Gone by: Michael Grant

Publisher: HarperTeen

Series: Gone #1

Edition: Paperback

Pages: 558

Rating: 4/5

Genre: YA Science Fiction
Release Date: July 1st 2008

**Part of my Dystopian Reading Challenge**


In the blink of an eye. Everyone disappears. GONE.
Except for the young. Teens. Middle schoolers. Toddlers. But not one single adult. No teachers, no cops, no doctors, no parents. Just as suddenly, there are no phones, no internet, no television. No way to get help. And no way to figure out what's happened.
Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks. Animals are mutating. And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents—unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers—that grow stronger by the day.
It's a terrifying new world. Sides are being chosen, a fight is shaping up. Townies against rich kids. Bullies against the weak. Powerful against powerless. And time is running out: On your birthday, you disappear just like everyone else...


This book was absoultey amazing! I was so impressed with the unqiue plot that kept me engaged in the story from page one. I didn't want to put this book down and I was up very late at night reading this and ignoring my other duties. (Like the dishes... Sorry Matt!) I felt so invested in Sam and his friends that I felt like I was their own personal cheerleader, rooting them on and wanting them to find out why people are disappearing. The pages tick down according to hour of when Sam is going to disappear which was an awesome touch since it added to the excitment of the book. If I had to complain about one thing it would be the constant action and not as much character building. I felt like I couldn't breathe for 500 pages because there was always a problem or some epic battle going on. Michael Grant: A little break for a couple pages would have nice a nice touch ;)


Overall I really enjoyed this book and I am excited to start the rest of the series. This is slated to be a 6 book series with the first 4 already out. It's defintely a MUST read!!

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In My Mailbox was created by Kristi at The Story Siren

These are all the books that came in the mail this week! So excited for all of them!! (Much bigger one on my Youtube)

The White Queen (Philippa Gregory)

Touch of Power (Maria V. Snyder)

Blood Rights (Kristen Painter)

Blood Bound (Rachel Vincent)

Soul Screamers bind up

My Soul to Keep

My Soul to Steal

If I Die

(All by Rachel Vincent)

Book Review: The Merchants Daughter by Melanie Dickerson

Publisher: Zondervan

Series: Stand-alone

Edition: e-book

Pages: 304

Rating: 3.5/5

Genre: Historical Fiction

Release Date: November 29th 2011

*Received for review at Net galley* 

An unthinkable danger. An unexpected choice. Annabel, once the daughter of a wealthy merchant, is trapped in indentured servitude to Lord Ranulf, a recluse who is rumored to be both terrifying and beastly. Her circumstances are made even worse by the proximity of Lord Ranulf's bailiff---a revolting man who has made unwelcome advances on Annabel in the past.Believing that life in a nunnery is the best way to escape the escalation of the bailiff's vile behavior and to preserve the faith that sustains her, Annabel is surprised to discover a sense of security and joy in her encounters with Lord Ranulf. As Annabel struggles to confront her feelings, she is involved in a situation that could place Ranulf in grave danger. Ranulf's future, and possibly his heart, may rest in her hands, and Annabel must decide whether to follow the plans she has cherished or the calling God has placed on her heart

As a lover of the historical fiction genre I will always have a place on my shelf for these titles. This book was beautifully written and had a little bit of "Beauty and the Beast" that made it a unique retelling. It was very fun and easy to read and had beautiful descriptions of the world around Annabel. Annabel goes through some really interesting struggles that had me rooting for her to find her voice and continue to be the strong woman she presented herself to be. I really liked reading about Annabel and Lord Ranulf and their dialogue between each other, that was something I definitely enjoyed!

The only complaint that I had was the religious aspect. It's not so much that I had a problem with it, I just felt like the author was trying to be a little aggressive with her beliefs and at times it made it difficult to want to continue reading. I don't have a problem with religious aspects in books but I think there is a way to do it correctly without turning off some readers. Lightly talk about the idea of religion, if the main character has values that she wishes to protect that is fine but don't make it the focus point of the story. 

I did like this book. A 3.5 rating for me is pretty great and the only issue I had was the religious aspect. 

River of Time series is a series I read that had religious aspects and was also a historical fiction, but it wasn't the main point of the book. 

Waiting On Wednesday [ 2 ]

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

Calla has always welcomed war. But now that the final battle is upon her, there’s more at stake than fighting. There’s saving Ren, even if it incurs Shay’s wrath. There’s keeping Ansel safe, even if he’s been branded a traitor. There’s proving herself as the pack’s alpha, facing unnamable horrors, and ridding the world of the Keepers’ magic once and for all. And then there’s deciding what to do when the war ends. If Calla makes it out alive, that is. 

In the final installment of the Nightshade trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Andrea Cremer creates a novel with twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat until its final pages. A dynamic end to this breathtaking trilogy


Only a couple more weeks. I have never been so impatient for a book!! If you haven't read the first book "Nightshade" GO! READ IT NOW!!! I can't wait to see how this ends. January 3rd 2012

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In My Mailbox was created by Kristi at The Story Siren

Seeing as this is the weekend before christmas I don't have any books other then the ones I received via NetGalley. So I thought I would just list them below! XD

Halflings by: Heather Burch 
Tooth and Nail by: Jennifer Safrey
The Merchant's Daughter by: Melanie Dickerson
Pure by: Julianna Baggot

Thank you NetGalley and the wonderful publishers! :)


All of these will be reviewed on my blog, if you are interested in seeing a review of one of these on my youtube channel, let me know! Remember to leave a comment and a link to your own IMM so I may check yours out! 

Book Review: Tempest by Julie Cross

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Series: Tempest # 1

Edition: Paperback

Pages: 334

Rating: 4.5/5

Genre: YA science fiction

Release Date: January 17th 2012

*Won on Goodreads*

The year is 2009.  Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy… he’s in college, has a girlfriend… and he can travel back through time. But it’s not like the movies – nothing changes in the present after his jumps, there’s no space-time continuum issues or broken flux capacitors – it’s just harmless fun.
That is… until the day strangers burst in on Jackson and his girlfriend, Holly, and during a struggle with Jackson, Holly is fatally shot. In his panic, Jackson jumps back two years to 2007, but this is not like his previous time jumps. Now he’s stuck in 2007 and can’t get back to the future.
Desperate to somehow return to 2009 to save Holly but unable to return to his rightful year, Jackson settles into 2007 and learns what he can about his abilities.
But it’s not long before the people who shot Holly in 2009 come looking for Jackson in the past, and these “Enemies of Time” will stop at nothing to recruit this powerful young time-traveler.  Recruit… or kill him.
Piecing together the clues about his father, the Enemies of Time, and himself, Jackson must decide how far he’s willing to go to save Holly… and possibly the entire world.

Okay let me start off saying that I was super lucky to be have won this on goodreads and given the opportunity to read it and review it before the release date. I classified this book as science fiction because it is about time travel and there is a love story intertwined but it definitely is something that involves theory which is science... right? ;P

I really enjoyed this book! Really interesting twist on time travel and a love story that had plenty of swoon worthy moments to gush over. I absolutely loved the relationship between Jackson and Holly, it was pure and real and something you can really relate to. I found myself wanting to read more and more about their relationship but was also completely interested in the time traveling aspect of the book as well. I guess you could say there was never a dull moment! I was a little worried at first with Tempest focusing on a male character if there was going to be love involved since I tend to like reading from a female perspective. However, Jackson was perfect. He had flaws like any normal person would which kept me reading because he NEVER got on my nerves!

The reason I did not give it a full 5 stars is because the information with the time traveling was a little bit confusing to understand at times. I found myself reading parts of the book out loud (Helps me think!) to help myself from being confused. I think she could have cut down a little bit with the amount of time travel because some of it was a little confusing. Other then that though it was really awesome!

I really look forward to reading the next book in the series since it left me wanting more but not in a "Grr what a mean cliffhanger" but in a way where I was really intrigued to keep going with the story. I just wish I didn't have to wait so long! Grr!

Click here for a tease of the audio book!

4.5 stars

HUGE thank you to Macmillan Audio who will be giving a fellow reader a free Audiobook of Tempest! I was so excited to be given an option to host a little giveaway and can't wait to see what you guys think! Make sure to click the link to listen to a little teaser of Tempest. :) GOODLUCK!

Fill out the form below.

First blog giveaway :)

This is my first giveaway on here!! 3 lucky winners will give these books a home. <3
Only rule is you have to be a follower on my blog & twitter! :)