Waiting on Wednesday: How to Love by Katie Cotungo

****"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 this week is:

How to Love by Katie Cotungo
Expected publication: October 1st 2013 by Balzer + Bray
Before: Reena Montero has loved Sawyer LeGrande for as long as she can remember: as natural as breathing, as endless as time. But he’s never seemed to notice that Reena even exists…until one day, impossibly, he does. Reena and Sawyer fall in messy, complicated love. But then Sawyer disappears from their humid Florida town without a word, leaving a devastated—and pregnant—Reena behind.
After: Almost three years have passed, and there’s a new love in Reena’s life: her daughter, Hannah. Reena’s gotten used to being without Sawyer, and she’s finally getting the hang of this strange, unexpected life. But just as swiftly and suddenly as he disappeared, Sawyer turns up again. Reena doesn’t want anything to do with him, though she’d be lying if she said Sawyer’s being back wasn’t stirring something in her. After everything that’s happened, can Reena really let herself love Sawyer LeGrande again?
In this breathtaking debut, Katie Cotugno weaves together the story of one couple falling in love—twice.
 
 
I've seen a lot of hype about this book. The cover even though its very simple it really had me curious. This seems like a very unique story and I cannot wait to read!
 
What are you guys waiting on this week? Let me know in the comments!
 

Top Ten Tuesday (29)

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

  

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list that one of us will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All that's asked is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

 

This weeks topic is Top Ten Most Memorable Secondary Characters. Instead I'm going to do last weeks topic which was Top Ten Things That Make Blogging Easier. Hopefully I can manage to get all 10.

 

1. My review journal. I swear I would die without this journal. I would have no way of keeping track.
2. Goodreads. Goodreads is seriously the best tool ever. I don't know what I would do without it!
3. My Laptop. I would have no way of blogging without a computer.
4. Twitter. Twitter is a social media but its really very helpful with blogging.
5. Other Bloggers. Having blogger friends really makes blogging easier and more fun.
6. Libraries. I don't use my library very often but some people do. Libraries are important even if we don't use them!

 

I tried for ten but I couldn't think of anything else. If you guys think of something let me know in the comments!

The Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson Review

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publisher: Green Willow
Source: Conference
Third and final book in the Girl of Fire and Thorns series
The epic conclusion to Rae Carson's Fire and Thorns trilogy. The seventeen-year-old sorcerer-queen will travel into the unknown realm of the enemy to win back her true love, save her country, and uncover the final secrets of her destiny.
Elisa is a fugitive in her own country. Her enemies have stolen the man she loves in order to lure her to the gate of darkness. As she and her daring companions take one last quest into unknown enemy territory to save Hector, Elisa will face hardships she's never imagined. And she will discover secrets about herself and her world that could change the course of history. She must rise up as champion-a champion to those who have hated her most.

Review
Man what an ending. The second book in this series left me dying. I wanted more so terribly. This was an amazing ending. It wrapped up perfectly. 

This concludes Elisa's story. Her love has been kidnapped and she must get him back. She fled undercover in her own country. Traveling far and wide she not only discovers some well kept secrets, she must find a way to save not only her country but the rest of the world as well. 

Elisa is such a fantastic character. She has grown so much. I love how strong she is. She has this sense of hope and its one of the reasons I love her so much. She never gives up. Hector why must you be so amazing? I loved that he ages such a huge role in this story. He treats Elisa with the respect she deserves but doesn't let himself be walked over. Another thing I really liked about this story was we had such a wide variety of characters. Some of the side characters were fabulous! I'm gonna miss everyone. 

I think this might have to be my favorite out of the series. It had such an amazing storyline. It was very fast paced. There was tons of action. There was tension between characters. I had no idea where the story was going. It made such a good addition to the story. I'm so sad to say goodbye. I'm gonna miss this story with all of my heart. If you haven't read this series, I highly recommend checking it out.

Books to Movie Giveaway Hop

Welcome to Beneath the Moon and Stars' stop on the 2013 Books to Movie Giveaway Hop! This is hosted by the lovelies over at BookHounds and I Am A Reader, Not A Writer.

There's so many book to movie adaptations this year. Most of the ones that I have seen I loved. There's also been some amazing press and tours because of it. Earlier this year I went to a stop on the Beautiful Creatures movie tour and got for one lucky duck...a copy of Beautiful Creatures signed by both of the authors and a movie poster!




Link to the edition on B&N

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

Enter away!

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Signings Wrap Up

There have been some amazing bookish events this summer that we have been so lucky to have been able to go to. In the past month or so there's 3 signings went to that we haven't written a post about. So here's our thoughts on them!



The first one we went to was at the Irving Public library. First of let's just take a moment to appreciate how amazing the Irving library's events are. They go all out. There's even cupcakes. I love it. Anyways the event was a stop on the Beneath the Surface Tour. The huge group of authors consisted of Aimee Carter, Rae Carson, Tahereh Rafi, Ransom Riggs, Tessa Gratton, and Nova Ren Suma.

The panel was so great. It was moderated by the lovely Jenny Martin. Jenny's debut novel Tracked comes out next year and you should definitely go add it to your to read shelf on Goodreads. We had amazing seating sitting in the row in front of Julie Kagawa and Katie McGarry. They didn't expect to be recognized but we outted them :). We spent lots of time chatting with them. They were incredibly nice to spend so much time talking to us.  We haven't read every author on this panel. It was great getting to know more about their books. Now of course we want to read all of them!

P. S. We knew that Ransom Riggs and Tahereh Mafi were engaged before they announced it. Kari from A Good Addiction (who is in the know about all the things) told us and then of course we spent the entire time watching them to see if they acted like it. They totally did.


Jasmine with Rae Carson

Marissa with Ransom Riggs.

The crowd before the event!

The next day we attended the Yeah YA! panel hosted by the lovely Harlequin Teen. Harlequin isn't a publisher we get to see a lot so we were very excited for this event. The five authors were Aimee Carter, Julie Kagawa, Katie McGarry, Gena Showalter, and Rachel Vincent. This was a pretty big event. The publisher even provided some goodies for the audience. This panel was actually moderated by Katie McGarry and Katie from Mundie Moms was there as press.

From left to right: Amiee Carter, Gena Showalter, Rachel Vincet, Jasmine, Marissa, Katie McGarry, and Julie Kagawa.

Finally, we attended another event at the Irving Public Library. This one was a stop on the SWEAT Tour. This was a Texas only tour featuring some So Cal authors. This your featured Debra Driza, Shannon Messenger, Amy Tintera, and Kasie West. This event was so much fun. It was a little smaller but lacked nothing!  The authors played a game of two truths and a lie while pelting the audience with candy. They had a awesome Q and A. They even had a raffle which Jasmine was lucky enough to be one of the winners. She got an ARC of Shannon Messengers Let The Storms Break. After she reads and passes it onto a few blogger friends she plans to give it away! Keep an eye out for that!

From left to right: Debra Driza, Shannon Messenger, Marissa, Jasmine, Amie Tintera, and Kasie West.

 

All these events were amazing and many thanks to the authors for coming out! We hope you guys enjoyed.

Saving the Planet and Stuff by Gail Guathier Review

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Source: Author
Stand Alone
*This was gifted to me by author for review*
Michael Racine lives in a world of highly successful and accomplished teenagers. Unfortunately, he isn't one of them. He knows it, and he's afraid everyone else does too. So when he gets the chance to intern at a magazine run by friends of his grandparents, he jumps at it.
The Earth's Wife, founded in the 1960s, is a famous environmental magazine, and Walt and Nora live what they preach. Tofu, solar energy, composting toilets. . . . By the end of the car ride with Walt and Nora to Vermont, Michael is having serious second thoughts. Too bad it's too late.
Gauthier explores what can happen when a typical, self-absorbed teenage boy is influenced by radical, environmentally-concerned senior citizens in her fifth novel. The possibilities for humor are endless.

Review
I had no idea what to expect from this. The concept was very surprising. The characters didn't impress me but I enjoyed the storyline. 

This tells the story of Michael. His life is somewhat at a standstill. He decides to try something new and goes to work at a magazine. 

This had good characters but I wasn't wowed. Michael was a good main character. He had an interesting way of thinking. He was kinda nerdy but in a cute way. He was very smart. He did have some pervert moments when it came to Nora that I really didn't like. Nora and Walt made  great secondary characters. I loved the family aspect they brought. 

What I liked most about this story was I got to learn a lot. Not only about the environment but also about running a newspaper. It was pretty cool. The story was a little slow at times. It was also difficult to keep up with. What the characters lacked the story made up for. Overall this was quite an interesting read. If you enjoy learning new things and the environment, this one is for you! 

Star Cursed by Jessica Spotswood Review

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Source: Conference
Second book in the Cahill Witch Chronicles
With the Brotherhood persecuting witches like never before, a divided Sisterhood desperately needs Cate to come into her Prophesied powers. And after Cate's friend Sachi is arrested for using magic, a war-thirsty Sister offers to help her find answers—if Cate is willing to endanger everyone she loves.
Cate doesn't want to be a weapon, and she doesn't want to involve her friends and Finn in the Sisterhood's schemes. But when Maura and Tess join the Sisterhood, Maura makes it clear that she'll do whatever it takes to lead the witches to victory. Even if it means sacrifices. Even if it means overthrowing Cate. Even if it means all-out war.
In the highly anticipated sequel to Born Wicked, the Cahill Witch Chronicles continue Cate, Maura and Tess's quest to find love, protect family, and explore their magic against all odds in an alternate history of New England.


Review
I wasn't sure what to expect with this. I'd seen a lot of hype and had high expectations. This met my expectations with ease. It was a great sequel! 

This continues Cats, Tess, and Maura's story. The whole world is waiting for Cate's powers to come. But what they don't realize is it may not be Cate. When her sisters arrive at The Sisterhood, Cate is determined to protect them. All the whole Maura is determined to make everything harder. 

Cate surprised me. She was very strong. She grew a lot in this. I loved how caring and protective she was. I also liked how determined she was. No matter what she was going to make it work. I loved that she fought back and stood up for herself without being rude. I literally wanted to grab Maura out of the book and throw her at a wall. She is so fabulously evil. I admire her evilness but at times I could just slap her.  Tess has my heart. She is the cutest thing ever and I can't wait to see more of her. 

What I enjoyed the most about this story was the world. We got to see a lot of different things we didn't get to see in the first book. The Sisterhood was insanely cool. I liked getting to see some of Harwood and The Brotherhood. This had a pretty fast storyline. It was very mysterious. I couldn't put it down to save my life. Let me just say that ending was not nice. The wait for the third book shall be absolute torturous. If you guys haven't read this one, I highly recommend.


 

Waiting on Wednesday: Cress 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 this week is:





Cress by Marissa Meyer
Expected release date: February 4th, 2014
 from Feiwel and Friends

Rapunzel's tower is a satellite. She can't let down her hair - or her guard.

In this third book in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles series, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army.

Their best hope lies with Cress, who has been trapped on a satellite since childhood with only her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker – unfortunately, she’s just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.

When a daring rescue goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing stop her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only ones who can.



I don't think I know anyone who isn't excited for this book. This series is huge right now and with good reason. It just keeps getting better. Scarlet didn't really end with a cliffhanger but it definitely didn't end on a good note. Plus Rapunzel is my favorite fairytale character. Though I doubt this will be anything like the Disney movie.

Giveaway: A Beautiful Dark Trilogy

Hey guys! I know its been awhile since we've had a giveaway. We're almost at 200 followers so hopefully we can have a big one soon.

I have an entire series for you guys today. I really like this series and I want to share it with someone else. I have one hardcover and two ARCS. The third book is set to come out in September so you get an early start. This is US only sorry INT! Please no cheating!






http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/29e2b515/" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Elite by Kiera Cass Review

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publisher: Harper Teen
Source: Conference
Second book in The Selection series
Thirty-five girls came to the palace to compete in the Selection. All but six have been sent home. And only one will get to marry Prince Maxon and be crowned princess of Illea.
America still isn’t sure where her heart lies. When she’s with Maxon, she’s swept up in their new and breathless romance, and can’t dream of being with anyone else. But whenever she sees Aspen standing guard around the palace, and is overcome with memories of the life they planned to share. With the group narrowed down to the Elite, the other girls are even more determined to win Maxon over—and time is running out for America to decide.
Just when America is sure she’s made her choice, a devastating loss makes her question everything again. And while she’s struggling to imagine her future, the violent rebels that are determined to overthrow the monarchy are growing stronger and their plans could destroy her chance at any kind of happy ending.

Review
This didn't wow me but it was a very well done sequel. I liked how different it was from the first book. Even though I wasn't wowed, I really enjoyed it. 

This continues America's story. The Elite have been chosen and the competition is fierce. America doesn't know what she wants. She has 2 amazing options. While America battles her head, the rebels wreck havoc over the palace. 

America has my heart in this first book. I thought she was amazing! She lacked for me in this one. She was having a tough time. Her head was all over the place. All of a sudden it would seem like she figured things out. Then, she would second guess things and become stuck again. It was hard to connect with her when she was so on and off. I am Team Maxon for life. I could talk about him forever. I loved that we got to see so much of him. He played a huge role to the story. I was so glad we finally got to know him. Now Apsen I don't really have much to say about. He's kinda just there. He's a pretty good character and I can't wait to see who America eventually picks. 

One thing I really liked about this story was nothing was like the first book. It was incredibly dark and exciting. Lots of suspense and action. We really got to learn about the world America has found herself. We got to learn more about some of the characters and some history too. It was very difficult to put this down. I don't think the story lacked at all. Overall this was a pretty great sequel. It left me with very high hopes for the next book. I highly recommend! 

 

Hope Defined by Shannon Humphrey Review

Reading Level: YA
Self Published
Source: Author
Stand Alone or First book in a possible series
*This was gifted to me by author for review*
HOPE The torture began in sixth grade. Hope should never have told the other kids in Opal Lake that she has weird dreams. Or that these dreams inspire her to invent objects that fly. Now in eighth grade, she's the outsider nobody wants. Things get worse when Hope takes the top grade in science. She becomes a threat to eighth grade queen Caitlin Crawford and her privileged clique for the school's highest award, the prestigious Sky Honors. Caitlin preys on Hope's loneliness and concocts a scheme. As Hope's life spirals, the dreams won't stop. Why does the girl in them look like a perfect version of her? DINAH Perfection is the only way of life the Scions know. In Tavos, they exist in peace, traveling through the galaxies, creating planets and manipulating stars. The standard of achievement is nothing less than excellence. Until the hard voices awaken Dinah. Deep punches pierce her. And the desperate eyes pull at her insides. A mysterious force begins to crack the perfect equilibrium of their world. Neither King Aleph nor Dinah's father gives her the answers she seeks. Who is the withering young female in those horrible visions? What does it mean to... suffer? Dinah is bold enough to pursue her own truth. But is she strong enough to handle Hope's?


Review
This was an interesting read. I didn't love it but I did enjoy it. It had a very unique concept but not so great characters. 

This had two stories tied into one with alternating point of view. One the story of a supernatural being in a galaxy far away. The other an average human with an amazing brain. 

The thing that annoyed me about the two main characters was one was very mature and complex, the other very young and average. I enjoyed Hope more because it was easy to follow her story. Hope wasn't immature at all it was the world around her. It was overdone. I enjoyed Dinah but I couldn't keep up with her world. There was a lot of unexplained meanings. But, I enjoyed both characters and their stories.  

The best part of this story was how fast it was. Once I got into it, I couldn't stop reading. I also loved how complex it was. I loved Hope's science and the astronomy part of Dinah's world. There was a fair share of action on both sides. Overall this was a good read. It took awhile to get into but ended up being great! If you liked complexity and unique worlds this is for you! 

Waiting on Wednesday: Origin by Jennifer L. Armentrout

****"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 this week is:

Origin by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Expected publication: August 27th 2013 by Entangled Publishing
Daemon will do anything to get Katy back.
After the successful but disastrous raid on Mount Weather, he’s facing the impossible. Katy is gone. Taken. Everything becomes about finding her. Taking out anyone who stands in his way? Done. Burning down the whole world to save her? Gladly. Exposing his alien race to the world? With pleasure.
All Katy can do is survive.
Surrounded by enemies, the only way she can come out of this is to adapt. After all, there are sides of Daedalus that don’t seem entirely crazy, but the group’s goals are frightening and the truths they speak even more disturbing. Who are the real bad guys? Daedalus? Mankind? Or the Luxen?
Together, they can face anything. 
But the most dangerous foe has been there all along, and when the truths are exposed and the lies come crumbling down, which side will Daemon and Katy be standing on?
And will they even be together?


If you are a fan of this series you know we've been waiting forever for Origin. The ending of Opal was beyond not okay! I know what I'm going to be doing on August 27th and if your smart you will join me and spend the day reading this pretty!

Let me know in the comments what you guys are waiting on!

Top Ten Tuesday (28)

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

  

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list that one of us will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All that's asked is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

 

This weeks topic is Top Ten Favorite books with X setting. This is probably going to consist of books with cool worlds or settings :).

 

1. Fateful by Claudia Gray. This is set on the Titanic and in that time frame and it is amazing!
2. The Die for Me series by Amy Plum. Paris Oh La La.
3. The Across the Universe series by Beth Revis. Space is totally the best setting ever!
4. TigerLilly by Jodi Lynn Anderson. This one is a Peter Pan story told from Tink's perspective. 
5. The Hex Hall series by Rachel Hawkins. This is probably one of my favorite school set books.  
6. The Incarnate series by Jodi Meadows. This has a very unique world and structure of living.
7. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. This has an amazing world. It's so creative its insane.
8. Graceling Realm series by Kristin Cashore. Each book in this series shows us a different realm and there all amazingly built.
9. The Under the Never Sky series by Veronica Rossi. I just love the way these worlds are built. She pays so much attention to detail!.
10. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. This one is so amazing because it not only features a school setting but its set in Paris as well.

So that's it for me! Let me know if we share any or what you guys would pick in the comments <3 font="">

 

Adapting Eden by Victoria Foyt Review

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publisher: Sand Dollar Press
Source: Publisher
Second book in the Save the Pearls series
*This was gifted to me by publisher for review*
In the sequel to the award-winning, dystopian novel, Revealing Eden, Eden Newman must adapt into a hybrid human beast if she hopes to become Ronson Bramford’s mate. She has no choice but to undergo her father’s adaptation experiment at his makeshift laboratory in the last patch of rainforest. But when the past rears its ugly head, Eden and Bramford must abandon camp along with their family and friends. Luckily, an Aztec tribe that has survived with the aid of a healing plant provides them with sanctuary—or is it? Too late, Eden realizes she is at the center of an epic spiritual battle between love and war. To survive, she must face her deepest fears or lose everything, including the beastly man she loves.

Review
This was insanely difficult to push through. I found myself wanting to give up and not finish it. I had hopes that the story would improve after the first book but I was terribly disappointed. 

This continues Eden's story. He's desperate to adapt and become Bramfords mate. What she doesn't realize is she is about to find herself caught in a war she may not be able to win. 

Eden was so incredibly annoying in this. Far worse than the first book. She spent most of the book either pinning for Bramford, demanding control, or obsessing from afar. She wasn't very likable as a character. By the end of the book I was so tired of her it's insane. Bramford also lacked. I didn't enjoy him as much as I did in the first book. He had a few too many secrets and beyond too much attitude. 

This had one of those story lines that had too much going on. I had a problem with that in the first book as well. It was just so hard to keep up. I'm going to be honest and say I pushed through without paying too much attention just because I wanted to be done. This had too many flaws for me to even enjoy the story at all. 

July Monthly Wrap Up

Hey guys! Hope you had an amazing July. We have wrap up videos for you today! These consist of the books we read in July, the books we hope to read in August, and a few books coming out in August.

Marissa's Wrap Up

 

Jasmine's Wrap Up

Waiting on Wednesday: Sentinel by Jennifer L. Armentrout

****"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 this week is:



Sentinel by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Expected release date: November 2nd, 2013
from Spencer Hill Press

It's a beautiful day for a war. Alex must face a terrible choice between destruction of everything she loves and her own destruction. The final book in the COVENANT series.

If you know me at all you know that I love Greek mythology. So it's kind of a given that I love this series. It's one of my favorites. Even though I'm super sad that this is the last one and I'm probably going to cry my eyes out, all these characters (maybe even Seth) deserve their happy ending. That doesn't necessarily mean they're going to get one. We'll have to see.