Stacking the Shelves


Weekly meme hosted over at Tynga's Reviews.


I have actually missed this meme for about two weeks and wound up with over 20 books, but I decided to only add the books I actually got this week.


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Title: Twisted
Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
High school senior Tyler Miller used to be the kind of guy who faded into the background—average student, average looks, average dysfunctional family. But since he got busted for doing graffiti on the school, and spent the summer doing outdoor work to pay for it, he stands out like you wouldn’t believe. His new physique attracts the attention of queen bee Bethany Milbury, who just so happens to be his father’s boss’s daughter, the sister of his biggest enemy—and Tyler’s secret crush. And that sets off a string of events and changes that have Tyler questioning his place in the school, in his family, and in the world.

In Twisted, the acclaimed Laurie Halse Anderson tackles a very controversial subject: what it means to be a man today. Fans and new readers alike will be captured by Tyler’s pitch perfect, funny voice, the surprising narrative arc, and the thoughtful moral dilemmas that are at the heart of all of the author’s award-winning, widely read work.
 




11945589Title: Cursed
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Dying sucks
...and high school senior Ember McWilliams knows firsthand.

After a fatal car accident, her gifted little sister brought her back. Now anything Ember touches dies. And that, well, really blows.

Ember operates on a no-touch policy with all living things--including boys. When Hayden Cromwell shows up, quoting Oscar Wilde and claiming her curse is a gift, she thinks he's a crazed cutie. But when he tells her he can help control it, she's more than interested. There's just one catch: Ember has to trust Hayden's adopted father, a man she's sure has sinister reasons for collecting children whose abilities even weird her out. However, she's willing to do anything to hold her sister's hand again. And hell, she'd also like to be able to kiss Hayden. Who wouldn't?

But when Ember learns the accident that turned her into a freak may not've been an accident at all, she's not sure who to trust. Someone wanted her dead, and the closer she gets to the truth, the closer she is to losing not only her heart, but her life.

For real this time.



13644055Title: Opposition
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
I am not going to add the description for this book, because it is the final book in the series and I don't want any spoilers. I did link the goodreads page in the title.




 




7938542Title: Emma
Author: Jane Austen
Beautiful, clever, rich - and single - Emma Woodhouse is perfectly content with her life and sees no need for either love or marriage. Nothing, however, delights her more than interfering in the romantic lives of others. But when she ignores the warnings of her good friend Mr Knightley and attempts to arrange a suitable match for her protegee Harriet Smith, her carefully laid plans soon unravel and have consequences that she never expected. With its imperfect but charming heroine and its witty and subtle exploration of relationships, Emma is often seen as Jane Austen's most flawless work.

This edition includes a new chronology and additional suggestions for further reading



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Title: Soulless
Author: Gail Carriger
Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations.

First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette.

Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire--and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate.

With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart?




9999795Title: Venom
Author: Fiona Paul
Cassandra Caravello is one of Renaissance Venice’s lucky elite: with elegant gowns, sparkling jewels, her own lady’s maid, and a wealthy fiancé, she has everything a girl could desire. Yet ever since her parents’ death, Cassandra has felt trapped, alone in a city of water, where the dark and labyrinthine canals whisper of escape.

When Cass stumbles upon a murdered woman—practically in her own backyard—she’s drawn into a dangerous world of courtesans, killers, and secret societies. Soon, she finds herself falling for Falco, a mysterious artist with a mischievous grin... and a spectacular skill for trouble. Can Cassandra find the murderer, before he finds her? And will she stay true to her fiancé, or succumb to her uncontrollable feelings for Falco?

Beauty, love, romance, and mystery weave together in a stunning novel that’s as seductive and surprising as the city of Venice itself.


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Title: Ghost House
Author: Alexandra Adornetto
After the loss of her mother, Chloe Kennedy starts seeing the ghosts that haunted her as a young girl again. Spending time at her grandmother's country estate in the south of England is her chance to get away from her grief and the spirits that haunt her. Until she meets a mysterious stranger…

Alexander Reade is 157 years dead, with secrets darker than the lake surrounding Grange Hall and a lifelike presence that draws Chloe more strongly than any ghost before. But the bond between them awakens the vengeful spirit of Alexander's past love, Isobel. And she will stop at nothing to destroy anyone who threatens to take him from her.

To stop Isobel, Chloe must push her developing abilities to their most dangerous limits, even if it means losing Alex forever… and giving the hungry dead a chance to claim her for their own.
 


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Title: Blythewood
Author: Carol Goodman
At seventeen, Avaline Hall has already buried her mother, survived a horrific factory fire, and escaped from an insane asylum. Now she’s on her way to Blythewood Academy, the elite boarding school in New York’s mist-shrouded Hudson Valley that her mother attended—and was expelled from. Though she’s afraid her high society classmates won’t accept a factory girl in their midst, Ava is desperate to unravel her family’s murky past, discover the identity of the father she’s never known, and perhaps finally understand her mother’s abrupt suicide. She’s also on the hunt for the identity of the mysterious boy who rescued her from the fire. And she suspects the answers she seeks lie at Blythewood.   

But nothing could have prepared her for the dark secret of what Blythewood is, and what its students are being trained to do. Haunted by dreams of a winged boy and pursued by visions of a sinister man who breathes smoke, Ava isn’t sure if she’s losing her mind or getting closer to the truth. And the more rigorously Ava digs into the past, the more dangerous her present becomes.   

Vivid and atmospheric, full of mystery and magic, this romantic page-turner by bestselling author Carol Goodman tells the story of a world on the brink of change and the girl who is the catalyst for it all.

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine
"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

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Title: Daughter of Deep Silence
Author: Carrie Ryan
Publication Date: June 2nd, 2015
In the wake of the deadly devastation of luxury yacht Persephone, just three souls remain to tell its story—and two of them are lying. Only Frances Mace, rescued from the ocean after torturous days adrift with her dying friend Libby, knows that the Persephone wasn’t sunk by a rogue wave as survivors Senator Wells and his son are claiming—it was attacked.

To ensure her safety from the obviously dangerous and very powerful Wells family, Libby’s father helps newly orphaned Frances assume Libby’s identity. Frances has spent years in hiding, transforming herself into Libby, and she can no longer allow the people who murdered her entire family and Libby to get away with it. After years of careful plotting, she’s ready to set her revenge plans into motion—even if it means taking down the boy she’d once been in love with: the senator’s son.

The game has just begun, and Frances is not only playing dirty, she's playing to win.


I am wasn't the biggest fan of Carrie Ryan's book The Forrest of Hands and Teeth, but I did get to read a few chapters from this book and it was really good! I have requested it from Netgalley, so hopefully I can get it to review! And this cover is gorgeous!

Feature and Follow Friday!

Hosted by Parajukee and Alison Can Read.

Do you post your reviews anywhere besides your blog? Where else do you post reviews?


I try to post mine on Goodreads and Amazon. If it is an ARC I requested from Netgalley or any other site I will post it there as well.


Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine
"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.


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Title:  Unleashed
Author: Sophie Jordan
Publication Date: February 24th, 2015
Unleashed, the romantic, high-stakes sequel to New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan's Uninvited, is perfect for fans of James Patterson's Confessions of a Murder Suspect.

Davy has spent the last few months trying to come to terms with the fact that she tested positive for the kill gene HTS (also known as Homicidal Tendency Syndrome). She swore she would not let it change her, and that her DNA did not define her . . . but then she killed a man.

Now on the run, Davy must decide whether she'll be ruled by the kill gene or if she'll follow her heart and fight for her right to live free. But with her own potential for violence lying right beneath the surface, Davy doesn't even know if she can trust herself.


I feel like I have done this book on a WoW before, but I couldn't find it if I did. I liked the first book and I love Sophie Jordan. I am excited to see the next installment in this series!

The Leveller Review


17852690Title: The Leveller
Author: Julia Durango
Publication Date: June 23rd, 2015
Publisher: Harper Collins
Nixy Bauer is a self-made Leveller. Her job? Dragging kids out of virtual reality and back to their parents in the real world. It’s normally easy cash, but Nixy’s latest mission is fraught with real danger, intrigue, and romance.

Nixy Bauer is used to her classmates being very, very unhappy to see her. After all, she’s a bounty hunter in a virtual reality gaming world. Kids in the MEEP, as they call it, play entirely with their minds, while their bodies languish in a sleeplike state on the couch. Irritated parents, looking to wrench their kids back to reality, hire Nixy to jump into the game and retrieve them.

But when the game’s billionaire developer loses track of his own son in the MEEP, Nixy is in for the biggest challenge of her bounty-hunting career. Wyn Salvador isn’t some lazy kid looking to escape his homework: Wyn does not want to be found. And he’s left behind a suicide note. Nixy takes the job but quickly discovers that Wyn’s not hiding—he’s being held inside the game against his will. But who is holding him captive, and why?

Nixy and Wyn attempt to fight their way out of a mind game unlike any they’ve encountered, and the battle brings them closer than either could have imagined. But when the whole world is virtual, how can Nixy possibly know if her feelings are real?

Gamers and action fans of all types will dive straight into the MEEP, thanks to Julia Durango’s cinematic storytelling. A touch of romance adds some heart to Nixy’s vivid, multidimensional journey through Wyn’s tricked-out virtual city, and constant twists keep readers flying through to the breathtaking end.
This book is an ARC from Edelweiss

So this is really a 3.5 stars. Overall, this was a quick book. I had a few issues with it, which I listed below, but all in all it was a good read. 


What I Liked:


  • The MEEP. I loved this world that was created through this book. It is awesome to think about a virtual reality like that. Though the piercings are way scary.

  • Writing Style. I liked the writing style of this author. It was fast pace and very descriptive. I could easily imagine this new virtual world.

  • Levelling. I love the idea of this. Though I would have liked to see Nixy in a school setting with the kids that she leveled regularly. 



What I Didn't Like:


  • Wyn. He is a bit flat. I didn't have any feeling either way for him, he was just kind of there. 

  • Jill. I hate that Nixy refers to her mother as Jill and her dad Dad and it doesn't ever say why. There is only two times that I counted in which Nixy said Mom and I found that just confusing.

  • Unbelievable. There were points in this book that I just shook my head at. First, they expect me to believe that a teenage girl can get through a maze that made grown men (that programmed the game) need therapy? And some of her actions didn't seem like they would have really worked if the situation had been real.



Would I Recommend:


Yes, if you are looking for a quick read that will take you into a virtual world.

Wish Book Tour!

 Displaying WishTourBanner.png
   Displaying Wish.jpg
For Indigo Stevens, ballet classes at Miss Roberta’s ballet studio offer the stability and structure that are missing from her crazy home life. At almost 16, she hopes this is the year she will be accepted into the New York School of Ballet. First she must prove she’s ready, and that means ignoring Jesse Sanders – the cute boy with dimples who is definitely at the top of Miss Roberta’s List of Forbidden Things for Dancers.
But Jesse is the least of Indigo’s concerns. When she discovers her mom is an alcoholic, it simultaneously explains everything and heaps more worry on Indigo’s shoulders. As her mom’s behavior becomes increasingly erratic, Indigo fights to maintain balance, protect her younger brothers from abuse, and keep her mother from going over the edge. When the violence at home escalates, Indigo realizes she can no longer dance around the issue. At the risk of losing everything, she must take matters into her own hands before it’s too late.

Order your copy Now!
add to goodreads









 Displaying AuthorPhotoSm2014.jpg Grier began ballet lessons at age five and left home at fourteen to study at the School of American Ballet in New York. She has performed on three out of seven continents with companies such as San Francisco Ballet, Miami City Ballet, and Pacific Northwest Ballet, totaling more than thirty years of experience as a dancer, teacher and performer.

Her work has been praised as “poignant and honest” with “emotional hooks that penetrate deeply.” She writes and blogs about dance in the San Francisco Bay Area and has interviewed and photographed a diverse collection dancers and performers including Clive Owen, Nicole Kidman, Glen Allen Sims and Jessica Sutta. She is the author of Build a Ballerina Body and The Daily Book of Photography.

WISHPlaylist by Grier Cooper on Grooveshark

Fire with Fire Review


10662420  Title: Fire with Fire
Author: Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian
When sweet revenge turns sour… Book two of a trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian.

Lillia, Kat, and Mary had the perfect plan. Work together in secret to take down the people who wronged them. But things didn’t exactly go the way they’d hoped at the Homecoming Dance.

Not even close.

For now, it looks like they got away with it. All they have to do is move on and pick up the pieces, forget there ever was a pact. But it’s not easy, not when Reeve is still a total jerk and Rennie’s meaner than she ever was before.

And then there’s sweet little Mary…she knows there’s something seriously wrong with her. If she can’t control her anger, she’s sure that someone will get hurt even worse than Reeve was. Mary understands now that it’s not just that Reeve bullied her—it’s that he made her love him.

Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, burn for a burn. A broken heart for a broken heart. The girls are up to the task. They’ll make Reeve fall in love with Lillia and then they will crush him. It’s the only way he’ll learn.

It seems once a fire is lit, the only thing you can do is let it burn...

What I Liked:


Lillia. So I would be perfectly fine if the entire book was told from just her point of view. She was by far my favorite character.

The Plot. There is someone we all want to get back at or have Karma come around on, but these three girls take Karma into their own hands. It is a great idea and it was told very well.

The Writing. I loved Jenny Han's To All The Boys I Loved Before. I love the fact that her characters are Asian, because that is a culture I don't know a lot about and get to learn about through her books. Which is why I think I liked Lillia's character so much.

The Unpredictableness. Usually I know what is going to happen and who is ending up with who way before the end of the book. Not with this one. It keeps you guessing all the way through it and then at the end you have not one, but TWO WTF moments. I still can't believe that ending! I can't wait to pick up the next book to see how this is going to be played out.



What I Didn't Like:


Mary. I found her boring. Until the end of the book I could barley stand to read her point of view. She was whiny and crazy. I just wanted to slap her and tell her not to be such a creeper!

Kat. I couldn't stand her attitude. There is no need to be like that all the time. 




Would I Recommend:


I would recommend the series. The first book was great and I did love this book as well. 




Will I Read The Next Book:


Yes! I can't wait to start Ashes to Ashes. There was such a huge cliffhanger at the end of this book, I will probably be picking Ashes to Ashes up sometime this month.

Stacking the Shelves




Weekly meme hosted over at Tynga's Reviews.


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I didn't get many books this week, but I did get some that I have been wanting for a really long time!

2015 Reading Goals



The Holiday season is finally over and my life has finally calmed down. I have been MIA for about two months, and for that I apologize. I didn't get hardly any reading done in the months of November and December thanks to all the hecticness.

But that isn't what this post is about. This post is about my book related goals for 2015.



Goal 1: Read 50 or more books this year. I was able to read 49 books in 2014 with the goal of 50. This year I want to be more focused on reading. I would like to get 60, but for now, 50 sounds right. I will re-evaluate mid-year.


Goal 2: Buy less books. This is on everyones goal list. I buy way more books than I read and that really needs to stop. I am really bad on impulse buying. "Oh! Thank looks good!" and I grab it. I get home and realize it isn't something I will ever read! I am not putting myself on a book buying ban, but I am cutting back.


Goal 3: Go to the library more. I live right beside a library and I don't even have a library card!


Goal 4: Pay more attention to my book blog. I need to spend more time with this blog.


Goal 5: Finish off a lot of my unfinished series.


Those are my top 2015 goals! Did you make any?