Waiting on Wednesday {2}

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by breaking the spine where everyone mentions a book they are anxiously awaiting on...

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
Series: The Infernal Devices #2
Publication Date: December 6 2012

In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa's powers for his own dark ends.

With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister's war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move and that one of their own has betrayed them.

Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, though her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will; the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do?

As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart.

It's almost time! I really loved the first book and I think I'll enjoy this series more than the Mortal Instrument Series. I'm not quite sure yet. I'm just in love with both Will and Jem. I can't wait to see where this book takes us, but I'm also quite scared that there will be a cliffhanger leading to the last of the trilogy (if it stays a trilogy.) And that book will be at least a year away. Ugh, I hate the wait, but I do love the story. I can't wait to read them all. Oh, and I love the cover too.

Review: Looking For Alaska by John Green

Looking for Alaska by John Green
Genre: YA

Miles Halter is fascinated by famous last words and tired of his safe life at home. He leaves for boarding school to seek what the dying poet Francois Rabelais called the "Great Perhaps." Much awaits Miles at Culver Creek, including Alaska Young. Clever, funny, screwed-up, and dead sexy, Alaska will pull Miles into her labyrinth and catapult him into the Great Perhaps.

Looking for Alaska brilliantly chronicles the indelible impact one life can have on another. A stunning debut, it marks John Green's arrival as an important new voice in contemporary fiction.

Wow. I was hearing many great things about John Green's book around the book blogging community. I do tend to live under a rock (or books rather) and sometimes, things fly by, over, or around me and I don't realize what's "in" these days. I didn't know who he was and what the hype was all about. So I looked into it. It was highly recommended by a plethora of followers and "followees" that I read it asap so I did.

And I'm so glad I did. I really didn't know what I was getting into. As you can see from the summary, it's still a bit vague. All I knew was the main character was going on a life-changing journey to get his "Great Perhaps." That journey is basically what the book was all about.

In the beginning, it counted down in days to a "before the big event." As I read more and more, it became very obvious to me what that big event was going to be and it was confirmed when I got halfway through the book. The second half was the aftermath of what had happened to Miles or Pudge, as he is often called in the book (the MC) after he lives through the event.

This book encourages deep thoughts beyond the norm of the usual YA books these days. You may not think so while you are reading about it when it's prattling on about normal teens in normal teen situation with normal teen angst, but at the end of the book, you realize how much it made you think. Because these are not just normal teens, but intelligent, normal teens. The things they do, the things they say, the things they spout are all philosophically deep and interesting. It certainly made me want to go out and get some biographies and a book about "last words."

All I can say is that I'm glad I read it. It's a great book that I do recommend. It is YA, but don't forget that the "A" stands for "adult." This is not a kids book or a pre-teen book. It's a YOUNG ADULT book. I would recommend this to older teens who read YA even though there are controversial topics (sex, drugs, drinking, etc), but that's just me. It wasn't that long ago that I was in high school and all these were normal topics then and personally, I'm not really strict about things like this. To me, at least they're reading and maybe they can come away with something from the book. Being young doesn't mean that someone is intellectually incompetent to understand the book, but know that there are controversial content in it. Read it first before passing it on to a teen to determine yourself if it is appropriate.

Review: It Had to Be You by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

It Had to Be You by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Chicago Stars #1

The Windy City isn't quite ready for Phoebe Somerville -- the outrageous, curvaceous New York knockout who has just inherited the Chicago Stars football team. And Phoebe is definitely not prepared for the Stars' head coach Dan Celebow, a sexist jock taskmaster with a one-track mind. Celebow is everything Phoebe abhors. And the sexy new boss is everything Dan despises -- a meddling bimbo who doesn't know a pigskin from a pitcher's mound.

So why is he drawn to the shameless sexpot like a heat-seeking missile? And why does the coach's good ol' boy charm leave cosmopolitan Phoebe feeling awkward, tongue-tied....and ready to fight?

The sexy, heartwarming, and hilarious "prequel" to Susan Elizabeth Phillip's This Heart of Mine -- her sensational bestsellng blockbuster -- It Had To Be You is an enchanting story of two stubborn people who believe in playing for keeps.

I took a break from what I was currently reading to check this book out. I'm not a huge fan of football; I'm more of rink bunny (LOL). For those of you who are like huh? That means I'm a huge hockey fan... huge female hockey fan who wouldn't mind playing with a hockey player :0) But I liked this book good enough. I picked it up because I thought it would be a bit like Rachel Gibson's Chinooks Hockey Team series except with football players instead of hockey players. It does remind me of it a bit except I don't care to dive into the football lingo and game scenes that much.

The pacing is so different from what I've been reading. It really is a love/hate relationship for the longest time. I don't know, maybe it's all those YA, PNR, and UF's that I've been reading where girl meets boy and falls in love right away that has me used to the fast falling-in-love pace. They don't end up together at all until towards the end of the book. No, that's not a spoiler. We all know that these type of books are the HEA type of books. The joy of reading this book is reading about the couple's journey to getting to their HEA.

The love/hate relationship is mostly believable in this story. I understand everyone deals with trauma and secrets differently, but there have been books where I've yelled or induced a mini-stroke by rolling my eyes too much because I just couldn't believe their actions or reactions in a certain situation. This book isn't like that at all. Like I said, I think it's just me getting used to a nice, slow, realistic pacing of falling for someone vs. something that happens quite quickly in other books.

I don't have any quips about the character developments at all. There were times this had me chuckling out loud. It definitely does remind me of Rachel Gibson's fourth book in the Chinooks Hockey Team series where, instead of the daughter, it's the widow who inherits the hockey team. Her husband was quite older. And of course she has to deal with this guy who thinks she's just a bimbo and was in marriage for the money and etc.

If you're a fan of football and/or you enjoyed Rachel Gibson's books or Jaci Burton's Play by Play series, I think you will enjoy this. This isn't one of my top books, but I liked it enough. I just prefer hockey vs. any other sport and I think I just prefer Rachel Gibson's writing as well. Do I think you should pass up this book? No, give it a shot. I think it's a good story and was well worth my time. Check it out and let me know what you think! If you've read it, do you like football or sports in general? Is that why you liked or disliked this book?

Review: Immortal Rider by Larissa Ione

Immortal Rider by Larissa Ione
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Series: Lords of Deliverance #2

Sexy, powerful, and immortal, Limos is on a crash course with destiny. She’s been marked as Satan’s bride and her jealous fiancé wants her all to himself. The only way this Horseman can keep herself—and everyone else—safe is to keep her distance. But not even Limos can save herself from the secrets she’s kept . . . or resist the seductive allure of one very brave human.

Arik Wagner knows the saying “love hurts” better than most, yet he never thought stealing a kiss from Limos would land him in Hell. Literally. It takes all his military training to survive the demon torture, but once he’s topside, Arik realizes that the agony has just begun. With the Apocalypse looming and Satan demanding his bride, will Arik and Limos surrender to the desire smoldering between them? Or will giving in to their passion unleash hell on earth?

This is the second book in the series and is a spin-off of Ione's Demonica series. I'm a big fan of her works. I was definitely looking forward to the book before it came out. At the end of the first book in this series, Eternal Rider, Ione provided a small teaser chapter and it definitely teased! But by the time I got the book, I had other books I was more interested in reading. But you know, being a popular book that's newly released, I went ahead and read this even though I wasn't in the mood for it. Just so I can join discussions and review it and whatnot.

I've read multiple reviews saying that it's hard to want to relate to the female character in this story. The character, Limos, is selfish, hotheaded, and often times, immature. I agree; the only thing that interested me was the story itself and Arik, the male character. Now he was yummy and made the story worth it.

There was so much going on in this book. I usually never reacquaint myself with previous books in a series because I figure I can get the gist of it or it'll stir my memory once I start. I like to think I've got a great memory. Ha, I got confused a few times because of all that was happening and the author didn't reference what she was talking about previously. So I wouldn't think it's great as a stand-alone. Obviously it wouldn't be if you wanted the overall story, but even if you just wanted to read about Limos' and Arik's relationship, it would still be a bit confusing at times. At least Ione's not one to repeat the same information from book to book to book like some authors do. That, too, can get annoying.

Though I don't like the female character much, it was still a great book which is unsurprising because, I mean, it's Larissa Ione! Her style of writing, in my opinion, stays consistent. What you get from the Demonica series, is the same type of writing and style as you get throughout this series. No inconsistencies where stories aren't as riveting as before or in some cases, the books get better further into the series. No, she's great through and through. Some say that, for the Demonica series, it gets better further into the series, but I personally think it's just a matter of whose character you like more in these type of books.

So while the story was great, I'm sure it's not going to be a favorite of mine from this series because she's not a character I'm crazy about. If it does happen to be one of the best books from the series, it would only be because of Arik's character. Huh, I wonder if I am bashing her because of the fact that she gets to end up with Arik. Lol. The book does have major events happening in the book that foreshadows into Thanatos' character, which is titled on GR as Lethal Rider. That will be released around June 2012. Booooo! So long :0(

If you have not read this series, I would highly recommend it. It is a spin-off from the Demonica series so it's not required to read that series before this, but I would recommend it. The characters do make reappearances in this new series and there are some references that may fly over your head or confuse you a bit if you don't read the Demonica series first.  It's nice to know most of the character's background, why they are the way they are and where they stand in the overall grand scheme of things.

For those who have read it, I just wanted to let you know.... I can't wait until Reseph's story. Or O.M.G., Reaver's story! Reavie-Weavie :0)

Review: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian
Series: Shatter Me #1

Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war-- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

In this electrifying debut, Tahereh Mafi presents a world as riveting as The Hunger Games and a superhero story as thrilling as The X-Men. Full of pulse-pounding romance, intoxicating villainy, and high-stakes choices, Shatter Me is a fresh and original dystopian novel—with a paranormal twist—that will leave readers anxiously awaiting its sequel.

This was a highly anticipated novel that was just debuted this year. The author is 24 years old, same age as yours truly. Can I just say I'm jealous of how eloquently she can weave those words? I love, love, love her writing. The only part I did not like in the book was the stroked-out words. It interrupted the flow of the sentence and at times, I had to go back and re-read to make sure I was comprehending everything. Besides that, it was a really great, enjoyable book. I think it lived up to the hype. I was certainly engrossed in it even though I really had no clue what the book was about. Sure, I read the summary, but I just didn't know what the hype was about before picking up the book. I didn't follow all the discussions. I'm glad I chose to read it though.

I'm not saying that this is life changing or up to par with Hunger Games (though they are two completely different books and each is worthy of the attention it is receiving, in my opinion), but it's new, it's fresh, and it's somewhat original. I haven't come across anything similar that I can remember or think of as of yet. It's not a deep thinker nor is it superficial. The heroine, though quirky at first, is easy to identify with. She's someone you can invest in and therefore, you genuinely want to read the whole book and find out what is going to happen. I really like all the characters in this book and the character development is just great! Perfect pacing for me.

Okay, and the "bad" guy in this book, um, yum. I don't know if it's the bad boy factor that makes me want to jump his bones or what, but seriously? It makes me so confuzzled (yeah, confuzzled) because I want to root for both him and the other guy. Very reminiscent of my Vampire Academy days where Adrian and Dmitri were both yum-yum factors, but it was a one-or-the-other kind of deal. Well, in that world, it was one-or-the-other. In my world, it'd be a whole 'nother story.

But anyways, for those who are wondering about the hype of this story, its popularity, the interest it is garnering, just get it. I don't think you will regret it. If anything, the style of writing may may not may not may not piss you off at times (see what I did there?) but the overall story is great. It is a bit along the story lines of Delirium, but the heroine has another love interest that is yummy and she has this weird ability/curse. But that's the only similar story I can think of right now that wouldn't really give away the whole book.

Do let me know how you like it... or don't like it.

Feature & Follow Friday {1}

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I'm hopping on real quick to do this Feature & Follow Friday hosted by Parajunkee & Alison Can Read. I'm late, but darn it, I'm squeezing in!

Q: It's Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. so we all want to know what you are Thankful for - blogging related of course! Who has helped you along the way? What books are you thankful for reading?

This is my first Follow My Blog Friday I'm doing so I'm thankful for being able to participate in it! I'm thankful for all the bloggers out there because there are so many books that I wouldn't have thought of picking up or come across if it weren't for their suggestions.

As for books that I'm thankful for reading this year, Fifty Shades of Grey by EL James comes to mind right away. I've read over 400 books this year and there are some great memorable ones, but this by far is my favorite trilogy. The last and final book is not out yet, but I read the fan-fiction version of this whole series. I absolutely love it. I can't even go through most of my books to list the top ones because I am a lover of books. There are very few books that I don't like or can't finish from beginning to end. To name a few favorites: Fever & Highlander series by Karen Marie Moning. Blood Sword Legacy & L.O.S.T. series by Karin Tabke. Charley Davidson series by Darynda Jones. ANY series by Lora Leigh. Rough Riders series by Lorelei James. Maiden Lane series by Elizabeth Hoyt. Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. Chinooks Hockey Team series by Rachel Gibson. Certain books by Megan Hart... and that's just 2-3 pages worth of authors from my GR list. I can go on and on and on... you get the idea *wink*

So, I'm thankful for books in general whether it was a good reading or not because either way, I come away with something at the end of the book. I'm also thankful for GR because that is a lovely site to meet authors and readers :0)

Waiting on Wednesday {1}

Waiting on Wednesday is a a weekly blog hop hosted by Breaking the Spine where everyone mentions a book they are anxiously awaiting on...

Sacrifical Magic by Stacia Kane
Series: Downside Ghosts #4
Publication Date: March 27 2012

When Chess Putnam is ordered by an infamous crime boss—who also happens to be her drug dealer—to use her powers as a witch to solve a grisly murder involving dark magic, she knows she must rise to the challenge. Adding to the intensity: Chess’s boyfriend, Terrible, doesn’t trust her, and Lex, the son of a rival crime lord, is trying to reignite the sparks between him and Chess.

Plus there’s the little matter of Chess’s real job as a ghost hunter for the Church of Real Truth, investigating reports of a haunting at a school in the heart of Downside. Someone seems to be taking a crash course in summoning the dead—and if Chess doesn’t watch her back, she may soon be joining their ranks.

As Chess is drawn into a shadowy world of twisted secrets and dark violence, it soon becomes clear that she’s not going to emerge from its depths without making the ultimate sacrifice 

I love this series! I was so stuck on it for a while. It's more of a mature YA book that is set in the future with a dystopian theme. The heroine is not your typical "good" heroine, but her qualities makes you like her even though she does deal with a drug problem. She's easy to relate to, loveable, and strong. I love the world that Kane has created; the characters are so understandable and I just love Chess, Lex, and Terrible. I can't wait for this book to be released!

I've read that she is contracted for six books. Woot! But I seriously hate waiting for books. I read the first three in quick succession because they were already all out by the time I heard about it. Thank goodness for GR and the people on there because it was there that I came across these books. I might have missed out if not for GR. Eep, how scary.