Sunday, December 1, 2013
December Updates (DAC & More)
Well, it's December and I've only read one debut from my original list...oops. Here's an update of what I have read (even though it wasn't in my original post). I only need to read 3 more, so the chances of actually finishing the challenge are fairly decent at this point. Here's what I've read/reviewed so far:
45 Pounds by K.A. Barson
Belle Epoque by Elizabeth Ross
Dance of Shadows by Yelena Black
Level 2 (now called The Memory of After) by Lenore Appelhans
My Sister's Reaper by Dorothy Dreyer
Nantucket Blue by Leila Howland
Poison by Bridget Zinn
Relativity by Cristin Bishara
The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Books I'm Thankful For...
Inspired by a post on the MacTeenBooks blog, I wanted to spotlight some of the books that I'm thankful for this year (this includes old and new favorites)!
The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani and The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer (Pictured:Scarlet, Book 2). Both have become my favorite things of the year. I've been completely pulled in by both, and they have amazing (and unique) perspectives on fairy tales.
Matilda by Roald Dahl and 45 Pounds by K. A. Barson. I know that these two seem an unlikely pair, but they both have amazing characters that I related to. My local bookstore is doing a drive where you can donate a book to a child in need, and I chose Matilda. It's a classic childhood book, and what kid hasn't been upset over the power that adults have (especially when they point out that there's nothing kids can do about it). 45 Pounds was a different read for me. I thought that the book described what life is like as a teen who struggled with food. Ah, loved it!
What books are you grateful for this year?
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Guest Post: Book Review of Cinder by Marissa Meyer
My name is Amanda and I'm
guest reviewing on Cornucopia of Reviews. I am a junior in college and,
like my sister, I really enjoy reading. Typical genres that interest me
are adventure, comedy and horror. My sister has attempted to get me to
read many books that she enjoys. However, I rarely finish them or even
read them. But when my sister purchased Cinder by Marissa Meyer I had
the opposite experience.
In order for me to finish reading a book, it needs to draw me in fairly
quickly. This book drew me in within the first chapter. In the
beginning the reading learns about cinder, a cyborg mechanic, a handsome
prince and, a mysterious plague. Normally, I don't pick up books that
include romance because I find that romantic novels can portray romance
in an unrealistic manner. Cinder was different because the prince, Kai,
didn't know that Cinder was a cyborg and he saw them as lesser than
humans. The romance in the story was not typical romance because it
wasn't shallow drama. The issue is that Cinder can't tell the prince
what she is because he will reject her.
Another aspect of the story that I liked was the queen. She was one of
my favorite characters in the novel for many reasons. The queen first
appears kind but the reader soon learns that she is truly evil. Her
ruthlessness emerges when she controls and manipulates people's
thoughts.
The whole world that the story took place in was extremely different
from the world of the original Cinderella story. It was not a typical
European world; Citizens had ID chips, there was a threat of a lunar
society, a plague struck fear among people and cyborgs.
I loved the book and was surprised with the amount of plot twists. The
farther I got into the book, the more I wanted to keep reading because
each twist added another dimension of mystery. The romance was balanced
with strong character development. I am very excited to read Scarlet
because it is based on a fairy tale that I personally enjoy more than
Cinderella because it is creepier!
*Thanks to my sister for stopping by with a review. Now that I know she'll say yes to me, expect me to harass her into reviewing every so often.
Monday, November 25, 2013
The Gift of Cinder
We have fairly different tastes in books. She's totally prepared for the creepy, scary, and the attention-grabbing. I can only handle that in small doses before I have to sleep with the light on and a Disney movie playing on a TV. It's not pretty.
There are some books that we do have in common. Harry Potter, Howl's Moving Castle, The Hunger Games...these are all books with strong characters and adventure. That's why I thought that she would like Cinder. It's got kick-ass female characters (good and evil), and a romance that doesn't overpower the story. My sister is also someone that needs to be grabbed within the first 25 pages to really get through and enjoy a book. I knew that this one was perfect for that. When I read it, I couldn't set it down!
I imagine that she'll be picking up Scarlet soon, too. Although, I'm going to let her buy that one on her own. Her review will be guest-posted this week, so look forward to a new voice on the blog :)
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Stacking the Shelves (November 23)
It's been a quiet month, mostly because I've been doing well not buying books on a whim! Hurrah, I'm actually following through with a book-buying ban.
For Review:
Being permanently based in a local New York City high school as an undercover operative has its moments, good and bad, for 16-year-old safecracker Maggie Silver. Pros: More quality time with her former mark-turned-boyfriend Jesse Oliver and insanely cool best friend, Roux. Getting to spend quality time with her semi-retired and international spy honorary uncle, Angelo. Cons: High school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations. But when Maggie's parents are falsely accused of stealing priceless gold coins, Maggie uses her safecracking skills to try and clear their names. Too bad it only serves to put her and everyone she loves in danger. Maggie and her "new team" flee to Paris where they must come up with a plan to defeat their former allies.
Published by Walker Children's Books
Release Date: January 14, 2014
New friend into old, the bond of the Sisterhood will never grow cold.
Life at Pemberly Brown is a whirlwind for Kate Lowry. Determined to finally destroy the secret society responsible for her best friend Grace’s death, Kate joins the Sisterhood hoping to go all Trojan Horse on their asses. But the night of her initiation another student at Pemberly Brown dies in what looks like tragic accident.
Kate knows better.
Kate and her faithful ginger, Seth Allen, immediately uncover a connection to the boy’s death and the secret societies that rule Pemberly Brown. But it’s not until Kate begins receiving pages from Grace’s old journal that she begins to piece together what really happened the night she died and how it connects to Pemberly Brown’s most recent tragedy.
Meanwhile, Kate’s ex-boyfriend Liam is following her around like an angry guard dog and she’s falling hard for the mysterious Bradley Farrow. Both boys are tied up in the mystery that surrounds Pemberly Brown, but only one of them can truly be trusted.
In this chilling conclusion to The Liar Society series Kate will fight to save her school from the evil that lurks beneath its hallowed halls. But will her quest destroy her or finally lead her to true love? She can only hope her third lie’s the charm.
Published by Sourcebooks Fire
Release Date: December 3, 2014
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Book Review: The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani
This year, best friends Sophie and Agatha are about to discover where all the lost children go: the fabled School for Good & Evil, where ordinary boys and girls are trained to be fairy tale heroes and villains. As the most beautiful girl in Gavaldon, Sophie has dreamed of being kidnapped into an enchanted world her whole life. With her pink dresses, glass slippers, and devotion to good deeds, she knows she’ll earn top marks at the School for Good and graduate a storybook princess. Meanwhile Agatha, with her shapeless black frocks, wicked pet cat, and dislike of nearly everyone, seems a natural fit for the School for Evil.
But when the two girls are swept into the Endless Woods, they find their fortunes reversed—Sophie’s dumped in the School for Evil to take Uglification, Death Curses, and Henchmen Training, while Agatha finds herself in the School For Good, thrust amongst handsome princes and fair maidens for classes in Princess Etiquette and Animal Communication.. But what if the mistake is actually the first clue to discovering who Sophie and Agatha really are…?
Best Bits: Oh SfGaE, how I love thee. I know that I shouldn't, but I have a grocery list for things that I love in YA books. Your standard YA book usually has one or two items checked off, but this one seems to have it all: strong female characters (that don't fit into typical good/bad roles, despite what the title implies), a fairytale aspect, a focus on friendship (and a potential for interesting romances in books to come), and a big surprise at the end that I genuinely didn't see coming...it was a glorious read. The world-building was impressive, too. Due to the opposing natures of Agatha and Sophie, we get to see exactly what the differences are between the two schools. The courses are imaginative "Beautification" vs "Uglification", and they even have a class where the two school mix. Amazing drama ensues.
With the hours that I work I find that I get into reading slumps more frequently than I used to. This book, however, really motivated me. I found time each day to read, and it felt like a treat to myself. Plus, indulging myself in a good book is probably a bit better than eating all that Halloween candy that is left over.
Nit Picks: I'm at a loss for this one. It's been a while since I read this one, yet I still can't think of any issues with it. It even has a believable reason for insta-love...I just can't, it's too good!
Chainani has created a world with characters to root for, and I can't wait for more!
The School for Good and Evil
By Soman Chainani
Published by HarperCollins
488 Pages
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Waiting on Wednesday (November 20)
Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine. This weekly meme shares the upcoming books that I'm most excited about.
To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister's ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all.
Published by Simon & Schuster
Release Date: April 22, 2014
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Gratitude Giveaway Hop
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Waiting on Wednesday (November 13)
Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine. This weekly meme shares the upcoming books that I'm most excited about.
Going Rogue (Also Known As #2) by Robin Benway
Being permanently based in a local New York City high school as an undercover operative has its moments, good and bad, for 16-year-old safecracker Maggie Silver. Pros: More quality time with her former mark-turned-boyfriend Jesse Oliver and insanely cool best friend, Roux. Getting to spend quality time with her semi-retired and international spy honorary uncle, Angelo. Cons: High school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations. But when Maggie's parents are falsely accused of stealing priceless gold coins, Maggie uses her safecracking skills to try and clear their names. Too bad it only serves to put her and everyone she loves in danger. Maggie and her "new team" flee to Paris where they must come up with a plan to defeat their former allies.
Published by Walker Childrens
Release Date: January 14, 2014
*I won't let myself read the synopsis just in case there are spoilers. I'm currently reading the first book and it's got me laughing hysterically. Can't wait for this one!
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Teaser Tuesday (November 12)
It's a meme hosted by Should Be Reading and here are the rules:
• 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!
"He's always giving good advice, too, especially about safecracking and lock picking. It's like if Tim Gunn and James Bond had a baby, and that baby was Yoda."
-Also Known As, Page 4, by Robin Benway