Review: Tabula Rasa (Don't Get Me Started)

Title: Tabula Rasa
Author: Kristen Lippert-Martin
Publication Date: September 23rd 2014        
Publisher: EgmontUSA
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

The Bourne Identity meets Divergent in this heart-pounding debut.
Sixteen-year-old Sarah has a rare chance at a new life. Or so the doctors tell her. She’s been undergoing a cutting-edge procedure that will render her a tabula rasa—a blank slate. Memory by memory her troubled past is being taken away.

But when her final surgery is interrupted and a team of elite soldiers invades the isolated hospital under cover of a massive blizzard, her fresh start could be her end.

Navigating familiar halls that have become a dangerous maze with the help of a teen computer hacker who's trying to bring the hospital down for his own reasons, Sarah starts to piece together who she is and why someone would want her erased. And she won’t be silenced again.

A high-stakes thriller featuring a non-stop race for survival and a smart heroine who will risk everything, Tabula Rasa is, in short, unforgettable 

Eh. At first the whole idea of Tabula Rasa reminded me of the Slated series by Teri Terry, criminals or dangerous people- who are either a danger to others or themselves get a second chance by having their memories wiped for a fresh start, but with Tabula Rasa, you quickly realise that that's not the case. The idea of it is- the criminal's getting their memories wiped is- but the execution is not.

It's My Blogoversary and I'll Cry if I Want To: 1 Year Blogoversary (kind of) Giveaway!

StudioReads is over a year old! I was looking at my blogoversary button the other day (which I've now taken down and have to redo) and was thinking it's been an awfully long year, so I went and checked my first ever post. Which went live on the 24/06/2013. So really, I've been blogging for a year and 1/3!

I'm quite proud of myself that I've stuck to something this long, I've tried sewing, that lasted a few months. I tired knitting and started off with a square of a blanket that...turned into a triangle. Magic! Honestly, it was square when I finished it...

Stacking the Shelves (#63) & Recap

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

So, how was everybody's week? Mines been good. I was going to carry on from the physical stacking the shelves from last week but again, waiting on a few more books, so might as well put them altogether.


I've been good digitally, though! Only one, which I got last week

 

Review: Blackbird

  

Blackbird
Author: Anna Carey
Publication Date: September 16th 2014           
Publisher: HarperTeen          
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

This twisty, breathless cat-and-mouse thrill ride, told in the second person, follows a girl with amnesia in present-day Los Angeles who is being pursued by mysterious and terrifying assailants.

A girl wakes up on the train tracks, a subway car barreling down on her. With only minutes to react, she hunches down and the train speeds over her. She doesn’t remember her name, where she is, or how she got there. She has a tattoo on the inside of her right wrist of a blackbird inside a box, letters and numbers printed just below: FNV02198. There is only one thing she knows for sure: people are trying to kill her.

On the run for her life, she tries to untangle who she is and what happened to the girl she used to be. Nothing and no one are what they appear to be. But the truth is more disturbing than she ever imagined.

The Maze Runner series meets Code Name Verity, Blackbird is relentless and action-packed, filled with surprising twists.

Blackbird, once you get to the end and realise what actually is going on, you figure out it's a little sick and twisted and...a little disturbing in a very human way. Let's call or main character Blackbird, shall we? She wakes up on the tracks with a train heading straight for her. She doesn't know who she is, and in the beginning, whether she's female or male. She doesn't know where she is, how she got there, what happened to her, etc, etc.

Half Wild by Sally Green: First Chapter Reveal

 

 

 

 

 

Cover Reveal: Four of a Kind

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 Synopsis

 

The odds of giving birth to identical quadruplets: 1 in 13 million.

The population of Fairview, a town so small that all anyone talks about is the Fairview Four returning after fourteen years: 7208.

The chance of Reagan blending in with the crowd after a boy in her new town starts to see her for who she really is: zero.


Following in the footsteps—and all too often, the shadows—of her sisters was nothing new to Reagan. But after fifteen years of fading in to the background, she’s finally finding her own way. Amidst all the gossip and assumptions, one person sees Reagan for what she’s always wanted to be. One of a kind.

Finally feeling like she belongs, Reagan wants to enjoy every possibility her new life has to offer, but things aren’t going as smoothly for her sisters. How can Reagan possibly let herself be happy—or maybe even fall in love—when her family is finally turning to her for support?

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Four of a Kind

Waiting on Wednesday (#64)

 "Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases.

Suspicion by Alexandra Monir

 

Expected publication:   December 9th 2014 by Delacorte Press

 

 

 

Mysterious. Magnificent. Creepy. Welcome to Rockford Manor.

"There's something hidden in the Maze." Seventeen-year-old Imogen has never forgotten the last words her father said to her seven years ago, before the blazing fire that consumed him, her mother, and the gardens of her family's English country manor.

Haunted by her parents' deaths, Imogen moves to New York City with her new guardians. But when a letter arrives with the news of her cousin's untimely death, revealing that Imogen is now the only heir left to run the estate, she returns to England and warily accepts her role as duchess.

All is not as it seems at Rockford, and Imogen quickly learns that dark secrets lurk behind the mansion's aristocratic exterior, hinting that the spate of deaths in her family were no accident. And at the center of the mystery is Imogen herself--and Sebastian, the childhood friend she has secretly loved for years. Just what has Imogen walked into?

Combining a fresh twist on the classic REBECCA with a spine-tingling mystery and powerful romance, SUSPICION is an action-packed thrill ride.

MY PRETTY. *strokes cover*

 

 

What're you waiting on? :) 

Review: Jackaby

Jackaby
Author: William Ritter
Publication Date: September 16th 2014        
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

“Miss Rook, I am not an occultist,” Jackaby said. “I have a gift that allows me to see truth where others see the illusion--and there are many illusions. All the world’s a stage, as they say, and I seem to have the only seat in the house with a view behind the curtain.”

Newly arrived in New Fiddleham, New England, 1892, and in need of a job, Abigail Rook meets R. F. Jackaby, an investigator of the unexplained with a keen eye for the extraordinary--including the ability to see supernatural beings. Abigail has a gift for noticing ordinary but important details, which makes her perfect for the position of Jackaby’s assistant. On her first day, Abigail finds herself in the midst of a thrilling case: A serial killer is on the loose. The police are convinced it’s an ordinary villain, but Jackaby is certain it’s a nonhuman creature, whose existence the police--with the exception of a handsome young detective named Charlie Cane--deny.

Doctor Who meets Sherlock in William Ritter’s debut novel, which features a detective of the paranormal as seen through the eyes of his adventurous and intelligent assistant in a tale brimming with cheeky humor and a dose of the macabre.

 

Ugh, I hate to say this because I was so looking forward to reading it. I mean, a mix between Doctor Who and Sherlock Holmes? Okay, I haven't watched Doctor Who since David Tennant left, because confession time, Matt Smith annoyed the hell out of me (go on, shout.)

 

There. I just gave you more reason to. :)

But anyway, onto the book!

Review: Illusions of Fate

Illusions of Fate
Author: Kiersten White
Publication Date: September 9th 2014        
Publisher: HarperTeen
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

Downton Abbey meets Cassandra Clare in this lush, romantic fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White.

“I did my best to keep you from crossing paths with this world. And I shall do my best to protect you now that you have.”

Jessamin has been an outcast since she moved from her island home of Melei to the dreary country of Albion. Everything changes when she meets Finn, a gorgeous, enigmatic young lord who introduces her to the secret world of Albion’s nobility, a world that has everything Jessamin doesn’t—power, money, status…and magic. But Finn has secrets of his own, dangerous secrets that the vicious Lord Downpike will do anything to possess. Unless Jessamin, armed only with her wits and her determination, can stop him.

Kiersten White captured readers’ hearts with her New York Times bestselling Paranormalcy trilogy and its effortless mix of magic and real-world teenage humor. She returns to that winning combination of wit, charm, and enchantment in Illusions of Fate, a sparkling and romantic new novel perfect for fans of Cassandra Clare, The Madman’s Daughter, and Libba Bray

You guys, Illusions of Fate is so freaking just as good as I thought it would be, and though I really enjoyed Kiersten White's Mind Games series, Illusions of Fate has taken the spot of my favourite of hers.  It's just so witty and fun and clever and whimsical.

There's no shortage of magical books being released this year, and don't get me wrong by saying that this is just one of them, but while it may not be the most unique one, it gives magic a different life and let's it breathe. We have feuding races and magical importance. It kind of reminds me of this one episode of Charmed in season six, episode five, Loves a Witch, but much more ingrained to the background of Illusions of Fate that set's the today of Illusions of Fate, if that makes sense. It's a huge part of the story and it takes in the actions of the characters.  The magic set-up here is a little different to what I usually find, Magic is based upon power in standards, it goes down into the line of Nobles of High Standards, it's in their blood and it depending on stature and position etc, it waters down, some have stronger power than others, and we see that mix with our supporting characters. The logistics of the magic can be learned but not obtained, power can't be taken, but stored in things (e.g books) that can be later used.

Stacking the Shelves (#62) & Recap: The Box-Set Edition

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

So, how was everybody's week? Mines been good, this is a months worth of book haul, all bought, except for one I won, but otherwise, all me. I went a little mad. A little Box-Set mad, and I'm not showing you all of them in this one because that would be long. And bad.

 

 

 

 

I already own these books. I own three of The Hunger Games now, which I'm going to do a post some time showing you all of them together because the Collectors Edition is freaking gorgeous. But yeah, three editions of The Hunger Games, and two of Catching Fire and Mockingjay. BUT I WANTED THE HARDBACKS. I don't care. They're all pretty and yeah, did I need more versions of the same book? No. Did I want them? Yes. You can see what side won.

Review: Kiss of Broken Glass

Kiss of Broken Glass
Author: Madeleine Kuderick
Publication Date: September 9th 2014        
Publisher: HarperTeen
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

Madeleine Kuderick’s gripping debut is a darkly beautiful and lyrical novel in verse, perfect for fans of Sonya Sones and Laurie Halse Anderson. Kiss of Broken Glass pulses with emotion and lingers long after the last page.
In the next seventy-two hours, Kenna may lose everything—her friends, her freedom, and maybe even herself. One kiss of the blade was all it took to get her sent to the psych ward for seventy-two hours. There she will face her addiction to cutting, though the outcome is far from certain.

When fifteen-year-old Kenna is found cutting herself in the school bathroom, she is sent to a facility for mandatory psychiatric watch. There, Kenna meets other kids like her—her roommate, Donya, who’s there for her fifth time; the birdlike Skylar; and Jag, a boy cute enough to make her forget her problems . . . for a moment

Kiss of Broken Glass is going to be one of those books you either love or hate- not because of the serious issues- cutting the main one, and meeting some other characters who have other addictions- but because of the format. I can't say I loved the format it was written in, but I did appreciate the lyrical side to it, it's quick to read and addicting in itself because it's beautiful.

Cover Reveal: Escape from Witchwood Hollow & Giveaway

                          How far into the hollow would you go? 

 

“After losing her parents in a terrorist attack on the Twin Towers, fifteen-year-old Honoria escapes New York City to Arnn—a farming town with more legends than residents, and a history of witchcraft and secrets best left buried.

 

Everyone in Arnn knows the story of Witchwood Hollow: if you venture into the whispering forest, the witch will trap your soul among the shadowed trees. In the lure of that perpetual darkness, Honoria finds hope when she should be afraid, and a past of missing children and broken promises.  To save the citizens of Arnn from becoming the witch’s next victims, she must find the truth behind the woman’s madness. How deep into Witchwood Hollow does Honoria dare venture?”

ESCAPE FROM WITCHWOOD HOLLOW is Jordan Elizabeth’s first novel.  This young adult fantasy will be published through Curiosity Quills Press on October 29, 2014. 

Cosplay Antics: Getting Ready for Halloween SCARdiff Edition

Another Cosplay Antics post this week due to lack of funds and baking ingredients. Last week's post was a Vengeance VS Wonderland mash up, which I am going to keep bouncing back and forth to Alice in Wonderland quite often in later posts- both Cosplay Antics and Edible Books, since I'm in love with everything Wonderland and there's a lot of things that can be used to tie to it.

Since Halloween's right around the corner (okay, over a month left but it goes quick- it's almost Christmas!) I was thinking about what I made last year, which was also another outfit I wore at the MCM London this year. I've planned to bring it back out of the closet for the event SCARdiff  this year. SCARdiff's an Halloween/Horror movie convention in Cardiff (S-CARdiff- get it?) in October, so it's never too early to get ready and plan, besides, it was one of my favourite Cosplay's I've made.

Waiting on Wednesday (#63)

 "Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases.

I Am Her Revenge by Meredith Moore

 

Expected publication: April 7th 2015 by Razorbill  

 

 

She can be anyone you want her to be.
Vivian was raised with one purpose in life: to exact revenge on behalf of her mother. Manipulative and cruel, Mother has deprived Vivian not only of a childhood, but of an original identity. With an endless arsenal of enticing personalities at her disposal, Vivian is a veritable weapon of deception.

And she can destroy anyone.
When it’s time to strike, she enrolls in a boarding school on the English moors, where she will zero in on her target: sweet and innocent Ben, the son of the man who broke Mother’s heart twenty years ago.

Anyone…except for the woman who created her.
With every secret she uncovers, Vivian comes one step closer to learning who she really is. But the more she learns about herself, the more dangerous this cat and mouse game becomes. Because Mother will stop at nothing to make sure the truth dies with her. 

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE be a good revenge story.

What're you waiting on? :)

Review: Rites of Passage

Rites of Passage
Author: Joy N. Hensley
Publication Date: September 9th 2014        
Publisher: Harper Teen
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

Sam McKenna’s never turned down a dare. And she's not going to start with the last one her brother gave her before he died.

So Sam joins the first-ever class of girls at the prestigious Denmark Military Academy. She’s expecting push-ups and long runs, rope climbing and mud-crawling. As a military brat, she can handle an obstacle course just as well as the boys. She's even expecting the hostility she gets from some of the cadets who don’t think girls belong there. What she’s not expecting is her fiery attraction to her drill sergeant. But dating is strictly forbidden and Sam won't risk her future, or the dare, on something so petty...no matter how much she wants him.

As Sam struggles to prove herself, she discovers that some of the boys don’t just want her gone—they will stop at nothing to drive her out. When their petty threats turn to brutal hazing, bleeding into every corner of her life, she realizes they are not acting alone. A decades-old secret society is alive and active… and determined to force her out.
At any cost.

Now time's running short. Sam must decide who she can trust...and choosing the wrong person could have deadly consequences

Rites of Passage is one of those rare books I probably would never have picked up, and the only reason why I did in the first place was because of the Dare behind it all. This is also one of those times I'd let someone slap me for being so stupid. This is probably going to be a rambling review because that's just how it goes with ones you love, you can never sit down and focus enough to write something that says just exactly what Rites of Passage means and is, because there's just so many things about it that I loved and right now, sentences are popping into my head and then leave.

Review: Heir of Fire

Heir of Fire
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publication Date: September 11th 2014        
Publisher: Bloomsbury Childrens
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

Lost and broken, Celaena Sardothien’s only thought is to avenge the savage death of her dearest friend: as the King of Adarlan’s Assassin, she is bound to serve this tyrant, but he will pay for what he did. Any hope Celaena has of destroying the king lies in answers to be found in Wendlyn. Sacrificing his future, Chaol, the Captain of the King’s Guard, has sent Celaena there to protect her, but her darkest demons lay in that same place. If she can overcome them, she will be Adarlan’s biggest threat – and his own toughest enemy.

While Celaena learns of her true destiny, and the eyes of Erilea are on Wendlyn, a brutal and beastly force is preparing to take to the skies. Will Celaena find the strength not only to win her own battles, but to fight a war that could pit her loyalties to her own people against those she has grown to love?

 

I am speechless. I have never been more impressed with a series since Harry Potter and Vampire Academy.  Freaking amazing world aside, these characters. They make me love them, hate them, they make me angry and frustrated with them, they make me care and then, then they make me fucking proud of them, the growth of our cast from the beginning are so different from the ones we began with, you can still recognise them, they're still there, they're still them, but they've grown, and you don't see much until Heir of Fire, the strength and will they have to do what they have to do. Even our new additions fit in so well, and again, are different characters from when we first met them, every angle of them explored.

Stacking the Shelves (#61) & Recap

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

So, how was everybody's week? Mines been good for once, whoo! (Maybe) because I bought a lot of books and went to collect my signed preorder of Heir of Fire. ;) I was going to do a physical stack this week because of that, but I'm still waiting on few books, so next week it is.

I also come across this, this week, since my kindle case is fading...

Now, I'm trying to find a reason to justify spending £30 for one. Someone give me one?

Review: Afterworlds

 

 

Afterworlds

Author:  Scott Westerfeld

Publication Date: September 25th 2014

Publisher:  Simon & Schuster UK Children's                                                  ~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

 From international bestselling author, Scott Westerfeld, comes Afterworlds, a brand new, thought-provoking, suspenseful thriller you won't be able to put down!

Darcy Patel has put college and everything else on hold to publish her teen novel, Afterworlds. Arriving in New York with no apartment or friends she wonders whether she's made the right decision until she falls in with a crowd of other seasoned and fledgling writers who take her under their wings…

Told in alternating chapters is Darcy's novel, a suspenseful thriller about Lizzie, a teen who slips into the 'Afterworld' to survive a terrorist attack.

But the Afterworld is a place between the living and the dead and as Lizzie drifts between our world and that of the Afterworld, she discovers that many unsolved - and terrifying - stories need to be reconciled. And when a new threat resurfaces, Lizzie learns her special gifts may not be enough to protect those she loves and cares about most



 

 

Afterworlds is my first Scott Westerfeld and I have to say, I wasn't disappointed in what I was promised in writing style. It's very easy to get into, and though I did have a problem with one half of the story, it kept me compelled to read it. Now, the behind-the-scenes look at publishing in YA was fun, if not a little terrifying to every person out there who are inspiring writers- especially the younger market.

Cosplay Antics: Vengeance VS Wonderland Mash-Up

Hi again all, It's Amber and I'm back! You may or may not have noticed that I've been absent from my Thursday posts on Studio Reads the past couple of weeks. It was my 21st the other week, so a week leading up to and that week were pretty busy for me, so I haven't had the chance to get things done as I would've liked...and since Kirsty already had posts scheduled up, she wasn't *cough* annoying *cough* me about posts. This week's Cosplay Antics will be in two parts again, and then there'll be an Edible Books post.

This was inspired by Michelle Madow's Vengeance (Transcend Time Saga #1.5)  cover.

 Nope, I didn't recreate the mask (which I so wanted to) but I needed something that would go with it, so figured a bag was better than anything. With a mash-up of Wonderland and the Queen of Hearts.

Off with her head.

On with the post!

Waiting on Wednesday (#62)

 "Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases.

Death Date by Victoria Laurie

 

Expected publication: January 13th 2015 by Disney-Hyperion 

 

 

 

 

 

Pretty Little Liars meets Medium in this fast-paced thriller and fantastic YA debut from a New York Times bestselling author

Maddie Fynn is a shy high school junior, cursed with an eerie intuitive ability: she sees a series of unique digits hovering above the foreheads of each person she encounters. Her earliest memories are marked by these numbers, but it takes her father's premature death for Maddie and her family to realize that these mysterious digits are actually death dates, and just like birthdays, everyone has one.

Forced by her alcoholic mother to use her ability to make extra money, Maddie identifies the quickly approaching death date of one client's young son, but because her ability only allows her to see the when and not the how, she's unable to offer any more insight. When the boy goes missing on that exact date, law enforcement turns to Maddie.

Soon, Maddie is entangled in a homicide investigation, and more young people disappear and are later found murdered. A suspect for the investigation, a target for the murderer, and attracting the attentions of a mysterious young admirer who maybe connected to it all, Maddie's whole existence is about to be turned upside down. Can she right things before it's too late?

 

 

Okay, I'm getting a little sick of seeing Pretty Little Liars meets ---- everywhere, but still. Sounds pretty amazing.

 

What're you waiting on?  

Review: Anatomy of a Misfit

Title: Anatomy of a Misfit
Author: Andrea Portes
Publication Date: September 2nd 2014        
Publisher: Harper Children’s

 This emotional, hilarious, devastating, and ultimately triumphant YA debut, based on actual events, recounts one girl’s rejection of her high school’s hierarchy—and her discovery of her true self in the face of tragedy.

Fall’s buzzed-about, in-house favorite. Outside, Anika Dragomir is all lip gloss and blond hair—the third most popular girl in school. Inside, she’s a freak: a mix of dark thoughts, diabolical plots, and, if local chatter is to be believed, vampire DNA (after all, her father is Romanian). But she keeps it under wraps to maintain her social position. One step out of line and Becky Vilhauer, first most popular girl in school, will make her life hell. So when former loner Logan McDonough shows up one September hotter, smarter, and more mysterious than ever, Anika knows she can’t get involved. It would be insane to throw away her social safety for a nerd. So what if that nerd is now a black-leather-jacket-wearing dreamboat, and his loner status is clearly the result of his troubled home life? Who cares if the right girl could help him with all that, maybe even save him from it? Who needs him when Jared Kline, the bad boy every girl dreams of, is asking her on dates? Who?

Anatomy of a Misfit is Mean Girls meets The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and Anika’s hilariously deadpan delivery will appeal to readers for its honesty and depth. The so-sad-it’s-funny high school setting will pull readers in, but when the story’s dark foreboding gradually takes over, the devastating penultimate tragedy hits like a punch to the gut. Readers will ride the highs and lows alongside funny, flawed Anika—from laughter to tears, and everything in between.

Anatomy of a Misfit is one you're (like me) either going to love or hate, there is more endearing things to take and like from it, but there were these little pieces and quotes thrown in that I didn't like (ala No One Else Can Have You- and if you've read that, then you know what I'm talking about.) Rape and abuse, racism and other things are just offhandedly put there in a way that's kind of light and while I wouldn't say it was making fun of it, I just didn't like the way it was put out there. Look, I know what it was trying to do, especially with the racism, but I don't know, it was something that just irked me about it.

Review: The Dolls

 The Dolls
Author: Kiki Sullivan
Publication Date: September 2nd 2014        
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

Eveny Cheval just moved back to Louisiana after spending her childhood in New York with her aunt Bea. Eveny hasn’t seen her hometown since her mother’s suicide fourteen years ago, and her memories couldn’t have prepared her for what she encounters. Because pristine, perfectly manicured Carrefour has a dark side full of intrigue, betrayal, and lies—and Eveny quickly finds herself at the center of it all.

Enter Peregrine Marceau, Chloe St. Pierre, and their group of rich, sexy friends known as the Dolls. From sipping champagne at lunch to hooking up with the hottest boys, Peregrine and Chloe have everything—including an explanation for what’s going on in Carrefour. And Eveny doesn’t trust them one bit.

But after murder strikes and Eveny discovers that everything she believes about herself, her family, and her life is a lie, she must turn to the Dolls for answers. Something’s wrong in paradise, and it’s up to Eveny, Chloe, and Peregrine to save Carrefour and make it right

Ohhhhhhh, there are so many reasons why I absolutely hated The Dolls. And if I didn't want to bash my head against the wall right now this would probably be a less ranty review. I was past rolling my eyes every five minutes after half way through and began wanting to hit it instead. It's one of those books that are just so ridiculous that you either want to laugh or throw it at a wall. Or stab. Stab, stab, stab. It and its characters are so freaking shallow like some YA are, but let's be honest- unfortunately- most YA is shallow. It's why they have pretty covers to make it more appealing. But, there is shallow and the 'drama' of high school. There's 'reality' TV shallow, and then there's The Dolls kind of shallow- where the characters wouldn't be able to swim in the kiddies pool. I just want a good voodoo book, that's all, just a good voodoo story, YA. WHY IS THAT SO HARD? I'm looking at you, This Wicked Game.

Stacking the Shelves (#60) Harper Collins Edition: Part Two & Recap

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

So, how was everybody's week? The beginning of mine completely sucked, but it's gotten better. I FINISHED HEIR OF FIRE AND OHMYGOD.  It took me a week, since I was dragging my feet through it since I didn't want to finish it because now the wait- but you lovely book, you.

 

For Review
 

Review: The Witch of Salt & Storm

The Witch of Salt and Storm
Author: Kendall Kulper
Publication Date: September 4th 2014        
Publisher: Orchard Books
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

Sixteen-year-old Avery Roe wants only to take her rightful place as the sea witch of Prince Island, making the charms that keep the island's whalers safe and prosperous at sea. But before she could learn how to control her power, her mother - the first Roe woman in centuries to turn her back on magic - steals Avery away from her grandmother. Avery must escape before her grandmother dies, taking with her the secrets of the Roe's power.

The one magical remnant left to Avery is the ability to read dreams, and one night she foresees her own murder. Time is running short, both for her and for the people of her island who need the witches' help to thrive.

Avery has never read a dream that hasn't come true, but a tattooed harpoon boy named Tane tells her he can help her change her fate. Becoming a witch may prevent her murder and save her island from ruin, but Avery discovers it will also require a sacrifice she never expected. And as she falls in love with Tane, she learns it is his life and hers that hang in the balance.

A sweeping romance with a spellbinding twist - from a talented new voice in YA fiction.

I'll start by saying I don't regret reading The Witch of Salt and Storm- and kudo's if you read it and get that reference, and I'm just going to go put on The Cure and go cry for a while because I do not accept how it ended. Nope. Nope. Nope. It didn't, okay? Okay, it's not that painful, honest. But the thing is, the symbolism in here is just ahhhhhhhhh, everything you think is going to happen, happens, just not in the way you (or Avery for that matter) imagined it would happen so it just pulls you along with the emotional waves .

Countdown Survey

This is Christy's @ Christy's Book Addiction tag- well, survey- I've been meaning to do it for a while, but kept forgetting to do it, oops.

10 - Books already released on your wishlist

 

1. The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson
2. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
3. Open Road Summer by Emery Lord
4. Something Real by Heather Demetrios
5. The Distance Between Us by Kasie West
6. Magnolia by Kristi Cook
7. The Dark World by Cara Lynn Shultz
8. Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour
9. The Merciless by Danielle Vega
10. Fiendish  by Brenna Yovanoff

9 – Favourite Covers

 

 

 

Cover Reveal: Embers, Excerpt & Giveaway!

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 Synopsis

 

 

There are descendants of angels walking among us. Ember is one of them. And she may be the only hope mankind has as the rapture approaches and evil rises.

Embers is an epic paranormal adventure about an eighteen year old girl who discovers that she's immune to fire and any other injury when she’s in a horrific car crash that kills her parents. Following a violent episode with her aunt's boyfriend, Ember flees Ohio to live with an old relative in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. Ember's exuberance at escaping a bad home life soon turns to trepidation when she finds out that she's a Watcher, a descendant of angels. While Ember learns about her heritage and the powers that go along with it, she strikes up friendships with two young men who live in a frightening walled compound in the forest. Inexplicitly drawn to one of the men in particular, an impossible romance develops. But it is cut short when Ember discovers that her new friends are fighting on the opposite side of a war—one that’s been raging between two factions of Watchers for thousands of years. When the compound’s inhabitants threaten the townspeople, Ember takes action, sealing her fate in the ancient battle of good versus evil—and the grayness in between. Ember is up to the challenge, until she realizes that she isn’t only fighting for the lives of the locals and the souls of her new friends. She also might be one of the few champions who will make a stand for all of mankind as the rapture approaches and the end of days begin.

Embers is a dark and gritty YA novel that’s the first book in the series, The Wings of War.

 

 

 

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Embers

Waiting on Wednesday (#61)

 "Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases.

The Stars Never Rise by Rachel Vincent

 

Expected publication: June 9th 2015 by Delacorte Press

 

 

 

 
 
 
 

 

 

Sixteen-year-old Nina Kane should be worrying about her immortal soul, but she's too busy trying to actually survive. Her town's population has been decimated by soul-consuming demons, and souls are in short supply. Watching over her younger sister, Mellie, and scraping together food and money are all that matters. The two of them are a family. They gave up on their deadbeat mom a long time ago.

When Nina discovers that Mellie is keeping a secret that threatens their very existence, she'll do anything to protect her. Because in New Temperance, sins are prosecuted as crimes by the brutal Church and its army of black-robed exorcists. And Mellie's sin has put her in serious trouble.

To keep them both alive, Nina will need to trust Finn, a fugitive with deep green eyes who has already saved her life once and who might just be an exorcist. But what kind of exorcist wears a hoodie?

Wanted by the Church and hunted by dark forces, Nina knows she can't survive on her own. She needs Finn and his group of rogue friends just as much as they need her.

I'm always interested in how sins can be interpreted into pretty much anything and everything, but no other reason right now other than pretty cover. I'm *cough* easy like that. ;)

What're you reading on?