Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris

I felt really bad having this book on my shelf for so long and not having read it.  I would see it every time I entered my room and it would sit there in all of it's wordy defiance against me.  I wondered, sometimes, if it was mocking me.  Goading me with it's interesting and unique cover.  I'd finish reading one book and there it sat on my shelf, unread and not yet loved by its owner.  It deserved better than what I had offered it, so I decided that before I read any other deserving book on my shelf, I needed to read this one next because it deserved it way more than the others.

The Synopsis:
Two days before the start of her junior year, seventeen-year-old Janelle Tenner is hit by a pickup truck and killed—as in blinding light, scenes of her life flashing before her, and then nothing. Except the next thing she knows, she’s opening her eyes to find Ben Michaels, a loner from her high school whom Janelle has never talked to, leaning over her. And even though it isn’t possible, Janelle knows—with every fiber of her being—that Ben has somehow brought her back to life.
But her reincarnation, and Ben’s possible role in it, is only the first of the puzzles that Janelle must solve. While snooping in her FBI-agent father’s files for clues about her accident, she uncovers a clock that seems to be counting down to something—but to what? And when someone close to Janelle is killed, she can no longer deny what’s right in front of her: Everything that’s happened—the accident, the murder, the countdown clock, Ben’s sudden appearance in her life—points to the end of life as she knows it. And as the clock ticks down, she realizes that if she wants to put a stop to the end of the world, she’s going to need to uncover Ben’s secrets—and keep from falling in love with him in the process.
From debut author Elizabeth Norris comes this shattering novel of one girl’s fight to save herself, her world, and the one boy she never saw coming.

My Thoughts:
I didn't know what to really expect from this book.  I don't think I ever even read the synopsis of it, even after I purchased it.  The reason why I bought it was because many people were giving it very good reviews and the girl is brought back to life by this dark and mysterious Ben figure.  Oh, and I really liked the cover model's outfit.  Gotta love tank tops and a kickass jacket.
So, when things started getting all FBI/Sci-Fy, I was diggin' it.  It was weird.  Completely strange and only left me with one thought by the end of the book:

MIND BLOWN.
*nuclear explosion goes off in mind*

Also, this is the first book, after many--umm, thirty-seven to be exact--that made me release those wicked and evil tears of mine.  I've always been told I cry a lot during books and apparently there's really no reason for it, but after thirty-seven books, I'd say that's not that bad at all.  I certainly can't be that much of a mush ball when it comes to books.
Okay, okay, this is all beside the point I'm trying to make here.  What I'm trying to say is that this book make me feel things.  It was emotional and definitely a gripping story with many plot twists and turns.
Janelle was a very strong character, not as strong as Tris from Divergent, but strong nonetheless.  She was very smart and nerdy and was accompanied throughout the book by her best friend, Alex, who also happens to be a complete smarty pants.  She's determined and never lost sight what she was aiming for in the long run: To save the world--duh.  I didn't really mind her flaws most of the time.  She was stubborn and didn't always make the right choice and sometimes I wanted to strangle her for what she would do, but everybody makes mistakes and you forgive.  Her character was understandable, and she would do anything for her friends and family.
I'm not going to say much about the story, because no matter how I phrase it, I know I'm going to slip and give away something you shouldn't read.  All I will say is that it was awesome.  It had plenty of believable emotions, action, and more.  Usually the feds get in the way of what goes on and it only annoys everyone, but not in this book.
Sorry for being a bit cryptic with all I'm saying, but I really want to save the experience for when you read the book.  I gave Unraveling 4.5 out of 5 stars, and I know it rightfully deserves that rating.  I can now say that this book has been read and loved by me and I hope that others will, too.
Happy reading!

Sidenote: I love the "Stop the countdown.  Save the world." phrase under the title.  Honestly, it makes me giggle each time I read it because every time I can imagine Janelle saying it all nonchalantly with the shrug of her shoulders.  You know, save the world.  No problem.  I got it covered.
Gotta love the small things, right?

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

The Synopsis:
Weird as it is working for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, Evie’s always thought of herself as normal. Sure, her best friend is a mermaid, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she's falling for a shape-shifter, and she's the only person who can see through paranormals' glamours, but still. Normal.
Only now paranormals are dying, and Evie's dreams are filled with haunting voices and mysterious prophecies. She soon realizes that there may be a link between her abilities and the sudden rash of deaths. Not only that, but she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.
So much for normal.







My Thoughts:
I heard about this book a while ago and have been meaning to read it, but Other Books kind of got in the way of it.  So, there went Paranormalcy all the way to the back of my brain until I picked it up at my local library.  The one thing that had me really curious about this book is the fact the the MC, Evie, wields a pink taser that she named Tasey.  There's also the fact that she works for this agency that tags a bunch of paranormals so that they don't do anything illegal, like drink peoples' blood.  Easy peasy.  So overall, you could see the natural appeal it had to me.
Evie is probably one of the most ignorant characters I've read about, and that's in the best way possible.  Her ignorance wasn't exactly annoying, but it could become tedious at times.  It didn't bother me much because I learned things along with Evie, but I did think that it was a tad overdone.  Though, if I want to contradict myself further, I could also say that it also made Evie the character that she is.  She's very pure in a sense that she hasn't been exposed to the true and harsh dangers the world has to offer.  I liked her for that, but then yet again it got on my nerves, but not by much.
The idea I thought was very original.  I cannot come up with any other book that has this idea.  Originally, she's an unmoving and loyal member of IPCA, but when Things Happen (A.K.A a nearly invisible hottie who goes by the name of Lend) she's not so sure who she should trust or what to do.
Let me just say that I really enjoyed the writing of this book.  There's a lot of sarcasm and humor which had me giggling at many points in the story.  The romance was pure sweetness and completely adorable and had me squealing like a little girl on the inside.  Evie's voice, I feel, sticks out than most others from other books I've read, and I certainly liked that.
Overall, I gave this lovely book four out of five stars.  It was a highly entertaining read that I read pretty quickly.  I enjoyed it and look forward to reading the rest of the books in the series.  It's definitely a book I would recommend for those who love reading about vamps and weres and faeries, really evil faeries.  Hinty hint.

What's Next (2)

Okay, guys.  I'm in a serious predicament here.  After I finish reading what I've got now, what shall I pick next?

Galen is the prince of the Syrena, sent to land to find a girl he's heard can communicate with fish. Emma is on vacation at the beach. When she runs into Galen — literally, ouch! — both teens sense a connection. But it will take several encounters, including a deadly one with a shark, for Galen to be convinced of Emma's gifts. Now, if he can only convince Emma that she holds the key to his kingdom . . .
Told from both Emma and Galen's points of view, here is a fish-out-of-water story that sparkles with intrigue, humor, and waves of romance.

Or . . . .

Your mother hollers that you’re going to miss the bus. She can see it coming down the street. You don’t stop and hug her and tell her you love her. You don’t thank her for being a good, kind, patient mother. Of course not—you launch yourself down the stairs and make a run for the corner.Only, if it’s the last time you’ll ever see your mother, you sort of start to wish you’d stopped and did those things. Maybe even missed the bus.But the bus was barreling down our street, so I ran.Fourteen kids. One superstore. A million things that go wrong.
In Emmy Laybourne’s action-packed debut novel, six high school kids (some popular, some not), two eighth graders (one a tech genius), and six little kids trapped together in a chain superstore build a refuge for themselves inside. While outside, a series of escalating disasters, beginning with a monster hailstorm and ending with a chemical weapons spill, seems to be tearing the world—as they know it—apart.

What to read, my friends?

ARC Review of Rift by Andrea Cremer

Once again, I must give my special thanks to Jasmine over at Beneath the Moon and Stars for lending me this beautiful book.  She seriously has saved my sanity and I am forever in her debt.

The Synopsis:
Chronicling the rise of the Keepers, this is the stunning prequel to Andrea Cremer's internationally bestselling Nightshade trilogy!
Sixteen-year-old Ember Morrow is promised to a group called Conatus after one of their healers saves her mother's life. Once she arrives, Ember finds joy in wielding swords, learning magic, and fighting the encroaching darkness loose in the world. She also finds herself falling in love with her mentor, the dashing, brooding, and powerful Barrow Hess. When the knights realize Eira, one of their leaders, is dabbling in dark magic, Ember and Barrow must choose whether to follow Eira into the nether realm or to pledge their lives to destroying her and her kind.
With action, adventure, magic, and tantalizing sensuality, this book is as fast-paced and breathtaking as the Nightshade novels.




My Thoughts:
Just last summer, I was swept up into the Nightshade Trilogy.  Right after I finished reading Nightshade, I immediately picked up Wolfsbane and then I had to wait anxiously for months to go by for the release of Bloodrose.  Then I catch wind that her next book will not only be a prequel to the Nightshade Trilogy, but it will also be historical fiction, as in the story goes way back into Medieval Times.  After hearing that, I pretty much died and went to heaven because I love historical fiction, especially the ones with the strong heroines.
Ember isn't your typical teenage girl waiting to be swept off her feet by some rich nobleman.  If anything, she doesn't believe she needs a man in her life.  She craves adventure and freedom, knowledge and a sense of belonging.  Nobody knows what she really wants to do and what she does, besides her best friend Alistair, or else she'd have to face punishment, and not to mention the fact that it's culturally taboo for a girl to even think such things.  So when she gets the day comes when she will be taken away by members of Conatus, instead of being afraid, she's pretty darn excited.  It's her way out of the monotonous duties of being a noble lady.
Andrea really took a risk with this book because instead of it being written in first person--like in the Nighshade books--it's written in third.  But Andrea tackled the writing technique flawlessly; I found no inconsistencies in the writing. 
The story I found was extremely interesting and intriguing.  If you've read the Nightshade books and then read Rift, things start to make sense.  You're really reading the world that ended up creating the Keepers and the Searchers.  I found it all very fascinating.  And the history in the book was spot-on.  The Crusades and the Templars were mentioned and I almost did little happy dances every time.  Although, it all makes sense since Andrea was a history professor. . .
As always, I found the imagery pretty good.  She used beautiful similes and really knew how to use her sensory words.  I've never been to Medieval Time Europe, but I feel as if I have been there.  So, I was very happy about that.
Overall, I gave this book five out of five stars and probably two thumbs up, too.  This is another start to a series that shows a lot of promise.  I loved it from the start to the very end, soaking all of it in.  I cannot wait to read the next book in the series.  I really look forward to reading how Ember's story will unwind, and hopefully all of you will, too.
Rift comes out officially on August 7th!

Cover Reveal!

Well, guys, it's the moment we've all been waiting for!  It's the cover of the Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare!  After an afternoon spent of making a whole bunch of tweets with the hashtag #ClockworkPrincess, all of us ID fans were able to reveal the cover ourselves, and with that, had the book TRENDING on Twitter!  Honestly, you guys rock!

Just look at it!  Is it not the most gorgeous cover you have ever seen?  The glowing book, her scandalous dress, and her clockwork angel pendent!  It is the Tessa that we ID fans have been reading about ever since the very beginning.  I'm pretty sure Jem is drooling over this somewhere while Will weeps in some corner.

And in other bookish news, City of Bones will be out in theaters in August of next year!  Woot!

Review: Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

First off, lemme give a shout out to Jasmine from Beneath the Moon and Stars for letting me borrow this book!  Let's just say my library system does not have Obsidian in there and I got a little desperate on Twitter.  Then, Jasmine swooped in to rescue me from becoming insane and lent me this pretty.  She has saved my mental stability and therefore think she is awesome.

The Synopsis:
Starting over sucks.
When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I'd pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring.... until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.
And then he opened his mouth.
Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something...unexpected happens.
The hot alien living next door marks me.
You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon's touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I'm getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.
If I don't kill him first, that is.



My Thoughts:
When I first read that this was going to be about a hot alien dude, my reactions were followed as such:

First reaction: *stares* Well, that sounds kinda weird . . . Alien . . . Movies kill aliens . . . Except for in Paul, but he could have died . . . But Paul was green . . .
Second Reaction: Give me the flippin' book right now!  Hot dude with bad attitude equals hell yes!  And, he's an alien, as in he's from a different planet.  WANT. O_o

As you can see, they weren't really intelligible thoughts.  One side of my brain did not understand the amazing-ness of this book while the other half was a little too excited.  And mind you, this was all before I even opened up the book to the first page.
Katy was the epitome of the new girl.  She was introverted and uncomfortable in her new surroundings, but also determined to make new friends and start over with a normal life--if that's even possible with the hottest guy in the universe living right next door to her.  So, maybe something a little less than normal.  One thing that I really liked about her character was the fact that she didn't take much crap from Daemon and stood her ground.  She was feisty and entertaining to read, along with Daemon, but that's for obvious reasons.
And then there's Daemon.  Daemon.  I'm not exactly sure what you want me to say about him other than he's an alien and he's hot. 
Okay, okay.  So, that's not the only thing I'm going to say about him.  Because, just repeating that he's hot and he's an alien sounds pretty shallow of me, and not entirely true about his character.  Just like any other bad boy in any book, he's got a certain kind of mystery to him.  Daemon was moody, and I'd wonder if it was his time of the month if he wasn't a jerk 24/7.  Jusss sayin'.  But, there were a few extremely rare times where he wasn't a butt head and was kind of a decent and relatable guy.  And because of all of those traits, my mind became Daemon and everything that he is.  I think it's safe to say that I now understand why many bloggers talked about Daemon like he was the God of Awesome and Sexy.  I get it now.
Going to the story, I wasn't quite sure what to expect.  Alien invasions?  An intergalactic war?  Bowling?  But I was okay with that because I really wanted it to surprise me, and surprise me it did.  There was plenty of action to sate my hunger for violence and enough romance that didn't end up with me rolling my eyes about how unlikely it sounded.  The unlikely romance thing happens a lot to me with books. 
Speaking of romance, I decided that I actually wanted to talk about it here.  One thing I really look forward to is watching a relationship bud between two characters.  Sometimes, I feel that romances are hastened or maybe a little cliche, and possibly a bit too passionate.  The romances I look forward to are the ones where they don't kiss after two hours of meeting each other.  Although, I crave their first kiss, I'd rather prefer watching how they interact with one another before they get all kissy-face.  With that said, I'll just tell you that I really liked the romance in this book.  Jennifer L. Armentrout did a lovely job with it.
Overall, I absolutely loved this book.  It was everything I could want in an alien book--surprisingly.  It was nothing like what I expected it to be and I cannot wait for the next installment to come out next month.  I hope everybody gets a chance to read Obsidian if they haven't already because this book here is definitely one of my top ten favorites so far of this year.

Wake by Amanda Hocking ARC Blog Tour

As a new fan to Amanda Hocking, I am thrilled to be apart of this unofficial blog tour hosted Sarah at Inklings Read, who also provided me a copy of the book.  I heard about Wake a long time ago and was excited about it, even though I hadn't read the synopsis yet.

The Synopsis:
Gemma seems to have it all—she’s carefree, pretty, and falling in love with Alex, the boy next door. He’s always been just a friend, but this summer they’ve taken their relationship to the next level, and now there’s no going back. Then one night, Gemma’s ordinary life changes forever. She’s taking a late night swim under the stars when she finds Penn, Lexi and Thea partying on the cove. They invite her to join them, and the next morning she wakes up on the beach feeling groggy and sick, knowing something is different.
Suddenly Gemma is stronger, faster, and more beautiful than ever. But her new powers come with a terrifying price. And as she uncovers the truth, she’s is forced to choose between staying with those she loves—or entering a new world brimming with dark hungers and unimaginable secrets.




My Thoughts:
Once I actually read the synopsis of this book, I was instantly intrigued by the idea of sirens.  I've always been a fan of Greek mythology--any mythology, actually--and eagerly delved into the book, wondering what story Amanda Hocking would tell.
Gemma is not your average girl next door.  Her life and passion is swimming and her spirit for the most part is wild and free.  She's beautiful and smart and is everything the three sisters are looking for.  What I found to be super cute was the relationship that builds between Gemma and Alex, a geeky kid that lives next door.  They were both dorky and sweet at the same time, and a relief from most of the lusty and passionate romances that are becoming increasingly common in the book world.
The writing was not what I expected it to be.  Not only was it in third person, but it was also omniscient, letting readers into the minds of more than one character's at a time.  In the beginning I found it a bit confusing, but as the story wore on, it became easier to distinguish what Amanda was writing at times.  Not that it was very confusing or anything; I just had to pay closer attention to what I was reading.  However, I must give Amanda Hocking credit for tackling this kind of writing because it is a hard one at that.
And I do not believe that the synopsis gives this book the credit it deserves.  Yes, the story is all of those mentioned, but in no way does it give you the slightest peak into the world Gemma, her sister Harper, Alex, and Daniel, that hot guy that lives on a boat, live in.  In no way would I have imagined where the story led its readers to.  It was both creative and refreshing to read.  It wasn't a tale about mermaids and it wasn't about vampires or werewolves.  It was something new that had me enjoying every page. 
Wake, although I found it a bit predictable, was entertaining and surprisingly dark.  Mystery and secrets hung around the three sisters and all over the small town.  Amanda Hocking once again had me enjoying her writing and the world she created before my eyes.  I loved the connection Gemma had with her sister Harper, and my heart warmed over the love they both had for their family and friends.  Wake was also about the growth and strength of the characters.  I enjoyed watching the characters grow and admired it, even.
Overall, Wake was a great story that rightfully earned four out of five stars from me.  Amanda did not fail me with this new tale, and I certainly will be looking out for when the next book in the series comes out.
And with that, this is the end of the first stop on the blog tour!

Also, here's an exclusive clip of the Wake audiobook! Just click here.