Frost by Marianna Baer

Title: Frost
Author: Marianna Baer
Publisher: Balzer and Bray
Publication Date: September 13, 2011
Source: Bought Nook Book


Summary: Leena Thomas’s senior year at boarding school begins with a shock: Frost House, her cozy dorm of close friends, has been assigned an unexpected roommate: confrontational, eccentric Celeste Lazar. But while Leena’s anxiety about a threat to her sanctuary proves valid, it becomes less and less clear whether the threat lies with her new roommate, within Leena’s own mind, or within the very nature of Frost House itself. Mysterious happenings in the dorm, an intense triangle between Leena, Celeste, and Celeste’s brother, and the reawakening of childhood fears, all push Leena to take increasingly desperate measures to feel safe. Frost is the story of a haunting. As to whether the demons are supernatural or psychological . . . well, which answer would let you sleep at night?


Review: Frost is a thrilling tale that combines the supernatural with some psychological elements. And like the blurb states, which one makes you feel better?

From the instant Leena's narration popped up on the page I knew that I was in for something. Something awesome or something scary, I couldn't tell. I can tell you now that Frost is both frightening and pretty awesome. To me Leena made the story even spookier than it could have been. She has a great narration, though at times you aren't sure what is real...and what is. I wasn't sure if I could ever trust Leena but I did like her as a character.

I love being scared. I'm scared of just about everything but in books I have some semblance of fun at being scared. Frost wholly succeeded in quenching my desire for being scared. With Frost House, or was it really Frost House, throwing things around, burning, and an intense closet connection; it was just awesome! I'm not going to say anything more about that, though!

The secondary characters were all interesting people. I found myself frustrated at many of them. Abby and Viv, Leena's friends, annoyed me. They just weren't there for Leena when they should have been. Celeste was an interesting person who I ended up enjoying. She was a tad eccentric and just a little crazy. But then again Leena could be crazy as well.

Overall, Frost is a wonderful book to read as this Halloween season comes to a close. It gives you the choice with what you want to believe around Frost House and whether you trust the characters within the book. Frost is one creepy book.


Rating:

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

In My Mailbox (53)

Hi everyone!
In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren to share the books we got in the past week!

This week turned out to be amazing!

Bought:

Darker Still by Leanna Renee Heiber

My Beating Teenage Heart by C.K. Kelly Martin

Working Stiff by Rachel Caine

These books have a story that make me very happy! I go into my town's campus bookstore, I live in a college town, to go buy some film for my darkroom photography class. On my way to go see what team apparel they have and then...I spot books. And a sign that says Teens/YA and then Adult. I grab those three books and, well, it made my day. Especially getting Darker Still!

Won:

Sojourn by Jana G. Oliver. Or Jana Oliver as in The Demon Trapper's series. I won this from Jessica over at A Great Read! Thanks Jessica! 

That's it for me, what did you get?

Blog Happenings (43)

Hi everyone! 

I hope you are enjoying a spooky weekend before Halloween on Monday! I'm going to be craving pumpkins soon, handing out candy on Halloween night and then going to a costume party type thing that my school does! I'm very excited! Are you doing anything fun for Halloween?

READING:

I've only read the first three chapters so I can't exactly tell you if I like it or not. It seems to be off to a good start!

READ SINCE LAST POST:

Enthralled by Various is an amazing YA anthology.

Frost by Marianna Baer which is very spooky!

TO READ:

Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick

Soul Thief by Jana Oliver

EXCITING NEW BOOK COVERS:

These are just a couple I've seen around this week!

I don't know if Flirting in Italian is a new cover but it sounds promising!

Click on the titles for links to Goodreads!

Larkstorm by Dawn Rae Miller, I'd never heard of this one before I saw the cover popping up! It sounds amazing.

Timepiece by Myra McEntire...eek! Hourglass was amazing!

Social Suicide by Gemma Halliday, I haven't read Deadly Cool but these covers are so pretty!

Surrender by Elana Johnson is the companion novel to Possession. I'm not quite sure if I'll read this one but the cover is beautiful!

That's it for me! I hope you have a wonderful Halloween weekend! 

What to Read (6)

SPOOKY BOOKS!

My opinion might be a little skewed in some places because I'm frightened of my own shadow. 

Frost by Marianna Baer freaked me out! It's a quick-paced read that had me on my toes. The cover is so perfect for the book!

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake is filled with the perfect amount of gore, ghosts and just well-done spookiness! Anna Dressed in Blood definitely scared me.

Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann is a book you definitely don't want to read in the dark or at night. I did both. This is NOT recommended unless you want to scare yourself to death. Everything about this book creeped me out. McMann's writing style definitely added to the spook factor.

The Thirteenth Chime by Emma Michaels was simply written but it still managed to make me scared. Especially of Grandfather clocks. I have a Grandfather clock; it just chimed. Fortunately, I don't think that it's evil. :)

The Body Finder Series by Kimberly Derting is one of my favorite series of all time and it is downright scary. The Body Finder was especially creepy! Even the titles are eerie.

Spooky books I need to read:

These three are books I think are spooky/creepy. Correct me if I'm wrong but I really want to read these this Halloween season!

Possess by Gretchen McNeil

After Obsession by Carrie Jones & Steven E. Wedel

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin. 

I NEED to get to all of these soon! Mara Dyer is at the top of the list.

Fairy Bad Day by Amanda Ashby

Title: Fairy Bad Day
Author: Amanda Ashby
Publisher: Speak
Publication Date: June 9, 2011
Source: Bought


Summary: While most students at Burtonwood Academy get to kill demons and goblins, fifteen-year-old Emma gets to rid the world of little annoying fairies with glittery wings and a hipster fashion sense. She was destined to be a dragon slayer, but cute and charming Curtis stole her spot. Then she sees a giant killer fairy - and it's invisible to everyone but her! If Emma has any chance of stopping this evil fairy, she's going to need help. Unfortunately, the only person who can help is Curtis. And now, not only has he stolen her dragon-slayer spot, but maybe her heart as well! Why does she think it's going to be a fairy bad day?

Review: Fairy Bad Day is a cute paranormal book, especially if you're looking for something not so scary this Halloween season!

Emma and her friends, Tyler, Loni and Curtis were a joy to read about. They had so much snark and so many funny things to say. Tyler and all his hilarious betting comments always made me smile. Emma, our main character, is a relatable one. She's tough, funny and has some issues that other teens will be able to relate, too. Curtis is just a sweetheart.

Burtonwood, the slayer school, that all the characters go to was so awesome. Boarding schools are a favorite aspect of mine in books. It was nice to see a little bit of their slaying classes peek through when they weren't busy hunting down some faeries.

In Fairy Bad Day Emma gets assigned to fairy slayer while Curtis gets assigned to Emma's position as Dragon Slayer. Emma therefore considers him as her archenemy. Curtis and Emma's interactions were hilarious and always had me smiling as I watched their friendship morph into something more.

The only thing that I can find to complain about it Emma and Company's ability to pull of everything so well. And with such crazy antics! It was just a bunch of sophomores defeating the big dark fairy. It just seemed a little unbelievable.

Fairy Bad Day is a sweet paranormal with some skittle loving fairies and some great characters!


Rating:

Waiting On Wednesday (42)

Waiting on Wednesday is a way to share book we're excited for! Hosted by Breaking the Spine!

This week's pick is:

Undeadly by Michele Vail
February 28, 2012

The day I turned 16, my boyfriend-to-be died. I brought him back to life. Then things got a little weird...

Molly Bartolucci wants to blend in, date hottie Rick and keep her zombie-raising abilities on the down-low. Then the god Anubis chooses her to become a reaper—and she accidentally undoes the work of another reaper, Rath.

Within days, she’s shipped off to the Nekyia Academy, an elite school that trains the best necromancers in the world. And her personal reaping tutor? Rath. Who seems to hate her guts.

Rath will be watching closely to be sure she completes her first assignment-reaping Rick, the boy who should have died. The boy she still wants to be with.

To make matters worse, students at the academy start turning up catatonic, and accusations fly—against Molly. The only way out of this mess? To go through hell. Literally.

This one sounds really, really cool. I love acdemies and hot tutors.(It does not say that the tutor, Rath, is a hottie but I think that is assumed!)
There's not much in YA, to my knowledge, about reapers and Anubis. I can't wait to see what the author does with this!

Without Tess by Marcella Pixley

Title: Without Tess
Author: Marcella Pixley
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication Date: October 11, 2011
Source: Thanks Netgalley and  Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Summary: Tess and Lizzie are sisters, sisters as close as can be, who share a secret world filled with selkies, flying horses, and a girl who can transform into a wolf in the middle of the night. But when Lizzie is ready to grow up, Tess clings to their fantasies. As Tess sinks deeper and deeper into her delusions, she decides that she can’t live in the real world any longer and leaves Lizzie and her family forever. Now, years later, Lizzie is in high school and struggling to understand what happened to her sister. With the help of a school psychologist and Tess’s battered journal, Lizzie searches for a way to finally let Tess go.

Review: Without Tess proved to be an amazing read, yet it had some disturbing aspects.

Tess is the sister that disturbed me, with her wild fantasies and the crazy and hurtful things she made her sister do. Lizzie is the sister that ultimately made me care for her. She was so wounded and just blamed herself for Tess's death. It was like I couldn't not care for her. Her narration was one of the things that made the story. I wanted her to be happy.

Speaking of the writing...wow. Pixley has the most beautiful writing. She paints a picture that makes you think that you are in Tess's distorted world. Just the way Pixley put things was thought out and so elegant. I would soak up this writing even if the story was awful. But it most definitely isn't..

Pixley did a great job of combining Lizzie's present with flashbacks and poems from the Peagsus Journal, which is Tess's journal. The flashbacks are what made the characters make sense and in turn they fleshed them out even more. Each character had a special place in the story and that was one of the things I really liked about this book. There seemed to be no filler

The flashbacks reveal a lot of what happened before Tess but they keep you guessing to the very end. In a way I like this but sometimes I just had to know what happened.

Without Tess is an amazing, touching story about moving on and the bond between sisters.

Rating: 4.5 stars

The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa

Title: The Iron Knight
Author: Julie Kagawa
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication Date: October 25, 2011
Source: Thanks Netgalley and Harlequin!!

Summary: Ash, former prince of the Winter Court, gave up everything. His title, his home, even his vow of loyalty. All for a girl… and all for nothing.

Unless he can earn a soul.

To cold, emotionless faery prince Ash, love was a weakness for mortals and fools. His own love had died a horrible death, killing any gentler feelings the Winter prince might have had. Or so he thought.

Then Meghan Chase—a half human, half fey slip of a girl— smashed through his barricades, binding him to her irrevocably with his oath to be her knight. And when all of Faery nearly fell to the Iron fey, she severed their bond to save his life. Meghan is now the Iron Queen, ruler of a realm where no Winter or Summer fey can survive.

With the (unwelcome) company of his archrival, Summer Court prankster Puck, and the infuriating cait sith Grimalkin, Ash begins a journey he is bound to see through to its end— a quest to find a way to honor his solemn vow to stand by Meghan’s side.

To survive in the Iron realm, Ash must have a soul and a mortal body. But the tests he must face to earn these things are impossible. At least, no one has ever passed to tell the tale.

And then Ash learns something that changes everything. A truth that turns reality upside down, challenges his darkest beliefs and shows him that, sometimes, it takes more than courage to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Review: The Iron Knight was pure amazingness. Every second that I spent reading this book was pure bliss.

In the fourth installment in The Iron Fey series, Ash is the narrator. Not Meghan. I loved Ash as a narrator. He's complex, emotionally wounded and he makes me laugh. Ash is so brave and just so sweet sometimes. He's willing to do everything for Meghan. We don't see much of Meghan in this book and though I missed her I liked seeing Ash's own story unfold.

Puck is a character I absolutely love. Him, Grimalkin and the Wolf are back in this book. Each of their characters are so fleshed out and it was like I knew each and everyone. Puck and Grimalkin never cease to make me laugh.

Kagawa definitely bumps up the standard for creativity in this book. Everywhere that Ash went to go get mortality was well thought out. It was like I was there with them. The plot also offers light onto Puck and Ash's past disputes. It was nice to know what actually happened to them. One thing that I really appreciated was how the story always surprised me. Hardly anything that happened was something that I saw coming. I love it when that happens.

The Iron Knight is by far the best installment in this series. It's exciting, has a beautiful narrator and some exquisite writing. Even though I will miss these characters so much, I'm happy they got their ending in such a great book.

Rating:

In My Mailbox (51)

Hi everyone! It's time for IMM, hosted by The Story Siren to share the books we got for the week!

This week was SO great!

From the library:

Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. I really, really love this series. I can't wait to continue it!

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater. I've heard some good things about this and I'm really excited to read it!

Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick, I'm very excited to see how she continues the story!

Won:

ARC of The Future of US by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler! I'm starting this one very, very soon! It looks so good.

Thanks for much Lauren!

That's it for me, what did you get?

Blog Happenngs (42)

Hi everyone and Happy Saturday! After a week of cold weather today is an absolute beauty where I live! It's just so autumny and crisp! That's partly the reason for the late blog happenings, I've been busy outside!

READING

I only have about two stories left in this one! This is such a great anthology.

I'm only about 50 pages into Frost by Marianna Baer and I'm loving the hints of creepiness already! Hopefully I'll have this one to review on Halloween!

READ SINCE LAST WEEK:

Without Tess by Marcella Pixely, I really, really enjoyed this one. It was so sad.

Fairy Bad Day by Amanda Ashby puts a whole new perspective on paranormal slaying! It was really funny, too.

TO READ:

Soul Thief by Jana Oliver (I need to read this soon!)

Nothing is really new with me! I hardly had a chance to get on the Internet at all this week. It was cold and I had a ton of tests to study for.

But one book related thing....! Not really.

I LOVE The Lying Games TV series! The Season Finale was on Monday but I didn't have time to watch it. I watched it last night after I went to a football game. SO intense.

One of the main things that draws me into the show are the characters and the intrigue. Plus there's that added factor of the hot boys and the drama. That sure doesn't hurt!

The show is nothing like the book, The Lying Game by Sara Shepard. There's some similarities but other than the characters names, they aren't very big. It doesn't bother me too much because I think that the TV series is SO much better.

With the multiple cliffhangers at the end of the season finale, I can't wait for the new season in January!

That's all for me! See you tomorrow for IMM! I got some great books!



What to Read (5)

Hi all! Welcome to my new "thing" What to Read!

What to Read is a little post I'll do every Friday. It was started when a commenter asked me what my favorite Civil War books are. Obviously, I can't feature Civil War books each week but I can to a new topic...and this week's topic is:

CUTE, FEEL-GOOD BOOKS THAT HAVE A DEEPER MEANING

Yes, we have a long topic today. To me there are the books that are really cute and all fluffy (usually not too good of a read) and the serious ones that make you want to sob. Big difference, don't you think? But I do think that there are some book that combine a little bit of both, like the topic suggests. And without further ado, here are my picks!

Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson.  A road trip book! What can be cuter than this? It was so cute and romantic. The characters are dealing with serious things, though. Instead of just taking away all the road trip fun you can also connect to all the things the characters are going through.

Babe in Boyland by Jody Gerhman is a super funny book. It has the most hilarious one liners ever. I do feel like there is a little bit of a deeper meaning.

Anna and the French Kiss and Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins. Perkins is a master at telling a cute love story but she also combines all the heartaches that come with it. Anna and Lola are two very memorable reads. It isn't all cuteness.

Past Perfect by Leila Sales has a truly hilarious concept, a war between reenactment camps. But it also dives into learning from the past and not living in your past.

The Ghost and the Goth series by Stacy Kade. These books are downright hilarious. Since Alona, a main character, is a ghost and still stuck here, on earth, she has a lot to learn about kindness and being a better person.

Flawless by Lara Chapman is adorable. Yet there's a lot of talk about what exactly is beauty and if people do judge you on your inside or your outside. It still manges to make you smile.

That's it for me!

Do you like your books with cuteness yet substance? All cute? Or all serious?

 

Illusions by Aprilynne Pike

Title: Illusions
Author: Aprilynne Pike
Publisher: Harper Collins
Publication Date: May 3, 2011
Source: Library

Summary: Laurel hasn't seen Tamani since she begged him to let her go last year. Though her heart still aches, Laurel is confident that David was the right choice.

But just as life is returning to normal, Laurel discovers that a hidden enemy lies in wait. Once again, Laurel must turn to Tamani to protect and guide her, for the danger that now threatens Avalon is one that no faerie thought would ever be possible. And for the first time, Laurel cannot be sure that her side will prevail.

Review: Illusions is the third book in the Wings series. I'd enjoyed the last two books but Spells just didn't live up to what I wanted in it. Illusions started a little like that but slowly it morphed into a fantastic book.

The main things that annoy me about this series are the characters. Laurel used to be someone that I liked, maybe even admired. But in this book she seemed annoying and a smidge of whiny. She was too indecisive of about the two love interests, Tamani and David. I felt like she lead both of them on. Plus David and Tam annoy me, too.

But the plot is what eventually captured me. I got wrapped up in the mystery of a new wild faerie in town. I just love learning new things about different worlds and creatures, like Avalon and faeries. Towards the end of Illusions there were so many twists and revelations. I was so happy! Some of the new things did confuse me and make me go, "What happened, I thought...."

I do love Pike's writing. I can't quite describe it but it seems a little bit lyrical, but simple. I'm not quite sure, but I really enjoy it.

Illusions ended up being a really good book. Even though the characters annoy me, Pike makes up for that in the plot and the writing. With the cliffhanger ending I can't wait for the last book!

Rating:

Waiting on Wednesday (41)

Hi and Happy Wednesday! WoW is hosted by Breaking the Spine!

This week's pick is:

Fever by Lauren DeStefano

Febuaray 21, 2011

Rhine and Gabriel have escaped the mansion, but danger is never far behind.

Running away brings Rhine and Gabriel right into a trap, in the form of a twisted carnival whose ringmistress keeps watch over a menagerie of girls. Just as Rhine uncovers what plans await her, her fortune turns again. With Gabriel at her side, Rhine travels through an environment as grim as the one she left a year ago - surroundings that mirror her own feelings of fear and hopelessness.

The two are determined to get to Manhattan, to relative safety with Rhine’s twin brother, Rowan. But the road there is long and perilous - and in a world where young women only live to age twenty and young men die at twenty-five, time is precious. Worse still, they can’t seem to elude Rhine’s father-in-law, Vaughn, who is determined to bring Rhine back to the mansion...by any means necessary.

In the sequel to Lauren DeStefano’s harrowing Wither, Rhine must decide if freedom is worth the price - now that she has more to lose than ever.

Wither was amazing. I can only hope that Fever will live up to that! Rhine and Gabriel out in the world? Yes! It sounds gritty, scary and so interesting. I can't wait to read it!

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Title: Lola and the Boy Next Door
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Publisher: Dutton
Publication Date: September 29, 2011
Source: Bought

Summary: Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion . . . she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit -- more sparkly, more fun, more wild -- the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.

When Cricket -- a gifted inventor -- steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

Review: I'd heard that Lola and the Boy Next Door was even better than Anna and the French Kiss, a book that I was crazy about. All those people that said that were so right. Lola is perfect in every way.

Lola and Cricket stole my heart. Especially Cricket. Cricket was so inexperienced and so awkward, yet he was such a genius in many ways. Just the little things he did for Lola made be smile. Lola, Lola, Lola. How I loved your character. Even with your crazy outfits that I wouldn't dream of wearing in public (or in private) you made me care so much about you and Cricket. Everything you felt I felt, too. Perkins did a super job with her characters; they came to life.

I wasn't even going to mention some of the side characters but since they were so awesome I knew I had to! Lola's dad's were so cool. I loved their over-protectiveness and just everything about them. Lola's best friend was also adorable.

Anna and St. Clair were back! Two claps for that. Perkins Incorporated them into Lola in such a unique way. It was so surreal to see one of my favorite couples in another amazing book.

The San Francisco setting was so magical. I'm not overly familiar with the Castro district, though I have driven through there. But I am familiar with the Mission district. Lola gets her name from Dolores which is a Mission called Mission Dolores Mission. (Seriously, that's what the sign says.) I have a semi-awkward picture of me standing in front of it from awhile ago. But enough with that information.* All am saying is that it's so cool to have a book set in a place that you are familiar with. It makes it even more real.

Lola and the Boy Next Door absolutely charmed me. The setting, the imperfect, yet perfect, characters, and the cameo of Anna and St. Clair just made me fall head over heals in love with this book.

Rating:

*I aplogize if this review is a bit scatterbrained, I wrote it really late!

Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez

Title: Virtuosity
Author: Jessica Martinez
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: October 18, 2011
Source: Simon and Schuster Galley Grab (Also bought a copy.)

Summary: Now is not the time for Carmen to fall in love. And Jeremy is hands-down the wrong guy for her to fall for. He is infuriating, arrogant, and the only person who can stand in the way of Carmen getting the one thing she wants most: to win the prestigious Guarneri competition. Carmen's whole life is violin, and until she met Jeremy, her whole focus was winning. But what if Jeremy isn't just hot...what if Jeremy is better?

Carmen knows that kissing Jeremy can't end well, but she just can't stay away. Nobody else understands her--and riles her up--like he does. Still, she can't trust him with her biggest secret: She is so desperate to win she takes anti-anxiety drugs to perform, and what started as an easy fix has become a hungry addiction. Carmen is sick of not feeling anything on stage and even more sick of always doing what she’s told, doing what's expected.

Sometimes, being on top just means you have a long way to fall....

Review: Virtuosity is pure amazing. I'm going to try and attempt to tell you how much I loved this. No words can describe how Virtuosity affected me.

I immediately connected with Carmen and her awful situation. I think a better thing to say than situation is awful mother. I hated Carmen's mother. She made me shudder every time she came onto the page. Carmen and her struggle absolutely broke my heart. There was no way that I couldn't have not connected with her. She was an outstanding character. What she did will always make her one of the most admirable and strongest girls in YA.

I was so emotionally invested in Virtuosity that it was almost crazy. Carmen's narration had me rooting for her the whole time. It was truly an emotional roller coaster. And a well-written one at that. Martinez knew what she was doing in her debut. I loved the writing.

The anxiety drugs that Carmen took to help her on stage were scary. If I hadn't seen so many good reviews of this I probably would have stayed away because of that aspect. Now I know not to shy away from books that deal with aspects that have the possibility to make me uncomfortable.

Jeremy, the love interest, makes my heart burst with joy. This British boy is just perfect. Carmen's and Jeremy's romance was so real that I could hardly wrap my head around it. I mean it in a totally good way, though.

Virtuosity is a book that you will not want to miss. I read this over two and a half months ago and I still can't forget it. Virtuosity is a book that turned me into a sobbing mess in places but made me smile and laugh in so many other places. I hope to experience that many more times.

Rating: I'd give it a million stars if I could!

In My Mailbox (50)

Hi and Happy IMM! IMM is hosted by The Story Siren!

This week was great, I originally didn't think I'd get anything!

These are a little dark..sorry!

Ruling Passion by Alyxandra Harvey, this is a bind-up of the first three books in the Drake Chronicles. I loved he other book Haunting Violet so hopefully this will be just as good!

Deadly Cool by Gemma Halliday, this one looks so funny and it's a mystery!

Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez. This is an amazing, amazing book!

If you can't read my bad hand writing it says, "I heart this book like crazy!"

I'm pretty sure I'm crazy, too. Who writes a post it note and then takes a picture of it?

I looked everywhere for Past Perfect by Leila Sales. I can't find it anywhere! So disappointing; I loved that book.

That's all for me! Have a great weekend!

Blog Happenings (41)

Hi everyone! HAPPY SATURDAY! Yes, I'm very excited about the weekend.

If you can't already tell I got a new blog design. It was free...which is awesome. I was just browsing around and happened to find it! I love it to death. I can't stop from looking at it.

READING:

I'm reading Without Tess by Marcella Pixley. I'm about 3/4 done with this and it is amazing. I love the writing style. Tess freaks me out but I do like Lizzie. Have you read this one?

And of course I'm reading Enthralled.

READ SINCE LAST POST:

The Pledge by Kimberly Derting was not a book I was overly impressed by. I did like it but I feel like it could have been better.

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins. I LOVE THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's one of the best books ever. Do I dare day that it's better than Anna and the French Kiss? Review on this very soon.

TO READ:

Fairy Bad Day by Amanda Ashby

Soul Thief by Jana Oliver

I still can't stop thinking about my blog design...I love it SO much!

BOOK I'M SUPER EXCITED TO HAVE:

I just got this yesterday. Yes early. I'm pretty sure the whole store heard me yell when I saw this on the shelf.

Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez releases on the 18th!

See you tomorrow for IMM!

What to Read (4)

Hi all! Welcome to my new "thing" What to Read!

What to Read is a little post I'll do every Friday. It was started when a commenter asked me what my favorite Civil War books are. Obviously, I can't feature Civil War books each week but I can to a new topic...and this week's topic is:

NOT REALLY A TOPIC!

But instead I'm doing LOVE TRIANGLES

Love 'em, hate 'em...whatever your view is, feel free to share them. Love triangles seemed to dominate YA for the last couple of years...is this trend going to stay? I for one prefer one main love interest. That's not to say that there are not some very well done ones.

I'm going to share my favorite love triangle books....and then my not so favorite ones.

FAVORITE:

The Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa...the love triangle in this wasn't really a love triangle. Never less it was still well done. Both love interests were well written making this my favorite love triangle.

The I don't know what this series is called by Andrea Cremer. I LOVE these books and I LOVE the love interests. I can't get enough of both of them. Well, mainly Ren.

Wither by Lauren DeStefano had a really unique love triangle. DeStefano made me connect with both boys and I'm not quite sure who deserves Rhine, the main character.

LEAST FAVORITE LOVE TRIANGLES:

Some of these books I love, just not the love triangle aspect.

I love, love, love!!! Unearthly by Cynthia Hand. The love triangle aspect between Tucker and Christian? Not so much. It wasn't super defined in the Unearthly but I know it will come out more in Hallowed, the second book. Why couldn't it just be Tucker? That would take away from the story but still, it's Tucker.

The Wings series by Aprilynne Pike just annoys me. The books are great but the two love interests...are iffy for me. Nothing makes me fall for the two boys. This doesn't not bode well for the series on my love triangle meter. I will have a review up for Illusions next week!

The Fallen series by Lauren Kate. I do like this series, I really do, yet the love triangle isn't really even a love triangle. It's more you are supposed to be with this one yet...(fill in the blank.)

I haven't read Passion yet so I can't really say that the love triangle is more defined.

I suppose it looks like I love the love triangles more than I hate them. That's not true. I'm tired of love triangles. I want one boy, just ONE! I hope this trend goes away quickly.

I did tend to stay away from books that I dislike that also feature the triangle.

Happy Reading!