Archive for April 2012

Survey

12:26 AM by Cierra 0 Comments A ⁺ a ^-

Okay, so I've created a survey to get some insight on my subscribers/ readers. Don't worry, it doesn't ask for your name or address, or anything like that, so you can answer truthfully.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/M528BND

Thank you to those who take it! ;D

-Cierra

A Touch Mortal

1:24 PM by Cierra 0 Comments A ⁺ a ^-

A Touch Mortal

Author: Leah Clifford

Release Date: February 22, 2011

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Summary (Goodreads):

Eden didn't expect Az.

Not his saunter down the beach toward her. Not his unbelievable pick up line. Not the instant, undeniable connection. And not his wings.

Yeah.

So long happily-ever-after.

Now trapped between life and death, cursed to spread chaos with her every touch, Eden could be the key in the eternal struggle between heaven and hell. All because she gave her heart to one of the Fallen, an angel cast out of heaven.

She may lose everything she ever had. She may be betrayed by those she loves most. But Eden will not be a pawn in anyone else's game. Her heart is her own.

And that's only the beginning of the end.

My Thoughts:

I thought this book was a good read!

Even though I don’t usually read books about suicidal people (because I don’t like to read sad books), I read and liked this one, this time.

The new version of angels that Leah wrote about was interesting. They weren’t all ‘Holier than thou’, they acted like regular ‘ol teenagers, what with the flirting and that type of stuff.

To those of you who have a weak stomach: don’t read this. It has blood and ashes (you’ll understand later), and falling angels.

I think what I liked most about this book was Eden’s personal strength after she found out about what she now was. Even though a lot of people were betraying her and lying to her, she lived with it.

Read this book if you like to read about girls with mystical powers, hot angels that act like teenagers and Fallen that try to kill you and your friends.

I certainly can’t wait to read the next one, A Touch Morbid, because it’ll certainly be good.

-Reading time!

Dragonswood

11:13 AM by Cierra 0 Comments A ⁺ a ^-

Dragonswood

Author: Janet Lee Carey

Release Date: January 5, 2012

Publisher: Dial

Summary (Goodreads):

Wilde Island is not at peace. The kingdom mourns the dead Pendragon king and awaits the return of his heir; the uneasy pact between dragons, fairies, and humans is strained; and the regent is funding a bloodthirsty witch hunt. Tess, daughter of a blacksmith, has visions of the future, but she still doesn't expect to be accused of witchcraft.

My Thoughts:

This book was… okay, I guess.

To me, it had a sort of … I don’t know, I guess a Merlin-type book feel.

It had dragons and fey and humans all mixed together; it even had the Pendragons.

I’m still kind of confused, though. Like if the Pendragons have part dragon, how did that happen? Because the dragons seemed like big lizard-y things in this book.

*Spoiler* It also confused me with the abuse. It seemed like almost every that the man hit their wives and children—even breaking Tess’s arm once—and it everybody else was okay with it. I know nothing about the year 1192, but I certainly didn’t think that they all beat their women. Reading this was a sort of rude awakening to that fact (if it’s true).

Also: the dragons talked, and the fey had their own little castle in the Dragonswood.

The end made me happy, but there was a cliffhanger of sorts (and I HATE cliffhangers, with a vengeance).

Read this book if you like historical fiction, with suspense, witch hunting, and dragons and fey folk, with romance thrown into the mix.

-Happy Reading!

Shatter Me

11:48 PM by Cierra 2 Comments A ⁺ a ^-

Here's me boasting a little bit: I started this and finished it in two hours! Give me a high five!

Shatter Me

Author: Tahereh Mafi

Release Date: November 15, 2011

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Summary (Goodreads):

Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war-- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

In this electrifying debut, Tahereh Mafi presents a world as riveting as The Hunger Games and a superhero story as thrilling as The X-Men. Full of pulse-pounding romance, intoxicating villainy, and high-stakes choices, Shatter Me is a fresh and original dystopian novel—with a paranormal twist—that will leave readers anxiously awaiting its sequel.

My Thoughts:

Okay, so I can’t lie. About three quarters of this book was depressing, confusing, or maddening. My jaw even hurts from trying to restrain myself from talking to myself, yelling at the characters, or clenching my jaw to keep myself from tearing up.

In the last stretch, it started to get interesting. *Spoiler* When Kenji turned out to have an ulterior motive with the good guys, and when Juliette turned out to not be the only one with special powers.

It made me happy in the end of the book when Juliette started to accept herself, and her power.

I was also happy that there was at least one person who could touch her, or that she could touch herself.

Confession time: Tahereh Mafi’s style of writing confused me most of the time. It was sort of reminiscent of poetry and novel writing mixed together. It also seemed like it was Juliette’s personal account, somewhat like the journal she carried around with her.

If there is going to be another book, then I will most certainly want to read, even if I am a little confused with the style.

-Go Read!

The Juliet Club

3:31 PM by Cierra 0 Comments A ⁺ a ^-

The Juliet Club

Author: Suzanne Harper

Release Date: June 1, 2008

Publisher: Harper Teen

Summary (Goodreads):

Italy . . . Shakespeare . . . but no romance?

Kate Sanderson inherited her good sense from her mother, a disciplined law professor, and her admiration for the Bard from her father, a passionate Shakespeare scholar. When she gets dumped, out of the blue, for the Practically Perfect Ashley Lawson, she vows never to fall in love again. From now on she will control her own destiny, and every decision she makes will be highly reasoned and rational. She thinks Shakespeare would have approved.

So when she is accepted to a summer Shakespeare symposium in Verona, Italy, Kate sees it as the ideal way to get over her heartbreak once and for all. She'll lose herself in her studies, explore ancient architecture, and eat plenty of pasta and gelato. (Plus, she'll be getting college credit for it--another goal accomplished ) But can even completely logical Kate resist the romance of living in a beautiful villa in the city where those star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet met and died for each other? Especially when the other Shakespeare Scholars--in particular Giacomo, with his tousled brown hair, expressive dark eyes, and charming ways--try hard to break her protective shell?

"In fair Verona, where we lay our scene . . . "

My Thoughts:

Who doesn’t want a little of Shakespeare romance (that doesn’t end drastically) in their book?

Also: who doesn’t want to read about the fair Verona? The only thing better than reading about it, is actually going their (which I don’t see in my near future). Also note the Italian guys…. Ah…

Who wouldn’t side with a girl who’s heart was broken by someone trying to climb the social ladder? It happens to all of us. I’d swear myself away from love, too.

I was happy when Kate left her protective shell behind for Giacomo because everybody around (fictional) and everybody reading knew they were right for each other. Oh, how I love these happy endings.

Although they have many misunderstandings, Giacomo and Kate would be the perfect couple (maybe Gate or Kiaomo?).

Read this book if you want to read about romance in another country (or particularly… Verona, Italy).

-Read ‘em and weep!

Devoured

3:11 PM by Cierra 1 Comments A ⁺ a ^-

Devoured

Author: Amanda Marrone

Release Date: September 22, 2009

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Summary (Goodreads):

Megan’s twin sister Remy died in an accident nine years ago, and she’s been haunting her ever since. Knowing how crazy that sounds, Megan keeps this secret to herself and tries to lead a normal life. But when she takes a summer job at Land of Enchantment to keep an eye on her new boyfriend and his lovesick best friend, Samantha, she meets fellow employee Luke who can see Remy, too. Things get even twistier because Megan’s new friend Ari is sporting a massive crush on Luke, who seems to be developing a massive crush on Megan…making for a love triangle that’s positively possessed.

My Thoughts:

Ghosts. Crushing. Love triangles. Fairytales. That should be all that I have to say.

Here it goes: This book was great! I really liked it!

I love the twists and turns in this that kept you guessing the whole time. I really didn’t figure out a lot of it until it was almost the end of the book.

Also, who doesn’t like a good retelling of a fairytale? Remembering all of those childhood storybooks about ‘Snow White’, and ‘Cinderella’, and others.

I bet you all are wondering what fairytale this story retells… I’m not telling! You’ll just have to read the book!

This book was completely original. It held you in suspense and had a load of mystery, romance, and paranormal activity in it. *spoiler* Who would’ve thought that an amusement park named ‘Land of Enchantments’’ was an actual site of crimes and mystery?

-Go get your read on!

Spellbound

2:56 PM by Cierra 0 Comments A ⁺ a ^-

Spellbound

Author: Cara Lynn Shultz

Release Date: June 21, 2011

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Summary (Goodreads):

What's a girl to do when meeting The One means she's cursed to die a horrible death?

Life hasn't been easy on sixteen-year-old Emma Connor, so a new start in New York may be just the change she needs. But the posh Upper East Side prep school she has to attend? Not so much. Friendly faces are few and far between, except for one that she's irresistibly drawn to—Brendan Salinger, the guy with the rock-star good looks and the richest kid in school, who might just be her very own white knight.

But even when Brendan inexplicably turns cold, Emma can't stop staring. Ever since she laid eyes on him, strange things have been happening. Streetlamps go out wherever she walks, and Emma's been having the oddest dreams: visions of herself in past lives—visions that warn her to stay away from Brendan. Or else.

My Thoughts:

I liked this book.

I realize that my reviews of ‘I liked this book’ are becoming repetitive, but I really like most of the books that I read.

I like to read books that have a least a little paranormal bent, so this book was right up my alley. Reincarnation is an extra brownie point for me, too.

Of course, it was sort of clichéd for her to like the richest, most popular boy in school, but Cara Lynn Shultz successfully made into her own thing. Since Emma *spoiler* gets him in the end, you cheer for her, and you don’t really worry about the small (but great) cliché.

The first line of the summary is what really got my attention, though. It made me want to read the book and see how that question was solved. The whole summary sounds like a sort of star-crossed lovers deal, and who wouldn’t be interested in that? I like Emma and Brendan’s relationship, and how they first reacted towards each other. All of that tension… Oh my.

Oh, and the cover!.... It’s a great visual for the scene in the book where the streetlights explode on Emma (though she wasn’t wearing a dress).

I certainly can’t wait to read the next book in the series, Spellcaster, which came out March 27 of this year.

-Enjoy your reading time!

As You Wish

2:29 PM by Cierra 0 Comments A ⁺ a ^-

As You Wish

Author: Jackson Pierce

Release Date: August 25, 2009

Publisher: Harper Teen

Summary (Goodreads):

A brokenhearted Viola inadvertently summons a genie into her world. Jinn agrees to stay until Viola makes three wishes, but she's afraid she won't wish for the right thing. Jinn can't deny that he's falling for Viola, and only after she makes her first wish does Viola realize she's in love with Jinn.

My Thoughts:

I really liked this book!

I happened to spot it at my library, when I was searching for a book to read, when I saw it. It’s title sort of intrigued me because I knew that that’s what ‘jinn’ said, so reading a book about jinn when I hadn’t read about them before seemed like a good idea.

I really liked the book and Jackson’s writing, but I didn’t necessarily like Viola’s character. I was made when she *spoiler alert* didn’t remember Jinn after he came back. Even though they weren’t supposed to remember their jinn, it still made me mad.

And her wishes! They were… And I also she should’ve gotten over the one who broke her heart quicker than she did.

Okay, I release I sort of flamed on the main character, I still thought this book was good. It had all of my book criteria (romance, happy ending, etc.).

-Have a good time reading!

The Hunger Games

1:11 PM by Cierra 3 Comments A ⁺ a ^-

Okay, I know what you all are thinking: “Why hasn’t she reviewed The Hunger Games yet? Does she live under a rock??”

Actually, I haven’t reviewed The Hunger Games yet because I didn’t want to play into all of the hype with the movie came out.

I actually read this book about three or four years ago, when I was in the eighth grade…

You wanna know what my biggest pet peeve is? When people only read a book because the movie is coming out. Or when people only watch the movie and when they see the death scenes, they’re like, “Oh, eww. What is up with this movie? That’s so nasty.” ß That is a true story. (Someone sitting beside me in the theater said that).

BUT, I guess I might as well do a review on it… And here it is:

The Hunger Games

Author: Suzanne Collins

Release Date: October 31, 2008

Publisher: Scholastic Inc.

Summary ( Goodreads):

Could you survive on your own, in the wild, with everyone out to make sure you don't live to see the morning?

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before-and survival

My Thoughts:

I don’t want to sound like a fan girl, but this book was absolutely the best book I’ve read.

I don’t usually like dystopian genre books, but seriously, this book was great!

I love Katniss’s strong and smart character. I love the tension/love triangle between Gale, Peeta, and Katniss… As you can see, I’d probably keep going on what stuff I love about it.

It kind of wows me at Suzanne’s creation of Panem, and all of the history behind how it is when the book takes place. I know it takes me forever to try to create a past in stories I attempt to write, so I can appreciate her work.

Although some would say that all of the killing in the arena was kind of vicious, maybe too vicious, that’s how Suzanne probably wanted it to be like. The Districts were basically being punished for what their ancestors did prior to this time (although some of the Districts don’t see it as such).

I love the development of each character, also. I absolutely hate it that Madge was taken out of the movie version, because she gave Katniss the mockingjay pin. To my mind that signified that the District 12 was behind Katniss, was cheering her on.

Okay, I’m going to stop giving spoilers, now, because I’m pretty sure there might be some of you that haven’t read the book.

-Read the book, and don’t judge it by its movie.

No, seriously, go read the book!

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