Jennifer Armentrout is the creator of two series, which I have recently fallen in love with.  It’s to the point where I stalk her Twitter and Facebook hoping she will post tidbits from her upcoming books.  Her two series that I am obsessed with are the Luxen series and the Covenant series.  I really want to be careful about not giving anything away because I hate spoilers but these series have all the qualities I need to really fall in love.  1. Awesome female main-character.  2.  Sexy men.  3.  Action.  4.  Heartbreak.  5.  Plot Twists.  6.  Major Cliffhangers.  7.  Love.  8.  Humor (she has an excellent sense of humor that I really enjoy!)

Obsidian is the first book in the series, although there is a prequel called Shadows.  I recommend reading this first and then if you want to read Shadows later it is great.

Daimon is the novella prequel to Half-Blood and I do recommend you start with this!  It is a quickie.

         

   I have loved every single book in both series so if you’re a female and you enjoy reading YA Fiction you HAVE to check out at least one of these!  I can almost promise you will be hooked and will not be able to put it down.  Oh and if you become obsessed with these books as much as I am then you can check out Jennifer Armentrout's website because there are a lot of scenes in additional POV's (point of views).  When I found them I felt like it was like Christmas.

Hopeless

Colleen Hoover is one of my favorite authors, she is most known for writing the Slammed series... which she is currently working on the third installment of... can't wait :).




Colleen just released Hopeless at the end of last year. When I found out she had another book out I had to read it. Hopeless is about a girl named Sky who has her world turned upside down when Holder enters her life. It sounds clique and you might think you know what it's about just by what I said but honestly I really liked this book. There were a lot of twists and turns in it that kept me hooked and wanted to know what would happen next to Sky and Holder. In other words where you think this book is going to take you is not where it is going to go... I promise you. You can usually see where books are going end up but I had no clue with this one. It's very deep and emotional at times and then light and carefree the next.

Book Review: How to Kill a Rock Star

Every once in a while I like to just read a random book that doesn't have to do with anything. I love series and love to get involved with the characters and see their stories go on and on for a while. But like I said sometimes I just want a pointless read. I was in the mood for that and I found an amazing read to fulfill this urge :) ... How to Kill a Rock Star by Tiffanie Debartolo...




WOW did I have such a love/hate relationship with this book. I have never been so pissed off at some characters in a book as I was during some moments in this book. If these characters were real I honestly might have found them to punch them in the face and tell them how stupid they were being!!! At the same time I couldn't put the freaking book down. I was drawn into the story and had to know what happened next. If I didn't have a life outside of reading (rare moments I know :) ha ha) I think I could have read this book in a couple hours. The writing was so so amazing. There were different character points of view and you could tell exactly when they switched and which characters were talking because they all had such distinct personalities and the author sure knew how to play up their personality strengths. As much as these characters were stupid I SO loved them at the same time. I do have to warn you though... there is a point in this book where you honestly think it would be better to throw the damn thing away then finish it cause you are so blown away by what happens but KEEP READING!!! I promise it's worth it all in the end :) I can only say this because I am now finished with the book and barely survived people!

The Mortal Instruments: City of Fallen Angels + City of Lost Souls

Just finished the 4th and 5th book in the Mortal Instrument Series.  City of Fallen Angels and City of Lost Souls.  

If this series is one you have not yet picked up, I HIGHLY recommend that you do!  It is a hard series to describe without confusing you and I, but the world that Cassandra Clare has created sucks you right in and makes you forget that you have things you should probably be doing instead of reading 24/7.  The thoroughness of which she has created this world reminds me a lot of the world J.K. Rowling created with Harry Potter.  (Yes everything comes back to Harry with me).  I also loved the main character, Clary, and the transformation she goes through and her bravery.  Her characters are easy to fall in love with (especially Jace) and that is always a huge part of me loving any book or series.  Throughout all the seriousness and the drama there is also a lot of humor that I enjoyed as well, which is also a key to my heart.

If you have read the first three books and were wondering whether or not to continue on (like me) I think you will be pleasantly surprised.  After I had read the 3rd book I didn't have a huge desire to continue reading the series right away because it ends so well, no huge cliffhanger.  I do love where she has taken the series in the fourth and fifth book and I cannot WAIT to read the 6th.  Unfortunately, I will have to wait until 2014.  Yep, 2014.  I died inside when I saw that.  The good news is that they are making a movie of the first book, due out in August.  I love that they cast Lily Collins as the main character, Clary Fray, because she is gorgeous and talented.  Check out the trailer because it is amazing and will probably make you really want to read the first book! (Or re-read it in my case)

City of Bones Trailer

Significance Series

This book.... 

Just came out yesterday... best believe I just bought it!! Can't wait to see how this series ends!!!

Book Review: Under the Never Sky

Under the Never Sky is about a world that is broken up into different "cultures." These cultures live life completely different from one another. The only thing they have in common is that they all live under a sky that can kill any of them in a matter of seconds. Aria and Perry are from different cultures but find themselves needing each other to get back what matters to them most. Their differences in their cultures make them and their views completely different from one another but also give them their strengths that draw them to each other, finding that they aren't as different from each other as they originally thought.
Roar and Liv is the 0.5 book to the Under the Never Sky series. So far in the series I don't know how important it is to know the knowledge the book gives but it does give you some behind the scene information about Perry's culture. I wonder if it and the main characters in it will play a bigger part in upcoming books from this series. Like I have said before I love getting to personally know other characters and their points of view better. I loved how unique Under the Never Sky was. I haven't read anything with its concept before and found myself loving the freshness of the plot and characters. If you're looking for an original story then no need to look any further. Under the Never Sky is it for you!

Book Review: Shatter Me

Shatter Me is about Juliette who has a unique "talent" of being able to hurt those who just touch her naked skin. She is sought out by one of The Reestablishment's leaders, Warner (my favorite villain), to be used as a weapon in the war that is taking place. Luckily she has people on her side, mainly Adam (one of my favorite leading men), that she doesn't even know are on her side till they're helping her through it all. By the end of this book Juliette's world has completely shifted and she's ready to be her true self that shes been suppressing her entire life, just as the cover says "My touch is lethal  my touch is power".

Tahereh Mafi is one of the most unique authors I have ever read (which is really saying something with how many books I have read :)). The uniqueness of the writing in Shatter Me helped bring this book up to the next level for me. I actually read the description for this book a couple different times and couldn't tell if it was something that would really hold my interest. One of my friends that I go to school with recommended it to me. Again I read the description and decided to just try the book out. I was very pleasantly surprised right from the beginning. It caught my interest from almost the first page with the unique way the main character, Juliette, is inside her head thinking and showing how Tahereh shows that on the pages. Tahereh is also really good at making you attached to the characters. Even the villain of the book, Warner, is someone you love to hate. I almost found my self routing for him at times and had to remind myself that he was not who I wanted to survive this book. You grow even more attached to Warner in the 1.5 book Destroy Me that is from Warner's point of view between Shatter Me and the upcoming Unravel Me that is due out in 2013. I love finding out what makes the other characters tick and seeing inside their minds, even the twisted ones. I can't wait for Unravel Me and see where the war leads all these amazing characters. You know you found an amazing author if she can make you attached to every character in the book, even if it damns you.

 

Book Review: The Rise of Nine

            To enjoy The Rise of Nine you would of course have to read I am Number Four and The Power of Six.  If you haven’t read either of these books and you like fantasy fiction then you should DEFINITELY read both of those books.  Oh and one of my favorite parts about this book series is the crazy author.  His name is Pittacus Lore, one of the characters in the books, and prefaces every book by stating,

 “The Events in this book are real.  Names and Places have been changed to protect the Loric, who remain in hiding.  Other civilizations do exist.  Some of them seek to destroy you.”

            Talk about dedication to your craft, he almost has me believing in aliens.  Once I started The Rise of Nine I literally couldn’t put it down.  This book is full of non-stop intense action and every chapter leaves you on the edge of your seat.  No really, it does because the author switches view points every chapter so you are constantly left hanging.  It. Is. Awesome.  I had an internal battle the entire time deciding who was hotter, Four or Nine??  And also, if I could choose any legacy what would I choose?  I did, however, finish this book quite angry and I will tell you why.  I assumed this was the last book in the series so I was very excited to see how it ended but I was WRONG.  There is at least one more book due out and here is the kicker:  there is not even a release date OR a title for the next book.  This means I will have to wait until sometime in 2014 to continue on in this story.  In my mind, there are few things that are worse than waiting two years for a book to come out.  My husband definitely knows I feel this way since I was yelling when the book ended.  If you haven’t yet had the opportunity to read this book or book series then you are in for a treat.  Make sure, however, you have a good chunk of uninterrupted time before you sit down to read because you will get sucked in.  

Book Review: The Casual Vacancy

Being an avid (avid being an extreme understatement) fan of the Harry Potter series I would be lying if I said I didn’t have high expectations for J.K. Rowling’s first adult book since said series.  Perhaps this is why I found myself having extremely mixed feelings about the Casual Vacancy.  It seemed that in an effort to write something as opposite as Harry Potter as she could J.K. Rowling conjured up the Casual Vacancy.  Not only is it an adult book (extremely adult, not for the faint-hearted), it is as far away from fantasy as it could be.  It is almost so opposite of Harry Potter that it seems deliberate. 

            J.K. Rowling goes into heavy detail with every single character in the novel, which I usually love, but the characters in this book are dark and depressing people.  For the most part they are selfish humans with very few redeemable qualities.  Usually in books I become enthralled to the point where I cannot put it down and I start to ignore things like laundry and my child (kidding).  Reading this book felt like a chore at times in the fact that I had to navigate through all of the elaborate back stories and try to keep each character straight.  Basically it is the story of how a town fell apart after the death of one citizen, Barry Fairbrother, who was holding the town together in more ways than one. 

            One aspect I did enjoy about the Casual Vacancy was the writing style of Rowling.  Her ability for description and observations about human nature reminded me pleasantly of why I fell so in love with Harry Potter.  Despite the darkness and rawness of the book I did notice a few underlying positive themes.  The most prominent that I noticed was the importance of family.  As much as the characters were appalling at times they still supported and cared for their family when it mattered most.  As much as I wanted to fall in love with this book, I just couldn’t.  J.K. Rowling’s talent shines through the mundane storyline and characters and makes me hope that she will continue to write in the future.  Next time, please, choose something a lot more interesting to write about.  

Reader Beware:  Once you start you might not be able to stop no matter how unpleasant the journey.

Starting Up

This is the first official post of our awesome new review blog.  We will review all of the many, (I mean MANY), books that we love to read.  Stay tuned for some awesome recommendations and reviews from the books we devour.