Countdown Fun!

I was looking around online at different book memes and thought this one sounded kind of fun, so I figured why not? :0)


Five fictional characters you wouldn't kick out of bed: Tucker from "Unearthly", Zachary from "Shade Series", Conrad from "The Summer I Turned Pretty Series", Cal from "Hex Hall Series", Adam from "Where She Went"

Four books you became utterly lost in: "Darkness Becomes Her" by Kelly Keaton, "Anna and the French Kiss" by Stephanie Perkins, "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins, "Unearthly" by Cynthia Hand

Three things from books (images, ideas, characters) that really snagged your imagination: The portrayal of Magic in "Misfit" by Jon Skovron, Annie and her spy skills in "He's So Not Worth It" by Kieran Scott, the Iron Kingdom from "The Iron King" by Julie Kagawa

Two genres that are in danger of taking over your shelves: YA Paranormal, YA Contemporary

One literary series that was completely satisfying from page one to page done: "The Hunger Games Series" by Suzanne Collins

"Epic Fail" by Claire LaZebnik

Will Elise’s love life be an epic win or an epic fail?
At Coral Tree Prep in Los Angeles, who your parents are can make or break you. Case in point:
As the son of Hollywood royalty, Derek Edwards is pretty much prince of the school—not that he deigns to acknowledge many of his loyal subjects.
As the daughter of the new principal, Elise Benton isn’t exactly on everyone’s must-sit-next-to-at-lunch list.
When Elise’s beautiful sister catches the eye of the prince’s best friend, Elise gets to spend a lot of time with Derek, making her the envy of every girl on campus. Except she refuses to fall for any of his rare smiles and instead warms up to his enemy, the surprisingly charming social outcast Webster Grant. But in this hilarious tale of fitting in and flirting, not all snubs are undeserved, not all celebrity brats are bratty, and pride and prejudice can get in the way of true love for only so long.

For me, this book was the complete opposite of it's name. It is definitely one of my favorite contemporaries this year, so far! This book was hilarious. I laughed out loud so many times. I loved the main character Elise. Her sense of humor is a lot like mine, so that made her all the more endearing to me. She was so sarcastic and random, but at the same time caring and honest. He relationship with her oldest sister was nice to see, I've always wished I was much closer with my siblings. Juliana was a great character, too, maybe a little to nice and forgiving sometimes, but a legitimately good person. It was nice to see the two sisters have each others backs, so completely. I really liked the scenese between her two youngest sisters, Layla and Kaitlyn, too. They way they were always fighting cracked me up.

The male characters were excellent! Derek, the celebrity child, who's a lot mysterious and often rude. Webster, who's super charming and funny, but not quite. Chase, who was really just an all around good guy. Although, not everyone is exactly as they appear in the beginning. The rich kids at a prep school has been done plenty, so that wasn't anything new, but I really liked the added element of Derek's parents being celebrities. It certainly gave his character a little justification for his attitude toward people.

The writing in this was superb. The dialogue was witty and clever. This was just an all around good time! Definitely recommended for anyone who wants a laugh and a little fun :0)

Top 5 Books of 2011...So Far!

I loved this entire series, but this was a fantastic final book. I devoured it in a matter of hours and just about reread it immediately. I could hang with Belly, Conrad and Jeremiah every summer! My only complaint, I want just a little bit more :0)

I don't think words can express how much I love this series, and the second book is definitely my favorite, so far. I love Rachel Hawkins sense of humor. All of her characters are immensely entertaining and I feel like I could live in their world forever!

Paris, swoony boys, awesome paranormal element...need I say more! So good! Eagerly anticipating the second book :0)

Definitely my favorite of the angel books I've read. Really cool backstory and excellent characters. Not to mention that beautiful cover! The angel story all other angel stories want to grow up to be!

I know this book technically came out last year, but I didn't get to it until this year. Part of me wishes I had read it sooner because I loved it, but the other part is glad I missed out last year, because I was able to read the sequel right after I finished this one! Ghosts are way cool in my book.

Random Acts of Kindness: August, Hosted by Book Soulmates

I was on the Book Soulmates blog and saw this giveaway that they host. It's a really cool idea and a great way to share the love of books. I'm really excited to participate in this, giving the gift of books is my favorite thing to do :0) Listed below are the giveaway rules from their blog:

• Sign up each month that you'd like to participate.
  
• Show off your participation by grabbing our RAK button :)

• Create a wish list (on Amazon, Goodreads, or your blog etc) and post it in the Google Doc located in each R.A.K post for the month.

• If you choose to do a R.A.K for someone, check out their wish list and contact that blogger for their address.
  
• NEW REQUEST: Please, once you receive a RAK, email or tweet me {Vanessa} so that I can update the Google doc. There are a lot of requests for this!

• At the end of the month, SHOW US YOUR R.A.K!  Make a post saying 'Thank You' to whoever granted one of your wishes and share it with us :)

OPEN TO EVERYONE!

Let's keep our International bloggers in mind and in our hearts.

Remember, there's always the Book Depository and they offer FREE shipping!

 

 

"The Iron King" by Julie Kagawa

Meghan Chase has a secret destiny; one she could never have imagined.
Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home.
When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.
But she could never have guessed the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face; and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.


For reason's I've never really been able to discern, I have always
stayed away from books about Faeries. If I read the blurb and it mentioned anything about them, I would move on to the next title. I can say, after reading this one, I am officially a faery convert!

This story starts pretty ordinarily. You have Meghan, who is the uncool, hick girl at her school. She has her best friend Robbie and a little brother, Ethan, who she adores. Her crush on the most popular guy in school gets her into an unfortunate situation, that leaves the whole school laughing at her. It's okay, though, because she's got bigger things to deal with. Like the fact that her brother has been kidnapped and taken to Faery, and Meghan is determined to get him back.

While traveling to the Summer Court, she meets Grim the Cait Sith, also known as a talking cat. Grim is by far one of my favorite characters. You wonder if all cats really think the same way he does. Once at the court she meets King Oberon and Queen Titania, both terrifying in their own ways. We are also introduced to Queen Mab and Prince Ash of the Winter Court. We don't get much face time with the King of Queens, but we get to know Prince Ash along the way, as he helps Meghan find her brother.

The world building was fantastic. Julie Kagawa described the characters and places so well, I felt like I was a part of it. Even the Iron Kingdom, as creepy and cruel as it was, still seemed so real and awesome in it's own way. There are so many great things and characters in this book, but I can't go spoiling the whole story. I'm diving into the next installment immediately!

"Forbidden" by Tabitha Suzuma

Seventeen-year-old Lochan and sixteen-year-old Maya have always felt more like friends than siblings. Together they have stepped in for their alcoholic, wayward mother to take care of their three younger siblings. As defacto parents to the little ones, Lochan and Maya have had to grow up fast. And the stress of their lives—and the way they understand each other so completely—has also also brought them closer than two siblings would ordinarily be. So close, in fact, that they have fallen in love. Their clandestine romance quickly blooms into deep, desperate love. They know their relationship is wrong and cannot possibly continue. And yet, they cannot stop what feels so incredibly right. As the novel careens toward an explosive and shocking finale, only one thing is certain: a love this devastating has no happy ending.


I think this may be the saddest story I have ever read. It was a story about incest, but it didn't feel as wrong as I imagined it would when I started reading, and that is credited completely to Tabitha Suzuma's great writing. She does an amazing job of making you feel for the characters, hoping for them even, when you know they are in a completely hopeless situation. Their lives were difficult enough, without the added problem of falling for one another. It broke my heart the most, when the characters were dreaming of someday and all the happiness they could have, because as a reader you know that isn't really a possibility. Regardless, I was very impressed with the storytelling and grew quite fond of all the characters. It's heavy, but worth the read.