Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday, #33


Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases we can't wait to get our hands on.
Here's my selection for this week... 

Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins
Publication Date: September 17, 2013
Publisher: Dutton

From the glittering streets of Manhattan to the moonlit rooftops of Paris, falling in love is easy for hopeless dreamer Isla and introspective artist Josh. But as they begin their senior year in France, Isla and Josh are quickly forced to confront the heartbreaking reality that happily-ever-afters aren’t always forever.

Their romantic journey is skillfully intertwined with those of beloved couples Anna and Étienne and Lola and Cricket, whose paths are destined to collide in a sweeping finale certain to please fans old and new.


I've been a fan of Perkins since her first book Anna and the French Kiss came out. My love for her writing because even more fierce after reading Lola and the Boy Next Door. So it's no surprise that I'm pining for Isla and the Happily Every After pretty badly. I can't wait for this book to hit the stands! Love.love.love her books!

Sooo, what book are you waiting on???

Teaser Tuesday, #19




Welcome to Teaser Tuesdays!

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 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!

My Teaser Tuesday is for the following...
If I Should Die (Revenants, #3)
 If I Should Die by Amy Plum
Publisher: Harper Teen
Expected Publication Date: May 7, 2013
 Teasers from pages 92 & 93

"Running my fingers through his hair one last time, I disentangled myself from him nd watched as a tremor shook Jules's body. Suddenly there was only one boy looking at me. And it wasn't affection in his eyes. It was pain."

"Stop while you're still ahead, Kate, and I can take it as a compliment."
 PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your ‘teasers’ in a comment here if you don’t have a blog Thanks!

Monday, March 11, 2013

Review: Unremembered by Jessica Brody

Unremembered (Unremembered, #1) Unremembered by Jessica Brody
Publisher: Farrar, Straus, & Giroux (BYR)
Release date: March 5, 2013
Purchase: Amazon / Barnes and Noble
When Freedom Airlines flight 121 went down over the Pacific Ocean, no one ever expected to find survivors. Which is why the sixteen-year-old girl discovered floating among the wreckage—alive—is making headlines across the globe.

Even more strange is that her body is miraculously unharmed and she has no memories of boarding the plane. She has no memories of her life before the crash. She has no memories period. No one knows how she survived. No one knows why she wasn’t on the passenger manifest. And no one can explain why her DNA and fingerprints can’t be found in a single database in the world.

Crippled by a world she doesn’t know, plagued by abilities she doesn’t understand, and haunted by a looming threat she can’t remember, Seraphina struggles to piece together her forgotten past and discover who she really is. But with every clue only comes more questions. And she’s running out of time to answer them.

Her only hope is a strangely alluring boy who claims to know her from before the crash. Who claims they were in love. But can she really trust him? And will he be able to protect her from the people who have been making her forget?

From popular young adult author Jessica Brody comes a compelling and suspenseful new sci-fi series, set in a world where science knows no boundaries, memories are manipulated, and true love can never be forgotten.
My Thoughts:
I'm beginning to really enjoy books where the main characters have lost their memories and Unremembered is about just that.  This book was another fun addition to the whole memory loss, government agency group but it does have a twist that will blow you away.

Violet (that is the name given to her by a nurse) wakes up with no memory of who she is or where she came from.  She is found in the middle of a plane wreck and is the only survivor.  Nobody understands how she survived and unfortunately no one has any answers as to who she is.  Violet knows that she needs to get out of the hospital and work towards getting her memories back, but when a boy starts popping up things don't go as planned and she finds out that she is not your ordinary girl.  With the help of her 13 year old foster brother and Zen a boy from her past she uncovers so many crazy things about her life that you will just have to read to believe.

Unremembered was an interesting book.  It was a very quick read and even though I felt that the pacing was a little slow for me I was still intrigued and glued to the pages.  Violet (I am going to keep calling her that since her name is sorta spoilery) was a likable character, but I kept waiting for her to turn into a kickarse heroine. There were several scenes where she could have opened up a can of whoopbookies but she didn't and I was a little disappointed.  In the story we do find out why this is, but I would have preferred her to be a little stronger.  In the end she did come through but it was in a very unexpected way that was perfect for her character.  Zen was a great addition as well.  He was there for Violet and helped her solve the mystery of her life.  Again though I just wanted a little more from him.  I liked their scenes together, they were sweet and I am really hoping that we get to see more of a romance between the two if there is a sequel planned.  The ending is open enough to have one so I have my fingers crossed.

The story itself was pretty good as well.  I totally didn't see the twist coming and I felt like it was a brilliant move by the author. This twist will help Unremembered stand out in a crowd that is quickly becoming overrun with books that are very similar to this one.  I really can't say much about the story since the things I would say are spoilery.  Not much happens through the first 1/2 but when we are finally given answers to the questions of who she is, where she comes from, and why is she here things get a lot more interesting.  I will say that I am a little confused as what her role was at Diotech (her home).  We never get to see exactly what she did there so I am hoping that if there is a sequel we will also get to know more about her role and why she is so important.

Like I said in the beginning I a m quickly becoming fan of this type of book and Unremembered is a wonderful addition to my collection.

3.5 snowflakes




Sunday, March 10, 2013

Review and Giveaway: Unbreakable by Elizabeth Norris


Unbreakable (Unraveling, #2)
Unbreakable by Elizabeth Norris
Publisher-Balzer and Bray
Release- April 23rd 2013
Pre-Order- Amazon / B & N / Chapters

Four months after Ben disappeared through the portal to his home universe, Janelle believes she’ll never see him again. Her world is still devastated, but life is finally starting to resume some kind of normalcy. Until Interverse Agent Taylor Barclay shows up. Somebody from an alternate universe is running a human trafficking ring, kidnapping people and selling them on different Earths—and Ben is the prime suspect. Now his family has been imprisoned and will be executed if Ben doesn’t turn himself over within five days.And when Janelle learns that someone she cares about—someone from her own world—has become one of the missing, she knows that she has to help Barclay, regardless of the danger. Now Janelle has five days to track down the real culprit. Five days to locate the missing people before they’re lost forever. Five days to reunite with the boy who stole her heart. But as the clues begin to add up, Janelle realizes that she’s in way over her head—and that she may not have known Ben as well as she thought. Can she uncover the truth before everyone she cares about is killed?
My Thoughts:
It's been four months since Ben Michael's slipped into the portal that sent him back to his home universe, and with the crumbling world that has been swarmed with natural disasters that left earth in catastrophe and the insane amount of missing people disappearing, Janelle has been doing what ever she can to find some kind of normal. That is, till IA Taylor Barclay shows up at her doorstep. He knows what is happening to the missing people. Someone is organizing a massive human trafficking ring and stealing them through the portals. And Ben, is the prime suspect. So when someone she loves also goes missing, Janelle doesn't have a choice but to go with a man she doesn't trust. 
The countdown begins. Five days. Five days to find Ben. Five days to prove him innocent. Five days to find the missing people and Five days to solve this case before all hell breaks loose and Janelle may lose someone else she loves.

Unraveling was one of those books where I simply couldn't get enough. I adored the world Norris creating, it's characters and the riveting plot. So I couldn't wait to get this book in my greedy little hands.
Unbreakable is an unstoppable sequel that will leave you breathless and on the verge of your seats!

I gotta tell ya, x-file kinda stories isn't something that I've ever been really interested in. They tend to really freak me out and give me the hebejebes since they feel so realistic, but the way Norris tells it makes me want to be a fan.
This book felt like one giant roller-coaster. It's constantly moving with suspense and excitement. The pages couldn't turn fast enough I was reading so fast. The story line -human trafficking- did make me feel very anxious and uncomfortable at times, it's not exactly a light topic after all, but Norris didn't make it overly graphic and it made the entire situation feel more desperate and worth fighting for. But during the running and planning and escaping, we also have a really great love story. Ben and Janelle have one of those magical connections that you can't help but want to hug.

I've really missed these characters and was surprised how attached I felt for them.
Janelle is all kinds of awesome. The length in which she'll go to save the ones she loves is inspiring. She may have had a doubting thought here and there but it's only natural, anything else would have felt fake.  Ben wasn't in this book till almost half way. But once we do get him back it's like he never left. His part in this whole plot was shocking but justified and I still love him to bits just as much as the first book.
It was good to see Elijah again, mouthy as ever and rough around the edges, but still good people.
And last but not least, Barclay really surprised me in this book. The man as stepped up and really took the lead in this book. He's earned my respect.

All in all, I had a blast with this book. This is one of the better sci-fi thrillers I ever had the pleasure of reading. It's gripping and entertaining and I loved the rush I felt while reading this. Fans of Unraveling will not be disappointed!
I also heard somewhere that MTV has the film rights to these books with the plans to make them into a TV series and I have to just take a minute and applaud that decision. It's gonna be epic.
A perfect hit for sci-fi and x-file junkies as well as fans who love a romance worth fighting for! I can't wait to see what Elizabeth Norris comes up with next.

Find the author:

                                                                    4.5 Snowflakes
Wanna win this incredible book???!!  Just fill out the form below!  Good luck!


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Saturday, March 9, 2013

Lots and LOTS of Winners!!!


US Edition of Quintana of Charyn
Christine S

Breathless reads Signing event
Ange S.

The Runaway King by Jennifer Nielsen
Brooke W.

Covenant Series by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Dana C.

Poison by Bridget Zinn
Emily K.


Thanks everyone for entering!  We still have lots of giveaways going on and so many more planned!  All winners have been emailed.