In My Mailbox (10): Christmas Edition!

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. You can learn more about it here.

It's been a while since I've done an IMM... the last one was December 4, and since then I've received a stack of books thanks to Christmas (gift cards, baby!) and also gifts from other people. So, I hope I didn't forget any books!

Before Thursday, I didn't have bookcases. I stacked my books on my desk and around my room. I did have one shelf, but I "dedicated" it to signed books. I live in Wyoming. The last time there was signing in my area, it was in Billings, Montana and it was for CJ Box. Who is a Wyoming author and writes about Wyoming. So, yeah, that's thrilling. 

Anyway, I bought two bookcases with one of my gift cards. I don't have a lot of books because I usually borrow from the library, but I like owning books that I love so I hope (hope!) now that I have a place for my books (and will need to buy some more bookshelves) I will be buying more of the books I read instead of relying on my (not so stocked) library. 

Now the books! 

Christmas Books:

So, I actually didn't get any books for Christmas (I never do), but these are the books I bought with my Christmas gift cards. 

Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer

Posses by Gretchen McNeil

Between by Jessica Warman (read; LOVED.) 

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi (my review.) 

Delirium by Lauren Oliver (my review.) 

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (my review.) 

Anna Dressed in Blood (read; LOVED. IT.) 

Gifts/Review Copies/Wins:

Shattered Souls by Mary Lindsey gifted by Rachel at Fiktshun. (thank you so much!) 

Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler (LEMONY SNICKETT!) and Maira Kalman thanks to LB.

A Want So Wicked by Suzanne Young thanks to Suzanne Young and NovelNovice.

So, uh, yeah. I pretty much flipped out when I saw the package from Suzanne Young on my porch Tuesday night. I don't think "flipping out" covers what I did. I was shaky and SO, SO EXCITED. Because guys? AWSW doesn't come out until June. (The ARC says July.) And I'm one of the first people to have read it. And I read A Need So Beautiful which is one of my favorite books and this series is breathtaking. 

So, yeah, that's what I found in my mailbox. What about you?

2012 Blogging Goals

So, it’s almost 2012. Well, it’s 12/29/2011 as I’m writing this post, ignoring the stack of books next to me (I need to read book #3 for my readathon!) and I decided to start on my 2012 blogging goals. I’m the type of person who sticks a goals list next to my computer and crosses the goals off one by one as they get completed. I LOVE making goals. It creates a balance for my life, so I’m not crazy 75% of the time. Only 25%.

Anyway.

It has taken me awhile to think of goals for my book blogging life. I don’t want to go overboard, right, because then that’d throw my life into chaos and a glass ball would shatter and it just wouldn’t be good. So my main goal for 2012 is to keep balance. When I get really stressed, I get insomnia and I’m like 95% crazy and shit just doesn’t get done.  There’s only two times a year I can do this: finals week. Well, maybe three if I take a summer class.

But no more. I can’t handle that type of stress because I can’t sleep, I start tearing my hair out of my head (!), and I’m basically batshit insane. Nobody likes that.

So balance is a good idea. The rest of the goals can be dropped at any time, as long as it’s to balance my rocky life:

1.   Read 200 books this year. I really, really want to do this. Like it’s insane how badly I want to be able to read 200 books in a year. That may seem like a small number to most bloggers, but seeing as I read 142 books in 2011, it’s a HUGE leap forward.
2.  Read through my tbr pile. It’s probably not as big as some people’s tbr piles, but it makes me want to poke my eyes out when I see it. It KILLS me that all these books are going unread while I go around reading review copies and other books and sigh, I just want to be able to say I’ve read the books everybody loved in 2011.
3. Don’t let review copies take over my reading pile. I think it was in November when I read a book for fun (even though I ended up reviewing it on the blog) and it made me feel so guilty because I had a few more review copies to read before the next month. I didn’t like that feeling. At all. I don’t want 2012 to be the year of all review copies—I want to read some non-review copies, too! Even though I do review almost all books I read on my blog. I like sharing my thoughts on books I read. :)
4. Reach out to other bloggers. I met a TON of new bloggers since August 2011, and I really want to meet some new friends. Because in the online world, I’m a social butterfly who likes to make friends.
5. Try to post at least one review a week. My overall goal is to have three to four reviews posted on the blog every week, but if I can’t write that many reviews/read that many books, I’ll be happy to have one review on the blog (YES. I’m going to work on this, I promise.)
6.  I don’t have to post every day. Behind the scenes, when I wasn’t posting on Fridays, I was kinda crazy. I knew that I didn’t have to post every weekday (I try to give myself weekends off), but it was hard to accept that I didn’t have a post for Friday and that it was okay. I actually had to hide on those days so I wouldn’t unleash my crazy on twitter. But the key here is to accept that I don’t have to post every day.

I think for right now, that’s all the goals for 2012. I’m going to try very, very hard to not worry about having more than one review per week on the blog or even posting every day. I shouldn’t have to worry about those things!

What are your 2012 goals?

Change to the Review Policy

I've been debating about this with myself, but I do need change my review policy. Right now I do accept self-published books for review... but I don't get to them. I guess I'm picky like this, and I do try to read the books but they don't grab my attention right away. This is, frankly, because of lack of editing. My review policy will now be: 

I don't accept self-published books unless the book is on my wishlist page or I've reviewed your work before or I've contacted you for a copy of the book for review or I personally know you (i.e. we've talked, I said something about your book, etc.). The reason behind this is I thoroughly suck at getting to self-published books and rather than having the author wait for a review, which could be months, I'm not accepting books from the authors I do not know who've self-published. 

I do accept small publishers inquiries, though, along with other traditionally published authors. 

Also, please do not send me a review request via Goodreads, comments on this blog, or my twitter. That is highly unprofessional and I will delete PMs Goodreads and comments. 

Top 10 Books I'm Looking Forward To in 2012 + Recap of 2011

This one is harder, definitely. There are SO MANY books I'm looking forward to in 2012 and I have to narrow it down to top ten?? Impossible! There may be a tie somewhere in here.

10. Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver.
      I'm dying to know where Pandemonium goes after Delirium's ending. According to some of the reviews, it's a must read and amazing. Well, I don't exactly expect anything else from Lauren Oliver! She is an amazing author and I love all of her books.

9. Endlessly by Kiersten White.
    This is one book that I'd give up a limb for an ARC. I love this trilogy, as do my aunt and mom! We're all breathlessly waiting the final book of the trilogy.

8. False Memory by Dan Krokos.
    So, this book sounds freaking amazing. Again, I love science fiction and guh, I'm DYING to read this one early. So, D*H, if you're listening, send me an email? :eyelash flutter:

7. When The Sea is Rising Red by Cat Hellisen.
   Another book I'd give up a limb for. I practically died when I saw all the bloggers who received this book in their IMMs! It sounds so freaking amazing.

6. Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard.
    Zombies. ZOMBIES! in the 1800s. YOU GUYS. That's my two favorite subjects combined into one. DYING to read this one. Well, like the rest of the books I'm dying to read.

5. Velveteen by Daniel Marks.
    Holla! Dead girl coming back from Purgatory to seek revenge on her killer? An intriguing premise!

4. Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza.
    Similar to False Memory, this book sounds freaking fantastic. Debra is also a cool author on Twitter, which if I wasn't intrigued by the premise, I would probably still read it because of her.

3. Something Like Normal by Trish Doller.
    I love the cover for this one! Don't you? And it sounds so amazing. Can't wait!

2. What's Left of Me by Kat Zhang.
    Zomg. This book. THIS BOOK. Sounds so amazing. It reminds me of Incarnate, which also comes out in 2012!

1. The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls by Claire Legrand.
    This book sounds deliciously creepy. It sounds like the perfect middle grade novel, and I can't WAIT to read it. Also, Claire is one of my favorite people on Twitter, and I'm so, so excited for her and her debut novel.

Recap of the Year:

This year was the first year I counted how many books I read, thanks to Goodreads. It's definitely interesting to look back to see the stats, of course!

The Blog: 
Started this year, on August 14. Since then, I've:

•  Reached 135 followers. (THANK YOU!) 
• 14,500 views
• 500 comments

I've read: 

• 47,163 pages, with the longest being Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows. 
• 142 books; my Goodreads challenge was originally 100, before I changed it to 125. Overachiever? You bet. ;) 

The Books:

• Vampire Academy is a book I picked up in early January, reading the last book in April? I think. It remains my favorite series of all time. And I've read a lot of first books for series this year. 
• I've read a lot of debuts and am excited to read more of their books
• Since I've read a lot of trilogies, and their sequels come out in 2012, I'm also going to focus on reading standalone books, thus the standalone reading challenge.

I have another post going up tomorrow, but happy New Year, everybody! I hope you all will stay by me throughout 2012. 

Review: EVERY OTHER DAY--Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
December 21, 2011
EgmontUSA
Young Adult | Paranormal/Urban Fantasy
Standalone (?) 
Pages: 352
Source/Format: eGalley/NetGalley
Author's Website | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound

Every other day, Kali D'Angelo is a normal sixteen-year-old girl. She goes to public high school. She attends pep rallies. She's human.

And then every day in between . . .She's something else entirely.

Though she still looks like herself, every twenty-four hours predatory instincts take over and Kali becomes a feared demon-hunter with the undeniable urge to hunt, trap, and kill zombies, hellhounds, and other supernatural creatures. Kali has no idea why she is the way she is, but she gives in to instinct anyway. Even though the government considers it environmental terrorism.

When Kali notices a mark on the lower back of a popular girl at school, she knows instantly that the girl is marked for death by one of these creatures. Kali has twenty-four hours to save her and, unfortunately, she'll have to do it as a human. With the help of a few new friends, Kali takes a risk that her human body might not survive. . .and learns the secrets of her mysterious condition in the process.

Every Other Day was FANTASTIC! I loved the premise, and even Kali, who I just adored.  Which is always a good thing, since she’s the main character!

Okay, so, I read Every Other Day in August, and I STILL can remember the ending (four months later.) Amazing, since I love the ending. Twists I didn’t see! Choices Kali made I didn’t think she would!

But aside from the adventure and fun, I must point out there are some… cheesy-ish scenes in this book. It eased the tension in most parts—but because of those scenes, I wouldn’t necessarily jump into the book on a day you don’t want to read cheesy scenes. :)

Kali is definitely a wonderful protagonist. I loved her. She’s not afraid to jump into something dangerous if somebody needs to be saved. Her character grows through the story, and I kinda hope there’s a sequel to see where she goes after that ending.

I think if you love paranormal books where the normal humans know about the creatures (you can visit them in the zoo!), and where the characters themselves are a bit strange, this book may be the one for you.

Yeah, for those paranormal lovers. If you like fast-paced novels with cheesy bits, of course! :) 

Top 10 Villains of 2011

Thursday's topic is technically top 10 characters of 2011, but an example is villains, and I love good villains. Although thinking now, I could do a post on ALL TYPES of characters. Main characters? Check. Sidekicks? Check. So I'm going with my original idea, and focusing on my favorite villains from 2011. 

10. Warner from Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi.

      I think everybody loves Warner from Shatter Me. He's so deliciously evil; how can you not love him? I'm excited to see how his character grows in the trilogy. 

9. The Shattering by Karen Healey.

    I can't say who the villains are in The Shattering, but their motivates are intriguing. The Shattering would have made the list of the best books of 2011, if I could have listed fifteen. It's such a great book; I thought it was a simple contemporary read, when it's more of a paranormal book. If you like foreign cultures, definitely pick this book up for the New Zealand and Maori experience! 

8. Jack the Ripper from The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson.

    Ooh, I love this villain. LOVE LOVE LOVE. His motivate is also very interesting, and I'm excited to see what happens in the rest of the trilogy! 

7. The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman.

    The villains in this book are interesting, because you don't know who is the villain until the very end. I LOVE it. I love this book. 

6. The "Bad Guys" from Chosen by Denise Grover Swank.

    The first adult book to make the list! There are two groups of villains in this book, if you look at it that way, and again, they are interesting. Dying to see what happens in Hunted and Sacrifice! 

5. Enemies of Time from Tempest by Julie Cross.

    This book is making every list, isn't it? It's THAT good, guys. Srsly. And the villains of this book are fantastic. I love it when the antagonist is the government. 

4. Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver.

    This one is the first middle grade to make the list! This one is fantastic. The villains are Liesl's step mother and Will's boss, and these two are the CLASSIC villains, just like in Grimm's fairy tales. Two of my favorite villains, definitely. 

3. Mogadorian in I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore.

    When one of the villains is killing off people, you know that's my type of books. While I didn't like that particular book, I did like the villains behind the story. 

2. Across the Universe by Beth Revis. 

    Saying who the villain of ATU would be spoilery, but let me say that I LIKED HIM. I like his motivates behind murdering people, and I'm dyinggg to read A Million Suns.

1. Zacharov from White Cat by Holly Black.

    Oh, he's my favorite. He's so evil that I just want to squish him. Er... y'know. Yeah. I love this series, and I definitely love Zacharov's intentions behind everything. Can't wait for Black Heart!

Three Day Readathon

Or: I'm insane.

So, when I hit the 100 books read back in June(?), I had a far-fetched dream of reading 150 books for 2011. Well, today I read my 140th book and I'm an impulse person--when I think of something, I usually dive in with both feet.

I really, really want to reach 150 books read for 2011. So I'm proposing a three day readathon. Starting whenever you read this (It's 7:05 US mountain time, Wednesday for me.) until the clock switches over to 2012 on Saturday night.

I think I can do this. It'll be a huge accomplishment for me seeing as I read about twelve books per month. But I think it'd be freaking awesome if I manage to read ten books in three days (which is probably how much I read when I was younger!)

If you want to jump in, reading how many books you want, comment below! We can encourage each other on.   Even if you just have like three books until your reading goal is completed, you can join! I hope I'm not the only one who does this. :)


My books:

1. Ship Breaker 
2. Switched
3. Under The Never Sky
4. Between
5. Anna Dressed in Blood
6. Possess
7. Wolfsbane
8. Everything You Need To Survive The Apocalypse
9. The Gathering Storm
10. Cold Cereal

Here we go! :) 

Top 10 Book Boyfriends of 2011

One of my favorite things of YA fiction is how there is always a love interest. And that makes me grin because I love the butterflies in a stomach feeling, the kisses, even the steamy scenes.... It's just wonderful and I even love writing it. So, my top 10 book boyfriends of 2011:

10. Harlin from A Need So Beautiful by Suzanne Young.
      He was an okay boyfriend in the beginning, but during the middle and ending, I fell for him really, really hard. He is amazing! I love the chemistry between him and Charlotte.

9. Jackson from Tempest by Julie Cross. 
    Jackson can be an ass sometimes, but he makes it up by reciting French poetry and other stories that make girls swoon. The romance in this book makes me smile every time I think about it. LOVE.

8. Jack from Everneath by Brodi Ashton.
    I like Jack a lot. *G* When Nikki comes back, he doesn't avoid her--he tries to talk to her, unlike everybody else at her school. Love it.

7. Lend from Supernaturally and Paranormalcy from Kiersten White.
    I LOVE Lend. He makes me smile in Super and Para, and I'm dying to read Endlessly to see where their relationship goes!

6. Will from Wings of the Wicked and Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton.
    Oh, Will is hot. And some of the scenes in Wings of the Wicked... :low whistle: I especially like that Will loves one particular food: root beer floats. Makes me smile every time!

5. Tuckerrrr from Hallowed and Unearthly by Cynthia Hand.
    If you've read Unearthly (and Hallowed!), you know Tucker's popping up on a few lists. Oh, Tucker, he is MINE. MIIIIIINE. I love him so much. <3

4. Michael from Hourglass by Myra McEntire.
    Hehehehe. I love Michael, and Kaleb! They are both hot guys and if one of them doesn't get Emerson, I'll take the other. *G*

3. Sam from Forever, Linger, and Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater.
    Swoon. I love Sam. I love Sam so much. He's one of my favorite book boyfriends. I'd like him to make me origami cranes and recite German poetry. :)

2. Az from A Touch Mortal by Leah Clifford.
    Az is also mine, btw. MINE MINE MINE. I don't care if Eden has claim to him, HE IS MINE!

1. And finally, Dimitri from the Vampire Academy series.
    Dimitri is the hottest guy in the YA-sphere. I'm serious, too. Dimitri is my favorite book boyfriend ever, especially in Last Sacrifice (where the link leads to.) I love all the scenes with Dimitri in VA, and I would reread those books JUST to fall in love with Dimitri again.

Waiting on Wednesday (18)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

The following book is eligible for the 2012 Standalone Challenge.

Trafficked by Kim Purcell

February 16, 2012

Viking Juvenile 

A gripping thriller, ripped from the headlines!

Hannah believes she's being brought from Moldova to Los Angeles to become a nanny for a Russian family. But her American dream quickly spirals into a nightmare. The Platonovs force Hannah to work sixteen-hour days, won't let her leave the house, and seem to have a lot of secrets - from Hannah and from each other. Stranded in a foreign land with false documents, no money, and nobody who can help her, Hannah must find a way to save herself from her new status as a modern-day slave or risk losing the one thing she has left: her life.

Top 10 Book Covers of 2011

I hope this one is a lot easier than the top 10 books of 2011. I have a lot of book covers I loved of 2011, but there's only a few that make me want to read the book again and again and portray the book so well. It's true, I do judge books by their covers. 

10. Larkstorm by Dawn Rae Miller.
      This cover is so gorgeous. I love the birds flocking around Lark. It gives it a creepy feel, which I think totally works with the book. And the way Lark is holding her hands/arms--it's like she's controlling the birds. LOVE. And the purple background? So gorgeous. When I saw the cover, I gasped. It's just PERFECT.

9. Here by Denise Grover Swank.
    Guh. This cover is so amazing and gorgeous. At first all you see is the girl, head down, staring at the water. Doesn't she look like she's standing on top of the water? If you look behind the girl, you'll see two boys standing a ways back. There's a sort of love triangle in this book, which the cover represents. GOR. GEOUS. LOVE SO MUCH.

8. A Want So Wicked by Suzanne Young (A Need So Beautiful #2)
    This cover is my favorite out of this series. I love the purple hue, and how sad the girl looks. HarperCollins creates such beautiful covers--I'm speechless about this cover.

7. Everneath by Brodi Ashton.
    Another HarperCollins cover. Everneath is whimsical and beautiful. I love Nikki's dress and how the gray seems to be overtaking her. And while Nikki doesn't wear a dress in the book, this cover I think does represent the story. I love the curling font of Everneath, too. Beautiful!

6. Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts.
   Dark Inside wins creepiest book ever. Nothing's last chapter scares the everliving crap out of me, as does this cover. The eyes. THE EYES. The entire cover scares me. I can't stand the crack in the earth, or the ruins in the background and people walking toward it. AND THE EYES.

5. Tempest by Julie Cross.
    Holla. I love this cover. I love the scene this cover represents in the book. I love the lightning and the dark clouds in the back. I love how Jackson and Holly are reaching for each other, but can't seem to grab a hold of each other's hand. LOVE SO MUCH.

4. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi.
   I think HarperCollins is going to win for best covers for this post. I love Shatter Me's cover. I love the usage of strikeouts on it, too. The background is amazing, too. I think it gives the cover a badass touch to it. And, on the final copy (and ARCs with the cover), it's reflective. You can see your face in the cover! Gorgeous. Love it.

3. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin.
    I'm so curious about this cover. Is he saving her? Are they drowning together? And I love the font. It fits the book's creepy factor with the Ouija board so well. I hope the sequel's cover is like the first, with the underwater tone. I love the underwater photograph. SO GORGEOUS. Love it. I want to buy all the collections.

2. Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard.
    Much like Kirsten's cover for Like Mandarin, this one is strikingly gorgeous. I like that she's blowing the flower petals out of her hand and her eyes are closed, like she's making a wish. And the font? LOVE. This is one of the best book covers of the year.


1. Endlessly by Kiersten White.
    I love Kiersten's covers. They are GORGEOUS. Seriously. I'm overusing that word, but holy crap, the Paranormalcy trilogy's covers are fantastic. And with Endlessly, I love that Evie is smiling. I can't wait to read this book. It should be amazing!

What are your favorite covers of 2011?

Top 10 Books of 2011

Monday is the kickoff of this fun week of Top 10 of 2011, and the first topic is the Top 10 Books of 2011. The fact that I have to narrow it down to ten books is a huge feat for me. I've read SO MANY good books this year! O_O So out of the 138 books I've read so far, my top ten:

10. Hourglass by Myra McEntire
      If you know writer me, you know I write science fiction and I love (almost) all things sci-fi. Hourglass was an amazing science fiction novel, and I still think about the ending time to time. I freaking LOVED it and press this book into people's hands all the time.

9. Tempest by Julie Cross
    Another science fiction novel. This book I loved to pieces. When I found out about it, I was begging to receive an ARC of it--and when I saw it on NetGalley, I requested it and stared at my email, hoping for the person who runs Macmillan's netgalley requests to accept me. Twenty minutes later, I manged to convince myself to take a shower and go home (because I was on campus) and when I did get home, I checked my email and it was there--the letter that said I could read Tempest. I read it that very day and fell hard for Jackson and 007 Holly. <333

8. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
    Another book I was dying to read when I found out about it. I LOVE the cover and premise and dying to read the sequel! Although I knew the ending around page fifty, it was still a mindbending read and I hoping to reread it soon. Love Noah and Mara.

7. Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez
     You GUYS! If you haven't read this book, YOU NEED TO. This has to be one of the best contemporary books I've read this year and it's so freaking intense. The book starts off with a girl dangling her violin (a very expensive one--worth millions, I think) off a hotel balcony in her very expensive dress. After that, I HAD to know what was going on with this girl. I hope there's a sequel!

6. Skinned by Robin Wasserman 
    This was my first book I read by Robin, and holy mother, she is a fantastic author! I LOVED Skinned and I haven't read the rest of the trilogy, but loooove the first book so much, and the world. I loved pretty much everything about Skinned, although it's very sad at times. And that ending makes me so angry at Robin... but I hope it all works out in the end. *needs book two and three right now.* (Skinned is also called Frozen.)

5. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
    Swoon. You probably don't know this, but I live on a horse farm. I was reading this book and had to put it down in order to feed my regular horses. I was afraid they would eat me. O_O The Scorpio Races is a beautiful, haunting book and I want everybody to read it. You don't have to like horses to enjoy this book--but you may be afraid to be around horses after it!

4. Wings of the Wicked by Courtney Allison Moulton
    This is the second book in the Angelfire trilogy, and it's SO MUCH BETTER than Angelfire! It doesn't come out until February 1, 2012, but guys, that gives you time to read Angelfire if you haven't. Wings of the Wicked is SO good, and a whole lot darker than Angelfire. I LOVE dark, so of course this book is one of my favorites.

3. White Cat by Holly Black
    I listened to the audio book of this one, thanks to Random House, and guh, I fell HARD for Cassel. <333  I'm reading Red Glove, the sequel, right now and realized how much I love White Cat and the world. It's so refreshing that the world knows about the paranormal aspect. The world is AH MAY ZING and I love it and want to live in it (if only I was a worker. holla!)

2. A Touch Mortal by Leah Clifford and The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman
    I know, I know, I'm like cheating, but it's a tie. A Touch Mortal is so dark and so, so good, and so is The Book of Blood and Shadow. The Book of Blood and Shadow is like nothing I've read before, and it comes out in April so you can't read it just yet, but when it does come out, GET IT. IT'S SO GOOD. As is A Touch Mortal! ATM's pages are like crack. I couldn't stop reading it. And the good news is, ATM has been out since February 2011, and the sequel comes out this February. You have time to read it before A Touch Morbid comes out and I recommend that you DO.

And now, for one of my favorite books of 2011...

1. Blood Promise by Richelle Mead, book four of the Vampire Academy.
    In January, I saw the VA books on my library's shelf and I read them all this winter. They are without a doubt one of my favorite series. There's spoilers for the series, so highlight this passage if you want to read what I have to say about Blood Promise--but if you haven't read Blood Promise or the series, please don't read! Book three's ending reveals that Dimitri is dead, but then it's said he's Strigoi. Holy crap, the ending of book three made me cry so hard. I love Dimitri and I couldn't stand the thought of him turning Strigoi! I love Blood Promise because Rose's determination of saving Dimitri. Blood Promise is where the series gets really good and one of these days, I have to reread this series. I love it so much. A MUST read.


That's my top ten (er, eleven) books of 2011. What are yours?

Mini Review: Tomorrow is Today--Julie Cross

Tomorrow is Today by Julie Cross
December 6, 2011
St. Martin's Griffin
Young Adult | Science Fiction
Tempest #0.5 (Short Story) 
Pages: 32
Source/Format: "Bought"/eBook (it's free) 
Author's Website | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The year is 2009. Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy… he’s in college, throws lots of parties, is interested in a girl he can’t have, and oh yeah, he can travel back through time.But it’s not like the movies – nothing changes in the present after his jumps, there’s no space-time continuum issues or broken flux capacitors – it’s just harmless fun.

Tomorrow is Today is this fun, prequel short story to Tempest, the upcoming (fantastic!) time travel novel by Julie Cross. 

Since I’ve already read Tempest, I understood the time travel. Cross doesn’t explain time travel in the prequel, so reading the first four chapters of Tempest could benefit those who want to read Tomorrow is Today. (Those chapters are included in Tomorrow is Today, after the short story, and also available here.) 

Nothing major happens in Tomorrow is Today beside a missing kid and Jackson finding out Holly has a boyfriend. But it was a fun read and I’m dying to find out how Jackson finally got Holly… because there IS a gap between Tomorrow is Today and Tempest. And I like it when the guy wins over the girl. :) 

I recommend Tomorrow is Today to those who have read the first four chapters and want to know more about the Tempest world. Technically Tomorrow is Today goes backwards from those first chapters, but it makes sense if you read them first then the short story. (HA HA REAL LIFE TIME TRAVEL.) 

Book One:

The year is 2009.  Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy… he’s in college, has a girlfriend… and he can travel back through time. But it’s not like the movies – nothing changes in the present after his jumps, there’s no space-time continuum issues or broken flux capacitors – it’s just harmless fun.

That is… until the day strangers burst in on Jackson and his girlfriend, Holly, and during a struggle with Jackson, Holly is fatally shot. In his panic, Jackson jumps back two years to 2007, but this is not like his previous time jumps. Now he’s stuck in 2007 and can’t get back to the future.

Desperate to somehow return to 2009 to save Holly but unable to return to his rightful year, Jackson settles into 2007 and learns what he can about his abilities.

But it’s not long before the people who shot Holly in 2009 come looking for Jackson in the past, and these “Enemies of Time” will stop at nothing to recruit this powerful young time-traveler.  Recruit… or kill him.

Piecing together the clues about his father, the Enemies of Time, and himself, Jackson must decide how far he’s willing to go to save Holly… and possibly the entire world.

100 Follower Giveaway

When I started my blog in August, I never thought I would get this far within a few months. I thought I’d have a small readership, that included my friends, and I also thought this would be a strictly review site. Ha ha ha.  I only participate in a few memes, mostly Waiting on Wednesday because that one tells me about new reads (oh how my tbr pile has grown!) but I do want to focus more on reviews. I just want this blog to be a place for readers to figure out what they should read next.

Thank you, everybody who has followed, viewed, commented on my blog. Every comment that shows up in my inbox makes me smile. <3

Sorry for the blurry picture. 

I was originally going to do this big giveaway once I hit 100 followers. However, I hit 100 followers waaaay sooner than I expected and my debit card is weeping at the thought of purchasing more books (I have like NO MONEY. Not enough to support a huge giveaway.) So right now I’m going to do this small-ish one. I have a box full of ARCs and finished copies that are wanting a new home. There will be two winners, with each winner getting to pick what books they want. At a later date, when my debit card is happy, I’ll host a big, international giveaway. 

The Prizes:

Finished copies: 

dark parties by sara grant (hardcover)

unwelcome by michael griffo (paperback) (book 2)

dark territory by j. gabriel gates and charlene keel (paperback) 

cryer's cross by lisa mcmann (hardcover)

the sky is everywhere by jandy nelson (paperback)

sorta like a rock star by matthew quick (paperback)
the hunger games by suzanne collins (paperback)
original sin by lisa desrochers (paperback) (book 2)

ARCs: 

family by micol ostow

unforsaken by sophie littlefield

carrier of the mark by leigh fallon

frost by marianna baer

the secret prince by violet harberdasher

amplified by tara kelly

going nowhere faster by sean beaudoin (signed!)

small town sinners by melissa walker
entice by carrie jones (book three)
dark eden by patrick carman
shatter me by tahereh mafi (not pictured)
legend by marie lu (not pictured)

The Details:

• Two winners
• US & Canada addresses only (meaning if you live in, say, India, and your cousin lives in the US and would ship the package to you, you can enter with your cousin's address.) 
• Runs from December 22, 2011 to January 10, 2012, eastern time, baby! 
• Each winner picks two books
• While this is a follower giveaway, being a follower isn't necessary. However, there is 5 points toward the prizes if you are a follower. Old or new, I welcome all! 
• The way to enter this giveaway is leaving a blog comment and entering in the form. You don't have to tweet, but that's an extra 5 points (DAILY).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Waiting on Wednesday (17)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

The following books are eligible for the 2012 Standalone Challenge.

Fracture by Megan Miranda
January 17, 2012
Walker & Company


Eleven minutes passed before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied medical precedent to come back seemingly fine-despite the scans that showed significant brain damage. Everyone wants Delaney to be all right, but she knows she's far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can't control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death, or causing it?

Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who recently emerged from a coma with similar abilities. At first she's reassured to find someone who understands the strangeness of her new existence, but Delaney soon discovers that Troy's motives aren't quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a freak of nature-or something much more frightening?

For fans of best-sellers like Before I Fall and If I Stay, this is a fascinating and heart-rending story about love and friendship and the fine line between life and death.


You GUYYYSSS. I have an egalley of this one and I AM NOW DYING to read it! only have to wait ten days, then it's ALL MINE. MWAHAHA. 

Shadows Cast by Stars by Catherine Knutsson

June 5, 2012

Atheneum

Two hundred years from now, blood has become the most valuable commodity on the planet - especially the blood of aboriginal peoples, for it contains antibodies that protect them from the plague that is ravaging the rest of the world. 

Sixteen-year-old Cassandra Mercredi might be immune to the plague, but that doesn't mean she's safe. Government forces are searching for those of aboriginal heritage to harvest their blood. When a search threatens Cass and her family, they flee to the Island, a mysterious and idyllic territory protected by the Band, a group of guerilla warriors, and by an enigmatic energy barrier that keeps outsiders out and the spirit world in. And though the village healer has taken Cass under her wing, and the tribal leader's son into his heart, the spirit world is angry, and it has chosen Cass to be its voice and instrument...

For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund

June 12, 2012

Balzer + Bray

Generations ago, a genetic experiment gone wrong—the Reduction—decimated humanity, giving rise to a Luddite nobility who outlawed most technology.

Eighteen-year-old Luddite Elliot North has always known her place in this caste system. Four years ago Elliot refused to run away with her childhood sweetheart, the servant Kai, choosing duty to her family’s estate over love. But now the world has changed: a new class of Post-Reductionists is jumpstarting the wheel of progress and threatening Luddite control; Elliot’s estate is floundering; and she’s forced to rent land to the mysterious Cloud Fleet, a group of shipbuilders that includes renowned explorer Captain Malakai Wentforth—an almost unrecognizable Kai. And while Elliott wonders if this could be their second chance, Kai seems determined to show Elliot exactly what she gave up when she abandoned him.

But Elliot soon discovers her childhood friend carries a secret—-one that could change the society in which they live…or bring it to its knees. And again, she’s faced with a choice: cling to what she’s been raised to believe, or cast her lot with the only boy she’s ever loved, even if she has lost him forever.

Inspired by Jane Austen’s PERSUASION, FOR DARKNESS SHOWS THE STARS is a breathtaking romance about opening your mind to the future and your heart to the one person you know can break it.

Sidenote: Anybody else think the model kinda looks like a cartoon? 

What are you waiting on this Wednesday?

Teaser Tuesday: Wings of the Wicked

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

• Grab your current read 
• Open to a random page 
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from that page 
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) 
• Share the title and author, too, so other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

Wings of the Wicked by Courtney Allison Moulton

Angelfire #2

February 1, 2012 by Katherine Tegen (HarperCollins) 

Life as the Preliator is harder than Ellie ever imagined. 
Balancing real life with the responsibility of being Heaven’s warrior is a challenge for Ellie. Her relationship with Will has become all business, though they both long for each other. And now that the secret of who she really is has come out, so have Hell’s strongest reapers. Grown bold and more vicious, the demonic threaten her in the light of day and stalk her in the night. 

She’s been warned. 
Cadan, a demonic reaper, comes to her with information about Bastian’s new plan to destroy Ellie’s soul and use an ancient relic to wake all the souls of the damned and unleash them upon humanity. As she fights to stay ahead of Bastian’s schemes , the revelations about those closest to her awaken a dark power within Ellie that threatens to destroy everything—including herself. 

She’ll be betrayed. 
Treachery comes even from those whom she loves, and Ellie is broken by the deaths of those who stood beside her in this Heavenly war. Still, she must find a way to save the world, herself, and her love for Will. If she fails, there will be hell to pay. 

Add Wings of the Wicked to your Goodreads!

Technically, I'm not reading WOW anymore, I finished on Friday night, but I stumbled upon these sentences while reading that I just HAD to tease you with. The tease comes from page 359, and there's a spoilery bit of the sentence, but don't worry, I don't include the spoiler. 

He kissed me tenderly and I kissed him back more fiercely, our first kiss since the night [spoiler]. It felt like years ago, decades, like I hadn't taken a breath in far too long.

review: IMAGINARY GIRLS--Nova Ren Suma

Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma
June 14, 2011
Dutton (Penguin) 
Young Adult | Magical Realism
Standalone
Pages: 348
Source/Format: I won an ARC and final copy... from two people. 
Author's Website | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound

Chloe's older sister, Ruby, is the girl everyone looks to and longs for, who can't be captured or caged. When a night with Ruby's friends goes horribly wrong and Chloe discovers the dead body of her classmate London Hayes left floating in the reservoir, Chloe is sent away from town and away from Ruby.

But Ruby will do anything to get her sister back, and when Chloe returns to town two years later, deadly surprises await. As Chloe flirts with the truth that Ruby has hidden deeply away, the fragile line between life and death is redrawn by the complex bonds of sisterhood.

With palpable drama and delicious craft, Nova Ren Suma bursts onto the YA scene with the story that everyone will be talking about.

I finished this book not knowing what happened to my brain. Wow, this book is unique and twisted and brain-mushing. It's such a roller coaster, and whoa, I'd read this book again in a heartbeat. It's a little confusing, and not everything is resolved—hello, cell phone? What's up with that?—but I can see that maybe the author wanted the reader to make an opinion about it. It's the same way with the ending, and it works VERY well for this book. The reader gets to figure out what happened in the end, what the people of Olive are, etc. I go with Ruby's explanation. Anybody else? 

IMAGINARY GIRLS was a delightful read. I was hooked right away, maybe it was from Suma's writing ability (I am green right now. GREEN!) or Ruby casted a spell on me like she did the people in the book and the weird town. I made a grave mistake and started it before bedtime, and to my disappointment, I couldn't keep my eyes open after 100 pages of reading it. I had to set it down and man, was I angry at myself. 

This story is a surreal story, probably best read at night (when you aren't tired!) with the lights turned low. Very disturbing, but very very good. I loved it and can't wait to read more by Nova Ren Suma.

review: BLOOD RED ROAD--Moira Young

Blood Red Road by Moira Young
June 7, 2011
Margaret K. McElderry (Simon & Schuster) 
Young Adult | Dystopian
Blood Red Road #1 (Rebel Heart) 
Pages: 459
Source/Format: GalleyGrab newsletter
Author's Website | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound

Saba has spent her whole life in Silverlake, a dried-up wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms. The Wrecker civilization has long been destroyed, leaving only landfills for Saba and her family to scavenge from. That's fine by her, as long as her beloved twin brother Lugh is around. But when a monster sandstorm arrives, along with four cloaked horsemen, Saba's world is shattered. Lugh is captured, and Saba embarks on an epic quest to get him back.

Suddenly thrown into the lawless, ugly reality of the world outside of desolate Silverlake, Saba is lost without Lugh to guide her. So perhaps the most surprising thing of all is what Saba learns about herself: she's a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent. And she has the power to take down a corrupt society from the inside. Teamed up with a handsome daredevil named Jack and a gang of girl revolutionaries called the Free Hawks, Saba stages a showdown that will change the course of her own civilization.

Blood Red Road has a searing pace, a poetically minimal writing style, violent action, and an epic love story. Moira Young is one of the most promising and startling new voices in teen fiction.

This book was hard for me to get through the first time. There's a lot of voice, and the main character, Saba, is illiterate. My head wanted to explode after reading the first few pages. I gave up on this book. Then I read a lot of reviews saying, “SO GOOD! READ NOW!” and I'm like, “WTF? Did I miss something?” And I picked it back up. And I liked it.

Saba is my favorite character from Blood Red Road. She's such a kickass girl that I want to be best friends with her. And Jack! <3 These two are perfect for each other.

This whole book is something new and refreshing. For me, it really felt like a fantasy instead of a dystopian—there is dystopian parts, like Wrecker cities—but the quest for Saba finding Lugh felt very fantasy and I was waiting for them to fight with magic. Alas, it never happened. But wow, is that refreshing to read in dystopian literature!

One thing that had me gawking was the page length. I read an e-galley of this, so I never got to see how big the ARC is (and I'm buying this as soon as I can.) but it doesn't seem long when you're reading it. Also, there's not chapters but sections. It's interesting how Young wrote this book. I think the dialect rings true, even if it did annoy me for some parts of the book.

It's funny, there's been a handful of books I haven't wanted to read/gave second chances this year and they ended up being some of my favorite books.

Blood Red Road is SO GOOD! READ NOW! ;)