Bout of Books 6.0 Goals & Book List

It has been 5 months since the last BoB and I have been patiently awaiting for January 7 to roll around. I've decided to take what I did last time and try and stick with it, instead of attempting more. Because each time I attempt more, I don't quite get there :P So taking it easy! Maybe for Bout of Books 7.0 I can go crazy. I've also decided to read my January books FIRST and then start on my leftover books from 2012. This way I don't get behind on my books I have to read this month and stay behind all year.

The Goals:

• Read 300 pages each day.
• Finish 5 books
• Participate in at least 3 challenges - one down, two to go (Mon); did another (Tues); did my last today (Sun)
• Participate in one Twitter chat - participated in Monday's 1pm CST one :)
• Visit bloggers also participating and leave lots of comment love - every day!
• Beat my last readathon accomplishments: 4 books, 1251 pages

The Books:

• Roseannearchy by Roseanne Barr
• Dry by Augusten Burroughs
• Four to Score by Janet Evanovich
• Crimson Frost by Jennifer Estep (Netgalley)
• Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
• Gone by Michael Grant
• Hunger by Michael Grant
• Poison Princess by Kresley Cole
• *Added* Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia/Margaret Stohl

Total of 8 books and 3288 pages. To get all of these done, I would have to read over 400 pages a day. But I like to overchallenge myself. :) I at least want 5 books read and 300 pages each day. We'll see what happens!

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal.  It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, January 7th and runs through Sunday, January 13th in whatever time zone you are in.  Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week.  There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional.  For all Bout of Books 6.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog.
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Monday {updated 7pm}
Books read: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia/Margaret Stohl, Roseannearchy by Roseanne Barr
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 40 + 134 = 174 (Total: 174)
Other: Visited and commented on goal lists, participated in the Twitter chat today, did the challenge
Thoughts: I didn't get to read as much as I wanted to. I was very distracted by everything. Hopefully Tuesday will be a little better.


Tuesday {updated Weds}
Books read: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia/Margaret Stohl, Roseannearchy by Roseanne Barr
Books finished: 1
Pages read: 12 + 149 = 161 (Total: 335)
Other: Participated in one challenge
Thoughts: I've been going all morning long. I finally am about to sit down and read..but now I have to make lunch. Ick. Reading while cooking LOL


Wednesday {updated Thurs}
Books read: Crimson Frost by Jennifer Estep, Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
Books finished: 2
Pages read: 384 + 29 = 413 (Total: 748)
Other: Visited the rest of my quota for goal pages
Thoughts: Today I have NOTHING to do, so I will be making up for lost time and the little pages I've managed to read in the first few days.
2pm: I'm already up to the amount I've read over the last two days, so I'm really happy that I've gotten a lot read today. Tomorrow is going to be rough with an all day long training going on and then an FRG meeting/bowling party.


Thursday {updated Fri}
Books read: Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
Books finished: 2
Pages read: 29 (Total: 777)
Other: I knew I wouldn't read much yesterday. But seeing 29 as a final page count makes me cringe. Guess I will spend Friday making up for that!


Friday {updated Sat}
Books read: Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
Books finished: 2
Pages read: 158 (Total: 935)
Other: I just sucked yesterday. Need to get with it Saturday and Sunday and destroy some books!

Saturday {updated Sun}
Books read: Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver, Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia/Margaret Stohl
Books finished: 3
Total pages read: 199 + 52 = 261 (Total: 1196)
Other: Finished Pandemonium and now I'm gonna try and finish BC :)

Sunday {updated Mon}
Books read: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia/Margaret Stohl
Books finished: 4
Total pages read: 260 (Total: 1456)
Other: Hoping to finish BC today. I'm nearly to my page goal.
Mon: Finished BC!

Lost in Shangri-La [Review]

Stats:
384 Pages [Hardcover]
Published 26 April 2011
ISBN: 0061988340
Find on Goodreads

Entangled [Review]

*4.5 stars out of 5*

Stats:
#1 in Spellbound series
303 Pages [Kindle]
Published 25 February 2012
ASIN: B007BCORJK
Find on Goodreads

Shadows [Review]

*3.5 out of 5 stars*

Stats:
#2 in Ashes Trilogy
528 Pages [ebook]
Published 25 September 2012
ISBN: 1606843788
Find on Goodreads

Splintered [Review]

Stats:
384 pages [Kindle]
Expected to be Published: 1 Jan 2013
ASIN: B008JHQ56Y
Goodreads


Synopsis:
This stunning debut captures the grotesque madness of a mystical under-land, as well as a girl’s pangs of first love and independence.

Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.

When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on.

There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.


My Thoughts:
Splintered is a perfectly creepy take on Carroll's Alice. In fact, the main character Alyssa Gardner is the great, great, great, great granddaughter of Lewis Carroll's inspiration for Alice, Alice Liddell. Alyssa has grown up being mostly raised by her father and scared of ending up like her mother, who resides at Souls' Asylum. She hears flowers and insects talking to her already, it's only a matter of time before she goes full-blown crazy like her mother. Events unfold until Alyssa finds herself seeking out the rabbit hole to fix all of Alice's mistakes to get rid of the curse on her family that has left her mom in her current state.

I found Howard's take on Alice incredible. She did a beautiful job of world building, as well as, building the backgrounds of many characters. The weaving of the traditional characters into these new, kind of demented, twisted characters was brilliant. I really enjoyed how everything turned out in the end. Alyssa was a very interesting heroine.

Thank you to NetGalley and Abrams Publishing for a chance to read this galley.


Previous Review:
Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick {here}


Linked up at...

December TBR List

Books leftover from September:

• The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer [We Heart YA BOTM]

Books leftover from October:

• Rising by Stephanie Judice [We Heart YA - General BOTM]
• Gone by Michael Grant [We Heart YA - Series Read Along] 

Books leftover from November:

• 13 to Life by Shannon Delany ~ currently reading
• Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin
• Poison Princess by Kresley Cole [We Heart YA - General BOTM]
• Hunger by Michael Grant [We Heart YA - Series Read Along]

Books for December:

• The Awakening by LJ Smith
• Sarah's Key by Tatiana Rosnay
• A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin
• A Feast of Crows by George R.R. Martin
• A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin
• The Host by Stephenie Meyer [We Heart YA - General BOTM]
• Lies by Michael Grant [We Heart YA - Series Read Along]

I'm also joining in for I'm Loving Books' Random Reads again :)

Because of the holidays, I'm choosing just one (again) random book off of my massive list on Goodreads. And that book is...You Are So Undead to Me by Stacey Jay.

Ashes [Review]

Stats:
#1 in Ashes Trilogy
480 Pages [Kindle]
Published 6 September 2011
ASIN: B004J4X9TC
Find on Goodreads


Synopsis:
Alex has run away and is hiking through the wilderness with her dead parents’ ashes, about to say goodbye to the life she no longer wants to live. But then the world suddenly changes. An electromagnetic pulse sweeps through the sky zapping every electronic device and killing the vast majority of adults. For those spared, it’s a question of who can be trusted and who has changed... Everyone still alive has turned - some for the better (those who acquired a superhuman sense) while others for the worse (those who acquired a taste for human flesh).

Desperate to find out what happened and to avoid the zombies that are on the hunt, Alex meets up with Tom - an Army veteran who escaped one war only to find something worse at home - and Ellie, a young girl whose grandfather was killed by the electromagnetic pulse. This improvised family will have to use every ounce of courage they have just to find food, shelter, while fighting off the “Changed” and those desperate to stay alive. A tense and involving adventure with shocks and sudden plot twists that will keep teen and adult readers gripped.


My Thoughts:
I hadn't really heard much hype about Ashes, but I had it on my TBR list for a while and then got approved for the second book in the series on NetGalley - so I decided it was about time I read it.

I really enjoyed the whole book. It kept my attention the whole time - which is getting harder and harder for me for most books nowadays.

The premise is that Alex, an orphan teen with a brain tumor, finds herself in a zombie-like apocalypse situation after a EMP was released while she was in the middle of a hiking/camping trip. She finds two companions along the way to finding out what happened and finding other people who may know what happened: Ellie, an 8 year old girl, who was with her grandfather and had ran into Alex before the EMP occurred, and Tom, a 20-something year old soldier on leave, who saves them from a couple of "The Changed". From what they can tell, the younger people are the ones changing, many people just died when the EMP was released, and they are unsure why some are "Spared" like Alex and Tom.

The Changed, or Chuckies as they are later called, are like zombies, but not in the traditional undead, mindless, hangry way. These zombies are smart. They form packs, communicate with each other, use weapons, etc. They are also inhumanely strong and fast. There is no virus - which is an interesting take. People change based on brain chemistry or hormones - from the characters' best educated guess.

I highly recommend this one for all zombie lovers out there. Throw in a little cult-like storyline, a militia forming, plus all kinds of other crazy events - and you have this amazing book.


Previous Review:
Peach Cobbler Murder by Joanne Fluke [here]


[Counts toward my TBR Pile challenge: here]

Linked up at...

Peach Cobbler Murder [Review]

Stats:
#7 in Hannah Swensen Series
384 pages [Kindle]
Published 1 March 2005
ASIN: B002DYMBI0
Goodreads


Synopsis:
With The Cookie Jar, Hannah Swensen has a mouthwatering monopoly on the bakery business of Lake Eden, Minnesota. But when a rival store opens, tensions begin to bubble...


As she sits in her nearly empty store on Groundhog Day, Hannah can only hope that spring is just around the corner-and that the popularity of the new Magnolia Blossom Bakery is just a passing fad. The southern hospitality of Lake Eden's two Georgia transplants, Shawna Lee and Vanessa Quinn, is grating on Hannah's nerves-and cutting into her profits.

At least Hannah has her business partner Lisa's wedding to look forward to. Unfortunately, Shawna Lee has finagled an invitation to the reception-and is bringing her Southern Peach Cobbler for the dessert table. Things go from bad to worse when Shawna Lee and Hannah's sometime-boyfriend, Detective Mike Kingston, are no-shows to the wedding. When Hannah sees lights on at the Magnolia Blossom Bakery after the reception, she investigates-and finds Shawna Lee shot to death.

Everyone in town knew the Cookie Jar's business was suffering-a fact that puts Hannah at the top of the initial list of suspects. But with a little help from her friends, Hannah's determined to track down whoever had the right ingredients to whip up a murder.



My Thoughts:
I hadn't read a Hannah Swensen book in a few months. I've been slipping into a reading rut for the last few months as well. Not that I haven't read some great books, I've just been struggling to pick up and actually read. I get into bed at night and barely get through a paragraph before I fall asleep, book in hand. So while my husband visited family in Tennessee for a week, I had no adult interaction or company and I read my little heart out. I got through this surprisingly fast and have to admit, I still love love love Lake Eden and the community. I love Hannah still, even though I want to smack her for still trying to justify anything Mike does - PICK NORMAN ALREADY! #TeamNorman This one was definitely an interesting one. I think much more dramatic than the others to date. And Hannah got to be a suspect. I feel bad for her momma though :( But kind of glad too. No spoilers there.

Recipes in this book include: Aunt Kitty’s Jamaican Rum Balls, Chocolate Almond Toast, Chocolate Overload Cookie Bars, Desperation Cookies, Doll Face Cookies, Fake Orange Julius, German Chocolate Cake Cookies, Minnesota Peach Cobbler, Rhubarb Custard Cake, Strawberry Custard Squares, Strawberry Flip Cookies, Trudy's Shrimp Bisque, and Wedding Cake.


Previous Review:
Three to Get Deadly by Janet Evanovich [here]

[Counts toward my TBR Pile challenge: here]

Linked up at...

Three to Get Deadly [Review]

Night School & Chosen [Review]

I have two reviews for y'all today :)

**3 1/2 stars**

Stats:
#1 in Vampire Hunter Trilogy
62 Pages [Kindle]
Published 19 March 2012

November TBR List

So because I gave up on the horrible writing of the Casts, I "caught" up on my TBR list almost completely!

Books leftover from September:

• The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer [We Heart YA BOTM]

Books leftover from October:

• Rising by Stephanie Judice [We Heart YA - General BOTM]
• Gone by Michael Grant [We Heart YA - Series Readalong] 

Books for November:

• 13 to Life by Shannon Delany
• As I Wake by Elizabeth Scott
• Lost in Shangri-La by Michael Zuckoff
• Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin
• Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick
• Shadows by Ilsa J. Bick [NetGalley]
• Splintered by A.G. Howard [NetGalley]
• Entangled by Nikki Jefford [NetGalley]
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 Episode 2 Graphic Novel [NetGalley]
• Poison Princess by Kresley Cole [We Heart YA - General BOTM]

I'm hoping to actually read all of these and then more this month. I was sick a lot in October and couldn't read. November is supposed to be really really busy though. So we will see!

I'm also joining in for I'm Loving Books' Random Reads for the first time :)

I'm going to start out slow and try to read ONE random book off of my massive list on Goodreads. And that book is... Where the Truth Lies from Jessica Warman.

Seven-X [Review]

**3.5 Stars**

Stats:
#1 in Seven-X Trilogy
250 Pages [Paperback]
Published 6 March 2012
ISBN: 0615505813

Betrayed [Review]

**3 1/2 Stars**

Stats:
#2 in House of Night series
314 pages [Kindle]
Published 1 January 2007
ASIN: B000UZNQQ0

Across the Universe [Review]

Stats:
#1 in Across the Universe series
398 Pages [Kindle]
Published 11 January 2011
ASIN: B004NNULKY


Synopsis:
Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone - one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship - tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now, Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.


My Thoughts:
Across the Universe is told in two perspectives: 1) a 17 year old girl, Amy, who starts off being cryogenically frozen. 2) Elder, a 17 year old boy, who has lived his life aboard the ship, Godspeed, and is the only 17 year old aboard. Elder is in training to become the next leader of Godspeed (a ship headed from Earth or Sol-Earth to Centuri-Earth) to take over for the current Eldest. There was an Elder before him that should have taken over, but he is dead and so the Eldest is teaching Elder everything he needs to know to lead the over 2,000 people aboard. He is learning what causes discord in a society. The first is difference, which is why everyone aboard is the same race and no one has religion. The second is lack of leadership, which is why there is an eldest. He doesn't trust Eldest and finds out about a whole other section of the ship from person in the Recorder Hall, Orian, that includes a whole room full of cryogenically frozen people.

After Elder's discovery, Amy is awoken from her frozen state quite violently. She would have died if Elder and Doc (and Eldest, if I remember correctly) hadn't made it in time. After she adjusts (as much as she could) to the new environment, the new society, the thing left to do is find out why she was woken up 50 years early and who did it. Then a few more are unplugged and more and more of the ship and how it is running unfolds.


This was another surprisingly great book. I love how amazingly Revis built the world en route to Centuri-Earth. I cannot wait to read the next in the series and see what happens next. A lot of this is a who-dun-it that you get distracted from by the corrupt "government" and the strange way that people keep acting. It's absolutely awesome!


Previous Review:
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green [here]

[Counts toward my TBR Pile challenge: here]

Linked up at...

The Fault In Our Stars [Review]

Stats:
328 Pages [Kindle]
Published 10 January 2012
ASIN: B005ZOBNOI


Synopsis:
Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 13, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now.

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind


My Thoughts:
John Green is brilliant. He is a brilliant author who puts brilliant words into brilliant sentences into brilliant paragraphs into brilliant chapters to make this brilliant book. TFiOS easily climbs to my top 5 all-time favorite books. Why?

From page 1, I was hooked. I immediately connected with Hazel. The voice in which Green writes is like you are sitting down with someone and having a personal conversation - that person is retelling a time in their life. There is no way on earth you couldn't adore Augustus. The supporting characters were superb. This book/story makes you laugh, makes you cry, makes you think, warms your heart, makes you bawl, and when it's all over, you want to read it again to stay in the moment of reading the book. I got so emotionally connected to these kids. Not because of the cancer and for pity's sake, but because this book was so well written that I felt like I knew them. I felt like I was living the moment with them.

Read. This. Book. Now.

Previous Review:
The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa [here]

Linked up at...

The Lost Prince [Review]

{4.5 out of 5 Stars}

Stats:
#1 in Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten series {Sequel Series}
400 Pages [Kindle]
To Be Published 23 October 2012
ASIN: B008X4BIGU


Synopsis:
Don’t look at Them. Never let Them know you can see Them.

That is Ethan Chase’s unbreakable rule. Until the fey he avoids at all costs—including his reputation—begin to disappear, and Ethan is attacked. Now he must change the rules to protect his family. To save a girl he never thought he’s dare to fall for.

Ethan thought he had protected himself from his older sister’s world—the land of Faery. His previous time in the Iron Realm left him with nothing but fear and disgust for the world Meghan Chase has made her home, a land of myths and talking cats, of magic and seductive enemies. But when destiny comes for Ethan, there is no escape from a danger long, long forgotten.

My name is Ethan Chase. And I may not live to see my eighteenth birthday.


My Thoughts:
Julie Kagawa is my hero.

It was so easy to get sucked back into the Iron Fey world. Ethan - you remember him? He was the one taken by the fey in the very first book. Well, now he is all grown up. Broody and a loner, Ethan has jumped from school to school, getting expelled over and over because of the fey. His Sight has cost him a normal childhood and teenage-dom. Instead of making friends and being social, he keeps to himself and pretends not to see the fey and half fey that live in the human realm - once you see them, they won't leave you alone. On his first day at a new school, Ethan steps in when two football players are bullying a half fey (phoulka) named Todd. When Todd tries to thank him later, he gets Ethan sucked into a whole other kind of trouble. There are a new type of fey running around and they are after Todd.

Ethan, by far, is my new favorite character in Kagawa's world. He's very jaded. He's kind of a like a sweetheart bundled up in a bad boy package. A few oldie but goodie characters show up too, like Leanansidhe, Puck, and Grimalkin. I liked each of them in their own way during the original series. Plus a few new faces, like Mackenzie St. James and Kierran. Kagawa is brilliant at world building while still building on her characters on so many levels. I really enjoyed the male POV. I am so ready for the sequel!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarlequinTEEN for the opportunity to read it! 


Previous Review:
Marked by PC & Kristin Cast [here]

Linked up at...

Marked [Review]

Stats:
#1 in House of Night series
306 Pages [Paperback]
Published 1 May 2007
ISBN: 0312360266


Synopsis:
The House of Night series is set in a world very much like our own, except in 16-year-old Zoey Redbird's world, vampyres have always existed.  In this first book in the series, Zoey enters the House of Night, a school where, after having undergone the Change, she will train to become an adult vampire -- that is, if she makes it through the Change.  Not all of those who are chosen do.  It's tough to begin a new life, away from her parents and friends, and on top of that, Zoey finds she is no average fledgling.  She has been Marked as special by the vampyre Goddess, Nyx.  But she is not the only fledgling at the House of Night with special powers.  When she discovers that the leader of the Dark Daughters, the school's most elite club, is misusing her Goddess-given gifts, Zoey must look deep within herself for the courage to embrace her destiny--with a little help from her new vampyre friends.


My Thoughts:
I have had this sitting on my bookshelf at home for years now. I felt guilty that I hadn't read it. It was lonely up there on my shelf. I read a graphic novel version of The House of Night and I liked the premise of it. I flew through this book. It was an easy YA vampire book that was written in more of the voice of a young teenager. At 24, I'm totally okay with this voice and tone. It doesn't bug me. In fact, most of the things that irritated or made other readers angry didn't bother me at all. I may just have a high tolerance and love to find more characters to love.

In Casts' vampyre world, vampyres are made through "Trackers" marking the forehead of a human. This forces you through the change, but not everyone survives it. Zoey is marked, but with a tough home life and a mildy obnoxious bff and boyfriend - she isn't so upset about it. She goes to the House of Night school with all the other adolescent fledglings (baby vamps). She quickly makes friends with her roomie Stevie Rae and her friends, Damien, Erin, and Shaunee. She also makes herself a new enemy, the queen bee of the school, Aphrodite. From there, it's kind of that good ole cliche of mean girl vs. new girl plus mean girl's ex-boyfriend storyline.


Previous Review:
Poltergeeks by Sean Cummings [here]

[Counts toward my TBR Pile challenge: here] 

Linked up at...

October TBR List

I had 11 leftover books last month, so I am doing a lot better getting those dwindled down :)

Books leftover from August:

• Across the Universe by Beth Revis [We Heart YA Themed BOTM] - currently reading

Books leftover from September:

• Betrayed by PC Cast
• Chosen by PC Cast
• Untamed by PC Cast
• Three to Get Deadly by Janet Evanovich
• The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer [We Heart YA BOTM]

Books for October:

• Smashed by Zailckas
• Hunted by PC Cast
• Tempted by PC Cast
• Burned by PC Cast
• Awakened by PC Cast
• Destined by PC Cast
• Rising by Stephanie Judice [We Heart YA - General BOTM]
• Gone by Michael Grant [We Heart YA - Series Readalong]
• Night School: Vampire Hunter Bk 1: Angel by Michelle Cornwell-Jordan [Received for Review]
• Seven X by Mike Wech [Received for Review]

Poltergeeks [Review]

{Actually 3 1/2 Stars}

Stats:
320 Pages
To Be Published 2 Oct 2012
ISBN: 1908844116
Amazon//Barnes&Noble


Synopsis:
15-year-old Julie Richardson is about to learn that being the daughter of a witch isn't all it's cracked up to be. When she and her best friend, Marcus, witness an elderly lady jettisoned out the front door of her home, it's pretty obvious to Julie there's a supernatural connection.

In fact, there's a whisper of menace behind increasing levels of poltergeist activity all over town. After a large-scale paranormal assault on Julie's high school, her mother falls victim to the spell Endless Night. Now it's a race against time to find out who is responsible or Julie won't just lose her mother's soul, she'll lose her mother's life.


My Thoughts:
Poltergeeks takes us into the world of a Canadian teenage witch named Julie. Julie and her best friend and fellow geek Marcus are fundraising when they run into a poltergeist at old lady Mrs. Gilbert's house. Thinking her amateur witchcraft can handle a simple, non-malicious poltergeist, Julie takes action. However, Julie quickly finds out that this is way over her head.

I'm not going to say I really loved this book, nor would I say I disliked it. It's worthwhile to read. I feel like a lot of the book is cliched though. Inexperienced witch thinks she can take on the big, bad spirit. Only live parent gets horribly injured because of said inexperienced witch. Best friend has feelings for her. I wasn't really a big fan of Julie at times though. She's kind of selfish, arrogant, and at times, just plain annoying.

There are some pretty unique parts to the story though. I'd have to say I really liked Betty, the appointed guardian slash immortal spirit. Marcus was a really likeable character too. The actual poltergeist events were very well written and detailed.

Thank you to Angry Robot and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this :)


Previous Review:
Fifty Shades Freed by EL James [here]

Fifty Shades Freed [Review]

Stats:
#3 in Fifty Shades series
594 Pages
Published 1 Jan 2011
ASIN: B007IXWL2C


Synopsis:
When unworldly student Ana Steele first encountered the driven, damaged young entrepreneur Christian Grey, it sparked a sensual affair that changed both their lives irrevocably. Shocked, intrigued, and ultimately repelled by Christian's singular sexual tastes, Ana demanded a deeper commitment; determined to keep her, Christian agreed. Now, together, they have more-love, passion, intimacy, wealth, and a world of infinite possibilities. But Ana always knew that loving her Fifty Shades would not be easy and being together poses challenges neither of them ever anticipated. Ana must somehow learn to share Christian's opulent lifestyle without sacrificing her own integrity, identity, or independence; Christian must somehow overcome his compulsion to control and lay to rest the horrors that blighted his past and haunt his present. Just when it seems that together their love can conquer any obstacle, tragedy, malice and fate combine to make Ana's worst nightmares come true.


My Thoughts:
The reason this one gets 3 stars from me instead of 2 is because of the Midnight Sun-esque bits at the end. I'm not a fan of this whole back and forth crap that is done throughout the book. How many times does something need to almost happen to Ana that makes Christian realize he almost lost her for their dynamic to change? It's ridiculously unrealistic. I didn't really have a problem with the writing in the first two books, but this one was horrible and I finally agree with everyone who had issues with the writing. Jasmine and apex of thighs are mentioned entirely too much. I'm not a fan of the finger sucking and the backwashed drink kissing in this one. The odd popsicle fingers at the end is seriously weird too. I feel like this one left a lot of questions that remained unanswered. The whole first 3/4 of the book was so redundant and annoying. The last 1/4 was "good", but also still annoying.


Previous Review:
Love, Lust, & Faking It by Jenny McCarthy {here}

[Counts toward my TBR Pile challenge: here] 

Linked up at...

Love, Lust, & Faking It [Review]

Stats:
256 Pages
Published 28 Sept 2012
ASIN: B003TLN1E4


Synopsis:

In Belly Laughs, Jenny McCarthy told you what you could really expect when you're expecting; in Baby Laughs and Life Laughs, she gave you the unfiltered ups and downs of motherhood and marriage. Now in Love, Lust, and Faking It, the inveterate truth-teller turns the lights on for a funny, often wise, and no-holds-barred look at the essence of relationships: love and sex.
McCarthy talks about finding first love and dealing with heartbreak; the importance of playing doctor and other nice and naughty fantasies; becoming a Playboy Miss October; why women are master manipulators; the virtues of sex with the lights off; the power of a "loving no," and so much more.
Love, Lust, and Faking It takes on a subject the sex symbol, mother, television star, comedian, and divorcÉe can be trusted to examine with nothing but unvarnished honesty and outrageous humor.



My Thoughts:
I've always found Jenny really fascinating and wanted to read all of her books. She's a riot on any show I've seen her on. I kind of went in expecting Chelsea Handler. It wasn't really Chelsea. It was okay, not bad, not horrible. There were many moments where I was laughing out loud. I just was unused to reading something so "light" and without real structure like a fiction plotline!


Previous Review:
Shadow & Bone by Leigh Bardugo {here}

[Counts toward my TBR Pile challenge: here] 

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Shadow & Bone [Review]

Stats:
#1 in Grisha series
258 Pages [Kindle]
Published 5 June 2012
ASIN: B007NKMQGQ


Synopsis:
Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha…and the secrets of her heart


My Thoughts:
Shadow and Bone started off a little shaky for me because Bardugo threw out a lot of names, places, and terminology that was way over my head. Once a few chapters went by, more of what was confusing was revealed. It ended up being a pretty good book. I nearly cried a couple times. Alina is a really likeable female lead IMO, although I'm sure she is the "weak lovesick girl" to most. I thought she was pretty badass. I'm really hoping to see more of Genya in the next books because I really really loved her. Overall, this is a must-read, but remember not to get discouraged when you first start out!


Previous Review:
Fallen by Lauren Kate {here}

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Fallen [Review]

3.5 Stars

Stats:
389 Pages [Kindle]
Published 1 Jan 2009
ASIN: B002WE46VG
Amazon//Barnes&Noble


Synopsis:
There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.

Even Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce – he goes out of his way to make that very clear. But she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, Luce has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret...even if it kills her.

Dangerously exciting and darkly romantic, FALLEN is a page-turning thriller and the ultimate love story.


My Thoughts:
The first half of this book was great. It was fluid, captivating, and made sense. The second half was kind of confusing and choppy. It left me wanting way more and not really in the good sense. I will be reading the next in the series and hope that it is a little better than this one. It wasn't a bad read. It was just okay.

Lucinda, "Luce", is a 17 year old girl. All her life, she has seen these shadows and has been to various therapies, psychiatrists, medicated up, etc. In a freaky accident, her boyfriend (maybe?) is killed and she has no recollection of what actually happened. The police think she did it. It lands her in a reform school called Sword & Cross. She feels very out of place, but quickly makes friends with Arianne and Penn. Arianne is very likable right of the bat. She's kooky, quirky, and impish! Penn isn't actually at reform school because of a bad deed, but rather her late father was a groundkeeper at the school. Immediately, Luce finds herself drawing the attention of a good-looking jock-ish "popular" guy, Cam, and obsessing over the mysterious, brooding Daniel.

There are a lot of questions that never really get answered. The ending was packed full of random information, but none really that meaningful to the plot in the first book.


Previous Review:
Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake [here]

[Counts toward my TBR Pile challenge: here] 

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