Review: Pawn

Pawn by Aimee Carter

Publication Date: November 26th, 2013
Genre: YA Dystopian
Amazon/Barnes and Noble

YOU CAN BE A VII. IF YOU GIVE UP EVERYTHING. 

For Kitty Doe, it seems like an easy choice. She can either spend her life as a III in misery, looked down upon by the higher ranks and forced to leave the people she loves, or she can become a VII and join the most powerful family in the country. 

If she says yes, Kitty will be Masked—surgically transformed into Lila Hart, the Prime Minister's niece, who died under mysterious circumstances. As a member of the Hart family, she will be famous. She will be adored. And for the first time, she will matter. 

There's only one catch. She must also stop the rebellion that Lila secretly fostered, the same one that got her killed …and one Kitty believes in. Faced with threats, conspiracies and a life that's not her own, she must decide which path to choose—and learn how to become more than a pawn in a twisted game she's only beginning to understand.

Pawn was a thrilling read, and no where near your typical, old-hat dystopian. Aimee Carter managed to create a world that wasn’t a copy cat, and I could tell she put a lot of work into making the future society seem unique and complete. Be on the lookout for this novel.

It seems to me that a lot of dystopians have love triangles (Hunger Games, The Selection, Shatter Me etc.) so I was elated when I realized that Pawn did not have a bothersome triangle of love and angst. I am not even against love triangles, but they can become overwhelming. Agreed? Pawn’s awesome romance was a nice relief. Benjy was a sweet love interest, and I hope to see more of him and Kitty together in the next book. They seem to click in an awesome way... and I am glad Benjy is not the average, cliched “bad boy” I have grown wearisome of.

That said, the romance is not the front-and-center of Pawn. Nope. The plot mostly revolves around Kitty’s masquerade as the adored Lila. After Kitty basically fails an important test of ranking, she is offered a chance for a much higher ranking. Kitty soon awakes as Lila, the prime minister’s niece, who is a dead, and a formerly rebellious leader of the group against the rankings, and, ultimately, the society.

However, as Kitty masquerades as Lila, she finds more and more lies and political battles. She is told many things, but neither her nor the reader know what to believe. I loved this part of Pawn. There is so much uncertainty and excitement on the part of the reader as you wait for juicy things to be revealed! The world that Kitty endures seems very terrible at the beginning, and just worsens as you learn more. Especially as the minister’s family and other powerful figures are immersed into chaos and fight among themselves. It is hard to tell what a character really wants, and sometimes, your first impression of a character is very wrong indeed. I only have one little complaint... there is this reveal I saw coming, and I thought Kitty should have considered the possibility sooner. Does it ever bother you when you figure something out before the main character does? 

Overall, Pawn is an intriguing story, and I have high expectations for the sequel! If the book sounds up your alley, most definitely pick the thrilling ride up and immerse yourself into a twisted dystopian world!

4/5 Stars

*I received this book from HarlequinTEEN in exchange for an honest review*

Thanks for reading my thoughts on Pawn! 

Happy Reading

Top Ten Tuesday #28

Top Ten Six Bookish
Things I Am Thankful For 
Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

1. Authors and Publishers

Without these wonderful people, I would have never read any of my favorite stories!

2. The Book Blogosphere

I am so thankful that I found the blogging community. People who love books are so awesome!!! It is so fun to interact and talk about books daily.

3. My Kindle

*sigh* Well, I will always love print books more... but I guess I owe my kindle a big "Thank You" for holding all my ARCs. Also, thank you Kindle for being lighter than a hardback.

4. GOOD book to movie adaptations

I just saw Catching Fire, and ohmigod was it amazing!!!!!!!! Also, I love all the Harry Potter movies

5. The Lady at Borders who gave me book recommendations

I am forever grateful to this one lady who recommended Alanna to me a couple years ago when I wandered from the middle grade section into the teen section for the first time! Thanks to her I love young adult!

Borders R.I.P

6. MATCHING Covers

I hate mid-series cover changes!!! So, I am very, very, very thankful to the series that are matching. Do you feel the way I do about mid-series cover changes?

What are you thankful for?
Happy Reading!

Review: Crash into You

I really enjoyed Katie McGarry's latest novel, Crash into You!

Crash into You by Katie McGarry (Pushing the Limits #3)

Publication Date: November 26th, 2013
Genre: YA Contemporary
Amazon/Barnes and Noble

The girl with straight As, designer clothes and the perfect life-that's who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private-school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy parents and overbearing brothers...and she's just added two more to the list. One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker-a guy she has no business even talking to. But when the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can't get him out of her mind. 

Isaiah has secrets, too. About where he lives, and how he really feels about Rachel. The last thing he needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who wants to slum it on the south side for kicks-no matter how angelic she might look. 

But when their shared love of street racing puts both their lives in jeopardy, they have six weeks to come up with a way out. Six weeks to discover just how far they'll go to save each other.

----The Review----

I loved, loved, loved Crash into You! As soon as I started reading I was hooked. I found myself wanting to spend the whole day reading, and I jumped at every chance to sneak off, ignore my responsibilities, and immerse myself into Isaiah’s and Rachel’s story.

For those who have read the first in the series, Pushing the Limits, you may have been rooting for Beth and Isaiah to get together. Well, it was never meant to be as *spoilers for those new to the series* Beth found her own dream guy in Dare You To. So, Beth and Isaiah shippers, will you be happy with this new girl Isaiah has found? I think you will! Rachel, our new character, is a perfect fit for Isaiah. 

The characters are always superb in McGarry’s novels. Rachel Young was an awesome main character, although her family had a lot of problems. The older sister died and Rachel constantly feels pressurized to be exactly like her to please the mom. Rachel’s panic attacks don't help anything either. Speaking of Rachel’s family, I suggest you pay close attention to the brothers, especially West! Not only is he a fun and full of attitude, West also has a whole book about him coming out in 2014! 

The romance is amazing. I loved the connection between Isaiah and Rachel even more than Noah and Echo. When you see the conversations the two have, you can tell they were meant for each other! Even though both characters lead completely different lives, they have this love for cars that initially drew them into one another, and then you see how they have a lot of fun together just hanging out.

For anyone interested in car racing, this might be a pretty good book for you. I must confess I never had much interest (at all) in car racing. And, while I still have zero interest, McGarry made the scenes fun to read and carefully researched. Also, there is a lot of suspense over Rachel and Isaiah getting Eric, king of the streets, his money after one race turns into a disaster. The book revolves around this plot, and I really loved it; the plot kept me on my toes. We also get a good look at Abby, who is Rachel’s self-appointed BFF. Let me just say, you will enjoy every scene she is in!

Overall, this book was such fun! Crash Into You is my favorite McGarry book to date... and I really loved Pushing the Limits, so that’s saying something!

4.5/5 Stars

*I received a copy of this book from HarlequinTEEN in exchange for an honest review*

Thanks for reading my thoughts on Crash into You! 

Happy Reading!

Double Cover Reveal!

Today Rebekah Purdy and Entangled Teen are revealing the covers for LEGEND OF ME, releasing in early 2014. And THE WINTER PEOPLE, releasing July 1, 2014! Check out the gorgeous covers, exclusive excerpts, and enter to win an eARC of each!

Legend of Me by Rebekah Purdy

LEGEND OF ME

Author: Rebekah Purdy

Release Date: Early 2014

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Sixteen-year-old Brielle has grown up hearing tales of a beast that kills humans, leaving behind only a scattering of bones and limbs. Or so the village elders say. She thinks it’s just their way of keeping children in line, though it doesn’t explain her grisly premonitions of blood, claws, and severed heads.
When Lord Kenrick, Knight of the Crowhurst Order, shows up asking questions about the legendary monster and Brielle finds a mangled body in the woods, she begins to wonder if the grim stories are true. Her attraction to the handsome knight grows as she spends time with him searching for clues to the creature’s existence, and she becomes even more determined to help him discover the beast’s location.

But as her seventeenth birthday approaches, her nightmares worsen. If Brielle doesn’t figure out the connection between Kenrick, the monster, and visions of a ghostly woman in the woods soon, more people could die. Including those closest to her…

Exclusive Excerpt!

What happened to the week?

I was Gone???

Wait a minute. My last post was a top ten tuesday post? Where have I been? :D

Oh yeah, now I remember :( I have been feeling a little sick lately. Plus, school and ballet takes up a lot of time. And I have been very absent in the book blogging world.

Here is a recommendation!

To make up for it, I am going to give you some of my special advice; Go read The Fiery Heart! It came out this week!

Are you new to the series? Well, start reading!

Have you read this series? Do you have any predictions for the trials of Adrian and Sydney? If you have already read the book, don't spoil me! I am getting the book tomorrow in the mail!

Also, if you have read the series, what book is your favorite? I really, really LOVED The Golden Lily, but I think The Fiery Heart will soon become my new favored Bloodlines novel.

And, for a conclusion, let's take about the covers. I, well, really despise them. I kind of want to sit her down and have a talk about her hair. Also, well, I am feeling kind of ignored by the guy. What's he looking at? Are you a fan of the Bloodlines covers?

Overall, read the series (like, now) if you haven't, and if you have I would love to chat! This is one of my favorite series!!!

2013 Reading Challenge

I have been reading though! Here is the proof :

2013 Reading Challenge

Emily has completed her goal of reading 250 books in 2013!

hide

252 of 250 (100%)

view books

Normalcy will return. And I have a weird idea!

Thankfully, I have next week off school. So, what does that mean? More posts!!!

Also, I had this awesome (I think) idea and I cannot wait to share it with you. Perhaps I will post about it tomorrow! I am so excited!

Bye! Thanks for reading!

Top Ten Tuesday #27

Top Ten Books I'd Recommend To Fans of Tamora Pierce

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

1. The Seven Realms Quartet

After reading the first book, The Demon King, you will be utterly hooked! The world has wizards, intrigue, politics, war, and amazing action scenes. You will fall for the characters and the Queendom!

2. Throne of Glass Series

Assassins. Need I say anything more? 

Oh, and there are fairies and secret passages in this glass palace. For Song of the Lioness lovers, I will add that I am pretty sure Alanna and Calaena (the heroine assassin) would have gotten along famously.

3. Scarlet (Series) by A.C Gaughen

The female lead, Scarlet, is amazing! She is one of Robin Hood's thieves, but she is known to most as Will. Yep, another girl-in-disguise-as-a-boy. I loved reading about her adventures with Robin Hood! Plus, she has many secrets up her sleeve ;)

4. Book of a Thousand Days

This was a beautiful, vivid tale that Tamora Pierce fans will cherish!

The world is alluring and I know all the readers will be cheering for Dashti and she makes brave descisions. Plus, there is a cute kitten involved.Who can resist a kitten???

5. Of Beast and Beauty

I just read this book and LOVED it to death! While I think the characters are much less fun than Alanna and her band of knights and thieves, I found the world to be so fantasy-like. I would really recommend this book if you are fond of The Beauty and The Beast because... well... (Hint: the book is a retelling of that fairytale.) 

6. Graceling

Katsa was such a wonderful heroine... and Po is just amazing! The setting is reminiscence of Tortall, although the king is much worse than Jon! Graceling is a must-read. That sword on the cover was enough to make me read it. You?

I could list tons more, but I think this is enough! 

Happy reading!

Review: Of Beast and Beauty

I LOVED this book! The blend of fantasy, layered characters, and beautiful writing did me in.

Of Beast and Beauty by Stacey Jay

Publication Date: July 23rd, 2013
Genre: YA Fantasy
Amazon/Barnes and Noble

In the beginning was the darkness, and in the darkness was a girl, and in the girl was a secret...

In the domed city of Yuan, the blind Princess Isra, a Smooth Skin, is raised to be a human sacrifice whose death will ensure her city’s vitality. In the desert outside Yuan, Gem, a mutant beast, fights to save his people, the Monstrous, from starvation. Neither dreams that together, they could return balance to both their worlds.

Isra wants to help the city’s Banished people, second-class citizens despised for possessing Monstrous traits. But after she enlists the aid of her prisoner, Gem, who has been captured while trying to steal Yuan’s enchanted roses, she begins to care for him, and to question everything she has been brought up to believe.

As secrets are revealed and Isra’s sight, which vanished during her childhood, returned, Isra will have to choose between duty to her people and the beast she has come to love.

 Of Beast and Beauty was, in two simple words, utterly beautiful. In fact, I am not sure you should even read this review, just go and obtain this story. I don’t care how, just do it! (I mean, I would totally understand if you stole it from the library and midnight. I would do the same!) You’re still here? Darn. Well, I guess I will have to convince you further! Read on, my friends! 

Isra is the blind Queen of a messed-up city, that thrives on their hatred of the Monstrous and the sacrifice of queens to the roses. Gem is one of the Monstrous, and he just want to keep his tribe members from starving, no thanks to the Smooth Skins. The two start as bitter enemies. I thought that both of these characters were breathtakingly created. They are no where near your average hero and heroine. Trust Me. 

The writing is spectacular. For example, the first page starts off describing an old secret, a girl, and a darkness that is a big part of the book, and her use of language pulled me into the mystery of the secret, the darkness, and the girl. My emotions were running high, even from the beginning. The desperation of both Gem (to save his tribe) and Isra (to rule a kingdom... with her own secret) ran through me, along with the little pricks of hope or happiness the author presents us. Also, the ending was perfection. *sigh* The last two page were, yes I am going to use the two words again, utterly beautiful.

Finally, I must mention the rose garden. Ahh, how this garden intrigued me. The bloodthirsty roses enchanted me and I love how the flowers play such a big part in the story. Now, before I leave, I must ask you a question. Who is Beauty and who is the Beast in this novel? Think on it as you read this novel.


5/5 Stars

Thanks for Reading! 

I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did!