Book Review (#5) - Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Title: Fangirl 

Author: Rainbow Rowell

Published: St. Martin's Press, 2013

433 pages

Goodreads synopsis:

From the author of the New York Times bestseller Eleanor & Park.

A coming-of-age tale of fan fiction, family and first love. 

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan . . .

But for Cath, being a fan is her life — and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?

Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?

And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

I love the presentation of this book. The font and the colours of the book are eye catching and the cartoon picture is extremely adorable. At the beginning of every chapter there is a little excerpt from the Simon Snow novels or Cath's fan fiction which is a really nice added detail.

I have never had a book feel more real to me. The struggles and challenges that Cath faces are so believable and I'm sure have happened to lots of people. College and family are issues that people have issues with all the time and I think this book could really help people know that they are not alone. It is a bit of a long book, but it is so fast paced that it doesn't take long to read at all. 

The originality of this book is so fresh and was so needed, it was nice to meet new characters that I know will stay with me.

As main characters we have:

Cather and Wren Avery: 18 year old twins who are in their first year of college. Both are major Simon Snow fans, though Wren is slowly drifting away from it. 

Art Avery: The girls dad.

Reagan: Cath's roommate who loves to go out and party and loves being mean to Cath, even though they are great friends.

Levi: One of Reagan's best guy friends, who is always over at Reagan and Cath's room. 21 years old and works at Starbucks. Happiest and nicest boy in the world. 

After reading this book, I feel like these characters are my friends, as if they actually exist and I am just waiting to receive a text from them. The thing I loved most was that all the characters had imperfections, their lives were nowhere near perfect. They all had challenges to overcome and fought their way through. Which brings to character development. Every one of our characters showed development by the end of the book which was very surprising, and so very nice. I really wish there was more to the book to see what happens to all of them. Levi was hands down my favourite character. He was so compassionate and caring, and an amazing friend who was always there when needed. He was so cheery and smiled so much, I kept catching myself smiling because of him. 

Rowell's writing style is impeccable, flawless. When I read Eleanor & Park, while I did not like Eleanor, I could not deny the fabulous writing. Everything flows and falls perfectly into place. I didn't write down any of my favourite quotes, but if I had I'm sure it would have been about 3/4 of the book. 

I rated this book an easy 5/5. A new favorite of mine for sure. I would easily recommend this book to everyone, I think everyone could get enjoyment out of it. 

Now I cannot wait to read Attachments, which is her adult novel. And I plan to read anything that Rowell writes in the future.

Let me know what you thought if you have read this book. 

Wednesday Wishlist (#6)

Title: Half World
Author: Hiromi Goto
Published: January 30th 2009 by Puffin Canada
233 pages 

Goodreads synopsis:
Melanie Tamaki is human—but her parents aren’t. They are from Half World, a Limbo between our world and the afterlife, and her father is still there. When her mother disappears, Melanie must follow her to Half World—and neither of them may return alive. Imagine Coraline as filmed by the Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki (Howl’s Moving Castle), or Neil Gaiman collaborating with Charles de Lint. Half World is vivid, visceral, unforgettable, a combination of prose and images that will haunt you.

I heard about this book through Jason at theheavyblanks and Colleen at littleghostcreations (both on YouTube). I have been wanting to check this one out for a while now, as I have been wanting to check out more Asian authors. I have heard amazing things about this one. I already bought the second book but I cannot seem to find the first one anywhere!

Have you read this book? If you have, what did you think of it?

Tag (#2) - Genres Tag

I’m not entirely sure who this tag was created by, but basically they give you genres and you just say your favorite books or series in that genre. So here we go!

Young Adult:
1. The Grisha series by Leigh Bardugo. Book number one being Shadow and Bone and book number two being Siege And Storm. This series is absolutely amazing. Every little aspect of it is so well put together and all of the characters are phenomenal!
2. The Tigers Curse series by Colleen Houck. This series gives me ALL the feels. Plays with my heart strings. Again I am in love with all of the characters, although sometimes I want to smack the main character, Kelsey, over the head.
Honourable mention to The Selection series by Kiera Cass which I also really enjoy.

Fantasy:
1. A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin. This is the first in the series of A Song of Ice and Fire. It is the only one that I’ve read but I cannot wait to continue on with this series.
2. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. I am only currently reading this and am about halfway through but it is blowing my mind so far. No doubt about it it’s going to be in my top favourites.

Science Fiction:
1. The Across the Universe series by Beth Revis. I have yet to read the final instalment in the series but I can’t wait to see how it turns out.
2. The Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer. I’ve been in love with this series since I’ve been in high school! I still have to read the last two in the series.

Romance:
1. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. Come on, who doesn’t like this one.
2. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. I wasn’t sure if I should add this in romance, but why not. Heart wrenching novel.

Dystopian:
1. The Delirium series by Lauren Oliver. Still need to get my hands on the final book.
2. The Matched series by Ally Condie. I wasn’t overly happy with the turnout of this series, but it was still alright nonetheless.

Children’s:
1. A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. I loved reading these in junior high.
2. The 39 Clues series by various authors. This is such a fun series and it really transports you all over the world. Quick, light and fun reads.

Classic:
1. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. Absolutely adored this one.
2. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I don’t know if most people would classify this as a classic, but I am.

Play:
I’ve only read Shakespeare.
1. The Tempest.
2. Macbeth.

Horror:
1. The Devouring by Simon Holt. This scared me, a lot. I can’t wait to read the sequel this October.
2. Ten by Gretchen McNeil. A retelling of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None.

Paranormal:
1. Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris. The first in the Sookie Stackhouse series. I’ve only read the first and am planning to continue in October.
2. Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead. I’ve read the first two and really really need to continue on.

Crime:
1. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. I need to finish this series.
2. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. If you have read this book, then you’ll know what I mean when I say THAT ENDING, what even.

Manga:
1. Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya. I’ve only read 6/23 but they are so adorable. I just love them.
2. Vampire Knight by Matsuri Hino. A really cool storyline. I’ve only read volume 1 but can’t wait to continue on.

Have you read any of these? What are some of your favorites within these genres? If you do this tag post your link so I can see yours answers as well!

Book Review (#4) - The Palace Of Curiosities by Rosie Garland

Title: The Palace of Curiosities
Author: Rosie Garland
Published: March 28th 2013 by Harper Collins
316 pages
Goodreads  blurb:
A luminous and bewitching debut novel that is perfect for fans of Angela Carter. Set in Victorian London, it follows the fortunes of Eve, the Lion-Faced Girl and Abel, the Flayed Man. A magical realism delight. Before Eve is born, her mother goes to the circus. She buys a penny twist of coloured sugar and settles down to watch the heart-stopping main attraction: a lion, billed as a monster from the savage heart of Africa, forged in the heat of a merciless sun. Mama swears she hears the lion sigh, just before it leaps…and when Eve is born, the story goes, she didn’t cry – she meowed and licked her paws. When Abel is pulled from the stinking Thames, the mudlarks are sure he is long dead. As they search his pockets to divvy up the treasure, his eyes crack open and he coughs up a stream of black water. But how has he survived a week in that thick stew of human waste? Cast out by Victorian society, Eve and Abel find succour from an unlikely source. They will become The Lion Faced Girl and The Flayed Man, star performers in Professor Josiah Arroner’s Palace of Curiosities. And there begins a journey that will entwine their fates forever.

This novel was extremely slow paced for me. At times I just felt that nothing was even happening at all. A lot of parts were quite boring and pointless. In my opinion the story line was well put together but it dragged out way too much. And then at the end it felt like everything was being crammed in.
I have never read anything like this before. I picked this book up thinking it was about a circus, but it is not. So please don’t make the same assumption that I did. Although my mind was set on a circus, I was still pleased with the palace of curiosities. I thought it was a neat idea.

The author did a really good job creating the setting and atmosphere of the book. Her style was really well done for the era the book was set in. I also really liked that the chapters are alternating points of view. I tend to get annoyed with characters easily so I like switching back and forth and being able to get into multiple characters heads. One downfall about the writing was that it was extremely repetitive. Abel has short term memory loss so every chapter with him we are told the same things over and over and over. That was extremely annoying.

The characters were all a little dull to me. I didn’t really end up loving any of them. The two main characters did have a bit of development throughout the book which is always a positive thing. In all honesty, I didn’t connect with any of the characters, I got bored with them, and I really didn’t end up caring what happened to them.

If you are looking for a fast paced page turner, this is not the book you want. If you want something to just relax with and take slowly, maybe you should pick this one up.

I gave this a 3/5 stars on goodreads.

Have you read this ? Were your thoughts similar or do you disagree with me? Let me know in the comments.

Wednesday Wishlist (#5)

Title: The Secret History
Author: Donna Tartt
Published: 1992
559 pages

Goodreads blurb:
Richard Papen arrived at Hampden College in New England and was quickly seduced by an elite group of five students, all Greek scholars, all worldly, self-assured, and, at first glance, all highly unapproachable. As Richard is drawn into their inner circle, he learns a terrifying secret that binds them to one another...a secret about an incident in the woods in the dead of night where an ancient rite was brought to brutal life...and led to a gruesome death. And that was just the beginning....

Well how intriguing does that sound? I heard about this book from Mercedes at MercysBookishMusings on YouTube. This was in her list of her favorite books and the way she described it made it sound really good. I also saw that LukeLaneReads, also on YouTube, gave this a 5/5 star review and I usually trust his judgment. I have this one on hold at the library right now and I don't know if I can wait that much longer. I am tempted to go out and buy it so I can start it right now! 

Book Review (#3) - The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd

Title: The Madman's Daughter
Author: Megan Shepherd
Published: January 29th 2013 by Balzer + Bray
First in The Madman's Daughter series
432 pages 

Sixteen year old Juliet is frowned upon in the town of London, and it is all because of her father. She is making a living for herself by working as a maid and keeping low. Her mom passed away soon after her father left so she's all alone in the town. But when she finds out her father is alive, and continuing the work he was kicked out of London for, everything changes. She travels to the island where he has been hiding. When she arrives she finds that her dad has created an island full of animals that he has performed on to turn them almost human-like. This is the work that got him banned from London. Now the question is, can she make her father cease this horrible and disturbing work?

This book is based off of the book The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells. I have never read that book before and I don't think it is necessary to do so before reading this one. In my opinion it was probably better because then you don't know the outcome. There were tons of twists and the ending was a complete shock to me, even though I feel like I should have seen it coming. I really loved the writing style that Shepherd gave in this book. It really reminded me of Kenneth Oppel's This Dark Endeavor (which I really enjoyed even though it was very creepy, disturbing and eerie). The way settings and characters are described and portrayed, it feels like you are just thrown onto a creepy island with strange vivisected animal/human creatures. As a debut novel, I think Shepherd did a beautiful job and I feel like this is the beginning to a great series.

I'm really hoping in the next book we will learn more about Montgomery, who was my favorite character. He was definitely the most interesting of the bunch, along with Jaguar. Juliet's father really makes the perfect villain; he is insane and heartless, and as the title suggests, he is quite the madman.

I cannot wait to see where she takes this series. The sequel Her Dark Curiosity is coming out in 2014 and it is inspired from the Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Book Haul (#2) - 37 Books (Part 2)

Book Haul (#2) - 37 Books (Part 1)

Wednesday Wishlist (#4)

Title: Touch
Author: Alexi Zentner
Publication: April 4th 2011 by W. W. Norton & Company
Pages: 264

Goodreads blurb:
In Sawgamet, a north woods boomtown gone bust, the cold of winter breaks the glass of the schoolhouse thermometer, and the dangers of working in the cuts are overshadowed by the mysteries and magic lurking in the woods. Stephen, a pastor, is at home on the eve of his mother's funeral, thirty years after the mythic summer his grandfather returned to the town in search of his beloved but long-dead wife. And like his grandfather, Stephen is forced to confront the losses of his past.

Touch introduces you to a world where monsters and witches oppose singing dogs and golden caribou, where the living and the dead part and meet again in the crippling beauty of winter and the surreal haze of summer.


I first heard about this book through Jason from theheavyblanks. He is constantly raving about how amazing this book is and his enthusiasm for it really makes me want to check it out. Every time I go to my local book store I search for this book, and they never have it. So I might have to cave and finally order it online. Also, this book is by a Canadian author and I would really like to read more Canadian works. 

Bout of Books 8.0 Day 1 & 2 Updates

Day 1
The Name Of The Wind by Patrick Rothfuss - read 7%
Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple - read 72 pages
Nightshifted by Cassie Alexander - read 20 pages

Day 2
The Name Of The Wind by Patrick Rothfuss - read 3%
Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple - read 6 pages
Nightshifted by Cassie Alexander - read 25 pages

I didn't get anywhere near as far as I wanted to on day 2, but I ended up getting so busy. Today has been better and hopefully tomorrow will be even better!

How are you doing with your goals?

Book Review (#2) - The Prelude by KaSonndra Leigh

Title: The Prelude
Author: KaSonndra Leigh
Published: 2003 by KaSonndra Leigh Books
First in A Musical Interlude series
328 pages

"Love, I have this to say to you: "You tore open my heart. You made me feel pain when all I wanted to feel was joy. So now, I will remove your power over me. I'll never kiss anyone or trust in any dream that you can take away from me. I will never believe in you again.""

Erin has had a really hard life. Everything that she cares about has been taken away from her so she vows to never trust or love again, or kiss anyone on the lips(...who doesn't like kissing?!).  So to put the past behind her, she moves to Italy to pursue a career as a designer. Her company is hired on to design outfits for a show being put together by a famous Russian maestro. This is how Erin meets Aleksandr Dostovsky, (a.k.a Alek Dostov, although I prefer his full name better), the world renowned maestro from Russia. Both avoid emotional attachments, yet there is something there that can't keep the two of them away from each other.

Plot:
Okay so let's talk about the plot. When I first started reading this I kept thinking to myself "what on earth am I getting myself into, this is not my kind of story". But this book REALLY surprised me! This is so much more than a love story. There was so much back story, a Russian gang and family issues. It really covered a lot. So even though most of it was about the romance there were other things to distract. Most of the twists were surprises and a few you could see coming from a mile away, but all in all I was quite happy with how the story progressed.

Characters:
Can we just talk about Alek? I was hooked from the moment I found out he was Russian (I have some kind of weird obsession with Russia). He's got the dark hair and the sultry dark eyes with hints of blue and he is 6'2". Come on, I know you are interested already. He was probably my favorite character, even though I did mostly enjoy all of them. Although I didn't connect with Erin she was a strong character as well, even though she was a tiny bit whiny and cursed a little too much. Even all the smaller role characters were great. I loved learning about every one of them and I cannot wait to get my hands on the second book to learn even more.

Writing Style:
The authors writing style was quite simple (not that this is a bad thing), which made this book easy to fly through. I ended up reading it in just over a day. I also really like that she wrote in alternating points of views. Not often with romances do you get to see inside the mans head. I can't wait to read more by Leigh and see what she is all about.

Enjoyability:
Like I said in the beginning, I didn't think I was going to enjoy this book one bit, but I was pleasantly surprised. I already can't wait for the second installment in the series (The Crescendo, 2014, pictured below).

Overall I enjoyed this book and gave it a 4/5 rating.

And a warning, if you are under the age of 18, you should wait until you are of age to read this because of all the mature content.

A big thanks to the author for sending me this book for review!

Bout of Books 8.0 read-a-thon goals!

Here are a few of my goals for the read-a-thon this week!
I am about 6% through The Name Of The Wind by Patrick Rothfuss, so I would like to finish that first.
Then I would also like to read Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple.
If I make it through both of those then I will be starting The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick.
I'll be tracking my process each day!

Bout of Books 8.0 read-a-thon

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 19th and runs through Sunday, August 25th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 8.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

I participated in the Bout of Books 7.0 read-a-thon and I'm so excited to be doing it again! I will have my goals up tomorrow morning. If you guys are participating good luck! 

Wishlist Wednesday (#3)

This week on my wishlist Wednesday, I couldn't choose only one so I picked two books this week.

Title: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
Author: Barbara Robinson
Published:1972
Put out again by HarperCollins in 2005
128 pages

The Herdmans are the worst kids in the history of the world. They lie, steal, smoke cigars, swear, and hit little kids. So no one is prepared when this outlaw family invades church one Sunday and decides to take over the annual Christmas pageant.

None of the Herdmans has ever heard the Christmas story before. Their interpretation of the tale -- the Wise Men are a bunch of dirty spies and Herod needs a good beating -- has a lot of people up in arms. But it will make this year's pageant the most unusual anyone has seen and, just possibly, the best one ever.

Title: The Best Halloween Ever
Author: Barbara Robinson
Published: 2004 by HarperCollins
144 pages

The Herdmans plus Halloween have always spelled disaster
Every Halloween, the six Herdman kids steal candy, spray-paint other kids, and take everything that isn't nailed down. And this year promises to be the same, until the Mayor decides to up and cancel Halloween. True, that means there'd be no Herdman trouble to contend with, but that also means no candy, no costumes, and no trick-or-treating! Is it possible that the Herdmans themselves could make what looks like a horrible Halloween into the best one ever?





I remember when I was younger, my mom used to read The Best Christmas Pageant Ever to me and Marissa. It really brings back old memories for me. I recently found out there were a few more in the series. I would really like to find these and read them this year.

Book Purchase (#3)

I went in to Chapters after I finished work today and picked up a little something for myself. 

Volume 2 of the Sailor Moon manga by Naoko Takeuchi. 

Angelfall by Susan Ee. 

I have heard nothing but good things about Angelfall so I really cannot wait to get to this one! An angel apocalypse sounds so badass. 

Tag (#1) - This Or That

Finally, a video with all three bibliophilesisters! We got together and decided to do a tag. We are not sure who first created this or what the real name was, but we had fun doing it anyway. Hope you enjoy!

July Wrap Up + August TBR 2013

Tag (#1) - This Or That

Audiobook or book in hand?
If I am listening to an audiobook, I always have to have the physical copy in front of me as well. Just helps me follow along a little better.

Soft cover or hard cover?
SOFT COVER. Always.

Fiction or non-fiction?
90% of the time, I enjoy fiction. But once in a while I will find a non-fiction that is very intriguing to me.

Fantasy world or real life issues?
Fantasy.

Harry Potter or Twilight?
Is this even a real life question? Harry pottaaah.

Kindle, iPad or other?
Kobo Arc! Or iPhone if I am listening to an audiobook.

Borrow or buy?
Well sometimes I am broke, and to save money I borrow. But I do like to own my own copies of books I really enjoy.

Bookstore or buy online?
There is no greater feeling than browsing through a book shop, finding something that catches your attention, bringing it up to the tills, getting home and cracking that baby open.

Stand alone or series?
I tend to read more series, which I hate. Because I have a tooooon of unfinished series (which I will be making a video about soon). Most of the time I would prefer a stand alone.

Monster read or short and sweet?
Well that totally depends on how much I am loving the story. If I am really interested and don't want it to end, monster read. If I'm not feeling in the mood for a particular story, short and sweet.

Starry eyed romance or full of action?
Action, with a touch of romance. As long as it's not love at first sight, telling each other how much they love one another after three days.

Curl up in your snuggie or lay in the sun?
Well, since I live in Alberta, we don't tend to get much sun around here with out 8-9 months of snow. So curl up with a snuggie. Also the fact that I have low iron levels, I am freezing 99% of the time.

Hot chocolate or latte?
Lately, neither. I drink green teas or steeped tea double doubles. Mmmm.

Read the review or decide for yourself?
Decide for myself! I rarely watch reviews of books that I have not read. I hate being spoiled. Half of the time I don't even know the plot when going into a book. Always a new adventure that way.

Book Haul (#1) - July 2013

Book Purchase (#2)

I got my hands on these lovely books today. I'm slowly trying to branch out of my young adult comfort zone and get more into reading adult material. So I'm hoping this will ease me into it. 

The Palace of Curiosities by Rosie Garland 

Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple 

The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht 

Book Purchase (#1)

Just recently my boyfriend and I decided to rewatch the first and second season of Sherlock. And that had put me into the mysterious detective stories mood. I love a good mystery, and I have never actually read any Sherlock Holmes stories. So I went out today and decided to purchase this. 

I am so excited to dig into this, although I'm not too sure when I will be able to. This is volume 1 of the Complete Novels And Stories of Sherlock Holmes. I bought this from Chapters for only $10. 

June Wrap-Up & July TBR

Book Review (#1) - The Colour Of Magic by Terry Pratchett

Title: The Colour Of Magic

Author: Terry Pratchett
Published: 1983
First book in the Discworld series
224 pages

This book started out really strong for me, but about 70% of the way through I started losing interest. Hence the docked stars. Now I'm not sure if this is because of the story or because I was halfway through watching the third season of Game Of Thrones and that was all I could think about.

The writing style was great, very strong and descriptive. I wouldn't call it a laugh out loud funny book, but it did have good humor. The characters were awesome. I loved Rincewind and Twoflower. And I never thought an author could make me love a wooden chest as much as I did. 

And my favorite part of the whole book, although a short part, was the bit with the dragons. Come on, who doesn't love dragons?

This was my first time reading Terry Pratchett, and it won't be the last.

3.5/5 stars

Book Jar!

I have made one of these before but I thought it was time to make a new one. Basically what you do is you write down all the names of the unread books that you want to read, and when you can't make the decision of what to read next, all you have to do is reach in and pick one out! It's an awesome idea for people like me who can't make up their mind when choosing what to read next. 

My sister drew this picture for me. It consists of my favorite things: my blog, my boyfriend, books, my puppy, Michael Kors and Steve Madden, hairstyling, wine, iPhones, lists and my Honda Civic. It was so funny I couldn't not put it up on my blog!

Wednesday Wishlist (#2)

Title: Poison Princess
Author: Kresley Cole
Publication: Simon and Schuster
Pages: 369
Release Date: October 2nd, 2012

Goodreads blurb:
She could save the world—or destroy it.

Sixteen year old Evangeline “Evie” Greene leads a charmed life, until she begins experiencing horrifying hallucinations. When an apocalyptic event decimates her Louisiana hometown, Evie realizes her hallucinations were actually visions of the future—and they’re still happening. Fighting for her life and desperate for answers, she must turn to her wrong-side-of-the-bayou classmate: Jack Deveaux.

But she can’t do either alone.

With his mile-long rap sheet, wicked grin, and bad attitude, Jack is like no boy Evie has ever known. Even though he once scorned her and everything she represented, he agrees to protect Evie on her quest. She knows she can’t totally depend on Jack. If he ever cast that wicked grin her way, could she possibly resist him?

Who can Evie trust?

As Jack and Evie race to find the source of her visions, they meet others who have gotten the same call. An ancient prophesy is being played out, and Evie is not the only one with special powers. A group of twenty-two teens has been chosen to reenact the ultimate battle between good and evil. But it’s not always clear who is on which side…

                - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  

I first heard about this book through Amber over at www.booksofamber.blogspot.ca. She categorized this as one of her All Time Favorites and I usually have pretty similar taste in books as her. She reviewed this book on her website and made it sound absolutely amazing and I have been wanting to get this one ever since!

You can find Amber's review here:
www.booksofamber.com/2012/10/poison-princess-by-kresley-cole.html

Wishlist Wednesday (#1)

Title: Strands Of Bronze And Gold
Author: Jane Nickerson
Publication: Random House Children's Books
Pages: 352
Release Date: March 12th, 2013

Goodreads blurb:
When seventeen-year-old Sophia Petheram’s beloved father dies, she receives an unexpected letter. An invitation—on fine ivory paper, in bold black handwriting—from the mysterious Monsieur Bernard de Cressac, her godfather. With no money and fewer options, Sophie accepts, leaving her humble childhood home for the astonishingly lavish Wyndriven Abbey, in the heart of Mississippi.

Sophie has always longed for a comfortable life, and she finds herself both attracted to and shocked by the charm and easy manners of her overgenerous guardian. But as she begins to piece together the mystery of his past, it’s as if, thread by thread, a silken net is tightening around her. And as she gathers stories and catches whispers of his former wives—all with hair as red as her own—in the forgotten corners of the abbey, Sophie knows she’s trapped in the passion and danger of de Cressac’s intoxicating world.

Glowing strands of romance, mystery, and suspense are woven into this breathtaking debut—a thrilling retelling of the “Bluebeard” fairy tale

                - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

For a few weeks now I have been really wanting this book (I even went to buy it a little while back and didn't realize it only comes out March 12th). What really caught me is that it is a retelling of the Bluebeard story. Honestly, I have absolutely no idea what the Bluebeard story is about, but most people are saying that not knowing makes this story even better since you won't know what is going to happen. I cannot wait to get my hands on this next Tuesday!

February 2013 Wrap-Up

1. Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn
My rating: 5/5 stars
Quick thoughts: I don't normally read this genre, but I was very interested in this book after first hearing about it. I was caught up in it from the very beginning and I couldn't stop wondering what would happen next. I love that the chapters alternated between two people as well as past and present.

2. Rockoholic - C.J. Skuse
My rating: 3.5/5 stars
Quick thoughts: I was really interested in the story line of this book, but when I was about halfway through I became really disinterested. It was just weird and absolutely unbelievable. I could not connect with the characters, I hardly liked any of the characters and I just got bored.

3. Darkness Falls - Cate Tiernan
My rating: 5/5 stars
Quick thoughts: This is the second book in the Immortal Beloved series and I absolutely LOVED this sequel! Usually the sequels never really live up to the first in the series, but this was so much better than Immortal Beloved. It was completely action packed and I could not put this one down.

4. Clarity - Kim Harrington
My rating: 4/5 stars
Quick thoughts: I had no idea what this book was about going into it, but it turned out to be very pleasant. Although it was a little hard to connect with the characters, I was still very intrigued with this book. It's almost like a murder mystery and the whole time I was trying to figure out who the killer could be. I was wrong..every time.

5. Warm Bodies - Isaac Marion
My rating: 5/5 stars
Quick thoughts: This book...this book. SO GOOD. I can't even get over how much I really liked this book. The writing was BEAUTIFUL. The way the author describes everything is just amazing. I didn't know if I would be able to take this book seriously (a zombie falling in love with a human is a little hard to believe) but somehow, the author made it work.

6. A Need So Beautiful - Suzanne Young
My rating: 4/5 stars
Quick thoughts: Again, I had no idea what this book was about going into it. I still don't even know what to describe it as, fallen angels? I probably would have enjoyed it a little bit more had I not read Clarity just a week before. It seemed really similar in ways, but I still can't wait to read the second installments in both series.

7. Eternally Yours - Cate Tiernan
My rating: 4/5 stars
Quick thoughts: This is the third installment in the Immortal Beloved series. Although it wasn't as action packed as the second (which is why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5) it was still really enjoyable. I hoped for a better ending though, and now it has me wondering if there is going to be a fourth book (anyone have any idea about that?) I definitely recommend this series to those who want to read about some kick ass immortal characters!