Top Ten Tuesday #33

Hosted by the Broke and the Bookish

Top Ten Books Books People Are Trying To Make Me Read


These are books that friends, twitter, goodreads, commenters, and others are trying to persuade me to read!

Gilded Ashes 

Take Me On

The Girl of Fire and Thorns

Something Strange and Deadly

Something Real

Perfected

Will Grayson, Will Grayson

Breathe, Annie, Breathe

Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Croak

What books should I stop avoiding and actually read? 

Book Blitz: Dream Boy

Dream Boy by Madelyn Rosenberg and Mary Crockett

Release Date: 07/01/14

Sourcebooks Fire

Annabelle Manning feels like she’s doing time at her high school in Chilton, Virginia. She has her friends at her lunchtime table of nobodies. What she doesn’t have are possibilities. Or a date for Homecoming. Things get more interesting at night, when she spends time with the boy of her dreams. But the blue-eyed boy with the fairytale smile is just that—a dream. Until the Friday afternoon he walks into her chemistry class.

One of friends suspects he’s an alien. Another is pretty sure it’s all one big case of deja vu. While Annabelle doesn’t know what to think, she’s willing to believe that the charming Martin Zirkle may just be her dream come true. But as Annabelle discovers the truth behind dreams—where they come from and what they mean—she is forced to face a dark reality she had not expected. More than just Martin has arrived in Chilton. As Annabelle learns, if dreams can come true, so can nightmares. 

Available from:
Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Kobo Books * The Book Depository
Order now!

Emily's Thoughts: 

Sadly, I have not read Dream Boy yet. However, I am super stoked to be able to post this blitz! The cover and synopsis are awesome and intriguing. Also, the excerpt below is nothing short of powerful. LOVED IT! I can't wait to get my hands on and read Dream Boy. Have you read it yet?

Advanced Praise:

“Dream Boy explores the mysterious world of dreams, where we access our deepest desires…the authors expertly weave fantasy and the real world in a perfect blend.”

-- Erica Orloff, author of In Dreams

"Eerie, twisty, fast and funny, Dream Boy will forever change the way you see your dreams--and your nightmares. An exciting, imaginative look at what might happen when people from the corners of your mind suddenly show up in your real life."

-- Lois Metzger, author of A Trick of the Light

Excerpt:

I’ve always been a dreamer. Daydreams. Night dreams. Dreams of grandeur and dreams of escape. If I were an onion and you peeled back the papery outside, you’d find layer after layer of eye-watering dreams. And in the center, where there’s that little curlicue of onion heart? There’d be a puff of smoke from the dreams that burned away.

It was all just brain waves, I thought—disconnected, like the notebook that my friend Talon keeps. She draws a line down the middle of the page; on the right she writes everything she remembers about a dream, and on the left she puts notes about the stuff that’s happening in reallife, things that might trigger her subconscious. Reality on one side, dreams on the other—a clear line between the two.

But it turns out there are no clear lines, just a jumble of what is and what might be. And all of it is real.

About the Authors:

Mary Crockett likes turtles, licorice, and the Yankees. Madelyn Rosenberg likes cats, avocados, and the Red Sox. Luckily they both like the weirdness of dreams (and each other) enough to write novels together. The friendship has survived three moves, six kids and countless manuscript revisions. Madelyn lives just outside of Washington, D.C. Mary remains in the mountains near their hometowns in southwestern Virginia. Where to find Mary:  Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook Where to find Madelyn:  Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook

Awesome Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blitz Organized by:

I hope you enjoyed the excerpt and entered the giveaway! 

Waiting On Wednesday #39

Hosted by Breaking the Spine

Suspicion by Alexander Monir
Publication Date: December 9th, 2014
Genre: YA Romantic Suspense/Mystery

"There's something hidden in the Maze." Seventeen-year-old Imogen has never forgotten the last words her father said to her seven years ago, before the blazing fire that consumed him, her mother, and the gardens of her family's English country manor.

Haunted by her parents' deaths, Imogen moves to New York City with her new guardians. But when a letter arrives with the news of her cousin's untimely death, revealing that Imogen is now the only heir left to run the estate, she returns to England and warily accepts her role as duchess.

All is not as it seems at Rockford, and Imogen quickly learns that dark secrets lurk behind the mansion's aristocratic exterior, hinting that the spate of deaths in her family were no accident. And at the center of the mystery is Imogen herself--and Sebastian, the childhood friend she has secretly loved for years. Just what has Imogen walked into?

Combining a fresh twist on the classic REBECCA with a spine-tingling mystery and powerful romance, SUSPICION is an action-packed thrill ride. 

A twist on Rebecca? Fun! Suspicion sounds creepy and dark and basically flat-out amazing. Plus that cover is so, so pretty!

Review: The Fever

The Fever by Megan Abbot
Publication Date: June 17th, 2014
Source: Sent by LibraryThing and Hachette in exchange for an honest review
Genre: Mystery

The panic unleashed by a mysterious contagion threatens the bonds of family and community in a seemingly idyllic suburban community.

The Nash family is close-knit. Tom is a popular teacher, father of two teens: Eli, a hockey star and girl magnet, and his sister Deenie, a diligent student. Their seeming stability, however, is thrown into chaos when Deenie's best friend is struck by a terrifying, unexplained seizure in class. Rumors of a hazardous outbreak spread through the family, school and community.

As hysteria and contagion swell, a series of tightly held secrets emerges, threatening to unravel friendships, families and the town's fragile idea of security. 

Post-reading Thoughts:

This was a unique read... way, way different from the YA Fantasy/Dystopian genre I usually read! I enjoyed the unfamiliar writing, the weird characters, and the dark atmosphere. That aside, the conclusion let me down a little and The Fever did not truly impress me. I have many little problems!

Also, after reading, I'm still not sure if this is young adult or not! On Goodreads, it's shelved as Young Adult... but The Fever definitely had a more adult feel to it. We do get the perspectives of a few teens and a few adults, so I guess it is a good read for both ages?

The Characters:

While I never connected to any of the characters, I still liked reading about them. Just to let you know, there is quite the cast! At first, I had a hard time keeping their names straight. Eventually I got the hang of it!

Let's start with the teens. There are a lot of them. First we have the siblings: Eli and Deenie. I thought both of them were rather boring, but fair representations of teens. Eli is the popular, sportsy guy. Deenie seemed pretty average. Then, we have Deenie's two best friends: Lise and Gabby. They were both pretty interesting! Then we have Gabby's mother and her two friends... and so on!

The main adult is Tom, Eli and Deenie's parent. The divorced mother, and the parents of Gabby and Lise also come into play quite often. I didn't really like any of the adults either! However, they all were interesting in their own way. One woman was disfigured, one got in to serious trouble in a creepy lake, one was bonkers, etc.

The Conclusion:

To me the conclusion was anti-climatic. I actually liked the solution to the mystery, just not the way the author penned it out. After experiencing her wonderful writing throughout the beginning and middle, I felt like she shut things down quickly. She lost her wonderful atmosphere and the characters didn't come around full circle.

Also, while I really liked the main explanation for the seizure, another little explanation brought to light did not sit well with me. For fear of spoilers, I won't say any more. I was just a little skeptical about one part... if you've read the book and are curious, feel free to contact me!

Overall:

I actually enjoyed reading The Fever. It was different and a step outside my usual genre. However, I am not sure if I would recommend this book to anybody. It's definitely not a favorite, although I did like a lot of parts, and I had many issues.

2.5/5 Stars (Rounded to 3)

Review: Let's Get Lost

Let's Get Lost by Adi Alsaid

Publication Date: July 39th, 2014

Source: Received for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Genre: YA Contemporary

Four teens across the country have only one thing in common: a girl named LEILA. She crashes into their lives in her absurdly red car at the moment they need someone the most.

There's HUDSON, a small-town mechanic who is willing to throw away his dreams for true love. And BREE, a runaway who seizes every Tuesday—and a few stolen goods along the way. ELLIOT believes in happy endings…until his own life goes off-script. And SONIA worries that when she lost her boyfriend, she also lost the ability to love.

Hudson, Bree, Elliot and Sonia find a friend in Leila. And when Leila leaves them, their lives are forever changed. But it is during Leila's own 4,268-mile journey that she discovers the most important truth— sometimes, what you need most is right where you started. And maybe the only way to find what you're looking for is to get lost along the way 

The Five Stories Within Let's Get Lost:

Just to let you know there are five sections of Let's Get Lost: Hudson, Bree, Elliot, Sonia, and Leila all get to tell their stories! The mini review for each section are below, plus my overall thoughts. Also, to clarify, Leila is in all of the sections, but only the last story is about her specifically. Now, Let's Get Started! Get it? Like the title?

The Stories I Liked:

I LOVED Bree's story. Her's was probably my favorite. She is wild and reckless... which was fun to read about! She and Leila made an awesome pair. Bree is hiding from her family, thinking she is seizing the day and being brave. However, as the story goes on she realizes that to actually be brave, she has to talk to someone who she treated terribly, and mend her family. This section was heartwarming, funny, and I highlighted so many amazing quotes!

I also enjoyed Sonia's story. I loved her boyfriend, they made such a cute couple! This story was quite different from the others. It felt much more adventurous! They are stuck on the wrong side of the border... with the fate of the wedding in their hands!!! This story was just as hilarious and wise as Bree's. Amazing!

Finally, we have Leila's story. There is a pretty cool and unexpected twist! However, I have to say I liked Leila's story less than Bree's and Sonia's. Still she's a pretty cool character and I loved learning more about her after her big roles in the four previous sections!

The Stories I Didn't Like:

Sadly, Hudson's story, aka the first story, was pretty dissapointing. I found Hudson a teensy bit boring, although I liked him better than What's His Name Elliot. Also, this story contained so much insta-love. Kill me now! I did enjoy one fun scene though... I'm not explaining it to you though because spoilers! Also, there is a pretty cool, and important message portrayed in this section. Basically, I didn't hate Hudson's story... but I didn't love it either!

The other story I did not like at all was Elliot's tale. I kind of lost respect for him when a girl clearly told him NO and he kept pursuing her. It's not romantic... it is disrespectful! It wasn't really that bad, plus it was mostly Leila egging him on to "get the girl",  but it still grated on my nerves. And the conclusion to the story made me really mad. There were some good aspects though! (Although at this point I really don't remember them.)

Overall Thoughts:

Let's Get Lost is the perfect Summer read. There is a variety of characters, although admittedly I didn't like all of them. Also, Adi Alsaid writes with humor and surprising wisdom. There were so many quotes... funny ones, meaningful ones, odd ones, you name it! Although Let's Get Lost isn't a favorite, I still would recommend it to many readers. Especially lovers of contemporary!

3.5/5 Stars

Hope y'all enjoyed the review!

Review: Cruel Beauty

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge
Genre: Fantasy
Source: Free upload from SYNC
Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Graceling meets Beauty and the Beast in this sweeping fantasy about one girl's journey to fulfill her destiny and the monster who gets in her way-by stealing her heart.

Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.

Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.

With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she's ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.

But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle-a shifting maze of magical rooms-enthralls her.

As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex's secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love.

Cruel Beauty was a stunning mix of Beauty and the Beast and Greek Mythology! I devoured every bit of Nix’s story! If you are a fan of fantasy, I highly recommend getting your hands on a copy.

The Setting:

First of all, the author incorporated lots of amazing mythology and creative types of magic into Cruel Beauty. The world was so complex and vivid! I was completely immersed. However, the flip side is that there is a lot of page space devoted to world building. So, if tons of world building isn’t your cup of tea, don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Also, I was dazzled by Ignifex’s castle! It contained so many mysteries and I loved the tangible atmosphere. As Nyx explored, found magical rooms, and ran into dark creatures, I felt as if I was right there with her... captivated by the wonders and secrets!

The Characters:

Rosamund Hodge has mastered the art of writing different kinds of relationships. To everyone around them, Nyx and her sweet sister are seemingly fine. However, both have feelings of hate and uselessness under their skin. There is also an interesting Father/Daughter relationship. There is even a progress in the relationship between the mother and her daughters... despite the fact the mother is in the grave the entire book!

The romantic relationships were amazing. Ignifex and Slate both had their faults... but as more is revealed, the more your feelings change. I was, personally, an Ignifex fan. I didn’t trust Slate at all. However, both were dark, complex characters that intrigued me immensely. 

My favorite part of Cruel Beauty was Nyx’s temperament. She isn’t perfect. She isn’t a selfless hero. She is a scared, angry girl sent to her death by her own family. She has never dreamed of a better life, and is constantly upped by her sister. She has tried to be someone she isn’t for a long time, and I loved seeing her grow! Read this post for more context on why I loved Nyx so much!

The Ending/My Conclusion:

The ending of the book was perfection: unexpected, inventive, and it gave me lots of good feels! The book also leaves the reader with several strong messages. Despite my love for the conclusion, I was still very sad when this beautiful novel came to an end.

Also, it should be known that I listened to the audiobook of Cruel Beauty. It was an amazing experience! The narrater, Elizabeth Knoweldon, had all the characters down perfectly. However, I am definitely ordering a hardcover for my shelf and rereading! If Cruel Beauty sounds up your alley, you should probably go grab the book too :D

4.5/5 Stars (Rounded down to 4)

Topics Taking Flight: Plight of Reviews

Help! I have so many drafts of reviews on my computer!

In the past five days I have started four reviews. Good for me! Now, let's see, I have finished... let me count... zero of them! I just can't bring myself to finish a review. Thankfully, one is about done, but still! This is getting pretty pathetic :) So, today I decided to take a break and do a quick discussion post!

What do you do when you have a hard time finishing/starting a review?

I'd LOVE to know!

Here are some of my normal tricks:

1. Make an outline
2. Try a new reviewing style
3. Focus on fleshing out one pro and one con
4. Find pictures, quotes, ideas to represent the book
5. Get a good handle on your feelings
6. Write your ideas down on real paper

However, despite all of these tricks, I'm still having problems! Ergh! 

So, any other tips? If you are a reviewer, do you ever have this problem? Or do I just need to muster the determination? I really do need to start finishing my reviews :D 

Also, I especially have this problem with books that aren't review copies! ARCs are so easy to review! But books I have bought? That's a whole new story...

Waiting on Wednesday #38

Hosted by Breaking the Spine

Stray by Elissa Sussman
Publication Date: October 7th, 2014
Genre: YA Fantasy

“I am grateful for my father, who keeps me good and sweet. I am grateful for my mother, who keeps her own heart guarded and safe. I am grateful for my adviser, who keeps me protected. I am grateful for the Path, which keeps me pure. Ever after.”

Princess Aislynn has long dreamed about attending her Introduction Ball, about dancing with the handsome suitors her adviser has chosen for her, about meeting her true love and starting her happily ever after.

When the night of the ball finally arrives and Nerine Academy is awash with roses and royalty, Aislynn wants nothing more than to dance the night away, dutifully following the Path that has been laid out for her. She does not intend to stray.

But try as she might, Aislynn has never quite managed to control the magic that burns within her-magic brought on by wicked, terrible desires that threaten the Path she has vowed to take.

After all, it is wrong to want what you do not need. Isn’t it?

Woah! Stray sounds so, so amazing! A fantasy novel with magic, balls, academies, and a mysterious Path? Awesome! Plus, that cover is absolutely lovely. It has a very whimsical feel to it, don't you think?