Monday, August 31, 2015

Reawakened by Colleen Houck Review

Reawakened (Reawakened, #1)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Source: Conference
First book in The Reawakened series
When seventeen-year-old Lilliana Young enters the Metropolitan Museum of Art one morning during spring break, the last thing she expects to find is a live Egyptian prince with godlike powers, who has been reawakened after a thousand years of mummification.
And she really can't imagine being chosen to aid him in an epic quest that will lead them across the globe to find his brothers and complete a grand ceremony that will save mankind.
But fate has taken hold of Lily, and she, along with her sun prince, Amon, must travel to the Valley of the Kings, raise his brothers, and stop an evil, shape-shifting god named Seth from taking over the world.
From New York Times bestselling author Colleen Houck comes an epic adventure about two star-crossed teens who must battle mythical forces and ancient curses on a journey with more twists and turns than the Nile itself.

Review
I'm a huge fan of this author so I had way high expectations. This easily met my expectations. I thought it was incredibly creative and exciting. 

This tells the story of Lily. One day while visiting museums, she awakens a prince. Now that he's awake, she must help him find his brothers. The fate of the world rests in her hands. 

I really enjoyed Lily. I loved getting to see her grow as a person. I loved her strength and sense of adventure. I loved that she kept those boys in their place. Amok is a pretty complex character. I thought he was a great character but we didn't really get to see him on a deep level. He masked a lot of his feelings. I can't wait to see more of him and his brothers. 

This book has a very impressive storyline. It's action packed and exciting. It was packed with Egyptian facts and culture which I really loved. It was crazy unpredictable. I loved the saving the world good vs. bad vibe. I couldn't put this one down! I thought everything was very well done. I can't wait to continue this story! 

Jasmine

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Waiting on Wednesday: Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon








****"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:
Everything, Everything
Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon
Expected publication: September 1st 2015 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers
This innovative, heartfelt debut novel tells the story of a girl who’s literally allergic to the outside world. When a new family moves in next door, she begins a complicated romance that challenges everything she’s ever known. The narrative unfolds via vignettes, diary entries, texts, charts, lists, illustrations, and more.
My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.
But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.
Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.

Guys, I just read this book and let me tell you... it was AMAZING. I knew absolutely nothing about this going into it. It sucks you in right off the bat and doesn't let you go! I was incredibly impressed! 

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

Friday, August 21, 2015

Never Always Sometimes by Adi Alsaid Review

Never Always Sometimes
Reading Level: Young Adult
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Source: Conference
Stand Alone
Never date your best friend.
Always be original.
Sometimes rules are meant to be broken.
Best friends Dave and Julia were determined to never be cliché high school kids—the ones who sit at the same lunch table every day, dissecting the drama from homeroom and plotting their campaigns for prom king and queen. They even wrote their own Never List of everything they vowed they’d never, ever do in high school. 
Some of the rules have been easy to follow, like #5, never dye your hair a color of the rainbow, or #7, never hook up with a teacher. But Dave has a secret: he’s broken rule #8, never pine silently after someone for the entirety of high school. It’s either that or break rule #10, never date your best friend. Dave has loved Julia for as long as he can remember. 
Julia is beautiful, wild and impetuous. So when she suggests they do every Never on the list, Dave is happy to play along. He even dyes his hair an unfortunate shade of green. It starts as a joke, but then a funny thing happens: Dave and Julia discover that by skipping the clichés, they’ve actually been missing out on high school. And maybe even on love.

Review
I absolutely adored this story. It was super fun but still meaningful. The characters were fabulous and I couldn't put it down to save my life! 

This tells the story of Dave and Julia. At the start of high school, they made a list of nevers. 4 years later, they've decided to do everything on the Nevers list. 

I have so much love for Dave and Julia! They had the most amazing relationship. I loved the way they could do nothing but have fun doing it. They both had amazing personalities. I really liked getting to see them explore themselves and their feelings. It wasn't easy for them but they still did it. 

This story is pretty addicting. It has so many fun and adventurous aspects to it. It was super easy to relate too. I loved his unpredictable it was. There's a lot of love in this story. That was really my favorite part. There was also lots of family aspects. Overall I really enjoyed this story. I thought it was incredibly well done and I highly recommend it! 

Jasmine

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Waiting on Wednesday: Hello, Goodbye, and Everything In Between by Jennifer E. Smith







****"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:
Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between
Hello, Goodbye, and Everything In Between by Jennifer E. Smith
Expected publication: September 1st 2015 by Poppy
On the night before they leave for college, Clare and Aidan only have one thing left to do: figure out whether they should stay together or break up. Over the course of twelve hours, they'll retrace the steps of their relationship, trying to find something in their past that might help them decide what their future should be. The night will lead them to friends and family, familiar landmarks and unexpected places, hard truths and surprising revelations. But as the clock winds down and morning approaches, so does their inevitable goodbye. The question is, will it be goodbye for now or goodbye forever?
This new must-read novel from Jennifer E. Smith, author of The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, explores the difficult choices that must be made when life and love lead in different directions.

I'm a really big fan of this author! I know some people say every book is the same but I don't feel that way at all! This author is one of my favorite contemporary authors. I can't wait to get my hands on this pretty!
Jasmine

Friday, August 14, 2015

The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith Review

The Geography of You and Me
Reading Level: Young Adult
Publisher: Poppy
Source: Bought
Stand Alone
Lucy and Owen meet somewhere between the tenth and eleventh floors of a New York City apartment building, on an elevator rendered useless by a citywide blackout. After they're rescued, they spend a single night together, wandering the darkened streets and marveling at the rare appearance of stars above Manhattan. But once the power is restored, so is reality. Lucy soon moves to Edinburgh with her parents, while Owen heads out west with his father.
Lucy and Owen's relationship plays out across the globe as they stay in touch through postcards, occasional e-mails, and -- finally -- a reunion in the city where they first met.
A carefully charted map of a long-distance relationship, Jennifer E. Smith's new novel shows that the center of the world isn't necessarily a place. It can be a person, too.


Review
This author has done it again. I absolutely loved this story. Everything was left up to chance. It sucks you in and never lets you go. 

This tells the story of Lucy and Owen. They end up stuck in an elevator. They spend one magical night together and go their separate ways. But a single postcard brings them back together. 

Lucy and Owen individually are amazing. They both have wonderful personalities. Their very easy to relate too. But, put them together and it's perfection. I loved getting to see them grow together. They helped each other in life and in their relationship. Things weren't easy for either of them. But they really made the best of what they had. 

This has an absolutely amazing storyline. It was super fun. It had its serious moments too though. I loved all the traveling. There was lots and lots of family aspects. This story had tons of cute moments. It never seemed overdone. I honestly smiled the whole time I was reading this. I couldn't put it down! It didn't quite beat out Jens last hook for my soviets but it was incredibly close! I highly recommend this pretty! 

Jasmine

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Waiting on Wednesday: A Curious Tale of In-Between by Lauren Destefano








****"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:
A Curious Tale of the In-Between (Pram, #1)
A Curious Tale of In-Between by Lauren DeStefano 
Expected publication: September 1st 2015 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Pram Bellamy is special—she can talk to ghosts. She doesn’t have too many friends amongst the living, but that’s all right. She has her books, she has her aunts, and she has her best friend, the ghostly Felix.
Then Pram meets Clarence, a boy from school who has also lost a parent and is looking for answers. Together they arrive at the door of the mysterious Lady Savant, who promises to help. But this spiritualist knows the true nature of Pram’s power, and what she has planned is more terrifying than any ghost.
Lauren DeStefano is beloved by critics and readers alike, and her middle grade debut is lyrical, evocative and not to be missed.

I really picked this one because I wanted to love on it! I actually just read this and I really loved it! I think it was a super fun, creative middle grade! It was a little darker but still perfect for the age range! 

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

Monday, August 10, 2015

Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Liani Taylor Review

Dreams of Gods & Monsters (Daughter of Smoke & Bone, #3)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Publisher: Little Brown
Source: Bought
Third and final book in the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series
By way of a staggering deception, Karou has taken control of the chimaera rebellion and is intent on steering its course away from dead-end vengeance. The future rests on her, if there can even be a future for the chimaera in war-ravaged Eretz.
Common enemy, common cause.
When Jael's brutal seraph army trespasses into the human world, the unthinkable becomes essential, and Karou and Akiva must ally their enemy armies against the threat. It is a twisted version of their long-ago dream, and they begin to hope that it might forge a way forward for their people.
And, perhaps, for themselves. Toward a new way of living, and maybe even love.
But there are bigger threats than Jael in the offing. A vicious queen is hunting Akiva, and, in the skies of Eretz ... something is happening. Massive stains are spreading like bruises from horizon to horizon; the great winged stormhunters are gathering as if summoned, ceaselessly circling, and a deep sense of wrong pervades the world.
What power can bruise the sky?
From the streets of Rome to the caves of the Kirin and beyond, humans, chimaera and seraphim will fight, strive, love, and die in an epic theater that transcends good and evil, right and wrong, friend and enemy. 
At the very barriers of space and time, what do gods and monsters dream of? And does anything else matter?

Review
I was so excited for this. This series has kept me waiting and wondering how it would wrap up. I was a little scared but this was a fabulous ending. 

Everything is up to Karou. She's rebuilding the chimera army in hopes of saving the world. But, it may not be enough. 

Karou really wowed me in this. She was amazing. She took what she was handed and made the best of it. She was determined to save the world. Nothing was going to get in her way. I was glad to see so much of Ziri and Akiva. I was also glad to see so much of Mik and Zu.  Karou had an amazing team behind her. Plus individually their all amazing characters. I was really glad to learn so much about the chimera and different things in their world. I loved all the bad guys! There was a great good vs bad vibe. 

For most of this story war is the plot. There was a lot going on closer to the end that was very confusing. I loved all the war aspects and all the actions. It was very suspenseful. I had no idea what to expect. This story was super fast paced. I thought it wrapped thing up well. I did find myself wishing there wasn't so much going on in the last bit of the book. It was very difficult to keep up with everything. Overall this really was a fabulous ending to a fabulous series. I really enjoyed it! 

Jasmine

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Waiting on Wednesday: Firewalker by Josephine Angelini









****"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:
Firewalker (Worldwalker, #2)
Firewalker by Josephine Angelini 
Expected publication: September 1st by Feiwel & Friends
Worlds divide, magic slays, and love lies in the second book of Josephine Angelini’s The Worldwalker Trilogy.
"You think I’m a monster, but my choices, as ruthless as they seem, are justified."
Lily is back in her own universe, and she's ready to start a new life with Rowan by her side. True, she almost died in the Pyre that fueled their escape from New Salem, and must hide her magic for the safety of everyone she cares about, but compared to fighting the Woven, the monstrous creatures inhabiting the alternate Salem, life is looking pretty good.
Unfortunately, Lillian, ruthless ruler of the 13 Cities, is not willing to let Lily go that easily. If she can’t persuade Lily to return to her world, she will force her to come back by doing away with the ones she loves

I don't remember much about the first book but I am a huge fan of this author. And that cover is absolutely beautiful so how could you not want to read this?

Let me know what you guys would pick in the comments! 

Jasmine