Back in the U.S.

Hey, Everyone!

So, I did it. I went to Costa Rica for five weeks. It was amazing and wonderful and a million other glorious adjectives. It was also packed with things to do, which is why I had neglected this site while I was there. But I'm looking forward to posting reviews again! Love you guys.

Elaine

Top 10 Tuesday - Top Ten Books I Thought I'd Like MORE/LESS Than I Did

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly event hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

I couldn't make up my mind on ten of one or the other, so I decided to split it and do five of each. So to start, here are five books I thought I'd like less than I did...

  

1. Goddess of the Night, By: Lynne Ewing
There's a very special place in my heart for this book. Goddess of the Night was the book that got me into reading in the first place. I was one of those people that was like "You're reading? For FUN?" Then my mom grounded me for something in the 7th grade, and to pass the time I borrowed this book from my sister and loved it. I've been reading like crazy ever since.

2. I Do, By: Elizabeth Chandler
I loved I Do. It looks corny, but it was totally awesome. Jane and Adam are still one of my favorite fictional couples. If you haven't read Elizabeth Chandler, I recommend you do so now.

3. Divergent, By: Veronica Roth
After the success of The Hunger Games, I wasn't at all surprised when a bunch of post-apocalyptic books, movies, and TV shows came out. It's the same thing that happened with Twilight and vampires. I expected to like Divergent, but I actually LOVED it. It's smart, unique, and exciting. I loved the characters, and I loved the sequel, Insurgent. It's also set in Chicago, so big points from me there. 

 

4. Breathing Underwater, By: Alex Flinn
Breathing Underwater was assigned reading in my freshman English class, so of course I expected to dislike it. Not because I think all the books they assigned were bad (but a lot of them were), but because I hate being told when to read a book. It's so hard for me to get into a book that way. Also, the book is about abusive relationships. I thought that would make me hate the abusive characters, but it didn't. They were written so well I couldn't.

5. Double Standards, By: Judith McNaught
My cousin lent me this book on a camping trip, and started my love of romance novels. It was a huge change from any of the other books I had read. Double Standards isn't my favorite romance novel, but it did start me on Judith McNaught's books. That makes it pretty special to me. 

And here are five books I thought I'd like more than I did...

  

6. Crescendo By: Becca Fitzpatrick.
I really thought I would love this book, especially after Hush, Hush. I thought Hush, Hush was pretty great, and was extremely excited to read the following books in the series. Sadly, I went from really liking Nora and really liking Patch to really disliking Nora and REALLY liking Patch. She was such a smart character in the first book, but she finished the series off making me really wonder why Patch and all the other characters thought so highly of her. I mean, she did some pretty dumb things.

7. First Grave on the Right, By: Darynda Jones (Click Here for my Review)
I was reeeaaaalllly looking forward to reading this book, and I hated how disappointed I was. It picked up later in the series, so I'm still glad I read it. But as a stand alone book, I was very disappointed. 

8. Breathe, By: Abbi Glines
My friend recommended this to me, and this was the only book she recommended to me that I didn't like. The writing was just so stiff. I mean, I don't think there were more than five contractions in the whole thing. But the cover is still crazy beautiful.

 

9. Somebody to Love, By: Kristan Higgins

I didn't dislike this book, I just thought I would like it a lot more because I really like The Best Man.   It's probably pretty stupid, but I couldn't get past the age thing. Stupid, right? Parker was five years older than James, and that just made me uncomfortable. Especially since James acted childish sometimes. It would have been cute if the book was about a few 18 or 20 year old kids. A 30 year old guy and 35 year old woman with a five year old kid? Eh. Not into it.

10. Ginger Bread, By: Rachel Cohn

I don't remember a lot about this book since I read it so long ago, but I remember really disliking it. I was surprised about that, because I really enjoyed POP Princess. This book just didn't do it for me.

Shut Out

Shut Out By: Kody Keplinger
Most high school sports teams have rivalries with other schools. At Hamilton High, it's a civil war: the football team versus the soccer team. And for her part, Lissa is sick of it. Her quarterback boyfriend, Randy, is always ditching her to go pick a fight with the soccer team or to prank their locker room. And on three separate occasions Randy's car has been egged while he and Lissa were inside, making out. She is done competing with a bunch of sweaty boys for her own boyfriend's attention Then Lissa decides to end the rivalry once and for all: She and the other players' girlfriends go on a hookup strike. The boys won't get any action from them until the football and soccer teams make peace. What they don't count on is a new sort of rivalry: an impossible girls-against-boys showdown that hinges on who will cave to their libidos first. But what Lissa never sees coming is her own sexual tension with the leader of the boys, Cash Sterling...
Do you ever get annoyed when you read multiple books by the same author, and discover the main characters are always the same? I do. But, thankfully, that was not the case with Shut Out. I recently finished The DUFF, and liked it so much I started Shut Out right away. The two novels are set in the same town, but you don't need to read one to enjoy the other. There was no mention of Bianca and Wesley (which I would have liked), and Lissa, Cash, and Randy were nothing like them. There are similarities between Lissa and Bianca, like a little OCD and living with their dads, but besides that I think they had different voices. Cash and Wesley were not mirrored, with the only difference being their name. Randy wasn't the stereotypical bad boyfriend making you incapable of understanding why Lissa was with him. I'm not saying I liked the guy, but I could understand why they were together. Like The DUFF, Shut Out had the whole "overcoming labels" theme. The book was mainly about sex, or lack thereof, and explored many of the girls take on it. I thought this was especially interesting. A lot of this book felt like a conversation I would have with my best friend.  So, give it a read! And let me know how you like it :-]

The DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend

The DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend By: Kody Keplinger
Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn’t think she’s the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She’s also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her “the Duff,” she throws her Coke in his face.  But things aren’t so great at home right now, and Bianca is desperate for a distraction. She ends up kissing Wesley. Worse, she likes it. Eager for escape, Bianca throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with him. Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out Wesley isn’t such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she’s falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.
I read this book last night, in one sitting. I have this horrible habit of reading before I go to bed. The reason it's horrible is because I can never actually put a book down when I say I will. It's always, one more chapter! Or ten more minutes! In the case of The Duff, I started it around 2 A.M., and didn't fall asleep until after I finished it around 5. Since I wake up for school around 8, this wasn't a very good plan. But I don't regret it, because this book was awesome. I don't think I've ever read a book containing enemies-with-benefits. Friends-with-benefits, sure. But enemies? No. And it was really good. I was a little afraid I would be kind of disgusted with the relationship, but I wasn't. The sex wasn't the main focus of the book, it wasn't even very detailed. It was just something that happened, and what was important was Bianca's thought process before and after. And their banter? I loved it. Even when they were making fun of each other, which was often, you could tell they got each other. They were totally on the same page humor-wise. "Spanish, huh?" he said, glancing down at the scattered papers as he grabbed them. "Can you say anything interesting?" "El tono de tu voz hace que queria estrangularme." I stood up and waited for him to hand over my papers. "That sounds sexy," he said, getting to his feet and handing me the stack of Spanish work he'd swept together. "What's it mean?" "The sound of your voice makes me want to strangle myself." "Kinky. Bianca and Wesley are both imperfect people, and their flaws made them really likable. I mean, even though they were both kind of jerks, I was still rooting for them. Wesley said some of the stupidest things (like repeatedly calling Bianca 'Duffy'), but he was sincere. He never said anything he didn't mean. And even if what he said sounded harsh, it was honest. He didn't bother with white lies like most people. "He wasn't perfect, or even remotely close, for that matter, but, hey, neither was I. We were both pretty fucked up. Somehow, though, that made everything more exciting. Yeah, it was sick and twisted, but that's reality, right? Escape is impossible, so why not embrace it?" I found Bianca easy to relate to, even though I haven't ever had a enemy (or friend)-with-benefits. I understood how when she's going through a lot of stuff she kept it inside, trying to find a way to deal with it. Some people might have been frustrated that she didn't open up to her friends, but I found her dealing with it on her own very realistic. I mean, how many kids go to school announcing all their problems? Not many that I know. I definitely recommend this book. It's a quick read, and I wish there was a sequel so I could read more of Wesley and Bianca's sarcastic interactions. I want to read more books with interactions like theirs, because that's how people really communicate. Or at least how I do. "Wesley Rush doesn’t chase girls, but I’m chasing you."

ARC Review of As Twilight Falls

As Twilight Falls By: Amanda Ashley
Photographing ghost towns across the American West, Kadie Andrews takes a wrong turn and ends up in Morgan Creek—a spot that isn’t on the map. It’s a quaint little place, but there’s something off about its complacent residents. And when twilight falls, it takes on a truly sinister air… Unable to run or to find any way out, Kadie finds herself a prisoner, hunted for her blood. Still more disturbing, her spirit and beauty have captured the attention of the town’s leader—the mysterious Rylan Saintcrow. When he looks into her eyes, she can see his hunger. When he takes her in his arms, she can feel his power. When he presses his lips against hers, she can taste his need. Saintcrow may be the most powerful creature she’s ever imagined, but Kadie knows in her heart that he is also a man. A man who needs a woman. To want him, desire him, crave him. To be his willing prisoner—for all eternity…
First of all, big thank you to ARCycling for providing the ARC of this book! Before I say anything, I want to tell you I kind of went into this book expecting to dislike it. I love supernatural stories, but I've never gotten into vampire books. I don't know exactly what it is (though I'm pretty sure it's the whole drinking-your-blood thing...gross), but I don't think there's ever been a book about vampires that I've really liked. I read this book knowing it would mean going out of my comfort zone. The majority of this book is told from the POV of Kadie, a 24 year old photographer. She spends the night in Morgan Creek after getting lost, and discovers the next day she's incapable of leaving the town due to an invisible wall blocking the only way out. Personally, I think she handled this very well. I mean, an invisible wall? Being locked in a town? I think I'd freak out. Especially after finding out the few inhabitants of the town are used as blood bags for a coven of vampires. The rest of the book is about Kadie's relationship with the townspeople, but mostly with Rylan Saintcrow, a master vampire and the one in charge of the town. Sadly, I don't think I really liked any of the characters besides Micah, and he wasn't even introduced until the last few chapters. Rylan was a bit boring for a 900 year old vampire. I was hoping for a bit of a bad boy, but he never actually followed through on any of his threats because of his love for Kadie. Before you actually met him, the ladies of the town make him out to be a monster. I was kind of hoping for a strong Alpha male like Barrons from the Fever series. He was actually just really whipped. Kadie frustrated me because of how quickly she forgot she was a human, with a family. A family that included a terminally ill sister. Being locked in Morgan Creek meant she was kept away from her when she was dying. How do you think about anything besides that? How do you fall for the person keeping you away from her?  The reason the vampires kept people locked in the town is because of the vampire hunters. They don't want word getting out about where they are, and this way they didn't have to put themselves in danger when they needed to feed. On multiple occasions Rylan injured/killed hunters, made them forget who they were, and Kadie helped him every time. Is this romantic, because Kadie couldn't stand seeing him hurt? Maybe. But all I could think about was, these people are risking their lives to save humans. I mean, some of these vampires KILL for fun. What the heck, Kadie? This screamed "Stockholm syndrome", to me. Two Stars

Spring 2013

Spring is here, and I am thrilled. There's only a few weeks of school left, and then three months off! I'm pretty sure I'll be breaking my record of books read over summer break, because Goodreads has helped me   put over 100 books on my to-read list. I don't even know which one to start first! Even right now, I'm alternating between Inbetween and Walking Disaster. I seriously can't make up my mind.

This has nothing to do with books, but it's how I spent this beautiful, beautiful day.

I love Chicago.

Best city ever.

Partials

Partials By: Dan Wells
The human race is all but extinct after a war with Partials--engineered organic beings identical to humans--has decimated the population. Reduced to only tens of thousands by RM, a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island while the Partials have mysteriously retreated. The threat of the Partials is still imminent, but, worse, no baby has been born immune to RM in more than a decade. Our time is running out. Kira, a sixteen-year-old medic-in-training, is on the front lines of this battle, seeing RM ravage the community while mandatory pregnancy laws have pushed what's left of humanity to the brink of civil war, and she's not content to stand by and watch. But as she makes a desperate decision to save the last of her race, she will find that the survival of humans and Partials alike rests in her attempts to uncover the connections between them--connections that humanity has forgotten, or perhaps never even knew were there.
This book looks awesome, right? The cover, the description. Awesome. I'm really happy I read Partials. It was a lot like The Terminator, only there was also a disease and no time traveling. The surviving members of the war with the partials are living on Long Island, surviving only because the partials decided to leave them alone. Even though RM didn't kill the surviving humans, it has made them unable to have kids. Every newborn dies within days, making the extinction of the human race seem inevitable.  Does it seem like I'm giving out spoilers? I'm not. You learn the majority of this in the first chapter or so.  This story contains a lot of interesting ideas. I just got frustrated, because Dan Wells spelled everything out as if the readers were idiots. You learn everything that's going on in the world when Kira and her friends sit in a circle and just talk and talk and talk about it. It seems extremely pointless, as they're all a bunch of teenagers with no actual power. It's like how during the presidential election, everyone suddenly thinks they know everything about politics. Kira and her friends were those people. Half of them are soldiers, half medics. But they think they know everything. They're huge conspiracy theorists, and I just wanted to tell them (Especially Haru. Gosh I hated him) to kindly shut the hell up. I'm not saying the conspiracies were or were not right. I'll let you figure that out for yourself. I'm just saying they had no actual basis for anything they were talking about. They jumped the gun constantly, especially when soldiers questioned her adoptive mother, Nandita, about where she travels when she leaves long island. "That's none of your buisness," said Kira... "You think you can just barge into someone's front yard and ask anything you want? What if she went somewhere you don't like -- are you going to arrest her?" "Nobody is talking about arrest," said the soldier. "We're just asking questions. Calm down." "Just asking questions," said Kira. "Well, what if she refuses to answer?" (starting on page 99)  And then the soldiers tell her off, saying they're just doing their jobs trying to protect the city, which is more important than "wasting" her time. Kira responds vulgarly, which made me cover my face in embarrassment.  I'm pretty sure if one of my friends ever did something so obnoxious next to me, I would die of humiliation. To be fair, Nandita tells her she was wrong as well, and Kira admits she probably overreacted. But it's just a great example of how Kira and her friends jump to conclusions about things with no actual knowledge. It was extremely frustrating. There's something else that I'm not quite sure I love or hate. Dan Wells is not afraid to kill people off. In fact, I don't remember the last time I read a book where so many characters died. This was cool, because I think there are times when a character should die. You read a book and just think, "yeah right, like they would have survived that". I mean, would Lord of the Rings have been so good if Boromir had lived? Maybe. But I like to think it was necessary for certain character and plot development. I just hated how the characters died so easily. I mean, it was no big deal. So-and-so died, whatever, move on. I was somewhat annoyed with it during the first few deaths, but when Wells killed off the only character I truly liked, as if it was nothing, I was beyond frustrated. When a main character dies, it's supposed to be a big deal. People are supposed to be pissed when that happens. They should be crippled in grief. They should fight back as their hearts broke. Whatever. They should not shrug it off. Even if you know they died for a good cause, it's still supposed to matter! Yet even with these complaints, I still thought the book was pretty good. I still went looking for Fragments, the sequel, right away. I'm insanely curious about certain things, and want the answers a.s.a.p. I definitely recommend it.

Unbroken

Unbroken By: Melody Grace
"Mom always told me there are two kinds of love in this world: the steady breeze, and the hurricane. Emerson Ray was my hurricane...." Juliet McKenzie was an innocent eighteen-year old when she spent the summer in Cedar Cove—and fell head over heels in love with Emerson. Complicated, intense Emerson, the local bad boy. His blue eyes hid dark secrets, and just one touch could set Juliet ablaze. Their love was demanding and all-consuming, but when summer ended, tragedy tore them apart. Juliet swore she’d never go back, and she’s kept that promise… Until now. Four years later, Juliet’s done her best to rebuild the wreckage of her shattered life. She’s got a great boyfriend, and a steady job planned after she graduates. Returning to Cedar Cove to pack up her family’s beach house to prepare it for sale, Juliet is determined that nothing will stand in the way of her future. But one look from Emerson, and all her old desire comes flooding back. He let her go once, but this time, he’s not giving up without a fight. And Emerson fights dirty. A heartbreaking history. An unstoppable passion. Torn between her past and future, Juliet struggles to separate love from desire. But will they find a way to overcome their tragic secrets—together? And after so much damage has been done, can a love remain unbroken?
I heard really great things about this book, and started reading it immediately after seeing it on Goodreads. In fact, I put another book on hold because I was so excited about it. I'm kind of disappointed. I think this book could have been pretty great, if only there was more about Emerson and Juliet actually falling in love. I hate when I read a book and it's all, "Years ago they were in love but a misunderstanding drove them apar, but believe me: They were epic. Toooootally in love. Take my word for it." I don't want to take the authors word for it. I want to read about the couple first meeting (which was in the book, via flashback). I want to experience them falling in love (not in the book). I want to root for the couple, then feel heartbroken when they break up. And I want to stay up hours after I should have gone to bed, reading and waiting for them to finally realize they should be together. I just didn't care about Juliet and Emerson, though. Yeah, Emerson was painted as a total hottie. But if Juliet ended up with him or her boyfriend, I probably would have cared the exact same amount. Which, sadly, wasn't much. I hear Melody Grace is releasing another book, Untouched, which will be the prequel to Unbroken. That will be Juliet and Emerson falling in love. But why make it two books? Why not one great one, instead of two decent ones? Maybe when Untouched comes out, I'll read Unbroken again right after it. Until then, two stars.

The Iron King

The Iron King (The Iron Fey #1) By: Julie Kagawa
Meghan Chase has a secret destiny; one she could never have imagined. Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home. When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change. But she could never have guessed the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face; and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart
I remember seeing this book in stores when it first came out. I thought it sounded awesome, but for some reason never bought it or got it from the library. I kind of forgot about it until I came across the series at the library a few weeks ago. I liked the book. I'm into the fae/fey theme, especially after reading the Fever series. That doesn't mean the two series are anything alike, because they aren't. This series is aimed at teens, which no longer includes me. Fever would most definitely be rated R, no doubt about it. I respect how Kagawa created this whole new world. Writing fiction is hard, especially when you've creating a new world to go with it. Yes, Puck and a few characters are based off A Midsummer Night's Dream. Still, Kagawa must have done an insane amount of research and organizing. Yet I found myself getting annoyed, sometimes. I don't know how every mythical creature is supposed to look. I felt more description was needed in multiple parts of the book. Of course, a big part of this series is the whole Team Puck vs. Team Ash. I don't even know. I was Team Puck from the beginning. What did people see in Ash that I missed? Is it because some girls are into the bad boy? Because in the majority of this book, I just didn't find him likable. I mean, let's take a look: Meghan: You tried to kill me! Ash: ...you just happened to be there. But yes, if I'd had the shot, I would have taken it. And let's not forget: Meghan: What will happen then? Ash: I'll kill you. And this is within the first ten minutes of meeting him. Call me crazy, but I don't find death threats attractive. I also thought the whole Meghan and SOMEONE falling in love was just incredibly fast. It felt more like Kagawa said they had fallen in love, and that was it. But I didn't see it. I thought the relationship was incredibly shallow. Now, because this book is the first in a series, I feel I have to mention the others as well. But don't worry, I'm not going to spoil anything. I'm just going to say, I'm glad them. Book two was meh, but I really think book three made the series worth it. (Even if book four was forced and I kind of hated it). Three and a half stars.

Veronica Mars

I was the BIGGEST fan of Veronica Mars. I have every season, and I'm so so so so excited because guess what I just heard?

THEY'RE MAKING A VERONICA MARS MOVIE!!!

I've also discovered an extreme love of GIF's, if you haven't noticed. So I've searched and searched, and below are some of my favorite Veronica Mars moments :) Oh, and yes, I do notice how often Logan is present ;)

Book Memes #1

HOW I FEEL WHENEVER I READ A PAGE MENTIONING BARRONS OR RYODAN

HOW I FEEL WHEN PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT A BOOK I HAVENT READ YET

ME AT THE END OF EVERNEATH. FOR LIKE A MONTH.

OH, AND:

ICED

HOW I FEEL WHEN I READ A ROMANCE NOVEL, AND I TRY TO WRITE A REVIEW ABOUT IT.

HOW I FEEL WHEN A BOOK/MOVIE/TV SHOW ABOUT VAMPIRES COMES OUT.

HOW I FEEL WHEN I READ A REALLY GREAT BOOK AND THEN FIND OUT THERE'S A SEQUEL.

Review on the Fever Series, Books 1-5

Review on the Fever Series, Books 1-5

For the description of these books, click here.

I decided to review the first five books as one, because that's how I read them. Instead of five separate books it was like one HUGE book. Especially considering the length book five.

I really loved this series. But I feel like the time of vampires is over, and the time of Fae has begun. There's The Iron Fey series, the Wings series, or many other books. And now there's Fever. (I don't mean to say that as if they're just being published, I mean they're popularity has skyrocketed) I hope this isn't coming off as if I'm sick of the whole Fae thing, because I'm really not. Yes, I read Twilight, but no, I never got into that vampire phase. Anyone that drinks blood is gross. It's not sexy at all, and you will never convince me otherwise. 

I love the Fae trend. Each of the previously mentioned series about Fae have really held something unique, whether it's what they call their home (Nevernever, Faery, Avalon) or what the Fae are like. In Fever, the Unseelie are gross and huge douchebags. When you first start reading the books Mac makes it seem like the Seelie are just as bad, but I completely disagree with that. Yeah, the Seelie are bigots but they've been alive forever. It's natural they know more than we would, so is it really surprising that they look at humans in the way high school seniors look at the freshmen? Not really. If it wasn't for the sex glamour V'lane used when you're first introduced, I would like them just fine.

I love the way each character is portrayed as if you, the reader, really don't know who to trust. You're right in their with Mac trying to figure stuff out. I also think the character development of Mac throughout the series is just amazing. She starts as a somewhat shallow young woman, and every bad thing that happens leads you to Mac 2.0, 3.0, 4.0...It's really interesting and gradual, so gradual it's hard to notice.

Barrons character seemed so real, so magnetic. I looked forward to every encounter with him, and was incredibly curious about his history. I have to admit, it was Barrons that interested me the most. You just learn so little about him in each book, and I was soooo tempted to just google him and read some spoilers. 

Honestly, I don't want to say anything else because I loved learning every detail in this story line.  I love this book series. Read it.

I give it five stars.