The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens

"Kate, Michael, and Emma have been in one orphanage after another for the last ten years, passed along like lost baggage.

Yet these unwanted children are more remarkable than they could possibly imagine. Ripped from their parents as babies, they are being protected from a horrible evil of devastating power, an evil they know nothing about.

Until now.

Before long, Kate, Michael, and Emma are on a journey to dangerous and secret corners of the world...a journey of allies and enemies, of magic and mayhem.  And—if an ancient prophesy is correct—what they do can change history, and it is up to them to set things right.

The Emerald Atlas brims with humor and action as it charts Kate, Michael, and Emma's extraordinary adventures through an unforgettable, enchanted world."-GoodReads.

Hardcover, 417 pages

Published April 5th 2011 by Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers 

  I had not seen much on The Emerald Atlas so it was not really on my radar of books to pick up. It was really only by chance that I got it. A bookstore in a small town not far from where I live was going out of business and running some sales so while I was there with my mom we decided to go in and take a look. There was not a lot to choose from anymore, so it stood out on the table from the rest of the books. When I picked it up and started reading the synopsis I remembered one rave review for it. For the life of me I cannot remember who wrote the review, I just know that it said the book was great.

 So after reading the first couple of pages in the store I knew I had to read the rest. Unfortunately, I was in the middle of reading another book at the time and could not start this one right away. Which was bad for the other book I was reading because I could barely pay attention to it anymore. I wanted more of the world that I was introduced to on the first pages of The Emerald Atlas. When I finally did get to start reading it again, I was nervous, it being a middle grade book and me not having read a middle grade in years. I was a bit worried that it was going to read like a little kids book. It did no such thing.

The whole time I was reading I kept thinking how much I loved the writing. It just flowed so perfectly and the characters and world building were fantastic. What I loved most about the characters is you could really get a sense of how different they were from each other. Even the siblings. A lot of books I have read with siblings tell you they are complete opposites but you never really get to see their differences. This book does not just tell you, it shows you. Which, the three of them are very different and that brought such life to the pages.

After reading one of the chapters I flipped to the back of the book to read the blurb about the author. His writing was too good and I wanted to know if he had any other books out. That is when I found out why I loved the writing so much. John Stephens was a writer for Gilmore Girls! Which happens to be one of my favorite shows. 

The book opens up right at the beginning of the action and it doesn't stop until the end. Something is always going on and it kept me in the story until I turned the last page.

While I enjoyed the entire book and all of the story lines, I was definitely partial to Emma and Gabriel's story. It was just so sweet, and Emma is a little firecracker.

There are a couple places where you need to make sure you are paying attention to what is happening or you will get lost in the next few pages and have to go back and re-read them.

Again, this book did not read like a child's book. It spared no detail of the tragedies of life that even young children can go through. Some of the scenes could be considered a little gruesome, but for me, it added realism to the story. That just because they were kids did not mean they were not going to see or be exposed to bad things happening.

Do not, I repeat, do NOT let the fact that this is a middle grade title steer you away from reading it. Even though this was the first book that I read this year and I know there are going to be many more books read in 2012, I feel it is safe to say that it is already one of my favorites and will be on the top of my list when this year comes to an end. If you love fantasy and worlds within our world you should pick The Emerald Atlas up. 

Born Wicked Trailer.

Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood, which releases Feb. 7th, is a historical fantasy about a girl and her sisters, who all happen to be witches. This is a book I am dying to get my hands on. 

When I first saw the beyond beautiful cover it had me drooling and then after reading the synopsis it had me craving to know more.

And then the book trailer was released. Let me tell you, it is great.

I could not find it on youtube, so I will just link it.

Born Wicked Trailer

Now I am even more eager for February to get here!

Check it out and then let me know what you think of it!

Dark Parties by Sara Grant

"Sixteen-year-old Neva has been trapped since birth. She was born and raised under the Protectosphere, in an isolated nation ruled by fear, lies, and xenophobia. A shield "protects" them from the outside world, but also locks the citizens inside. But there's nothing left on the outside, ever since the world collapsed from violent warfare. Or so the government says...

Neva and her best friend Sanna believe the government is lying and stage a "dark party" to recruit members for their underground rebellion. But as Neva begins to uncover the truth, she realizes she must question everything she's ever known, including the people she loves the most."-GoodReads.

Hardcover, 320 pages

Published August 3rd 2011 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Source: NetGalley

I have always had a bit of a fear or being stuck in one place forever, never being able to see anything other than one place for my entire life. Reading Dark Parties gave me a glimpse of what it would be like to be forced to stay in one place. To be stuck under a dome, never knowing what was on the other side. Honestly, the whole book made me feel claustrophobic. But I'm lucky because I have the choice to leave though, to go new places. Neva doesn't. She is stuck under the Protectosphere with the need to be free and an incredible case of wanderlust, but not being able to satiate it. So she does what pretty much every teenager has done, she rebels a little bit.
Well, she thinks it is just a little thing. But that little thing, that little spark, ignites into a wildfire that changes Neva's life forever. 


Instead of the world growing, it feels like it keeps getting smaller as the story progresses...and I mean this in a good way. It made the story feel very intricate and definitely more intense at times. Things that may not have seemed like they would connect would in fact be connected to each other, making it a 'smaller world'. 


Neva was a great character. The book starts with a makeout scene, which I will admit, I rolled my eyes at. I did not care enough about the characters at that point to want to 'see' them making out...but, for me, it ended up being a really good opening to the story. It really puts you in Neva's mind right away. What she thinks, who she is, what she's scared of. The beginning grew on me as the story went on.


I really had no idea what to expect when I decided to read Dark Parties. I certainly did not expect it to be so...dark (though the title should have really given me a clue, right?). It was though. Dark and gritty.
Some of the scenes felt a bit choppy, but over all it was a great read.
After getting attached to characters just to have them be ripped away or betray Neva (which left me feeling betrayed), I was emotionally drained. Seriously, I walked around in a weird mood mumbling to myself that I couldn't believe how the book had ended and that there better be a sequel so that all the wrongs could be set right. That I could not be left with an ending like that.


Dark Parties is more than just a fantastic dystopian, it is also a great thriller and chock full of suspense. So if you like any of those three things, pick up a copy for yourself.

2011 Wrap-up 2012 Challenge Post.

This year was a really good reading year for me.
I am reading my 80th book for this year, which once I finish it I will have met my reading goal. Never in my life have I read 80 books.

In 2011 I took part in:

The Debut Authors Challenge and I read just about 20 debuts.
The Ebook Challenge and I read 29 Ebooks. 9 more than my original goal.
&
Into the Old World Reading Challenge. I read 4 or 5 older books. Which was about 10 less than I wanted to.

For 2012 I will be taking part in:

The Ebook Challenge hosted by The Eclectic Bookshelf and I will be doing The Mega-Sized Ebook Reading Challenge which is 25+ ebooks.
The Outdo Yourself Challenge hosted by The Book Vixen and I will be doing I'm On Fire! which is 16+ more books than I read in 2011.
The Off the Shelf Challenge hosted by Bookish Ardour and I will be doing On A Roll which is to read 50 books off my shelves.
and I will probably take part in The Debut Author Challenge hosted by The Story Siren again. Though I am not positive. If I do, my goal will be 12 Debuts.

My overall goal for the year is to read 104 books (which was my original goal for 2011). 2012 is already shaping up to be a busy year though, but hopefully I won't have to change my goal like I had to do in 2011.

Hope everyone has a fun but safe New Year's Eve!

2011 End Of Year Book Survery

Jami over at the Perpetual Page-Turner is hosting her "End Of The Year Book Survey" for 2011. It looked like a fun thing to do, so I thought I would participate. 

1. Best Book You Read In 2011? 

Yeesh, start out with the hardest question ever, why dontchya...

Since this is my survey I'm going to cheat and pick more than one. 

Divergent by Veronica Roth- This book was incredible. It seriously rocked my world and I cannot wait until Insurgent to come out.

Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead- It made me cry, laugh, bite my nails down to the quick, and made my heart stop...multiple times.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins- I actually started taking Rosetta Stone French lessons after reading this book because it made me want to go to Paris so badly.

2. Most Disappointing Book/Book You Wish You Loved More Than You Did?

I'm probably going to get shunned for this...but I was a bit disappointed with Amy and Roger's Epic Detour. There were just some things in it that did not make sense. 
Also, I had high hopes for Tris & Izzie...I mean the cover and the synopsis made it look and sound amazing. But it just fell flat for me.  
Neither of them were my cup of tea.

3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2011?

 Anna and the French Kiss. I read it after Amy and Roger so I was really nervous that it was going to be another contemp that was hyped to the high heavens that actually ended up not being my cup of tea. But I love it. So very very much.
Dark Parties by Sara Grant was also surprising. I hadn't seen very much on it and what I had seen just didn't make it sound that great. I gave it a go though, and loved it. I was an emotional mess when I finished it.

4. Book you recommended to people most in 2011?

Anna and the French Kiss and The Hunger Games. I was a major pusher for both. Especially The Hunger Games since I finished Mockingjay in the very beginning of the year. 

5. Best series you discovered in 2011?

The Iron Fey series. This year I read very few series, or if I did, they were new series and only the first was released (I don't count those with this question).

Also The Summer series. I have enjoyed that one more than I thought I was going to.

6. Favorite new authors you discovered in 2011?

Veronica Roth, Stephanie Perkins, Rae Carson, Lauren DeStefano, Beth Revis...oh this list could go on, but I'll stop there.

7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you?

 Meh, nothing is realllly out of my comfort zone. I used to not like contemps because I don't normally click with the characters. But I gave some a real shot this year and really started to like them.

8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2011?

 Divergent. Last Sacrifice. and Dark Parties.

9. Book you most anticipated in 2011?

 Divergent. I got myself so excited to read it that when I finally got it, it took me forever to pick the book up because I was afraid it would be a disappointment.

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2011?

Across The Universe by Beth Revis

Blood Red Road by Moira Young

11. Most memorable character in 2011? 

 Tris from Divergent. It's hard to forget someone that you just click with.
Belly from The Summer I Turned Pretty. I remember being her age and feeling like she did a lot of the time.
Rose Hathaway from Last Sacrifice. I want to be able to kick serious ass like she can.

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2011?

Stolen by Lucy Christopher. It was an incredible story written in the form of a letter to the girl's captor. I don't think I've read anything so powerful or beautiful.

A close second would be Hold Still by Nina LaCour. That was a great book.

13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2011? 

 Stay by Deb Caletti had a big impact on me because it reminded me of a situation I had gone through. I was very emotional while reading that one.


Divergent actually helped me get a bit more motivated to go to the gym. I did not like thinking that I could not do what they were having to do, so I decided to get back in shape and healthier...I'd say that's an impact.

14. Book you can't believe you waited UNTIL 2011 to finally read? 

 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. I skimmed it years ago while at a friend's house waiting for her to finish her homework. But this year I READ it, and love it, and cannot wait to read the rest of the series. Which in a way I am glad I waited so long because now I can really appreciate and soak up the story.

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2011? 

Ha! I have so many favorites. I actually write them all down in a notebook.

“You think my first instinct is to protect you. Because you're small, or a girl, or a Stiff. But you're wrong." 

He leans his face close to mine and wraps his fingers around my chin. His hand smells like metal. When was the last time he held a gun, or a knife? My skin tingles at the point of contact, like he's transmitting electricity through his skin. 

"My first instinct is to push you until you break, just to see how hard I have to press." he says, his fingers squeezing at the word break. My body tenses at the edge in his voice, so I am coiled as tight as a spring, and I forget to breathe. 

His dark eyes lifting to mine, he adds, "But I resist it." 

"Why..." I swallow hard. "Why is that your first instinct?" 

"Fear doesn't shut you down; it wakes you up. I've seen it. It's fascinating." He releases me but doesn't pull away, his hand grazing my jaw, my neck. "Sometimes I just want to see it again. Want to see you awake.”

Gah. I love that. Now I want to re-read Divergent. *le sigh*

16. Book That You Read In 2011 That Would Be Most Likely To Reread In 2012? 

 One of the challenges that I am setting up for myself is to re-read some of my favorite books in 2012. So I will be re-reading: The Hunger Games Trilogy, Vampire Academy, Divergent, Delirium, My Blood Approves...maybe a couple other books as well. But that's all I can think of off the top of my head.

17. Book That Had A Scene In It That Had You Reeling And Dying To Talk To Somebody About It? (a WTF moment, an epic revelation, a steamy kiss, etc. etc.) Be careful of spoilers! 

Oh my gosh. I about died when I had NO ONE to talk to about Mockingjay, Last Sacrifice, or Divergent with. It was hard not just blurting everything out to my husband. Especially about how Mockingjay ended...I'm still trying to get him to read The Hunger Games so I didn't want to spoil the whole thing.

 Book Blogging/Reading Life in 2011 (optional)

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2011? 

 Oh man...I can't really answer this question. I've found so many great blogs this year that I could not possibly name them all. And I don't want to leave anyone out. So just check out my list of blogs that I follow. I love them all.

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2011? 

 I haven't finished it yet, but I am really liking my Anna and the French Kiss WIP review. It's very gushy and fan girly. It will hopefully be posted in the next couple of days. But I have technically written most of it this year, so it counts ;p

3. Best discussion you had on your blog? 

 That is something that I am planning on working on this coming year is getting discussions started. I did have a chit chat about banned books that was good and one of my reviews started getting books recs passed around and that was neat. Other than that though, not too many others happened.

4. Most thought-provoking review or discussion you read on somebody else's blog? 

I thought Andye's (Reading Teen) post about Sex in YA was a really good post. And I cannot for the life of me remember who posted it, but someone did a great post on things to do and not to do in blogging. I read it at the beginning of the year when I was still just getting started, so it helped out a lot.

5. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?

I went to my very first author event this year! And it was sooo much fun. My best friend and I went to the Austin Teen Book Festival together, and I got to meet Stephanie Perkins. I was going to gush to her about how much I loved Anna and could not wait to read Lola...but I kind of froze...and got a bit tongue tied...so the gushing did not happen.

Most fun virtual event has to be the Holiday #Readathon. I love love love doing that readathon. You should do it next year too.

And I love doing Top Ten Tuesday host by Broke and Bookish and In My Mailbox hosted by The Story Siren. I just have to make myself be a little more consistent with them. 

6. Best moment of book blogging in 2011?

 I had my first author interview this year and it was so very cool. It was with Michelle Leighton and she is such a neat author and it was for her first ebook, The Reaping, so it was a cool feeling to be one of the first bloggers to interview her. Talking to some of my favorite authors on twitter has been really cool too. Which I would have probably never done if I hadn't started blogging.

7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?

 My review of Letters to Elise by Amanda Hocking. It has a crazy amount of views.

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?

 A lot of them. But I started slacking on posting on my blog and commenting on other people's posts when I moved in the middle of this year and that's when the post love started dwindling. So I will be working on getting back into a better posting groove again next year.

9. Best bookish discover (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?

 I discovered NetGalley and GalleyGrab this year and those were both pretty awesome. And that TONS of authors go to Austin to do book signings, which isn't that far from me. So maybe I'll be able to make it back up there for a couple more signings before I move back to Colorado next year.

10.  Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?

I am soo close to meeting my goal of reading 80 books, I also read quite a few debut authors, and I did great at my ebook challenge. But I totally failed on my banned books challenge. I think I only read 4 or 5 banned or challenged books this year. And I really really failed at my Into The Old World Reading Challenge.

Looking Ahead... 


1. One Book You Didn't Get To In 2011 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2012?

HA! A lot. The Near Witch, Wolfsbane, Lola and the Boy Next Door, It's Not Summer Without You and the rest of the Harry Potter series.


2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2012?

 Isla and the Happily Ever After. INSURGENT! A Million Suns. Fever.

3. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging In 2012?

 Reading -- In 2012 I would really like to read at least 100 books. And to read more books that I have on my shelves and on my Kindle rather than buying so many and never getting to them. My books deserve to be read in a timely manner. Maybe get outside of my realm of YA books and try some more adult books.

Blogging -- I hope to stay on top of my reviews. Think of some new kinds of posts to get some discussions started, maybe. Be more consistent in my meme participation. Stop being so dang shy when talking to authors or other bloggers.

2011 was a great for both blogging and reading. I've read more books this year than I have any other year, I have met some incredible bloggers and authors, and have learned a great deal about blogging (now I just need to put what I learned into affect) and the book industry. Can't wait to see what 2012 brings!

The Hunger Games Soundtrack News.

So in case you have not heard, it has been announced that Taylor Swift (ft. The Civil Wars) has a song on The Hunger Games soundtrack. Now before you get all judgey judgey, listen to the song. It really sounds like something that should be in the movie.

See? I think it sounds great. Though, I may be a bit biased because I adore Taylor Swift. I can't wait to see who else is going to have songs on the soundtrack now.
So, what do you think of her Hunger Game song?

Cover Reveal: Chosen Ones by Tiffany Truitt

Hello fellow book lovers! Today is a special day and I am so excited to be a part of it. Today is the cover reveal for Chosen Ones by Tiffany Truitt, the first in a new dystopian series coming out in April of 2012.

Are you ready for this?? Here it is!!

"What if you were mankind’s last chance at survival?

            Sixteen-year-old Tess lives in a compound in what was once the Western United States, now decimated after a devastating fourth World War. But long before that, life as we knew it had been irrevocably changed, as women mysteriously lost the ability to bring forth life. Faced with the extinction of the human race, the government began the Council of Creators, meant to search out alternative methods of creating life. The resulting artificial human beings, or Chosen Ones, were extraordinarily beautiful, unbelievably strong, and unabashedly deadly.

            Life is bleak, but uncomplicated for Tess as she follows the rigid rules of her dystopian society, until the day she begins work at Templeton, the training facility for newly created Chosen Ones. There, she meets James, a Chosen One whose odd love of music and reading rivals only her own. The attraction between the two is immediate in its intensity—and overwhelming in its danger.

            But there is more to the goings-on at Templeton than Tess ever knew, and as the veil is lifted from her eyes, she uncovers a dark underground movement bent not on taking down the Chosen Ones, but the Council itself. Will Tess be able to stand up to those who would oppress her, even if it means giving up the only happiness in her life?"

I LOVE this cover. The pretty girl in the pretty dress with the dry and cracked ground under her. Amazing. So what do you think? Like it? Love it? Can't wait to read it?