In My Mailbox #12

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

Bought:
Heist Society by Ally Carter
Voices of Dragons by Carrie Vaughn
Worldshaker by Richard Harland

That's what I got this week! What books did you get this week?

Review: Pure by Julianna Baggott

We know you are here, our brothers and sisters . . . Pressia barely remembers the Detonations or much about life during the Before. In her sleeping cabinet behind the rubble of an old barbershop where she lives with her grandfather, she thinks about what is lost-how the world went from amusement parks, movie theaters, birthday parties, fathers and mothers . . . to ash and dust, scars, permanent burns, and fused, damaged bodies. And now, at an age when everyone is required to turn themselves over to the militia to either be trained as a soldier or, if they are too damaged and weak, to be used as live targets, Pressia can no longer pretend to be small. Pressia is on the run.
Burn a Pure and Breathe the Ash . . . There are those who escaped the apocalypse unmarked. Pures. They are tucked safely inside the Dome that protects their healthy, superior bodies. Yet Partridge, whose father is one of the most influential men in the Dome, feels isolated and lonely. Different. He thinks about loss-maybe just because his family is broken; his father is emotionally distant; his brother killed himself; and his mother never made it inside their shelter. Or maybe it's his claustrophobia: his feeling that this Dome has become a swaddling of intensely rigid order. So when a slipped phrase suggests his mother might still be alive, Partridge risks his life to leave the Dome to find her. 
When Pressia meets Partridge, their worlds shatter all over again.From goodreads.com

I honestly don't know what to say about this book. I started reading it on a snow day right after lunch and when I was a couple hundred pages into it I looked up at the clock and realized I should probably stop reading because I still had homework to do. It really sucked me in and I lost track of the time when I was reading it.

Pure tells the story of a very disturbing future. It was disturbing, but I couldn't help but feel fascinated by it. I couldn't stop reading until I learned all of the details of what had led up to this post apocalyptic society.

I honestly wasn't the biggest fan of Pressia though. Sure I felt sympathetic to her but there was no real connection. Sometimes I preferred reading Pressia's story over Partridge's though, as his tended to drag on. I really loved Lyda and Bradwell though. I felt like Bradwell was always kind of shrouded in mystery and that made him interesting. I also enjoyed Lyda's part of the story because I found that to be really interesting.

Pure is overall, a pretty amazing book with some surprising twists and turns that will keep you hooked from page one. I give it 7/10.

In My Mailbox #11

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

What I got for my birthday:
Once in a Full Moon by Ellen Schreiber
Dragonswood by Janet Lee Carey
The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Liesl and Po by Lauren Oliver

From the Ambuzzador program on randombuzzers.com:

Strands of Bronze and Gold by Jane Nickerson

That's what I got this week! What lovely new books did you get this week?

Review: Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal.But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.
Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

From goodreads.com 

I absolutely LOVED  this book. I honestly don't read very many books like this, but I think I might want to start reading more! I loved how Echo and Noah were both so against so much as even working together at first, but as they work to get what they want they ended up falling in love. I liked that the romance wasn't rushed and seemed to be paced perfectly. It wasn't one of those "love at first sight" situations, it was a lot more gradual and that made it a lot cuter.

I also really liked the characters themselves. It was very easy to be sympathetic to them (I would say to relate to them, but I've never been through anything like what they have gone through). I really enjoyed getting to know both Echo and Noah in this book. I also loved Noah's relationship with his little brothers. It made him a lot easier to like because at first we just see him as this big jerk who does things that might make you respect him less, but then we see everything that's wrong with his life and how much he loves his little brothers and it just made my heart melt. It was adorable.

So, overall, all I can really say is that I liked this book way more than I was expecting to. I think I finished it within about two days and I read it right around Christmas and was just coming out of a reading slump so that's really saying something. I just absolutely loved this book. I give it 9/10.

Review: Seven Sorcerers by Caro King

Nin had never liked Wednesdays, but this one took the biscuit. On this Wednesday she woke up to find that it was raining buckets and that her brother had ceased to exist. Ninevah realises she is the only person to remember Toby because whoever took him is about to make her disappear too. Enter Skerridge the Bogeyman, who steals kids for Mr. Strood. With his spindle, he draws all memories of Nin out of her mother's head. Nin escapes to the Drift, the world that her new friend Jonas and Mr. Strood inhabit. But the Drift is filled with the fabulous and the dreadful; tombfolk, mudmen, and the spirits of the seven sorcerers who once ruled the land. What is the secret of the Seven Sorcerers, and will Nin and Toby escape their fate at the House of Strood?

From goodreads.com 

I really wanted to like this book. It just sounded so good and when I started reading it I was still coming out of a bit of a reading slump so I was hoping it might help. However, I just couldn't get into it. I actually put it down for a couple of weeks at one point and then came back to it and had to force myself to read more of it because I had only read a few chapters before putting it down for a couple of weeks. It did get better when I had read more of the book, but it still just wasn't as good as I had hoped it would be. However, I did eventually get to a point where I wasn't forcing myself to read it and actually enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would based on how long it took me to get into it. So, I have kind of mixed feelings about this book.

I did find Nin to be a very entertaining character. She's so much tougher than you ever would expect her to be when you first start reading the book. She will do anything to get her brother back and it really almost makes her seem kind of stubborn. I felt like she had an interesting personality and I really did love the way she thought and talked. I also found myself really liking Skerridge (I think he might have been my favorite character in the book) and any of his interactions with Nin. I think I found Skerridge's story line to be the most interesting one in this book.

I also thought it was really interesting to see a place like the "Drift" in a state of decay rather than the way places like that are usually portrayed in books. I think it made it a lot more interesting. Although it did take me a while to get into it, Seven Sorcerers ended up being  a fun, entertaining read filled with adventure and magic. I give it a 6.5/10.

Once Upon a Read-a-Thon Day 3 Update

So, I was able to meet my goal, but by the time I got there I was ready to just relax and take a break, and it was getting to be kind of late. Anyway, I did read Hourglass today.

This means that throughout the entire thing I was able to read three books: Saving June, Crusade, and Hourglass. I think I'll call that pretty good for my first read-a-thon. Hopefully during the next one I'll get more  books read.

Once Upon a Read-a-Thon: Days One and Two

On day one, I finished reading Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace by Terry Brooks.
On day two, I read Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones by R.A. Salvatore and then began reading Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith by Matthew Stover which I will finish on day three.

The Reader Bee Challenge:

I'd have to say my most anticipated book is Nevermore by James Patterson. I love the Maximum Ride series, and am sad to see it come to an end. Can't wait to see how he'll end it though.

Once Upon a Read-a-Thon: Days One and Two

On day one I read: Saving June by Hannah Harrington.

On day two I read: Crusade by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguié. 

I feel like I might be moving at kind of a slow pace, but I took a kind of long break after Saving June because it kind of gave me a little bit of a book hangover. Also, Crusade was 470 pages long! Anyway on day three I hope to at least finish Hourglass by Myra McEntire.

The Reader Bee Challenge:

It's really hard to choose my most anticipated book of 2012, but I think I'm going to have to go with Endlessly by Kiersten White. I'm not sure if the reason I'm choosing this is because I'm more excited now because it's coming out so soon, or if it's simply because the first two books in the trilogy were so awesome (which they were). 

Once Upon a Read-a-Thon Goals

Ally and I will be doing the Once Upon a Read-a-Thon! It starts tomorrow and goes through Wednesday. For more information on the read-a-thon or to sign up (there's still time!) go here.

Katie:

I'm going to try to read at least three books, but I'm going to list a couple of extra books in case I finish the first three.

Saving June by Hannah Harrington

Crusade by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguié

Hourglass by Myra McEntire

And my extras are:

13 Curses by Michelle Harrison

Seven Sorcerers by Caro King

Ally:

I'm going to try to read at least three books as well, in case I finish them, I will include extras.
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones by R.A. Salvatore
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith by Matthew Stover
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope by George Lucas

Extras:
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back by Donald F. Glut
Star Wars : Episode VI - Return of the Jedi by James Kahn
Stonewiser: The Heart of the Stone by Dora Machado

In My Mailbox #10

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

Katie:

From Harlequin Teen Panel:

Saving June by Hannah Harrington

Ally:

From Goodreads First Reads Giveaway:
Not All Out of Love by Jamie Schoffman

A Place Called Armageddon: Constantinople 1453 by C.C. Humphreys



What did you get this week?

Review: The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong

Sixteen-year-old Maya is just an ordinary teen in an ordinary town. Sure, she doesn't know much about her background - the only thing she really has to cling to is an odd paw-print birthmark on her hip - but she never really put much thought into who her parents were or how she ended up with her adopted parents in this tiny medical-research community on Vancouver Island.

Until now.

Strange things have been happening in this claustrophobic town - from the mountain lions that have been approaching Maya to her best friend's hidden talent for "feeling" out people and situations, to the sexy new bad boy who makes Maya feel . . . . different. Combine that with a few unexplained deaths and a mystery involving Maya's biological parents and it's easy to suspect that this town might have more than its share of skeletons in its closet.

From goodreads.com

I have read Kelley Armstrong's Darkest Powers trilogy and I loved it, so I went into The Gathering with kind of high expectations. I ended up disappointed; this book did not live up to my expectations. I felt like the whole book was just set up, and because it's the first book in a series, maybe the rest of the series will be better. It was just one of those books where the main character (Maya) is trying to figure out what she is/what's going on with her and I had it figured out pretty early on in the book. So I spent most of the book pretty much just waiting for Maya to figure it out.


However, Maya's reaction was pretty realistic. I just feel like the plot could have moved at a faster pace. I did like Maya well enough though; it wasn't her fault that she couldn't figure things out faster. I felt that she was a strong female lead who always seemed to know what needed to be done and did it. I also reallly liked that she didn't fall in love with Daniel (there are so many books out there where the main character falls in love with their best friend) and I loved Maya's relationship with Rafe.


Overall, I really feel like this book had potential, it just didn't live up to my high expectations. I will definitely be reading the other books in the series sometime though, because I feel like they might be better. I give this book a 6.5/10.

Book Blogger Hop #10

The Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Crazy For Books.

The question is:
If you could be a character from any book, who would you be?

Katie:

I think I would want to be Luna Lovegood from the Harry Potter series. She's just so fun and doesn't really care what other people think about her. She just kind of does her own thing and doesn't let other people get in her way of having fun. Also, it might be kind of fun to be a witch.

Ally:

I think I'd probably want to be Stevie Rae Johnson from the House of Night series. She loves country music and cares for her friends.  Sure, she may have been a red fledgling for a period of time, but because she cared for her friends, they helped her out in return to bring her back to who she really is. She's who she wants to be, despite what others may think of her.

If you're visiting from the hop, be sure to leave a comment!

Review: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith

Indiana, 1818. Moonlight falls through the dense woods that surround a one-room cabin, where a nine-year-old Abraham Lincoln kneels at his suffering mother's bedside. She's been stricken with something the old-timers call "Milk Sickness."

"My baby boy..." she whispers before dying.

Only later will the grieving Abe learn that his mother's fatal affliction was actually the work of a vampire.

When the truth becomes known to young Lincoln, he writes in his journal, "henceforth my life shall be one of rigorous study and devotion. I shall become a master of mind and body. And this mastery shall have but one purpose..." Gifted with his legendary height, strength, and skill with an ax, Abe sets out on a path of vengeance that will lead him all the way to the White House.

While Abraham Lincoln is widely lauded for saving a Union and freeing millions of slaves, his valiant fight against the forces of the undead has remained in the shadows for hundreds of years. That is, until Seth Grahame-Smith stumbled upon The Secret Journal of Abraham Lincoln, and became the first living person to lay eyes on it in more than 140 years.

Using the journal as his guide and writing in the grand biographical style of Doris Kearns Goodwin and David McCullough, Seth has reconstructed the true life story of our greatest president for the first time-all while revealing the hidden history behind the Civil War and uncovering the role vampires played in the birth, growth, and near-death of our nation.

         From Goodreads.com


I really enjoyed reading this novel and think that Mr. Grahame-Smith did an excellent job writing it. I was immediately intrigued by the introduction, knowing that it would be a great read.

The first of three parts of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter describe Lincoln's childhood through his twenty-first year. This part of the novel describes how he came to be the vampire hunter that he was. He trained himself for the most part to face the vampiric scourge that was taking over America. When Abraham was sixteen years old, he came across a character, whom I very much like: Henry Sturges.

Over the course of the novel, Henry was always there for Mr. Lincoln. He'd helped train Lincoln for future vampire encounters and sent him information about vampires that he felt Lincoln should destroy. Henry was a very likable creature, giving Abraham condolences during his times of grief and despair. If it hadn't been for Henry, Abraham Lincoln probably would have committed suicide, for which I like Henry even more. I really like one of Henry's quotes that is used throughout this book: "Some men are just too interesting to die."

When it got to the point of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter where Mr. Lincoln would hunt no more (due to his age and wanting to care for his family), I was slightly saddened. Even more saddened when Lincoln makes a certain remark in the third and final part of the novel, which causes Henry to disappear.

I couldn't help but love the introduction and ending of this novel. The ending actually left me grinning widely. Henry was indeed a remarkable man. In the end, I give this book 8.5/10. I can't wait to see the movie and recommend this book to anyone who loves things having to do with vampires (and by vampires, I don't mean vampires that are immediately in love at first sight and sparkle like in Twilight) and things like this fictional twist on American history.

Review: Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

Tamsin Greene comes from a long line of witches, and she was supposed to be one of the most Talented among them. But Tamsin's magic never showed up. Now seventeen, Tamsin attends boarding school in Manhattan, far from her family. But when a handsome young professor mistakes her for her very Talented sister, Tamsin agrees to find a lost family heirloom for him. The search—and the stranger—will prove to be more sinister than they first appeared, ultimately sending Tamsin on a treasure hunt through time that will unlock the secret of her true identity, unearth the sins of her family, and unleash a power so vengeful that it could destroy them all. This is a spellbinding display of storytelling that will exhilarate, enthrall, and thoroughly enchant.                                                                                                     

from goodreads.com 

I'm just going to start by saying that I LOVED this book. Once a Witch is one of those books that you just can't put down. It pulls you in with its unique take on witches and continues to keep you interested with its unexpected plot twists.
I really did find this to be a unique take on witches, and considering all of the different witch stories, that's really saying something. I loved how each witch really only had one thing (called a Talent) that they could do wit their powers (without making a potion or something).
I also really liked Tamsin. She seemed like the kind of person I would want to be friends with. Also, I thought it was really cool that she was the only Talentless person in her family, it made the story a lot more interesting. Also, Gabriel seemed amazing (enough said).
Another thing I really liked about this book is how the plot ends up being completely different than what you would expect from the first few chapters and the plot twists were unpredictable. I hate it when I can tell what's going to happen in a book. I mean, it's fun to guess, but it's not fun to be right all the time. With this book, I couldn't figure out any of the twists ahead of time.
Overall, Once a Witch was an amazing book filled with fun characters, a little bit of romance, and had a great plot. I give it a 9/10.

In My Mailbox #9

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

Katie:

Bought:

Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

Crusade by Nancy Holder

Seven Sorcerers by Caro King

Ally:

Bought:

Snakehead (Alex Rider #7) by Anthony Horowitz

Already Owned:

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace by Terry Brooks (felt the need to list because I'm listing the rest of the series)

Library:

Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones by R.A. Salvatore
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith by Matthew Stover
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope by George Lucas
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back by Donald F. Glut
Star Wars : Episode VI - Return of the Jedi by James Kahn

Goodreads First Reads Giveaway:

Stonewiser: The Heart of the Stone by Dora Machado
Tom e. by William Gallaty
One Last Lie by Rob Kaufman
The Painted Bridge by Wendy Wallace

What did you get this week?

Hello!

Hey everyone, I'm Ally! I've known Katie for a while now and I'm glad to now be her co-blogger. I love to read fantasies and science fiction novels. I am a large fan of Star Wars, Taylor Swift and Falling Skies. Before joining Katie's blog I had thought about starting one of my own, but wasn't entirely sure of what to blog about. I'm excited to be here with all of you to share my reviews and be a part of the revival of this blog!

Big Changes

Hi, everyone! I know I haven’t blogged in forever (it’s been almost a year!), and my reasons for not blogging aren’t really all that great, but I will tell you anyway. First of all, as I already told you in one of my last few blog posts, I moved. Now, I know that moving obviously isn’t a big enough reason, but keep listening. I continued blogging up until August. Once August came around, I had so much to worry about: getting ready to start a new school, a visiting relative, getting ready to start a new school. (Yeah, I was really nervous about starting a new school.) Even once school started though, I started participating in more activities in my search for new friends. At one point in the fall it seemed like I didn’t get home until ten almost every other night. I know I still could have been blogging during this time, but the truth is, I just had lost all motivation to blog. I was having a hard time making friends (I didn’t really have a group of friends until November).

That still really doesn’t explain the rest of the year though, and honestly, I don’t know what happened. I feel that all I can do is apologize and hope that some people still wish to read this blog. I am sorry for my long absence from the book blogging community and it’s something I’ve been regretting lately.

Now, not only does the title of this post refer to the big changes in my life, it also refers to big changes on this blog. First of all, yes, I hope to start regularly posting reviews again. The other big change is that I will no longer be the only person posting reviews to this blog. My friend Ally will now be my co-blogger and we will both be adding our reviews and thoughts to this blog. So please be patient as we make any changes to various things on this blog over the next couple of weeks. I think Ally will be doing a post here really soon to introduce herself so you’ll get to know her better really soon! I hope you are all as excited about this as I am!

Review: Marked by P.C. Cast and Kristen Cast

Enter the dark, magical world of the House of Night, a world very much like our own, except here vampyres have always existed.

One minute, sixteen-year-old Zoey Redbird is a normal teenager dealing with everyday high school stress: her cute boyfriend Heath, the school’s star quarterback who suddenly seems more interested in partying than playing ball; her nosy frenemy Kayla, who’s way too concerned with how things are going with Heath; her uber-tough geometry test tomorrow. The next, she’s Marked as a fledgling vampyre, forcing her to leave her ordinary life behind and join the House of Night, a boarding school where she will train to become an adult vampyre. That is, if she makes it through the Change—and not all of those who are Marked do. It sucks to begin a new life, especially away from her friends, and on top of that, Zoey is no average fledgling. She has been chosen as special by the vampyre Goddess, Nyx. Zoey discovers she has amazing powers, but along with her powers come bloodlust and an unfortunate ability to Imprint with Heath, who just doesn’t know how to take “no” for an answer. To add to her stress, she is not the only fledgling at the House of Night with special powers: when she discovers that the leader of the Dark Daughters, the school's most elite group, is misusing her Goddess-given gifts, Zoey must look deep within herself for the courage to embrace her destiny—with a little help from her new vampyre friends.

From goodreads.com

 

I liked the idea of a school for vampires and it was interesting to read about that (what kinds of classes they take and stuff like that). I also liked how everyone knows that vampires exist.

I really did like the plot and this book could have been great, but I couldn't connect with the main character, Zoey. I could see how lots of people could really like this book- I just didn't like it as much as I had hoped. I did like Stevie Rae though. She really reminded me of a friend of mine.

I probably will read the next book though because I really liked the idea and the story and it could get better. If you're really into vampires you'll probably like this book more.

Overall, I thought it was okay but had potential. I give it 6/10.

Review: Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson

Scarlett Martin has grown up in a most unusual way. Her family owns the Hopewell, a small Art Deco hotel in the heart of New York City.
When each of the Martins turns fifteen, they are expected to take over the care of a suite. For Scarlett’s fifteenth birthday, she gets both a room called the Empire Suite and a permanent guest named Mrs. Amberson. Scarlett doesn’t quite know what to make of this C-list starlet and world traveler.
And when she meets Eric, an astonishingly gorgeous actor who has just moved to the city, her summer takes a second unexpected turn.
Before the summer is over, Scarlett will have to survive a whirlwind of thievery and romantic missteps. But in the city where anything can happen, she just might be able to pull it off.

From goodreads.com

I love Maureen Johnson's books (although I've only read three of them now) because something amazing happens to an ordinary girl. I liked Scarlett. She reminded me of myself almost. Well, of a more outgoing me of course. I felt like I could understand her really well. The only thing I didn't really like about Scarlett was that she had a hard time dealing with or solving her own problems. If anyone else had a problem though, she figured something out in a few minutes. This didn't distract me from the rest of the book too much though. I really loved Mrs. Amberson. Almost everything funny in the book came from Mrs. Amberson in one way or another (of course a lot of the things that happen are caused by Mrs. Amberson so this is kind of to be expected). Mrs. Amberson is definitely my favorite character in the book.

Suite Scarlett is unpredictable. I don't think I saw any of plot twists coming and my eyes were glued to the pages for hours. Overall, Suite Scarlett was a really fun read that I couldn't put down. I give it 8/10.

Review: Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta

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At the age of nine, Finnikin is warned by the gods that he must sacrifice a pound of flesh to save his kingdom. He stands on the rock of the three wonders with his friend Prince Balthazar and Balthazar's cousin, Lucian, and together they mix their blood to safeguard Lumatere.

 

But all safety is shattered during the five days of the unspeakable, when the king and queen and their children are brutally murdered in the palace. An impostor seizes the throne, a curse binds all who remain inside Lumatere's walls, and those who escape are left to roam the land as exiles, dying by the thousands in fever camps.

 

Ten years later, Finnikin is summoned to another rock--to meet Evanjalin, a young novice with a startling claim: Balthazar, heir to the throne of Lumatere, is alive. This arrogant young woman claims she'll lead Finnikin and his mentor, Sir Topher, to the prince. Instead, her leadership points them perilously toward home. Does Finnikin dare believe that Lumatere might one day rise united? Evanjalin is not what she seems, and the startling truth will test Finnikin's faith not only in her but in all he knows to be true about himself and his destiny.

From goodreads.com

At the age of nine, Finnikin is warned by the gods that he must sacrifice a pound of flesh to save his kingdom. He stands on the rock of the three wonders with his friend Prince Balthazar and Balthazar's cousin, Lucian, and together they mix their blood to safeguard Lumatere.

But all safety is shattered during the five days of the unspeakable, when the k

Sometimes I forget how much I like this kind of fantasy book. I don't think I'll be forgetting for awhile though. I absolutely loved Finnikin of the Rock.

One of my favorite things about this book is Evanjalin. I love how you can never truly tell (until towards the end) if she's trying to help Finnikin and Sir Topher or not. I loved how she kind of just took matters into her own hands to try and take Lumatere back and get back into Lumatere. She is definitely my favorite character.

Finnikin of the Rock is pretty fast paced and action packed. I never really could tell what was going to happen next (partially thanks to Evanjalin I'm sure). I couldn't put it down!

Overall, I thought it was amazing and had just the right amounts of action, romance, and mystery in it. I give it 9/10.