Reading Level:Young Adult
Publisher:St. Martin's Griffin
First in Tempest series
The year is 2009. Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy… he’s in college, has a girlfriend… and he can travel back through time. But it’s not like the movies – nothing changes in the present after his jumps, there’s no space-time continuum issues or broken flux capacitors – it’s just harmless fun.
That is… until the day strangers burst in on Jackson and his girlfriend, Holly, and during a struggle with Jackson, Holly is fatally shot. In his panic, Jackson jumps back two years to 2007, but this is not like his previous time jumps. Now he’s stuck in 2007 and can’t get back to the future.
Desperate to somehow return to 2009 to save Holly but unable to return to his rightful year, Jackson settles into 2007 and learns what he can about his abilities.
But it’s not long before the people who shot Holly in 2009 come looking for Jackson in the past, and these “Enemies of Time” will stop at nothing to recruit this powerful young time-traveler. Recruit… or kill him.
Piecing together the clues about his father, the Enemies of Time, and himself, Jackson must decide how far he’s willing to go to save Holly… and possibly the entire world.
Review
I seriously adored this book. It was amazing. It wasn't really what I was expecting at all. I read it in basically one day and then was sad when it was over.
It's rare when a book is from the guys perspective. I love it. It's a nice change. Jackson is the love of my life. He's so adorable and sweet. If it was me I would have been freaking out. He handled everything so well. He learned that his whole life was a lie and didn't even melt down. This is really romance centered which I love. Jackson was willing to do anything to keep Holly safe. She was what mattered most. That's adorable. Their so cute together. Of course that was my favorite part.
Who doesn't love time travel. I think that is such a cool concept. The author did a really good job with it. The plot was great. It was incredibly fast paced making this difficult to put down. The characters were great though I think it would have been cool if the secondary characters played a bigger part. Overall I really enjoyed this. The wait for the sequel is gonna be killer :(. I highly recommend this. I think everyone in the world should read it and love it so that we can talk about it :). 5/5 stars
Jasmine <3
Reading Level:Young Adult
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Second book in Curse Workers series
Curses and cons. Magic and the mob. In Cassel Sharpe's world, they go together. Cassel always thought he was an ordinary guy, until he realized his memories were being manipulated by his brothers. Now he knows the truth—he’s the most powerful curse worker around. A touch of his hand can transform anything—or anyone—into something else.
That was how Lila, the girl he loved, became a white cat. Cassel was tricked into thinking he killed her, when actually he tried to save her. Now that she's human again, he should be overjoyed. Trouble is, Lila's been cursed to love him, a little gift from his emotion worker mom. And if Lila's love is as phony as Cassel's made-up memories, then he can't believe anything she says or does.
When Cassel's oldest brother is murdered, the Feds recruit Cassel to help make sense of the only clue—crime-scene images of a woman in red gloves. But the mob is after Cassel too—they know how valuable he could be to them. Cassel is going to have to stay one step ahead of both sides just to survive. But where can he turn when he can't trust anyone—least of all, himself?
Love is a curse and the con is the only answer in a game too dangerous to lose.
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.
Teaser
"Make me pretty," the man says, coming as close to me as he can with Stanley between us. He smells like stale sweat and vomit. "I want to be a movie star."
Reading Level: YA/MG
Self Published
First in a possible series
*This book was gifted to me by the author in exchange for an honest review*
Why do the movies always portray mutants as having some kind of glorious plight? If a kid got bit by a radioactive spider he’d probably puke webs right before he died. Men that can walk through bullets and fly don’t dress in tights and pretend to be newspaper reporters. And there are no special flashlights to shine in the air to signal you when there’s trouble. You want to be a superhero and fight crime? Prospects are unlikely at best. Chances are you’d just get sued by the criminals you arrested and put in prison for delivering your own vigilante justice. The truth of the matter is living as a mutant is risky business. Uncontrollable outbreaks, delusions of grandeur and don’t forget the horde of scientists eager to pick you apart to figure out what makes you tick. Did you really expect a special school to crop up just to take care of all the misfortunate adolescents? Or you could create your own little team by adding Fantastic, Super, or Glorious to the front of a number. No, you wouldn’t be so lucky. And neither was Anthony Dimair, as a matter of fact he was the exact opposite. Now he must survive long enough to find the meaning of his Uncle’s cryptic message while avoiding capture, fighting the elements, and trying to not end up as dinner.
This book took me a while to get into. It might be because it's an e-book and as I've mentioned before I'm not very good at reading those. But eventually I did and I enjoyed it. The story starts off by introducing the main character Anthony. He is just a normal teenager hanging out with his friends, crushing on a certain girl, dreading the end of summer and his first day of high school. Then something crazy happens: he grows wings. That's really when the story starts and when I started getting interested. That's not really all the plot though there is creepy neighbors, people following him, friends going missing and even a creepy fortune teller lady. There was a lot going on and sometimes I was really confused. It didn't explain why he got these wings until the end of the story and some of the stuff Anthony and his friends did didn't make any sense to me.
I liked Anthony he acted like any teenager would in his situation and he had a lot of stuff going on. I felt bad for him. His friends were really cool I liked how they were always there for him no matter what and how they were willing to do all this crazy stuff with him. I think Steve was my favorite. But I sometimes got them mixed up and wish we could have learned more about them. I thought Nickie the girl he had a crush on was really nice and they were cute. But I highly doubt after one date Anthony was in love with her.
There was a huge twist in the end and it kind of ended in a cliffhanger and I totally didn't see it coming. I thought this book was interesting and fast paced there was some things I didn't like and felt could be explained more but in the end I really enjoyed it. It kind of felt like a short story though and there was a lot of questions left unanswered so I hope there is another one.
3/5 stars.
-Marissa
Reading Level;Young Adult
Publisher:Self Published
First in Florence Vaine series
Flo has always had problems. Her stammer prevents her speech and her dad’s abuse makes her life a living hell. Not to mention she sees colours other people don’t.
When her dad decides to ship her off to live with her grandma in the sleepy town of Chesterport, Flo thinks that this is her chance for a better life. But on her very first day at her new school she is ridiculed and laughed at for having a stammer. One student sticks up for her and his name is Frank.
Frank’s body is surrounded by an aura of fire, but Flo is the only one who can see it. He lives in a foster home for troubled teenagers. Flo is drawn to him because he’s different and so is she.
Things are about to get scary, because Chesterport is not your ordinary suburban town. It’s infested by a coven of dark witches who prey on the young and the elderly. Soon Flo discovers that she’s next on their list of victims, and finds herself fighting a battle she never would have imagined possible
Review
A strange fire is about a girl who moves to a new town meets a guy and her world gets turned upside down.
There was only one thing that annoyed me about Florence. That was her stutter. It was really hard to read. After awhile you get used to it though. Her aura reading power was so awesome. Seriously I wish I had that power. Another thing I really liked was how her and Franklin got to know each other before falling in love. Franklin is so so so cute. Franklin and Flo are probably why I loved this book so much. Their absolutely adorable. The secondary characters were cool too. I really liked Flo's friends and Franklin's family.
There wasn't really much of a plot. There was a ton of excitement at the end but not so much throughout the rest of the book. The characters were really good. I think the author put more attention into the characters and not enough into the plot. I actually read it very quickly so it kept my attention pretty well. A little more excitement and it would have been perfect.
Overall I really enjoyed this. I hope there is a sequel soon. 4/5 stars
Jasmine :)
Lola St. Vill the awesome author of Guardians: The Girl was nice enough to host an interview and a giveaway. You can find our reviews here: http://beneaththemoonandstars.blogspot.com/2012/03/review-guardians-girl-by-lola-stvil.html and here: http://beneaththemoonandstars.blogspot.com/2012/02/guardiansthe-girl-review.html .
Now for the Interview:
Who is your favorite character to write?
Whoever I'm writing at the moment is my favorite. They have to feel like they are in order for them to "talk" to me.
But if I HAVE to pick, I would say Emmy. She was the first to talk to me. She will always hold a space in my heart.
Where did you get your inspiration?
I wish I had a good answer. The truth is in my head, I saw a girl in class day dreaming about having a more exciting life (much like I use to do) and it went on from there.
What are some of the best YA books you have read lately?
I love YA books (of course) the only problem is I can't read books in the genre that I'm writing at the moment. It makes the "voices" in my head jealous and confused. And soon I will start to rewrite a story that has already been told. So, right now I am working on book 3 of "Guardians" which means I'm not allowed to read any YA : (
What's your favorite movie based on a book?
Harry Potter and Pretty Little Lairs (even if it is a TV show)
Awesome choices. We agree.
Was it easier to write the first or second book?
Books 1 and 2 were written a week apart. So really, it was the same experience. It was sinfully easy. But I'm making up for it in Book 3 because that requires more work (darn it!: )
Do you ever listen to music while writing?
All the time. Every character has their own play list. The most fun play list is Ameana when she's in a fight. And Marcus and Emmy when they are arguing.
What's your favorite candy?
Anything with chocolate
Do you put noses on your smiley faces?
Yes, when I'm feeling fancy: - )
Dogs or cats?
I'm afraid of anything with more legs than me. Lol.
Favorite color?
Blue
Marissa: That's Jasmine's favorite too. She's actually pretty obsessed with it
Jasmine: Marissa is the same way with pink so.
What house would you be placed in Hogwarts?
Gryffindor
Coke or Dr pepper? :)
Coke. Lots of it (so bad for you but still...)
Thanks for the awesome interview Lola :)
Don't you want to read her book super bad now? Lucky for you we have two e-book copy's to giveaway.
****"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event hosted by Jill at the Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.****
Insurgent by Veronica Roth
Expected Publication Date: May 1st 2012
Publisher: HarperTeen
One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.
Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.
New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth's much-anticipated second book of the dystopian Divergent series is another intoxicating thrill ride of a story, rich with hallmark twists, heartbreaks, romance, and powerful insights about human nature.
I want this book so bad it hurts. Here's why:
1. Divergent was absolutely fabulous and I know this one will be too.
2. The cover is gorgeous and it's over 500 pages and I just want to hold it in my hands.
3. All the book bloggers getting this book and reading it and posting teasers are making me crazy.
4. Four. I like him, I love him, I want some more of him :)
P.S. this list is in no particular order. If it was Four would be at the top I just thought his name looked cute next to the number. I know I'm weird.
Reading Level:Young Adult
Publisher:Self Puublished
First in a possible series
Isadora Rivers feels trapped. Her small town high school is suffocating her. Another day of wannabe gangsters, dumb jocks, and Barbie clones, and she'll just lose it. Her keen emotional sensitivity is to blame. She sees through all of the poser behavior to the pain and insecurity simmering just below the surface, and it's overwhelming. She feels like she's literally drowning in other people's emotions.
This same sensitivity, however, makes her a great actress. Suffocating or not, her high school is one of the top arts schools in the country. Acting is not only her passion, but it also looks like her way out. If she can just score the lead role in the school play, she might get herself noticed by a Hollywood agent. But she's got a strong reckless streak, and it keeps getting her in trouble and jeopardizing her chances.
Riding her bike at top speed, she swerves in front of a car and nearly gets hit. The driver, Tristan Blake, turns out to be the mysterious new boy at school. He's rebellious, broody, and wise beyond his years. He's also devastatingly gorgeous. From the moment their eyes meet, Isadora is irresistibly drawn to him. But as soon as he enters her life, things go horribly wrong. She begins having disturbing visions full of unimaginable glamour and unbearable darkness. He knows things about her he shouldn't. And he's somehow so familiar. As he at turns pulls her close, and then pushes her away, Isadora feels like her heart is being twisted and torn.
She soon discovers that her whole future is in jeopardy, and her only hope is to stay away from Tristan. But how can she turn away from the only boy she has ever loved? As a harrowing event looms closer, one that threatens to rip apart her psyche, Isadora must reach deep inside herself and find the strength to change her own destiny. But is she strong enough to do it?
Review
I really enjoyed this. It was a little confusing at times because it talks so much about the past. I think a prequel would be really cool.
Isadora had one annoying tendency. She was incredibly over dramatic. Other than that she was a good main character. Tristan was super cute. The fact that he was willing to give her up to keep her safe was sweet. His relationship with Isadora was a little rushed. Once they got together though they were super adorable.
The plot was pretty exciting. It was fast paced and it held my attention pretty well. There was tons of twists. Overall I really liked this. I'm hoping there will be a sequel. I highly recommend. 4/5 stars
Jasmine <3
