Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday (78)

Posted by 53 Comments

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine 
and spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating. 
My pick this week:
Made of Stars
Kelley York
Genre: YA Thriller
Publication date: October 1st, 2013
by Entangled Teen 

When eighteen-year-old Hunter Jackson and his half sister, Ashlin, return to their dad’s for the first winter in years, they expect everything to be just like the warmer months they’d spent there as kids. And it is—at first. But Chance, the charismatic and adventurous boy who made their summers epic, is harboring deep secrets. Secrets that are quickly spiraling into something else entirely.

The reason they’ve never met Chance’s parents or seen his home is becoming clearer. And what the siblings used to think of as Chance’s quirks—the outrageous stories, his clinginess, his dangerous impulsiveness—are now warning signs that something is seriously off.

Then Chance’s mom turns up with a bullet to the head, and all eyes shift to Chance and his dad. Hunter and Ashlin know Chance is innocent…they just have to prove it. But how can they protect the boy they both love when they can’t trust a word Chance says?

I loved Kelley’s other novel, Hushed, when I read it last year so from the moment I saw that she was coming out with a new one I have been pining for it. I loved Hushed for its originality and dark tone so I know she can write a mean thriller!
What are you waiting on, this Wednesday?
Link me up! 🙂

Review: Game by Barry Lyga

Posted by on 04/09/2013 • 23 Comments

*This review is spoiler free for book 1 and this sequel!*

  Before I went into YA my favorite novels were criminal mysteries and serial killer type stories. Then my favorite among them were the ones dealing with profilers. There is just something incredibly fascinating about seeing how these guys can take one small and seemingly insignificant detail of a crime scene, and tell you who the killer is in the most intimate of way. Game brought back the reasons why I loved these types of books; there are truly sick people in this world and it’s shocking to get into their heads. True to its name, Jasper’s father brings us into an exhilarating game in this fast-paced sequel.The characters I so loved in I Hunt Killers are back…

Review: Taken by Erin Bowman

Posted by on 04/08/2013 • 46 Comments

TakenErin Bowman Genre: YA Dystopian Publication date: April 16th 2013by HarperTeen

There are no men in Claysoot. There are boys—but every one of them vanishes at midnight on his eighteenth birthday. The ground shakes, the wind howls, a blinding light descends…and he’s gone.

They call it the Heist.

Gray Weathersby’s eighteenth birthday is mere months away, and he’s prepared to meet his fate–until he finds a strange note from his mother and starts to question everything he’s been raised to accept: the Council leaders and their obvious secrets. The Heist itself. And what lies beyond the Wall that surrounds Claysoot–a structure that no one can cross and survive.

Climbing the Wall is suicide, but what comes after the Heist could be worse. Should he sit back and wait…

Xpresso Weekly: Stacking the Shelves (50)

Posted by on 04/07/2013 • 39 Comments

Xpresso Weekly is my edition of Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga’s Reviews featuring the books I got this week, and I also mention blog news/happenings of the past week. This week at Xpresso Reads

Hiya guys! I hope you’re all fab! I’m finally getting over this heck of a cold or flu I’ve had for almost a month now–holy mother of craziness! Summer can not get here fast enough! Plus, BEA is in no time and I’m stoked! Hope I’ll see a bunch of y’all there! 😀 So this week on the blog we posted on 3rd round of Cover Madness Giveaway! Don’t miss it it’s pretty epic! And I had a sneak peek on Bitter Angel with a chance to win as well!

Reviews on the blog…

Fresh Batch (April 7th – 13th)

Posted by on 04/06/2013 • 15 Comments

Exclusively titled for Xpresso Reads, Fresh Batch features the hottest releases of this upcoming week.

Flavor of the week:

The Shadow Girl Jennifer Arche  Publication date: April 9th 2013by HarperTeen

Sometimes I forget for an hour or two that she’s with me. Sometimes I convince myself that she was only a dream. Or that I’m crazy.

For as long as Lily Winston can remember, she has never been alone. Iris, a shadowy figure who mimics Lily’s movements and whispers in her ear, is with her always—but invisible to the rest of the world. Iris is Lily’s secret.

But when Lily’s father is killed in a tragic accident, his cryptic final words suggest that he and Lily’s mother have been keeping secrets of their own. Suddenly, Iris begins…

Cover Madness Giveaway: Round 3!

Posted by on 04/05/2013 • 22 Comments

YEAH! That’s right, lovelies, another epic cover madness giveaway with my J-Dog– (Jenni at Alluring Reads)! Since we started the first cover madness giveaway last year its become the most popular giveaway hop/event I’ve ever hosted on the blog so we decided to keep doing them. This is our 3rd and we’ve got some very awesome covers in this round, and as you will see the theme seems to be very dark-ish, this time! Plus, we ranked it up this time and you all have TWO chances to win! 😉

Up for grabs

You can pick a pre-order for any of these, OR, you can choose the 1st book in the series if the cover shown is a sequel.

*If the title chosen happens to…

Review: Chasers by James Phelan

Posted by on 04/05/2013 • 22 Comments

Chasers James Phelan Genre: YA Post-Apocalyptic Publication date: October 30th 2012by K-Teen

Four Teenagers.One Destroyed City.Thousands ofInfected Predators.

Jesse is on a UN Youth Ambassadors camp in New York when his subway carriage is rocked by an explosion. Jesse and his three friends, Dave, Mini and Anna, crawl out from the wreckage to discover a city in chaos.

Streets are deserted. Buildings are in ruins. Worse, the only other survivors seem to be infected with a virus that turns them into horrifying predators…

Outnumbered. No sign of life. Just them. And you… ALONE.

–A copy was provided by Kensington Teen for review–

Wow I haven’t had an ending catch me this off guard in a long time! Well played, Phelan! Well played! Almost grabbed you…

Book Girls Don’t Cry: Judging a Book by its Cover

Posted by on 04/04/2013 • 48 Comments

Inspired by Book Buzzers, Book Girls Don’t Cry is a weekly feature where we each discuss/vent/advise on the chosen weekly bookish topic. Don’t miss Jenni on Mondays, and Amy on Saturdays:  

Making a Good First Impression!

You’ve all heard that making a good first impression is important, right? During job interviews, meeting the parents, etc. And then you’ve also heard to not judge a book by its cover, no? Don’t you find both are kind of contradicting? A book cover is the first impression we get of a book, why shouldn’t we judge one by what we first see? At least to some extent. Sure there are tons of great books out there with mediocre covers at best, like so (and yes some of these were changed thank goodness):