Teaser Tuesday #20

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 pick for this week is from Time Between Us by Tamera Ireland Stone

Anna and Bennett were never supposed to meet: she lives in 1995 Chicago and he lives in 2012 San Francisco. But Bennett has the unique ability to travel through time and space, which brings him into Anna’s life, and with him a new world of adventure and possibility.
As their relationship deepens, the two face the reality that time may knock Bennett back to where he belongs, even as a devastating crisis throws everything they believe into question. Against a ticking clock, Anna and Bennett are forced to ask themselves how far they can push the bounds of fate, what consequences they can bear in order to stay together, and whether their love can stand the test of time.

Fresh, exciting, and deeply romantic, Time Between Us is a stunning, spellbinding debut from an extraordinary new voice in YA fiction.
"A beautifully written, unique love story." -- Melissa Marr, New York Times best-selling author of The Wicked Lovely series
“A warm, time-bending romance… [that] will have readers rooting for the couple that keeps daring fate.” -- Publishers Weekly
"Time Between Us is the very best kind of love story -- heart-pounding, intense, and unputdownable!" -- Elizabeth Scott, author of Bloom and Perfect You
"The story will hold readers with its twists and turns, present and future; its love, sadness, and anger; and especially, its surprising secrets." -- Booklist

Teaser-
Even from this distance I can see how young he looks. Younger than the first time I saw him.

Keeping it short this week. This is from page 1 of my ARC. Let me just say I am very excited to read this one. It looks right up my alley. Keep an eye out for my review!

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo Review

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Source: Bought
First book in The Grisha series
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.


Review
This was impossible to put down. It was almost addicting. I loved it from page one. I hit about halfway in two hours before I forced myself to put it down so I didn't read it one sitting. I can see why this is such a popular book and I can't wait to see where story goes!

I loved Alina. She was an amazing character. I loved how she went from being unimportant to being one of the most important people in the world. I liked no matter how excited she was for her new life she never forgot about her past. I thought her magic was the coolest thing ever! I loved that she wanted to use it for good and didn't want to be taken advantage of. Surprisingly enough I actually really liked Darkling. He was hot stuff. Even when he wasn't the nicest person ever, I still liked him. I'm excited to read more about him. My feelings for Mal are a little mixed. I liked him but I felt like we didn't really get the chance to really know him. Him and Alina were still pretty cute even though there wasn't a lot of cute moments. I do hope we get to learn more about Mal in future books.

This had such an exciting storyline. The world this author created was so unlike anything I've ever read. The magic was awesome. I loved the darkness aspect. There was tons of suspense and action. The characters were amazingly well done. And the setting was very cool. This had everything a amazing book needs. The plot was very fast paced. There was a fair share of twists. Everything was just so well done. This was a very well written book. Overall this was a fantastic read. I already want to reread it. I can't wait for the sequel. I will be waiting very impatiently. If you haven't read this one I highly recommend.

Series Love #16: Revenants 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 for this week is the Revenants Trilogy by Amy Plum


Aren't those covers the prettiest things in the world? I chose this series because its been one of my favorites for a while. Its an amazing series! The concept is so unique. Who doesn't love revenants(kinda like zombies) with super cool powers? Plus its set in Paris which is so cool. The characters are so amazing. Throughout the series the love story has just gotten better and better. The wait for If I Should Die has been torture. We still have quite a while to go. Hopefully it goes fast. If you haven't read this series, you have to check it out! You will be happy you did :).

Author Love #16: Diana Peterfreund

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: Diana Peterfreund
Author Bio from author's website
Diana Peterfreund has been a costume designer, a cover model, and a food critic. Her travels have taken her from the cloud forests of Costa Rica to the underground caverns of New Zealand (and as far as she’s concerned, she’s just getting started). Diana graduated from Yale University in 2001 with dual degrees in Literature and Geology, which her family claimed would only come in handy if she wrote books about rocks. Now, this Florida girl lives with her husband and their puppy in Washington D.C., and writes books that rock
Her first novel, Secret Society Girl (2006), was described as “witty and endearing” by The New York Observer and was placed on the New York Public LIbrary’s 2007 Books for the Teen Age list. The follow-up, Under the Rose (2007) was deemed “impossible to put down” by Publisher’s Weekly, and Booklist called the third book, Rites of Spring (Break) (2008), “an ideal summer read.” The final book in the series, Tap & Gown, will be released in 2009. All titles are available from Bantam Dell.
She also contributed to the non-fiction anthologies, Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned from Judy Blume, edited by Jennifer O’Connell (Pocket Books, 2007), The World of the Golden Compass, edited by Scott Westerfeld (BenBella Books, 2007), and Through the Wardrobe, edited by Herbie Brennan (BenBella Books, 2008).
Her first young adult novel, Rampant, an adventure fantasy about killer unicorns and the virgin descendents of Alexander the Great who hunt them, will be released by Harper Collins in 2009. When she’s not writing, Diana volunteers at the National Zoo, adds movies she has no intention of watching to her Netflix queue, and plays with her puppy, a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever named Rio.


I picked Diana Peterfreund because of her book For Darkness Shows the Stars. Since For Darkness Shows the Stars isn't a part of a series I knew I had to do it for author love. This author seems like she would be so fun! I hope one day I get the chance to meet her. I loved For Darkness Shows the Stars so, so much. It was amazing. I was so sad to find out it was a stand alone. That's okay though because now I can wait to see what she writes next. If you haven't read For Darkness Shows the Stars I highly recommend checking it out!

Waiting on Wednesday: Shades of Earth by Beth Revis

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

My pick for this week is:

Shades of Earth by Beth Revis
Expected publication: January 15th 2013 by Razorbill
The final book in the trilogy by New York Times bestselling author Beth Revis!

Amy and Elder have finally left the oppressive walls of the spaceship Godspeed behind. They're ready to start life afresh--to build a home--on Centauri-Earth, the planet that Amy has traveled 25 trillion miles across the universe to experience. But this new Earth isn't the paradise that Amy had been hoping for. Amy and Elder must race to uncover who--or what--else is out there if they are to have any hope of saving their struggling colony and building a future together. But as each new discovery brings more danger, Amy and Elder will have to look inward to the very fabric of what makes them human on this, their most harrowing journey yet. Because if the colony collapses? Then everything they have sacrificed--friends, family, life on Earth--will have been meaningless.

The Across the Universe series is absolutely amazing. I have lots of love for this series. The wait for this one has been torturous. Its not quite over yet but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! If you haven't checked out this series, I highly recommend. Plus it just got redone and the new covers are super pretty.

Teaser Tuesday #19

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 pick for this week if from The Diviners by Libba Bray

Evie O'Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City--and she is pos-i-tute-ly thrilled. New York is the city of speakeasies, shopping, and movie palaces! Soon enough, Evie is running with glamorous Ziegfield girls and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is Evie has to live with her Uncle Will, curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult--also known as "The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies."
When a rash of occult-based murders comes to light, Evie and her uncle are right in the thick of the investigation. And through it all, Evie has a secret: a mysterious power that could help catch the killer--if he doesn't catch her first.

Teaser:

Each page featured a small, colorful illustration of a ritual murder, accompanied by a scripture-like passage. The same sigils found on the killer's notes also ran along the edges of the book's entries.

Creepy right? This is from page 211 of my hardcover copy

The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson Review

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publisher: Greenwillow
Source: Bought
Second book in the Fire and Thorns series
In the sequel to the acclaimed The Girl of Fire and Thorns, a seventeen-year-old princess turned war queen faces sorcery, adventure, untold power, and romance as she fulfills her epic destiny.
Elisa is the hero of her country. She led her people to victory against a terrifying enemy, and now she is their queen. But she is only seventeen years old. Her rivals may have simply retreated, choosing stealth over battle. And no one within her court trusts her-except Hector, the commander of the royal guard, and her companions. As the country begins to crumble beneath her and her enemies emerge from the shadows, Elisa will take another journey. With a one-eyed warrior, a loyal friend, an enemy defector, and the man she is falling in love with, Elisa crosses the ocean in search of the perilous, uncharted, and mythical source of the Godstone's power. That is not all she finds. A breathtaking, romantic, and dangerous second volume in the Fire and Thorns trilogy.

Review
This put me on amazingness overload. I loved it so much. It was so amazing. I couldn't put it down. It mad emu heart go flutter flutter and made me make all kinds of crazy fan girl sounds. Just the thought of the wait for the third one makes me want to cry. Hopefully it comes fast.

I love Elisa. She's such a strong character. She's an amazing queen. She always does the right thing. If she knows she has to do something she doesn't give it a second thought. It's almost natural to her. I can't believe how far she's come. I should have known it would be Hector. I knew there was a reason I loved him so much in the first book. He's such an amazing character. He's a good person to have around. He's an amazing guard and he's always willing to help. Elisa and Hector may have only had a few cute moments but they were super adorable. Secondary characters both old and new were amazing. I can't wait to see where these characters story goes.

This was such an amazing sequel. One of the reasons I loved it so much was is because it had such an amazing storyline. There was so much adventure. The plot never slowed down. There was tons of action. There was also tons of suspense. This was impossible to put down. I read it in basically a day. Overall this blew my expectations out of the water. Everything was amazingly well done. I can not wait to see where this story is going to go. If you haven't checked out this series, I highly recommend doing so. You wont regret it.

The Star Dwellers Blog Tour

 

I am so happy to be hosting a stop on The Star Dwellers blog tour. The Star Dwellers is a new book by the wonderful David Estes and the sequel to The Moon Dwellers. Here's the synopsis and fabulous cover:






After rescuing her father and younger sister, Adele is forced to leave her family and Tristan behind to find her mother in the cruel and dangerous realm of the star dwellers.

Amidst blossoming feelings for Adele, Tristan must cast his feelings aside and let her find her own way amongst the star dwellers, while he accompanies Adele's father to meet with the leaders of the moon dwellers and decide the fate of the Tri-Realms.

Will Adele be able to rescue her mother and make it back to the Moon Realm before the President and the sun dweller soldiers destroy her family?

Can Tristan convince the moon dweller puppets of the error of their ways?

Was Adele's lost kiss with Tristan her one and only chance at love?

In her world there's only one rule: Someone must die.

And now for a character bio of the interesting and very shirtless Roc:

(Sorry for the gray part. Not sure why that's there)

Name: Roc (last name unknown)

 

Age: 17

 

Birth date: April 13, 482 P.M. (Post-Meteor)

 

Likes: Getting under Tristan’s skin, cracking jokes, getting to know people. Painting, drawing, sketching. Navigating, geography.

 

Dislikes: Doing chores, violence.

 

Where he/she was born: Subchapter 1 of the Sun Realm

 

Parents’ names: Unknown

 

Known friends: Tristan Nailin, Tawni, Adele Rose

 

Character traits: Loyal, somewhat goofy, surprisingly wise at times, Roc is willing to die for Tristan. He's dark and athletic and is willing to deliver hard truths, even to those he loves.

Hopes, dreams, fears: Roc dreams of living on equal terms with Tristan, not being always considered a servant. He believes the world is a place that can be transformed and that he has a role to play in helping Tristan to do just that. He fears that Tristan won’t survive the journey.

 

Doesn't he sound lovely? I can't wait to read about him. I haven't had the chance to read these yet but I'm hoping to find time soon. They sound amazing. It's David Estes where could you go wrong? Speaking of David here's all you need to know about him:

About the author

David Estes was born in El Paso, Texas but moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania when he was very young. He grew up in Pittsburgh and then went to Penn State for college. Eventually moved to Sydney, Australia where he met his wife. A reader all his life, he began writing novels for the children's and YA markets in 2010. He´s a writer with OCD, a love of dancing and singing (but only when no one is looking or listening), a mad-skilled ping-pong player, and prefers writing at the swimming pool to writing at a table

 

                                      Author of the Evolution Trilogy

http://davidestesbooks.blogspot.com

http://www.facebook.com/pages/David-Estes/130864990343920

https://twitter.com/#!/davidestesbooks

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3167424.David_Estes

Thanks so much for checking out this stop on the tour. I hope you were inspired to read David's books if you haven't already :).

Bitterblue by Kristen Cashore Review

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publisher: Dial
Source: Conference
Third book in the Graceling Relm series
The long-awaited companion to New York Times bestsellers Graceling and Fire
Eight years after Graceling, Bitterblue is now queen of Monsea. But the influence of her father, a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities, lives on. Her advisors, who have run things since Leck died, believe in a forward-thinking plan: Pardon all who committed terrible acts under Leck's reign, and forget anything bad ever happened. But when Bitterblue begins sneaking outside the castle--disguised and alone--to walk the streets of her own city, she starts realizing that the kingdom has been under the thirty-five-year spell of a madman, and the only way to move forward is to revisit the past.
Two thieves, who only steal what has already been stolen, change her life forever. They hold a key to the truth of Leck's reign. And one of them, with an extreme skill called a Grace that he hasn't yet identified, holds a key to her heart.

Review
As soon as I finished Graceling I wanted to read this. I loved Bitterblue in Graceling. I was so excited to read her story. I also had high hopes I would see some of my favorite characters from Graceling, which happened. As of now Kristen Cashore can do no wrong in my mind. I can't wait to see what else she comes up with.

Bitterblue has grown so much. She surprised me. She made a very good queen. I loved how much she cared. I also loved how determined she was. She never gave up, she was determined to be the best queen she could be. I have a feeling her story isn't over and I hope we get to see more of her in the future. I really liked Saf. I liked that there was two sides to him. I liked how he played a big part in the story. I wish him and Bitterblue had more cuteness but the story worked out better without it. I loved that Saf somewhat resembled Po because I adored Po. Let me just say that I loved that Katsa, Po, and Gideon played such a big part. If I ever miss those characters I know I can read about them in this too. I also loved the secondary characters and how wide variety they were.

This had an amazing storyline. The action, mystery, and suspense was fantastic. This was impossible to put down. The setting was awesome. It really showed the differences in the realms. It showed being a queen isn't easy. It showed that just because you love someone that doesn't mean you can be together. And it showed some awesome graces. Everything was so well done. I might even like this one better than Graceling. That's saying something because I loved Graceling. Overall this was an amazing read. I loved it with all my heart. I can't wait to read Fire. If you haven't read this one you need too. I highly recommend.

Waiting on Wednesday: The Archived by Victoria Schwab

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

My pick for this week is:

The Archived by Victoria Schwab
Expected release date: January 22nd, 2013
from Hyperion
Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures that only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive.

Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove herself. Now Da is dead, and Mac has grown into what he once was, a ruthless Keeper, tasked with stopping often-violent Histories from waking up and getting out. Because of her job, she lies to the people she loves, and she knows fear for what it is: a useful tool for staying alive.

Being a Keeper isn't just dangerous-it's a constant reminder of those Mac has lost. Da's death was hard enough, but now her little brother is gone too. Mac starts to wonder about the boundary between living and dying, sleeping and waking. In the Archive, the dead must never be disturbed. And yet, someone is deliberately altering Histories, erasing essential chapters. Unless Mac can piece together what remains, the Archive itself might crumble and fall.

In this haunting, richly imagined novel, Victoria Schwab reveals the thin lines between past and present, love and pain, trust and deceit, unbearable loss and hard-won redemption.

 

 

I absolutely loved Victora Schwab'sThe Near Witch. The story was so orginal and creepy and the writing was fabulous. So naturally I freaked out when I heard about this. With a synopsis like that I can't wait to dive into another world of hers that I know will be vivid, different, and beautifully written. And just look at that cover. Can it be next year, please?

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson Review

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publisher: Greenwillow
Source: Bought
First book in the Fire and Thorns series
Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness.
Elisa is the chosen one.
But she is also the younger of two princesses, the one who has never done anything remarkable. She can't see how she ever will.
Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs the chosen one, not a failure of a princess.
And he's not the only one who seeks her. Savage enemies seething with dark magic are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people's savior. And he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake.
Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young.
Most of the chosen do.

Review
Wow! This book surprised me. When I started it I wasn't sure what I was going to think. I wasn't sure what to expect. I ended up loving it with all my heart. It was such a unique story. I've never read anything like it. I already started the sequel and I can't wait to see where the story goes.

This had amazing characters. Elisa was so unlike any other character. I loved her confidence. She didn't let anyone affect her. She may have cared what people thought of her but she didn't show them. She didn't let them weaken her. She really grew into herself throughout the story. She had an amazing adventure and I loved reading about it. Now I can't say much about the boys because that would give things away. I can say they were amazing. They made such a nice addition to the story. This also had some pretty amazing secondary characters. I can't wait to see which return in the sequel.

This had such a unique storyline. The world building was amazing. It just kept getting better the father and father I read. Elisa had a very exciting adventure. There was tons of action and suspense. This was impossible to put down. You just had to know what was going to happen. The twists never stopped. I had no idea who was good and who was bad or what was going to happen. Overall I think this was an absolutely amazing read. I should have read it sooner. I can't wait to read the sequel and see where the story goes. If you haven't read this one, I highly highly recommend.

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson Review

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Source: Bought
Stand Alone
From the Flying Start author of Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour, a powerful novel about hope in the face of heartbreak. Taylor Edwards’ family might not be the closest-knit—everyone is a little too busy and overscheduled—but for the most part, they get along just fine. Then Taylor’s dad gets devastating news, and her parents decide that the family will spend one last summer all together at their old lake house in the Pocono Mountains.
     Crammed into a place much smaller and more rustic than they are used to, they begin to get to know each other again. And Taylor discovers that the people she thought she had left behind haven’t actually gone anywhere. Her former best friend is still around, as is her first boyfriend…and he’s much cuter at seventeen than he was at twelve.
     As the summer progresses and the Edwards become more of a family, they’re more aware than ever that they’re battling a ticking clock. Sometimes, though, there is just enough time to get a second chance—with family, with friends, and with love.


Review
Everything about this book was perfection. The cover, the title, the characters, and the storyline. The cover is absolutely beautiful and fits perfectly. The title is amazing and works into the story well. I loved the characters. The storlyine was amazing. It made me think about my lifee, my family, and second chances. It gave me a new view on things.

I loved Taylor. She was a great character. It was easy to relate to her. She changed a lot throughout the book. I liked how she took advantage of all the second chances she was given. I loved how different she made he present from the past. All the mistakes she made, she tried to fix. I think that was why I liked her so much. Oh, Henry how I adore you. Henry was an amazing character. I like how at first he wanted nothing to do with Taylor. Then  they rebuilt their relationship. Then after a while they got together. I loved that they took their time. Plus who wouldn't want to be with Henry. He's a sweetheart. Both Taylor and Henry had great siblings. They made awesome secondary characters.

This book really was about second chances. One chapter would be from the past and something that went wrong. Then that problem would become fixed in the present. It was really cool. The setting was also really cool. It made me miss summer. This book has a very serious topic. It wasn't always happy. I can honestly say some tears were shed. That's all I'm going to say because I don't want to give anything away. Overall I am so glad I read this. I loved it so much. I think its one of those books everyone should read because it makes you think about your life. If you haven't read this I highly recommend.

Waiting On Wednesday: Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

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

My pick for this week is

 

Scalet by Marissa Meyer

Expected publication: February 5th 2013 by Feiwel and Friends             

Cinder returns in the second thrilling installment of the New York Times-bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She’s trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive.
Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn’t know about her grandmother and the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother’s whereabouts, she has no choice but to trust him, though he clearly has a few dark secrets of his own.
As Scarlet and Wolf work to unravel one mystery, they find another when they cross paths with Cinder. Together, they must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen who will do anything to make Prince Kai her husband, her king, her prisoner.

 

Both me and Marissa recently read this one. We both loved it. I was so sad I couldn't go to Austin Teen Book Festival. That's okay though I'm sure I'll get the chance to meet her someday. When I do I'm going to ask her why she left us with such an heartbreaking cliffhanger in Cinder. I swear I was screaming so loud. I was going crazy. Although, I was going crazy the whole time I was reading Cinder. My sister kept giving me insane looks because I would mumble something about it and she wouldn't know what I was talking about. Then I finished it and threw a fit when I realized I would have to wait till February for the sequel. I'm sure the wait till be worth it though. So if you haven't read Cinder you should. Then we can wait together :).

Teaser Tueday #18

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 Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson

From the Flying Start author of Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour, a powerful novel about hope in the face of heartbreak. Taylor Edwards’ family might not be the closest-knit—everyone is a little too busy and overscheduled—but for the most part, they get along just fine. Then Taylor’s dad gets devastating news, and her parents decide that the family will spend one last summer all together at their old lake house in the Pocono Mountains.
     Crammed into a place much smaller and more rustic than they are used to, they begin to get to know each other again. And Taylor discovers that the people she thought she had left behind haven’t actually gone anywhere. Her former best friend is still around, as is her first boyfriend…and he’s much cuter at seventeen than he was at twelve.
     As the summer progresses and the Edwards become more of a family, they’re more aware than ever that they’re battling a ticking clock. Sometimes, though, there is just enough time to get a second chance—with family, with friends, and with love.

Teaser-
It wasn't a date. That was what I'd been telling myself ever since Henry had asked me, the day we'd waled our bikes home from the pool with our wet towels slung around our shoulders. We were just seeing a movie together. It was not a big deal.

This is from page 162 of my hardcover copy

Review: The Possession of Cassie Quinn by Kathryn Knutson

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publisher: North Star Press of St. Cloud, Inc
First in a series
*This book was gifted to me by the author in exchange for an honest review*

A long, dark driveway towards an old farmhouse. A new stepsister with a nasty streak. A little sister who runs off. Something sinister lurking in the woods. Cassie Quinn's new home comes with . . . complications. Cassie never believed in ghosts before. But now she is receiving strange messages, telling her to stay out of the woods. Are the messages just a ploy by her stepsister? Or are they warning her of an evil that stalks the shadows of the woods beyond her home?

This is one of the scariest books I've ever read. I'm used to scary movies. I watch them all the time but I'm not used to reading books that make me sleep with the light on and jump at every sound. This book did that to me. It was so scary.

When Cassie Quinn moves in to a new house with her family along with her new step dad she's most worried about living miles from town and sharing a room with her new stepsister. But then she starts hearing weird stories about the house and strange, unexplainable things happen. She doesn't believe in ghosts but even she has to admit there's something eerie about the woods behind her house.

This book terrified me. All the creepy stuff that happened kept me on edge the whole time. I had to sleep with the light on. Even better right after I read one of the scariest parts of the book my little sister screamed bloody murder. Turns out it was just a spider but I jumped so high. One thing I didn't like was that it was kind of predicable. It might be that I've watched to many scary movies but I almost always guessed what was about to happen-except for the end. I never saw that coming.

I liked Cassie. She was stubborn and I liked how she stayed firm to her beliefs until she absolutely couldn't deny what was happening. She has a lot more courage than I would in her situation. If that was happening to me I would move out of that house immediately. Whether my family believed me or not. Her stepsister was annoying at times but in the end I liked her. I really liked Cassie's group of friends. Especially Ben :).

I thought this book was awesome. It was like a scary movie that I could read. Despite the predictability it scared the crap out of me. The ending was insane and I can't wait to get my hands on the next one. If you like being scared-the oh my gosh what was that sound scared-then I highly recommend you read this book. Then sleep with the light on.

Review: Beautifully Broken by Sherry Soule

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publisher: Moonlight Publishing
First in the Spellbound series
*This book was given to me by the author in exchange for an honest review*

Thirteenth daughter. Heritage witch. Demon slayer.They say every town has its secrets, but that doesn’t even begin to describe Whispering Pines. The townsfolk are a superstitious lot and the mystical disappearance of a local teen has everyone murmuring about a centuries old witch’s curse…

Sixteen-year-old Shiloh Ravenwolf is a heritage witch from the Broussard family, a family both destined and cursed. After she takes a summer job at Ravenhurst Manor, she discovers a ghost with an agenda. That’s where she meets the new town hottie, Trent Donovan. But Trent may be the next victim on the supernatural hit list, and Shiloh is the only person with the power to save him.

Complicated much?

After receiving cryptic messages from a creepy wraith, and then frightening threats from a demon, Shiloh finally begins to understand the mysterious significance of the strange mark branded on her wrist. Now Shiloh must decide how much she’s willing to sacrifice to protect the other teenagers in town.

Unfortunately, for Shiloh, not all ghosts want help crossing over. Some want vengeance.

Let me start off by saying how much I love witch books. And books with a small, creepy town. And a witch book set in a small, creepy town. There's something so interesting about a book set in a town with a dark past and secrets just begging to be unearthed. In the small town of Whispering Pines the dark isn't always still and shadows don't always stay just shadows. At least not for Shiloh Ravenwolf who has a very logical fear of the dark. Something is different about where she lives and when a secretive, hot boy moves into town and she agrees to spend the summer helping out at his reportedly haunted house learning just how different is about to get very dangerous.

Shiloh was a great main character. She was quirky-in a good way-and had a lot of spunk. She was very original and seemed to know who she was and what she wanted. I liked Trent very much. He had so much to him. He was cocky to hide his insecurity and inside he was kind of broken. They both were. Which was why they worked together so well. There relationship was slow and it was very back and forth at times but it was really sweet. They had problems and they worked through them together. I did not enjoy Shiloh's mom but I really liked her dad. All the twists and turns made me scared for the characters I liked but suspicious of pretty much everyone too.

One of my favorite things about this book was how spooky it was. There was ghosts, demons, and a creepy house all mixed up with this back story that I was dying to figure out. Ravenhurst almost seemed alive at times and I was a mix of excited and scared whenever Shiloh was there. There was twists and secrets and so many things I never saw coming.

Beautifully Broken was a roller-coaster ride that I was sad to get off of. It was creepy, different, adorable and the perfect read for the month of October. Go buy this book, get a big bag of Halloween candy and a comfy chair and don't get up until you've read every page and most likely eaten all the candy.