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| # | cover | title | author | isbn | isbn13 | asin | num pages | avg rating | num ratings | date pub | date pub (ed.) | rating | my rating | review | notes | recommender | comments | votes | read count | date started | date read | date added | date purchased | owned |
purchase
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condition | format | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0061926183
| 9780061926181
| 3.25
| 604
| Dec 27, 2011
| Dec 27, 2011
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***Check out my blog at http://BooksandSparkles.Blogspot.com for an exclusive interview with Lynn Weingarten!*** I just finished reading The Secret Sis...more ***Check out my blog at http://BooksandSparkles.Blogspot.com for an exclusive interview with Lynn Weingarten!*** I just finished reading The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers and the first thing I did when I finished was to go online and see if there was going to be a sequel. I mean there HAS to be a sequel right? She can’t just leave us hanging like that. Well I was very happy to find out that there will be a sequel (yay!) I’m REALLY looking forward to reading it and seeing the cover (TSSOH was my #1 pick for favorite book cover of 2011). http://booksandsparkles.blogspot.com/... The first time I saw this book while I was browsing on Amazon I immediately fell in LOVE with the cover. I didn’t even know what the book was about; I just knew I had to have it. After I read the book description I was even more interested. Magic, heartbreak and revenge? Yes, please! When I started reading I thought I knew how the book would end. Yeah, well it went NOTHING like that. The ending was a huge shocker and completely blew me away and kept me guessing until the last page. Lucy Wrenn starts out as a clingy girlfriend, totally obsessed with her boyfriend Alex. I’ll admit that the first chapter of the book she totally annoyed me because of this. But as I kept reading I found out she’s just like any other girl dealing with her first breakup and I started to relate to her. Even though she was still infatuated with Alex through most of the book, I could understand what she was feeling and I really liked the person she became by the end of the book. With the help of Olivia, Gil and Liza (the other heartbreaker sisters) Lucy goes through a huge change throughout this book. What was great about the sisters was that they were all really different but were part of this secret sisterhood. Olivia, the secretive one and Liza, the brutally honest girl who you love to hate. My favorite was Gil- a heartbreaker who still believes in true love - and her touching love advice for Lucy. I would totally love to read a book about Gil’s story. Although this book seemed a little bit slow at first and too fast the last couple of chapters I still really enjoyed it. At first I didn’t know if the love interest was supposed to be Lucy’s best friend Tristan, Colin – the guy she is supposed to break his heart in order to become a heartbreaker, or Alex – the guy who broke her heart. I would have like to have read more about the magic and potions and more about Tristan and Colin. This book isn’t a love story; it’s more about finding you true self and liking that person. Its half good chick lit and half dating guide. (The dating advice the sisters give Lucy is really good!) This book screams to me “Girl Power!” with the perfect mix of friendship, love, heartbreak and magic. I can’t wait to read the sequel! I give this book 4.5 out of 5 sparkly stars http://booksandsparkles.blogspot.com/...(less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| Dec 29, 2011
| Dec 31, 2011
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Dec 14, 2011
| Hardcover
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| 1423121325
| 9781423121329
| 4.10
| 17,690
| Mar 13, 2012
| Mar 13, 2012
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***Spoiler-free review, there will however be spoiler for Hex Hall and Demonglass*** Ah Sophie, how I have missed you… In the end of Demonglass, Sophie...more ***Spoiler-free review, there will however be spoiler for Hex Hall and Demonglass*** Ah Sophie, how I have missed you… In the end of Demonglass, Sophie and her father have been stripped of their magic powers, Archer and Jenna have been captured and Thorne Abbey is under attack. Cal, her fiancé even though she is technically with Archer, (no, Sophie is not that kind of girl. Witches and warlocks have arranged marriages) convinces Sophie to go look for her mother to seek for help, even though her mother is with the Brannicks, who are enemies of the prodigium. Sophie travels through the Itineris (a magic travel portal) to find her mother, however, since her powers are bound and she isn’t technically a witch or demon anymore, the Itineris has a hard time determining what she ends up losing almost two weeks by the time it spits her out. Sophie finds her mother among the Brannicks and she finds out that they are not who she thought they were. Soon after, her father and Cal show up. Of course, you can always count in the awkward but awesome tension between these two, as well as a kissing scene! Just when Sophie is adjusting and her and her crew is preparing to attack the Casnoff sisters, she is suddenly sucked back (literally) to Hex Hall. (Totally not expecting that, but awesome nonetheless!) Turns out that all the students, including Archer and Jenna have also been summoned back to Hex Hall, but this time they are stuck there while the Casnoff sisters try to pull off their evil plan. I’ve always loved Jenna (a vampire with pink hair!) and her friendship with Sophie. And Archer? I’ve always been a fan of his although Cal is still probably one of my favorite characters. And of course, Sophie and Archer’s witty comments are just as funny as the last two books, maybe even more. I forgot to mention that the ghost of Elodie is till somehow tied to Sophie, but this time she has found a way to posess Sophie’s body. Which comes in handy when they need Elodie’s magic powers, but what about when she comes face to face with Archer (her ex)? It’s pretty sad that I liked Elodie so much better as a ghost than when she was alive. But she does end up getting her (sort of) happy ending. One of my favorite things about this book was a warlock who is stuck in a mirror. He can predict the future although he rarely does, and the conversations he has with Sophie are just to die for! And I don’t know if this is just me, but it seems like the hotness level between Sophie and Archer simmers down a bit, compared to the last two books. Along with the rest of you, I have grown to LOVE Sophie, her wit and sarcasm and the wonderful world of Hex Hall. I am very sad to read the end of her story. Spell Bound was a great but sad and bittersweet ending and still left unanswered questions. Might Rachel Hawkins answer these in a Hex Hall spin-off series or another Hex Hall book? Who knows, but I sure hope so! When I finished Spell Bound, I had no idea that this was the final book in the Hex Hall series. The story just feels…unfinished. If this was just another Hex Hall book I would give this 5 stars, but considering this is the last one I have to give in 4 stars since I feel like it should have been…more. More romance, more fighting, more of the Brannicks and more of Sophie’s parents. There was however more than enough drama, suspense and Sophie’s awesome snarky comments. Overall, Spell Bound was a fantastic addition to the Hex Hall world although I am sad it’s over. I immediately got sucked back into Sophie’s world that I devoured this book in one day. 4 out of 5 sparkly stars! Some of my favorite non-spoiler quotes from Spell Bound: (there are SO many, it was hard to choose!) - “Maybe. But he’ll just say a bunch of smart-ass stuff before maybe telling you anything real. That’s what he does.” Standing, I said, “I think I can hold my own in smartassery.” - “You can call yourself whatever you want.” “Okay. Sophie Awesome Sparkle-Princess it is.” - Knowing I’d probably regret it, I crossed the room and yanked the canvas off the mirror. As before, he was sitting on the table, smirking at me. “Jackass, jackass on the wall, where’s the info on Hex Hall?” - “You know, I can see more than just the future or the past.” “Really?” I asked, paging through the papers in the file. “Can you also see the present? Because I can do that, too. Like, right now, I sense that I’m in a messy room with a total toolbox.” - “We could go to Lough Bealach,” Aislinn answered. “Is that a place, or are you choking?” I asked, earning me a glare in return. - “And the sooner, the better. We’re in stasis now, but something is coming. I sense a—” “Great disturbance in the Force?” I interrupted before I could stop myself. Torin frowned. “I suspect you’re mocking me, but I don’t understand the reference. In any case, dark powers are stirring. The more prepared you are, the better.” - “Right. So no plans at all, then?” Jenna frowned. “Other than rocking in the fetal position for a while?” “Yeah, I was thinking about taking one of those showers where you huddle in the corner fully clothed and cry,” Archer offered. - “See you later, then?” he asked. His voice was casual, but my skin was hot where he touched me. “Definitely,” I answered, figuring that even a girl who has to stop evil witches from taking over the world could make time for kissage in there somewhere. *** Read more of my reviews at: Nereyda @ Mostly YA Book Obsessed http://BooksandSparkles.Blogspot.com(less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| Mar 20, 2012
| Mar 22, 2012
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May 06, 2011
| Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| 0312614802
| 9780312614805
| 4.31
| 2,960
| Mar 27, 2012
| Mar 27, 2012
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***ARC received by author for review*** **MAJOR spoilers from books one and two** Forgiven has been one of my top most anticipated books of this year. I...more ***ARC received by author for review*** **MAJOR spoilers from books one and two** Forgiven has been one of my top most anticipated books of this year. I became an instant fan of Riley and Beck in the first book, The Demon Trapper’s Daughter and became even more hooked in the second book, Soul Thief. Forgiven starts immediately after the shocking ending in Soul Thief. Riley has just slept with Ori, who is really a fallen angel who tricked her because he wants her soul. She now owes a favor to both heaven and Hell. Devastated, Riley goes to Beck’s house to confess. Only instead of comforting her, Beck yells at her. Riley finally realizes what they have both been stupid enough to admit, Beck has real feelings for her. Beck ends up leaving and soon after, the Demon Hunters arrive looking for Riley. She escapes and flees to the only other place she thinks is safe, with her dad. Problem is her father is dead. He is now a reanimated corpse and is staying with Mort, a necromancer. Riley confesses to her dad and they agree that she must stay on the run. With the help of Mort and his magic tricks, Riley is able to disguise herself to be able to go with her friend Peter try to figure out the Holy Water scam. The Demon Hunter’s now have Beck in custody and they plan to use him to get to Riley. When it is clear that he does not know where Riley is, they plan to charge Beck with working with Hell. No matter how bad things are between them, Riley can’t let Beck take the blame so she turns herself in. Now it is up to the hunters and the Vatican to decide who’s side Riley is working for, Heaven or Hell? Until then they release her into the custody of Stewart, master demon trapper. Meanwhile, Beck must deal with Justine, a reporter who is prying too deep into Beck’s old life. What is Beck hiding and what impact will it have on his job and on Riley? As if that weren’t bad enough (poor Riley, she never seems to catch a break), there is a new breed of undead demons who are now working together and it’s up to Riley to prevent the end of the world. How will she repay debts with heaven AND hell and save the world at the same time? Riley is one of my favorite characters, (she was featured in my Kick-Butt character giveaway). In Forgiven, Riley has learned from her mistakes and has grown a lot. She is less reckless and more mature. She is determined to fight until the end, even when it seems like all the odds are against her. She finally sees Beck in a new light, instead of the guy that rejected her a couple of years ago and she finally is able to let go of that resentment. Denver Beck is so different than other YA male characters and I LOVE it! He finally opens up to Riley and lets her in on his life and gives her sneak peeks about his past. He finally admits to himself that perhaps it wasn’t the best thing to push Riley away in the past and we finally get to see what we have been waiting for since book one. Somehow, Jana manages to make Riley and Beck one of my all-time favorite couples, even though they have never actually been a couple. I find myself desperately looking forward to ANY interaction between these two, whether it be them arguing or those near kisses. The secondary characters also developed a lot from the last books and we learn more about them. I loved reading about Riley’s dad Paul, Mort the necromancer, who became one of my new favorite characters in the book, Peter, Stewart, and even Harper and the rest of the demon trappers and hunters and I look forward to reading more about them. Jana Oliver sure does not disappoint with Forgiven! Forgiven will take you on a non-stop action-packed adventure. It sucks you in on the very first page and will leave you begging to keep reading until you devour every last word. The ending was very unexpected for me and only leaves me desperately wanting the final book in the Demon Trappers series. If you’re a fan of this series you will definitely want to get your hands on this book. If you haven’t read any of the books, then I highly recommend you add them to the very top of your TBR list! Action, adventure, kick-butt characters, romance, humor, mystery, magic, demon, angels, heaven and hell! Forgiven and the Demon Trapper’s books have it all! 5 out of 5 very sparkly stars! *** Some of my favorite non-spoiler quotes from Forgiven: - He handed her the juice. “Drink. You look awful.” It wasn’t a good sign when a dead guy said you looked bad. - Was this a sign of what her future held? Would Ori continue to push at her mind until she screamed for release? Would Beck throw away his life to save her soul? - “Why does this feel like a bad episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer?” Riley smiled through her tears. “What would Buffy do now?” Peter thought for a moment. “She’d kick some ass and look smoking hot doing it.” - Hopefully, someone would give her hint what to do when the time came. It wasn’t like there was a book in the local library entitled 101 Creative Ways to Prevent Armageddon. - “One last thing—” In a heartbeat, Roscoe was off his feet and rammed up against the door. The jarring impact set off the security alarm and drenched them in floodlights. “If ya ever hit on Paul Blackthorne’s daughter again,” Beck bellowed inches from the man’s ear, “I will feed ya to a Three, a chunk at a time. Ya got that?” - Ori had placed a stick of dynamite inside her heart and detonated it, and now there were pieces of her spread all over. Beck wasn’t helping her pick them up. If anything, he was grinding them under the heel of his boot. - “What does that make me? Good or evil?” “It makes you human, dear.” - “No. We’re both too tired to go there. Too much has happened between us.” “Hey, he’s still talking to you, even after the guy with the wings. That means something even if you don’t want to go there.” It did mean something. - “Yer nothin’ like Justine,” he blurted. “Never will be. She’s … nice and all that but…” He paused, then took a long breath as if to prepare himself for what he was about to reveal. “Ya mean more to me than she ever will.” - “No more messing around with Hell. They play for keeps.” “Yeah, but so does Heaven.” - “Hang on, girl. I’m takin’ you somewhere quiet,” Beck said softly. “We’ll talk it out, just the two of us. I won’t leave ya alone, not until ya want me gone.” “I don’t want to be alone.” “I know. Me neither. Not right now.” - Beck grunted his agreement. “Paul sold his soul for you, didn’t he?” Riley turned toward him, astonished. “How did you know?” Beck adjusted the blanket again. “I just figured it out. That’s what a man should do for his daughter. Or his woman.” He looked her straight in the eyes. “I’d do it for you if it kept you safe,” he said tenderly. He’d go to Hell for me. In that instant, Riley knew she’d do the same for him. - From the shocked expression on Beck’s face, he knew it, too, and he stepped farther away as if she presented too much temptation. Shaking his head, he murmured, “Sorry, I shouldn’t have done that. I had no right.” Before she could tell him that he had every right, his cell phone rang. - “I should go. Stewart’s waitin’ for me. Says he wants to teach me how to use a sword properly.” Riley hooted. “Can I watch? This should be totally hilarious.” “Ya’ve got no respect, woman,” Beck retorted. After the door closed behind him, she realized what he’d said. “Woman?” He wasn’t calling her girl any longer. If that wasn’t a sign the world was ending, what other proof did she need? -He looked away for a moment, then back at her. He placed his forehead against hers. His breath was ragged and uneven. “Do what ya have to do to pay off yer debt with Heaven,” he said, his concern for proper speech abandoned. “But ya do not die on me, ya understand? I can’t live without ya. Yer all I got, woman.” Her breath caught in her lungs. “I don’t want to be here if you’re not.” *** Check out my interview with Jana Oliver! Nereyda @Mostly YA Book Obsessed http://BooksandSparkles.Blogspot.com(less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| Mar 28, 2012
| Mar 30, 2012
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Jun 28, 2011
| Paperback
| |||||||||||||||
| 0373210515
| 9780373210510
| 4.16
| 15,754
| Apr 24, 2012
| Apr 24, 2012
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***ARC provided by Harlequin Teen for Review*** So I admit I haven’t read any of Julie Kagawa’s Iron Fey series yet. I’ve heard really great thing from...more ***ARC provided by Harlequin Teen for Review*** So I admit I haven’t read any of Julie Kagawa’s Iron Fey series yet. I’ve heard really great thing from them and they are on my wish list, but I just haven’t been able to get to them yet. I will someday though! When I first saw the cover for The Immortal Rules, I was immediately intrigued. It was dark, creepy and a little bit scary. I was a little bit over the whole vampire books but after reading the synopsis, I realized that this book is unlike any other vampire book I read and I added it right away to my Amazon pre-order list. As you can imagine, I was pretty ecstatic when I received a copy from NetGalley. Julie does an amazing job up describing the world in which this story takes place. After a deadly disease has wiped out most of the population, the vampires now control everything. You have a choice of being a Registered which means you belong to the vampires. You get some food but you in exchange you are forced to donate blood for the vampires. The other choice is to be an Unregistered. Unregistered are free from the vampires but they are forced to scavenge for any scraps of food and survive out in the fringes. If any of them are caught stealing food, the penalty is death. Allison Sekemoto is an Unregistered. She lives in an abandoned school with a group of other Unregistered and they barely manage to survive. Not only do people have to worry about the vampires, they also have to worry about rabids. When Allison and her friends go out of the fringes, in a desperate search for food, they are attacked by a group of rabids. As Allison is bleeding to death, a vampire finds her and offers to save her, by becoming a vampire. The transition is not easy for Allison, but with the help of Kanin, her vampire sire, she learns some much needed skills if she is to survive her new life. One of those skills is the handy use of a Katana sword. When Allison and Kanin are forced to go their separate ways, Allison stumbles upon a group of humans. There she meets Zeke who is instantly drawn to her, no matter how hard Allison tries to push him away. Suddenly, she must decide who the real danger is: the vampires, the rabids, the raiders, the humans or herself? Even though I am a HUGE chicken, I am drawn to these darker books and this one did not disappoint one bit! Allison was a perfect example of my favorite type of heroine: kick-ass! She is fierce, loyal, strong and is not afraid to stand up and fight for what she believes in. Even when she became the thing she hated the most, she accepted it and vowed to not become the monster she feared she would become. I LOVED teacher/student/mentor relationship between Kanin and Allison and I hope we get to read more about Kanin in the next book. Oh and Zeke, I loved him! No matter how many times Allison tried to push him away, he never gave up, even when she made him question all his beliefs. Although the book is quite long (almost 500 pages) I never once was bored or felt like the story was dragging on. On the contrary, I felt it was all necessary to the story. With more plot twist and turns than I can count, The Immortal Rules always had me on the edge of my seat, wondering what was going to come next and being absolutely shocked and surprised at what would actually happen next! And what a cliffhanger ending! I was convinced my version had a missing chapter at the end. What a cruel way to leave us hanging like this. Without a doubt, this series will become one of my all time favorites and the next book is on my list of highly anticipated books. This is not at all your average vampire or post-apocalyptic book. Make sure to get your hands on a copy of The Immortal Rules and see for yourself what all the rage is about. 5 out of 5 sparkly stars! Some of my favorite non-spoiler quotes or scenes from The Immortal Rules: -I told him it wasn't the scanning or the giving blood that I hated the most. It was the whole “Property of” bit that bothered me. I was no one’s property. If the damn bloodsuckers wanted me, they’d have to catch me first. And I wasn't going to make it easy for them. -It was almost better to be caught by the hungry, soulless vampires; the most they would probably do was drink your blood and leave you to die. Humans were capable of far, far worse. -I didn’t want to die. Even if it meant becoming something I loathed, my nature was, first and always, to survive. -I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to control myself, and I would end up killing someone. And, deep down, a part of me didn’t care. That was the scariest of all. -“Thanks.” One corner of his mouth quirked up. “Don’t worry about it. We look out for each other out here.” He flicked the canvas wall, lightly. “And like I said, if the tent falls on you in the middle of the night, don’t panic. You’ll get used to it. No one really worries about keeping things erect around here, and …Wow, that sounded bad.” -I was a vampire. Nothing would change that. But I didn’t have to be a monster. *** Review posted on 04/24/12 http://booksandsparkles.blogspot.com/... *** Read more of my reviews and author interviews at: Nereyda @Mostly YA Book Obsessed http://BooksandSparkles.Blogspot.com (less) | Notes are private!
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1
| Apr 20, 2012
| Apr 24, 2012
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Dec 08, 2011
| Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| 1423111443
| 9781423111443
| 3.87
| 12,588
| Dec 16, 2008
| Dec 23, 2008
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I have to start my review with this: although the first 2-3 pages have a scene that is similar to one in Twilight, this book is nothing like that and...more
I have to start my review with this: although the first 2-3 pages have a scene that is similar to one in Twilight, this book is nothing like that and neither are the characters. I wish people would stop comparing all these great books to Twilight! Um, okay…vent over. Camelia Hammond is just an average 16-year old teenage girl who loves art and to hang out with her two best friends, Kimmie and Wes. One day, her life changes when she is almost run over by a car and pushed out of the way by mysterious hot guy. Only instead of sticking around, he disappears before Camelia even has a chance to say thanks. But Camelia can’t stop thinking about him and the way it felt when he touched her. Sounds cliché, I know but actually very important to the story. Fast forward a couple of months and there is a new guy at school, Ben, who Camelia thinks is the guy who saved her. But when Camelia confronts him, he denies it. Ben already has a bad reputation and there are rumors that he killed his last girlfriend. Around the same time, Camelia starts receiving photos of herself, weird phone calls, creepy notes and other stalk-ish messages. Camelia’s friends are convinced that Ben is the one who is stalking Camelia but she doesn’t think it’s him even though she knows he is hiding something. Turns out that Ben is psychometric, he can sense things through touching people or things. Will she find out who is really stalking her before it’s too late? Deadly Little Secret is the beginning of a very promising series. The characters aren’t perfect but that is what I think makes them more real and easier to relate with. One of the biggest issues I had with Camelia is that she wouldn’t go to her parents and talk to them about the threatening notes and phone calls she was receiving. But then again, if her parents were going through a hard time and she thought that it might be pranks, I would probably do the same thing. Kimmie and Wes were awesome and never failed to crack me up. I liked reading about Kimmie and Wes’s fashion senses, their dysfunctional families and their smart ass comments. The relationship between Camelia and Ben starts off slow but soon speeds up full-throttle only to leave us with an unexpected ending that will make you want to read the sequel, Deadly Little Lies. One of my favorite things about the book were the extra diary entries in between chapters written to Camelia by her stalker which will leave you switching suspects to try to figure out who it is. Mystery, suspense and chemistry-make sure to add this series to your TBR list! 4 out of 5 sparkly stars! *** Some of my favorite non-spoiler quotes from Deadly Little Secret: -“My vote is that you forget about Touch Boy,” Kimmie says, pointing at me with her straw. “Unless of course you want to wind up being the next victim of the week,” Wes adds. “Better start wearing clean underwear. You never know when you might end up lying half naked somewhere.” -“So then, why doesn’t he come over here? Why is he just standing there, gawking at us?” Kimmie asks. “The angoraphobia thing,” Wes whispers, to remind her. “That’s agoraphobia, you dumb-ass.” She swats his head with her rhinestone purse. “The poor boy doesn’t have a fear of rabbit wool.” -“What happened until innocent until proven guilty?” I ask. “That was Wes’s –shirt. Mine says ‘Killers suck and they belong behind bars, not dating my best friend.’” -“You felt something just now, didn’t you?” I ask, as soon as she steps away. Ben pours sugar into his mug and stirs. “I always feel something with you.” -“So what do you do about things beyond your control?” he asks. “Like what?” His hand clenches mine harder, in a tightening pressure that nearly makes me lose my breath. “Like whether or not it’s going to rain tomorrow, or whether I’m going to kiss you right now.” *** Check out more of my reviews at Mostly YA Book Obsessed: http://BooksandSparkles.Blogspot.com(less) | Notes are private!
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2
| Feb 11, 2012
| Feb 13, 2012
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Dec 08, 2011
| Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| 1423111451
| 9781423111450
| 4.03
| 7,093
| Nov 06, 2009
| Nov 09, 2009
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Just as Camelia was trying to move on from Ben after he left town, and their relationship months ago, she learns that he’s coming back. She has been l...more
Just as Camelia was trying to move on from Ben after he left town, and their relationship months ago, she learns that he’s coming back. She has been learning all she can about psychometry because she fears Ben has transferred his “powers” to her after a few of her sculptures have turned out to be clues to the future. But Ben coming back means nothing new for their relationship. He is still distant and mysterious and keeps too many secrets. He also pushes her away and pulls her back so much that it starts to get annoying. Camelia is once again receiving creepy stalker messages and photos much like in the first book. I even thought it was the same person sending the messages but it wasn’t, in fact the person was kind of random I thought. But still the stalking adds a certain creep factor to the book while at the same time; all I could think was why Camelia once again was not going to her parents or the police for help. Especially after what happened in the first book. Kind of made me want to slap her a couple of times. Meanwhile, after being pushed away by Ben one too many times, Camelia decides to give a chance to her new co-worker Adam who has been flirting with her. When Ben senses that Camelia is seeing someone else (by touching her) he all of a sudden shows interest in her again. Both Ben and Adam are hiding something, but are they the ones stalking her. While I did still enjoy this book, the main thing that bothered me was the fact that it seemed like a repeat of Deadly Little Secret. Camelia and Ben are still in this are-we-aren’t-we stage, she is once again receiving threatening notes and she once again chooses to seek out help. While Kimmie and Wes were still there with their awesome witty remarks and sarcastic comments, it felt like if none of them were taking Camelia serious about her psychometry or her stalker. One thing I loved about this book was the extra sections between chapters. Last book it was Camelia’s stalker notes, this book it’s diary entries from her Aunt Alexia (who is in a mental hospital) when she was a kid. It’s great to see the similarities between Camelia and her aunt and their art and psychometry and you just know and hope that her aunt will become a bigger important part of the story. Another thing that bothered me was that Camelia made it seem as if her and Ben had this great relationship before he left, when in fact it was a lot of chemistry and a couple of kisses. Even though I HATE love triangles, I found myself rooting for Adam. It was a good addition to the series although it was a little bit too much of a repeat. But it was a very quick read and important story for the rest of the series. 3.5 out of 5 sparkly stars! *** Some of my favorite non-spoiler quotes from Deadly Little Lies: -“Might you have been smoking something funky? Surely that would make me want to sculpt something kinky.” “Like an arm is even kinky?” Kimmie says. “Leave it to Camelia to sculpt something G-rated.” -“I just hope things go back to somewhat normal between us,” I say. “I hate to break this to you, Cam,” Kimmie says, “but last I checked, feeling someone up in an effort to sense clues that could possibly cease the plot of a psycho stalker is hardly the norm.” -“Don’t be like this,” he says. “Like what? Don’t feel anything? Be more like you?” -“Do you honestly think that going back to Touch Boy would be a rational decision for our dear Chameleon?” Wes asks her. “Love isn’t rational,” she argues. “It’s instinctive.” “Well, instinct tells me that I’ll know what to do when that time comes.” -“Well, you do realize we have a ton to talk about.” “And do you realize youre touching me right now.” He nods and moves closer. His breath is warm against my ear. “And this time I don’t ever want to let go.” *** Check out more of my reviews at Mostly YA Book Obsessed: http://BooksandSparkles.Blogspot.com(less) | Notes are private!
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2
| Feb 13, 2012
| Feb 14, 2012
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Dec 08, 2011
| Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| 1423131606
| 9781423131601
| 4.04
| 4,723
| Dec 21, 2010
| Dec 28, 2010
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Discovering her new psychometric abilities has been hard for our poor little Chameleon. (Her nickname, which I love!) Not only does she not understand...more
Discovering her new psychometric abilities has been hard for our poor little Chameleon. (Her nickname, which I love!) Not only does she not understand her abilities or when she sculpts “premonitions” from the future, but she also fears that she will not be able to handle it and will end up crazy because of it like her Aunt Alexia. Camelia and Ben are back to sort of dating again (not really clear to me) even though he is STILL keeping secrets. Soon Camelia starts sculpting thing about Ben’s ex-best friend Adam, (and Camelia’s almost ex-boyfriend) like his eyes and lips. Even worse is the fact that when Ben touches her, he can sense that Camelia has been thinking a lot about Adam and he starts pulling away again. Turns out that through her sculptures, Camelia can sense that Adam is in danger. But will she help him and risk her relationship with Ben? Ben agrees that helping Adam is right thing to do, but he doesn’t want to get involved. As Camelia and Adam spend more time together as she tries to find clues as to who might want to hurt him, she and Ben start drifting further apart. Will she be able to save Adam in time? And how much is she willing to risk doing so? A big problem I have with this series it that even though Camelia and Ben have some great moments, there aren’t that many and their relationship never seemed that serious. I still find more chemistry between Camelia and Adam and I’m sort of leaning on Adam’s side. The story was great because for once Camelia wasn’t the one in danger so it wasn’t a repeat of the last two books. The book is a quick read and the mystery and suspense are great. Even better are the crossword puzzles in between chapters that are left for Adam. They are ridiculously easy (that’s the point). There is also therapy transcripts between a patient and a doctor that are super creepy but its adds a little extra zing to the book. The same people are also there with Camelia. Her dysfunctional friends Kimmie and Wes, her pre-occupied parents and even Aunt Alexia makes some very important appearances which make Camelia realize that her and her aunt have a lot more in common than art, will she end up crazy like her too? Deadly Little Games is a great book in the Touch series that will leave you wanting to get your hands on the next book, Deadly Little Voices. 4 out of 5 sparkly stars! *** Some of my favorite non-spoiler quotes from Deadly Little Games: -DOCTOR: “What’s so funny?” PATIENT: “Maybe you’re right. Maybe I do like puzzles. Maybe I like them a whole lot. DOCTOR: “And why is that funny?” PATIENT: “Because with every game, there can only be one winner.” DOCTOR: “Sometime’s there’s a tie.” PATIENT: “That’s what sudden death is for.” -“Good answer.” “I thought you said I should back off.” “I did, but that wouldn’t be like you, which is precisely the reason I allow you to be my best friend.” -Wes shrugs and drinks Kimmie’s juice down to the pulp. “I mean, she’s cute and all-in a wildflower sort of way-but I’m not sure she does it for me.” “Because you’re far more interested in weeds?” -“I know, I know.” She sighs, before I can even say anything. “I may have gone a little overboard, but what can I say? I’m a dorkus extremus. Hence my outfit du jour.” *** Check out more of my reviews at Mostly YA Book Obsessed: http://BooksandSparkles.Blogspot.com(less) | Notes are private!
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2
| Feb 14, 2012
| Feb 16, 2012
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Dec 08, 2011
| Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| 0983157200
| 9780983157205
| 4.24
| 16,354
| 2011
| Oct 18, 2011
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With the daimons hot on her trail, after they killed her mother a few days ago, Alexandra Andros is on the run and does her best to fight them off. B...more
With the daimons hot on her trail, after they killed her mother a few days ago, Alexandra Andros is on the run and does her best to fight them off. But she has been away from the Covenant for the past three years and her fighting skills are lacking. Just when it looks like the daimons will get the best of her; enter Aiden St. Claire (who she used to have a crush on years ago) and the rest of the Sentinels from the Covenant. They save Alex and take her back to the Covenant where she must face her distant uncle (the dean) who wants to send Alex to be a servant for her stepfather, Lucian. Aiden comes to her defense and agrees to train her to get her caught up in her training. The more time Alex and Aiden spend together, it’s obvious that they have feeling for each other. But since relationships between Pures and Half-Bloods are strictly forbidden they must be careful to keep their feelings hidden. I loved that Aiden wasn’t scared to let Alex know he cared for her and their relationship has a nice slow build up with lots of great chemistry and sexual tension. One of my favorite characters was Alex best friend, Caleb. I loved the friendship between them! And Seth, oh man, where do I begin with him? I LOVED the way he can get under Alex’s skin and irritate the hell out of her while still manage to somehow maintain charming. I’ve made it clear that I HATE love triangles, but lately they have been getting to me. Seth is probably one of my all-time favorite characters and even though the “friendship” between him and Alex was slow, I can tell that it will get HOT in the next books! I know that this will be one of the few series where I will have a really hard time deciding who I want Alex to be with, Aiden or Seth? Jennifer has created a wonder world in Half-Blood. Kick-ass heroine, hot guys, awesome guy best friend, political corruption and lots of action, make sure to add Half-Blood to your TBRRN (To Be Read Right Now) list! I recommend you read Daimon, the short prequel to Half-Blood before reading this to give you a preview into the world of Alex. And if you haven’t yet, make sure to read Jennifer’s books in the Lux series, Obsidian and Shadows. Obsidian was my favorite book of 2011! You can click on the following links to read my reviews of both books. I’ve read the reviews that say this book is a copy of Vampire Academy. I have read the Vampire Academy books (one of my all-time favorite series!) and while I will agree that there were a couple of strong similarities, Half-Blood has enough differences and the story is great enough to make it its own. These books are awesome and I will definitely keep reading this series! Some of my favorite non-spoiler Half-Blood quotes: -I was gonna be supper pissed in the afterlife if I died a virgin in this craphole. -“Alex?” I turned around, figuring he’d changed his mind and was going to order me to see Marcus in the morning and fess up to my bad behavior. “Yeah?” He brushed a lock of dark hair off his forehead and flashed that lopsided smile. “I remember you.” I scrunched up my face. “What?” The grin increased to a full smile. And…oh, man. He had dimples. The air in my lungs died. “I remember you, too.” -“You’re far too pretty to be dressed like that.” His breath stirred my hair, “And you’re entirely too excited to be working with knives.” I flushed, stepping back. What? Aiden thought I was pretty? It took me several moments to work past that. -“You don’t have anything to worry about, Alex. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.” Those forbidden words wrapped around my heart, forever etching into my soul. -Then he leaned forward and rested his check against mine. Hot tingles spread through me as his lips moved against my ear. “You should tell me to stop.” I didn’t say a word. -“What?” “I think that’s possibly the nicest thing you have said to me. Ever.” I laughed. “No it’s not. I’ve said nice things to you before.” “Like what?” There had to be another situation when I’d said something nice. “Like when…” I couldn’t think of anything. Jeez, I was a bitch. “Okay. That is the first nice thing I’ve said to you.” “I think I need a moment to recognize and cherish this.” *** Check out more of my reviews at: http://BooksandSparkles.Blogspot.com(less) | Notes are private!
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1
| Mar 12, 2012
| Mar 14, 2012
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Dec 14, 2011
| Paperback
| |||||||||||||||
| 0983157227
| 9780983157229
| 4.45
| 11,369
| Apr 03, 2012
| Apr 03, 2012
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***This review is spoiler-free but there are some MAJOR spoilers if you haven’t read Half-Blood, you’ve been warned! *** Wow, just wow! After finishing...more ***This review is spoiler-free but there are some MAJOR spoilers if you haven’t read Half-Blood, you’ve been warned! *** Wow, just wow! After finishing Half-Blood, I immediately dove into Pure. I thought I knew where the story was headed but, man oh man, Jennifer sure knows how deliver a hell of a good story with awesome twists and turns and so much hot action! Oh and not to mention those delicious kissing scenes she is is so great at writing. While reading Half-Blood, I fell for Aiden, along with Alex and I’m sure most of you other readers. But when Seth came in the picture, there was something about him that I instantly liked and I just I knew that he would become one of my favorite all-time characters. Even though Alex and Seth are mostly frenemies in Half-Blood, the chemistry between them heats up in Pure and takes it to a whole other level of hotness! (Pool scene, anyone?) The scenes between Alex and Aiden were sweet, romantic and heartbreaking. The scenes between Alex and Seth were funny, hot, and smoking hot! Quick recap: After the devastating events in Half-Blood where Alex and her best friend, Caleb, were kidnapped by her daimons, including her daimon mother. Alex was forced to kill her mother in order to escape. Now Alex has been having nightmares about that night. But, thanks to the Apollyon connection between her and Seth, he can sense her emotions and he just keeps popping uninvited to her room. His presence seems to calm her (most of the time) and keeps the nightmares away and they end up sharing many nights sleeping (literally) together in Alex’s bed. Meanwhile, Alex’s feelings for Aiden, a pure-blood who is off limits to her, is growing stronger. Although they try to keep their relationship platonic, there are some swoon-worthy Aiden scenes. And the interactions between Seth and Aiden were hilarious. After a daimon attack on the covenant, the pure-bloods are on high alert and some new strict rules are put into places including a curfew for and mandatory random physicals for half-bloods. The Council wants to take it one step further and segregate all pures and half-bloods. Alex is set to go to the Council to testify about her mother’s attack, of course Aiden and Seth end up going with her. Alex learns that she doesn’t have many admirers at the council and they want to force her into servitude. All they need is for Alex to mess up one time, and some people will be willing to do just about anything to make that happen. That’s about all I can say about the storyline without going into spoilerville, but trust me. Get this book right NOW, you will absolutely love it. The surprises had me eagerly turning every page and not wanting this story to end, EVER! I devoured this book in a day. As a big fan of the Lux series, I am convinced that Jennifer is a writing goddess and I will read ANYTHING she writes. After reading this Pure I only have one question: What on earth do I have to do to get my hands on a copy of Deity??? November 6, 2012 can NOT come soon enough! Team Seth! (Let me know in the comments if you are Team Seth or Team Aiden) 5 out of 5 very sparkly stars! *** Some of my favorite non-spoiler Pure quotes: - But when Aiden looked at me like he did now, I forgot about the world. I couldn’t read much of anything from Aiden’s expression, but his eyes… well, his eyes told me he wasn’t doing so great with the whole pretending-we-hadn’t-almost-hooked-up charade. - Aiden grabbed my arm, pulling me right against his chest. The unexpected contact fried my brain. “If I was like every other pure-blood, I would have had you by now, without even thinking about the consequences for you. Every day is a struggle not to be like them.” I stared up at him, shocked to hear him put it out there so bluntly. Words—and I always had words—totally escaped me. I would have had you by now. I was pretty sure I knew what he meant. - It felt like someone had trapped me face down on the bed. I thought I was having one of those dream paralysis things I’d read about once, but then I realized what pinned me to the bed was an arm. And that arm belonged to Seth. He hadn’t left, and apparently, Seth was a cuddler. - He laughed so hard I felt it rumble through me. Not in the way Aiden’s laugh usually did. Aiden’s laugh made me feel all light and fluttery. Seth’s made me feel weird—flushed and weird. And a part of me wanted to hear it again—or feel it again. Which was wrong—all kinds of wrong—because I didn’t think of him that way. At least my brain didn’t. My body, on the other hand, had a totally different viewpoint on these things. My body must be a sad, lonely thing. - “We can’t stay for long—only a couple of hours—or the Guards will suspect something. We also need to keep this a secret. We can’t let anyone find out.” I nodded. “Of course. I won’t say a single word. I just can’t believe you remembered this.” I also couldn’t believe I was in love with a pure-blood. He merged toward the exit ramp, expression suddenly serious. “I remember everything you say.” - “If you weren’t a pure, what would you be doing right now? Like, what would you want to do with your life?” Aiden glanced down at our hands and then his gaze flicked to mine. “Right this instant? I’d be doing a hell of a lot more than what I’m allowed to do.” - “Now, I brought us a movie to watch, the one that has sparkly vampires in it. I thought you’d be down for that.” - “Uh, you’re a Team Edward kind of guy?” He snorted. “No. I’m Team James or Team Tyler’s Van, but apparently neither of them won by the look of it. She’s still alive.” *** Check out my blog for the official Pure Blog Tour stop and an interview with Jennifer! Nereyda @Mostly YA Book Obsessed http://BooksandSparkles.Blogspot.com(less) | Notes are private!
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1
| Mar 15, 2012
| Mar 17, 2012
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Dec 14, 2011
| Paperback
| |||||||||||||||
| 0373210264
| 9780373210268
| 3.90
| 21,461
| Apr 19, 2011
| Apr 19, 2011
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The Goddess Test is a modern take on the Greek gods, specifically Hades, god of the underworld. In The Goddess Test, we meet Kate Winters. Her mother,...more
The Goddess Test is a modern take on the Greek gods, specifically Hades, god of the underworld. In The Goddess Test, we meet Kate Winters. Her mother, who is ill with terminal cancer, has wished to go back to her hometown to spend her last remaining days. Kate reluctantly agrees and they pack their stuff and move from New York to their new home, Eden. Everyone is Eden knows her mother and Kate can’t handle the pity looks. She puts up a mental wall around herself to keep everyone away and she plans to move back to New York once her mother dies. After must persistence (on his part), Kate befriends James, a quiet and sweet guy from her school. She also instantly makes an enemy out of Ava, the popular girl who thinks Kate is after her boyfriend Dylan. After Ava plays a prank on Kate that goes horribly wrong (Ava ends up dying) along comes Henry, who offers to save Ava’s life if she agrees to spend the winter in his house. Of course, Kate thinks Henry is crazy, but she is scared and desperate and she agrees. Henry brings Ava back to life and they end up becoming really good friends. Later, Henry visits Kate to take her up on her offer but Kate refuses. He then makes her an offer she can’t refuse. He will extend her mother’s life if she agrees to spend the winter at his house. Her mother has slipped into a coma and Kate fears she will not have a chance to say goodbye to her, so she agrees. Once there, Henry explains to Kate that he is actually Hades, god of the underworld and he wants her to take a series of test to become his queen and save his life. Even though these tests can kill her, Kate agrees in order to give her mother more time. But not everything at Eden is what it seems. For one, the entire staff is actually dead and someone is trying to kill her to make sure she doesn’t become queen. Unfortunately, there is not much more I can say about the story without giving away spoilers. All I can say is that there are some MAJOR (at least for me) surprises and plenty of twist and turns! Even though Henry was at (most) times cold and distant, you can tell her really cared about Kate and he really grew on me. So did James! (I don’t know what is it with me, I usually HATE love triangles but I have been finding myself more and more torn over love triangles and find myself rooting for both guys) I loved the rest of the characters too. (Again, can’t say much more because of spoilers) I can’t wait to find out what happens between Kate and Henry in Goddess Interrupted! 4 out of 5 sparkly stars! Some of my favorite non-spoiler quotes from The Goddess Test: -I felt a cold block of ice form in the bottom of my stomach. So my only choices now were to live forever or die trying. Somehow it didn’t seem fair. -“Like Zeus and stuff?” said Ava from her spot on my bed. “The lightning bolt guy?” -I searched for any trace of the Henry I’d kissed the night before, but he was no longer there. A very large part of me was relieved this cold shell wasn't someone I wanted to fall for. But another part wondered which one was really him. -“I thought you did not wish to act as my wife?” I made a face. “There are steps between friend and a wife, you know. I mean, I know you're ancient and all, but you must have at least heard of dating.” - “I care," he said in a trembling voice. "I care so much that I do not know how to tell you without it seeming inconsequential compared to how I feel. Even if I am distant at times and seem as if I do not want to be with you, it is only because this scares me, too.” - “Maybe you'll win when hell freezes over." He raised an eyebrow. "That could be easily arranged.” *** Read more of my reviews, author interviews and giveaways at: Nereyda @Mostly YA Book Obsessed http://BooksandSparkles.Blogspot.com(less) | Notes are private!
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1
| Mar 23, 2012
| Mar 25, 2012
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Dec 14, 2011
| Paperback
| |||||||||||||||
| 0373210450
| 9780373210459
| 4.09
| 9,610
| Apr 06, 2012
| Mar 27, 2012
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***ARC provided by Harlequin Teen for review*** After spending the summer in Greece with James, Kate is eager to return to Eden and to her new husband,...more ***ARC provided by Harlequin Teen for review*** After spending the summer in Greece with James, Kate is eager to return to Eden and to her new husband, Henry. But when she returns, the house is empty. James takes her to the underworld, where everyone is at (which I have to say, Aimee does a great job at making the underworld sound pretty awesome). At first Kate is hurt that Henry wasn't waiting for her like she expected, but she tries to convince herself that he is busy with god things. Turns out he is very busy, thanks to Calliope. After trying to kill Kate (oh wait, she actually did kill her), Kate banished Calliope to the underworld to spend time with the rest of the girls she killed. But Calliope found Cronus, a titan, which is one of the only things that can kill a god. She plans on releasing him to kill Kate as payback for taking Henry away from her. Yeah, he might wipe out the world in the process, but at least she will have her revenge. Kate has also started to have visions, one of the perks of being a goddess. They are unexpected and she can’t control them. When she finally sees Henry again, he is once again back to his old self, cold and distant. Kate convinces herself that he needs more time to truly get over Persephone, his first wife. Her ceremony, to crown her queen of the underworld, is interrupted by Cronus who tries to kill Kate on Calliope’s orders. She barely manages to escape, but now Henry and the rest of the 6 original gods and goddesses must go after him to try to find a way to contain him and banish him back to the underworld. After Kate has another vision that shows her Henry and the rest of the gods captured by Calliope and Cronus, she decides they must do something to try to save them. Unfortunately, the only person that knows how to find them is Persephone. Kate must put her feelings aside and ask for her help. Kate, Ava (who I LOVE), and James set off to find Persephone. When they do they barely manage to convince her to help them. But will they be able to find Henry and the other gods and save them in time? And will there be anything worth saving between Kate and Henry, or will he go running back to Persephone? Once again, Goddess Interrupted if FULL of shocking plot twists that I can’t say much more without spoilers. OMG, I am officially in LOVE with this series! Aimée Carter created a beautiful world in The Goddess Test and made it even better in Goddess Interrupted, I was mesmerized by her every word. While I did understand what Henry was going through, I also had a great urge to slap him a couple times in the hopes that he finally got his act together. Kate really grew into her role as goddess and queen in this book. She refused to give up and she fought for what she believed in, although she did seem a alittle bit clingy at times. I loved learning more about the rest of the gods and goddesses too. And Calliope? Holy freaking moly! She was a fantastic villain, ruthless and crazy! We are unfortunately left with a lot more questions and one hell of a cliffhanger! When does Goddess Inheritance come out again? Because I need to know what happens like NOW! If you are a fan of this series, then this must is a MUST have. If you haven’t read them then add these books to you’re the top of your TBR pile! 5 out 5 sparkly stars! Some of my favorite non-spoiler quotes from Goddess Interrupted: -I wasn't Persephone, and for the first time since meeting Henry over a year ago, I finally realized that was a good thing. -The last thing I had that I didn’t have to share with her evaporated. Once again, Persephone had gotten there first, and all I had were her leftovers. -“Hades deserves that. He deserves you.” I shook my head. It didn’t matter what Henry deserved; what mattered was who Henry wanted and so far that didn’t seem to be me. -“Promise me you’ll come back out.” Neither of them spoke. James leaned in to me, and for the first time in days, I didn’t move away. He pressed his lips to my check, and he didn’t have to say it for me to know what it was. Goodbye. -“I just wish Henry would look at me the way he looks at you.” Persephone wrapped her fingers around mine. “You should be glad he doesn’t. When he looks at me, he hurts. But when he sees you…”She smiled faintly. “He has hope.” Read more of my reviews, author interviews and check out my giveaways at: Nereyda @Mostly YA Book Obsessed http://BooksandSparkles.Blogspot.com(less) | Notes are private!
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1
| Mar 26, 2012
| Mar 27, 2012
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Dec 14, 2011
| Paperback
| |||||||||||||||
| 1426834152
| 9781426834158
| 3.84
| 3,439
| Mar 01, 2012
| Mar 01, 2012
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***Warning! MAJOR spoilers for The Goddess Test*** After (barely) passing the tests to gain Immortality, Kate, who is now married to Henry, must leave...more ***Warning! MAJOR spoilers for The Goddess Test*** After (barely) passing the tests to gain Immortality, Kate, who is now married to Henry, must leave Eden for six months as a promise to her mother. She decides to go on a trip to Greece and takes her friend James with her, who is really one of the Gods, Hermes. Told in Kate and Henry’s alternating POV’s, they must each deal with the new changes in their lives. Kate must deal with what it means to be immortal and she learns her new family is not who she thought they were. She also has to deal with being away from Henry and the doubts she has about him and their relationship. We get to learn a little bit more about Henry, who is learning to have someone in his life. He’s also trying to deal with the fact that Kate has left with his brother James. Will Kate stay faithful to him or will history repeat itself? Kate and James get into a little bit of trouble when they run into Castor and Pollux, who have been on the run from the gods for thousands of years. The gods want to banish them to the underworld forever but Kate believes they deserve a second chance. Kate must find a way to rule the underworld without losing her humanity and she has to find a way to stand up to the gods. I gotta say that I am totally loving these e-book novellas. It's a great way to make fans happy while we are eagerly waiting the next book. And I also LOVE that most of these are in different POV’s. The Goddess Hunt is a great addition to the Goddess series. For only $1.99, it’s a steal! Although it is not necessary to read before Goddess Interrupted, I would recommend that you do read it. It’s a quick read, but worth it in my opinion. 4 out of 5 sparkly stars! Some of my favorite non-spoiler quotes from The Goddess Hunt: - “They’re not as bad as you think they are.” “And they’re not as good as you think they are either.” - “Thank you, Kate Winters,” said Lux. “You’ll make a brilliant addition to the council.” My cheeks warmed. “It was nothing.” “Doing the right thing is never nothing,” said Casey. - Henry watched as they disappeared through the trees, and as soon as he could no longer see her dark hair, he closed his eyes. These six months were hers to do with as she willed; he had no say in it, and he had to respect that no matter how much seeing her walk off with James wounded him. *** Read more of my reviews, author interviews and giveaways at: Nereyda @Mostly YA Book Obsessed http://BooksandSparkles.Blogspot.com(less) | Notes are private!
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1
| Mar 26, 2012
| Mar 26, 2012
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Dec 14, 2011
| ebook
| |||||||||||||||
| 0062071041
| 9780062071040
| 3.97
| 11,867
| Feb 28, 2012
| Feb 28, 2012
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***ARC provided by the publisher for review*** "When she fell asleep, she dreamed of death-not just for her, not just for her species, but for every li...more ***ARC provided by the publisher for review*** "When she fell asleep, she dreamed of death-not just for her, not just for her species, but for every living thing she had ever known. The Earth was flat and wide and brown, a field of dirt as barren as the moon, a single road stretching into the endless distance. The last to fall were the buildings, distant and solemn, the gravestones for an entire world. Then they disappeared, and there was nothing left but nothing." I LOVE this quote! It goes perfect with the story and with the book cover! Partials is one of those books that is really hard to write a review for without going into spoilerville. Partials take place in a post apocalyptic Long Island, NY where only a couple thousand surviving humans have banded together. 11 years ago, the Partials-an army of superhumans-were created by ParaGen to help win a war. After the war, the Partials got out of control and they killed almost 99% of the human population. The survivors were infected with a virus called RM which makes it impossible for humans to have babies. The youngest child is 14 years old and in order to try to find a cure, the Senate passes the Hope Act which forces all women 18 and over to get pregnant as often as possible in the hopes of finding a cure. But all of the babies end up dying within days of being born and no amount of research brings them closer to finding a cure. Kira, who is training to be a doctor, works in the maternity ward. She is sick of watching countless babies die every day. Once her best friend Madison gets pregnant, she vows that she will find a cure in time to save her friends baby. She believes the cure is in the Partials so her and her friends set up a daring mission to go out and find a Partial and bring him back to study him. Somehow they end up pulling it off, but the senate is convinced that the Partial will bring chaos to the city so they keep him locked up and they give Kira 5 days to find a cure before they kill him. Meanwhile, the Voice, a group of human rebels have been making more and more attacks on the city trying to get the city to back off on their Hope Act, which the legal age to get pregnant has been dropped to 16. Tensions from the humans, the Voice and fear of the Partials bring the city into disorder. The more Kira works with the Partial, Samm, the more she realizes that he is like them. My favorite moment is when she realizes that she stopped thinking of him as a thing and started thinking of him as a person. Okay, so this is around the time when things start to get spoilerific so I’ll stop my recap right here. J Kira is my favorite kind of female character: she is smart, she can handle guns, she fights for what she believes in and she refuses to give up. Even when everything seems to be going against them, she refuses to give up. The rest of the characters, her boyfriend Marcus was sweet and funny and you couldn’t help but feel bad for him because Kira doesn’t seem to be invested in their relationship. I also loved the rest of her friends Madison, Xochi, Isolde, and Jayden because even though they though Kira was crazy for trying to capture a Partial, they believed in her and helped her every step of the way. Although there is a relationship between Kira and Marcus and some chemistry between Kira and Samm, the romance totally takes a back seat to the action, and somehow it works. Partials is a rather long book, but every single page is so important to the story that it never feels like it drags on. Dan Wells does an amazing job of keeping you hooked on his every word anticipating what will come next. The story is creative and action packed and I can’t wait to read more about this world! Of course there are loose ends at the end of the story which will leave you anxiously waiting for the next book. Oh and how awesome would this book be as a movie? Hollywood needs to stop making prequels, sequels and threequels (yeah, totally made that up) and start turning these amazing YA books into movies. Make sure to get this book!!! 5 out of 5 sparkly stars! *** Some of my favorite non-spoiler quotes from Partials: -“If someday, despite our strongest efforts and our deepest determination, we finally fall, let it be because our enemies finally beat us, not because we beat ourselves.” -“Look on the bright side,” said Marcus. Kira waited. “This is the point,” she said, “at which you would traditionally suggest a bright side.” “I’ve never been a real traditional guy,” said Marcus. “Besides, I’m not saying I know a bright side, I just think this would be a great time to look at one.” -“Because it’s the only way,” said Kira. “Doesn’t that even matter to you? Can’t you see what’s going on? We are tearing ourselves apart. If I go tomorrow I might dies, yes, but if I stay, we will dies, inevitably, and the whole human race with us, and I refuse to live like that.” -“We’re gnats to them: a few thousand humans against a million-plus Partials. They likely don’t defend as well as we do, because they don’t expect us to be stupid enough to attack.” Kira snorted. “I don’t know if ‘we’re stupider that they think we are’ is a really great attack strategy.” -“It’s weird, isn’t it?” said Yoon. “All this talk about how they look like us, and then they just…look like us.” Kira nodded. “I don’t know if that makes it less scary, or more.” -The first human to communicate with another species in eleven years, she thought, and he tells me to shut up. *** Check out more of my reviews at Mostly YA Book Obsessed: http://BooksandSparkles.Blogspot.com(less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| Feb 21, 2012
| Feb 26, 2012
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Jan 31, 2012
| Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| 0312656742
| 9780312656744
| 3.98
| 4,085
| Jun 19, 2012
| Jun 19, 2012
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***ARC received by St. Martin’s Press and early review posted with permission by publisher*** Let me start off by saying this: I don’t like zombies. I...more ***ARC received by St. Martin’s Press and early review posted with permission by publisher*** Let me start off by saying this: I don’t like zombies. I hate zombie movies because they are all the same to me. Plus I always think, how can these people not outrun the zombies when they are walking so damn slow? Another thing: zombie books usually don’t really catch my attention. The only zombie book I’ve read is Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel. I was drawn in to the beautiful cover and intrigued by the book description. After much procrastination, I finally ordered Dearly, Departed and even then, it sat on my TBR pile for months before I read it. I was blown away by it. When I saw this is not a test available on NetGalley, I was instantly captivated by the cover. The way the girl on the cover is positioned, the weird angle of her head, the way her hair covers her face and the background. And wait; is that blood on the corner? Holy cow, I needed to find out what this book was about. The description also caught my attention enough that I decided to give another zombie book a try and I went ahead and requested it. I’m so glad I did, it completely blew me away! I am now rethinking my zombie book outlook and looking for more zombie books that catch my attention. In the beginning of this book, we meet Sloane Price who lives with her abusive father. Her and her older sister were saving for years to be able to run away together and escape their father. But her sister ends up leaving without Sloane. Not too long after, the outbreak hits and Sloane is able to get away from her father. She ends up with a group of teens and they end up seeking shelter at their own high school. Sloane is completely devastated that her sister has abandoned her and she has lost all hope. Unlike the others, Sloane isn't trying to survive. All she is waiting for is to die. Courtney Summers does an amazing job at letting us FEEL her pain and root for her, even when it seems she has nothing left to root for. Although this movie centers on zombies, that it not the main focus of this book. The main focus is all about these 6 semi-strangers that come together try to survive. The process and end result is a heartbreakingly-beautiful yet devastating story. All the characters are realistic and extremely well developed. This book is raw and intense! It doesn’t sugar coat anything and it deals with many tough issues. At the end of the book, I felt emotionally drained and like my feelings had just gone on a roller coaster. It’s a surprisingly fast read that will hook you in from the very first page and leave you wishing for more at the end. Get ready to have your heart ripped out over and over again and slowly put back together again. 5 out of 5 sparkly stars! Some of my favorite non-spoiler quotes from This Is Not a Test: -I woke up and the last piece of my heart disappeared. I opened my eyes and I felt it go. -In a perfect world, I'm spinning out. I'm seven days ago, sleeping myself into nothingness. Every breath in and out is shallower than the last until, eventually, I stop. In a perfect world, I'm over. I'm dead. -"This is not a test. Listen closely. This is not a test." But I think she's wrong. I think this is a test. It has to be. -And then I step into the lot, feeling the bravest and most indestructible I've ever felt in my life which is strange, I guess, because I'm readying myself to die. -I've been variations of hurt my whole life. -"You really think there's nothing left for us?" he asks. "I think there's nothing left for me. I don't think that for everyone else." -The thing no one tells you about surviving, about the mere act of holding out, is how many hours are nothing because nothing happens. They also don't tell you about how you can share your deepest secrets with someone, kiss them, and the next hour it's like there's nothing between you because not everything can mean something all the time or you'd be crushed under the weight of it. They don't tell you how you will float through days. You autopilot, here but not really here, sleepwalking, and then every so often you are awake. -"But you didn't die," he says. "I did," I say. "I'm just waiting for the rest of me to catch up." *** Read more of my reviews and author interviews at: Nereyda @Mostly YA Book Obsessed http://BooksandSparkles.Blogspot.com Review posted: 04/17/12 http://booksandsparkles.blogspot.com/...(less) | Notes are private!
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1
| Apr 13, 2012
| Apr 16, 2012
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Jan 31, 2012
| Paperback
| |||||||||||||||
| 0062066064
| 9780062066060
| 3.56
| 995
| Mar 13, 2012
| Mar 13, 2012
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***ARC received by HarperCollins for review*** Every time I read a contemporary YA book I always wonder why I don’t read more of them. Pretty Crooked w...more ***ARC received by HarperCollins for review*** Every time I read a contemporary YA book I always wonder why I don’t read more of them. Pretty Crooked was an awesome, funny story with a character that you can’t help but love! After her mother sells one of her paintings for BIG bucks, Willa Fox and her mother move to Paradise Valley, Arizona. Willa attends a prestigious high school and starts to hang out with girls from the "Glitterati". At first Willa is too overwhelmed by all the shopping and pretty clothes to realize that these girls are really mean and shallow. With the exception of Cherise, the rest of the girls have a gossip blog where they make fun of the kids who attend their school on a scholarship and spread mean rumors about them. Thankfully, Willa comes to her senses and decides she has finally had enough and she decides to get even. Her plan is to steal from the members of the Glitterati and use the money to buy nice clothes for the underprivileged girls to help them fit in better at school and feel better about themselves. She enlist the help of Tre and he starts to show Willa the basics of stealing 101. Willa's first robbery is pretty big, she steals $400 from one of the Glitterati girls. She also steals watches and jewelry from some of the other kids. Of course, Willa's plan doesn't exactly turn out how she expected. The cops find out someone is stealing at the school and they have an ongoing search to find the thief. Knowing that it's only a matter of time before someone catches her, Willa plans her biggest heist yet. She plans to steal from the lead member of the Glitterati, the nastiest girl of the group. Will she be able to get away with it? Willa was such an awesome character. She is a little naive and some of her choices made me cringe sometimes, but you can’t help but root for her even though she is technically doing something wrong. One of the things that takes her by surprise is Aiden, a member of the Glitterati who seems to be different than them. They share some great funny and flirty conversations. While I liked Aiden, I felt that Willa had more of a connection with Tre. I mean he taught her how to steal! He totally snuck up on me and turned out to be one of my favorite characters. Pretty Crooked was an awesome story, very funny and a quick read. I'm super thrilled that Pretty Crooked is the first book in a trilogy. The ending is totally not what I expected and I can't wait to find out will happen to Willa, Aiden, and Tre. Are her stealing days over or have they only begun? Make sure to add Pretty Crooked and the sequel, Pretty Sly to your TBR list! 4 out of 5 sparkly stars! After her mother sells one of her paintings for BIG bucks, Willa Fox and her mother move to Paradise Valley, Arizona. Some of my favorite non-spoiler quotes from Pretty Crooked: -“Let’s not mess around, Willa. If you're gonna do this and not get caught, you need to practice.” He patted his butt. “Come and get it.” -“I could do that,” he said. “Not much going on right now, really. I mean I haven’t joined any clubs at VP or anything.” “Me either,” I unlocked my bike. “This could be our own little club, I guess.” “Larcenous Anonymous.” -“I don’t get it.” Cherise tapped on the window with her finger. “There’s a much closer Target in Paradise Valley. Why would she come to this one?” “Maybe they’re having a special sale here or something?” “But they have everyday low, low prices,” she recited. “No, wait, that’s Wal-Mart.” -Maybe the nurse could give me something. But what I really needed was Yoga Breathing for Kleptos. -“You understand I’ve never actually done this myself, right?” I did. All of Tre’s lessons came with this warning, which I took to be like one of those legal disclaimers on commercials. (“Please drink responsibly” or “See your doctor if your erection last more than six hours.”) -I smoothed my hair back and pulled my hoodie over it. I was wearing a carefully chosen thieving outfit: black zip-top sweatshirt, grey jeans, and pink high top Vans. Should I have been wearing all black? Probably. But even crooks have to have some fashion sense. Besides, they were the best shoes I had for running. *** Make sure to check out my interview with Elisa Ludwig coming soon! Check out more of my reviews on my blog!http://booksandsparkles.blogspot.com/... (less) | Notes are private!
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1
| Mar 17, 2012
| Mar 20, 2012
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Feb 16, 2012
| Hardcover
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| B006LFVZ8E
| 4.00
| 21,133
| Dec 13, 2011
| Dec 13, 2011
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This book has been on my TBR pile for a while now and after hearing a LOT about it on Goodreads, I decided to put aside my other books and read this o...more
This book has been on my TBR pile for a while now and after hearing a LOT about it on Goodreads, I decided to put aside my other books and read this one. I can now understand what all the fuss is about. The story starts with Pagan Moore who has always been able to see undead souls since she was little. By now she is used to it, the souls don’t talk and if she ignores them and pretends she doesn’t see them, they leave her alone. That is until she one of the souls talks to her and starts following her around and showing up uninvited in her house. Even though this soul, Dank, likes to aggravate Pagan, he never harms her and he seems to be protecting her. Besides, he’s hot, so Pagan starts getting used to his presence in her life. At the same time, Pagan is coerced by her mother to tutor Leif Montgomery. Pagan does not like Leif, she thinks he is just a stuck up football player. But the more time their spend together during their tutoring sessions, Pagan finds out that she had judged Leif totally wrong and she starts to develop feelings for him. After they start dating, Dank shows up at her school as a student and starts to pursue Pagan. From then on, it’s pure bliss. In the beginning of the book, during the Pagan and Leif scenes, I really didn’t want to like him. I mean, Pagan is supposed to be with Dank. Right? But the more I learned about Leif, the more I liked him. Like Pagan, Leif totally surprised me and I ended up falling for Leif. Don’t get me wrong, I am totally Team Dank, but I also have a soft spot for Leif. The writing was very fast paced and hooks you in from the first line. The hot scenes between Pagan/Dank/Leif will make leave you breathless and you won't be able to turn those pages (or at least push the buttons on your e-reader) fast enough. Paranormal romance, hot guys, hot kissing scenes, and all around awesome and lovable main and secondary characters, this book has it all! The ending was completely unexpected and had a WTF cliffhanger. My suggestion would be to make sure you have a copy of the sequel, Predestined because you will want to dive into it after finishing this book. The only thing I didn’t like were the names. Dank and Leif? Really? Good thing the story makes up for the weird names. I know they say you should never judge a book by its cover, but trust me; this is one book you can definitely judge by the cover. I wish the publisher would release this as a paperback because I NEED to have this book for my bookcase! It features the awesome duo that is also known as Daemon and Katy from Jennifer L. Armentrout’s Lux series. Honestly I wish they would just come out in every single book cover. From now on, every guy I read about, I immediately picture this guy in my head. If you have this book on your TBR list then you should bump it up to the top of the list. 4.5 out of 5 sparkly stars! Some of my favorite non-spoiler quotes or scenes from Existence: -The thought of being alone with him frightened me. He might be sexy, but he was dead and he had followed me home. Creepy didn’t begin to describe it. -He leaned back in his chair. “It sure seems to me that you have a lot of ideas where I’m concerned. You sure have put a lot of thought into someone you don’t like very much.” My face grew warm and I knew I was turning a brilliant shade of red. “Who knows Pagan, you may like me before this is over.” -“Relax, Pagan, it’s okay. I’m aware you used to hate my guts and have had a realization from the gods that I’m not so bad after all. It’s cool.” I resisted the desire to sigh in relief. -He seemed to find me amusing if the smirk on his face was any indication. Another reason I should be furious with him. Stupid talking dead guy. -Guys were annoying, alive or dead, it didn’t seem to matter. - “I knew you didn’t like me when you agreed to tutor me. You didn’t have to tell me that day in the hall when you said you’d turned me down because you didn't like me. I’ve always known you didn’t like me, but I wanted you to be my tutor. I wanted you to be the one to know my secret. Never did I expect the one girl who looked at me with disdain would be so much fun. It came as a surprise to find out the girl I’d been watching since our freshman year in high school happened to be just as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside. You surprised me and it didn’t take much to hook me.” -“I don’t want you to just be my tutor. I want you to be the girl I look for in the halls every morning and save a seat for in the cafeteria. I want you to be the one waiting for me when I walk off the field at my games. I want you to be the one I pick up the phone to call just to make me smile.” His eyes watched me. Leif Montgomery actually appeared nervous. -I stared back down the hall where Dank lay lounging on my bed. He couldn’t see the soul if she came into the bathroom. His head turned immediately toward me. A slow wicked smile formed on his mouth. “I would love to accompany you into the bathroom while you shower and if I were truly as wicked as you think I am, I would do just that. However, I can feel any soul intent on entering this house before they even come inside. I would be there before any other entered. You’re safe with me right here,” he finished with a wink. - He lowered his head to my shoulder and kissed the curve of my neck. His hand moved over to slip beneath my shirt and the heat from his palm rested on my bare stomach. A pulse of warmth surged through me and he pressed me tightly against him to keep me from falling. “I want to kill that boy every time I see his hands on you.” He kissed a path up my neck and I arched my neck in response to give him better access. Nothing had ever felt like this. His touch was like a drug. “I want to rip his arms from his body so he can’t touch you again.” A low, familiar growl vibrated against my back. “But I can’t have you, Pagan. You’re not meant for me.” - His mouth found mine instantly. His teeth nipped my bottom lip and then he gently swiped his tongue over the bite. My first taste of him sent my world spinning. Somehow I’d known it would be like this. I grabbed handfuls of Dank’s shirt. I needed to keep him here against me, finally allowing me to have what I’d been craving. His arms tightened around me and I heard a moan in the darkness but I wasn’t sure if it was his or mine. *** Read more of my reviews at: Nereyda @Mostly YA Book Obsessed http://BooksandSparkles.Blogspot.com(less) | Notes are private!
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1
| Apr 10, 2012
| Apr 11, 2012
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Feb 16, 2012
| Kindle Edition
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| B007Q3O7C6
| 4.14
| 12,823
| Mar 26, 2012
| Mar 29, 2012
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***Spoilers from Existence*** After I finished reading Existence and the WTF cliffhanger ending, I had to start reading Predestined immediately. Unfort...more ***Spoilers from Existence*** After I finished reading Existence and the WTF cliffhanger ending, I had to start reading Predestined immediately. Unfortunately, my copy wasn’t scheduled to get to my house until two days later so I ended up buying the kindle version too. After discovering that Leif is not human, he has now disappeared. Dank and Pagan are now together and happy in love. Unfortunately, being Death is hard work and Dank has to spend a lot of time away from Pagan. But he makes sure she is always protected, so when he can’t be with her, Gee protects her. Gee was such a nice surprise in Existence and she quickly became one of my favorite characters. I loved all the times they spent together. Pagan has also been having strange dreams or what she believes are memories. Each memory involves a young boy who helps her in some way. She soon finds out that the boy in her dreams is Leif and when he comes back, it turns out Dank completely underestimated him. Now, in addition to his job as Death, which is exhausting enough as it is, Dank must now also go against hell and fight the evil and dark powers of voodoo. I really enjoyed finally being able to see (at least in my head) a real relationship between Dank and Pagan. The only problem is that when they kiss, there is an issue where Pagan’s soul wants to release itself to Dank. Unfortunately, they must keep those kissing scenes short, but no worries. They have other ways to make up for this which leads us to some very steamy and swoon worthy scenes! Although Pagan was at times over-dramatic in Existence, she really grows and matures in Predestined and it was very nice to see her progress. She must also come to terms of just what is exactly it means to be in love with Death. Oh, and how can I forget about Leif? Although he won me over in the first half of Existence and bored me in the last half, it was nice seeing him again. We get to read more about his background and I feel that I understand him more. Nonetheless, he still managed to equally surprise and annoy me. He is a great character; he just doesn’t belong with Pagan. For those of you who also like Leif and want to read more about him, here is some great news that was posted on Abbi Glines blog last week: “A little info on Leif for curious minds: I've had emails and tweets from readers worried about Leif, or they've heard a "rumor" Leif may be getting his own trilogy. In 2013, The Voodoo Prince will be getting his own trilogy. So do not fret for Leif because his story isn't over. AND once the Existence Trilogy Facebook page hits 1,000 likes I will be posting a Leif POV from Predestined.” Predestined has more action, it is darker, and if it’s even possible, it’s even sexier than the first book. We also get the awesome treat of having the story told from both Pagan and Dank’s POV’s. No doubt that Dank is my favorite character from this series and it was great to be inside Dank’s head and to understand his strong feelings for Pagan as well as his emotionally draining job of being Death. And just as he is beginning to understand his feeling of love towards Pagan, in Predestined he encounters a different kind of emotion that he doesn’t really know how to deal with: jealousy! This leaves us with some really great and funny scenes. If you haven’t read this series yet, I highly recommend it, but I do suggest that you have Predestined available to start reading right after you finish Existence. Trust me! Oh and just in case you haven’t seen it yet, here is the cover for the final book in the Existence Trilogy, Ceaseless. Abbi also released a teaser blurb which leaves me worried, especially after the surprise ending in Predestined. “He defied Heaven to keep her, he defeated evil to save her, but if her soul wants another... will he be able to let her go?” 4.5 out of 5 sparkly stars! Some of my favorite non-spoiler quotes/scenes from Predestined: (Some of these are from Dank’s POV) -“Listen to me Pagan, you have no reason to worry. I’ve got this. Remember what I told you. What Death protects can’t be harmed and baby,” the pad of his thumb caressed my cheek, “you’re the only thing I protect.” -Was it possible for my heart to swell when I didn’t have one? -“Trust me Dank Walker I will only have eye for you. No one else even come close.” With a teasing growl I turned and nipped at her ear. “Good to know. No need for some clueless guy to meet Death tonight when it isn’t his time to go.” “Dank!” I chuckled and shrugged, “I’d say I was kidding but I’m not.” -“This was bound to happen sooner or later. You can’t love Death, Pagan, and not accept him. It’s what he was created for. He’s not just some sexy guy who can sing and play the guitar.” I knew this, of course, but right now I didn’t want to talk about it. Not with her and not with him, -I reached down and picked her up and then began taking long strides toward the back room where we’d left all the storage containers for our equipment. “What are you doing?” “I’m going to enjoy a long overdue make-out session with my girl. That’s what I’m doing,” I explained, stepping into the room and closing the door behind me with the shove of my foot. “Oh,” she gasped before I pressed her up against the wall, wrapping her legs around my waist and feasting on her mouth for the first time ever with nothing crowding my thoughts but how incredibly lucky I was. -Giggling, I snuggled up to his side, “Save me from Miranda. She’s trying to kill me via shopping.” “Impossible. I happen to know Death has a thing for you and you can’t be killed off that easily.” *** Read more of my reviews and author interviews at: Nereyda @Mostly YA Book Obsessed http://BooksandSparkles.Blogspot.com (less) | Notes are private!
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1
| Apr 11, 2012
| Apr 13, 2012
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Feb 16, 2012
| Kindle Edition
| ||||||||||||||||
| 054762834X
| 9780547628349
| 3.97
| 17,577
| Apr 03, 2012
| Apr 03, 2012
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***ARC received by Houghton Miffin Harcourt Publishing for review*** About a month ago I participated in a blog hop, the question for that week was: Wh...more ***ARC received by Houghton Miffin Harcourt Publishing for review*** About a month ago I participated in a blog hop, the question for that week was: What books do you avoid to read? My answer: Historical fiction books and political books. So how did I end up reading and LOVING Grave Mercy? Well the answer is simple. 1. Tagline: “Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?” Chills…. 2. The Cover: I am a book cover freak and this is one of my favorite covers so far this year. I love the background, what Ismae is wearing, her awesome crossbow, her fierce expression, everything about this cover is beautiful. 3. Convent assassins! If that doesn’t get you hooked, then I don’t know what will… Ismae’s mother tried to abort Ismae when she was pregnant with an herbal remedy that left her a nasty scar on her back. Because she survived, the people in her village taunt her and spread rumors that Ismae has been chosen by Death himself. To say her childhood was tough is an understatement. We are first introduced to a 14-year old Ismae Rienne, whose abusive father has just sold her off to marry a pig farmer. After trying to take advantages of her, Ismae escapes and is sent to seek refuge to a convent. But this isn’t just any convent; here the nuns train other girls like her all the ways to kill in order to do St. Mortain’s (the god of death) bidding. Fast-forward 3 years later and Ismae is has almost finished her training and is ready to go on her first mission. Although she is trained to use all sorts of weapons including swords ad crossbows, her specialty is poisons. After her first successful mission, she is sent to the high court of Brittany to uncover a traitor. As she gets tangled deeper and deeper into royal politics, scandals and betrayals, she starts to doubt the convent’s true purpose. Although this was a historical fiction story with quite a bit of politics, it was necessary to the story and Robin LaFevers writing is so beautiful that is creates an easy flow and I found myself forgetting that I usually avoid these types of books. I loved learning of the convent and all things they teach these young women to be a skillful assassin. Ismae was such an amazing protagonist, she was fierce and ruthless but at the same time she was insecure and still dealing with her upbringing and her rough childhood. I loved the chemistry and tension between her and Duval and I loved reading their scenes. Their love is not an instant one like so many other books, instead Ismae and Duval are very stubborn and fight their attraction to each other. I loved the difference between the beginning scenes when they both don’t trust each other to the end scenes when they realize they have feelings for each other. It is a slow but realistic build-up that makes it that more meaningful in the end. I’m so glad that I gave this book a chance and I am now eager to read the second book in this series, His Fair Assassin: Dark Triumph which will tell the story of Sybella, who is another one of Death’s mistresses. The only compliant I have about this book is that it is quite long, but even so, I found myself wishing the story would never end! I also want to mention that Grave Mercy is a more mature YA book, which is always a nice change. If you aren’t a fan of historical fiction like me, I highly recommend you give this Grave Mercy a chance. 4.5 out of 5 sparkly stars! Some of my favorite non-spoiler quotes from Grave Mercy: -“So,” she says, looking back up at me. “You are well equipped for our service.” “Which is?” “We kill people.” -“They won't all be like them, you know.” I look up in surprise and she continues. “Those Mortain sends you to kill. They won't all be like the pig farmer.” My ears are deaf to her warning. I am certain all men are like that, and I would kill them all gladly. -“Is there a poison that will make a man’s member shrivel and fall off?” she asks. When Sister Serafina answers, her voice is full of a grim determination that makes me love her. “”We will create one, you and I.” -I try to think. Should I seduce him or kill him? Of course I would prefer to kill him, but I cannot-not unless he tries to kill me or I see the marquee. -“First things first, I think,” Duval murmurs. “I must introduce you to the privy councilors so you do not kill one of them in error.” “If Mortain wills it, my lord, it will not be in error.” -It is this kindness of his that unsettles me most. I can dodge a blow or block a knife. I am impervious to poison and know a dozen ways to escape a chokehold or garrote wire, But kindness? I do not know how to defend against that. -I comfort myself with the knowledge that if Duval ever feels smothered by me, it will be because I am holding a pillow over his face and commending his soul to Mortain. -Satisfies, I tear open the seal, hoping for a new assignment. There are so very here at court whose throats I would happily slit. -But to fall in love? That, I fear, is a grave offense. One heart cannot serve two masters. *** Review posted: 04/04/12 http://booksandsparkles.blogspot.com/... (less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| Mar 30, 2012
| Apr 04, 2012
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Feb 29, 2012
| Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| B007BDZ6X0
| 3.96
| 534
| Feb 20, 2012
| Feb 20, 2012
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***Book received for review by Ada Adams*** After reading Bloodlines by Richelle Mead last year, I was getting a little bit bored with the vampire genr...more ***Book received for review by Ada Adams*** After reading Bloodlines by Richelle Mead last year, I was getting a little bit bored with the vampire genre. Not that there was anything wrong with Bloodlines, in fact, I loved that book. I was just ready to move on to another genre. It had been a while since I had read a vampire book, so when I stumbled upon the beautiful book cover for ReVamped on Goodreads, I immediately added it to my to-be-read shelf based on the cover alone. After reading the synopsis and finding out it was a vampire book, it somehow got pushed back to my TBR pile. Then I got a review request from the lovely (and super-talented) Ada Adams for ReVamped and I decided to push it back up to the top of my TBR pile. I’m so glad I did! I was surprised I somehow ended up reading The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa and then ReVamped immediately after. Maybe the vampire genre is making a comeback… ReVamped sets up a world where the vampires have made themselves public and are treated as celebrities. Dawn is a 19-year old Born vampire and extremely rare. Her father is the president of the vampire society and as a result, Dawn has led a very sheltered and lonely life. Dawn is a very kick-ass vampire who is skilled in a variety of fighting methods, but she is stuck at the presidential headquarters teaching little vampire kids how to fight. She dreams of the day when she is sent out on her first real mission. When her distant father finally sends her out on her first mission, Dawn is ecstatic. Her mission is to travel to the small town of Angel Creek and take a group of four vampires to turn into the town guardians. Three of those vampires are some of the most awkward and misfit vampires Damn has met, and she realize it will take a miracle for her to revamp these vampires into suitable guardians. The other vampire is Sebastian, who is distant and moody and refuses to join their group. Either way, Dawn and Sebastian have some insanely hot chemistry and they can’t seem to stay away from each other. Meanwhile, Dawn is also attracted to Ethan, who also can’t seem to stay away from Dawn. Throughout the book, the chemistry between Dawn-Sebastian and Dawn-Ethan was so strong that I couldn’t decide who I wanted Dawn to be with, although my choice was clear towards the end of the book. What is supposed to be an easy mission turns out to be even more dangerous than what any of them could’ve thought and they will all have to fight together in other to survive. I can’t even begin to tell you what a nice surprise ReVamped was! For me, it had it all: Vampires, action, hot guys, a tough female character, romance, and a sci-fi twist that I didn’t see coming! I loved the pop-culture references that were made, such as vampires competing in shows like The Next Vamp Idol or Transylvania Shore. Dawn was a very strong and likeable lead character: tough yet vulnerable. And even though Brooke, Sophie, Hunter and Seth were weird at first, they really grew on me and I ended up loving them. I loved the world of ReVamped so much, that I can’t wait to read the next book to find out more. If you have been in a bit of a vampire slump, I highly recommend you give this book a chance! The mystery and romance in this book had these pages practically turning themselves! 4.5 out of 5 sparkly stars! Some of my favorite non-spoiler quotes from ReVamped: -I snatched a soft pouch filled with a mix of donor blood and all-natural fruit juice from the snack table. “Remember kids, Blood Juice is a healthy, appropriate meal,” I said, tossing the concoction to a nine-year-old student named Eddie. “Your human friends at school are not. I heard what happened at recess last week.” I shot the boy a disapproving look as I exited the courtyard. -I was a level-headed, self-assured and intelligent girl, but nineteen years of studying and training under my father’s direct supervision hadn’t allowed for much opportunity to develop skills for dealing with boys. -“I’ve had many of my ‘firsts’ here.” I said proudly. Sebastian glanced over at me. “Like, your first kiss?” he teased playfully, a small smile spreading over his lips. “No!” I cried, mortified. I wasn’t about to share that, despite being nineteen years old, I had not yet reached that particular milestone. “No, like my first swordfight,” I clarified. “I should’ve figured,” he said, his smile growing wider. Suddenly, he seized my hands. “How about another first?” he asked, pulling me into him. -I rested my head against his chest, inhaling in his unique cologne. He smelled like a sultry summer storm— cool, refreshing rain, sweltering, hot wind, and charged, electric thunder— all rolled up into one extremely enticing vampire being. The proximity of his strong, muscular body was tantalizing; no matter how much I tried to fight it, I couldn’t ignore the effect that he had on me. He possessed the power to wind me up, excite me, and even infuriate me, while at the same time making me feel calm, comforted and safe. -“Well, he had taken Vampiricol once. It made him feel like a million bucks. He said that he was stronger and faster than anyone else on the field. And apparently, he was also a much better lover.” Brooke giggled. “Okay, well we knew all that from Ethan.” I said, dismayed by the lack of information. Sebastian’s head snapped up, his eyes narrowing in my direction. “Uhh, except the lover part, of course,” I clarified uncomfortably. (less) | Notes are private!
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1
| Apr 24, 2012
| Apr 25, 2012
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Feb 29, 2012
| Kindle Edition
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| 0312610041
| 9780312610043
| 3.73
| 421
| Mar 27, 2012
| Mar 27, 2012
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***ARC provided by Feiwel & Friends for review*** I was instantly captivated by the cover and book description for Life Is But a Dream. It is defin...more ***ARC provided by Feiwel & Friends for review*** I was instantly captivated by the cover and book description for Life Is But a Dream. It is definitely unlike any other story I have ever read. We meet Sabrina, and artist who is diagnosed with schizophrenia. Her parents have checked her into The Wellness Center where she meets Alec. She is instantly drawn to him because she knows they have met before, in her dreams. Alec is also instantly drawn to Sabrina because she is unlike any other girl at The Wellness Center. Their relationship is intense! Alec convinces Sabrina that they aren’t crazy and that everyone else is trying to change them with the medication they get. He convinces Sabrina to stop taking her medication. At first, it seems like Sabrina is actually getting better. But soon, she starts spiraling out of control convinced that the “static” is out to get her. When I first started reading this book, I don’t think I realized that Sabrina really had an illness. I thought her parents just thought she was crazy because she had a really vivid imagination. But right away, we find out that it’s much more than that. Sabrina is obsessed with Heaven and is always thinking about how she can get there, she has a birthmark on her wrist that is cat-like shaped. She calls her birthmark Fred and she talks to it. She sees the world very differently from the rest of us. I don’t think Alec realizes that Sabrina isn’t well either, but will he find out before it’s too late. The story is told in the present and alternates to the past, her childhood and the events leading up to her parents taking her to The Wellness Center. If I were to describe this book on one word it would definitely have to be: Intense! From start to finish, this book will have you on the edge of your seat worried about Sabrina and Alec. Brian James does an amazing job creating a story with very realistic characters and events and I LOVED being in Sabrina’s head and seeing the world through her eyes. If you’re looking for a nice break from paranormal YA books, then you definitely have to add this one to your TBR list. 4 out of 5 sparkly stars! -It should be confusing but somehow it all makes sense to me. It makes sense the way a dream makes sense. The only difference is, I’m awake. -“Mind if I sit down?” he asks, kicking gently at the empty chair across from where I am. “I won’t bite, I swear. The medicine I’m on makes sure of that. Or, so they tell me.” -When I see Alec, I’m happy. There’s something about him that makes me want to talk and sing and be noisy-something about him that makes me feel real, like the person I am in my dreams. -Dr. Richards is trying to take away the part of me that makes me special. That is what she wants. It’s what my parents want too. But it’s not what I want. -“I really wish I saw things the way you do.” He says. “You’re lucky. I hate almost everything I see, but you can see the beautiful part of everything.” I turn my head toward him. The light rests on his body like water. “You’re the only one who thinks so.” I tell him. “Yeah, well it’s clear to me that it’s everyone else who’s mental.” *** Read more of my reviews at: Nereyda @Mostly YA Book Obsessed http://BooksandSparkles.Blogspot.com (less) | Notes are private!
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| Apr 04, 2012
| Apr 06, 2012
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Apr 04, 2012
| Hardcover
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| 4.02
| 199
| Dec 18, 2011
| Dec 20, 2011
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***Copy provided for review as part of blog tour*** Even though the book description is fairly vague, I was intrigued enough by it and the pretty cover...more ***Copy provided for review as part of blog tour*** Even though the book description is fairly vague, I was intrigued enough by it and the pretty cover to ask to be a part of the blog tour. Once I started reading and I found out what this book was really about, I was blown away by it because this is one of my favorite genres! We meet Madison who has been through enough changes in her life. One of the biggest changes being the death of her mother. When her best friend, Kaylee, drags her to the beach, Madison meets the mysterious new guy, Isaac. Sparks immediately fly between them even though they are both cautious and hesitant. But things take an ugly turn when Kaylee starts hallucinating, seeing things and talking about demons. The doctors can’t seem to find anything wrong with her and with no other option she is taken to a mental institute. Kaylee only seems to be getting worse which forces doctors to keep her mostly sedated and restrained to her bed. Madison feels helpless and she knows her best friend isn’t crazy, all she knows is that there is definitely something or someone dark and powerful that is after Kaylee. With the help of Isaac and Kaylee’s boyfriend, Josh, they are determined to help Kaylee and save her from whatever is after her. One big issue I had about this was that I felt like Madison and Isaac’s relationship was a bit rushed. Even though Madison barely knew him, she was already falling for him. We learn later why they have such a strong connection and after that it makes more sense. Even though they clearly like each other, they are still afraid to completely open up to each other and let the other know how they feel. To make matters worse, Madison’s ex best friend makes a pass at Isaac every chance she gets and one of Madison’s friends starts hitting on her too. Madison was a very strong and likeable character. But I was surprised at how much I ended up liking her best friend Kaylee. I love the strong friendship between her and Madison and her relationship between her and her boyfriend Josh. Even though it starts off fast then slows down a bit, one they open up and really get to know each other I really liked the relationship between Madison and Isaac. I know this is a really vague review but I was pleasantly surprised and I wouldn’t want to ruin that for any of you. This is a great and past paced story. Mystery, friendship, romance, betrayals a lot of surprises and twist will keep you turning the pages to find out what happens next! I really want to know what happens next and I hope that this book is the start of another great series. 4 out of 5 sparkly stars! Some of my favorite non-spoiler quotes or scenes from Embrace: -“Your life is about to change, and there’s nothing you can do about it.” -“Always remember, people fear what they don’t understand.” -The maze was a lot like my life: a series of paths that led to choices, turns that often led me astray, and dead ends that forced me to rethink where I'd just been. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t find the exit to my own happiness. I'd get close, but then there’d be one more choice to make, one more obstacle to get past, one more wall of cornstalks blocking the way. -I wish I could say, in that moment standing between the people I loved, that I saw hope-a bright light that assured me things would be okay. Sometimes, you just know that isn’t true. Sometimes, you end up hurting the ones you love. You can’t save them or yourself. -He wasn't playing fair. He never had, and I secretly loved that he didn’t. (less) | Notes are private!
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1
| Apr 16, 2012
| Apr 18, 2012
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Apr 16, 2012
| ebook
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| 0061799289
| 9780061799280
| 3.46
| 847
| Apr 17, 2012
| Apr 17, 2012
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It's no secret that I am a book cover freak. I wish I could say that attracts my attention is the synopsis, but if I'm being honest, then I have to ad...more
It's no secret that I am a book cover freak. I wish I could say that attracts my attention is the synopsis, but if I'm being honest, then I have to admit that a good book cover will always catch my eye. When I first saw the cover for Glimmer last year, it immediately caught my attention. I would have never thought that all those weird colors would have looked good together, but somehow, they rocked! The mauve and green and yellow and the blond girl with the fierce looking eye makeup worked perfectly together. After adding it to my TBR list and then reading the synopsis, I pre-ordered it right away. Two strangers wake up in bed together naked with no memories of who they are? How could I not order it? For me, Glimmer started with a bang and kept up the pace throughout the book. Elyse and Marshall wake up naked in bed. They have absolutely no memory of who they are or how they ended up together. At first, Elyse thinks that Marshall might have drugged her. But it soon becomes clear that he doesn't remember anything about his life either. Terrified and confused, Elyse decides that even though she doesn't know him, she realizes that they have to trust each other and work together if they are ever going to discover who they are, and how to get their memories back. Their first logical choice is of course to go to the hospital. But the nurses and cops act like if there is nothing wrong with them. Even her mother acts like if losing her memory is no big deal. After some VERY strange interactions with the residents of Summer Falls, it quickly becomes clear that there is something very wrong with them. The locals are empty shells and act like zombies, what's worse is the fact that no one seems to have any unpleasant memories. Whenever anyone has a bad experience, they suffer from "heatnaps" and their bad memories are instantly forgotten. Add all this to the fact that there seem to be ghost that no one else sees but Elyse. But is she really seeing ghost, or is she just losing her mind? Along the way they find clues that helps them figure out who they are, but will Marshall and Elyse like the person they once were? If I had to describe this book in one sentence, it would be: Hangover meets Pleasantville, plus ghosts and magic. The story is told between Elyse and Marshall's alternating POV's, which is always a plus for me. I loved that when they don't know what their names are, the chapter are simply titled: HIM and HER. As the story progresses and they search for who they are, the chapters change to: Elyse and Dark Haired Boy, and finally to Elyse and Marshall. Glimmer was such a nice surprise because it is unlike any other book I have read. It had the perfect mix of mystery, suspense, romance and several WTF moments. The slow building relationship between Marshall and Elyse was intense and very believable. I have to admit that there were a couple of moments where I was a little bit confused towards the end, but overall the story was great fresh new take in the YA paranormal genre. The ending felt a bit rushed but made up for it in the epilogue. I really enjoyed Glimmer and I can honestly say that this book was well worth the wait. 4.5 out of 5 sparkly stars! Some of my favorite non spoiler quotes from Glimmer: -"Am I supposed to know these people?" "That guy is you." Doubt creeps into my voice though. Does he really not recognize himself? "Or I don't know, maybe that's your twin brother." "I have a twin?" He narrows his eyes at the photo, tilts his head to either side, lets out a breath, like he's trying to calm himself. He turns back to me. "Tell me he's not evil, 'cause I've got enough problems." "You're the evil one." -"You want me to roll over?" He gives me a look. "I'm kind of naked here." Like I hadn't noticed. "This may be hard for you to believe, but I have no desire to stare at your ass." "Okay. Whatever. Not worth arguing over." He shrugs and turns around. And I can't help it. I check out his ass. Just for a second. -"Let's be clear, I'm not having a moment. I have no memories. Of anything before this morning As in, you're a stranger, and if I'm on some experimental reality TV show, I just want to say to the fans out there: I did not sign up for this bullshit." -I'm afraid to learn more about myself. But I'm even more afraid of staying a blank. Of never being whole again, ending up in the asylum. -"I'm not saying it's okay. I'm saying there's such a thing as forgiveness. Ever heard of it? It's this fucking brilliant invention that lets you learn from your mistakes and move on, instead of just repeating them and saying you can't help being bad." -"I'm a total and complete mess. I don't know who I am, and I hate who I was." *** Check out my blog for more reviews, author interviews and giveaways: Nereyda @Mostly YA Book Obsessed http://BooksandSparkles.Blogspot.com *** Check out my interview with Phoebe Kitanidis: http://booksandsparkles.blogspot.com/...(less) | Notes are private!
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1
| Apr 25, 2012
| Apr 28, 2012
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Apr 17, 2012
| Hardcover
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| B00AOTGI08
| 4.37
| 38,410
| Dec 14, 2012
| Dec 14, 2012
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I am a huge Abbi Glines fan! I’ve read all of her books except her Sea Breeze series (although I own the series and plan to read it soon!). She has...more
I am a huge Abbi Glines fan! I’ve read all of her books except her Sea Breeze series (although I own the series and plan to read it soon!). She has a way of making you connect with her characters that you feel like you lost a little piece of yourself when you finish one of her books. As soon as I saw the cover for Fallen Too Far I knew I wanted to read it. Honestly, I didn’t really care what it was about because a) It’s an Abbi Glines books so I knew it would be good, and b) Just look at that hot cover! Seriously, I think I stared at it for a while before I actually started the book. The fact that the summary sounded fantastic was just icing on the cake for me. Blaire has had a rough couple of years. After losing her sister in a car accident her dad walks out on her and her mom. Then her mom gets cancer and Blaire’s life is put on hold to take care of her. She had to drop out of high school, get her GED, take care of her mom, bury her mom and sell their house and almost everything they owned to pay off medical bills. Things nobody should go through, especially not a 19 year old girl on her own. But seeing as she has nowhere to live, she decides to suck it up and asks her dad if she can live with him until she gets enough money to get her own place. She leaves Alabama but when she gets to the address her dad gave her, she finds out that the house belongs to her new stepbrother, Rush and that her dad has taken off with his new wife. Rush is a privileged bad boy with reputation of a ladies’ man. From the beginning, he is snappy and rude to Blaire but he decides to let her stay at his place for a month. The attraction between them is immediate, no matter how much Rush tries to deny it. I really liked Blaire, she was tough but also very sweet and innocent. Despite the horrible things life has thrown her way, she is strong and she doesn’t let it get her down. She likes Rush and isn’t afraid of letting him know. Rush was a tougher character for me. I’ve loved all of Abbi’s boys (hello Beau and Vincent!) but Rush was more of a challenge for me. He was rude and cold to Blaire at first, which doesn’t really bother me. I think the thing that didn’t allow me to connect with Rush from the beginning was that we don’t get to read the story from his POV. I think I was in about 65% of the story when my brain finally accepted that I wasn’t going to be getting inside his head. If I could have known what he was thinking all those times that he was an ass to Blaire, I think I would have been able to understand him more. I did end up liking him though, once he started being nice to Blaire and especially once we got to see him in action. Like any other Abbi Glines book, the relationship between them was intense and they had amazing chemistry. She pushes the level in this book more than any other and I loved the result. We get to read some HOT scenes between Blaire and Rush that had me flushed (hint: tongue ring, back seat action). But Rush is hiding something big that will definitely affect their relationship once Blaire finds out. I gotta say, I was not expecting this to be part of a series and once I got over the shock I loved where this story ended, although I hate that I have to wait to read Never Too Far. Like always, Abbi also writes some amazing secondary characters and in this book Grant and Woods stole the spotlight in almost all of their scenes. Grant is Rush's stepbrother (this family is screwed up) and he was always very nice to Blaire. Woods was a rich guy who hit on Blaire and although he seemed slimy at first, he ended up being a really good friend to her too. I really hope we might get to read their stories someday. Fallen Too Far was another Abbi Glines hit for me, the only thing keeping me from giving this 5 stars is that I wish we had Rush POV scenes. I REALLY hope that we get them in Never Too Far. Can’t wait to see where Abbi will take us next with Blaire and Rush! 4.5 out of 5 sparkly stars! Some of my favorite non-spoiler quotes from Fallen Too Far: - “That first night I tried to get rid of you. Not because I disliked you.” He let out a hard bitter laugh. “But because I knew. I knew you’d get under my skin. I knew I wouldn’t be able to stay away. Maybe I hated you a little bit then because of the weakness you’d be able to find in me.” -You naked in my bed is even more unbelievably beautiful than I thought it would be… and trust me I’ve thought about it. A lot. “I thought you weren’t a cuddler, Rush,” I said as he ran his nose along my neck and inhaled loudly. “I wasn’t. Only with you Blaire. You’re my exception,” he whispered then tucked my head under his chin and pulled the covers up over us. “Talk. We are going to talk first. I want to see you smile and laugh. I want to know what your favorite show was when you were a kid and who made you cry at school and what boy band you hung posters of on your wall. Then I want you naked in my bed again.” -His eyes never left mine. I held his gaze. I could see the storm in his eyes. I knew he was confused. I could even see the fear. Then there was the love. I saw it. The fierceness in his eyes. I believed it. I could see it clearly. But it was too late now. The love wasn’t enough. Everyone always said that love was enough. It wasn’t. Not when your soul was shattered. -Rush would be my first. It just felt right. Inside I knew he was meant to be the guy who taught me about life. Even if he broke my heart eventually. *** Read more of my reviews at: www.MostlyYABookObsessed.com  (less) | Notes are private!
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| Dec 15, 2012
| Dec 16, 2012
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Oct 09, 2012
| Kindle Edition
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| B00ANDLC6K
| 4.40
| 32,362
| Dec 13, 2012
| Dec 13, 2012
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***ARC received by author for review purposes*** “In the existence of our lives, there is a single coincidence that brings us together and for a moment...more ***ARC received by author for review purposes*** “In the existence of our lives, there is a single coincidence that brings us together and for a moment, our hearts beat as one.” You know all those times I’ve said that writing a certain review was really hard because the book was so good. Well, just ignore all those times because THIS right here is the hardest review I have ever had to write! Ever since I read The Secret of Ella & Micha, I have been on full-on author stalker mode. Since the next book in The Secret series isn’t out until next year (insert sad face here), I was looking for something else by Jessica Sorensen. Anything else! When I saw the gorgeous cover for The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden and saw that it was a New Adult book, I knew I wanted it. Honestly, I didn’t really care what it was about but I knew it was going to be good and I was counting down the days until it was released. When Jessica approached me for a possible review, I may have gone a little crazy with excitement. From the book summary and early reviews, I knew this was going to be an emotional and intense book. But when I saw the dedication page “For everyone who wasn’t saved” I knew I was in for one heck of an emotional ride. For the most part, I can guess which books I will love even before I read them. I wasn’t expecting how much I was going to end up loving this book or how it would emotionally affect me. Callie and Kayden have a little bit of history. They have grown up together but never hung out. A big part of that is because Callie doesn’t really talk to anyone. Due to a traumatic event years ago, Callie decides that the best way to go on is to not let anyone get close to her. She hacks off her hair, dresses in oversized dark clothes, wears black heavy eyeliner and avoids people as best as she can. But when Callie saves Kayden one day, he can’t stop thinking about her and how he never got to thank her. Callie and Kayden end up in the same college although Kayden doesn’t immediately recognize her. Callie has let her hair grow out and she is dressing normal again. But when Kayden realizes who she is, he can’t seem to stay away from her. Callie is still closed off but with the help of her new best friend Seth, she is slowly learning to let go, be herself and trust people. Kayden knows that something bad must have happened to Callie for her to be the way she is, but he knows he can’t let himself care too much about her or get too close because he is battling his own demons. As much as he tries, he can’t help but fall for her, hard. But in order to have a relationship, they must find a way to save each other before it’s too late for both of them. This book is the perfect example of everything I love about books! Great characters: not only are Callie and Kayden so beautifully written, we also have amazing secondary characters such as Seth and Kayden’s friend Luke. Both Callie and Kayden have had a horrible childhood and they both have a dangerous way of coping with the effects. Although Callie’s trust has been shattered, she still cares about Seth (as a friend) and Kayden enough that she is willing to face her insecurities. Kayden’s best defense is to not let himself feel, but he can’t fight the way he feels about Callie. As much as he is scared about letting himself care about her, he knows he can’t let her get away from him again. Seth has also had a tough life but he is determined to help Callie and take care of her as best as he can. I loved Seth’s character and I hope we get to see more of their great friendship in the next book. Great romance: Callie and Kayden’s relationship starts off rocky. Callie is still not comfortable around most people but Kayden slowly earns her trust. They start off slow, as friends until he knows she is ready to take it to the next level. To be able to witness the transformation of Callie as well as her emotional breakdown was heart-wrenching but it also left you with hope that love wins all. Great story: Jessica Sorensen wrote an incredible story, it’s dark, emotional, intense, and sad, but she did such a fantastic job at tackling such tough subjects and she pulled it off brilliantly. Chemistry: The chemistry between Callie and Kayden is one of the best I have read and we get to read some really great moments between them that were so sizzling hot and sexy! I can honestly say that I loved everything about this story and I would not change a thing. Except being able to read book two, like right now! The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden is about so much more than a love story. (Although the love story is one of the best I have read) It’s also about friendship, trust and being able to accept and move on from your past and about letting yourself be saved and be loved. I admit that I wasn’t expecting for this to be part of the series and I do want to warn that this ends on a killer cliffhanger. I honestly thought I was going to have a panic attack when I got to the last page but after a lot of deep breaths and some more author stalking, I found out the next book is not that far away (February 28). The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden was such a heartbreaking yet beautiful story, full of angst, breathtaking and heart-stopping moments. I was such an emotional mess after reading this book and for the first time, I didn’t feel like reading anything else after. I couldn’t stop thinking about the beautiful story I had read (and that damn cliffhanger!). Jessica Sorensen has become one of my favorite authors and her upcoming books are very high on my wish list. I think it’s safe to say that The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden is my all time favorite book of the year and one that will stay always stay with me. A book that I wish every single one of you can experience. Warning: this one may require tissues! I can’t wait to read The Redemption of Callie and Kayden!!! 5 out of 5 stars! Pure perfection! (The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden and The Secret of Ella & Micha are on sale right now for only $.99 for Kindle and Nook. What are you waiting for? Go get a copy!) Some of my favorite non-spoiler quotes from The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden: -The corners of his lips tug up into a sad smile. “I can handle scars, especially ones that are on the outside.” I understand this meaning from the depths of my heart. -The girl looks like she needs a thousand hugs to erase all the sadness she’s carrying around on her shoulders. -Would it be the same as my first and only kiss; a glimmer of conquer blazing within the pupils? Or would it be something else entirely different? Something less terrifying? -I try not to laugh. Stitches aren’t going to help. They fix skin, cuts, wounds, heal stuff on the outside. Everything broken with me is on the inside. -Sucking in a deep breath, I wait for it to catch up with me, but all I can think about is him exploring my body more. I want to find out what it’s like to be touched by someone I trust; by someone I give permission to. "It's amazing how the things you remember forever are the things you'd rather forget and the things you desperately want to grasp onto seem to slip away like sand in the wind." "Callie Lawrence saved my fucking life that night, more than she probably realized." "Life is full of luck, like getting dealt a good hand, or simply by being in the right place at the right time. Some people get lunch handed to them, a second chance, a save. It can happen heroically, of by a simple coincidence, but there are those who don't get luck on a shiny platter, who end up in the wrong place at the wrong time, who don't get saved." *** Read more of my reviews at: www.MostlyYABookObsessed.com ***Visit my blog to check out my character interview with Seth and for a chance to win 2 Jessica Sorensen books!*** http://www.mostlyyabookobsessed.com/2...(less) | Notes are private!
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1
| Dec 12, 2012
| Dec 15, 2012
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Dec 05, 2012
| Kindle Edition
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| 0763643262
| 9780763643263
| 3.92
| 2,056
| Jan 25, 2011
| Jan 25, 2011
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0
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| not set
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Dec 12, 2011
| Hardcover
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| 0316122386
| 9780316122382
| 3.79
| 26,588
| Jan 02, 2012
| Jan 02, 2012
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0
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Apr 17, 2012
| Hardcover
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| 4.06
| 108
| May 29, 2013
| May 29, 2013
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0
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May 03, 2012
| Paperback
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| 9781479202966
| 3.98
| 187
| Aug 01, 2012
| Aug 28, 2012
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Sep 02, 2012
| Paperback
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| 0062184687
| 9780062184689
| 3.80
| 133
| May 28, 2013
| May 28, 2013
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Feb 24, 2013
| Hardcover
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| unknown
| 4.14
| 28
| Jun 11, 2013
| Jun 11, 2013
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0
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Mar 22, 2013
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