Wednesday 30 April 2014

Waiting on Wednesday #48: Invisible (The Twixt #2) by Dawn Metcalf



Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. It spotlights books that have not yet been released, but ones that you should pre-order today! This week's book that I am anxiously awaiting is:

Invisible
by Dawn Metcalf

18371666

Some things lie beneath the surface. 

Joy Malone wants it all: power, freedom and her boyfriend who loves her. Yet when an unstoppable assassin is hired to kill her, Joy learns that being the girl with the Sight comes with a price that might be too high to pay. Love will be tested, lives will be threatened, and everyone Joy knows and cares about will be affected by her decision to stad by Ink or to leave the Twixt forever. 

Her choice is balanced on a scalpel's edge and the consequences will be more shattering than anyone can know. 


Why I can't wait
I read the first book in this series, Indelible, last year and I loved it. I'm curious to find out what will happen next to Joy, Ink and the others. And I hope that the sequel will be as good as the first book! 

Expected publication: September 30th 2014

El

Tuesday 29 April 2014

Teaser Tuesday #21: Me Since You by Laura Wiess


Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading!

To participate all you have to do is:
- Grab your current read- Open to a random page
- Share "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!


Me Since You 
by Laura Wiess 

Me Since You

""Get a room," someone calls in a voice heavy with ribald laughter. 
"You dick," a girl snaps. "He was finally gonna kiss her and you ruined it."" (p.140)

El



Monday 28 April 2014

Book Blitz: Ransom by Rachel Schurig + Giveaway

RansomBlitzBanner1.png weergeven in diavoorstelling


Ransom.jpg weergeven in diavoorstellingTitle: Ransom
Author: Rachel Schurig
Publication date: April 28th 2014
Genres: contemporary, romance, New Adult
Purchase: Amazon
Author links: website | Twitter | Facebook




** The first book in a brand new series from USA Today bestselling author Rachel Schurig. This New Adult Contemporary Romance novel is a complete story with no cliffhanger. **

Daisy Harris has no reason to suspect that her day will be any different than usual. She'll go to class, alone. She won't speak or make eye contact. She'll spend her entire day doing her best to go completely unnoticed. That's what life is like for Daisy now - an endless cycle of loneliness and fear. A life lived hinding behind the walls she so faithfully maintains. 

Then she sees it. A magazine, left behind in class. A simple picture - just his face. And it changes everything. 

It's been a year since she's seen Daltrey Ransome. A year since he and his brothers left town to pursue their dreams of rock and roll superstardom. A years since he left Daisy behind - left her to watch as everything she knew crumbled around her. She's been running from Daltrey ever since, desperate to keep her secret. 

But she can't run anymore. And now that Daltrey has found her - the girl he's loved his entire life, the girl he'd give up everything for - he's determined never to let her go again. 


Excerpt

I wake up, alone in a dark hotel room, my heart racing, scared out of my mind. When I finally figure out where the hell I am, I rub my aching chest. I’m glad I’m not on the bus, glad there’s no one in here to see me like this. I’m pretty sure the wetness I feel on my cheeks is tears, and my brothers would never let me live that down.
Knowing sleep isn’t going to return anytime soon, I climb out of bed and head for the mini bar. I grab a cold beer, even though I could probably use something stronger. You’re too young for a drinking problem. So-called rock star or not.
I take the beer to the small balcony of my room and lean against the railing, looking out over the lights of Memphis. We played a kick-ass show, and I should still be on a high from it. The crowd was amazing. Everything felt right in the world, for a few brief hours. I could forget about the knowledge that I’d traveled halfway across the country without actually seeing any of it. Forget the fact that the tour bus, though more luxurious than our old van, was cramped and starting to make me feel claustrophobic. Forget about how tired I was and how my throat hurt pretty much every day now. When we played like that, when we somehow managed to tap into that almost magical, synched-up, out-of-body place I can’t even describe, I could forget about all the shitty stuff and remember why we were doing this in the first place.
I had felt that tonight, for the first time in weeks, and the sensation had been fantastic. I should have slept like a baby. But here I was again, drinking a beer by myself at three in the morning.
I keep having dreams about her.
Which is pretty fucking ridiculous because I haven’t talked to the girl in about a year. Daisy made it perfectly clear that, for whatever reason, she was done with me—just like that, years of friendship, gone. And I don’t even know what the hell I did.
Okay, so I left, but she always knew that was going to happen. We planned for it, for Christ’s sake. Worked for it. Both of us. She had every bit as much to do with our success as anyone in the band. She was our biggest supporter, our loudest critic. We never performed a song without her hearing it first, never played a gig without her there. She was with us on that first horrible so-called tour, riding around Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana to all those dingy dive bars. She helped us plaster the towns with our flyers and sell our homemade CDs, just waiting for our big chance.
And when it came, when we got the call from Grey Skies that they wanted us to open for them, she was there then, too. She sat at our kitchen table, just like she had a thousand times before, waiting with bated breath for my dad to get off the phone with their manager. When he finally hung up and confirmed that our big break had appeared, she was the first person I grabbed as the kitchen erupted around us. She was happy for me—not the fake kind of happy that you think another person wants to see. She was genuinely, honest-to-God, screaming-her-face-off-while-hugging-me happy.
The only bad thing about those hectic, heady weeks before the tour was leaving her. I wanted to tell her then, the thing I’d always known but been too afraid to say, but I didn’t. I couldn’t imagine saying those three words—finally saying them, out loud, not just in my head where I imagined it constantly—and then leaving. So I held my tongue, and my tears, as I hugged her one last time before heading for the airport.
Maybe I should have said it. Maybe then she wouldn’t have disappeared the way she did. But I had a plan, damn it. I was going to come back, take her to her prom, the way we always talked about, and drop the bomb that I wanted us to be more. The way it played out in my head was that she’d be so happy she’d be willing to leave with me. She would forget about the business school she never really wanted to attend to come on tour with us. I wanted to experience this with her. I wanted to show her the world.
Taking another sip of beer, I wonder—not for the first time—what in the hell I could have done to piss her off so much. She stopped taking my calls about three months after we left for California. By then we’d recorded our album and started to tour as the openers for Grey Skies. I used to call her every night, eager to tell her all about life on the road in a proper tour. We had a lot more free time back then, and I was actually getting a chance to do things in the towns where we stopped. Was that it? Was she jealous?
But that wasn’t like Daisy. I cannot imagine that she would throw away a thirteen-year friendship out of jealousy. It didn’t make any sense. But one day, she didn’t answer when I called. And didn’t respond to my voice mail. Or my increasingly panicked text messages. My emails went unanswered, too.
I tried for weeks to reach her, calling her house, her phone, her dad’s phone. He told me flat out she didn’t want to talk to me, but I still couldn’t accept it. Even when her cell number was disconnected, when my emails started to come back with the message that there was no such address, I didn’t get it. It wasn’t until she finally called me to cancel our prom plans that I realized what she’d been trying to tell me: She didn’t want to have anything to do with me.
I replay those weeks all the time, wondering what I could have done differently. I always come back to the same thing: I should have gone home. I should have told my dad to screw himself and gotten on a plane. They could have managed without me for a few days. Even if they couldn’t, even if it would have jeopardized our chance to open for Grey Skies, I should have done it anyway. Daisy was worth it.
But I didn’t. And now she’s away at college, probably having the time of her life, forgetting all about her old friend. I can see her so clearly, sitting on a green lawn, surrounded by friends, like some fucking commercial, her brown curls blowing in the breeze as she laughs. The image makes my chest ache again. She’s gone, man. Accept it.
I look out over the city again, my beer bottle empty. She is gone, hundreds of miles away, totally out of my reach. And I’m here, alone in the middle of the night, haunted by memories of the only girl I ever loved.


 Q & A


What was your inspiration for writing Ransom?
I’ve wanted to write a rock star romance for a long time. When I was in college some friends and I spent a few months following our favorite band on tour. It was one of the best times I’ve ever had! There’s something about a good road trip with good friends—add in the thrill of live music and it can’t be beat! I wanted to write about girlfriends going on an adventure like ours—and finding love along the way. Who doesn’t want to fall for a rock star??

What can you tell us about Daisy?
Poor Daisy’s had a rough year. After her best friend, Daltrey, left to hit it big with his band, Ransom, things went south for Daisy. The victim of some pretty vicious online bullying, she began to withdraw from the world around her. Severe panic attacks brought on by the trauma make it very difficult for her to interact with her peers as she starts college. By the time she meets Ransom fans Karen and Paige, she’s almost forgotten what it’s like to have friends. Karen and Paige help her regain her confidence and find the strength to rekindle her friendship with Daltrey.

What about Daltrey?
Daltrey is one of my favorite characters I’ve ever written. In many ways he’s your classic rock star—sexy, kind of dangerous, very talented, a little cocky. But he’s also incredibly sensitive and emotional. He never got over losing Daisy and now that she’s back in his life he’s determined not to lose her again. His dedication to the girl he’s always loved is pretty swoon worthy!

Can you give us three random facts about Ransom?
1. I plotted this entire book, right down to the names of all the characters, in one afternoon. In fact, I was waiting in line for a ride at Disneyland when inspiration struck. I was so glad I had my cell phone to take notes! By the time I reached the front of the very long line I had all the details squared away.
2. Daltrey and his brothers are all named after famous rock stars who influenced their father. I spent a lot of time choosing the names; I wanted the most influential musicians I could think of but I also needed to make sure the monikers sounded good as first names.
3.  Music was a very big part of my writing process with this story. I created a playlist as I wrote, adding more songs as I went along. By the time I was finished I had a huge list, and I listened to it every time I worked on the book.

Author bio

Rachel Schurig lives in the metro Detroit area with her dog, Lucy. She loves to watch reality TV and she reads as many books as she can get her hands on. In her spare time, Rachel decorates cakes. 
Her THREE GIRLS series is available now from Amazon! 

Giveaway

$50 Amazon giftcard 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

El

Sunday 27 April 2014

Stacking The Shelves #34


Showcase Sunday's/Stacking the Shelves aim is to showcase our newest bookNes or book related swag and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed from libraries, bought in bookshops and downloaded onto eReaders this week. This Sunday meme is hosted by Books, Biscuits and Tea and Tynga's Reviews:

For review


Incubus (Daughters of Lilith, #2) 20438715


Edelweiss

17335930


Thanks you Jennifer and Simon Pulse!

El

Friday 25 April 2014

Review: Waking Up Married by Mira Lyn Kelly

16124019Title: Waking Up Married
Author: Mira Lyn Kelly 
Genre: Contemporary, Adult
Publisher: Harlequin
Publication date: December 1st 2012
Pages: 256 (paperback) 





Her first thought: "Who are you?"

It's the morning after her cousin's bachelorette party in Vegas and Megan Scott wakes up with the mother of all hangovers. Even worse, she's in a stranger's penthouse having woken up with something else as well - a funny, arrogand, sexy... husband! 

Up until now, finding even a boyfriend had seemed impossible - been there, got the broken heart, sworn off men for good. Then a few martinis with Carter... no, Connor Reed and she's gone from first meet to marriage in one night!

Megan wants a lawyer. But Connor's schocking bombshell?

"I don't want a divorce." 


We all know the saying “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” but sometimes that just isn’t a possibility. When Megan wakes up the night after her cousin’s bachelorette party next to Connor all she wants to do is to take the walk of shame.  Unfortunately that isn’t a possibility once she discovers the wedding band around her finger. So plan B a quick and silent divorce and no soul on earth will ever speak of it again. But that’s not something Connor wants, he wants to give them a chance as a married couple even though they have known each other for less than 24 hours.

So Megan agrees to give their marriage a three month trial before deciding what to do. In those three months they have a lot of ups and downs while they try to figure out how to live together. They get to know each other better, there qualities and there faults which leads to many hilarious situations.  Their bantering was fabulous and they might have driven each other crazy at certain points but they also balanced each other well. And most important they both learned something from one another they never thought they were capable of.

The characters were also great. Megan was this down-to-earth girl, she had her life perfectly planned out, that is until she woke up next to Connor. She’s strong, independent, smart and funny. She was everything a heroine needs to be. I don’t know where to start with Connor. He was drop-dead-gorgeous, caring, sweet, loyal, funny… he was the complete package deal. There was only one moment were I wanted to give him a huge slap in the face to get some sense into him. At times he thought too much with his mind instead of listening to his heart but in the end he learned his lesson I think.

The only thing I kept wondering while reading the book was: “Where are the other characters?”. It looked like Connor and Megan were all on their own on this planet. From time to time someone popped up but I really missed some secondary characters in this book. But other than that I really liked this book.


Waking Up Married was a quick fun read with some very lovely characters. Ideal if you don’t know what to do for a couple of hours. 


El



Thursday 24 April 2014

Review: Thrall (Daughters of Lilith #1) by Jennifer Quintenz

14112002Synopsis
Braedyn is a normal girl just trying to survive high school with her two devoted friends, Royal and Cassie. Together they're doing a pretty good job of shruggin off the slings and arrows cast their way by the popular crowd when a new boy, Lucas, moves into the house next door. Suddenly Braedyn finds herself falling in love for the first time. 

But as her sixteenth birthday approaches, Braedyn discovers humankind is at war with the Lilitu, an ancient race of enticing demons that prey on human souls. Her father is a member of the Guard fighting against the Lilitu - and so are the new neighbors, including her crush, Lucas. 

As her world starts to unravel at the seams, Braedyn learns the right answers aren't always clear or easy. And as for "good" and "evil" - it all depands on how we choose to act. 

Inspired by the ancient Mesopotamian myths of Lilith and her offspring, Thrall explores first love, strong friendships, and taking on adult responsibilities against the backdrop of powerful supernatural forces and life-and-death stakes. 


Opinion 
I really liked this book, I got immediately sucked into the world that surrounded Braedyn. The plotline itself might not be that original, Braedyn a teenage girl finds out she’s not that average as she thought she was, she meets a boy that is forbidden and what follows is a battle between good and evil.

But Thrall was so much more than that. There wasn’t a dull moment in the book, there was always something happening. Some of the things that happened were epic battles while other things were much smaller but still very important for the development of the story. While reading this book I sat on the edge of my seat most of the time and I couldn’t put it down.
Another thing the author did well was the character development in this book. When we first meet Braedyn she’s a very normal girl. She tries to keep her head down at school so not many people will notice her. But when she finds out she’s a Lilithu, a demon, her whole world is turned upside down. Instead of feeling terrified about what she might turn in to, she trust the people she has known whole her life, her dad and her friends.  She becomes stronger in the end but that isn’t without the necessary ups and downs. Braedyn makes mistakes but she learns from it and that’s what’s most important.
Lucas, literally the boy-next-door, also grows a lot throughout the book. At the beginning of the book he saw the world as black and white, good and evil, humans and Lilithu. In his eyes Lilithu could never be anything than evil but at the end his view on the world is a lot broader.
I also loved that the support characters weren’t just there to fill up space but that they were actually important for the development of the story.

The only thing I wasn’t so happy about was the love at first sight between Lucas and Braedyn. They had just met but somehow they already had these feelings for each other. And that is one of the things that can really annoy me in books. But other than that the book was amazing. I’m looking forward to read the next two books in this series!


*Note I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*


Extra
Title: Thrall
Author: Jennifer Quintenz
Series: Daughters of Lilith
Genre: Paranormal, YA
Publisher: Secret Tree Press
Publication date: May 16 2012
Pages: 304 (Paperback) 
Other books: 


El 




Wednesday 23 April 2014

Waiting on Wednesday #47: The Fine Art of Pretending (The Fine Art of Pretending #1) by Rachel Harris



Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. It spotlights books that have not yet been released, but ones that you should pre-order today! This week's book that I am anxiously awaiting is:

The Fine Art of Pretending
by Rachel Harris 
Publication: September 2014

17696131

According to the guys at Fairfield Academy, there are two types of girls: the kind you hook up with, and the kind you're friends with. Seventeen-year-old Alyssa Reed is the second type. And she hates it. With just one year left to changer her rank, she devises a plan to become the first type by homecoming, and she sets her sights on the perfect date - Justin Carter, Fairfield Academy's biggest hottie and most notorious player. 

With 57 days until the dance, Aly launches Operations Sex Appeal and sheds her tomboy image. The only thing left is for Justin actually to notice her. Enter best friend Brandon Taylor, the school's second biggest hottie, and now Aly's pretend boyfriend. With his help, elevating from "funny friend" to "tempting vixen" is only a matter of time. 

But when everything goes according to plan, the inevitable "break up" leaves their friendship in shambles, and Aly and Brandon with feelings they can't explain. And the fake couple discovers pretending can sometimes cost you the one thing you never expected to want. 



Why I can't wait: 
This book sounds so cute and I'm sure there are going to be many fun scenes in it since Aly and Brandon are a fake couple. And apperently it's also written in a dual character point of view! So excited to read this one. 

El



Tuesday 22 April 2014

Top Ten Tuesday #27: Top Ten Characters Who Are Super Talented


Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted over at Broke and Bookish. This weeks is: 
Top Ten  Ten Characters Who Are Super Talented

1. Tally // This Much Is True by Katherine Owen: She's a ballerina and a very good one too. More people should know about this book, it was so good! 

2. Bailey // Dirty Little Secret by Jennifer Echols: Bailey can do magic with her fiddle. She used to play with her sister but now she isn't even aloud to play outside of her house. 

3. Jordan // Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally: Jordan is the only female football player in her high school team and she's even captain of the team. So she's very talented! 

4. Sophie // Sunshine by Nikki Rae: Sophie is a very talented musician. She sings but playing piano is what she lives for. She plays on instinct but somehow it's always good, a very talented girl. 

5. Crystal // Seeking Crystal by Joss Stirling: Crystal might not have powers like the rest of her family does, but she sure nows how to make beautiful clothes. 

6. Jared // Another Little Piece of My Heart by Tracey Martin: Jared is the next big thing in the music industry, he has won several awards with his first record. So it's safe to say tha he's a gifted musician. 

7. Cassie // Thrall by Jennifer Quintenz: Just like Crystal she designs clothes and the designs are pretty stunning. 

8. Hailey // Stay with Me by Elyssa Patrick: She's the whole package, singer, dancer and actress. So yes she's super talented. 

9. Franny // Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham: Franny is an actress who's waiting for her big break through. So she is a talent that isn't discovered yet. 

10. Celaena // Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas: If you consider assassinating as a talent than she's super talented. 

El 

Friday 18 April 2014

If I Stay Trailer


I haven't read the book yet. But the trailer looks good so I hope to read it before the movie is released. 

What do you think of the trailer? Have you read the book? 

El

Thursday 17 April 2014

Review: The Lightbearers by Nora M. Garcia

Synopsis
17295264
Jean Crystal is held captive on a laboratory table by a motion sensitive laser directed toward her central nervous system. Unaware of her invisible prison, upon awakening from a narcotic sleep induced by Dr. Natas, she attempts to move and finds herself wracked with a mind numbing pain. By astrally projecting herself she is able to overcome the pain and investigate her circumstances. George Martinez, her husband, has already been assassinated and while awaiting her own demise, George pays Jean a visit in the lab, assuring her of their eternal vow to each other. Dr. Natas has developed a school run by robots and computers and Jean and George have discovered the use of a protein chip fed to the children at this school. After Jean is assassinated their spirits reunite to plan their return. They agree upon a place, a time and a signal by which they can find and identify each other in their next lifetime. They plan to meet on the first monday of October, 2024 outside the UCLA Computer Science building. She'll find him sitting under a tree with a guitar strumming and singing "Imagine". The reunion takes place 20 years later, but not without a hitch. 


Opinion
The Lightbearers had a very unique view on reincarnation. And since I’ve always been intrigued by reincarnation I didn’t hesitate for a moment when I was approached to review this book.

From the first page I got sucked into the story. A women is laying strapped on table. And you can’t help wondering, just like she does, why that is.  Through a series of flash backs you find out why this women, Jane, is held prison and how she ended up there.
The flashbacks were interesting because we got to see what happened the years before, even centuries before, through Jane’s eyes.

Throughout the book you find out how Jane first met her husband, George, in ancient Egypt. He was Akhenaten and she was Nerfertiti.  And since then they have been inseparable. Every time they die they pick a place and time in the future were they will meet again.
The book is partly set in the future and is shows what technology might do to this world. Dr. Natas is slowly taking over the world with his robots without people even noticing it. Technology definitely is definitely more present in our everyday live, but I can’t see something happening like described in the book. Certainly not in the near future.

What I loved most about this book was the reincarnation. The idea that  it might be possible is really appealing to me.  The author described well how all the other aspects of a lightbearer like astral projection and telekinesis were possible.
But there were also things I had a lot of trouble with in this book. The author was sometimes to focused on the past and the flash backs. Like when they met in ancient Egypt, that part was essential for the story but it could have been a lot shorter. There were just too many details that weren’t necessary for the book. And the present felt to rushed, sometimes years passed within a page. And suddenly the ending was there and you had no idea what actually happened during those last twenty years. Also there wasn’t enough dialogue in the book for my taste. The book was more descriptive and at times it felt a bit mechanical.

I still give this book tree stars because the concept was definitely very original and there were many times I still enjoyed this book.


*Note I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*


Extra
Title: The Lightbearers
Author: Nora M. Garcia
Genre: paranormal, sci-fi, adult
Publication date: November 9th 2012
Pages: 320 (kindle)

El


Wednesday 16 April 2014

Waiting on Wednesday #46: Talon (Talon #1) by Julie Kagawa



Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. It spotlights books that have not yet been released, but ones that you should pre-order today! This week's book that I am anxiously awaiting is:


Talon 
by Julie Kagawa

17331828

Long ago, dragons were hunted to near extinction by the Order of St. George, a legendary society of dragon slayers. Hiding in human form and growing their number in secret, the dragons of Talon have become strong and cunning, and they're positioned to take over the world with humans none the wiser. 

Ember and Dante Hill are the only sister and brother known to dragonkind. Trained to infiltrate society, Ember wants to live the teen experience and enjoy a summer of freedom before taking her destined place in Talon. But destiny is a matter of perspective, and a rogue dragon will soon challenge everything Ember has been taught. As Ember struggles to accept her future, she and her brother are hunted by the Order of St. George. 

Soldier Garret Xavier Sebastian has a mission to seek and destroy all dragons, and Talon's newest recruits in particular. But he cannot kill unless he is certain he has found his prey: and nothing is certain about Ember Hill. Faced with Ember's bravery, confidence and all-too-human desires, Garret begins to  question everything that the Order has ingrained in him: and what he might be willing to give up to find the truth about dragons. 


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Why I can't wait: Kagawa is an amazing author. And this story about dragons and dragon hunters looks really intresting. 

Publication date: October 28th 2014

What are you waiting for?

El 

Sunday 13 April 2014

Stacking The Shelves #33


Showcase Sunday's/Stacking the Shelves aim is to showcase our newest bookNes or book related swag and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed from libraries, bought in bookshops and downloaded onto eReaders this week. This Sunday meme is hosted by Books, Biscuits and Tea and Tynga's Reviews:

For review: 


18522639


Netgalley:


18004580


El

Friday 11 April 2014

Review: The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

Synopsis
13035203Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 12, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now. 

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault. 

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at Cancer Kid Support Group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind. 


Opinion
Last year I read The Fault In Our Stars for the first time. After reading it I was a complete wrack and I tried to write a review but I couldn’t do it. So now I’ve reread TFIOS and here is finally my review! It’s going to be a relative short review ‘cause I still can’t say how I feel about this book.

If I have to describe it in one word it would be easy: emotional. This book made me laugh so many times but it made me also cry… a lot. Somehow Green managed to write a book about cancer with a lot of humor in it. And I’m glad he did otherwise the book would have been too depressing.

I loved Hazel and Augustus. At times they were complete opposites. Hazel was down-to-earth so knew she was going to die eventually and she avoided contact with most people because she wanted to hurt a few people as possible when she died. Augustus on the other hand was always optimistic. Thanks to him Hazel could really live again. She laughed again, made new friends, went even on a trip to Amsterdam! They were so cute together, even in miserable times they had this funny conversations that made you laugh at loud. But what I loved the most about them was that they stayed realistic and true to themselves. Hazel wasn’t afraid to tell Augustus what she thought of him when she disagreed with him. This couple really broke my heart!


I would highly recommend to anyone. Doesn’t matter if you’re young or old, male or female… you just need to read this book! 


Extra
Title: The Fault In Our Stars
Author: John Green 
Genre: Contemporary, YA
Publisher: Penguin Books
Publication date: January 11th 2012
Pages: 313 (paperback) 

El


Thursday 10 April 2014

Review: The Astounding Adventure of the Ancient Dragon (Elementary, My Dear Watson #1) by Jose Prendes

Synopsis
21816196When 12-year-old John Watson is sent to Candlewood boarding school, he makes quick friends with a boy named Sherlock Holmes, a universally disliked know-it-all and amateur sleuth. Before long, Sherlock embroils his new friend in a covert investigation of the mysterious disappearances blamed on a vengeful ghost. Dodging the meaty fists of the bully Moriarty, and aided by bumbling patrolman Lestrade, they uncover a deadly secret hidden deep underneath Candlewood. But does the duo have the brains - and the brawn - to crack this dangerous case? 


Opinion
If you ever imagined what Watson and Holmes would be like when they were kids than this is the book you should read. The author did an amazing job to capture Holmes as a twelve-year-old genius while we get to see where Watson’s admiration for this genius came from. At first Watson was a bit baffled by Holmes manner of thinking but he tried to keep up with him the best he could. And he tried to reason with him, to no avail of course.

The story begins when Watson makes his first entry in his journal. He and Sherlock have already been on their first adventure and he plans to write it all down so he will never forget it. We then got to see how Watson and Holmes first met at boarding school and how Watson got dragged into his first adventure by Holmes. There wasn’t a dull moment in this book thanks to Holmes quirkiness and Watson’s bafflement by all what happened to them. The book definitely made me laugh at times.

There were only some small things that bothered me in this book. The biggest problem I had with was near the ending. I don’t know exactly both Watson and Holmes killed at least three grown up men when trying to fend them of. Which twelve-year-old would do that? But most of all which twelve-year-old wouldn’t feel bad doing it afterwards? That was just something I couldn’t wrap my mind around. The other problem concerns Watson. He leaves his house at a bad moment, his mother is very ill and he’s sad to leave. But as soon as he enters Candlewood School it seems like he forgets her completely till the end of the book. Other than that I have nothing to complain about.

There was enough action it, definitely towards the ending, which would entertain most middle grade boys and even girls. In addition to the action the book was packed with humor, sarcasm, mystery, adventure but most important it contained friendship. A lovely friendship that will last for many years. Another bonus for this book were the drawings in it, they gave the book a nice touch. Overall I really enjoyed this book and it’s definitely a great read for middle graders. I’m definitely going to pick up the next book in this series when available.


*Note I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review*


Extra
Title: The Astounding Adventure of the Ancient Dragon 
Author: Jose Prendes
Series: Elementary, My Dear Watson 
Geren: Mystery, MG
Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press 
Publication date: April 3rd 2014

El

Wednesday 9 April 2014

Waiting on Wednesday #45: All Lined Up (Rusk University #1) by Cora Carmack



Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. It spotlights books that have not yet been released, but ones that you should pre-order today! This week's book that I am anxiously awaiting is:

All Lined Up 
by Cora Carmack

18505845

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Cora Carmack follows up her trio of hits - Losing It, Faking It, and Finding It - with this thrilling first novel in an explosive series bursting with the Texas flavor, edge, and steamy romace of Friday Night Light. 

In Texas, two things are cherished above all else - football and gossip. My life has always been ruled by both. 

Dallas Cole loathes football. That's what happens when you spend your whole childhood coming in second to a sport. College is her time to step out of the bleachers, and put the playing field (and the players) in her past. 

But life doesn't always goes as planned. As if going to the same college as her football star ex wasn't bad enough, her father, a Texas high school coaching phenom, has decided to make the jump to college ball... as the new head coach at Rusk University. Dallas finds herself in the shadows of her father and football all over again. 

Carson McClain is determined to go from second-string quaterback to the starting line-up. He needs the sholarship and the future that football provides. But when a beautiful redhead literally falls into his life, his focus  is more than tested. It's obliterated. 

Dallas doesn't know Carson is on the team. Carson doesn't know that Dallas is his new coach's daughter. 

And neither of them know how to walk away from the attraction they feel. 


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Why I can't wait: I loved Losing It by Carmack, it's one of the few NA books that I enjoyed immensely. And I hear nothing but good things about this one so far. Can't wait to read it! 

Publication date: May 13th 2014

El