ARC Review: Half Bad

Half Bad (Half Life Trilogy #1)
Author: Sally Green

Publication Date: March 3rd, 2014    

~A proof copy was provided by Penguin in exchange for an honest review~

 

 

 

 

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------

A stunning, magical debut. An international sensation.

In modern-day England, witches live alongside humans: White witches, who are good; Black witches, who are evil; and fifteen-year-old Nathan, who is both. Nathan’s father is the world’s most powerful and cruel Black witch, and his mother is dead. He is hunted from all sides. Trapped in a cage, beaten and handcuffed, Nathan must escape before his sixteenth birthday, at which point he will receive three gifts from his father and come into his own as a witch—or else he will die. But how can Nathan find his father when his every action is tracked, when there is no one safe to trust—not even family, not even the girl he loves?

In the tradition of Patrick Ness and Markus Zusak, Half Bad is a gripping tale of alienation and the indomitable will to survive, a story that will grab hold of you and not let go until the very last page.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oh, Half Bad, you were delightfully cruel. I may love you a little. A lot.

I read quite a few "witches" in the genre last year that really just didn't do it for me, even with the ones that were supposed to be to do with witch hunts,  but ended up being about love and love triangles and all that sappy stuff  that made them fall flat.

But this. This.

Stacking the Shelves (#33) & Recap

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

So, how was everybody's week? Mine was busy, and annoying. I cracked my laptop screen, but it's fixed and back, and I had a lovely hospital appointment, which I won't go into otherwise there'd be a lot of swearing. And I swear enough already.

So this weeks digital haul is small, (but I have my first Simon Pulse approval, yay!) But, next weeks physical will be fun. All I'm saying is, Bloomsbury had an Harry Potter 50% off sale.

 

 This is How it Ends and Dangerous
(Thanks to Simon Pulse, Bloomsbury Childrens, Netgalley and Edelweiss)

 

 

 

  What did you get this week? :)

   



 A recap of posts this week

 

• Monday I reviewed  Prince of Shadows by Rachel Caine
• Teaser Tuesday: Always Emily by Michaela MacColl
• Waiting on Wednesday: The Dolls by  Kiki Sullivan
• Friday I reviewed Panic by Lauren Oliver

Review: Panic

 Fight Club Panic
Author: Lauren Oliver

Publication Date: March 4th 2014

~A copy was provided by HarperCollins via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review~

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a dead-end town of 12,000 people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do.

Heather never thought she would compete in Panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors, where the stakes are high and the payoff is even higher. She’d never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought.

Dodge has never been afraid of Panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game, he’s sure of it. But what he doesn't know is that he’s not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for.

For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of first love for each of them—and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The first rule of Fight Club is: you do not talk about Fight Club.  

The second rule of Fight Club is: you DO NOT talk about Fight Club!  

Third rule of Fight- 

Sorry, wrong book. 

But, that's the idea. You know about Panic, you enter Panic, you do not talk about Panic. Kind of alá Cry Wolf. 

Waiting on Wednesday (#33)

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

The Dolls by Kiki Sullivan

Expected publication: September 2nd 2014 by Balzer + Bray

 

 

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

 

Voodoo. That is all.

What're you waiting on?

Teaser Tuesday (29)

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

 

 

 

Title: Always Emily

Author: Michaela MacColl

Release date:  April 8th 2014

Publisher: Chronicle Books         


 

Emily and Charlotte Brontë are about as opposite as two sisters can be. Charlotte is practical and cautious; Emily is headstrong and imaginative. But they do have one thing in common: a love of writing. This shared passion will lead them to be two of the first published female novelists and authors of several enduring works of classic literature. But they’re not there yet. First, they have to figure out if there is a connection between a string of local burglaries, rumors that a neighbor’s death may not have been accidental, and the appearance on the moors of a mysterious and handsome stranger. The girls have a lot of knots to untangle—before someone else gets killed.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Through stone? Are you certain?" Emily persisted. "Have you ever seen a soul go to heaven?"

"No one can see it, Emily," Charlotte said. "The ascension is invisible." . -Page 3

"Emily decided to leave Roe Head..." Miss Wooler began. "By way of a large oak tree." 

Charlotte's mouth formed in an O but she couldn't manage to speak. -Page 20

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

I've actually finished this just now. Not really sure what to think or say about it really. It shall be fun to review. :/

What're you reading? :)

 

Oh wait, you're dead.

Review: Prince of Shadows

Princeo of Shadows
Author: Rachel Caine

Publication Date: February 4th 2014              

~A copy was provided by Allison and Busby in exchange for an honest review~

 

 

 

 



 

------------------------------------------------------------------------

A thrilling retelling of the star-crossed tale of Romeo and Juliet, from the New York Times bestselling author of the Morganville Vampires series.
In the Houses of Montague and Capulet, there is only one goal: power. The boys are born to fight and die for honor and—if they survive—marry for influence and money, not love. The girls are assets, to be spent wisely. Their wishes are of no import. Their fates are written on the day they are born.

Benvolio Montague, cousin to Romeo, knows all this. He expects to die for his cousin, for his house, but a spark of rebellion still lives inside him. At night, he is the Prince of Shadows, the greatest thief in Verona—and he risks all as he steals from House Capulet. In doing so, he sets eyes on convent-bound Rosaline, and a terrible curse begins that will claim the lives of many in Verona…

…And will rewrite all their fates, forever.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alright, I'm going to put it out there. I loved this so freaking much.

But, I also hated it so freaking much. Nothing to do with Rachel Caine, of course, because she's basically a YA God. Romeo and Juliet. It's just that while I used to love Romeo and Juliet when I was younger but the older I got (I'm 21 now, I know, I know. I'm so old guys) the more I despised it. Mainly because everyone focused on the love story. And everyone called it a love story.

It. Is. Not. A. Love. Story. It. Is. A. Tragedy.

All through high school everybody called it a love story. I-No.

No.