In My Mailbox (#11)

In My Mailbox is a bookish meme created by the wonderful Kristi over at The Story Siren for bloggers to feature books we got over the past week, either bought, borrowed, or received in the mail. Make sure to go check out her main post.

Review Books:

Waterfall by Lisa Bergren

Legacy by Cayla Kluver (from NetGalley)

Frost by Wendy Delsol (from NetGalley)

Won:

Undiscovered Gyrl by Allison Burnett

Still Missing by Chevy Stevens

Bought:

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead

Spirit Bound (Vampire Academy book #5) by Richelle Mead

If you have not read the previous books do not even read the synopsis. It has spoilers in it. And my review will probably have a bit of talk about the other books, as well.

" Salvation has its price. 
The words stunned Adrian for a moment, but he kept going. "You're lying. What you're describing is impossible. There's no way to save a Strigoi. When they're gone, they're gone. They're dead. Undead. Forever."

Robert's next words weren't directed at Adrian. They were spoken to me. "That which is dead doesn't always stay dead...."

After a long and heartbreaking journey to Dimitri’s birthplace in Siberia, Rose Hathaway has finally returned to St. Vladimir’s—and to her best friend, Lissa Dragomir. It's graduation, and the girls can’t wait for their real lives outside of the Academy’s cold iron gates to finally begin. But even with the intrigue and excitement of court life looming, Rose’s heart still aches for Dimitri. He's out there, somewhere.

She failed to kill him when she had the chance, and now her worst fears are about to come true. Dimitri has tasted her blood, and she knows in her heart that he is hunting her. And if Rose won't join him, he won't rest until he's silenced her...forever.

But Rose can't forget what she learned on her journey—whispers of a magic too impossible and terrifying to comprehend. A magic inextricably tied to Lissa that could hold the answer to all of Rose's prayers, but not without devastating consequences. Now Rose will have to decide what—and who—matters most to her. In the end, is true love really worth the price?"

Hardcover, 489 pages

Published May 18th 2010 by Penguin/Razorbill

Source: Bought.


Jaw, meet floor. 
Seriously, this is one of those books that you think you've figured everything out, but then BAM! something else that you never saw coming happens! Richelle Mead has this amazing way of keeping your attention on one part of the story when she has something else in the works at the same time.
I absolutely love that the farther into this series you get the deeper and deeper the plot gets. More and more characters just keep getting added and having their own story, but it is not hard to keep up with all of them at all.
The action, adventure, and romance are all still there, making this, in my humble opinion, one of the best series. Even this far along in the series (only one book left) it keeps moving right along. Never a dull moment for our dearest Rose Hathaway.
Especially the ending. Good Lord, it totally took me by surprise. I actually gasped at the cliffhanger.


I guess since this is the fifth of the series it is a bit harder for me to write a review and not do any spoilers from the previous books or from this one, but this series is definitely worth your time. Even if you think you are over the whole vampire thing, start reading Vampire Academy and you will realize that you have a new love for them. 


In some other reviews that I have read for this one I see that quite a few people start favoring Adrian in this book and did not really like him before. I am actually the opposite. I love Adrian since he appeared until this book. How he was in the one rubbed me the wrong way sometimes. Maybe it was because I was seeing a softer side of him? 
What about you? If you have read this far, do you prefer now Adrian or before Adrian?


Also, I am very curious who would actually like to see this series be made into a movie. Or do you think it should be left alone as books?
Personally, I would like to see them made into movies and show Twilight just how a vampire movie should be (though I am a nerd and like Twilight ;p).
What about you?

EW shows off Katniss Everdeen

BAM!!

Doesn't Jennifer Lawrence look amazing?!

I mean seriously, she is Katniss.

I know a lot of people were not really sure about the casting at first, but I was okay with her (though I was team Haley Steinfeld), but now I am totally happy with their choice of Katniss.

Look at the change. Crazy.

Now I can hardly wait to see how Josh Hutcherson turns into our Peeta. But after seeing Jennifer's transformation I have no doubts about him looking awesome, as well.

Check out EW's website for more on Jennifer Lawrence's cover story.

And if you want to see the rest of who they have cast check that out on EW's 'Hunger Games: Meet The Cast" page.

I am so excited for this movie so I will probably do posts on it here and there but if you want updates every day check out The Hob. They usually have multiple new posts everyday on all things The Hunger Games, so they are a great site to follow. Or 'Down With The Capitol'.

Is it March 2012 yet? 

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

" It's always been just Kate and her mom—and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall.

Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld—and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.

Kate is sure he's crazy—until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess."-GoodReads.

Paperback, 304 pages

Published April 19th 2011 by Harlequin Teen
Source: Harlequin Teen via NetGalley




The Goddess Test seemed to be at the top of everyones to-read list, including mine. When it became available on NetGalley, to say I was ecstatic would be an understatement. I wasn't able to get to it right away though since I had other books I needed to get to first. Then, finally, The Goddess Test was the next book I got to start.


In the beginning we meet Kate as she is moving her mom back to her old town because that is where she wants to be when she dies. The only thing is is that her mother could die any day. So Kate has just moved to a new town and new school where she has no friends just to watch her mother pass away. 
Lucky for her (though she doesn't really think so), on her first day of school she meets James...or rather, James makes her meet him. He kind of just decides they are supposed to be friends and nothing she says will change his mind. So maybe things won't be so bad after all.


She then meets Henry, "Lord of the Underworld". He promises her that if she accepts his offer, he will keep her mother alive. All she has to do is pass seven tests, the only catch is that no one else has been able to pass these seven tests. But Kate is willing to do pretty much whatever she has to to keep her mother alive.


Sounds exciting right? Sound like it would be action packed? Yeah, I thought so too. But after the first few chapters when Kate goes to Henry's house things come to a screeching halt. Not a lot seems to happen after this. Mostly it is just Kate trying to avoid wearing dresses, drinking hot chocolate, and trying to decide if she really likes Henry or not. By the time we are told what the seven tests are it is when Kate is finding out if she passed or not....wait, what?! How could that be? They were made out to be such a big deal and we don't get to know what they are or even when they are happening?! Which is too bad because what the tests ended up being was really neat. Way too simple to get immortality from passing them, but a really cool idea.


Now I don't know about you, but I LOVE Greek Mythology. That was a huge reason why I was wanting this book, but there is so very little actual mythology in it. Of course, since it is kind of a "re-telling" it is not supposed to be exact. But the one thing that I think should have been closer to the actual thing was Henry. Hades, Lord of the Dead my foot! He is quiet, brooding, kind of cold (because he had his heart broken by Persephone and he doesn't want to love again)...he just was not Hades. Henry, you are an Olympian God...so ACT LIKE IT! 
Usually I end up liking the main guy, but for this story, I would have loved to see Kate run away with James. He was such a doll. 


The Goddess Test is a really quick and easy read and I did enjoy Aimee Carter's writing style. And it was nice having the heroine be normal, you know, without all of sudden finding out she has magical abilities and all. Though I wasn't really impressed by this one I will more than likely pick up the next one. Mostly because I am hoping there will be a lot more of James in it after what happened in the end of this one.
So if you are a fan of fantasy and romance, and you are not as big of a stickler about Greek Mythology as I am, you should check out The Goddess Test.

Teaser Tuesday! (7)

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 a couple “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!

"I don't know what'll happen," she whispered. "I don't know what long-term side effects it'll have."

With a twisted half smile, he raised his hand to touch her cheek. "Let's hope we get the chance to find out."- p. 440 City of Glass by Cassandra Clare 

"Heart slamming against my ribs, I withdraw to the couch, coiling into myself, groping for the nearest textbook to pull across my lap. Still standing where I left her, Maya looks at me, a bemused look on her face."- p. 133 Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma (eARC) 

13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher

"Jay Asher's brilliant first novel is a moving, highly original story that focuses on a set of audiotapes made by a girl before she committed suicide, and which explain to 13 people the reasons why she decided to end her life. Told in a highly effective duel narrative -- alternating between the girl s voice and the thoughts of a boy who is listening -- this honest, poignant story reveals how other people's actions shape, and by extension can ruin, an individual's faith in people. 


Intensely powerful and painfully real, Thirteen Reasons Why reveals how brutal high school can be, the consequences of spreading rumors, and the lasting effects of suicide on those left behind."-GoodReads.

Hardcover, 288 pages

Published October 18th 2007 by Razorbill

Source: Military OneSource Online Audiobook

How cool is it to find a package you were not expecting on your front steps? There is that little thrill when you grab it and start turning it over trying to figure out what could be inside. Then, you open it. Usually at this point you find out it's a good surprise. Clay was not so lucky. What he finds inside the shoe box package is a set of audio tapes which contain a message from a girl. A girl who had committed suicide and the message is the 13 reasons why she did it.

I was told about this book years ago by one of my friends who had to read it for school. She didn't really want to at first but after reading it she swore it was one of the best books she's ever picked up. I will admit though, I was scared to read it. The summary just sounded so heavy and heart-breaking, so I told her I would eventually read it then pushed it to the very bottom of my mental to-be-read list.

Recently though, I've started really enjoying (for lack of a better word) books with heavier subjects and when I stumbled across this one on an online audio book library I couldn't pass it up.

Even though 13 Reasons Why faces a tough subject a lot of people would rather not talk about, I had mixed feelings in the end. 

Hannah says pretty much in the beginning that all the stories she tells on the tapes, all the bad situations she ended up in, all the reasons why she ended her life, started out because of a rumor. Now, I do not condone the spreading of lies but, many of the later situations she blamed on that rumor could have been easily prevented, if only SHE had done something different. She even said so, many many times. And, for me, it was never clear why she just didn't do that something different.

Hannah's 13 reasons why she killed herself were pretty much all because of other people. If it wasn't someone adding fuel to her 'bad reputation' fire, it was because of everyone just standing on the sidelines watching her burn. In all the stories she told I tried to listen to her call out for help, but I never heard it.

Even Clay, who wanted to be more than just friends with Hannah Baker, could not see it. She pushed him away when he tried to be there for her, when he tried to be her friend.

Do not get me wrong, my heart hurt tremendously for Hannah Baker. I wished I could go into her story, slap the boys and girls that did her wrong, and talk to her. Tell her that it will get better but that she has to keep fighting. That everyone gets talked about behind their back, but that is not something worth ending your life over. No one should be made to feel like that. But hearing her on the tapes, listening to her stories she sounded so much stronger, like she was a fighter, so some of what she did just didn't make sense.
And the whole time I wish I could have reached through the story and hugged Clay for having to go through that. His character made me tear more than once.

*Highlight to read only if you have read the book* *SPOILER*

I do wonder though, if Clay had nothing to do with Hannah killing herself, why the hell did she send him the tapes? Why did she put him through that? He had to sit there and listen to this girl he really liked explain why she ended her life and he could do nothing about it anymore...that just seemed so unfair to me.

*End of spoiler*

Even though this has not sounded like a very positive review, I did like it (I can't think of a better word). Yes, it was frustrating to listen to, and sad, but also a good reminder that words can destroy. "Sticks and stones" doesn't really ever apply, does it? So watch what you say to people. It could result in life changing decisions on their part.

I plan to eventually read the actual book to see if I can really get into the story more than I could with the audio.

Even though Hannah was a complicated character to understand, I would suggest giving this book a try.

It's a very well written story that definitely makes you think.

Bittersweet by Marcia Colette

"Phaedra Thorne's goals in life are simple. Make it to eighteen so she can legally adopt her sister and hope she never becomes like her deranged mother who secretly lives in the attic. They're not the normal hopes and dreams of a kid her age, but then again, Phaedra is anything but typical. Schizophrenia and psychokinesis go hand in hand in her genes. With things always upending or blowing up around her, she’s already halfway there and horrified one of these days she'll be the next to go insane. 

Five years have passed since Phaedra has seen her older, estranged brother. She’s hesitant about his return and even more so when he comes bearing a cure for their mother. However, this so-called antidote, having sex with an incubus, comes with a catch that's larger than the statutory rape implications. The incubus who's willing to help the Thornes has unwittingly been followed by beings who call themselves hags. They want to drain the demon dry of his power and don’t care if they threaten Phaedra's desire to have a normal family. She'll do whatever it takes to protect her loved ones, even if that means trusting her uncontrollable powers won't kill everyone in the process."-GoodReads.

ebook

Published March 2nd 2011 by Dusk Till Dawn Books

The description of this book was intriguing and creepy to me so I was a bit disappointed when about a quarter of the way through the story started to lag and lose me.

At first Bittersweet seemed like a really original story. This family has telekinetic powers which are slowly making them go crazy. The mother has already been crazy for years. So crazy in fact that her daughter has had to lock her in the attic only to let her out when they give her some bittersweet, a special plant grown by a voodoo lady that makes the mother sane for a few hours.

It was about the time that the girl’s brother came home after being gone for years trying to find a cure for their mother (and because he has been gone so long the girl hates him, which I just did not get), that the story started to lose me. Because at that point so many things started happening it was hard to keep up. And I could just not connect with any of the main characters at all.

There were just so many elements thrown into this story and it was very wordy. There were many paragraphs that were just not needed or did not make sense.

Being self published I expected some grammatical errors and I can usually get past them, but it was hard not to notice them. It got especially bad at the end of the book when one of the character’s name kept changing from Logan to Lucas. That got a bit confusing until I figured out it was the same person.

I did enjoy the part about the hags though. They were definitely creepy and helped pick up the action towards the end of the book.
Even though this particular story didn’t fit me, if you like paranormal books and are looking for something a little different than the norm and like a lot of elements, I would suggest giving this one a try.




I received this book free of charge from the publisher or author in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, altered my opinion of the story or my review.

Die For Me by Amy Plum

" My life had always been blissfully, wonderfully normal. But it only took one moment to change everything.

Suddenly, my sister, Georgia, and I were orphans. We put our lives into storage and moved to Paris to live with my grandparents. And I knew my shattered heart, my shattered life, would never feel normal again. Then I met Vincent.

Mysterious, sexy, and unnervingly charming, Vincent Delacroix appeared out of nowhere and swept me off my feet. Just like that, I was in danger of losing my heart all over again. But I was ready to let it happen.

Of course, nothing is ever that easy. Because Vincent is no normal human. He has a terrifying destiny, one that puts his life at risk every day. He also has enemies . . . immortal, murderous enemies who are determined to destroy him and all of his kind.

While I'm fighting to piece together the remnants of my life, can I risk putting my heart—as well as my life and my family's—in jeopardy for a chance at love?"-GoodReads.

Hardcover, 341 pages

Expected publication: May 10th 2011 by HarperTeen

Source: NetGalley

NetGalley April Wrap-up.

So this is a little late but here is my wrap up post for NetGalley April.
My goal was to read 6 books from my list but I only got to read 3. Which in is actually really good since I hadn't read any in a while.

They were:
Die For Me by Amy Plum (review will be up tomorrow evening)

Bumped by Megan McCafferty (review HERE)

and

The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell (review HERE)

So yay for getting some reading done!

Also I just saw announced on Red House Book's Wrap Up Post that July is also now a NetGalley month, so start planning for that! :D

And the winner is!

And The Winner Is…

I know this is late, but, I have finally drawn a winner for “The Reaping New Cover Love Contest”!

The magic number that random.org has chosen is:

                                #9! Hannah/ThatGirlxoxo

Congratulations! I will be emailing you shortly to verify your email address. You will have 24 hours to reply so that we can send you the eBook. If I don’t get a reply I will draw a new winner.

Thank you to everyone who entered. If you did not win, have no fear, next month I will be having a big giveaway so keep a look out for that!