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!!

IMM [ 5 ]

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

IMM [ 4 ]

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! :)

Book Review: The Night Circus

Publisher:Doubleday

Series: Not a series

Edition: Hardcopy

Pages: 387

Rating: 5/5

Genre: Adult Fantasy 

*Bought*

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per­formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead. 

Oh my freaking goodness. This book is one of a kind! 

I was a bit worried going into this since it has such a high amount of description vs. dialogue and I usually don't like books that have an overwhelming amount of description. This was more perfect that I could ever give it credit it for. 

I tend to read books really quickly since I get sucked into them and stay up until the wee hours of the night to read them. I did the opposite with this. It took me over a week to read this which is a little longer then normal but I think thats what this book needs. I was so consumed by this book that when I wasn't reading I was thinking about it and when I was reading, it would take a whole lot of distraction to pull me away. Erin Morgenstern has mastered an ability to tell you every single detail to the point that you not only saw the circus in your imagination, you could smell the carmel in the air, you could feel the wind pick around you as you walk from tent to tent. All of your senses will be used when you read this book.

I really suggest you read this VERY slowly. It is rather complex since there is so many point of views that are switched in the book and some time jumps. (Not by that much just a couple years here and there) What I did was make sure I read the dates on each chapter listed just so I can remember where the story left off from that date.

If you LOVE fantasy, you really need to check this out. It is definitely one of my favorites.

**If you want to see my immediate reaction after reading this book read my goodreads review here!**

Teaser Tuesday [ 4 ]

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

1.  Grab the book you are currently reading
2. Open to a page
3. Share two sentences from somewhere on that page (I like to give a nice long tease :P)

DO NOT INCLUDE SPOILERS!!

This week it's... The Night Circus by: Erin Morgenstern

The wind increases, sending waves of dark ink crashing into the ship. Pages fall from the sails, swirling around them like leaves. The ship begins to tilt and Celia almost loses her footing, but Marco puts his arms around her waist to steady her while she laughs. "This is quite impressive, Mr. Illusionist," she says.

"Call me by my name," he says. He has never heard her speak his name and holding her in his arms he suddenly craves the sound. "Please," he adds when she hesitates. "Marco," she says, her voice low and soft. The sound of his name on her tongue is even more intoxicating than he had imagined, and he leans in to taste it.

Pg. 263

I know this was a long teaser but this book is just amazing. I think the key to this book is to really take your time with it and become absorbed in the story. I hope you check it out because it's truly one of a kind!

IMM [ 3 ]

I know I don't do many of these but here is my IMM [ 3 ] on my blog which is a video that can be found on my youtube!

Please comment below with your link to your own or if you just have feedback! :)

In My Mailbox was created by Kristi at The Story Siren

Back into the swing of things!

Hey guys =)


So I know I was a little MIA with my blog for a couple of days I promise I have a good excuse coupled with some exciting news!


I applied for a book spot on a blog and I was focusing my attention with sending her mock reviews and also focusing a lot of my attention on my youtube!


I can say that I am officially part of  @ Rosey's Review 
She reviews Tv shows, movies, and books! I was lucky enough to get a spot as a book reviewer!! So excited to begin my work there and that starts in January!


ALSO she is having sign ups for her book challenge of 12 dystopians in 12 months. So you read one dystopian for every month in the year of 2012! So be sure to check that out and thank you for everyones continued support!
xoxo

Book Review: Dead Beautiful

Publisher: Hyperion

Series: Dead Beautiful #1

Edition: Paperback

Pages: 455

Rating: 4/5

Genre: Paranormal Romance

*Bought*

On the morning of her sixteenth birthday, Renée Winters was still an ordinary girl. She spent her summers at the beach, had the perfect best friend, and had just started dating the cutest guy at school. No one she'd ever known had died. But all that changes when she finds her parents dead in the Redwood Forest, in what appears to be a strange double murder. 

After the funeral Renée’s wealthy grandfather sends her to Gottfried Academy, a remote and mysterious boarding school in Maine, where she finds herself studying subjects like Philosophy, Latin, and the “Crude Sciences.”
It’s there that she meets Dante Berlin, a handsome and elusive boy to whom she feels inexplicably drawn. As they grow closer, unexplainable things begin to happen, but Renée can’t stop herself from falling in love. It’s only when she discovers a dark tragedy in Gottfried’s past that she begins to wonder if the Academy is everything it seems.
Little does she know, Dante is the one hiding a dangerous secret, one that has him fearing for her life. 

This book was really unique and I am always looking for something really creative to read since I get pretty sick of the same story over and over again. I read this pretty quickly and was happy to have found a nice gem in my bookstore since I haven't heard a lot of things about it. I was a little nervous thinking this might be another vampire book but nope! It's not! 
I won't give anything away but what I will say is how gripping this book was for me. The element of mystery and the love interest had my heart pounding and my mind racing from page to page and had me completely hooked from beginning to end. The only negative I have was that the beginning was a little slow but that was needed for the dramatic twists and turns that were coming ahead.
The love interest was awesome and it had the element of "I want to love you, but you scare me" thing to it, which is always exciting! 
There were times that I was reading this and thought I completely figured this book out but I was completely wrong and just shocked by what was really going on.
If you want a book with a conflicting love interest, mystery and mind games check this book out!!


I will definitely be giving the next book a read. Check it out below!


February 24th 2012

Book Review: Ashes by: Estevan Vega

Publisher: StoneGate Inc

Series: Arson #1

Edition: E-book

Rating: 5/5

Genre: Paranormal

*Received by author* 

Taken from goodreads:

More than three months have passed since Arson and Emery were taken. Taken and then separated.

And experimented on.
Salvation Asylum is more like a prison than a psychiatric facility. Unknowingly, Arson has become a vital instrument in a campaign set to genetically alter mankind. Enraged, confused, trapped, and unable to fully manifest his abilities, he wonders if he will ever see Emery again. His new existence is one crawling with questions. Is Grandma alive? Where does the fire come from? Can he become more than a monster?
In Ashes, book two of the ARSON series, nightmare and reality collide as Arson must embrace what he is and the haunting realization that there may be others out there, others like him.

Wow, this book was absolutely amazing. I read the first book "Arson" and really enjoyed it, but WOHOO this book was great! It was so fast paced and just a thriller right to the core. I love when a book can absoultely captivate me from beginning to end. This book did exactly that.

Ashes will keep your heart racing and your mind guessing. You will not want to take your hands off the pages. I was absolutely captivated reading this book. The difference between Arson & Ashes was how dark, psychological, and suspenseful Ashes is compared to Arson. Ashes takes you on a ride to find out what kind of experiments they have been doing to Arson and what toll that takes on him psychologically.

This is one of the best psychological thrillers I have read and something I will have on my re-read list for sure!

I love Estevan's ability to switch point of views between Emery & Arson, it's flawless and I admire a writer who can do that without disrupting the story. Estevan is a fantastic suspenseful writer and I look forward to see what else he will do! 

Make sure to check out the first book "Arson" !

Harper Inprint challenge (Starting January)

This is going to be my first challenge on this blog and I am super excited! I saw this through a couple blogs I follow and decided I had to be apart of it!

This challenge is hosted by Starry Sky Books make sure to check that out for a full list of rules, guidelines and questions! To make this short and sweet it is a challenge to read as many HarperCollins imprints that publish YA books in that month!

• This challenge is open to anyone, that can be if you blog, youtube or don't do either!
• Books started before January 1 do not count
• Your books can be crossovers with other challenges

Me being the challenge seeker that I am, I'm going to attempt to do the hard level! Which is 9-12 books!

Right before the start of this challege I will list all books I will be reading that month and add my progress to each. I am also going to do a youtube video about this challenge to get as many people in this as possible!!

Okay, now I need to go make a list fo the books I want to read!

GOODLUCK!!