Quick updates! (Mark of Athena!)

OK, so for all you Percy Jackson fans out there, just wanted to let you know that the cover for Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan will be out this Friday! And the first chapter will be out tomorrow night! Go here for more information: http://www.facebook.com/PercyJackson

Weigh in Wednesday (#3)

Weight in Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Epilogue.

Today's topic is: Poetry vs Prose

First, I've only ever read one book that has been written in poetry format, and that was Heartbeat by Sharon Creech, and I fell in love INSTANTLY. OK, so the truth is, this book belonged to one of my teachers (back when I was younger) and I was reading it in class, and took it home to finish. Of course, that's when I fell in love and couldn't let go. Fair enough? Besides I was just a kid *bows head in shame*. Anyway, aside from that, most of the books I read generally all have prose, but then again, it's not like you see many poetic novels out there. In fact, I wanted to write my own 'poetic' novel! In the end I have to say I love both. I can't choose between either.

What about you? What do you prefer? (By the way, if you know some poetic novels, let me know about them!)

Random Rant Thursday (#2)

Random Rant Thursday's is a weekly meme hosted by Zanib Dawn of the Books. There is only one rule, RANT.

 Today's rant will be about clichés. Some typical clichés usually revolve around romance, but let me tell you, there are a bunch more that can really get on someone's nerves.

The first, and for most: When the main character is described as beautiful, yet constantly calls his/herself ugly and/or unattractive. You guys following me? I read it all the time, and one of the examples is (sorry Stephanie Meyers) Twilight. Bella is supposedly a 'pale' and normal girl who all the guys in the school are after. Yet, she can't seem to understand why? Her 'flowing brown hair' is just so plain? Yes, what a nuisance. It gets really annoying. I mean, why can't the main characters have a physical flaw? Or the lovers of the main character?

Then there is the stereotypical bad guys. I'm talking about the beauty queens out of cliques formed in Chick Lit. They're always out to get the main character because of some pathetic reason. Are people in real life like that? I suppose somewhere, there might be... but honestly, I think that all bad guys need to be good guys misguided. Lets say, Voldemort for example? If you know nothing about him, go pick up the Harry Potter books. He is like the baddest of the bad, yet he has an innocent history... get me? That's what makes a character... characterized.

That's all for today, let me know what YOU are ranting about.

Weigh in Wednesday (#2)

Weight in Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Epilogue.

Today's topic is:

Today's topic: Novellas Vs. Anthologies

For me personally, short stories are not very satisfying. In all my time, I've read a few good ones (The End of the Game by Julio Cortazar) but the majority either lack action, or are good enough to leave me wanting more, but I don't get more. Make sense? I prefer Novellas because they're just greater in length, thus, greater in all other things. Romance, action, adventure, etc.. That's all there is to it. Well, there is the fact that I love holding a novella and thinking about all that might go on through the story, but I can't do that with Anthologies.

What about YOU? Do you prefer Novellas or Anthologies?

                                    Next weeks topic: Poetry Vs. Prose
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Teaser Tuesday (#3)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser for this Tuesday

Title: NoMansLand

Author: Lesley Hauge

Pages: 243

Published: 2010 by Square Fish

'The trackers bring Laing within days'

"They caught her easily. She has been put in the darkness."


(Psst, so far this book is Eh)

Cover reveal!

Hey guys, I'm back! Today I'm here with a cover release for Stromdancer by Jay Kristoff. Ok, let's have a look at the Uk book cover:

This cover in itself is so glorious! I mean, look at the girl, and the way she holds the sword (I'm a sucker for Japanese arts). The title has this unique elegance to it, and the flowers on the side speak: JAPAN!



Now, I was really in love with this cover, and this book is definitely in my to reads list, but guess what? Let's have a look at the US cover edition (get ready folks).

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READY?

OK, here goes:

Talk about BLOW. AWAY.

  This cover literally made my mouth hand open! Everything looks so dark and graceful! I mean, look at the way she holds the sword (better then the last cover). And the dark hair flying in the breeze really brings out this bad ass look to it. Can't wait to get my hands on this edition!

Stormdancer will be released September 18 in the US through Thomas Dunne books/St Martin’s Press.

Click here to find out more information about STORMDANCER

Stormdancer on Goodreads
Jay’s blog
Jay’s Twitter

Book Haul (#1)

  Book Haul is a feature that showcases all the awesome books I got this week!

To be reviewed

These are both books from the library. The one on the left, Verity Fibbs by Cathy Brett is about a girl who is super addicted to games and apparently, is a liar. I got it because the cover looked really different and had this 'sit-down-by-the-fire-on-a-stormy-day look to it. The one on the right, The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey is about an orphaned apprentice of a doctor who studies monsters. This one I chose because I haven't read too many books that revolve around monsters.

These two, also from the library, are new YA releases. The one on the left, No Mans Land by Lesley Hauge is about a futuristic time where women rule, and there are no men. Not inside women territories, anyway. The other one, Payback Time by Carl Deuker is about a school reported who thinks he might have found the biggest story yet, about a football player named Angel. I'll try to review them soon!

Well, that's all for today!

Waiting on Wednesday (#2)

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine , that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Hardcover, 448 pages

Expected publication: October 30th 2012 by Margaret K. McElderry

more details...

Series: Rebel Heart (Dust Lands, #2)

series: Dust Lands #2

The Tonton have been defeated. Lugh has been rescued.
The heartstone has brought Saba and Jack together.
Now, Saba and her family head west to meet him and start a new life. All should be well.
But shadows of the dead are stalking Saba.
And another kind of shadow is creeping over the dustlands.
Then a messenger shows up.
With news of Jack.

OK, this book, I am dying to read. It is the second book in an amazing series called Dust Lands. And... love the cover, even though it is a bit different then the original.

Weigh in Wednesday (#1)

Weight in Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Epilogue.

Today's topic is:

Love Triangles Vs. Insta-love

OK, so in my opinion, both are pretty sucky. I mean, I hate it when in a book, there are two guys, and the one you were rooting for does not end up as the IT man. That is one of the biggest downers for me. I mean, a little competition doesn't hurt, but when things start to get to triangular, then I hate it. Poor Gale.... Also, with Instant love, it just feels to abrupt, cliché, and wrong. I prefer it when the two get to know each other a little. They don't need to get too friendly straightaway. So in the end, though I hate both, I would pick love triangles over Instant love. Why? Because At least love triangles can be a little fun.

Next weeks topic: Novellas Vs. Anthologies

Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John

Blurb

The Challenge: Piper has one month to get the rock band Dumb a paying gig.

The Deal: If she does it, Piper will become the band's manager and get her share of the profits.

The Catch: How can Piper possibly manage one egomaniacal pretty boy, one talentless piece of eye candy, one crush, one silent rocker, and one angry girl? And how can she do it when she's deaf?

Piper can't hear Dumb's music, but with growing self-confidence, a budding romance, and a new understanding of the decision her family made to buy a cochlear implant for her deaf baby sister, she discovers her own inner rock star and what it truly means to be a flavor of Dumb.

Review

The first reason I picked up this books was because it had an epic cover. No, I don't just mean it looked epic, but it even felt epic. I'm a sucker for good covers, so I threw it in my bag, and took it home. Again, I'm also a sucker for first lines. And the first line in this book got me hooked. I can't remember what the first line was, but it was told through Piper's point of view, the main character, and it really brought out a witty, confident and original voice. In my opinion, that's one of the important ways an author can attract a reader.

Piper is a deaf girl, and when she has the opportunity to manage a band and get some money so she can go to the school of her choice, she's in. Of course, what she didn't know was that she was getting herself into a band that was so out of sync. Which, for the record, is when she decided to call them the five flavors of Dumb. Because each one of the members were so different. Like flavours.

Reading a book through a deaf persons perspective was really refreshing for me. Something that took me out of all the regular books I read all the time into something new. The characters were all very likable, or unlikeable, but that's a good thing. Antony John got reactions out of me over what the characters did, and that's OK because it means that I actually cared.

Of course, in the end, I gave it a three star because the ending just didn't seem satisfying. It all wrapped up like a happily ever after, no hint of any despair, or future fame, or what not. Just, a yay! Now don't get me wrong, I loved the book, and the author did an amazing job, but still, there was something missing. The whole story lacked a sort of emotion. I think at points it was supposed to be sad, like the time the gang went to visit all the famous dead musicians. I didn't feel it. Or when Piper was using a broomstick to keep the band together by tapping it on the floor for a tempo. That, I think was supposed to be inspirational. I didn't feel it. So I think the problem here was the choice of events, or just the way the words were combined didn't really help bring out the best in the story.

Also, I guess the other thing that disappointed me was who ended up with who. That has nothing to do with the authors writing or what not, just solely based on my opinion. I was hoping the deaf girl somehow got to the 'egomaniacal pretty boy'. Also the lead singer, Josh. They just seemed to have this little spark going every once in a while, so it was kind of misleading me. Oh, well.

Overall, the book was properly put together to create a humorous, witty, and a finding-yourself novel.   

Unwind (Unwind, #1) by Neal Shusterman

Blurb

Connor, Risa, and Lev are running for their lives.

The Second Civil War was fought over reproductive rights. The chilling resolution: Life is inviolable from the moment of conception until age thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, parents can have their child "unwound," whereby all of the child's organs are transplanted into different donors, so life doesn't technically end. Connor is too difficult for his parents to control. Risa, a ward of the state is not enough to be kept alive. And Lev is a tithe, a child conceived and raised to be unwound. Together, they may have a chance to escape and to survive.

                                                     Review

If you haven't already read this book, then I suggest you go do that now. Trust me, you'll be grateful for this.  Neal Shusterman, also the author of the Everlost trilogy, has created such an original, and promising book with amazing characters that people can connect with. The plot is so magnificent, I don't even know where to begin. I remember that I went up to practically everyone saying 'Unwind, want to know what that is?'
After having read this book, I don't think I will ever look at surgeons, and nursery rhymes the same way. The author has taken everyday children's rhymes and shone a darker light on them. Get this :


Humpty dumpty sat on a wall.
Humpty dumpty had a great fall.
All the kings horses and all the kings men,
couldn't put Humpty together again.


Now relate this to the little blurb up above. If you haven't figured it out, let me tell you. The author here is saying that Humpty broke (unwound, so his body parts are transplanted to other people) and no one could put him back (and no matter what, they couldn't fix him ever again.) Read the story and you'll find out what this all means *shivers*.


Connor, who in my eyes was like the main character even though there were three point of views, is a trouble maker. Not the kind who deals with drugs and all that, but a trouble maker who is misunderstood. He likes to sit around near the highways, just because he loves the feel of it, not because he's some bad boy. So I really felt for him when his girlfriend decided not to runaway with him when he found out he would be unwound. Of course, he found someone better- cough, cough. He has a really kind heart, sort of gets into fights when he's tempered, but that gave him a unique personality. Even to the other characters in the story, he was someone people really looked up to, and was given many honourable titles. If there's a character you really fall in love with, there's nothing better then to see them being praised in the story.


Then there's Risa. I could really connect with her in ways that, honestly, I don't even know myself. The author just had this influencing writing style, that you find yourself in love with everyone. Risa wasn't talented enough in the over crowded State Homes, and Lev, a tithe, was born for unwinding.

I felt sort of sad for him. He was so convinced that it was his duty to be unwound, but in the end, he was actually a really big hero, and I admire him for it.

The author came up with many interesting thoughts and ideas in the story, for example, in the book, there were people called clappers. Clappers were people who had some sort of explosives in their bloodstreams, and when they clapped, everything around them would explode. They were sort of like terrorists. Anyway, the clappers are somehow connected to the whole story, and you'll have to read to find out.

Overall, this book was AMAZING! No, even more then just amazing, I can't find words. Words don't exist for this book. It's the kind of book that stays with you for a long time, and really makes you geek out over everything in it. A true sci-fi, and adventure with romance that was paced just perfectly. Five stars for sure, in fact, a million stars!  

Blood Red Road by Moira Young

Goodreads Blurb

Saba has spent her whole life in Silverlake, a dried-up wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms. The Wrecker civilization has long been destroyed, leaving only landfills for Saba and her family to scavenge from. That's fine by her, as long as her beloved twin brother Lugh is around. But when a monster sandstorm arrives, along with four cloaked horsemen, Saba's world is shattered. Lugh is captured, and Saba embarks on an epic quest to get him back. Suddenly thrown into the lawless, ugly reality of the world outside of desolate Silverlake, Saba is lost without Lugh to guide her. So perhaps the most surprising thing of all is what Saba learns about herself: she's a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent. And she has the power to take down a corrupt society from the inside. Teamed up with a handsome daredevil named Jack and a gang of girl revolutionaries called the Free Hawks, Saba stages a showdown that will change the course of her own civilization.

Review

Blood Red Road. The first thing that popped into my mind was: oooh, vampire novel! So I took it home thinking about how this might be the next Twilight. It wasn't. In fact, it was better. Moira Young has created a very original piece of work intertwined with memorable characters (good and bad), and a plot with twists and turns that keep the book alive. Her writing style was a little different then the kind of stuff you see everyday. It was written in a way that really brought out the main characters personality. Words like 'Can't' were written like 'C'aint'. Also, the lack of quotation marks was a bit weird at first, but you get used to it. It's a good way for the author to personalise her writing style.

The story takes place in a dessert like area, where Saba, her brother Lugh, Emmi, her sister, and her father live in a little dried up place called Silverlake. They are the only ones there, and don't know much about the outside place (which, apparently, is still in the dessert). Ever since the death of their mother, Saba's father kept them there, and always talked about how the stars held their destinies and whatnot. When Lugh is taken away by mysterious people, Saba has no choice but to embark on a journey to save her brother, and she is tagged along by Emmie, her little sister.

Emmi and Saba didn't really get along. In fact, their mother died giving birth to Emmi, and that is the reason Saba has never looked at her as a sister, but things change as they get deeper into the journey, having to put their trust in each other if they want to survive. There's a lesson to be learned there. That if you give someone a chance, you can actually come to terms.

The same goes for when Saba meets Jack (who serves as a love interest later on), they aren't exactly friendly with each other, but things change once Saba gives him a chance.

Everything about this story was so different! The setting, characters, speech. It teaches us about finding ourselves, and I loved learning more about Saba and this inner instinct that she called the Red Hot, which was her way of saying powerful anger. I loved everything, and am so trilled to hear that there will be a second book coming out in October. Definitely a good 5 stars. Go pick it up, and let me know what you think  

IMM (#1)

In my mailbox is a meme hosted by Kristi at the Story Siren

This meme allows bloggers to hop from one blog to another and see what others are reading. It is also a way to showcase the books in a "spotlight of fame" since it might be a while before the review is ready!

Here are the books I bought over the last few weeks.

These three are classic romances by very famous authors that I've been wanting to read for a LONG time. I got all three for only ten bucks! Anyway, I'll be sure to review them once I'm finished.

Divergent by Veronica Roth has been everywhere these days, and I heard it was similar to the Hunger Games, so I decided it couldn't hurt to try it. The cover is awesome by the way.

The False Prince, I got because, well, I'm a sucker for the cover. It looks so smooth and shiny! In the back it says 'Growing up in an orphanage has brought out the bad boy in Sage.' *swoons* That just sounds so epic! It even has its own map on the inside. The setting sounds very old fashioned and come one, how catchy is the title 'The False Prince.' It's got 'awesome' written all over it. I'll make sure to get a review for both of these books as soon as possible!

OK, these two are the last ones. Mockingbird had an interesting blurb, something similar to some epic books I've read. It's about a girl named Caitlin who has Asperger’s, and there are things she doesn't understand. But that's what her brother's always there for. But when Devon is dead (???), her dad is no help. So how does an eleven year old girl fair? The other book, the Lost Code, is an ARC I won through a giveaway by HarperColins, and I'll be sure to post a review for both of these books. Well, thats' all for now, be sure to check in next time and let me know what's in your mailbox.