Waiting on Wednesday: Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver

****"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:

Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver

Expected publication: March 10th 2015 by HarperCollins

New York Times bestselling author Lauren Oliver delivers a gripping story about two sisters inexorably altered by a terrible accident.

Dara and Nick used to be inseparable, but that was before the accident that left Dara's beautiful face scarred and the two sisters totally estranged. When Dara vanishes on her birthday, Nick thinks Dara is just playing around. But another girl, nine-year-old Madeline Snow, has vanished, too, and Nick becomes increasingly convinced that the two disappearances are linked. Now Nick has to find her sister, before it's too late.

In this edgy and compelling novel, Lauren Oliver creates a world of intrigue, loss, and suspicion as two sisters search to find themselves, and each other.

So I don't know much about this story but I don't really need too. Lauren Oliver is amazing! I think this pretty sounds fabulous and I cant wait to read it!

Top Ten Tuesday (80)

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

This weeks topic is Top Ten Favorite Heroines from Books. I'm going to try and pick from like more recent books instead of any books I've read. Just to keep things interesting! 

1. Blue from The Raven Cycle. Blue seriously has the best personality! She's very good at keeping her Raven Boys in check!
2. Kami from the Unspoken series. I have so much love for Kami. Not only does she have an amazing personality but she's also incredibly strong and determined. 
3. Tris from Divergent. Okay this is an older pick but I promise I have a good reason. Tris showed so much character growth throughout the series! She had to be included. 
4. Mara from the Unbecoming of Mara Dyer series. Literally Mara went through hell but she still kept going. 
5. Ruby from The Darkest Minds series. I feel like even though Ruby had a softer personality , she had a lot of strength too. 
6. Elisa from the Girl of Fire and Thorns series. I will always remember how amazing and unique this character was. 
7. The girls from the His Fair Assassin series. Okay this one is kinda cheating but seriously those girls are badass. 

Alright that's all I've got! Let me know what you guys would pick in the comments! 

The Beautiful and the Cursed by Page Morgan Review

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publisher: Delacorte
Source: Conference
First book in the Dispossessed series
After a bizarre accident, Ingrid Waverly is forced to leave London with her mother and younger sister, Gabby, trading a world full of fancy dresses and society events for the unfamiliar city of Paris.
In Paris there are no grand balls or glittering parties, and, disturbingly, the house Ingrid’s twin brother, Grayson, found for them isn’t a house at all. It’s an abandoned abbey, its roof lined with stone gargoyles that could almost be mistaken for living, breathing creatures.
And Grayson has gone missing.
No one seems to know of his whereabouts but Luc, a devastatingly handsome servant at their new home.
Ingrid is sure her twin isn’t dead—she can feel it deep in her soul—but she knows he’s in grave danger. It will be up to her and Gabby to navigate the twisted path to Grayson, a path that will lead Ingrid on a discovery of dark secrets and otherworldly truths. And she’ll learn that once they are uncovered, they can never again be buried.

Review
I had a really hard time getting into this story. By the time I reached about halfway I still wasn't into it. I'm glad I continued reading though. The last half made it worth the read. 

This tells the story of Ingrid and Gabby. Their trading the life they knew for a new life in Paris. When they discover their brother missing the uncover some dark secrets about the streets of Paris. 

The characters were my favorite part of this book. Ingrid and Gabby were fantastic. Ingrid had a softer but still strong personality. I loved how she stood up for herself. Gabby was like a firecracker. She was stubborn and high but I still loved her. This story has some great boys. Luc was great but a little standoffish. I understand his reasoning for pushing Ingrid but he came across badly at times. 

This has a like gothic storytime. I've never read a gargoyle story before. It's always been a concept I was interested in. It was a tad hard to follow. It kinda took a while to get going. That's why I had such a hard time getting into it. I loved how dark and mysterious it was. I thought it was very unique. Overall I thought this was a good read. It had some great aspects. I'm excited to continue the series. 

Review Catch Up

If you couldn't tell by the title, I'm trying something new. It's a big understatement to say that I haven't been the best blogger about writing reviews. I've been absolutely awful about it, really. I've wanted to do something about it for quite a while now, but I just didn't know how. Since I'm tired of feeling bad for having books from publishers that I've never reviewed, I'm starting with those.

So here's the plan. In the (8) weeks leading up to TLA this year I'm going to be posting a sort of monthly wrap up for the months April-November. These will have reviews for all the ARCs I read that came out that month. They will also have a review for my favorite book or series that I read in the month. Does that make sense? Well, I hope so because I'm starting with April right now.

I only have one ARC to review this month, but that's okay because I loved it.

Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Release date: April 15th, 2014
Received from Disney-Hyperion at TLA 2014
Samantha is a stranger in her own life. Until the night she disappeared with her best friend, Cassie, everyone said Sam had it all-popularity, wealth, and a dream boyfriend.

Sam has resurfaced, but she has no recollection of who she was or what happened to her that night. As she tries to piece together her life from before, she realizes it's one she no longer wants any part of. The old Sam took "mean girl" to a whole new level, and it's clear she and Cassie were more like best enemies. Sam is pretty sure that losing her memories is like winning the lottery. She's getting a second chance at being a better daughter, sister, and friend, and she's falling hard for Carson Ortiz, a boy who has always looked out for her-even if the old Sam treated him like trash.

But Cassie is still missing, and the facts about what happened to her that night isn't just buried deep inside of Sam's memory-someone else knows, someone who wants to make sure Sam stays quiet. All Sam wants is the truth, and if she can unlock her clouded memories of that fateful night, she can finally move on. But what if not remembering is the only thing keeping Sam alive?

This book proved to me that Jennifer L Armentrout can write just about anything and I'll love it. She's done greek mythology, hot aliens, New Adult, hot gargoyles, the list goes on. Now she's written a murder mystery and of course I absolutely loved it.


I love mysteries and really don't read them enough. Mainly because I tend to ruin them for myself. I spend so much of the book trying to put together all the pieces to see the big picture. I don't always figure it out-I'm not that smart-but I'm not always surprised, either. That wasn't the case with this twist. I had a fleeting what if in the middle of the book but then discarded it and thought something else was going on. Turns out I should have stuck with that. So even though it sounds like I figured it out, I didn't think that was really what was going on. When I found out it was, in a way, I was blown away.


While I love mystery, I'm not a big fan of memory loss stories. But this one was done wonderfully. I loved how Cassie didn't just have to figure out what happened-she had to figure out who she was. As she started getting her memories back she really had to figure out who she wanted to be. She wasn't the nicest person and seeing her get a second chance was refreshing. Being a JLA book it of course had a great romance. I liked seeing Sam's other relationships, too. It was nice to see the people that were still there for her.


I don't know why I was surprised, but this blew me away.  It was so much more than the usual murder mystery story and I never saw anything coming. Like I said Jennifer L. Armentrout can do everything. If you want another book by her or are just in the mood for a crazy ride, you should pick this up.

So this is what these posts will (hopefully) look like. I'm excited but nervous at the same time. I just hope I can keep it up. I'll be back next week with plenty amazing books that came out in May.

Waiting on Wednesday: P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han

****"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:



P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han
Expected release date: May 26th, 2015
from Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers


Lara Jean didn’t expect to really fall for Peter.

She and Peter were just pretending. Except suddenly they weren’t. Now Lara Jean is more confused than ever.

When another boy from her past returns to her life, Lara Jean’s feelings for him return too. Can a girl be in love with two boys at once?

In this charming and heartfelt sequel to the New York Times bestseller To All the Boys I've Loved Before, we see first love through the eyes of the unforgettable Lara Jean. Love is never easy, but maybe that’s part of makes it so amazing.  

Not gonna lie, I checked goodreads probably once a week waiting for this cover to come out. It was worth the wait.

I'm used to my contemporaries getting all wrapped up with a pretty bow by the end. To All the Boys I've Loved Before didn't do that and it's really messing with me. Even though I'm not excited about this "other boy", I'm still really, really excited for this book. My birthday might be almost as good as last years. At least as far as book releases go.

Top Ten Tuesday (79)

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

This weeks topic is Top Ten Book Related Problems. I know at first this seems crazy. How could you have problems with books?! But once I started thinking about it, I actually had plenty.

• Finishing books-This is without a doubt my biggest problem. And it's just getting worse. Once I get really into a book I just can't put it down. It doesn't matter what time it is or how much is left, I have to read it all. I always get this feeling when I know I'm going to read until it's over. Whether it's from the first page or over halfway, I know after I get that I can tell myself to put it down-but it just won't happen.
• Staying up way too late-Because of what I just said, this picture is literally my life.
• Reading instead of _______-I never like starting a book when I know that I have a lot of stuff to do. Not because I neglect the book, but the opposite. Papers won't get written, showers untaken, dirty dishes everywhere. Then when I actually do something else, like go to school, that book is all that I can think about and reading it is all I want to be doing. It's problem.
• Too many books/not enough space-I'm constantly in need of more bookshelves. Almost as soon as I get a new one it's already full. I'm forced to get pretty crafty on fitting as many books as I can on one shelf, but then I'm sad because some books get covered up. It's the struggle.
• Wanting all the editions-Despite not having any shelf room, not only do I want more new books, I want other copies of the ones I already have. My favorite series all have other editions that are so gorgeous and for each John Green book I own there's about 3 other ones I like, too. And have you ever seen the Penguin Classics? Ugh.
• Crying-You wouldn't think it was a problem, but with me it is. I cry in like every book I read. Sometimes my eyes just get a little misty, but other times I'm basically sobbing for the entire book. Clockwork Princess, anyone? I love those ones most but still.
• Reading in public-Does anyone else have problems with this or just me? I'm always nervous someone will ask my what the book is about and I'll have no idea what to say. Or even worse, I'll say I'm a reader and then they will ask me what my favorite book is and I'll just look at them like they're crazy. Just me?
• Writing reviews-This is more of a blogger problem, but I think it still counts. I'm working on it, I promise. Just you wait.

Wow, it's nice being honest about how crazy reading books makes me. But I still love them. That might be the first problem...

Born of Illusion by Teri Brown Review

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publisher: Balzer and Bray
Source: Conference
First book in the Born of Illusion series
Anna Van Housen has a secret. 
A gifted illusionist, Anna assists her mother, the renowned medium Marguerite Van Housen, in her stage show and séances, easily navigating the underground world of magicians, mediums, and mentalists in 1920’s New York. As the illegitimate daughter of Harry Houdini—or so Marguerite claims—sleight of hand illusions have never been a challenge for Anna. The real trick is keeping her own gifts secret from her opportunistic mother. Because while Marguerite’s own powers may be a sham, Anna possesses a true ability to sense people’s feelings and foretell the future.
But as Anna’s powers intensify, she begins to experience frightening visions of her mother in peril, which leads her to explore the powers she’s tried so long to hide. And when a mysterious young man named Cole moves into the flat downstairs, introducing Anna to a secret society that studies people with gifts like hers, she is forced to confront her past and rethink everything she’s ever known. Is her mother truly in danger, or are Anna’s visions merely illusion? And could the great Houdini really be her father, or is it just another of Marguerite’s tricks?
From Teri Brown comes a world bursting with magic, with romance, and the temptations of Jazz Age New York—and the story of a girl about to become the mistress of her own destiny. 

Review
I was really impressed by his story. I loved the late 1900s setting. The characters were fabulous! I loved all the magic aspects. This is one of those stories that sucks you in and never lets you go. 

This tells the story of Anna. She's a gifted illusionist. She's always been her mothers back up. When the mysterious Cole moves in, Anna discovers there's more to her powers than she knows. 

I loved Anna. She had a softer personality. I loved seeing her powers grow. I loved that she stood up for herself without being an ungrateful brat. She was very caring over her mother. Cole is still kind of a mystery to me. I liked his character but I wanted to see more of him. Hopefully he plays a bigger role in the next book. This book has a lot of secondary characters. I loved the good vs bad vibe. It was really difficult to tell who was on what side. 

This has a little bit of a darker storyline. It's very mysterious. There's a ton of suspense and action. Once I got into it, I couldn't put it down. I didn't see any of the twists coming. Overall, I really enjoyed this story. I found it very impressive. I cannot wait to continue this story. 

Waiting on Wednesday: Rogue by Julie Kagawa

****"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:

Rogue by Julie Kagawa

Expected publication: April 28th 2015 by Harlequin Teen

Ember Hill left the dragon organization Talon to take her chances with rebel dragon Cobalt and his crew of rogues. But Ember can't forget the sacrifice made for her by the human boy who could have killed her—Garret Xavier Sebastian, a soldier of the dragonslaying Order of St. George, the boy who saved her from a Talon assassin, knowing that by doing so, he'd signed his own death warrant. 

Determined to save Garret from execution, Ember must convince Cobalt to help her break into the Order's headquarters. With assassins after them and Ember's own brother helping Talon with the hunt, the rogues find an unexpected ally in Garret and a new perspective on the underground battle between Talon and St. George. 

A reckoning is brewing and the secrets hidden by both sides are shocking and deadly. Soon Ember must decide: Should she retreat to fight another day…or start an all-out war?

I literally would kill to get my hands on this book. Talon was such an amazing read. The ending was super mean though! At least April is right around the corner! 

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

Top Ten Tuesday (78)

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

This weeks topic is Top Ten Things I Like/Dislike in Romance Books. We all know I love my romance!

1. Dislike:Love Triangles. I'm pretty sure everyone hates these.
2. Dislike:The helpless girl act. I don't see this one much anymore but it drives me crazy when I do see it.
3. Like: The bad boy vs the good guy. Both are good for me! 
4. Dislike:The leave and come back act. Like if you leave homeboy you better stay gone! 
5. Dislike:The forbidden love. This one can be okay sometimes! 
6. Like: Taking things slow. I just love when couples take things slow.
7. Like: Being close friends first. I love when couples already have a really good friendship. 
8. Like: When couples are together throughout a series. I love when they get together early on and then we get to see them be cute for the rest of the series(cough cough Jennifer Armentrout)
9. Like: Cameos. I love when we get to see all of our favorites from past books. 
10. Like:Kissing. I had to throw that one in there :).

Alrighty that's all I've got! Let me know what you guys would pick in the comments <3 font="">

Fire and Flood by Victoria Scott Review

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publisher: Scholastic
Source: Bought
First book in the Fire and Flood series
Time is slipping away.... 
Tella Holloway is losing it. Her brother is sick, and when a dozen doctors can't determine what's wrong, her parents decide to move to Montana for the fresh air. She's lost her friends, her parents are driving her crazy, her brother is dying—and she's helpless to change anything.
Until she receives mysterious instructions on how to become a Contender in the Brimstone Bleed. It's an epic race across jungle, desert, ocean, and mountain that could win her the prize she desperately desires: the Cure for her brother's illness. But all the Contenders are after the Cure for people they love, and there's no guarantee that Tella (or any of them) will survive the race.
The jungle is terrifying, the clock is ticking, and Tella knows she can't trust the allies she makes. And one big question emerges: Why have so many fallen sick in the first place?

Review
It took me a little bit to get into this one. But once I did, I loved it! I thought it was incredibly unique. 

This tells the story of Tella. Her brother is sick. She's been invited to participate in the Brimstone Bleed. Tella doesn't know much about the race but she does know the winner gets a cure. 

I know some people didn't enjoy Tella much but I loved her! I found her easy to relate too and easy to connect with. Yeah she was a little superficial but what teenage girl isn't? I found her very strong and determined. She was also very caring. I loved Guy! I loved how mysterious he was. I loved how he took charge and cared for Tella. I hope we get to see more of him in the next book. I absolutely adored all the Pandoras! They made the story so much more exciting. I loved the variety and all the powers. It was such a unique aspect to the story. 

It was kinda hard for me in the beginning to figure out this story. This has a very complex plot. But I really enjoyed it! I loved how mysterious it was. It kept me on my toes. I loved the different worlds. I loved how exciting everything was. I was really impressed by this story. I thought it was really well done. I cannot wait to see where the story goes next! 

January Monthly Wrap Up

Hey guys! We hope you guys had a great start to the year! Here's our wrap ups for this month. Let us know in the comments what your reading plans are! 

Marissa's Wrap Up

Jasmine's Wrap Up

Waiting on Wednesday: Nowhere But Here by Katie McGarry

****"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:



Nowhere But Here by Katie McGarry
Expected release date: May 26th, 2015
from Harlequin Teen
An unforgettable new series from acclaimed author Katie McGarry about taking risks, opening your heart and ending up in a place you never imagined possible.

Seventeen-year-old Emily likes her life the way it is: doting parents, good friends, good school in a safe neighborhood. Sure, she's curious about her biological father—the one who chose life in a motorcycle club, the Reign of Terror, over being a parent—but that doesn't mean she wants to be a part of his world. But when a reluctant visit turns to an extended summer vacation among relatives she never knew she had, one thing becomes clear: nothing is what it seems. Not the club, not her secret-keeping father and not Oz, a guy with suck-me-in blue eyes who can help her understand them both.

Oz wants one thing: to join the Reign of Terror. They're the good guys. They protect people. They're…family. And while Emily—the gorgeous and sheltered daughter of the club's most respected member—is in town, he's gonna prove it to her. So when her father asks him to keep her safe from a rival club with a score to settle, Oz knows it's his shot at his dream. What he doesn't count on is that Emily just might turn that dream upside down.

No one wants them to be together. But sometimes the right person is the one you least expect, and the road you fear the most is the one that leads you home.  

Is anyone really surprised? If there's a new Katie McGarry book coming out and the cover is released then of course it's going to be what I'm waiting on. I'm so excited. I've never read a book having to do with gangs before. But it could be about absolutely anything and I would still read it and love it. Happy early birthday present to me!


That's what I'm waiting on this week. What about you?

Top Ten Tuesday (77)

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

This weeks topic is Top Ten Books I Can't Believe I Haven't Read Yet. Well, technically it was per genre, but I couldn't come up with very many of those. Unfortunately, I could come up with plenty of ones for this topic.

• Graceling by Kristin Cashore-This book is always the first one that comes to mind when I think of books I haven't read. I've owned it for years and have heard nothing but great things. I honestly have no idea why I still haven't read it. Maybe I'll get to it this year?
• The Book Thief by Marcus Zuzak-I know, I know, I can't believe it either. So many people say this is their favorite book. But I actually have a reason for this one. I want the pretty U.K. edition, and it's not sold in stores here. Okay, that may be a crappy reason. I'm picky.
• The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness-Yet again, this is so many people's favorites. And I own it. I think I'm just a little intimidated because I know it will probably take over my life and kill my feels. But what's wrong with that?
• Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan-I probably should have read this back when I was first reading John Green's books. So much time has passed since then and I still haven't read this one. I still think it sounds interesting so I'm not sure what the hold up is.
• The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson-I wanted to read this as soon as I heard about it. Now all three books are out and I still haven't gotten my hands on it. I've also had more than one opportunity to buy them and get them signed. Still haven't. Maybe I will for North Texas Teen?
• Vortex by Julie Cross-I read Tempest ages ago and absolutely loved it. And the ending sucked. So I really don't know how I survived not buying this one sooner.
• The Liberator by Victoria Scott-Tori is one of my favorite people and The Collector was definitely one of my favorites, too. You see, I bought this book, got it signed, gave it to a friend, and still haven't gotten it back. I should have asked for it or just bought another one by now but I'm a chicken. A sad chicken.
• Eve by Anna Carrey-I bought this and got it signed quite a while ago and still haven't read it. Seems like the story of my life.
• The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey-I got an ARC of this and really wanted to read it. Now the second one it out and I've heard such amazing things. Maybe the movie coming out will make me finally pick it up?
• The Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead-Okay, technically, I've read the first two and I'm reading the second one, but I really can't believe I didn't read this series years ago. Better late than never, right?

That's my ten this week. I'm kind of sad now. Hopefully by the end of the year this list will be much shorter. Maybe it will be gone. We'll see!