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Feature & Follow Friday: 29/11/2013

Increase Blog Followers 
Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly blog hop hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read, each of whom feature a chosen blog of the week. It is a way for blogs to gain exposure but also so you can check out and follow other blogs

If you want to take part you must follow both hosts and both featured bloggers. Then add your own link and go visit and follow some bloggers. If someone follows you, you follow back. Simple.

This weeks question:
What is your favourite holiday food?

I am not American or Canadian so will have to answer the non-Thanksgiving question. The holiday that I think of is Christmas, and in all honesty, I love it all! Everything. Christmas is a time when you totally pig out on everything you could ever want to eat - chocolate, sweets, Christmas dinner, every dessert imaginable, candy canes! You've got to love Christmas.


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My Weekly Book Haul: 28/11/2013

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Friday Finds is something that was started over on ShouldBeReading and Stacking the Shelves over at TyngaReviews, I am in love with all of these as I love finding other blogs to follow and books to read through these! So check them all out and see what you find, Stacking the Shelves has a lot of participants as well which is great. This is basically a way for me to show what books I have received, borrowed or bought each week.
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Physical Haul
Borrowed too many!
I know that Imagine Dragons isn't book related, but I'm counting it! Plus how amazing is that Katniss shirt?!?
This Week I Borrowed:
The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #1)The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #2)The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #3)
The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #4)The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #5)
Percy Jackson & The Olympians 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 by Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school... again. And that's the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology textbook and into his life. And worse, he's angered a few of them. Zeus' master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect.

Now Percy and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus' stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.


The Lost Hero (Heroes of Olympus, #1)The Son of Neptune (Heroes of Olympus, #2)The Mark of Athena (Heroes of Olympus, #3)The House of Hades (Heroes of Olympus, #4)
The Heroes of Olympus 1, 2, 3 & 4 by Rick Riordan

Jason has a problem. 
He doesn't remember anything before waking up on a school bus holding hands with a girl. Apparently he has a girlfriend named Piper. His best friend is a kid named Leo, and they're all students in the Wilderness School, a boarding school for "bad kids", as Leo puts it. What he did to end up here, Jason has no idea—except that everything seems very wrong.
Piper has a secret. 
Her father, a famous actor, has been missing for three days, and her vivid nightmares reveal that he's in terrible danger. Now her boyfriend doesn't recognize her, and when a freak storm and strange creatures attack during a school field trip, she, Jason, and Leo are whisked away to someplace called Camp Half-Blood. What is going on? 
Leo has a way with tools. 
His new cabin at Camp Half-Blood is filled with them. Seriously, the place beats Wilderness School hands down, with its weapons training, monsters, and fine-looking girls. What's troubling is the curse everyone keeps talking about, and that a camper's gone missing. Weirdest of all, his bunkmates insist they are all—including Leo—related to a god.

The Princess Bride
The Princess Bride by William Goldman

As Florin and Guilder teeter on the verge of war, the reluctant Princess Buttercup is devastated by the loss of her true love, kidnapped by a mercenary and his henchmen, rescued by a pirate, forced to marry Prince Humperdinck, and rescued once again by the very crew who absconded with her in the first place. In the course of this dazzling adventure, she’ll meet Vizzini — the criminal philosopher who’ll do anything for a bag of gold; Fezzik — the gentle giant; Inigo — the Spaniard whose steel thirsts for revenge; and Count Rugen — the evil mastermind behind it all. Foiling all their plans and jumping into their stories is Westley, Princess Buttercup’s one true love and a very good friend of a very dangerous pirate.

Bunheads
Bunheads by Sophie Flack

As a dancer with the Manhattan Ballet Company, nineteen-year-old Hannah Ward is living her childhood dream. She gets to be up on stage in front of adoring crowds every night. And while she might not be a prima ballerina yet, she's moving up the ranks and surely if she works hard enough she can make it happen.
But devoting her whole life to ballet leaves very little time for anything else: friends, family, school have all fallen by the wayside. Hannah doesn't mind, until a chance encounter in a restaurant brings Jacob into her life. He's cute, he plays guitar and he's offering a whole future that Hannah never considered. And now she must choose between her lifelong dream or what could be the love of her life...

Twinmaker (Twinmaker, #1)
Twinmaker by Sean Williams

You can be Improved....
In a near-future world in which technology can transport you anywhere instantly, can a coded note enable you to change your body—to become taller, stronger, more beautiful? Clair is pretty sure the offer is too good to be true. But her best friend, Libby, is determined to give it a try, longing for a new, improved version of herself.
What starts as Libby’s dream turns into Clair’s nightmare when Libby falls foul of a deadly trap. With the help of Jesse, the school freak, and a mysterious—but powerful—stranger called Q, Clair’s attempt to protect Libby leads her to an unimagined world of conspiracies and cover-ups. Soon her own life is at risk, and Clair is chased across the world in a desperate race against time.

Midnight City (Conquered Earth, #1)
Midnight City by J. Barton Mitchell

Earth has been conquered by an alien race known as the Assembly. The human adult population is gone, having succumbed to the Tone---a powerful, telepathic super-signal broadcast across the planet that reduces them to a state of complete subservience. But the Tone has one critical flaw. It only affects the population once they reach their early twenties, which means that there is one group left to resist: Children.
Holt Hawkins is a bounty hunter, and his current target is Mira Toombs, an infamous treasure seeker with a price on her head. It’s not long before Holt bags his prey, but their instant connection isn’t something he bargained for. Neither is the Assembly ship that crash-lands near them shortly after. Venturing inside, Holt finds a young girl who remembers nothing except her name: Zoey.
As the three make their way to the cavernous metropolis of Midnight City, they encounter young freedom fighters, mutants, otherworldly artifacts, pirates, feuding alien armies, and the amazing powers that Zoey is beginning to exhibit. Powers that suggest she, as impossible as it seems, may just be the key to stopping the Assembly once and for all.

Allies and Assassins
Allies and Assassins by Justin Somper

They killed his brother. Now they're coming for him. . .
As the second prince of Archenfield, Jared never expected to rule. But behind the walls of the castle is a dark and dangerous court where murder and intrigue are never far below the surface. 
Now his older brother is dead. The kingdom is his. And the target is on his back. Can he find the assassin before the assassin finds him?

Noble Conflict
Noble Conflict by Malorie Blackman

Years after a violent war destroyed much of the world, Kaspar has grown up in a society based on peace and harmony. But beyond the city walls, a vicious band of rebels are plotting to tear this peace apart. It is up to the Guardians - an elite peacekeeping force - to protect the city, without ever resorting to the brutal methods of their enemy.
When Kaspar joins the Guardians, he has a chance encounter with a rebel - a beautiful girl named Rhea. Haunted from that moment on by strange visions and memories - memories that could only belong to Rhea - he realises he hasn't been told the truth about what the rebels really want, and what he's really fighting for.

Steelheart (Reckoners, #1)
Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson

Ten years ago, Calamity came. It was a burst in the sky that gave ordinary men and women extraordinary powers. The awed public started calling them Epics.
But Epics are no friend of man. With incredible gifts came the desire to rule. And to rule man you must crush his wills. 
Nobody fights the Epics... nobody but the Reckoners. A shadowy group of ordinary humans, they spend their lives studying Epics, finding their weaknesses, and then assassinating them.
And David wants in. He wants Steelheart—the Epic who is said to be invincible. The Epic who killed David's father. For years, like the Reckoners, David's been studying, and planning—and he has something they need. Not an object, but an experience. 
He's seen Steelheart bleed. And he wants revenge.


This Week I Received For Review:

Enders (Starters, #2)
Enders (Starters #2) by Lissa Price

With the Prime Destinations body bank destroyed, Callie no longer has to rent herself out to creepy Enders. But Enders can still get inside her mind and make her do things she doesn't want to do. Like hurt someone she loves. Having the chip removed could save Callie's life - but it could also silence the voice in her head that might belong to her father. Callie has flashes of her ex-renter Helena's memories, too ...and the Old Man is back, filling her with fear. Who is real and who is masquerading in a teen body? This is the thrilling sequel to "Starters"
Released: 7th January 2014



I borrow way too many books, that much is clear. But I work at a library so it's way too easy to just take them home everyday and then they just pile up! At least I controlled myself as far as requesting books went.


On The Blog:

Legend by Marie Lu: Review
Crash Into You by Katie McGarry: Review
Top Ten Tueday: Things I Am Thankful For

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Thank you for following:


Thanks!



Legend by Marie Lu: Review


Legend (Legend, #1)


Title: Legend
Author: Marie Lu
Publisher:Penguin Razorbill
Buy This Book: Amazon/Book Depository

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem. 
From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths - until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias's death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets. 
Full of nonstop action, suspense, and romance, this novel is sure to move readers as much as it thrills.(Goodreads summary)


With the third and final book, Champion, released, I thought it was about time I give this series another reread and write up reviews for them. I really love this series and I am so sad for it to end that I am putting off even starting Champion, plus Allegiant has put me off ever reading the last book in a series again!

I read Legend for the first time at the start of 2012, as I hunted for more and more dystopian fiction to devour. Luckily, I work in a library and with people who love books as much as me and a guy I work with told me that if I loved dystopian then I just had to read this. He was right. If you are a lover of dystopian fiction like me then I would really recommend it.

Legend is fast-paced action from beginning to end, it throws you straight into the action almost from the very beginning. It pulls you straight into the story and doesn't really let you go until the end. It makes this such a quick read and very enjoyable.

This book gives us a dual narrative, in one chapter we get June and in the next we have Day. I think they worked well and weren't too similar as far as I was concerned. June is a strong female character but I have to admit to wanting to hit her sometimes, for someone so smart she could be ridiculously stupid. Day is a really great male lead, he's strong, clever and dedicated to his family.

I really enjoyed the story, a lot happens in this book even though it feels quite short. It may seem a little predictable at times but this is a really well told story, it's a great addition to the dystopian genre and it immediately became a new favourite series of mine as soon as I read it.

The fast-paced action grabs you but it did make it seem lacking in other ways. As it was so fast-paced I didn't feel like I got as much character development of June and Day as I would of liked; I wish their had been more of that. Their romance seemed to develop really, really quickly as well.. Plus it lacked a little on world building, it doesn't explain why things are the way they are or give a clearer picture on what's going on outside of L.A.

I'm also confused as to why the back of my book says "Based on a retelling of Les Miserables." Now this really threw me off when I picked the book up and read it, because I didn't see it at all. Is it a retelling of Les Mis, or a retelling of a retelling of Les Mis. To me, it seemed like neither and that just confused me a little when I read the book for the first time.

4/5 Stars

For fans of dystopian, fast-paced action., strong leads and a romance that takes a back seat to the real action in the book. Definitely recommend. 

Crash Into You by Katie McGarry: Review

Crash Into You
by 
Katie McGarry

Author: Katie McGarry
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Buy This Book: Amazon/Book Depository

I can't even write my own little description for this because I didn't finish it; I only got about 30% of the way into it and then I gave up. If you've read any of my other reviews then you'll know that I don't hold back, if I don't like something then I say it. But I do explain why and I have quite a few reasons for this.

My main reason is that this book is pretty much the same as her first two books, which I guess if you were a massive fan of them, then you will love that. I just didn't. Her books are very formulaic and it kind of drives me a little crazy:

  1. Take one character who has either no parents or absent parents and a damaged past.
  2. Take one person from a privileged background, with a seemingly perfect life but who's damaged as well.
  3. Mix them together
  4. Add angst
  5. Add some rather cringe-worthy dialogue - example: 'She discovered a deep hole in my chest and somehow filled it with her existence.'
  6. Plus lots of falling hard and fast for each other.


And there you have it. A Katie McGarry book. 

But that's not the only things that make these books almost identical. There's the fact that one of the main characters is always a virgin, and it's always the one who comes from the good family unit. Plus the fact each of the MC from the good family unit has a hobby that their family disapproves of for some trivial reason: Echo's art, Ryan's writing, Rachel's love of cars. It just became all too much for me and I had to give up on this book. I used to finish every book I started, but now I realise that it's just a huge waste of my time. I can already see where this book is going, I've read it before, twice in fact.

I don't understand why they make the character who has the seemingly perfect, Christian family upbringing a virgin every time and the person without it sleeps around. I'm not a foster kid or anything, but I found it kind of insulting and offensive.

I also got sick of the poor, troubled person meets and falls in love with a rich person who seemingly has it all, but has their own troubles as well. And this pushed me to my limit with the fact that they met and spent three hours, three hours together and now can't stop thinking about each other, need each other, want to be with each other. They don't even know each other! 

I also hated all the car talk. I know essentially nothing about cars, so all the talk of makes and models and engine types, well it just drove me crazy. It bored me and I skimmed all those parts. They act like their cars are babies and every time Rachel growled at someone for even touching her car; well, I wanted to punch her in her stupid, whiny, immature face.

Plus the UK cover is hideous:


You couldn't pay me to put that on my bookshelf.


NO, JUST NO!

1/5

This is essentially Pushing the Limits & Dare You To, it bored me and I am not going to waste good hours of my life on finishing it.


*I received a copy of this novel from the author/publisher/publicist via Netgalley in exchange for a free and honest review and received no monetary compensation for this review.


Top Ten Tuesday: The Things I Am Thankful For

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted at The Broke & The Bookish. Each week they host a different top ten topic. This weeks is:


Top Ten Things I Am Thankful For


I was unsure of this weeks topic, until one of my American friends told me that Thanksgiving was this week and then it made sense. I am doing this whilst absolutely shattered and I am really struggling to think of things. I will just go with whatever pops into my head first!


Book Related Things


That The Catching Fire Movie Was Amazing

The Hunger Games movie was a really great movie, but as an adaptation of the book it did leave me a little disappointed. It left out so many great or important things and didn't manage to capture the true horror of the Games. Thankfully, Catching Fire did not disappoint at all, it was an amazing movie, amazing adaptation and something I know I will be seeing over and over again. 




Allegiant (Divergent, #3)That My Memory Has Blocked Out Allegiant

It's like that book never happened. Which, is pretty fitting seeing as almost nothing actually happens in the book. The worst thing I have read this year so far! Thankfully, I have blocked all of it out and it's as if I had never read it to begin with. 




Champion (Legend, #3)
That Champion Was Released

I love this series and I am so excited to see how it ends. But I have to admit that I haven't read Champion yet because I don't want it to end, well not yet at least. I will delay it longer by rereading the first two books before I get to this one! 





For Netgalley and Edelweiss

These wonderful things have given me so many amazing books that I might not have picked up or seen before. It's actually how I found some of my favourite reads of 2013. The top two that come to mind are These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner and Alienated by Melissa Landers. 


Non-Book Things! 


Happy New Year 2014 Free Wallpaper
 There's only 36 days left till 2014!!!

Honestly, 2013 has been the worst year of my life, which seeing as I am only twenty-two that isn't really saying much, but it truly has been awful. Before this year I had never been to a funeral in my life and by next week I will have been to three. I lost my aunt, who was not only an amazing aunt and mother but also only thirty-eight; I lost a close friend who was only twenty-two and I lost my grandad - thankfully he was 92 and got to live a great and full life! I am thankful that this year will end soon and am hopeful that 2014 will be a lot better! 



Ohana. by Krunkatronic My Family

I don't know what I would do without them! Family is something that I have really come to appreciate so much more this year. But I have also realised that there is so much more to family than just being blood-related to someone. I don't know what I would do without my parents, my sisters, my two amazing cousins and my uncle; they're not my only family but they're my closest.




My Boyfriend

I've been with him since I was fifteen and we just celebrated seven years together. Like my family, I am not sure what I would do without him. This year would have been pretty much unbearable if I hadn't had him here to cheer me up and keep me smiling. 



My Friends

What would I do without them? They are crazy like me and they make me laugh harder than anyone. I don't know how I would have got through such a terrible year without the joy of our London Days (they are amazing!), our movie nights, our 'lets act like adults and go get coffee(hot chocolate for me)' moments and everything else! 





That I Am Seeing Imagine Dragons Tomorrow

I am so unbelievably excited for this, I honestly can't wait! I just have to get through a half-day at work and then I am off to see one of my new favourite bands. Can't wait to hear all my favourite songs live. 




My Blog


This has really kept me sane over the last few months. It was just something I'd thought about doing for a while because I loved reading and wanted to share that love with others. But I have come to love it so much and it has been a welcome distraction. The support I have received from other bloggers has blown me away! And I can't even begin to thank my followers, the fact you take the time to come and read my rambling; well it blows me away!

THANK YOU!

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My Weekly Book Haul & Sunday Post

Sunday PostThe Sunday Post

This is hosted over at Caffeinated Book Reviewer and is a weekly meme where you can share any news, recap what happened on the blog in the week, showcase all the books you've gotten and share what you have coming up the following week. 


Well in all honestly, this has been a packed week, which has left very little time for blogging. Usually I post my book haul on Fridays, but have just not had the time this week. I had a Harry Potter movie marathon with a friend on Monday and Tuesday, to distract us from our wait for The Hunger Games movie double bill Wedneday night. Then the actual double bill, work, more work and then seeing Catching Fire again with my cousins Friday night. During all that, I found very limited time to actually blog. I then had some really bad news after I left the cinema on Friday, my grandad had unfortunately passed away. Luckily, he was ninety-two, lived a great life and went peacefully surrounded by his sons; which I am thankful for. Today I put all that aside and was able to celebrate my seven year anniversary with my boyfriend, we've been together since we were fifteen and I'm not sure what I would do without him. 2013 has honestly been the worst year of my life so far, so I am super excited for Christmas and New Year to be over so I can start 2014, which will hopefully be much better! 

Last Week On The Blog

Feature & Follow Friday
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins: Review
Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Want My Cousin To Read
My Thoughts On Catching Fire, The Movie.
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins: Review

Giveaway
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Friday Finds is something that was started over on ShouldBeReading and Stacking the Shelves over at TyngaReviews, I am in love with all of these as I love finding other blogs to follow and books to read through these! So check them all out and see what you find, Stacking the Shelves has a lot of participants as well which is great. This is basically a way for me to show what books I have received, borrowed or bought each week.
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This Week I Bought:

172 Hours on the Moon
172 Hours On The Moon by Johan Harstad

There's a reason we never went back to the moon. 
It was supposed to be the adventure of a lifetime. Mia, Antoine and Midori had different reasons to enter NASA's competition for a seat on the first shuttle to go to the moon in over forty years.
But while they all wanted to escape earth, they never realised there might not be a chance to come home...
The blurb gives little away and I haven't seen any reviews for this but it was on a deal and really cheap, so I thought I would give it a chance. 

Easy
Easy by Tammara Webber

'I took a deep breathe and exhaled it slowly before turning around. It was Lucas who stood there. His gaze was penetrating, not wavering for a moment, and my pulse hammered under his silent scrutiny.
I couldn't remember the last time I'd been so full of pure, unqualified desire.'
Lucas is the stranger who saved Jacqueline from an attack by a fellow student - she'd never noticed him before then, and now he's everything.
But can Jacqueline trust him - or will the secrets he's hiding come between them?

Have been seeing this everywhere so thought I would give it a go.

Blue Bloods (Blue Bloods, #1)
Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz

They're young, fabulous and fanged...
And they rule Manhattan from the trendy uptown clubs to the downtown boutiques. Fifteen-year-old Schuyler Van Alen has never quite fit in at her exclusive prep school- she's more of a vintage than a Versace girl- but all that's about to chance...
Because Shulyer has just found out she's a Blue Blood. The Blue Bloods are the city's glamorous and secret vampire elite. They're young, beautiful and powerful. But now they're being murdered. And Schulyer must find out who - or what - is behind it, before she's next.

Not too sure about this, but it was only £1, so thought I'd give this series starter a try. Not even sure how to pronounce Shuyler, if I'm honest. 


This Week I Borrowed:

Fallen Too Far (Too Far, #1)Never Too Far (Too Far, #2)
Fallen Too Far & Never Too Far by Abbi Glines

When Blaire Wynn's mother passed away, her life changed in an instant. Having cared for her sick mother on her own for years, suddenly Blaire has to leave her home and move in with the father who walked out on them.
Worse still, she arrives to discover her dad's gone to Paris for the summer with his new wife, leaving her stranded with Rush, her stepbrother, who's irritating, arrogant and... seriously sexy. Blaire knows Rush is anything but good for her, but somehow she can't fight the attraction she's feeling, especially when she starts to think the attraction is mutual. Rush is jaded and has dark secrets that Blaire's afraid of uncovering, but despite Rush's troubles, Blaire just may have fallen too far to walk away...

Stepbrothers, a rather hot concept for me ever since I saw Cruel Intentions. This sounds like it could be a good read, if I can get over the name Rush; so, so stupid. Hate the covers though, just awful.

Hysteria
Hysteria by Megan Miranda

You wanted him. You needed him. You killed him.
Life can change in an instant. Fear can take you to the very edge. 
Mallory's old life is dead. Her boyfriend is gone; his blood washed from the kitchen tiles. Still it stains her mind. She can't ever go back.
Monroe Prep School is her new start. But everyone thinks they know what happened that night. They think they know her. They don't.

Acid
Acid by Emma Pass

ACID - the most brutal police force in history. They rule with an iron fist. They see everything. They know everything. They locked me away for life.
My crime? They say I murdered my parents. I was fifteen years old. My name is Jenna Strong. 

Doesn't give much away but it sounds really great! 

The Originals
The Originals by Cat Patrick

'I glance at the three baby portraits in thick wooden frames. I feel a familiar prickling on the back of my neck. Because I know there's another picture somewhere - and the baby in that photo looks identical to the babies on the wall. Somewhere, there's a photo of the Original.'
Ella, Betsey and I look like sisters: triplets, you might think. But that's not what we are at all. We are clones in hiding. We split our lives and exist as one person in the outside world. And we've always been happy. But now I've fallen head-over-heels in love... and that changes everything. 
Because, to let love in, I need to be allowed to be Me. 

The Mark (The Mark, #1)
The Mark by Jen Nadol

Cassandra Renfield suspects the glowing mark she sees on certain people is more than just a trick of the light. But it's not until she watches a marked man get hit by a car that she understands what she means. Cassie knows when someone is going to die. Not how or where, only when: today.
Finally armed with knowledge about the light, Cassie seeks out those marked for death in the hopes of better understanding her "gift". She is careful to keep the power a secret- even from her new boyfriend- but with each impending death come more questions. Why is Cassie the only one who sees the mark? What happens when she sees it on someone she loves? And most important, should she tell someone they are about to die?

Beta (Annex, #1)
Beta by Rachel Cohn

Elysia was created to serve the inhabitants of Demesne, an island paradise for the wealthiest people on earth. As a soulless clone of a sixteen-year-old, Elysia is immune to the emotions that could distract her from her work as companion to the governor's children. Or so she's been told. When Elysia meets Tahir, the gorgeous, enigmatic son of Demesne's most powerful family, overpowering sensations begin clouding her mind. 
Elysia isn't the unfeeling clone she must pretend to be. If anyone discovers she can love, Elysia will suffer a fate too terrible to imagine. But the pull toward Tahir is too strong to ignore. When they are torn apart with breathtaking cruelty, emotions Elysia has always had but never understood are unleashed. As rage, terror, and desire threaten to overwhelm her, Elysia vows to escape her caged existence- no matter what they cost.


Received For Review:


Prince of Shadows
Prince of Shadows by Rachel Caine

In the Houses of Montague and Capulet, there is only one goal: power. The boys are born to fight and die for honor and—if they survive—marry for influence and money, not love. The girls are assets, to be spent wisely. Their wishes are of no import. Their fates are written on the day they are born. Benvolio Montague, cousin to Romeo, knows all this. He expects to die for his cousin, for his house, but a spark of rebellion still lives inside him. At night, he is the Prince of Shadows, the greatest thief in Verona—and he risks all as he steals from House Capulet. In doing so, he sets eyes on convent-bound Rosaline, and a terrible curse begins that will claim the lives of many in Verona……And will rewrite all their fates, forever.
Released: 4th February 2014

Control (Control, #1)
Control by Lydia Kang

When a crash kills their father and leaves them orphaned, Zel knows she needs to protect her sister, Dyl. But before Zel has a plan, Dyl is taken by strangers using bizarre sensory weapons, and Zel finds herself in a safe house for teens who aren’t like any she’s ever seen before—teens who shouldn't even exist. Using broken-down technology, her new friends’ peculiar gifts, and her own grit, Zel must find a way to get her sister back from the kidnappers who think a powerful secret is encoded in Dyl’s DNA.
Released: 26th December 2013

The Impossible Knife of Memory
The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson

For the past five years, Hayley Kincaid and her father, Andy, have been on the road, never staying long in one place as he struggles to escape the demons that have tortured him since his return from Iraq. Now they are back in the town where he grew up so Hayley can attend school. Perhaps, for the first time, Hayley can have a normal life, put aside her own painful memories, even have a relationship with Finn, the hot guy who obviously likes her but is hiding secrets of his own.
Will being back home help Andy’s PTSD, or will his terrible memories drag him to the edge of hell, and drugs push him over? 
Released: 7th January 2014

Vitro
Vitro by Jessica Khoury

On a remote island in the Pacific, Corpus scientists have taken test tube embryos and given them life. These beings—the Vitros—have knowledge and abilities most humans can only dream of. But they also have one enormous flaw.Sophie Crue is determined to get to Skin Island and find her mother, a scientist who left Sophie behind years ago. She enlists hunky charter pilot Jim Julien to take her there. But once on the island, Sophie and Jim encounter more than they bargained for, including a charming, brilliant Vitro named Nicholas and an innocent, newly awoken one named Lux.
In a race for their lives, Sophie and Jim are about to discover what happens when science stretches too far beyond its reach.
Released: 14th January 2014

Magnolia
Magnolia by Kristi Cook

In Magnolia Branch, Mississippi, the Cafferty and Marsden families are southern royalty. Neighbors since the Civil War, the families have shared vacations, holidays, backyard barbecues, and the overwhelming desire to unite their two clans by marriage. So when a baby boy and girl were born to the families at the same time, the perfect opportunity seemed to have finally arrived.
Jemma Cafferty and Ryder Marsden have no intention of giving in to their parents’ wishes. They’re only seventeen, for goodness’ sake, not to mention that one little problem: They hate each other! Jemma can’t stand Ryder’s nauseating golden-boy persona, and Ryder would like nothing better than to pretend stubborn Jemma doesn’t exist.But when a violent storm ravages Magnolia Branch, it unearths Jemma’s and Ryder’s true feelings for each other as the two discover that the line between love and hate may be thin enough to risk crossing over.
Released: 5th August 2014

#scandal
#Scandal by Sarah Ockler

Lucy’s learned some important lessons from tabloid darling Jayla Heart’s all-too-public blunders: Avoid the spotlight, don’t feed the Internet trolls, and keep your secrets secret. The policy has served Lucy well all through high school, so when her best friend Ellie gets sick before prom and begs her to step in as Cole’s date, she accepts with a smile, silencing about ten different reservations. Like the one where she’d rather stay home shredding online zombies. And the one where she hates playing dress-up. And;the one where she’s been secretly in love with Cole since the dawn of time.
When Cole surprises her at the after party with a kiss under the stars, it’s everything Lucy has ever dreamed of… and the biggest BFF deal-breaker ever. Despite Cole’s lingering sweetness, Lucy knows they’ll have to ’fess up to Ellie. But before they get the chance, Lucy’s own Facebook profile mysteriously explodes with compromising pics of her and Cole, along with tons of other students’ party indiscretions. Tagged. Liked. And furiously viral.By Monday morning, Lucy’s been branded a slut, a backstabber, and a narc, mired in a tabloid-worthy scandal just weeks before graduation. Lucy’s been battling undead masses online long enough to know there’s only one way to survive a disaster of this magnitude: Stand up and fight. Game plan? Uncover and expose the Facebook hacker, win back her best friend’s trust, and graduate with a clean slate.There’s just one snag—Cole. Turns out Lucy’s not the only one who’s been harboring unrequited love...
Released: 17th June 2014

Anything to Have You
Anything To Have You by Paige Harrison

Nothing should come between best friends, not even boys. ESPECIALLY not boys. Natalie and Brooke have had each other's backs forever. Natalie is the quiet one, college bound and happy to stay home and watch old movies. Brooke is the movie—the life of every party, the girl everyone wants to be.
Then it happens—one crazy night that Natalie can't remember and Brooke's boyfriend, Aiden, can't forget. Suddenly there's a question mark in Natalie and Brooke's friendship that tests everything they thought they knew about each other and has both girls discovering what true friendship really means.
Released: 28th January 2014

Another Little Piece of My Heart

What if your devastating break-up became this summer’s hit single? In this rock-and-roll retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion, music can either bring you together or tear you apart. At her dying mother’s request, Claire dumps Jared, the only boy she’s ever loved. Left with a broken family and a broken heart, Claire is furious when she discovers that her biggest regret became Jared’s big break. While Jared is catapulted into rock-star status, another piece of Claire’s heart crumbles every time his song plays on the radio. The summer after her senior year, it’s been months since the big break-up, and Claire is just trying to keep her head down and make it through a tense trip to the beach with her family. But when Jared shows up, and old feelings reignite, can Claire and Jared let go of the past? Or will they be stuck singing the same old refrain?
Released: 1st December 2013



Thanks for following this week:

This Girl Reads A Lot
Cherry Mischievous
The Sea of Pages
IO Book Tours


Hopefully next week will be less busy, well after the Imagine Dragons concert, and I will be able to keep up with the blogging. So little time!