tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44072327453295676162024-03-04T20:04:42.613-08:00Eyes on the PagesLex http://www.blogger.com/profile/03200733747254074272noreply@blogger.comBlogger89125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4407232745329567616.post-28777828406416398692016-01-07T19:57:00.003-08:002016-01-07T19:57:44.457-08:00Passenger by Alexandra Bracken<div class="tr_bq">
<strong style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">Rating:</strong><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;"> 1/5</span><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;" /><b style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">Release Date: </b><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">January 5th, 2016</span><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;" /><b style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">Publisher:</b><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;"> Disney Hyperion</span><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;" /><b style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;">Pages:</b><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; line-height: 21.56px;"> 486 </span></div>
<blockquote>
<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1446749751l/20983362.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Passenger (Passenger, #1)" border="0" height="400" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1446749751l/20983362.jpg" width="262" /></a><i><span id="freeText744750138766646443" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"></span></i></blockquote>
<b>Summary: </b><br />
<blockquote>
<i><span id="freeText744750138766646443" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">passage, n.</span><span id="freeText744750138766646443" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">i. A brief section of music composed of a series of notes and flourishes.</span></i><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span><span id="freeText744750138766646443" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">ii. A journey by water; a voyage.</span><span id="freeText744750138766646443" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">iii. The transition from one place to another, across space and time.</span><span id="freeText744750138766646443" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span><span id="freeText744750138766646443" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">In one devastating night, violin prodigy Etta Spencer loses everything she knows and loves. Thrust into an unfamiliar world by a stranger with a dangerous agenda, Etta is certain of only one thing: she has traveled not just miles but years from home. And she’s inherited a legacy she knows nothing about from a family whose existence she’s never heard of. Until now.</span><span id="freeText744750138766646443" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span><span id="freeText744750138766646443" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Nicholas Carter is content with his life at sea, free from the Ironwoods—a powerful family in the colonies—and the servitude he’s known at their hands. But with the arrival of an unusual passenger on his ship comes the insistent pull of the past that he can’t escape and the family that won’t let him go so easily. Now the Ironwoods are searching for a stolen object of untold value, one they believe only Etta, Nicholas’ passenger, can find. In order to protect her, he must ensure she brings it back to them— whether she wants to or not.</span><span id="freeText744750138766646443" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span><span id="freeText744750138766646443" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Together, Etta and Nicholas embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, piecing together clues left behind by the traveler who will do anything to keep the object out of the Ironwoods’ grasp. But as they get closer to the truth of their search, and the deadly game the Ironwoods are playing, treacherous forces threaten to separate Etta not only from Nicholas but from her path home . . . forever.</span></i></blockquote>
<br />
<b>Review:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">It is with a heavy heart that I only give 1 star to Bracken's newly released Passengers. The Darkest Minds is one of my all-time favourite series. The friendships demonstrated in those novels is impeccable. However, Passenger didn't show that to me. I had a LOT of issues with this book. Let me take you through them:</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">1) It took about HALF of the book before the "treasure hunt through time" began. WHEN YOU ADVERTISE WITH A TAG LINE LIKE THAT, AND HAVE A NEARLY 500 PAGE BOOK, THE TREASURE HUNT SHOULD HAPPEN BY THE FIRST 100 PAGES!!! *internally screaming*</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">2) The STUPID, REDICULOUS INFO-DUMP Q&A SESSION BETWEEN ETTA AND SOPHIE (another time-traveler who KIDNAPPED HER and then WILLINGLY told her information about time-travelling EVEN THOUGH Sophie was holding Etta as her hostage -.-; *more internal screaming*). I couldn't believe it when I read it. Bracken has written FOUR previous books, shouldn't she have enough skill to not have to info-dump at this point? AND ESPECIALLY IN THE WAY IT WAS GIVEN.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">3) Etta and Nikolas' relationship. Just like with Ruby and Liam (I must admit), this relationship just felt flat and I never felt like the characters had any real chemistry. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">4) Loooooong, repetitive, rhetorical question inner monologue. Etta was constantly contemplating the same things OVER and OVER and OVER again. This book easily could have been cut by 200 pages if it had been condensed, or even taken out. It just didn't add anything to the story line and had me skimming paragraphs from time to time. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">5) The length of the chapters (this is more of a personal thing for me). Anything longer than 20 pages I consider to be a long chapter, and these were upwards of 30 pages at some points. I just don't like it. It means I have to wait longer for my next break. :P</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">6) The endless descriptions. I don't know if it was the writing style, or me, or what, but the endless description of clothes and food and other such things really irritated me - I started skimming on that too (maybe it's because I was trying to find the plot).</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">So, you're probably wondering why I read the nearly 500 page book in its entirety. ITS BECAUSE I WAS HOPING I WOULD FIND SOMETHING THAT WOULD MAKE THIS BOOK REDEEMABLE AND GIVE IT MORE THAN A 1 STAR RATING. But nope, didn't happen. Trust me, I'm super disappointed that this book didn't live up to my expectations. I don't even want to touch the second one.</span>Lex http://www.blogger.com/profile/03200733747254074272noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4407232745329567616.post-8560871231777045872016-01-05T11:06:00.000-08:002016-01-05T11:06:03.115-08:00Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin<div class="separator" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24807186-wolf-by-wolf" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24807186-wolf-by-wolf" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Wolf By Wolf (Wolf By Wolf, #1)" height="400" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1424193184l/24807186.jpg" width="265" /></a><br />
<strong>Rating:</strong> 5/5<br />
<b>Release Date: </b>October 20th, 2015<br /><b>Publisher:</b> Little, Brown<br /><b>Pages:</b> 388<br />
<br />
First, a quick summary from Goodreads:<br />
<span id="freeText1601941926068168864"><blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>The year is 1956, and the Axis powers of
the Third Reich and Imperial Japan rule the world. To commemorate their Great
Victory over Britain and Russia, Hitler and Emperor Hirohito host the Axis Tour:
an annual motorcycle race across their conjoined continents. The victor is
awarded an audience with the highly reclusive Adolf Hitler at the Victor's
ball.<br /><br />Yael, who escaped from a death camp, has one goal: Win the race and
kill Hitler. A survivor of painful human experimentation, Yael has the power to
skinshift and must complete her mission by impersonating last year's only female
victor, Adele Wolfe. This deception becomes more difficult when Felix, Adele
twin's brother, and Luka, her former love interest, enter the race and watch
Yael's every move. But as Yael begins to get closer to the other competitors,
can she bring herself to be as ruthless as she needs to be to avoid discovery
and complete her mission?</em></span></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
This book was incredible. Graudin created a believable, tangible alternate history of Hitler winning WW2. The characters were incredible, I loved reading from Yael's point of view and watching her struggle with the fact that people are more than what they believe in. It made for a huge amount of grey area and I loved it. <br />
<br />
The Axis Tour was also a great concept and done extremely well. The tour was rough, and Yael really had to struggle in order to compete in the race. <br />
<br />
The ending also threw me completely for a loop, too! I did <em>NOT</em> see that coming. At all. And I loved it! I think this book would make an incredible movie and really hope that one day it does make it to the big screen.<br />
</span>Lex http://www.blogger.com/profile/03200733747254074272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4407232745329567616.post-38623239363625190072015-11-26T15:49:00.000-08:002015-11-26T15:49:13.285-08:00How to Demolish Your TBR <span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Like many book lovers and consumers across the globe, I have a ridiculous TBR pile. As I compile this post, my count sits at 120 books (and BookOutlet's Black Friday sale starts tomorrow). This past year I've attempted to reduce my TBR pile to less than 100 books, and it has worked and it hasn't. Let me explain.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Somewhere around the winter time at the beginning of the year (2015), I put what I like to call a "book buying limit" on myself. In an attempt to reduce that pile, I told myself that I could only buy 1 book for every 5 that I read, and that the 5 books that I read following that had to include my new purchase. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">It was new, it was exciting, and it only lasted a month or two before I broke. So, how do you successfully eliminate your TBR pile? What kind of method should you use that will work for you in the long run? All of us are different, and not every solution will work for everybody, but here are some suggestions that I am going to attempt:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<strong><u><span style="font-family: Arial;">1. Book Buying Limit</span></u></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">This only worked for me in the short run, but I think if I changed up the rules a bit it could work in the long run. Here's how it works:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">For every 2, 3, 4, or 5 books that you read (whatever kind of requirement you feel comfortable with setting for yourself), you get to purchase one new book in exchange. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I think the main reason this didn't work for me is because I didn't change it up. I set myself a ratio of 5:1, for every five books read I was allowed to purchase 1. It was fun and exciting and made me <em>outrageously</em> excited for buying books again, something that I hadn't experienced in a long time. However, it was short lived. Especially as new releases were coming out and I wasn't reading at a fast enough rate to buy them. So... Switch it up! Maybe you feel like reading 5 books for every book you get to purchase is too much, so make it smaller for a time being! Maybe it's your birthday month, so do something a little daring! For every book you read, you're allowed to buy <em>TWO</em> book for every book you've read during the week (or even the whole month, if you wish!) of your birthday!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">You could even do this by setting a limit on how much money you want to spend on books per month, or how many you want to purchase in a month (you could always carry over if you don't max out!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<strong><u><span style="font-family: Arial;">2. Read-A-Thons</span></u></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Love read-a-thons? I kind of do. The ones that I'm really into are Booktube-A-Thon, and RYBSAT. Read-a-thons are a great way to read a lot of books in a small amount of time, a very effective way of demolishing that TBR!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<strong><u><span style="font-family: Arial;">3. Avoiding the Bookstore</span></u></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I don't know about you, but if I walk out of the bookstore without a book I feel like I'm missing a limb on the way back home. This is very bad, especially since I tend to visit the bookstore two or three times a week. So... avoid the bookstore! In the mall doing some Christmas shopping this season? Don't forget your blinders! Avoid walking past the bookstore! DO NOT GO IN! (Just be very careful when you finally do enter, all those new shining books that you have yet to see in person can be very tempting.) You can't buy books if you don't have a way of getting a hold of them.*</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<strong><u><span style="font-family: Arial;">4. Add up those Books!</span></u></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Keep a running tab of what you're spending! These numbers can give you a huge reality check if you feel like you're spending too much money on books. I did this once before, and I was appalled by the results... So, naturally, I stopped keeping track and kept up my habits! (Don't follow by my lead, though. This will result in bottom line of $0.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Do you have any strategies for keeping your book buying under control? What do you find does and doesn't work for you? I would love to hear your experiences, please share them with me!!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">*This excludes online shopping, you're on your own for that one. </span>Lex http://www.blogger.com/profile/03200733747254074272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4407232745329567616.post-65463971305290162082014-04-14T11:48:00.001-07:002014-04-14T11:48:17.324-07:00Breathe by Sarah Crossan<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11544466-breathe" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Breathe (Breathe, #1)" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1330286837l/11544466.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>RATING:1.5/5</b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I am extremely sad to say that BREATHE did not live up to
my expectation whatsoever. I remember Breathe being one of my most anticipated releases of last year. Needless to say, I’m not
disappointed that I waited this long before I finally got around to
reading it. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />The world has gone through an extremely rough time. Trees all over the world have been dying off and now</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> there isn't enough
oxygen left for the worlds population to live on. So, the government put
its people through “The Switch.” Putting up domes in major cities around the
world, the government found a way to manufacture the oxygen that we need
to breathe. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Bea is a lowly “auxiliary,” forced to walk only three miles
per hour (unless she wants a fine) and her family can only afford
powdered and chemically manufactured food. Bea’s best friend Quinn lives
a much nicer life-style. Being a Premium, his family can afford all the
oxygen they need and then some. They’re able to exercise, do the dance
with no pants, and anything else that requires a high amount of oxygen
consumption. Quinn has a new crush at school, Alina. From what Quinn can
see she’s smokin’ hot, but Alina doesn’t want anything to do with him. <br /><br />One
day, Quinn decides to take Bea outside the dome on a camping trip since neither of them
have ever been. So they load up with oxygen tanks and set out. But just
before they reach border patrol, they run into Alina and she desperately
needs her help. Quinn, having this massive crush on her, decides to
help her with no questions asked. Little does he know that she’s running
away to re-join the resistance. It’s no longer safe for her within the
dome of Breathe. <br /><br />From here, things take off and Quinn and Bea are
introduced to the resistance pretty much right off the bat
because there was NO DOUBT that Quinn and Bea would betray Alina and the
resistance. Why wouldn’t they betray them, you ask? Because they LOOK
like they would make good members. Alina TRUSTS them. She thinks they’re
GOOD PEOPLE. Well, miss Alina. I think you SHOULD have been expelled
from the resistance because you clearly don’t take this thing seriously
enough. It was SO easy for Quinn and Bea to convince Alina to let them
into the resistance, even though she pretty much met them for the first
time at border patrol. Alina literally claims that they’re all best
friends by the end of this EVEN THOUGH SHE HARDLY SPENT ANY TIME WITH
QUINN AT ALL. <br /><br />All of the relationships between any of the characters
felt so 2D and fake and forced. This might have been because all of the
characters were also so 2D and fake and forced. Nothing felt real, there
was no real depth to ANYTHING in this book. GAH! IT JUST MAKES ME SO FRUSTRATED.<br /><br />The plot is pretty much what held this book together
for me. This whole idea of having to buy our oxygen and then having a
resistance trying to re-plant trees and things (which would never
actually work out considering how long it takes for a tree to grow)
sounds so COOL. But because the characters were so flat, because the
relationships were so forced, because it was so easy to get into the
resistance I wasn’t really able to fully enjoy the plot since I was busy
being mad by almost every other element in this book.<br /><br />Needless
to say (unfortunately), I wouldn’t recommend this book if you’ve been
reading for a while. I have no doubt it will frustrate you on some level
as well. Although, I do think this would make a good starting book for
people who are just starting to get into reading because it's not a very huge book to process.</span></div>
Lex http://www.blogger.com/profile/03200733747254074272noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4407232745329567616.post-82641668848187004842014-04-06T19:22:00.002-07:002014-04-06T19:22:13.850-07:00Shades of Earth by Beth Revis<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10345937-shades-of-earth" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Shades of Earth by Beth Revis" height="400" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1346494567l/10345937.jpg" title="Shades of Earth by Beth Revis" width="266" /></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>RATING: 5/5</b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Ho. Ly. Cow. THAT WAS SO FREXING <em>GOOD</em>!!!!!<br /><br />As the last book in the <em>Across the Universe</em>
trilogy, I had high expectation for the finale. Admittedly, when I
first started it I was disappointed. It seemed like Elder still couldn’t
get his shit together and Amy wasn’t doing much better.<br /><br /> But wow, did I ever underestimate these two. The things they were willing to do, the things they were willing to <em>sacrifice</em>.
It just about took my breath away. These two kids were phenomenal
decision makers when it really came down to it. They had more sense than
both the shipborns and earthborns put together. They took the time and
effort required to gather together the information needed that enabled
them to make these hefty decisions. And did they ever make those
decisions. The fearlessness both Amy and Elder used to protect those
relying on them and even those who weren’t was just… I have no words. <br /><br />The
plot twists in this novel were phenomenal! Although I was able to
predict a couple of them, there were many that I never saw coming and
one that literally made me go “Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?” out loud. And I
NEVER do that. EVER. Needless to say, the twists to this book were
pretty amazing. This book was amazing (clearly I don't know what
synonyms are).<br /><br />And not only that, but the new centauri-earth was <em>amazing</em> (that glass stuff was incredible!). Revis described it in such detail and everything was so <em>different</em> and <em>lethal</em> from sol-earth while at the same time everything also felt so <em>similar</em> and <em>safe</em>. I don’t think there was a better way that she could have constructed it. <br /><br />Needless
to say, this trilogy is easily one of my new favourites. I will push it
onto anyone who will listen and maybe even onto a few who won’t. If you
haven’t read this book yet, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? That was the
first question that popped into my head when I finished the book.<em> Why had I waited so long? </em> I’m so glad this was the titled I picked from my TBR jar this month. SO GLAD.</div>
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Lex http://www.blogger.com/profile/03200733747254074272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4407232745329567616.post-48955361895237250952014-03-28T14:52:00.001-07:002014-03-28T14:52:14.534-07:00Book Buying Habits<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />So, I've been watching BookTube for a long, long time now (online book community on YouTube), and I always see the book vloggers come out with these cool, fun looking tags! So I've decided to tag myself and post it to my blog. :) (The video originated from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/MegIsInWonderland">Megan Olivier</a>!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Without further ado, let's get started!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>1.Where do you buy your books from? </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A number of places, but the places that I'm consistently buying books from are Chapters/Indigo's/Coles and the Book Outlet. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Chapters/Indigo's/Coles because they're all so close to home and the hardcovers are 30% off online! Then there's Book Outlet because they're books are even cheaper than that! I think the most I've paid for a book off of there website is $7.99 for a hardcover!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>2.Do you ever pre orders book and if so do you do this in store or online?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I do! Quite often, actually. Especially when I'm really excited for a book! I will always order it online. This way, I don't have to worry about picking it up or anything since it will be delivered straight to my door-step!<b> </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>3.On average, how many books do you buy a month?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Eesh, definitely way more than I should. I've actually started to keep track of how much money and how many books I'm buying a month in an excel sheet. I'm averaging about 11 books a month so far this year... Poop. :(<b> </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>4.Do you use your local library?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">No... And it's not really anything I plan on starting to use anytime soon. I love my books. I love buying them, I love reading them, I love smelling them, and I love owning them. Those things would be a little weird and gross to do if I got them from the library. Not to mention illegal...<b> </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>5.If so, how many books can you/do you borrow at a time?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Not applicable to me!<b> </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>6.What is your opinion on library books? </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Oh, I'm kind of repeating myself here, but they're just not my thing. I love owning my books and being able to see all the ones I've read over the years and keep the ones that I've loved and even see the ones go that I hated. I wish to have my own library someday. :D<b> </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>7.How do you feel about charity shop/second hand books?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I have bought a couple of them! But for the most part I don't go looking for them. I find a lot of them smell old and dusty and that smell really doesn't sit well with me. Actually, I've had to stop reading a book before due to that very reason. <b> </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>8.Do you keep your read and TBR pile together/on the same book shelf or not? </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I do! I have a little double-stacked book case that comes up to my chest with three shelves in it. I also have a shelf that's nailed to my wall that holds some of the books I've yet to read.... And that's just at my dad's house, haha.<b> </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>9.Do you plan to read all of the books that you own? </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Of course I do! That's always my intention when I buy new books. Never have I ever bought a book for the sole purpose of having it sit on my shelves. Now, getting around to actually reading it? That's another story... (see what I did there)<b> </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>10.What do you do with books that you own that you feel you will never read/felt you did not enjoy?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I get rid of them! I find going through my books is just like going through my wardrobe. Some books I grow out of and some books I don't like anymore or some book I didn't like once I tried them on. These are the books that I will say goodbye to. This usually happens every couple of months and I'll get a pile of about 10 every time. :)<b> </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>11.Have you ever donated books?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I have! This is exactly what I do with the books I no longer want. Usually a donation company will call my house sometime soon after I've gone through my shelves, or them calling is what <i>will</i> prompt me to go through my shelves, and I'm just glad to be rid of them so easily. <b> </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>12.Have you ever been on a book buying ban? </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I have. But it never works. Whenever I get off of it I go book crazy and end up buying way more books than I would have if I'd never put myself on the ban in the first place.<b> </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>13.Do you feel that you buy too many books?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">No. I mean, I do buy an accessive amount and probably more than I need to. But, I do I consider it too much? Not at all. The way I see it is I'm spending my hard earned money on the things that I love. And do I ever love books!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If any of you guys do this tag for yourself, link it for me down below! I would love to see them! :)</span></div>
Lex http://www.blogger.com/profile/03200733747254074272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4407232745329567616.post-34147187369333945142014-03-23T19:32:00.005-07:002014-03-23T19:32:54.112-07:00Before I Die by Jenny Downham<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5573136-before-i-die" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Before I Die by Jenny Downham" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1392695374l/5573136.jpg" title="Before I Die by Jenny Downham" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">RATING: 3.5/5</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If I were to use one word to describe BEFORE I DIE by Jenny Downham,
it would be depressing. This book is extremely depressing. There are no
true happy moments in this book, only moments that are just sad. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />However,
I did like how Tessa acted while having cancer. While it was extremely
sad and gloomy, it was believable and realistic and traumatizing. I
could feel Tessa’s low spirits creep into me as I read the book. I’d be
lying if I said I didn’t finish this book with a heavy heart. <br /><br />When
Tessa realizes that she can’t let her cancer dictate how she’s going to
live the rest of her life, she makes up a list of ten things that she
wants to do before it consumes her. At the very beginning of the book we
cross off the very first on her list: sex. <br /><br />The beginning of
this book bothered me quite a bit and made me feel uncomfortable with
the way Tessa started crossing off the things on her list. She did it in
a very dark and haunted way that made me cringe on the inside. Although
the rest of the book always has that dark under-tone to it, you can
begin to see that Tessa is starting to have her happier moments as we
get closer to the 150 page mark. But use the term “happier” loosely
because I just want you guys to understand how extremely depressing I
thought this book was. <br /><br />Bleh. I’m just going to end my review here because simply thinking about this book is making me sad. <br /><br />So, yeah. DEPRESSING.</span></div>
Lex http://www.blogger.com/profile/03200733747254074272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4407232745329567616.post-86734751541511967982014-03-19T17:08:00.000-07:002014-03-19T17:08:01.973-07:00Shatter Me by Thereh Mafi<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/photo/13455782-shatter-me" itemprop="image" rel="nofollow" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Shatter Me (Shatter Me, #1)" id="coverImage" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1338924054l/13455782.jpg" /></a><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">RATING: 3.5/5</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b> **May contain minor spoilers**</b></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />So. It looks like I’m in the minority for this book. <br /><br />I’m
going to be honest with you. I have no idea how to start off this book
review. I willfully admit that it disappointed me in so many ways.
Juliette’s powers were never explained. Why can Warner and Adam touch
her? Why did she desire Warner in ANY way when he forced her to do all
that stuff she CLEARLY did not want to do. I can honestly not understand
why ANYONE would be Team Warner after all the lunatic shit that he did.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />The
writing style for this book was really cool… At first. I kind of
associated the cross-offs with her sanity. It’s pretty easy to tell that
Juliette isn’t 100% stable (not that I blame her). But just when it
seems she’s getting her shit together and acting normal, she’ll think
something she shouldn’t be thinking and cross it out. Towards the 250
page mark it started to get very annoying for me. <br /><br />Speaking of
the writing style… THE METAPHORS. Some of them were really pretty and
powerful, but I know a lot more left me when a look of confusion on my
face than they should have. For example, that one about the rose petals.
Can someone please explain that one to me? I don’t get it!<br /><br />Now.
Juliette and Adam’s relationship. I understand that they have a past
history together, but does Juliette really know Adam? I think my biggest
problem was how eager they were to take each other’s clothes off.<br /><br />Half
way through the book it looked like to me that I wasn’t going to bother
picking up the second one. But once Kenji showed them that I place (I’m
trying to be vague here to avoid spoilers) I became A LOT more
interested and I definitely plan on picking up the next one now. :)</span></div>
Lex http://www.blogger.com/profile/03200733747254074272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4407232745329567616.post-64515586058928315472014-03-16T12:12:00.005-07:002014-03-16T12:12:51.765-07:00Safe With Me by Amy Hatvany<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/photo/18143780-safe-with-me" itemprop="image" rel="nofollow" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Safe with Me" id="coverImage" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1393775164l/18143780.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>RATING: 5/5</b></span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Wow. How do I even begin? This book was exactly what I wanted and then
some. I’d never heard of this book before visiting Costco with my mom
yesterday. You have no idea how happy I am that I went with her after
finishing this book. <br /><br />How do I describe the difficulties of
Olivia’s life? When she first met James he was charming, kind, funny;
absolutely everything you would want from a man. So when he proposed to
her, how could Olivia say no? But not long after moving in with him, he
would say things that made small bells go off in her head. But her
sweet, charming James couldn’t have possibly meant it in that way,
right? He must have just had a rough day at work</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">. A year later, Olivia
and James have their beautiful daughter Madelyn and nothing could be
better. Fast-forward a couple more years and James has taken his slight
jabs too far. Far enough that Olivia decides she needs to take Maddie
and run far, far away. But then the unspeakable happens. Maddie gets
sick with a liver disease and Olivia knows she can’t afford the
treatments on her own. How can she leave James now?<br /><br />A couple
years later, Hannah’s daughter Emily has been hit by a car. After being
rushed to the hospital and hours of surgery have gone by, Emily is
alive… but only because of the life support the hospital’s machines are
providing for her. The doctor asks Hannah if her daughter was an organ
donor. There’s a 15 year old girl in dire need of a liver transplant and
time is of the essence. </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Knowing this is what Emily would want,
Hannah donates everything that’s left of her daughter in order to save
the lives of many others, one of them being Maddie. <br /><br />A year
later, Hannah and Olivia meet by coincidence and become very close very
fast. This is a story of family, friendship and courage. So much
courage.<br /><br />I loved this book so much more than I ever expected to. I
cared for these characters more than I ever expected to. I don’t think
I’ve ever cared for any fictional character as much as I cared for
Hannah, Maddie and Olivia.<br /><br />Watching these three girls go through
their own forms of grief and struggle was so incredibly moving. All
three of their stories demanded to be heard through Hatvany’s writing
style. It was very simple and yet very elegant, and I think that is why
it worked so well. <br /><br />Nothing about this book was black and white.
Everything was a millions shades of gray. The pacing was beautiful, the
situation was so believe and so heart breaking on all accounts that I
found myself tearing up on multiple occasions. <br /><br />There is not a
single flaw that I am able to identify in this book. There is not a
single person that I would not recommend this book to. There is not a
page that I didn’t love within this book.<br /><br />Please, just read this book. It is definitely the kind of book that leaves its mark on you.</span></div>
Lex http://www.blogger.com/profile/03200733747254074272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4407232745329567616.post-10570376509160053132014-03-13T21:04:00.000-07:002014-03-13T21:04:07.981-07:00The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8659601-the-power-of-six" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1345067406l/8659601.jpg" title="The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b> Rating: 4.5/5</b></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Power of Six picks up right where I Am Number Four
left off and does not let you catch your breath for one second.
Throughout the entire novel there is nothing but action, action,
ACTION!!! And while this was a very good thing in my eyes (the real only
reason why I gave it such a high rating), there was little to no
character development to be heard of. <br /><br />In fact, a lot of the
decisions the characters made caused me to freak out at them and how
stupid they are (but only in my head, of course). There were three of
four decisions that I just couldn’t believe these kids were making (and
you’ll probably know which ones I’m thinking about if you’ve read the
book). The decisions lead to nothing but trouble (obviously), which
could have been avoided SO EASILY if they just knew when to TURN AROUND
and MOVE ON. (This is why I kept from giving it a full five stars)<br /><br />This
book is still extremely good, though. If you like plot driven books
more than character driven books this series is definitely for you,
because once this plot started, it made no stops until the very end. <br /><br />Ps; HOW THE HELL DID SIX GET THERE SO FAST?! WTF, MAN?
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Lex http://www.blogger.com/profile/03200733747254074272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4407232745329567616.post-40233794118431541562014-03-11T18:22:00.002-07:002014-03-11T18:22:52.681-07:00A Temptaion of Angels by Michelle Zink<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10808965-a-temptation-of-angels" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="A Temptation of Angels" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1311967868l/10808965.jpg" /></a> <span style="font-size: large;"><b>RATING: 3/5</b></span></div>
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I’m sad to use the first few words of this review to say that <em>A Temptation of Angels</em> was a bit of a let-down for me. I am quite a fan of Zink’s <em>Prophecy of the Sisters</em> series (at least the first two that I read), and I was very excited to read her fourth novel for that reason.<br /><br />Although,
one would never be able to guess that this was Zink’s fourth book from
the way it was written. The writing style was extremely simple, there
wasn’t much explanation to why the Keepers existed and the plot was
mediocre at best. <br /><br />During the beginning of the novel I kept
rolling my eyes at Helen and her foolishness. Her trust in the brothers
came all too quickly and easily, and even though she claimed her words
never failed her she was often contradicting herself when she couldn't
help but stumble over them. <br /><br />At the beginning of the book her
attraction to Griffin was a little creepy, more so because I pictured
her as a 13 or 14 year old girl and him as a 20-something year old man.
Ew. *shivers* <br /><br />Also, the romance of this novel became highly
annoying towards the end. Just after declaring she only loved one of the
boys as a “friend,” when earlier she declared that she loved the other,
not too far from then she found herself “desiring” the first one. THIS.
IS. RIDICULOUS. YA romance, WHY U MAKE NO SENSE?!?!<br /><br />However, the
letter that she received from her father was very cute and
heart-warming and I really liked it. I also really liked how much of an
influence the parents had on Helen throughout the entire novel. So while
this book was a bit of a disappointment for me, I still liked it enough
to give it a 3/5 rating. Lex http://www.blogger.com/profile/03200733747254074272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4407232745329567616.post-36340899095836985542014-03-09T10:28:00.005-07:002014-03-09T10:30:52.415-07:00Road to High Saffron by Jasper Fforde<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8725325-shades-of-grey" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Shades of Grey: The Road to High Saffron (Shades of Grey #1)" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1297174578l/8725325.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"> RATING: 3.5/5</span></b> </span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Shades of Grey is a very humorous and sometimes confusing book. </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When
I first started reading this book I was immediately confused since a
lot of the books objects and pop culture references are mostly left to
you to put two and two together to figure out what they are. Luckily, I
was in the right mood to read this book and its smart writing style had
my brain cranking a lot more than usual and I quite enjoyed that.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />Because
of the way this book is written, you’re going to need to put a good
amount of time off to the side to read and fully enjoy this book.
Unfortunately for me, I read a majority of it on my lunch break at work
and I think that it really pulled away from the books full story. <br /><br />However,
during the last 150 pages everything really starts to pull together and
I started to really enjoy it a lot more than I was and I quickly
dedicated a whole night to finishing up this book. <br /><br />A solid book
for me and I’m actually super excited to get my hands on the next book
(which I think will be much more exciting now that I know what to expect
from the writing style).</span></div>
Lex http://www.blogger.com/profile/03200733747254074272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4407232745329567616.post-84645090171427775322014-03-07T10:17:00.003-08:002014-03-07T10:17:25.585-08:00The Originals by Cat Patrick<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15790886-the-originals" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="The Originals" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1358972630l/15790886.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <b><span style="font-size: large;">RATING: 5/5</span></b> </span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">To put it as simply as possible, Patrick’s THE
ORIGINALS is about three triplets who find out that they’re actually
clones of one another. They’re mom is worried that she’ll be discovered
for unethical research and decides to hide them away as one person:
Elizabeth Beth. For the next ten years of their lives, Lizzie, Beth, and
Ella live as one person and take each day in shifts… This all goes
quite well until two of the girls have their first crushes. From here
the story takes off, one of self-discovery and exploration. <br /><br />Let
me start saying that I LOVE Patrick’s novels. The love in them feel so
earnest and real and it’s written in such a way that I can’t help but
fall in love with this book. Lizzie is the MC for the entire book (which
I think was a fantastic idea instead of splitting it up between the
three… That would have been confusing) and I just love her and adore her
to pieces… She kind of reminds me of me, a little bit. Her relationship
with Sean is beautiful and screams of first-love and adorable and I
just loved it so much (mostly because it reminds me of me and my
boyfriend c:)! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />The plot of this book is so unique and it is
carried out and executed so well. The pacing was beautiful and always
kept me glued to the pages, it was never dull or boring and I never once
rolled my eyes at any of the characters.<br /><br />What I love so much
about Patrick’s novels is the genre, oddly enough. They focus on a
contemporary, coming-of-age feel but you always get this unique si-fi
twist thrown into it and I just can’t help but love her ideas. They’re
all so unique and original and I just think she deserves a huge pat on
the back and extreme notice for this. <br /><br />Needless to say, I really need to get on to reading the rest of her books (Forgotten and Just Like Fate).</span>Lex http://www.blogger.com/profile/03200733747254074272noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4407232745329567616.post-61580310350238012802014-03-04T19:27:00.002-08:002014-03-04T19:27:31.896-08:00White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18006096-white-hot-kiss" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="White Hot Kiss (The Dark Elements, #1)" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1377784554l/18006096.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <b><span style="font-size: large;">Rating: 3/5</span></b></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Armentrout’s WHITE HOT KISS is an addicting book. I flew through just
over half of it in a couple of hours. However, this book did not wow me
like I expected it to. After hearing so much about her Lux series (and
after reading Obsidian), I honestly expected thi</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">s book to be pretty
close to a knock-out. But it wasn’t. While the details and plot in WHK
were different from its counter-parts in Obsidian, WHK still gave me a
feeling of similarity to Obsidian. The voice of Layla felt really
similar to the MC in Obsidian and she seemed to always have love on her
mind. Plus some of the decisions she made were so incredibly DUMB! YOU
DO NOT FOLLOW A DEMON – NO MATTER WHAT ITS RANK – INTO A DARK, SECLUDED
ALLY. NEVER! EEVVVEERRRR!! And then there was the whole part where she
didn’t tell anyone about Roth and a couple of other things that also
made me shake my head. <br /><br />Also, this may sound odd, but the cover
and spine of this book just look so disappointing. The cover is just
horribly disgusting – you’d think Harlequin Teen could do better than
that (unless they were going for a Harlequin romance kind of feel) – in a
way I will never be able to explain. The spine is just so BORING. The
back of the book is merely acceptable in my books. I think it would be
better without the tag line down the left half of it. REMOVE IT!<br /><br />But,
this book still has it’s redeeming qualities. Even though I found
nothing special about it and definitely was never moved by it, it was
still entertaining. Armentrout’s style is quick, easy & HOLY COW
ADDICTING. Overall, I liked this guy.</span>Lex http://www.blogger.com/profile/03200733747254074272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4407232745329567616.post-75481931411173928462014-03-02T05:47:00.003-08:002014-03-02T05:48:08.100-08:00Winterling by Sarah Prineas<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11594289-winterling" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Winterling by Sarah Prineas" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1377967120l/11594289.jpg" title="Winterling by Sarah Prineas" /></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Rating: 3/5</span></b> </span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Cute, quick and easy to read. This book was fun and entertaining and I liked reading it. :)<br /><br />Jennifer
(or "Fer") is often pestered, teased and even bullied at school.
Because of this, Fer often feels like she doesn't fit in. And she is
right on more levels than she knows... <br /><br />After having a rough day
at school, Fer decides to take the long way home so she can en</span><br />
<div class="leftAlignedImage">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">joy the
outdoors more than usual since her Grand-Jane keeps her under lock and
key at home. Upon coming home, Fer's Grand-Jane gets angry and scolds
her for arriving home late. Coming home to this after her already
stressful day at school, Fer escapes the house the first chance she
gets. Feeling alone and isolated, she runs into the forest near their
house until she fins a small pond that is just like her. Alone and
isolated.<br /><br />Collapsing in front of the pond, Fer touches the surface of the pond to cool off and... Falls into a whole new world. <br /><br />This
is where things take off. Fer meets Rook and the Lady of the Land and
is quickly whisked away on an adventure of self-discovery and bravery. <br /><br />As
I said in my little mini-review at the top... This book is fun and cute
and easy to read... And it's not really much else. It's not
life-altering. It's not heart-shattering, but it's not a book that you
make you feel with your whole heart, either. <br /><br />However, that is
not to say that this book is not at least a little bit of each of these
things. WINTERLING is a fun book that would be great to introducing
someone in this age group (8-12) to the world of reading. Again, it was
nice, fun, cute & quick to read. :)<br /><br />I liked Winterling and that's about that. :)
</span>Lex http://www.blogger.com/profile/03200733747254074272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4407232745329567616.post-38179189247932097532014-02-28T08:27:00.002-08:002014-02-28T08:36:59.216-08:00Circle of Fire by Keri Arthur<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6076375-circle-of-fire" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Circle of Fire (Damask Circle, #1)" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348983531l/6076375.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Rating: 2/5</b></span></span><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></i></div>
<br />
<i>"Sixteen <span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">teenagers taken from their homes. Eleven bodies recovered,
each completely drained of </span></i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>blood. Some believe vampires are responsible.
Jon Barnett knows that what’s happening is far worse. Sent by a group
of paranormal investigators known as the Damask Circle, Jon quickly
becomes enmeshed in a web of black magic and realizes he needs help. But
fate gives him only one choice."</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">With a synopsis like that,
how could I not expect edge-of-your-seat suspense? But I guess the
other half of it should have warned me...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>"Madeline Smith has
retreated to an isolated farmhouse, afraid of the abilities she cannot
control—abilities that have killed. But when a “ghost” brings a warning
of danger and her nephew goes missing, Maddie not only has to leave her
haven, she has to place her trust in a man who is neither ghost nor
human. As the noose of sorcery tightens, the search for the teenagers
becomes a race against time.<b> But the greatest danger to Maddie and Jon could be the intense feelings they refuse to acknowledge but cannot ignore."</b></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">That
one sentence should really take up more than one little line of the
synopsis, because for me, CIRCLE OF FIRE felt more like a sappy
insta-love story than anywhere near a thriller.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This book is
about 45% romance, 45% repetition and 10% action. while reading the
CIRCLE OF FIRE, we would constantly be reminded of how badly Maddie's
past has messed her up and made her become oh-so-scared and how Jon
could tell something had messed her up and mad her oh-so-scared.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And
honestly? If this story's main characters weren't adults, I never would
have guessed that this was an adult book... The writing was extremely
simple and juvenile, and there was the annoying repetition at least
every page or two throughout the entire book. Every other page we were
either reminded about 1)how Maddie's past still effects her to this day
or 2)how drawn Maddie/Jon was to the other.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">However, it is the
small bit of action and this books simplistic writing style that is it's
saving grace. The small bit of action at the end made me bump up my
rating from 1 star to 2 stars, and the simplistic writing is what was
allowing me to finish the book.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I think the main reason I
disliked this book so much was because the synopsis mislead me. Going
into it I expected an intense, magic-filled thriller that would keep me
on the edge of my seat. Yes, this book was filled with magic, but the
thriller part just wasn't there for me and was instead taken over by the
extremely aggravating love story between Maddie and Jon.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If you
plan on reading this book, please be sure it's because you want one of
those sappy love-stories. If you go in expecting what I did, I have no
doubt that you will be just as disappointed as I was.
</span>Lex http://www.blogger.com/profile/03200733747254074272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4407232745329567616.post-45549063655171117592014-02-26T12:15:00.005-08:002014-02-26T12:15:58.046-08:00Indelible by Dawn Metcalf<br />
<br />
<div class="bookCoverPrimary">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/photo/12411687-indelible" itemprop="image" rel="nofollow" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Indelible (The Twixt, #1)" id="coverImage" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1356628426l/12411687.jpg" /></a> <span style="font-size: large;"><b>Rating: 3.5/5</b></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Joy already has a tough enough life before a stranger tries to stab her
in the eye. Her mom abandoned their family in the company of a younger
man, her brother Stefan doesn’t talk to her since leaving for college
and Joy just can’t relate to her father. Needless to say, Ink stabbing
her in the eye is the last thing Joy needs. Especially when he
accidentally misses and ends up marking her as his instead. Thus, Joy is
thrust into a new world of strange creatures, dark corners, and danger
at every turn.<br /><br />Joy is a typical YA MC. A whiny, moody, “nobody
understand me” type of girl. We are never really given a physical
description on her, so it’s pretty hard to make Joy unique from all of
the other characters I’ve read about. Throughout the majority of the
book, Joy is always the damsel in distress. She does her best to solve
her problems, but she always needs to rely on others to finish the job
for her. Mind you, most of these situations were out of her control, so
we’ll cut her some slack. (Plus, she did really kick some butt in those
last few pages!)<br /><br />As for Ink &Inq, they’re what Melcalf
describes as “scribes.” From what I got from the book, they’re there to
act as a type of messenger between the other-worldly beings also known
as the Twixt. They are given jobs by different members of the Twixt
(some warriors, some aether spirits, amongst a whole slew of other
un-named creatures), to carry and mark their signaturae on humans so
that they can claim them as their own.<br /><br />Why the Twixt needed them
to mark people for them is unknown to me. In the book Metcalf explains
it as keeping the Twixt safe and out of the way of exposure… But the
only reason Joy was even able to see all these other-worldly creatures
was because she has the “Sight,” which obviously gives her the ability
to see Ink & the like. Ergo, I am very confused as to why these
Twixt would need to keep to themselves from “risk of exposure” if there
really is no risk at all. <br /><br />Now, let’s break down this plot….
Wait. What plot? Pretty much the first two-thirds of this book are
dedicated to Joy & Ink and them being seen together so that Ink
doesn’t get in trouble for messing up and marking Joy by accident (Ink
& Inq claimed that marking Joy was done on purpose so that they
wouldn’t be considered fuck-ups & therefore disposable &
replaceable). It’s not until you hit about page 200 that there is even a
baddy/conflict identified for Ink & Joy to beat/over-come. <br /><br />So,
by now you’re probably thinking to yourself… Lex, why the hell did you
give this book a 3.5 star rating if all you’re doing is trashing
everything about it? Well, let me tell you…. This book has some unknown
addictive quality to it that I can’t even begin to understand… Also, I
was really in the mood for a super cheesy paranormal romance thing, AND!
THE CREATURES IN THIS BOOK WERE SO FANTASTICAL. I think that’s why the
plot and everything else was so lacking, because if I were Metcalf and I
had images of these creatures in my head, I would want to spew them out
on paper and show them off to everyone, too. These creatures, and the
last 150 or so pages make up for pretty much all of the weak points of
this book. <br /><br />I read a review of someone else’s that mentioned that
the creatures reminded her of a Miyazaki film and I think that’s why I
liked this book as much as I did. I love his movies and I can’t help but
be amazed by the different types of creatures. So, if you’re a fan of
Miyazaki films I would suggest checking this book out and giving it a
shot for yourself. :) </span>Lex http://www.blogger.com/profile/03200733747254074272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4407232745329567616.post-61583147947623319952013-04-09T12:33:00.000-07:002013-04-09T12:45:28.885-07:00Rapid Reviews (1)Hey guys!<br />
<br />
A good, lengthy review takes a lot of time, thought and effort and thought to produce and sometimes just by missing one I won't write a review on a book. So, I thought I'd start something that I like to call Rapid Reviews! These are basically just books I've recently read but haven't written a full-length review on and not really planning to...<br />
<br />
Hopefully this way I will actually post more, because the idea of doing this kind of excites me. :)<br />
<br />
So, I'll start with what I've read since I finished <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10576365-the-darkest-minds">The Darkest Minds</a> (check out my review for that <a href="http://eyesonthepages.blogspot.ca/2013/01/the-darkest-minds-by-alexandra-bracken.html">here</a>).<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><u><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12390389-the-emerald-atlas">The Emerald Atlas</a></u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">by John Stephens</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1319554097l/12390389.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Emerald Atlas" border="0" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1319554097l/12390389.jpg" width="135" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
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<span style="color: #38761d;">The Emerald Atlas</span> was a fantastic read full of great characters! I loved Emma, Michael and Kate! They all worked so well together and you could see the obvious love between the three siblings. Being a middle-grade read this book is chalk-full of lots of adventure and wonderful, creative imaginings! I give this one a 5/5 because I simply loved it! :)<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><u><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10668038-virtuosity">Virtuosity</a></u></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: large;">by Jessica Martinez</span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1322969710l/10668038.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Virtuosity" border="0" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1322969710l/10668038.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: magenta;">Virtuosity </span>is a great book about self-discovery and what it really means to follow your dreams. The main-character plays the violin and I'm just a sucker for all things musical so there was no way that I couldn't <i>not</i> like this book. I give it a 4/5 and would recommend it to anyone else who loves music too.<br />
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<b style="font-size: x-large;"><u><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5623269-the-friday-society">The Friday Society</a></u></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">by Andrienne Cress</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1337751850l/5623269.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Friday Society" border="0" height="200" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1337751850l/5623269.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
Now, this is the book that I got stuck on while I was in my disgusting month-long reading slump. My only complaint about it was how slow it was in the beginning. Since we had to meet all of the three main characters and wait for them to be introduced to each other, it took me until the last third or so of the book to really get into the story. But once I did get into it I ended up really enjoying it and giving it a 3/5 star rating :). </div>
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Lex http://www.blogger.com/profile/03200733747254074272noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4407232745329567616.post-85163174475066607232013-01-09T04:20:00.000-08:002013-01-09T04:20:10.456-08:00Waiting on Wednesday (8)<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfKg2-JfJbzHGvHEd31mGApCD8AzTEPhNxCi9elyRnARHYtN_pQoeTb_Pr7L2puX9ychkF5Uyvzzu2ZfLu-1GwoEB8H47pLxHwC7o2boOXYMUDOSfOIrwhmnJ1wX-9cAE85XSvK3xslLc/s200/New+WoW.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfKg2-JfJbzHGvHEd31mGApCD8AzTEPhNxCi9elyRnARHYtN_pQoeTb_Pr7L2puX9ychkF5Uyvzzu2ZfLu-1GwoEB8H47pLxHwC7o2boOXYMUDOSfOIrwhmnJ1wX-9cAE85XSvK3xslLc/s200/New+WoW.JPG" /></a>Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme held by Jill over at <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.ca/" target="_blank">Breaking the Spine</a>.<br />
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Through Wow, bloggers alike can share what they just can't wait to get there hands on this Wednesday!<br />
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I thought I'd do another two books for this week's WoW. So, without further ado... Here is what I'm waiting on this week!<br />
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<b> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13423346-ink">Ink</a> by Amanda Sun</b> <b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13586791-a-million-suns">A Million Suns</a> by Beth Revis</b></div>
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Ink:<span class="Apple-style-span"> First of all, the cover is freaking GORGEOUS, and second of all the summary for the book just sounds amazing, check this out:</span> </blockquote>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">"I looked down at the paper, still touching the tip of my shoe. I reached for it, flipping the page over to look.</span></i></div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Scrawls of ink outlined a drawing of a girl lying on a bench.</span></i></div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">A sick feeling started to twist in my stomach, like motion sickness.</span></i></div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">And then the girl in the drawing turned her head, and her inky eyes glared straight into mine.</span></i></div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">On the heels of a family tragedy, the last thing Katie Greene wants to do is move halfway across the world. Stuck with her aunt in Shizuoka, Japan, Katie feels lost. Alone. She doesn’t know the language, she can barely hold a pair of chopsticks, and she can’t seem to get the hang of taking her shoes off whenever she enters a building.</span></i></div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Then there’s gorgeous but aloof Tomohiro, star of the school’s kendo team. How did he really get the scar on his arm? Katie isn’t prepared for the answer. But when she sees the things he draws start moving, there’s no denying the truth: Tomo has a connection to the ancient gods of Japan, and being near Katie is causing his abilities to spiral out of control. If the wrong people notice, they'll both be targets.</span></i></div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Katie never wanted to move to Japan—now she may not make it out of the country alive."</span></i></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">I don't know what you're thinking right now, but all that's going through my head is how much I want to get my hands on this </span>book!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"> </span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28194.Inkheart">Inkheart</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"> fascinated me when I was younger. The whole idea of bringing fictional characters to life plastered a huge smile on my face. Hell, it still does.</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">So to see a book being written about a girl who can </span>draw<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"> things to life? That is so, so, <b>SO</b> cool!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #f1c232;">A Million Suns:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">Now, I know that this book has been out for over a year already and that it's sequel </span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10345937-shades-of-earth">Shades of Earth</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"> is coming out on the fifteenth, I wanted to point out that I'm waiting on this because I </span>am<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">. So desperately. I read </span>Across the Universe<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"> a couple of weeks ago (check out my review <a href="http://eyesonthepages.blogspot.ca/2012/12/across-universe-by-beth-revis.html">here</a>), and I absolutely </span>adored<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"> it. So, needless to say, I am eagerly awaiting the day that I open up the cover to it's sequel and devour it page by page.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">And for the curious, here's the summary of the book (which may or may not contain spoilers for the first book):</span><br />
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<i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">"It's been three months since Amy was unplugged. The life she always knew is over. Everywhere she looks, she sees the walls of the spaceshipGodspeed. But there may be hope: Elder has assumed leadership of the ship. He's finally free to act on his vision--no more Phydus, no more lies. But when Elder learns shocking news, he and Amy must race to discover the truth behind life on Godspeed, all the while dealing with the romance that's growing between them and the chaos that threatens to tear them apart."</span></i></i></div>
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</span></span></b></span>Lex http://www.blogger.com/profile/03200733747254074272noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4407232745329567616.post-11318243419692268442013-01-07T14:35:00.000-08:002013-01-07T14:39:39.109-08:00The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken<br />
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<b>Rating:</b> Starry Eyes (5/5)</div>
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<b>Release Date:</b> December 18th, 2012</div>
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<b>Publishers:</b> Disney Hyperion</div>
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<b>Pages: </b>496</div>
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<b>Source:</b> Bought</div>
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<b>Series:</b> The Darkest Minds #1</div>
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A quick summary from Goodreads:</div>
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<i>"When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something alarming enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that gets her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government “rehabilitation camp.” She might have survived the mysterious disease that’s killed most of America’s children, but she and the others have emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they cannot control.</i></blockquote>
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<i>Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones.</i></blockquote>
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<i>When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. Now she’s on the run, desperate to find the one safe haven left for kids like her—East River. She joins a group of kids who escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can’t risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents.</i></blockquote>
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<i>When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at a life worth living."</i></blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Let me start by saying how absolutely <i>wonderful</i> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">The Darkest Minds</span> is. Even though I'm sure an idea similar to this has been published before, Bracken's novel seemed so original and fresh and something that can stand completely on it's own. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">When kids started dying on their 10th birthday as a result of IAAN, the kids who survived started to show that they had unbelievable abilities and were forced into <i>Thurmond </i>and camps similar to it as a result in an attempt at "rehabilitation." Immediately upon their arrival, they were marked with a large <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">red</span>, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">orange</span>, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">yellow</span>, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime;">green</span>, or <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">blue </span>X across the backs of their camp clothes.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">reds</span> are able to set things on fire.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">oranges</span> can simply whisper something into your ear and you have no choice but to follow their words.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">yellows</span> have power over technology.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime;">greens</span> are incredibly smart.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">blues</span> can send things flying across a room with a flick of their wrists.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Ruby is classified as a <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime;">green</span> upon her arrival to camp <i>Thurmond</i>, where she's put into a cabin of other <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime;">green</span> girls. After a couple of months, all of the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">reds</span>, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">oranges</span>, and <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">yellows</span> are sent away after the camp finds them too hard to control, even with the effects of the Calming Wave, set to a certain frequency that only the kids can hear. One day while Ruby is working on the grounds, a Calming Wave is released and has more of an impact on Ruby than it usually does, leaving her head pounding, nose bleeding and passed out on the ground. When she wakes up, she's in the camp's hospital, and the doctor that's looking after Ruby leaves her a note of promised escape.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">And from there the story takes off. Ruby then meets Chubs, Liam, and Suzumi, two <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">blues</span> and a <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">yellow</span>. Each character has their own wonderful back story and I just couldn't help but fall in love with everyone of them. Chubs is the unyeilding, loyal, cynical friend who would do anything for you once you get on his good side. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Suzumi is the little girl who was dealt a harsh life and only wishes for a life where she can fill her days with simple things like pink dresses. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Liam is the leader of the group. The one who trusts easily and leads with an eager heart. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">There is romance in this book, but this is a romance that only <i>adds</i> to the story, and never takes away from it. Without it, the ending would have had a completely different tone and wouldn't have left me in such an emotional wreck. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The relationship between the four of them is just so well done that you can see the love that the four of them have for each other through every word, every look, every touch. And I absolutely <i>love</i> the fact that friendship plays such a large roll in this book. 'Cause while romance is great, let's face it. It's in just about every single YA book that you pick up off of the shelves and it can <i>never</i> substitute what the element of strong friendship does in a book.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">All together, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;">The Darkest Minds</span> pulls together a little bit of everything that you could ever ask for in a book, and I absolutely loved it, and I can easily say that this book will stick within my top 10 - maybe even my top 3 - for this year. </span></span></div>
Lex http://www.blogger.com/profile/03200733747254074272noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4407232745329567616.post-54229690888057103192012-12-31T16:46:00.001-08:002012-12-31T16:46:41.318-08:00Best Books of 2012<div style="text-align: left;">
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So it's that time of the year again! When everything's coming to a conclusion and people start spouting out their best books of the year and what they plan to do for the new year and all that jazz. So.. That's what I'm here to do for you today!<br />
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Hmmm... Maybe I'll alternate between the books and what I plan on doing for the new year? Sounds like a plan.<br />
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So, coming in at <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">number 10</span> this year is...<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12681233-revived" target="_blank">Revived</a></b> by Cat Patrick</div>
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(<a href="http://eyesonthepages.blogspot.ca/2012/07/revived-by-cat-patrick.html" target="_blank">Review</a>)</div>
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I read this book back in June or July (I can't remember which), and I absolutely loved it and it's characters! I went into this book knowing it was a si-fi and I absolutely <i>loved</i> it. So yes, <b>Revived</b> is my #10 read of 2012.</div>
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<b><u>Goal #1</u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">: </span></b>Now, the first goal that I'm going to mention to you guys for 2013 in terms of reading is that I've decided to re-read the whole entire PJO series! Starting with <b>Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief</b> and ending with <b>The Mark of Athena </b>(which I finally got in the mail the other day!), or maybe even<b> The House of Hades</b>, depending on how long it takes me to re-read them all. :D </div>
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Now,<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #e69138;"> book #9</span> on my list of best books on 2012 is...</div>
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<b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15761655-across-the-universe" target="_blank">Across the Universe</a></b> by Beth Revis</div>
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(<a href="http://eyesonthepages.blogspot.ca/2012/12/across-universe-by-beth-revis.html" target="_blank">Review</a>)</div>
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I really, <i>really</i>, liked this book. I completely respect Amy for everything she does for the ships citizens and I just love Elder. My mom got me a copy of <b>A Million Suns</b> from my mom, so I can't wait to start reading it! :)</div>
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<b><u>Goal #2</u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">: I would like to read 100 books again this year, but it was a bit of a stress for me the last couple weeks and I was cramming in book after book. So, considering I don't really want to do that again in the new year... I'm going to set my goal for 75, but aim for 100. :)</span></b></div>
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Coming in <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #f1c232;">8th place</span> of 2012 would have to be...</div>
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<img alt="Perfect Chemistry (Perfect Chemistry, #1)" height="320" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1316637352l/4268157.jpg" width="216" /></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4268157-perfect-chemistry" target="_blank">Perfect Chemistry</a> </b>by Simone Elkeles</div>
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Perfect Chemistry is so full of cliches, it's ridiculous. But... I absolutely devoured this book because it delivers these cliches in a way that doesn't seem that cliched at all. The details are a little foggy, since I did read it back in February, but I do remember how ris-kay I thought this book was for a YA while I was reading, and I absolutely loved every single word. :)</div>
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<b><u>Goal #3</u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">: I want to start branching out a little more, because it feels like all I read are teen books. And considering that I'm approaching the age of 20... I'd like to start reading more adult, non-fiction, and maybe even some more middle-grade books. With that being saaaiiddd... I'd like to read 5 adult books, 2 non-fiction books, and 5 middle-grade books. I know it's not a large number, but I don't want to over-whelm myself or force myself into doing something I don't want to. :P</span></b></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">The<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f;"> 7th best book</span> I read in the year of 2012 is...</span></b></div>
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<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1291168967l/6479259.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="Spirit Bound (Vampire Academy, #5)" border="0" height="320" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1291168967l/6479259.jpg" width="212" /></a><a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1319850978l/6527740.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="Last Sacrifice (Vampire Academy, #6)" border="0" height="320" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1319850978l/6527740.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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Well, it's actually two books.</div>
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I figured I'd throw both <b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6479259-spirit-bound" target="_blank">Spirit </a></b><b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6479259-spirit-bound" target="_blank">Bound</a></b> and <b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6527740-last-sacrifice" target="_blank">Last Sacrifice</a></b> together since they're in the same series. Again, I read these two in the first half of the year, so I don't remember my exact feelings towards them, but again, I do remember absolutely loving them and devouring each page. This series was nothing but an intense ride the whole way through and I still need to read <b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8709527-bloodlines" target="_blank">Bloodlines</a></b>!</div>
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<b><u>Goal #4</u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><i>: </i>Now, as you all know (or if you don't, just click <a href="http://eyesonthepages.blogspot.ca/p/2012-tbr-challenge.html" target="_blank">here</a> to find out), I have a teetering To Be Read tower of books. It would be wonderful if I could stick to my TBR challenge of reading five books before I'm aloud to buy another one. So! Goal #4 is sticking with this plan for the entirety of the year until my TBR pile hopefully drops down to a more reasonable number. :)</span></b></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e;">Book #6</span> for the year of 2012 would have to be... </span></b></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><img alt="Keeper of the Lost Cities (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #1)" height="320" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1326469854l/12842828.jpg" width="213" /></span></b></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12842828-keeper-of-the-lost-cities" target="_blank">Keeper of the Lost Cities</a></b> by Shannon Messenger</div>
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(<a href="http://eyesonthepages.blogspot.ca/2012/12/keeper-of-lost-cities-by-shannon.html" target="_blank">Review</a>)</div>
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I was <b>SO</b> stoked to read this book when I first heard of it. And let me tell you, it did NOT let me down. This book I did read more recently, so the memories of me reading this book are still fresh in my mind. Sophie, the main character of the book, is a very strong protagonist who I loved with all my heart. This is definitely one of the better MGs that has cross over appeal into the YA genre, and I absolutely loved it. I happen to buy this book while the author was promising out swag packs to anyone who bought it that weekend and I was lucky enough that they both fall on the same weekend! :D So that was really cool and nice of her to do. :) Messenger also has a YA book coming out in March of 2013 called <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13445306-let-the-sky-fall" target="_blank"><b>Let the Sky Fall</b></a> and I am SO EXCITED for this book. You don't even know. :P</div>
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<b><u>Goal #5</u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">: To finally start up my own YouTube channel! I know I've been going on about starting this thing for a couple of months now, but I really do plan on starting it! Hopefully I'll be able to start it sometime in the new year. :) And I can't wait till I finally get it up and running! :D</span></b></div>
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The book coming in <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394;">5th place</span> for the year of 2012 is....</div>
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<b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12294652-my-life-next-door" target="_blank">My Life Next Door</a></b> by Huntley Fitzpatrick</div>
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(<a href="http://eyesonthepages.blogspot.ca/2012/07/my-life-next-door-by-huntley-fitzpatrick.html" target="_blank">Review</a>)</div>
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I read <b>My Life Next Door</b> back in July and it was probably one of the bestest, cutest contemporary reads I've ever read. This book made my toes curl in happiness as a dopy grin spread across my face whenever the two main characters were together. It's just... If you haven't read this book already, than I really think that you need to go out and get it with some of that Christmas money!</div>
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<b><u>Goal #6</u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">: I hope to do the Summer Reading Challenge again for this year, but ACTUALLY COMPLETE IT this time. :P There's about 10 criteria that you have to fill out, some of them being a book that's over 400 pages, a book recommended by a friend, a book that's been sitting on your shelf for over a year, a classic.... And so on. :P Check back again around the end of April for more details on that one!</span></b></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7;">Book #4 </span>on my top ten countdown of 2012 is....</span></b></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><img alt="Insurgent (Divergent, #2)" height="320" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1325667729l/11735983.jpg" width="211" /></span></b></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11735983-insurgent" target="_blank">Insurgent</a></b> by Veronica Roth</div>
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I read this book basically as soon as it came out and oh god did I ever love it. Just, this book is SO GOOD. Dare I say... Even better than the Hunger Games? Just thinking about this makes me smile with happiness at how good it was. :):) Hopefully I can re-read it this year in prep for the third and final book in the series!</div>
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<b><u>Goal #7</u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">: To participate in NaNoWriMo in 2013! Last year I saw everyone prepping for it and it just made me really really excited! I always have tons of ideas floating around in my head for stories... Maybe I can start prepping early this year and just do an outline for the story before starting to write it in November! :D</span></b></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #a64d79;">Number 3</span> ! :D</span></b></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><img alt="Divergent (Divergent, #1)" height="320" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328559506l/13335037.jpg" width="212" /></span></b></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13335037-divergent" target="_blank">Divergent</a></b> by Veronica Roth</div>
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This was a re-read for me this year. I read it just before <b>Insurgent</b> came out so that I would remember every single detail of this book before getting into the second one! As much as I absolutely LOVED the second book to this series, the first book will forever have a place in my heart as my favourite. :D</div>
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<b><u>Goal #8</u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">: This year I hope to par-take in the A-Z Challenge. :D Every year I see tons of bloggers and BookTubers participating in this challenge and I though that I'd give it a go this year! :D</span></b></div>
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The <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">2nd best book</span> of the year for me would have to have been...</div>
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<img alt="The Black Prism (Lightbringer, #1)" height="320" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327921884l/7165300.jpg" width="207" /></div>
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<b>The Black Prism</b> by Brent Weeks</div>
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Holy cow, do I ever love Brent Weeks. Along with John Green, he is one of my top favourite authors. Never ever has a book by Brent Weeks let me down. I absolutely love his Night Angel trilogy, it being my favourite trilogy of ALL TIME. But anyways. <b>The Black Prism</b> was an epic tale with plot that was so intricate and amazing that I just couldn't put it down. And it was funny too! God. This book just contains the perfect bit of every genre there is. YOU MUST READ IT!</div>
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<b><u>Goal #9</u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">: To complete the debut author challenge! I participated in this challenge last year, and while I <i>did</i> read 12 debut novels this year, I did not review them all like the challenge requires. :( So hopefully, the new year will change that! :D</span></b></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">And the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #bf9000;">NUMBER ONE BOOK</span> of 2012 iiissss.......</span></b></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><img alt="The Fault in Our Stars" height="320" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327880382l/11870085.jpg" width="211" /></span></b></div>
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<b>The Fault in Our Stars</b> by John Green</div>
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Of course, after mentioning John Green as one of my favourite authors EVER, how could I not put this book as my number one read of 2012? Hazel is just amazing and I love how what you would think of as the main theme or focus of this book actually ISN'T the main theme/focus of this book, but instead is merely a "side-effect" as Hazel would put it. :)</div>
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And there you have it, everyone! My top 10 books of 2012 and my 9 goals for 2013! :D</div>
Lex http://www.blogger.com/profile/03200733747254074272noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4407232745329567616.post-71551624216735433292012-12-28T22:15:00.001-08:002012-12-29T10:10:21.930-08:00Stacking the Shelves (7)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeW4A2RRIUbhq3VKoNV_QaQLzs95rzSmC8hMmCzyOftLHFUEoHtPPyrWAtw7ajCJvJ_gIgRf0jH774IUjkdBUonTkHuBAzgI-lOAZpjg0aId1gCjo6Fss1I8pXk4AVdRctwL2TC26doLI/s320/Stacking+the+Shelves.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeW4A2RRIUbhq3VKoNV_QaQLzs95rzSmC8hMmCzyOftLHFUEoHtPPyrWAtw7ajCJvJ_gIgRf0jH774IUjkdBUonTkHuBAzgI-lOAZpjg0aId1gCjo6Fss1I8pXk4AVdRctwL2TC26doLI/s320/Stacking+the+Shelves.png" /></span></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hello fellow book lovers! I'm here today to bring you my Stacking the Shelves! :) </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga over at </span><a href="http://www.tyngasreviews.com/" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tynga's Reviews</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. StS allows bloggers alike to share what books they bought/borrowed/received over the past week.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's how you can go about making your own STS:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<ul style="color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2.5em; padding-right: 2.5em; padding-top: 0px;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;"><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Create your own Stacking The Shelves post.</span></span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> You can use my official graphic or your own, but please link back to Tynga’s Reviews so more people can join the fun! <o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;"><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can set your post any way you want</span></span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, simple book list, covers, pictures, vlog, sky is the limit! <o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am posting Stacking The Shelves on Saturdays, but feel free to </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">post yours any day that fits you</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. <o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Visit Tynga’s Reviews on Saturday and </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">add your link</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> so others can visit you!<o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
</ul>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here are the books that I have received over the past week:</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOtUrG48WyJxMZaz6GX0UYzw7M_Qy-aN3FWFBkk9GdC-b8YfPaB2F8mlY0G6rE8Ssea6ohfqtfr_kOXWCp_pXPDrjPQEmq07TzbjyFVVp7iaifS10uGV5PjfRMjkAQqhPl5IiGKvvX-5c/s1600/Stacking+the+Shelves+7a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOtUrG48WyJxMZaz6GX0UYzw7M_Qy-aN3FWFBkk9GdC-b8YfPaB2F8mlY0G6rE8Ssea6ohfqtfr_kOXWCp_pXPDrjPQEmq07TzbjyFVVp7iaifS10uGV5PjfRMjkAQqhPl5IiGKvvX-5c/s400/Stacking+the+Shelves+7a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12127750-the-mark-of-athena" target="_blank">The Mark of Athena</a></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> by Rick Riordan</span></div>
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<a href="http://65.55.227.210/att/GetInline.aspx?messageid=5b99aa2b-517d-11e2-b728-00215ad88c62&attindex=1&cp=-1&attdepth=1&imgsrc=cid%3a189&cid=2cde965ae48be846&blob=MXxJTUctMjAxMjEyMjktMDAyMDIuanBnfGltYWdlL2pwZWc_3d&hm__login=lex_i12&hm__domain=hotmail.com&ip=10.15.232.8&d=d3070&mf=0&hm__ts=Sat%2c%2029%20Dec%202012%2006%3a05%3a06%20GMT&st=lex_i12&hm__ha=01_3f32f31cc06da942e13ca3cd061f472041e5cc0e3cabdb5eb634bdfbd8433253&oneredir=1" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></a><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12843274-a-million-suns" target="_blank">A Million Suns</a></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> by Beth Revis</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgROG8qn1U2ckxQaIienSlRuaiFF83NAEfIRxxXOjPG2sfmaUQqRmsF9uo3XhaPIq5jqgyLAg3GSCf21fEi4BLNYIg_0jMT49pvvq4e-fu93lpLIasTE9jbI6KrWZCqX5sVVVBuier7xL8/s1600/Stacking+the+Shelves+7b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgROG8qn1U2ckxQaIienSlRuaiFF83NAEfIRxxXOjPG2sfmaUQqRmsF9uo3XhaPIq5jqgyLAg3GSCf21fEi4BLNYIg_0jMT49pvvq4e-fu93lpLIasTE9jbI6KrWZCqX5sVVVBuier7xL8/s400/Stacking+the+Shelves+7b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9409362-elemental" target="_blank">Elemental</a></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> by Antony John</span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10576365-the-darkest-minds" target="_blank">The Darkest Minds</a></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> by Alexandra Bracken</span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12568505-black-city" target="_blank">Black City</a></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> by Elizabeth Richards</span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10194494-false-memory" target="_blank">False Memory</a> </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> by Dan Krokos</span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11721314-meant-to-be" target="_blank">Meant To Be</a></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> by Lauren Morrill</span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12027429-scent-of-magic" target="_blank">Scent of Magic</a></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> by Maria V. Snyder</span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The only book I legitimately received as a gift this year for Christmas was <i>A Million Suns</i> by Beth Revis, which my mom got for me. :D (Love you, Mom!) All of the other ones were basically a Christmas gift from me to me. :3 I thought I'd deserved it. ;D</span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;">I'm just so excited to start reading every single one of these books! Have you guys ever gotten so swept up with the excitement of a book(s) that you just find yourself staring at them all and not actually <i>reading</i> anything? I find I do it all the time...</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;">But anyways! What did you guys receive this week in books? :D Did you get everything you wanted for Christmas?! I got an old-school refurbished Macbook! :D So hopefully I'll be able to start up that YouTube channel that I've been mentioning for a while sometime soon... I'll give more details on that later!</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;">Happy Reading!</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"> Lex.</span></span></div>
Lex http://www.blogger.com/profile/03200733747254074272noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4407232745329567616.post-37690176841506216952012-12-18T06:48:00.000-08:002012-12-18T06:48:43.496-08:00Genesis by Bernard Beckett<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1321706268l/6468632.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1321706268l/6468632.jpg" width="251" /></a><br />
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<b>Rating:</b> Wide Eyed - 4/5</div>
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<b>Release Date:</b> March 24th, 2009</div>
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<b>Publishers:</b> McClelland & Stewart</div>
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<b>Pages: </b>185</div>
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<b>Source:</b> Bought</div>
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<b>Series:</b> Stand Alone</div>
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First, a quick summary from Goodreads: </div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 19px;">“‘<b>Explain to us why you wish to enter The Academy.</b>’” </span></span></i></blockquote>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 19px;">Anaximander, a young Academy candidate, is put through a gruelling exam. Her special subject: the life of Adam Forde, her long-dead hero. </span></span></i></blockquote>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 19px;">It’s late in the 21st century and the island Republic has emerged from a ruined, plague-ridden world, its citizens safe, but not free, and living in complete isolation from outside contact. Approaching planes are gunned down, refugees shot on sight.</span></span></i></blockquote>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 19px;">Until a man named Adam Forde rescued a girl from the sea.</span></span></i></blockquote>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 19px;">“<b>Anaximander, we have asked you to consider why it is you would like to join the Academy. Is your answer ready?</b>”</span></span></i></blockquote>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 19px;">To answer that question, Anaximander must struggle with everything she has ever known about herself and her beloved Republic’s history, the nature of being human, of being conscious, and even what it means to have a soul.</span></span></i></blockquote>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 19px;">And when everything has been laid bare, she must confront the Republic’s last great secret, her own surprising link to Adam Forde, and the horrifying truth about her world."</span></span></i></blockquote>
<i><span style="color: #666666;">Genesis</span></i> packs quite a large punch for such a small book. Touching upon issues such as Ethics, Morals and what it means to be human, <i><span style="color: #666666;">Genesis</span></i> proved to be a really amazing and insightful read for me.<br />
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Anax is a girl with a particular interest in Adam Forde. Continuously, Anax visits a hill side to watch the sunset so she can feel more connected to her idol of the past. One day, she meets a man up there who also has an interest in Adam Forde and he begins to tutor her for the Academy.<br />
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This is the story of - not only Anax's audition for the Academy - but also a re-telling of the story of Anax's hero, Adam Forde.<br />
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During the audition Anax has three breaks when she gets to re-collect her thoughts, and the judges converse with each other to see in which direction the questioning should be done.<br />
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DUring the questioning periods is when you get to know Adam's story and a little bit of how Anax thinks, but for the most part we get to know Anax during the breaks. Where she came from, why she has a love for Adam and why she wants to get into the Academy.<br />
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I think that's what made the ending for <i>Genesis</i> all the more epic/awesome/surprising for me. How completely and incredibly ironic the ending was for Anax.<br />
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Genesis is a book I would easily recommend to anyone who likes those reads that leave a big impression on you for quite a while.Lex http://www.blogger.com/profile/03200733747254074272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4407232745329567616.post-4534841802311601192012-12-12T19:50:00.002-08:002012-12-12T19:50:35.572-08:00Waiting on Wednesday (7) <span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">WOW is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.ca/">Breaking the Spine</a>. Through WOW, bloggers and vloggers and commenters a like are able to share what books they're most excited to get their hands on in the near future!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This week I decided on sharing two books with you that I'm most excited for! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ready?! Drum roll please....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1340134213l/12558285.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1340134213l/12558285.jpg" width="216" /></a><a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1340892848l/13253276.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1340892848l/13253276.jpg" width="209" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12558285-splintered"> Splintered </a> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13253276-through-the-ever-night"> </a></b><b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13253276-through-the-ever-night">Through the Ever Night </a></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> by A. G. Howard by Veronica Rossi</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><i><b>Splintered</b></i> </span>is a re-telling of the classic <i>Alice in Wonderland</i>. <span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.</span></span><div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>My Thoughts:</u></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #181818;">Although the sound of this love triangle is slightly making me cringe, I have heard nothing but rave reviews about this book (which is coming out on January 1st, by the way), and I cannot wait for it to come in the mail! (Because of course I pre-ordered it.) I can't wait to see how this compares to the classic Wonderland, but I guess in order to do that I might want to actually </span><i style="color: #181818;">read</i><span style="color: #181818;"> the classic first... Maybe I'll read </span><i style="color: #181818;">Alice's Adventures in Wonderland</i><span style="color: #181818;"> then </span><i style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Splintered</span></i><span style="color: #181818;">, and then Showalter's </span><i style="color: #181818;">Alice in Zombieland</i><span style="color: #181818;"> and see how the three compare. That would be an exciting treat! Try and find common themes and such. This is making me so excited! But anyways...</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #134f5c;">Through the Ever Night</span></b><span style="color: #181818;"> is the second in Rossi's trilogy and although I can't remember why I loved the first one so much, I do remember that I wanted to read the second one as soon as I was finished! </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #181818;"><b>WARNING:THIS SUMMARY MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS FROM THE FIRST BOOK!***</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's been months since Aria last saw Perry. Months since Perry was named Blood Lord of the Tides, and Aria was charged with an impossible mission. Now, finally, they are about to be reunited. But their reunion is far from perfect. The Tides don't take kindly to Aria, a former Dweller. And with the worsening Aether storms threatening the tribe's precarious existence, Aria begins to fear that leaving Perry behind might be the only way to save them both.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Threatened by false friends, hidden enemies, and powerful temptations, Aria and Perry wonder,</span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"> Can their love survive through the ever night</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">In this second book in her spellbinding Under the Never Sky trilogy, Veronica Rossi combines fantasy and dystopian elements to create a captivating love story as perilous as it is unforgettable.</span></span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><b><u>My Thoughts:</u></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Now, if I'm to be completely honest with you guys, that summary up there was more for your benefit than mine. I don't know about you guys, but when I read a sequel I like to go into it knowing as little as possible so I can fully enjoy the journey of the novel without spoiling it in the slightest.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: #181818;">But look at that cover! I absolutely love it! The pretty Aether... The wonderful blend of colours... And Perry looking so... Tame? What?! Perry looks like he just woke up from a night full of partying. Nothing like the wild Peregrine that we all know and love. In preparation for </span><b><span style="color: #134f5c;">Through the Ever Night</span></b><span style="color: #181818;"> I would love to re-read the first book, but with my teetering TBR pile, I don't know if I can spare the time... We shall see! </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">What are you guys waiting on this Wednesday? :D</span></span></div>
Lex http://www.blogger.com/profile/03200733747254074272noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4407232745329567616.post-52521651107560015132012-12-07T09:28:00.000-08:002012-12-07T09:28:03.906-08:00Across the Universe by Beth Revis<br />
<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347748649l/10802210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Across the Universe" border="0" height="400" id="coverImage" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347748649l/10802210.jpg" width="269" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Rating: </b>Wide Eyed</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Release Date:</b> November 29th, 2012</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Pages:</b> 398</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Publisher: </b>Razorbill</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Source: </b>Bought</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Series:</b> Across the Universe #1</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First, a quick summary from Goodreads:</span></b><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><strong style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">"A love out of time. A spaceship built of secrets and murder.</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"> </span></span></i></blockquote>
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<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.</span></span></i></blockquote>
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<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone-one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship-tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.</span></span></i></blockquote>
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<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming."</span></span></i></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Disclaimer:</b> It may be hard to understand my review if you haven't read the book... But I just have to let my thoughts be known! But I promise that I've kept it spoiler-free. :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, you know how the publishers do that annoying thing where they change the cover of the book? To be honest, the fact that they changed the cover is what attracted me to this book. <i>Across the Universe</i> is the second space-ship kind of book that I've ever read. The first one that I read was <i>Glow,</i> and I can tell you that I didn't find it that great.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, going into this book, I didn't except much to come out of it. But as it turns out... I really, really, <i>really</i> loved this book. At the beginning, how juvenile the writing felt really bothered me. And also the fact that there were many typos in the book when they called Elder Eldest! It really confused and slightly annoyed me. If you're going to pick to<i>very</i> similar names for two of the main characters, I would suggest that you edit the book very carefully to make sure that the names never get mixed up. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But. With all that negative out of the way, I can honestly say that I loved this book! When we found out who the murderer was and what his role had been, I just knew my guess had been right! But it wasn't one of those annoying, "Oh, pshh. Who didn't see <i>that</i> one coming?" It was one of those ones where your mouth spreads into a large smile because, dammit, you were right! You solved the mystery and good on ya! But at the very end... Ohboy. I didn't see that twist coming at <i>all</i>. That one through me for a loop.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I absolutely loved Elder and completely respected Amy. I could understand why Elder was hesitant at times when he was facing up to Eldest. It would be easier to just let things on the ship go on as they have been. But the fierce determination that Amy fought back with? Her complete dedication and passion for what she believed in to make the citizens lives better when she <i>didn't even know them</i> and the vast majority of them looked at her as if she was a <i>freak?</i> I can so respect that, because I can't say that I would have stuck up for them so fiercely with the way they were treating her. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, if you can't tell, this book was fantastic, and I absolutely loved it. What knocked it down a star for me was the typos between Elder and Eldest because, you can't just mix up two characters like that constantly. You just can't. And also because Amy kept referring to her parents as "Momma" and "Daddy," because I don't care what century your from, but if you're seventeen years old, and you come from Earth, you don't refer to your Dad as "Daddy" <i>all the time.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But yeah. I absolutely loved this book and I literally <i>cannot</i> wait for the next one. As in if someone's not buying me this for Christmas (because it's only a couple weeks away), I'm going to go out and buy it right now.</span><br />
Lex http://www.blogger.com/profile/03200733747254074272noreply@blogger.com0