Teaser Tuesday #10

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 week is from Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers. This isn't what I'm currently reading but whats next on my to read pile.



Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.

Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?

Teaser: "To the boat." A boat means water, and crossing water means I will be far from the reach of my father and Guillo and the Church. "And where is this boat taking me?" I ask, but the priest says nothing.
That's it. This was from page 7 of my ARC.

Jasmine :)

Reading Games Week 5

Button Credit to Amelia from The Authoress

Week 5 of the Reading Games is over. If you don't know what that means go here. In short Me and Aneeqah from My Not So Real Life are doing a competition over the summer to see who can read the most books. The loser buys the winner a book.

Now onto the books I read this week:
Endlessly by Kiersten White
I was reading Rift by Andrea Cremer but I couldn't get into it. I was still on a camp high for like half the week. Then Endlessly came out and I had to read it immediately.

I'm currently reading Freak by E. K. Henry and after that I'll take another crack at Rift.

Yes, Aneeqah is beating me at the moment but it's just for the moment :).

May the odds be ever in your favor.
-Marissa

Series Love: The Hex Hall Trilogy

Series Love is a meme we came up with. There are so many amazing book series out there. We love to share the love and help spread the word. If you want to play along all you have to do is pick a series. It doesn’t matter if it only has one book or a million. Include authors name and the covers of the books.

My pick this week is The Hex Hall Trilogy by Rachel Hawkins

Why I picked this series:
This series is one of my favorites. I cried when it was over. It's so funny and I love the paranormal aspect. The plot stays strong from beginning to end and doesn't stray off course. Basically the first one is about a witch named Sophie who is sent to Hex Hall, a boarding school for paranormal creatures. There's other witches, werewolves, faeries, a pretty awesome vampire and a super-hot, snarky warlock. More on him later. Anyways Sophie learns that there were some mysterious deaths at Hex Hall and from there the mystery builds and its roller coaster ride. The rest of the series is about Sophie figuring out who and what she is and what's expected of her. There's also some forbidden romance thrown in there and that's always good. The characters you didn't like very much in the beginning you love by the end and it's always hard to figure out who to trust and who has ulterior motives. Sophie is seriously one of my all-time favorite heroines. She is so sarcastic and isn't afraid to speak her mind but is very loyal. Archer hmmm sorry got a little distracted there. Needless to say I absolutely love him. He is one of my top book boyfriends. His personality is so funny and it fits with Sophie's perfectly. They make each other crazy and it's adorable. Jenna is one of the best literary best friends ever. She's always there for Sophie and calls her out when she's being stupid. Plus we both share a love of pink so. Wow this is getting long. To end this I'll just say that Rachel Hawkins' writing is amazing and hilarious. She's pretty cool in person too :). If you haven't read this series you're seriously missing out. Lucky for you all the books are out so you won't have to anxiously wait like I did.

-Marissa

Author Love: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Author Love is a meme we came up with. There are so many authors and books out there that we love so much and want the world to know about them. If you want to play along all you have to do is pick one of your favorite authors. Write what you like about them and/or their books. You can also include an author bio and synopsis of their book if you want.

My pick this week is: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Bio from website: Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you've heard about her state aren't true. When she's not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russel Loki. Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories....which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She also writes adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is the author of the COVENANT Series (Spencer Hill Press), the LUX Series (Entangled Publishing), and the upcoming YA contemporary mystery/thrillers DON'T LOOK BACK (Disney/Hyperion Fall 2013) and yet untitled book (Disney/Hyperion tentative Fall 2014).

Jennifer L. Armentrout is like a super author. She published seven books and two novellas this year. That totals at nine. Nine. Not only that she's constantly posting extra/deleted scenes for all her books. Plus every single book (at least the ones that I've read) she writes is amazing. I don't know how she does it. I read Half-blood last year and I read both Pure and Obsidian this month. Half-blood and Pure make my heart a little (books that do that are my favorite though) and Obsidian is one of the most original books I've read lately. All her books that haven't come out yet are some of my most anticipated. There's only nineteen more days until Onyx and four months until Deity. Cursed looks awesome too and comes out in September. I hope that I get to meet Jennifer L. Armentrout one day and get my books signed. Maybe she'll bring Pepe and Sztella too ;)

-Marissa

Review: The Fairytale Keeper: Avenging the Queen by Andrea Cefalo

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publisher: Scarlet Primrose Press
First in a possible series

Snow White was a pet name her mother had given her, but her mother’s dead now. Adelaide hates that name anyway. A rampant fever claimed Adelaide’s mother just like a thousand others in Cologne where the people die without Last Rites and the dead are dumped in a large pit outside of the city walls. Adelaide’s father is determined to obtain a funeral for his wife, but that requires bribing the parish priest, Father Soren. When Soren commits an unforgivable atrocity, he pushes Adelaide to her breaking point, but if she seeks justice against the cruel priest, she risks sacrificing everything: her father, her friends, her first love, and maybe even her life.

This book was nothing like I expected it to be. It was different but it was better. I thought it was going to be a retelling of Snow White but it was more about a girl trying to get the justice that her late mom deserves. Well known fairy tales were mixed into the side characters lives and weaved through the story. It was a lot of fun seeing all the fairy tales I know and love all together in one story. I hope it gets expanded on later. I absolutely loved the setting. I love historicals and the setting was so vivid that I felt like I was really there.

I really liked Adelaide. Her and her mom had a really close relationship so she was devastated when she got a fever and died. At first she was in denial. To add insult to injury the priest her father has to pay for the funeral literally spits on her moms grave. After that Adelaide is determined to get revenge. Throughout the novel to me Adelaide was to unforgiving to some people but at the same time she was too unforgiving to others. I didn't think Father Soren needed forgiveness but her own father didn't either. A lot of stuff happened and a lot of people did things and everything was very back and forth. When Adelaide needed her mom most she was gone and she didn't know who to turn too.  I didn't like her father at all. He did a lot of bad stuff and made excuses for it. Galadriel was annoying too but I felt bad for her. Ivo on the other hand didn't annoy me at all ;).

Speaking of Ivo him and Adelaide were super cute. They were the adorable 'best friends since they were little but there was always something more' type. Of course that type always takes a while to get cute. There was a lot of build up but it was cute and tension filled so it was worth it. I'm going to smile even more every time I see fireflies now :). I can't wait to see where their relationship goes.

I really loved this book. The last 50 pages or so were crazy and action packed and the ending left so many questions unanswered. I hope there's another one and that I can read it soon because I'm already ready to see where the characters stories go and return to this world. If like me you love fairy tales or historicals or a book with an awesome, strong willed main character I would highly recommend this book.

P.S. This is out 200th post :)
-Marissa

A Want So Wicked by Suzanne Young Review

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publisher: Balzer and Bray
Source: Conference
Second and Final book in A Need So Beautiful series
Elise is a normal seventeen-year-old girl until the day she wakes up in a desert park, with no idea who she is.
After that episode, her life takes a bizarre turn. She’s experiencing unexpected flashes of insight into people’s lives—people she’s never met before. Strangers frighten her with warnings about the approaching Shadows. And although Elise has never had a boyfriend, she suddenly finds herself torn between two handsome but very different young men: Abe, the charming bad boy whose effect on her both seduces and frightens her, and the mysterious Harlin, who’s new to town but with whom Elise feels an urgent, elemental connection—almost as if they are soul mates.
Now Elise begins to question everything about her life. Why do these guys both want her so desperately? What are the Shadows? Why does the name Charlotte inspire a terrifying familiarity? And who is Elise, really?

Review
I don't know how it could get any better. It's shocking how amazing this series is. The plot and the characters are so well done. This was very different from the first. Its impossible for me to chose which one I like best. I could reread them both a million times and never grow tired of them.

I was a little worried when I saw that it was a whole new girl. I didn't think I would like her. Of course I ended up loving her. Elise was a great main character. I might even like her better than Charlotte. The author did an amazing job making Charlotte and Elise into one. They were a perfect mix. They were both different yet somewhat the same. Harlin is one of those characters you wish were real. He just keeps getting better and better. I feel so bad for him. I don't know how he does it. I know there isn't going to be a sequel. I'm going to miss these characters so much. I will be rereading this series very very soon.

I feel like this has a different storyline than the first. New girl new story. That was one thing I liked a lot. I also liked how Elise was a different type of forgotten. The plot wasn't really that fast paced till the end. But this was impossible to put down. Just like the first one, I read this in one sitting. Then I was sad when it was over. There's just something about this series that makes it absolutely amazing. The writing is just that good. I know this is an incredibly fan girly review but those are always the most fun. Overall I loved this so much in case that wasn't obvious. I'm incredibly depressed that this series is over but its had a good run. I plan on forcing everyone I know to read this. So I highly recommend you check it out :). 5/5 stars

Jasmine <3

Waiting on Wednesday: Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor

****"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event hosted by Jill at the Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.****

This weeks pick is:

Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor
Expected realease date: November 6th 2012
from Little, Brown & Company

 In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed "Daughter of Smoke and Bone," Karou must come to terms with who and what she is, and how far she'll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, mysteries and secrets, new characters and old favorites, Days of Blood and Starlight brings the richness, color and intensity of the first book to a brand new canvas.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone was declared a "must read" by Entertainment Weekly, was named a Best Book of the Year by Amazon.com, and The New York Times called it "a breath-catching romantic fantasy."

 After hearing over and over again how amazing Daughter of Smoke and Bone was I finally read it earlier this year. I wasn't expecting to but I absolutely loved it. I have no idea what is going to happen next in Karou's story but I know that it's going to be told in Laini Taylor's gorgeous writing and I can't wait. I miss me some Akiva.

-Marissa

A Need So Beautiful by Suzanne Young Review

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publisher: Balzer and Bray
Source: Bought
First book in A Need So Beautiful series
We all want to be remembered. Charlotte's destiny is to be Forgotten...
Charlotte’s best friend thinks Charlotte might be psychic. Her boyfriend thinks she’s cheating on him. But Charlotte knows what’s really wrong: She is one of the Forgotten, a kind of angel on earth, who feels the Need—a powerful, uncontrollable draw to help someone, usually a stranger.
But Charlotte never wanted this responsibility. What she wants is to help her best friend, whose life is spiraling out of control. She wants to lie in her boyfriend's arms forever. But as the Need grows stronger, it begins to take a dangerous toll on Charlotte. And who she was, is, and will become--her mark on this earth, her very existence--is in jeopardy of disappearing completely.
Charlotte will be forced to choose: Should she embrace her fate as a Forgotten, a fate that promises to rip her from the lives of those she loves forever? Or is she willing to fight against her destiny--no matter how dark the consequences.


Review
I absolutely adored this book with all my heart. I can't believe I waited so long to read it. I loved it from page one. When I finished it all I could think about was how I wanted it to be longer. The story was just that amazing.

I loved Charlotte. I liked her personality. She is more unique than most heroines. I loved how she was willing to fight the need for the people she loved. Her life wasn't easy but she didn't complain. I can't imagine being in that place and having to make such a hard choice. She tried not to let it affect her. That's one of the things I liked most about her. Harlin was amazing. I adore him. I loved hoe much he cared for Charlotte. Even though it was Charlotte's choice it did affect Harlin too. Harlin and Charlotte had such an amazing relationship. They were adorable. They knew that they were it for each other and that they didn't need anyone else. I loved the uniqueness of their relationship. Most books don't have couples like that.

This has an addicting storyline. The suspense was killer. It was impossible to put down. It has such a unique concept. I really wonder how this author came up with this. Its so creative. I hope one day I get the chance to meet her because that would be an epic fan girl moment. Overall this was like made for me, I loved it so much. I've already started the sequel. If you haven't checked this out, I highly recommend. 5/5 stars

Jasmine <3

Teaser Tuesday #9

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 this week is from Rift by Andrea Cremer. Here's the info:

Chronicling the rise of the Keepers, this is the stunning prequel to Andrea Cremer's internationally bestselling Nightshade trilogy!

Sixteen-year-old Ember Morrow is promised to a group called Conatus after one of their healers saves her mother's life. Once she arrives, Ember finds joy in wielding swords, learning magic, and fighting the encroaching darkness loose in the world. She also finds herself falling in love with her mentor, the dashing, brooding, and powerful Barrow Hess. When the knights realize Eira, one of their leaders, is dabbling in dark magic, Ember and Barrow must choose whether to follow Eira into the nether realm or to pledge their lives to destroying her and her kind.

With action, adventure, magic, and tantalizing sensuality, this book is as fast-paced and breathtaking as the Nightshade novels.
                                                              


                                                                 Here's my teaser:

"Like her companions, Ember hesitated in the small room. She turned with a start when the door to the great hall was closed forcefully behind them. And locked." -Page 56 of my ARC

This is starting a little slow but I'm enjoying returning to the world Andrea Cremer created. OR at least the beginning of it.

                                                                       -Marissa

Review: Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publisher: Entangled Teen
First in the Lux series

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

So I'm guessing you've probably heard of Jennifer Armentrout. She went from a small author to a best seller in what seemed like overnight and she pops out amazing books like the Duggers pop out kids. Before Obsidian I'd only read her other book Half-blood and I absolutely loved it. I've been waiting to read Obsidian for what feels like ages. I'd heard nothing but good things from everyone I knew and Daemon was practically famous. Plus I had never read a book about aliens before so I was really excited. Needless to say it was everything I expected to be and it completely exceeded my expectations.

Katy didn't want to leave Florida and all her memories of her dad who's death still hurts after three years. She especially didn't want to leave Florida for a tiny town in West Virginia. Then she spots Daemon next door and thinks that maybe it might not that bad. It turns out that seeing his abs before he opens his mouth doesn't turn out to well. Because despite how good that mouth looks what comes out of it totally ruins the appeal. Luckily Katy doesn't just keep her mouth shut and let it happen but more on that later. There's something different about him and his twin sister Dee who happens to be almost exactly his opposite. They have too many secrets and Daemon seems determined that Katy and Dee aren't friends for no reason that Katy can think of. When she finds out that the twins were actually triplets once and that there's another set that moved into town at almost the exact same time she knows something is up. All the mystery builds up and once the truth is revealed the plot never slows down.

I absolutely adored Katy. Since she was a book blogger she was very easy to relate to and I loved how loyal she was and how she reacted to how Daemon treated her. It was refreshing that she didn't let him push her around and didn't look the other way when he insulted her. She actually did the exact opposite. She was mean right back, gave him the finger a number of times and even dumped food on him once. I loved it. Now onto Daemon. How do I explain him? He was mean and he kept pushing Katy away and yes more often than not he was a dickhead (to put it in Katy's words) but under it all you could tell there was more to him. And I understood why he acted the way he did. He didn't want what happened to his brother to happen to his sister too and he was afraid it would happen to him. So he tried to keep Katy at a distance until the mark went away and keep her away from Dee. And I loved him for it. No I didn't particularly like his mean side but there was times when another side of him came out and I totally understood why everyone is so obsessed with him. Dee was awesome. She tried to keep Daemon in check but her relationship with him was really sweet at the same time. She just wanted to be Katy's friend despite everything and was always on her side. She was the best friend Katy could have asked for. I think me and Dee would get along as long as she didn't touch my ice cream and I didn't touch hers. I would love to hang out with Katy and Dee. We would have the best sleepovers.

Katy and Daemon's relationship was incredibly entertaining. At the beginning they hated each other and then it was dislike and then tolerance and by the end even though they still fought and made the other insane you could tell that they really liked each other even though they didn't want to admit it. They were so back and forth all the time and there was this tension between them and it kept building and building until they finally did something about it. Believe me when they did it was worth the wait. But even though they go past the point of just being friends they still don't get together. Even though it made me crazy Katy did the right thing and hopefully Daemon will change his ways a little. Katy deserves to have someone fight for her and Daemon despite how much I love him deserves to not get everything he wants all the time. Daemon has got his work cut out for him. Katy is stubborn. I can't wait to see what happens with them in the next one. And those little extras from Daemon's perspective were so adorable. If Katy wasn't so awesome I wouldn't have minded if the whole book was told from his perspective.

This book was like nothing I've ever read but it reminded me of all my favorites at the same time. I loved learning about aliens and it was cool to see Jennifer Armentrout's interpretation of them. The plot was fast paced and I never wanted to put it down. I was constantly on the edge of my seat. Around the last fifty pages I couldn't turn the pages fast enough and then once I turned the last one I wished there was more. I need the next one like burning. Luckily there's only less than a month left. That's still to much time.
5/5 stars

-Marissa

75 Follower Thank You Giveaway!

We recently hit 75 total blog followers. Were incredibly happy about our progress.  Along with just hitting 75 followers we have hit over 7000 total pageviews. So we just wanted to say thank you to our old and new followers. We decided to hold two giveaways one for international and one for people who live in the US. Below you will find both of those giveaways. Thanks so much for sticking with us guys it means a lot to us.


US Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway




International Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway


Marissa and Jasmine <3

Series Love #5: Divergent series

Series Love is a meme we came up with. There are so many amazing book series out there. We love to share the love and help spread the word. If you want to play along all you have to do is pick a series. It doesn’t matter if it only has one book or a million. Include authors name and the covers of the books.

My pick this week is Divergent series by Veronica Roth.

I absolutely adore this series. Its really high up on my favorites. I didn't think it could get much better than Divergent. I was wrong,  Insurgent was so very amazing. Divergent is still my favorite out of the two but its a close call. These books are unlike any other and I think thats one of the reasons they are so amazing. I am very impaintely waiting for the third book to come out. As of now there isn't a title or a date but hopefully those will be released soon.If you haven't read these you should. You won't regret it. Also below you will find a picture of me and Marissa with the author. We were lucky enough to meet her at TLA. We were both incredibly excited to meet her and get a book signed. We also recieved ARCS of Insurgent a few weeks before it came out. I can honestly say that we were jumping up and down when they handed us our copies.


Marissa, Veronica Roth, and myself.

Jasmine :)

Author Love #5: John Green

Author Love is a meme we came up with. There are so many authors and books out there that we love so much and want the world to know about them. If you want to play along all you have to do is pick one of your favorite authors. Write what you like about them and/or their books. You can also include an author bio and synopsis of their book if you want.

My pick for this week is John Green.

Author bio from authors website-

John Green is the New York Times bestselling author of Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, Paper Towns, and The Fault in Our Stars. He is also the coauthor, with David Levithan, of Will Grayson, Will Grayson. He was 2006 recipient of the Michael L. Printz Award, a 2009 Edgar Award winner, and has twice been a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Green’s books have been published in more than a dozen languages.
In 2007, Green and his brother Hank ceased textual communication and began to talk primarily through videoblogs posted to YouTube. The videos spawned a community of people called nerdfighters who fight for intellectualism and to decrease the overall worldwide level of suck. (Decreasing suck takes many forms: Nerdfighters have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to fight poverty in the developing world; they also planted thousands of trees around the world in May of 2010 to celebrate Hank’s 30th birthday.) Although they have long since resumed textual communication, John and Hank continue to upload two videos a week to their YouTube channel, vlogbrothers. Their videos have been viewed more than 200 million times, and their channel is one of the most popular in the history of online video. He is also an active Twitter user with more than 1.2 million followers.
Green’s book reviews have appeared in The New York Times Book Review and Booklist, a wonderful book review journal where he worked as a publishing assistant and production editor while writing Looking for Alaska. Green grew up in Orlando, Florida before attending Indian Springs School and then Kenyon College.




I'm kinda obsessed with John Green. I can't believe I've actually meet him in person. He is so nice and took the time to talk to me while signing my books. His books are my unhealthy obsession. I love them so much. I plan on reading every single one of them. Then I can happily wait for him to write more. My favorite by far is The Fault in Our Stars. I could reread that book a million times and love it even more each time. If you haven't checked out his books then you should because they are amazing. You can find John Green's goodreads page below.

 Goodreads Page

Jasmine <3

Waiting on Wednesday: Scorch by Gina Damico

****"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event hosted by Jill at the Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.****

This weeks pick is:

Scorch by Gina Damico

Expected publication: September 25th 2012 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Sixteen-year-old Lex Bartleby is a teenage grim reaper with the bizarre ability to damn souls. That makes her pretty scary, even to fellow Grims. But after inadvertently transferring her ability to Zara, a murderous outlaw, Lex is a pariah in Croak, the little town she calls home. To escape the townspeople’s wrath, she and her friends embark on a wild road trip to DeMyse. Though this sparkling desert oasis is full of luxuries and amusements, it feels like a prison to Lex. Her best chance at escape would be to stop Zara once and for all—but how can she do that from DeMyse, where the Grims seem mysteriously oblivious to Zara’s killing spree?

I am dying for this book. I just recently read Croak and loved it with all my heart. You can see all that in my very fan girly review. I have it better than most because I read Croak way after it came out. So I don't really have that long to wait. Somehow I'm still going insane while waiting for this. I'm just crazy like that. Anyway if you haven't read Croak you should do that. There will be threats of me hunting you down if you don't read it. So make things easier for me and you and just read it. Then we can share excitement when Scorch comes out :).

Jasmine <3

A Temptation of Angels by Michelle Zink Review

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers
Source: Another Blogger
First book in a possible series
Even angels make mistakes in this page-turning epic romance
When her parents are murdered before her eyes, sixteen-year-old Helen Cartwright finds herself launched into an underground London where a mysterious organization called the Dictata controls the balance of good and evil. Helen learns that she is one of three remaining angelic descendants charged with protecting the world's past, present, and future. Unbeknownst to her, she has been trained her whole life to accept this responsibility. Now, as she finds herself torn between the angelic brothers protecting her and the devastatingly handsome childhood friend who wants to destroy her, she must prepare to be brave, to be hunted, and above all to be strong, because temptation will be hard to resist, even for an angel.
Michelle Zink masterfully weaves historical fantasy with paranormal romance to create a gripping tale of love and betrayal.

Review
I am so glad I read this book. It was so amazing. I loved it with all my heart. The characters were absolutely amazing. Since I borrowed it I'm dying to own it. I'm going to have to buy my own copy soon.


The characters in this are characters after my own heart. They are so amazing. Helen is a unbelievable heroine. She refuses to be weak. She wanted to do everything she could to help and be strong. I loved how she was always standing up for herself. I liked Darius just not very much. He didn't really have that big of a part to play. I hope we get to learn more about him later. Now Griffin is another story. I love him with all my heart. I love how he didn't rush for a relationship with Helen even though it was obvious he had feelings for her. I loved how he had faith in Helen. Griffin and Helen were the most adorable thing on the planet. I sense a love triangle coming in the future. I have my fingers crossed there isn't one because Griffin and Helen are perfect for each other. Raum is Who in guessing is going to be the other member of the love triangle. I liked him but I don't think he is right for Helen. I'm glad he did the right thing for him. I haven't seen anything about a sequel but I hope there is one. I need more of these characters.



This has such a unique storyline. I swear I will read angel books for the rest of my life. They never fail to impress me. I seriously wonder how the author came up with such a unique story. She keeps you on your toes. Constantly wondering what's going to happen next. This was impossible to put down. It's like a roller coaster that doesn't stop going up. It just keeps getting more and more amazing.


Overall I loved this with all my heart. This was a very fan girly review. I'm so glad I read this. A big thank you to Millie from for letting me borrow it. Of you haven't read this you should check it out. I highly recommend. 5/5 stars


Jasmine <3

The Reading Games Week 3

Week three of The Reading Games has come to an end. If you don't know what The Reading Games is click here. In short me and Aneeqah from My Not So Real Life are doing a competition to see who can read most this summer. On the 23rd of August whoever has read the least books buys the other one a book.

What I read this week:
The First by Sarah Zaske
Pure by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I know I didn't read a lot but I was helping with Vacation Bible School at my church so everyday last week I was gone half the day and I much prefer reading in the silence of my room.

Now here's where it gets complicated you see this week I'm going to be three hours away at church camp Monday through Friday so I don't think I'm going to be able to get a lot of reading if any done. But I did bring 4 books with me for the drive and because I like to have options and those are:
Rift by Andrea Cremer
In Honor by Jessi Kirby
The Dead Tossed Waves and The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan

So we'll have to see how I do at the end of the week. Sorry if we're M.I.A this week Jasmine is going to camp too. Also sorry about posting this late.

Oh, I almost forgot we got a button!















Thank you to Amelia from the Authoress for making this fabulous button. I love it :)

May the odds be ever in your favor
-Marissa

30 Day Book Challenge Catch Up Post

To see all the information about this challenge see my day 1 post.

Lately I've fallen really behind on this challenge so this is just to catch up to where I'm supposed to be. I'm not going to include as much information because I have a lot to do, but I will include at least a goodreads link.

The question for day 10 is What is your favorite classic book?

My answer- The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Before I discovered what I liked to read, I read a lot of classics. The secret garden has always been my favorite. I really loved it.

Goodreads Page

The question for day 11 is What book do you hate?

My answer- This is another one of those I don't have an answer for. Also this is kinda a negative question and I don't believe in posting negative things for no reason. Since I don't have an answer here is a adorable spiderman gif :).



The question for day 12 is What book have you read that you used to like but now hate?

My answer- Again I don't have an answer so have a super cute cat gif <3



The question for day 13 is Who is your favorite author?

My answer- I had a lot of options but I chose Cassandra Clare. The mortal instruments is an amazing series. Its hugely popular and becoming a movie. I could fan girl all day about this series but I'll keep it short. I highly doubt you haven't read this but if you haven't read this you need too. Right now. You should know I like to hunt people down and force them to read. Below you can find the authors goodreads page.
Casssandra Clare Goodreads Page


Sorry I'm falling so far behind. I'll try to do another catch up post soon but for now have a turtle gif :)

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Xor: The Shape of Darkness by Moshe Sipper Review

Reading Level: Young Adult/ Middle Grade
Self Published
Source: Author
Not sure weather or not this is part of a series
*this was gifted to me by author for review*
On his twelfth birthday Lewis Nash comes home from school to find that his house has blown up to smithereens, killing his father. Having lost his mother in an accident four years earlier, Lewis realizes he is now an orphan — but he has no time to dwell on it. The moment he gets off the school bus a fearsome wolf-man tries to grab him. The boy is saved in the nick of time by Master Long, who reveals to him that he’s a Shaper from a place called Xor, which is being devoured by the Realm Pirates. Lewis learns that he must do his utmost to become the powerful Shaper he was destined to be.
Because, it would seem, he’s the one and only chance Xor has.


Review
Middle grade is either a hit or miss for me. I either love it or hate it. I didn't think I was going to like this very much. It felt a little too young for me. I ended up really enjoying it even though it was a little young. I loved the concept. The characters were great. It was a very unique story.


Lewis annoyed me at first. He asked way too many questions. He grew on me. He had a good personality even though he asked too many questions throughout the entire book. I liked how he never gave up. He was thrown into this new world, with all these powers and he handled it very maturely. He really grew throughout the story. I'm proud of him. This has some pretty awesome secondary characters. They were all like a big family, all trying to accomplish the same goal. It kinda reminded me of Percy Jackson. I lived the wide variety of characters.


This has a very adventurous storyline. It's very unique. It was also very fast paced. There was always something differently crazy going on. I really loved how different this book really was. It didn't end open so I'm not sure about a sequel. I hope there is a sequel because I would enjoy reading it. Overall I think this was a very well done story. I enjoyed it a lot. I'm glad I got the chance to read it and I highly recommend. 4/5 stars


Jasmine <3

This Is Not A Test by Courtney Summers Review

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publisher:St. Martin's Griffin
Source: Marissa
Stand Alone
It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self.
To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up. As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live.
But as the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in startling ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life—and death—inside.
When everything is gone, what do you hold on to?

Review
This is a very popular book. I've read some mixed reviews. I wanted to read this one so I could know what everyone was talking about, two so I could see what my opinion was going to be. A lot of people like or loved this book. I can understand why, it was a very fascinating book. I don't really think it lived up to my expectations. I went into it expecting it to be absolutely amazing and for me it was just good.


I really didn't like the characters at first. They kinda grew on me. I ended up really liking some of them. Sloane really annoyed me in the beginning. She was just too depressed for my taste. But that really is a vital part of the story. I loved Rhys from the start. He seemed like the nicest most normal out of the 6. I liked Cary at first then ended up hating him for the rest of the book. It was the same with Trace. He was just annoying. the only thing I liked about him was how much he cared for his sister. Grace I liked a lot. She just had a nice personality. Lastly we have Harrison. To me he didn't really play that big of a part. I can say I was shocked about how many actually made it. It was pretty surprising. It wasn't who I was expecting at all. Also I loved the differences between characters and the outcome and growth of each character. It was all so well done, this author really tied things up perfectly.


One of the reasons I wanted to read this so bad was because its a survival zombie book. I rarely read any kind of zombie book. I like how different it was from anything else I've read. I expected it to be like creepy zombie but it really wasn't. The zombies were more a part of the setting than the story. It was more focused on the characters.



The plot was sorta on and off. It had its exciting moments and its boring moments. After reading it, I can really understand why a lot of people loved this but I can also understand why some might not. This is really one of those books you need to just read so you can see for yourself. Overall I did enjoy this. I know it sounds like I didn't but I did. I'm glad I read it. It just wasn't what I was expecting. As for recommendation, I would say give it a chance because you never know what could happen. 4/5 stars


Jasmine :)

Series Love #4: The Wolves of Mercy Falls

Series Love is a meme we came up with. There are so many amazing book series out there. We love to share the love and help spread the word. If you want to play along all you have to do is pick a series. It doesn’t matter if it only has one book or a million. Include authors name and the covers of the books.

My pick this week is The Wolves of Mercy Falls by Maggie Stiefvater

Why I picked this series:

Shiver, Linger and Forever are a few of my favorite books ever. I know not everyone likes this series but I love everything about it. The romance, the writing, the characters, the plot and even the ending. Even though I turned the last page of Forever almost a year ago exactly I still think about these books all the time and I'm planning on rereading them soon. Sam and Grace are one of the cutest literary couples out there in my opinion. I think it's because they stay super cute despite all the things that happen to them and they seem like a real teenage couple even though they have to worry that one of them might turn into a wolf. I got to meet Maggie Stiefvater earlier this year at TLA and I was on top of the world. You know when you meet an author you love and every smart thing you could say or question you could ask flies out of your head and you just stand there grinning like an idiot? That was me. But I did get to ask her some questions and talk to her about paper cranes so I didn't look like a complete wacko the whole time. Here's some proof of my love:

It's not the best picture but those are some of the paper cranes hanging around
my room just like in the books :). I'm sure you can see the series on my bookshelf.
I have multiple copies. It's a long story. Anyways if you haven't read these books you have too. Please.

-Marissa

Author Love #4: Lauren DeStefano

Author Love is a meme we came up with. There are so many authors and books out there that we love so much and want the world to know about them. If you want to play along all you have to do is pick one of your favorite authors. Write what you like about them and/or their books. You can also include an author bio and synopsis of their book if you want.

My pick this week is Lauren DeStefano.

Bio from website:
Lauren DeStefano was born in New Haven, Connecticut and has never traveled far from the east coast. She received a BA in English from Albertus Magnus College, and has been writing since childhood. She made her authorial debut by writing on the back of children's menus at restaurants and filling up the notepads in her mom's purse. Her very first manuscript was written on a yellow legal pad with red pen, and it was about a haunted shed that ate small children.
Now that she is all grown up (for the most part), she writes fiction for young adults. Her failed career aspirations include: world's worst receptionist, coffee house barista, sympathetic tax collector, and English tutor. When she isn't writing, she's screaming obscenities at her Nintendo DS, freaking her cats out with the laser pen, or rescuing thrift store finds and reconstructing them into killer new outfits.

Why I picked her:
Lauren DeStefano writes amazing books. Her Chemical Garden Trilogy is so original and writing style is fabulous. Plus the covers are gorgeous. I cannot wait for Sever. I could go on and on but I’ll save that for a future Series Love. Honestly the real reason I picked her (other than her books) is because she’s the kind of person who will talk with you about things like Paranormal Activity 3 and Jell-o on Twitter for around an hour in the middle of the night. At least in my experience. That pretty much makes her and awesome author/person to me. I hope one day I can meet her and get my books signed.

-Marissa

Waiting on Wednesday: Boundless by Cynthia Hand

****"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event hosted by Jill at the Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.****

This weeks pick is:

Boundless by Cynthia Hand
Expected release date: January 22nd 2013
             from HarperTeen         

     No Synopsis yet.


So yeah I know there's no synopsis yet and the release date is ages away but I'm so excited for this book that I had to make it my Waiting on Wednesday this week. Since there's no synopsis I'll make one myself. This is what I hope will happen: "Clara goes to college but soon decides she misses Tucker too much so she goes back to him and they live happily ever after and the angels give up on her and move on. Christian lives happily ever after too 'cause he's cool. Oh, and Jeffrey's okay." So it probably won't go exactly like that it will most likely be a lot more epic but a girl can hope right? I'm sure you can tell by now I'm team Tucker. *Sigh* Tucker. Anyways don't you just love the cover? Seriously all the covers for this series are so gorgeous.
-
Marissa

Teaser Tuesday #8

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 this week is from Pure by Jennifer L. Armentrout here's the info:


There is need. And then there is Fate...

Being destined to become some kind of supernatural electrical outlet isn't exactly awesome--especially when Alexandria's "other half" is everywhere she goes. Seth's in her training room, outside her classes, and keeps showing up in her bedroom--so not cool. Their connection does have some benefits, like staving off her nightmares of the tragic showdown with her mother, but it has no effect on what Alex feels for the forbidden, pure-blooded Aiden. Or what he will do--and sacrifice--for her.

When daimons infiltrate the Covenants and attack students, the gods send furies--lesser gods determined to eradicate any threat to the Covenants and to the gods, and that includes the Apollyon... and Alex. And if that and hordes of aether-sucking monsters didn't blow bad enough, a mysterious threat seems willing to do anything to neutralize Seth, even if that means forcing Alex into servitude... or killing her.

When the gods are involved, some decisions can never, ever be undone.

Here's my teaser:

He glanced down at me, frowning. "I know your flippant attitude is an act. It's probably what made you turn an apple into a deadly weapon. You of all people know how serious this is." -Page 22

Yep. Alex still has her act first think later attitude going on. It's incredibly entertaining.

-Marissa

30 Day Book Challenge Day 9

To see all the information about this challenge see my day 1 post.
The question for day 9 is- What book have did you read that you thought you wouldn't like?

My answer- Daughter of the Smoke and Bone by Lani Taylor. When this book came out I  just wasn't interested. I had heard the good things people had been saying but I just didn't want to read it. Then over time I became more interested. When we were at ALA Midwinter we met the lovely Leslie Bermel. She was nice enough to give us a copy because she wanted us to read it. We both read it and loved it. Now I'm eagerly awaiting the sequel Days of Blood and Starlight. I'll include the cover and synopsis below.



Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.
In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grows dangerously low.
And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages—not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.
When one of the strangers—beautiful, haunted Akiva—fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?


Jasmine :)

30 Day Book Challenge Day 8

To see all the information about this challenge see my day 1 post.
The day 8 question is- What is the most overrated book you have read?

This is another one I don't have an answer for. I couldn't come up with anything. Also this question is a little negative and I don't believe in post anything negative unless it can be in any way constructive. So to make up for having no answer I give you a cat gif :).





Jasmine <3

Of Poseidon by Anna Banks Review

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


Review
MERMAIDS! I love mermaid books. I rarely get to read them. I want to read more of them but their hard to find. This book kinda made my life. I can admit I doubted it. I thought it was going to be mediocre. Boy was I wrong, it ended up being amazing. I shouldn't have doubted it. This is one of those stay up all night reading books, which both me and Marissa did. Its ironic that we both stayed up well into the night reading this. It was just too good to put down.


I loved Emma. I loved her snarky personality. I lobed how she ways put Galen in his place. She doesn't take any crap from anyone. I like how different she is from the other Syrena. She's unique. I didn't like Galen at first. He was kinda a jerk. Of course I ended up loving him. He has two sides to him. You just have to get used to him. Really he just has a strong personality. It took forever for Emma and Galen to become cute. Sometimes that's frustrating but with this it made sense. I'm glad they didn't rush. When they were together they were super adorable. Also they had some pretty amazing dates. I would die if someone took me to the titanic on a date.


This had a different storyline. It wasn't really action packed. It was more everyone trying to figure out what Emma was. There was some twists but not a lot. With that being said, it wasn't boring at all. In fact it was impossible to put down for multiple reasons. You just had to know what was going to happen next. The writing was just so great. It had a perfect mix of everything a good book needs. I've seen mixed reviews. I really think this book is perfect for teens. I think older readers might now like it as much as teens would. Overall I absolutely adore this book. It was so great to read something I don't get to read a lot of. I can't wait for the sequel. The wait is going to be killer, I can feel it already. If you haven't read this you should check it out. I highly recommend :). 5/5 stars

Jasmine <3

Review: The Finishing of Lady Amelia by Scarlett Rains

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publisher: ARTEMIS Books
Prequel to Sisters of Heart series
*This book was given to me by the author in exchange for an honest review*

Lady Amelia Fitzailwyn knows everything about everything... she certainly does not require Finishing School! If John and Alex had not tattled on her, she would still be home! It was fine for them to chase every skirt in the Kingdom but she has one kiss ...or two, and Uncle carts her off! Day one of her banishment, at Madame de Rigeur's Young Ladies Finishing Academie, is dismal. Her roommate is insular, Clarissa is cruel...and that spotty girl's rash is probably contagious! Then, she meets Monsieur Pelfrie, the handsomest man she has ever seen, and Amelia decides it might just be possible to endure the two long years away from home.

Enjoy this delightful tale of mischief and mayhem as a sheltered young woman comes of age in Georgian England. Includes excerpts from Scarlett Rains’ captivating Sisters of the Heart series!

Historical fiction is one of my favorite genre's. I love reading about a different time and how people acted or what they wore. This story was set in the late 1700's a time that I've never read about so needless to say I was very excited when I was asked to read this.

The Finishing of Lady Amelia introduces us to Lady Amelia (obviously) an orphaned teenager living with her uncle and two cousins John and Alex. When she gets into trouble her uncle decides to send her to Madame de Rigeur's Young Ladies Finishing Academie where she will have to live for the next two years and be taught to behave like a lady. While there she does learn to act like a lady in a way but gets in much more trouble than she would have at home.

Amelia is a mischievous young girl who wants more from life than what normal women get in her time. She reads romance novels behind her school books and wants to marry out of love not out of duty. She gets looks down on because of it but I thought this made her very relatable and realistic. There's a huge cast of characters at the Academie. The teachers and students were all very different and played a different role. I liked Amelia's group of friends. There was her roommate Lydia who was so honest it was funny, Elizabeth and Anna who I felt bad for throughout most of the book and Josie who seemed stuck up at first but was actually really nice. They got in all kinds of trouble together. From pranking the snobby Clarissa or staying up past lights out or crushing over the same guy. They were always getting into trouble and it was so fun to read about.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. It was hilarious and I loved reading about all the crazy situations the characters got themselves into. I loved the setting and though the writing was a little confusing at times it wasn't hard to get into the story. I can't wait to read Scarlett Rains other books.
4/5 stars

-Marissa