To Know What Love Is

I don't know why
it happened.
I don't know when
it happened.

But it did.

So here I am:
     Bereft.
           Void.
                Confused.
                      Broken.

Wondering
what now?

Remembering
the way you used to look at me,
a look I haven't seen in weeks.

The way you used to hold me at night:
possessive,tender, connected.
Now we lie as two separate entities
confined to one space.

Crying.
Tears streaming down my face.
Knowing I can't change the present
but still wanting to relive the past,
the happy days.

So where is my best friend now?

He does not exist.

Somewhere along the progression of time
he died.
Reborn, this infant a complete stranger to me.

To know what love is
is also to know what love is not

And this,
this is not love.
Not anymore.

RAK Thank You Post

Two people sent me books last month through the Random Acts of Kindness program hosted by Book Soulmates, so this post is my thank you to them :)













 
Emily from Red House Books sent me a copy of Born at Midnight by C. C. Hunter. (up there ^) That's a picture of it keeping me company at work!

Laura from All of Everything also told me she was sending me a book, but she decided to keep it a surprise therefore I don't know which book it is since it hasn't arrived yet. I can't wait to find out; I love surprises! :)

To both Emily and Laura, once again: Thank You!!!

In My Mailbox & Giveaway Winner!

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by Kristi of The Story Siren

Hi guys! I got a few books this week, thanks to the sale rack at Strand and the library :)

• Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice
• The Drowning City by Amanda Downum
• The Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
• La Nostra Guerra 1940-1945 by Arrigo Petacco

And the Winner of Blood Bound by Rachel Vincent is...

Entry #112: Mariee

The winner had been contacted via Twitter and email. If she does not respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen.

Giveaway: Blood Bound by Rachel Vincent

I loved Blood Bound by Rachel Vincent so much that I decided to gift a copy to one lucky reader!!

Here's the blurb:

By blood, by word, by magic…

     Most can't touch the power. But Liv Warren is special— a paranormal tracker who follows the scent of blood.

Liv makes her own rules, and the most important one is trust no one.

     But when her friend's daughter goes missing, Liv has no choice but to find the girl. Thanks to a childhood oath, Liv can't rest until the child is home safe. But that means trusting Cam Caballero, the former lover forbidden to her.

     Bound by oath and lost in desire for a man she cannot have, Liv is racing to save the child from a dark criminal underworld where secrets, lies, trauma and danger lurk around every corner…every touch…every kiss.

And more blood will be spilled before it's over…

Read my review: HERE

Also just a quick question (for my curiosity): To those of you who have read the book already, which Skill would you most like to have? [Traveler, Seer, Jammer, Blinder, Binder, Tracker, Reader, etc...]

Blood Bound by Rachel Vincent

Title: Blood Bound (Unbound #1)
Author: Rachel Vincent
Source: Purchased; Ebook 329 pages

By blood, by word, by magic…

     Most can't touch the power. But Liv Warren is special— a paranormal tracker who follows the scent of blood.

Liv makes her own rules, and the most important one is trust no one.

     But when her friend's daughter goes missing, Liv has no choice but to find the girl. Thanks to a childhood oath, Liv can't rest until the child is home safe. But that means trusting Cam Caballero, the former lover forbidden to her.

     Bound by oath and lost in desire for a man she cannot have, Liv is racing to save the child from a dark criminal underworld where secrets, lies, trauma and danger lurk around every corner…every touch…every kiss.

And more blood will be spilled before it's over…

My Rating: 5 stars ★★★★★

My Thoughts: 

-->Yet another fabulous novel by Rachel Vincent, as well as an extremely promising start to a new series! The "Skilled" world Vincent creates in her new series, Unbound, is completely different than anything else I've ever read. In this fresh addition to the urban fantasy genre, some people have the ability to see the future, travel through shadows, track someone based on only a name or blood sample, or always know whether or not someone is lying to them. These are just a few of the dozen or so Skills a person may be lucky (or unlucky) enough to have. In a addition to that, all it takes is an oath and a drop of blood to create a bond so strong that one could die trying to break it – tattoos are no longer just aesthetic, but instead are the grim markings of a person’s pledge to another.
How does Vincent come up with stuff like this? It’s brilliant, and once again I must commend the ever-astonishing creativity of authors. I was instantly wrapped up in the story, which besides being totally unique, was jam packed with twists, turns, action, and suspense (as per usual with Vincent’s adult novels). This was one of those gripping stories that keeps you awake until four or five in the morning until you finish the book because you simply cannot put it down [I’m speaking from experience here, hehe *sly smile*]. I give Blood Bound an A+ for originality and plotline.

I also give Blood Bound an A+ for characters and character development. Liv Warren is a total kick-butt chick (very reminiscent of Faythe Sanders, for those of you who have read Vincent’s other adult series, Shifters), Cam Caballero is an adorably sexy drool-worthy dreamboat, Ruben Cavazos is one of those villains that you just loveee to hate, as well as many other interesting less prominent characters – the list goes on and on.

The only aspect of Blood Bound that wasn’t a home run was the alternating POV narration. While it was definitely necessary to have both Liv and Cam as narrators –many details were contingent upon the fact that one character knew something that the other one didn’t- the writing just didn’t flow seamlessly. I often found myself reading the first paragraph or two of a new chapter, getting confused, and then reading the same paragraphs over again realizing that the POV had switched to the other character. Hopefully this is something that will be smoother in Shadow Bound, the next installment of the series.

-->

 *Check back tomorrow for a giveaway - 

a chance to win your own copy of Blood Bound!*

Cover Musings: I really like this cover, especially the interlocking rings in the title (which ties into the story). However, I think I prefer the UK Cover

Warnings: adult (not YA); lots of violence & profanity; some sex

Next in Series: Shadow Bound

Books Like This: Stray by Rachel Vincent; Moon Called by Patricia Briggs

Also just a quick question (for my curiosity): To those of you who have read the book already, which Skill would you most like to have? [Traveler, Seer, Jammer, Blinder, Binder, Tracker, Reader, etc...]

Teaser Tuesday #10

Teaser Tuesday 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 somewhere on 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 & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

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Title: The Poison Eaters and Other Stories
Author: Holly Black

"It took eighty-eight days for the venom to sweat out a person's pores. She had only thirty-seven to go. Thirty-seven days to stay so drunk that she could ignore the buzz in her head that made her want to bite, rend, devour."

-from The Coldest Girl in Coldtown

In My Mailbox - Sick Edition

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by Kristi of The Story Siren

Hi guys!! I totally recorded a vlog yesterday this week's IMM, but I'm running a fever and too tired to edit/upload it. So I'm gonna do this the old fashioned way! I got three books this week, all borrowed from the library (since all my TBR books are at home and I'm at my dorm and I haven't had a chance to bring any here yet).

 

• The Poison Eaters and Other Stories by Holly Black
• Forever by Maggie Stiefvater
• Torment by Lauren Kate

Top 100 YA Books

 This list has been floating around (I've seen it on Reading Teen and Novel Thoughts) of the Top 100 YA Books, and I thought it's be fun to go through and see how many I've read. 

Books I've read are in bold; books I own but haven't read yet are italicized

1. Alex Finn – Beastly
2. Alice Sebold – The Lovely Bones
3. Ally Carter – Callagher Girls (1, 2, 3, 4)
4. Ally Condie – Matched
5. Alyson Noel – The Immortals (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
6. Anastasia Hopcus – Shadow Hills
7. Angie Sage – Septimus Heap (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
8. Ann Brashares – The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (1, 2, 3, 4)
9. Anna Godbersen – Luxe (1, 2, 3, 4)
10. Anthony Horowitz – Alex Rider (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
11. Aprilynne Pike – Wings (1, 2, 3)
12. Becca Fitzpatrick – Hush, Hush (1, 2)
13. Brandon Mull – Fablehaven (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
14. Brian Selznick – The Invention of Hugo Cabret
15. Cassandra Clare – The Mortal Instruments (1, 2, 3, 4)
16. Carrie Jones – Need (1, 2, 3)
17. Carrie Ryan – The Forest of Hands and Teeth (1, 2, 3)
18. Christopher Paolini - Inheritance (1, 2, 3, 4)
19. Cinda Williams Chima – The Heir Chronicles (1, 2, 3)
20. Colleen Houck – Tigers Saga (1, 2)
21. Cornelia Funke – Inkheart (1, 2, 3)
22. Ellen Hopkins – Impulse
23. Eoin Colfer – Artemis Fowl (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
24. Faraaz Kazi – Truly, Madly, Deeply
25. Frank Beddor – The Looking Glass Wars (1, 2, 3)
26. Gabrielle Zevin – Elsewhere
27. Gail Carson Levine – Fairest
28. Holly Black – Tithe (1, 2, 3)
29. J.K. Rowling – Harry Potter (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
30. James Dashner – The Maze Runner (1, 2)
31. James Patterson – Maximum Ride (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
32. Jay Asher – Thirteen Reasons Why
33. Jeanne DuPrau – Books of Ember (1, 2, 3, 4)
34. Jeff Kinney – Diary of a Wimpy Kid (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
35. John Boyne – The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
36. John Green – An Abundance of Katherines
37. John Green – Looking for Alaska
38. John Green – Paper Towns
39. Jonathan Stroud – Bartimaeus (1, 2, 3, 4)
40. Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl – Caster Chronicles (1, 2)
41. Kelley Armstrong – Darkest Powers (1, 2, 3)
42. Kristin Cashore – The Seven Kingdoms (1, 2)
43. Lauren Kate – Fallen (1, 2, 3)
44. Lemony Snicket - Series of Unfortunate Events (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
45. Libba Bray – Gemma Doyle (1, 2, 3)
46. Lisa McMann – Dream Catcher (1, 2, 3)
47. Louise Rennison – Confessions of Georgia Nicolson (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
48. M.T. Anderson – Feed
49. Maggie Stiefvater – The Wolves of Mercy Falls (1, 2, 3)
50. Margaret Peterson Haddix – Shadow Children (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
51. Maria V. Snyder – Study (1, 2, 3)
52. Markus Zusak - The Book Thief
53. Markus Zusak – I am the Messenger
54. Mark Haddon – The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
55. Mary Ting – Crossroads
56. Maureen Johnson – Little Blue Envelope (1, 2)
57. Meg Cabot – All-American Girl (1, 2)
58. Meg Cabot – The Mediator (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
59. Meg Cabot – The Princess Diaries (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
60. Meg Rosoff – How I live now
61. Megan McCafferty – Jessica Darling (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
62. Megan Whalen Turner – The Queen’s Thief (1, 2, 3, 4)
63. Melina Marchetta – On the Jellicoe Road
64. Melissa de la Cruz – Blue Bloods (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
65. Melissa Marr – Wicked Lovely (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
66. Michael Grant – Gone (1, 2, 3, 4)
67. Nancy Farmer – The House of the Scorpion
68. Neal Shusterman – Unwind
69. Neil Gaiman – Coraline
70. Neil Gaiman – Stardust
71. Neil Gaiman – The Graveyard Book
72. P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast – House of Night (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 )
73. Philip Pullman – His Dark Materials (1, 2, 3)
74. Rachel Caine – The Morganville Vampires (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
75. Rachel Cohn & David Levithan – Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist
76. Richelle Mead – Vampire Academy (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
77. Rick Riordan – Percy Jackson and the Olympians (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
78. Rom LcO’Feer – Somewhere carnal over 40 winks
79. S.L. Naeole – Grace (1, 2, 3, 4)
80. Sabrina Bryan & Julia DeVillers – Princess of Gossip
81. Sarah Dessen – Along for the Ride
82. Sarah Dessen – Lock and Key
83. Sarah Dessen – The Truth about Forever
84. Sara Shepard – Pretty Little Liars (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
85. Scott Westerfeld - Leviathan (1, 2)
86. Scott Westerfeld - Uglies (1, 2, 3)
87. Shannon Hale – Books of a Thousand Days
88. Shannon Hale – Princess Academy
89. Shannon Hale – The Books of Bayern (1, 2, 3, 4)
90. Sherman Alexie & Ellen Forney – The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
91. Simone Elkeles – Perfect Chemistry (1, 2, 3)
92. Stephanie Meyer – The Host
93. Stephanie Meyer – Twilight Saga (1, 2, 3, 4)
94. Sue Monk Kidd – The Secret Life of Bees
95. Susan Beth Pfeffer – Last Survivors (1, 2, 3)
96. Suzanne Collins – Hunger Games (1, 2, 3)
97. Suzanne Collins – Underland Chronicles (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
98. Terry Pratchett – Tiffany Aching (1, 2, 3, 4)
99. Tonya Hurley – Ghost Girl (1, 2, 3)
100. Wendelin Van Draanen – Flipped


Which books have you read?

Books Under $5

Here are a few bargains on Amazon you might be interested in:

In My Mailbox (14)

  In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by Kristi of The Story Siren

Books Mentioned:
Purchased

• Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
• The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
• Wicked: Witch & Curse by Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie
• Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea by Chelsea Handler
• Bone Palace by Amanda Downum
• Blood Bound by Rachel Vincent
  

GRRR... I MISS MY BOOKSHELF!!

%*@#!

I'm going crazy here!! Usually, I have a bookshelf here at my dorm, but the person I gave it to for safekeeping over the summer accidentally broke it and then threw it out.... So now I'm bereft of a bookshelf and it's making me sad! :(

It kills me to have my books sitting in boxes at home (I only brought a handful with me to school since I have nowhere to put them). I also would like to start doing some "Off The Shelf" giveaways to make room for new books, but I can't do that until my currect collection is organized and accessible.  

So I'm asking you guys to help me out if you can by suggesting some sites where I could purchase a reasonably priced bookshelf - if you know of any sites, that is. I've been checking a few places but I haven't been able to find a bookshelf that I really like; I've only encountered cheap-o looking ones that seem overpriced. 

Grazie a tutti per l'aiuta! :)

(& for those of you who don't speak Italian, that means "Thanks for all your help")

Lover Awakened by J.R. Ward

Title: Lover Awakened (Black Dagger Brotherhood #3) 
Author: J.R. Ward  
Source: Purchased; eBook 464 pages
Challenges: Vampires

In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly turf war going on between vampires and their slayers. There exists a secret band of brothers like no other-six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Even within the vampire brotherhood, Zsadist is feared. Still bearing the scars from a tortured past, he is renowned for his unquenchable fury. Anger is his only companion, and terror is his only passion-until he rescues a beautiful female from the evil Lessening Society. 

My Rating: 5 stars ★★★★★
My Thoughts: I LOVED this book!!! It's funny - I knew I was going to love this - before I even read it! I couldn't even wait to go to the bookstore and buy it; I downloaded it for my NOOK about twenty minutes after finishing Lover Eternal... I also finished the book less than 24hrs after that. What a page-turner!!

Zsadist is by far my favorite Brother of them all; I think that's because he's such a complex, dynamic character. It was heart-warming (and also heart-wrenching) to watch him struggle and transform from the black-eyed, soulless, terrifying warrior into a protective, kind, loving man. I also loved that this novel was much less myopic than Dark Lover was - it has many of sub-plots and deep characterization of all the main characters, as opposed to solely focusing on the protagonist.

The one thing I didn't like that much about this novel was some of the prose when Zsadist has his flashbacks into the past. It tended to get a tad bit too cheesy-typical-romance-novel-y.

Definitely my favorite book in the series so far! <3 I would surely recommend it to fans of adult PR / vampire books.

Warnings: adult (not YA); mature content: sex & violence

Cover Musings: I don't think any of the BDB covers are ah-mazing, but I like the monochromatic color scheme on each cover and the fact that they all go together well as a series

Previous in Series: Lover Eternal
Next in Series: Lover Revealed

Book Trailer: The Scorpio Races

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die.

At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.

Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn’t given her much of a chance. So she enters the competition — the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.

How cool is that trailer?! Maggie made it herself ;)

Anyways, the book comes out in October and I can't wait!! The premise sounds super awesome, and I'm pretty confident that anything Maggie writes will be fabulous (If you haven't read her Wolves of Mercy Falls series yet -- you should!! Check out my reviews of the first two books, Shiver and Linger. I loved them so much I bought them again in Italian :p that's how good they are!)

If you'd like to pre-order the book, I'd suggest doing so from The Fountain Bookstore (a local indie bookstore in Virginia) because you can get a SIGNED copy!! Sounds like a sweet deal to me :)

I'm Back!!! & In My Mailbox (italian edition!)

I'm backkkkkkk!!! Sorry for the unannounced hiatus - some unexpected events popped up in my life so I had to put the blogging on hold (and then in July I was busy studying abroad in ITALY! Totally fabulous!)

I've got a lot of reviews to write and some cleaning up to do around the blog, but I'll be slowly easing back into the blogosphere :)

Anyways, onto the fun stuff! An IMM vlog of the books I bought while I was in Italy. In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren to show off new books we've aquired.

Italians Lingering and Whispering (Maggie Stiefvater's blog post)

(some cover pics, sans my babbling):

So, what did you guys get in your mailbox this week??

Lost Voices by Sarah Porter

Title: Lost Voices 
Author: Sarah Porter 
Source: ARC via NetGalley; 304 pages
Publication Date: July 4th 2011
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Official Blurb:

Fourteen-year-old Luce has had a tough life, but she reaches the depths of despair when she is assaulted and left on the cliffs outside of her grim, gray Alaskan fishing village. She expects to die when she tumbles into the icy waves below, but instead undergoes an astonishing transformation and becomes a mermaid.
A tribe of mermaids finds Luce and welcomes her in—all of them, like her, lost girls who surrendered their humanity in the darkest moments of their lives. Luce is thrilled with her new life until she discovers the catch: the mermaids feel an uncontrollable desire to drown seafarers, using their enchanted voices to lure ships into the rocks. Luce's own remarkable singing talent makes her important to the tribe—she may even have a shot at becoming their queen. However, her struggle to retain her humanity puts her at odds with her new friends. Will Luce be pressured into committing mass murder?
The first book in a trilogy, Lost Voices is a captivating and wildly original tale about finding a voice, the healing power of friendship, and the strength it takes to forgive.   

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My Rating: 4.5 stars

My Thoughts: 

Ever since watching Disney's The Little Mermaid at the ripe old age of two, I've been enamored with the idea of mermaids (enamored is actually an understatement), but I'm sad to say that I had never read a book about mermaids before. For that matter, I hadn't really even heard of any, so when I saw the cover of Lost Voices on NetGalley, I had to check it out. 

Lost Voices is a beautiful tale about mermaids, but very unlike Disney's light-and-fluffy rendition. The mermaids in Porter's stunning debut novel take on a persona much more similar to that of the sirens of Greek mythology, who lured sailors into sinking their ships with enchanting songs. Also, each mermaid has suffered a horrible past of abuse as a human girl, thus leading to her transformation. These topics, as well as some of the girls' views of humankind are immensely dark and depressing, but Luce's character and Porter's often-lyrical writing style manage to keep the book from being too heart-wrenching. 

I absolutely loved Luce; she is strong, hopeful, and forgiving despite the terrible things she's been through at the hands of others. The book was excellently written. The author was very descriptive, making every detail -whether it be happy, sad, beautiful, ugly, or otherwise- come alive like a movie in my mind. 

I couldn't put this book down and finished it in about two days. It was definitely a page-turner! I'll be keeping an eye out for the sequel. As a word of caution though: I might not recommend this to the younger readers of the YA spectrum due to some of the mature / disturbing situations mentioned.

Warnings: some mature content such as abuse & rape

Winner - Spring Blog Carnival

The winner of the Spring Blog Carnival is:

Coreena!

The winner has been emailed and has 48hrs to respond, or else a new winner will be drawn.

Spring Blog Carnival

Hi guys!! I'm kicking off the end of my blogging hiatus with a fun giveaway! What's up for grabs? A book of your choice valued up to $10 USD from the Book Depository! (If the winner is a US resident, they may choose their prize from Amazon OR the Book Depository). I figured it'd be nice to give you guys the choice of whatever you want, because I always enjoy when other blogs do that.... and because I couldn't decide on what books to give away haha! I'm going to make the entry form super-simple. All that's required is your name & email address so I can contact the winner. No need to follow, though it is always appreciated =)

 Rules:

• Must be at least 13 years of age to enter
• I am not responsible for any items lost in the mail
• Ends May 8th 12:01AM EDT

Open to wherever the book depository ships!

Check HERE to make sure your country is on the list before entering!

Fill out the form below:

GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED.

Several of the blogs are having fun challenges. Here's the schedule:May 1st-
Reading Angel: Haunted House
Reading Teen: Fortune Tellers Booth

May 2nd-
Candace’s Book Blog: Food Court
The Mod Podge Bookshelf: House of Mirrors

May 3rd-
The Book Swarm: Roller Coaster
Actin’ Up With Books: Karaoke Booth

May 4th-
Pure Imagination: Kissing Booth
Lovely Lit: Once Upon a Time Booth

May 5th-
Awesomesauce Books: Gaming Booth
Books R Us: Medieval Booth

May 6th-
Extreme Reader Book Reviews: Guessing Booth
Colloquium: Cotton Candy Booth

May 7th-
The Minding Spot: Teacups Booth
Miss Remmers Review: It’s a Bad World Booth

Also, be sure to check out all the other stops in the carnival!

April RAK

Random Act of Kindness (abbreviated R.A.K.) is a monthly event hosted by Book Soulmates, in which everyone creates a wishlist, and some good-samaritan blogger may buy or send you one of the books you want! Also, you get to make someone happy by sending a book or two from another blogger's wishlist. Good karma all around!

Here are the rules, taken from the sign-up post:

• Sign up each month you'd like to participate in.
• Show off your participation! Grab one of the buttons available :)
• Create a wishlist and post it in the Google Doc located in each R.A.K post for the month.
{Post on your blog, Amazon, where ever as long as there's a link to it.}
• If you choose to do a R.A.K for someone, check out their wishlist and contact that blogger for their address.
• At the end of the month, SHOW US YOUR R.A.K!
Make a post saying 'Thank You' to whoever granted one of your wishes and share it with us :)

OPEN TO EVERYONE!
Lets's keep our International bloggers in mind and in our hearts.
Remember, there's always the Book Depository and they offer FREE shipping!

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In March, Cynthia sent me a SIGNED copy of Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins!!! I was so excited that I recorded a vlog in which I ramble on and on / make a fool of myself. Enjoy!

Thanks so much Cynthia this really made my day! <3

In My Mailbox (#13)

  In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by Kristi of The Story Siren

Books Mentioned:
Purchased

• Dark Lover by J.R. Ward
• Pleasure Unbound by Larissa Ione
• The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
• Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
• Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr
• City of Bones by Cassandra Clare *UPDATE: when I went to put this on the shelf it wasn't the same size as my copy of CoA. I had a small meltdown/freakout*

Bargains on Amazon

In an attempt to stay awake during my break between classes, I've been browsing the bargain books on amazon. I found a bunch of great deals that you might be interested in:

Wake by Lisa McMann (mini review)

Title: Wake (Wake Trilogy #1)
Author: Lisa McMann
Source: Purchased; paperback 210 pages
Challenges: 2011 Blogger Recommendation

For seventeen-year-old Janie, getting sucked into other people’s dreams is getting old. Especially the falling dreams, the naked-but-nobody-notices dreams, and the sex-crazed dreams. Janie’s seen enough fantasy booty to last her a lifetime.

She can’t tell anybody about what she does they’d never believe her, or worse, they’d think she’s a freak. So Janie lives on the fringe, cursed with an ability she doesn’t want and can’t control.

Then she falls into a gruesome nightmare, one that chills her to the bone. For the first time, Janie is more than a witness to someone else’s twisted psyche. She is a participant…

My Rating: 3.5 stars ★★★1/2
My Thoughts (mini review):

This was a very quick read. I finished it in two sittings (though it would’ve only taken one if I hadn’t started reading the book at 10PM on a school night). It’s written via third-person narrative, and usually in short simple sentences (which was personally kind of off-putting for me); here’s a few lines quoted from the book, so you can see what I mean:

“She sighs and rests her head on the table. Tries to pull herself out of it, but fails miserably. She’s too tired today. Too hungry. She really doesn’t have time for this.

And then.”

The book was kind of dark, but I liked it. I enjoyed the plot and characters very much, but I was left with A LOT of unanswered questions. Hopefully most of them will be answered in the next book, which I am eager to read. Overall I thought the book was good, but not fabulous. I definitely had higher expectations.

Warnings: There was a lot of mature content in this book – sex, drugs, underage drinking, and even some child abuse.

In fact, when this book came in the mail, my thirteen year old sister said that she would like to read it when I was finished. Will I let her? Of course! I would never censor a book from my sister; I just don’t think it’s right to do that - ever.  However, this isn’t something I’d go out of my way to recommend to her. I’m definitely going to mention some of the content that I think may be “questionable” for a reader her age, and then let her decide on her own whether or not she still wants to read it. 

Next in Series: Fade

The Clock - A Short Story By Me

I haven't blogged in a while, and I'm stilllll working on my half-finished reviews, so I decided I'd post a short story that I wrote for one of my classes last semester. To be honest, I hate creative writing because I always get super-frustrated, and this was one of the first things I've written that I've ever been proud of. Hope you guys like it & thanks for reading =)

In My Mailbox (#12) version: I have no time for life outside of school x_x

Sorry this is super rushed, I say "um" a LOT, and make a terrible grammar error: "as is many other books". It makes me cringe but I had no time to re-shoot the video!

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren

Books Mentioned:
Won:

• Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting
• The Splendor Falls by Rosemary Clement-Moore
• Persistence of Memory by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
• Token of Darkness by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
• Shapeshifters: The Kiesha'ra of the Den of Shadows by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
• All Just Glass by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

(Big Thanks to: LiLa Roecker & Random Buzzers!)

Purchased:

• Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Winner of The Lovely Bones

First off, I'd like to say I'm sorry I haven't been posting that much... school is kinda kicking my butt at the moment! I haven't even had time to read ☹. I'm working on some of my back-logged reviews; and hopefully I'll have them up soon!

Second order of business: announcing the winner of my Lovely Bones used book giveaway! Random.org has spoken and the winner is....

 

Farrah from I Eat Words!

Congrats Farrah! I'll be emailing you shortly and you'll have 48 hours from that time to respond  with your mailing address or else a new winner will be chosen. If you didn't win this time, fear not! I have more giveaways planned for the future! ☺

Teaser Tuesday #9

Teaser Tuesday 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 somewhere on 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 & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 ✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦

Title: Nightshade
Author: Andrea Cremer

"No Calla." His voice became hushed. "This is only about love."

And then he was kissing me. His lips moved over mine in a slow caress, hands running over my body, every touch begging me to stay.

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Title: Wither (The Chemical Garden Trilogy #1)
Author: Lauren DeStefano
Source: ARC 368 pages
Publication Info: March 22, 2011; Simon&Schuster
Challenges: DAC 2011; Dystopia; 50 States

 By age sixteen, Rhine Ellery has four years left to live. She can thank modern science for this genetic time bomb. A botched effort to create a perfect race has left all males with a lifespan of 25 years, and females with a lifespan of 20 years. Geneticists are seeking a miracle antidote to restore the human race, desperate orphans crowd the population, crime and poverty have skyrocketed, and young girls are being kidnapped and sold as polygamous brides to bear more children.

When Rhine is kidnapped and sold as a bride, she vows to do all she can to escape. Her husband, Linden, is hopelessly in love with her, and Rhine can’t bring herself to hate him as much as she’d like to. He opens her to a magical world of wealth and illusion she never thought existed, and it almost makes it possible to ignore the clock ticking away her short life. But Rhine quickly learns that not everything in her new husband’s strange world is what it seems. Her father-in-law, an eccentric doctor bent on finding the antidote, is hoarding corpses in the basement. Her fellow sister wives are to be trusted one day and feared the next, and Rhine is desperate to communicate to her twin brother that she is safe and alive. Will Rhine be able to escape--before her time runs out?

My Rating: 4 stars ★★★★
My Thoughts: 

This book is so creepy awesome! Well, it actually is creepy, but in a good way!!! There were so many lines in the book that sent shivers up my spine! The whole concept of this virus that causes all women to die at age 20, and men to die at 25, is brilliant – as well as very scary for me. I could not imagine living in a world like that. And the fact that North America is the only continent left standing after a nuclear war (all the other land masses got buried underwater) – also super scary!! But these fearsome elements created such a complex and interesting dystopia. It was a world I was happy to get lost in, as long as it only exists in the book rather than real life!!  I think the reason I found it so frightening was because these things are not completely improbable for the future, y’know?

I truly loved all the characters in this novel. I enjoyed the contrast between Rhine, Jenna, and Cecily - it was interesting to see many different girls’ reactions to the situation. I also liked Gabriel and Linden, who both seem like very complex people, and I’m hoping we get to learn more about them both in the next novel. Now, let’s talk about House Master Vaughn. *shudders* DeStefano definitely succeeded in creating a character that makes your skin crawl!!! In my mind, he reminded me a little bit of President Snow (from The Hunger Games) on the creeper/control-freak scale. Seriously, he is one extremely eerie man. That being said, the book would be severely bereft if he was any less macabre. His character brought so much to the story.

I cannot wait for the next book in this series!!!!! A great debut novel. If you like science fiction or dystopia, I would highly recommend this to you.

Cover Musings: While the cover is beautiful, I think the two circles connecting the wedding ring and the caged bird are a bit too blatant. It’s already obvious that Rhine feels like a prisoner because of her forced marriage – do we really need the cover to spell it out for us like that? It’s insulting to our intelligence as readers. What do you guys think?

Warnings: kidnapping, murder

March R.A.K.

Random Act of Kindness (abbreviated R.A.K.) is a monthly event hosted by Book Soulmates, in which everyone creates a wishlist, and some good-samaritan blogger may buy or send you one of the books you want! Also, you get to make someone happy by sending a book or two from another blogger's wishlist. Good karma all around!

Here are the rules, taken from the sign-up post:

• Sign up each month you'd like to participate in.
• Show off your participation! Grab one of the buttons available :)
• Create a wishlist and post it in the Google Doc located in each R.A.K post for the month.
{Post on your blog, Amazon, where ever as long as there's a link to it.}
• If you choose to do a R.A.K for someone, check out their wishlist and contact that blogger for their address.
• At the end of the month, SHOW US YOUR R.A.K!
Make a post saying 'Thank You' to whoever granted one of your wishes and share it with us :)

OPEN TO EVERYONE!
Lets's keep our International bloggers in mind and in our hearts.
Remember, there's always the Book Depository and they offer FREE shipping!

My wishlist can be seen HERE on goodreads.

In My Mailbox (#11)

In My Mailbox is Hosted by Kristi of The Story Siren

Books Mentioned:
Won:

• Starcrossed (ARC) by Josephine Angelini (big thanks to Josie!!)

Purchased:

• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
• City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare
• Wake by Lisa McMann
• Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr
• Pretties by Scott Westerfeld 
• Specials by Scott Westerfeld
• Extras by Scott Westerfeld
• The Fallen 1: The Fallen and Leviathan by Thomas E. Sniegoski
• The Fallen 2: Aerie and Reckoning by Thomas E. Sniegoski

Wicked Lovely e-book Deal (99 cents!!) - Kindle // Nook