Waiting On Wednesday (2)

WoW is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine! "Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is: Angel by L. A. Weatherly Publication Date: 1 Oct 2010 From Amazon: In a world where angels are beyond redemption, Alex thinks he's found one that might deserve mercy. Alex is a ruthless assassin - of angels. Forget everything you've heard about them before. Angels are not benign celestial creatures, but fierce stalkers whose irresistible force allows them to feed off humans, draining them of their vitality until there is barely anything left. As far as Alex is concerned, the only good angel is a dead angel...until he meets Willow. She may look like a normal teenager but Willow is no ordinary girl. Half-angel, half-human, Willow may hold the key to defeating the evil angels. But as the hunter and the hunted embark on an epic and dangerous journey and Willow learns the dark and terrifying secrets of her past, Alex finds himself drawn to Willow...with devastating consequences. Eoin Colfer reinvented the fairy, Stephenie Meyer reinvented the vampire, L.A. Weatherly reinvents the angel! This is a heart-pounding, knuckle-whitening, paranormal romance action-adventure for fans of the 'Twilight' series. This is the first in a devastating new trilogy. I’m so unbelievably excited about this one. It sounds like a whole new take on angels and seems as I love books about angels maybe even more so than any other supernatural creature I have a feeling I’m going to be crazy about this. So excited!

Review for Sea by Heidi R. Kling

I first noticed this book on a lot of people’s book blogs. It has rave reviews so without really knowing that much about it I added it to my wish list to be brought at a later date. However I kept seeing this book everywhere! So intrigued I decided to read what it was about and after finding out I ordered this book straight away because it felt a little bit like fate that I kept crossing paths with it. Still haunted by nightmares of her mother’s death, fifteen-year-old Sienna Jones reluctantly travels to Indonesia with her father’s relief team to help tsunami orphans with their post traumatic stress disorder—something Sienna knows a lot about. Since her mother’s plane went missing over the Indian Ocean three years before, Sienna doesn’t do anything if it involves the ocean or planes, so this trip is a big step forward. But the last thing she expects is to fall for Deni, a brooding Indonesian boy who lives at the orphanage, and just so happens to be HOT. When Deni hears a rumour that his father may be alive, Sienna doesn’t think twice about running away with him to the epicenter of the disaster. Unfortunately, what they find there could break both their hearts. A compelling summer romance, Sea marks the arrival of a stunning new voice in YA. This book is about PTSD and fears which is something I myself have been diagnosed with, so I related to this book in so many ways and I absolutely loved it one of my very favourites so far this year. It’s rich with culture. It’s well written, and is original and beautiful. I read some parts with tears in my eyes and I loved watching Sienna grow through out the book. The way everything tied in with the sea I thought was very clever and I will be recommending this book to everybody this summer. I’ll definitely be looking out for more of Heidi’s work. 5 stars. My Rating 5/5 stars *****

Teaser Tuesdays (1)

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 • 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! My Teasers: “He wrapped his arms around my waist. ‘‘Dawn is not for a while,’’ he said, ‘‘and no one can see us in the dark.’’ ~ p.209, Sea by Heidi R. Kling This is such an amazing book so far guys. I hope my teaser inspires you to check it out. I should be finished with it soon so keep your eyes peeled for a review! Leave me a comment with a link to your teasers! :)

In My Mailbox (1)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren Hey fellow book geeks, This is my first IMM! *throws confetti* Expect some rather large and lengthy ones of these in the future as I can go a tad mental on the book buying sometimes, but this week I brought 6 books not a bad start! Here they are! (all descriptions are taken from either Amazon or goodreads.) Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce The story of Scarlett and Rosie March, two highly-skilled sisters who have been hunting Fenris (werewolves) – who prey on teen girls – since Scarlett lost her eye years ago while defending Rosie in an attack. Scarlett lives to destroy the Fenris, and she and Rosie lure them in with red cloaks (a colour the wolves can't resist), though Rosie hunts more out of debt to her sister than drive. But things seem to be changing. The wolves are getting stronger and harder to fight, and there has been a rash of news reports about countless teenage girls being brutally murdered in the city. Scarlett and Rosie soon discover the truth: wolves are banding together in search of a Potential Fenris – a man tainted by the pack but not yet fully changed. Desperate to find the Potential to use him as bait for a massive werewolf extermination, the sisters move to the city with Silas, a young woodsman and long time family friend who is deadly with an axe. Meanwhile, Rosie finds herself drawn to Silas and the bond they share not only drives the sisters apart, but could destroy all they've worked for. The Awakening: and The Struggle (The Vampire Diaries) by L J Smith The Awakening: Elena Gilbert is used to getting what she wants and she wants mysterious new boy, Stefan. But Stefan is hiding a deadly secret - a secret that will change Elena’s life for ever ... The Struggle: Elena is torn between her boyfriend, Stefan, and his brother, Damon. But these brothers hide dark secrets and a tragic past that threatens them all. Damon wants to lead Elena astray - and he’d rather kill Stefan than let him possess her ... Mistwood by Leah Cypess The Shifter is an immortal creature bound by an ancient spell to protect the kings of Samorna. When the realm is peaceful, she retreats to the Mistwod. But when she is needed she always comes. Isabel remembers nothing. Nothing before the prince rode into her forest to take her back to the castle. Nothing about who she is supposed to be, or the powers she is supposed to have. Prince Rokan needs Isabel to be his Shifter. He needs her ability to shift to animal form, to wind, to mist. He needs her lethal speed and superhuman strength. And he needs her loyalty--because without it, she may be his greatest threat. Isabel knows that her prince is lying to her, but she can't help wanting to protect him from the dangers and intrigues of the court . . . until a deadly truth shatters the bond between them. Now Isabel faces a choice that threatens her loyalty, her heart . . . and everything she thought she knew. The Den of Shadows Quartet by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes FOUR COMPLETE NOVELS—ONE CAPTIVATING WORLD In the Forests of the Night Three hundred years ago Risika had a family—a brother and a father who loved her. Three hundred years ago she was human. Now she is a vampire, a powerful one. And her past has come back to torment her. Demon in My View Jessica isn’t your average high school student—she’s an acclaimed published author of vampire fiction. Now two new students at her high school strongly remind her of her favorite characters. But those characters only live in her imagination—right? Shattered Mirror Christopher Raneva and Sarah Vida may look like a normal high school couple, but he’s actually a vampire who’s sworn off human blood and she’s an incredibly powerful, vampire-hunting witch. As if that weren’t enough to prevent their love, his past and her future collide when they get tangled up with Nikolas, one of the most reviled vampires ever. Midnight Predator Once a happy teenager, Turquoise Draka is now a vampire hunter. Her current assigment is to assassinate Jeshikah, one of the cruelest vampires in history. But to do that, she’ll have to enter Midnight, a fabled vampire realm, as a human slave. Hourglass by Claudia Gray Bestselling author Claudia Gray’s Evernight series continues. In Hourglass, Bianca and Lucas have found a way to be together. But it means lying to the people who care about them the most. After escaping from Evernight Academy, the vampire boarding school, Bianca and Lucas seek refuge with Black Cross, the elite group of vampire hunters led by Lucas’s stepfather. When Bianca’s close friend—the vampire Balthazar—is captured by Black Cross, Bianca knows she has to do whatever it takes to save him. But at what cost? Hourglass, the third book in this gripping vampire series by the author of the New York Times bestseller Stargazer, has all the romance, suspense, and page-turning drama that have made Claudia Gray’s books runaway successes. A Summer Fling by Milly Johnson When dynamic, power-dressing Christie blows in like a warm wind to take over their department, five very different women find themselves thrown together at work. But none of them could have predicted the fierce bond of friendship that her leadership would inspire...Anna, 39, is reeling from the loss of her fiance, who ran off with a much younger woman. Her pride in tatters, these days Anna finds it difficult to leave the house. So when a handsome, mysterious stranger takes an interest in her, she's not sure whether she can learn to trust again? Then there's Grace, in her fifties, trapped in a loveless marriage with a man she married because, unable to have children of her own, she fell in love with his motherless brood. Grace worries that Dawn is about to make the same mistake: orphaned as a child, engaged to love-rat Calum, is Dawn more interested in the security that comes with his tight-knit, boisterous family? When a sexy, footloose rock singer catches her eye, will Dawn have the courage to follow her heart? At 28, Raychel is the youngest member of their little gang. And with a loving husband, Ben, and a cosy little nest for two, she would seem to be the happiest. But what dark secrets are lurking behind this perfect facade, that make sweet, pretty Raychel so guarded and unwilling to open up? Under Christie's warm hand, the girls soon realise they have some difficult choices to make. Indeed, none of them quite realised how much they needed the sense of fun, laughter, and loyalty that abounds when five women become friends. It's one for all, and all for one! So there you have it. It was a pretty good book week for me I’m especially looking forward to Mistwood and Sisters Red. Don’t they sound awesome?! Leave me a comment bellow and let me know what you got this week :)

Review for A Spring Affair by Milly Johnson

It seems as if almost by fate that on one spring day Lou Winters picks up an old dog eared magazine on how clearing clutter from your life can really boost your mood. Little does Lou know at the time how much clearing out her clutter is going to change not only her mood but her life. What starts off sorting out a few draws here and there soon turns into a full house sort out. So much so that Lou has to start hiring skips from the gorgeous half Italian Tom Broom. Lou soon finds herself addicted to clearing out her nest and the more Lou clears out the more she realises what things are important in her life and what things have to go. Should she keep her successful wealthy husband whose affair with another woman Lou is still trying to heal from? Should she throw away her self obsessed ‘best friend’? And maybe in the light and airy places that they leave behind fill them with the confident Lou she used to be before becoming the ultimate surrendered wife, her best friend Deb whom she’s lost contact with and maybe just maybe Tom Broom and his adorable dog Clooney… I really liked this book. It was a nice light read. Although it had some romance this book mainly covers the subject of self esteem and bullying whether it’s in the work place or from your loved ones. It’s a real feel good read that has you cheering the lovable Lou on as you watch her character grow. Definitely recommended if you’re looking for a girl power kind of read. I’ve since brought another one of Milly Johnson’s novels A Summer Fling which sounds just as good as this one. It has to be said that the covers for both of these books are really pretty and look great on my bookshelf which is a great bonus! 4 stars. My Rating 4/5 stars ****

Book Bloggers Hop (1)

Welcome to any hoppers visiting! I decided to take part in my very first book bloggers hop. Please mind the boxes scattered around I’m still unpacking and settling in ;)

Booking Through Thursday

''Do you read book reviews? Do you let them change your mind about reading/not reading a particular book?'' I read tons and tons of book reviews. I watch them on youtube, I read them on blogs, libraything, goodreads, and amazon. If a books got really good reviews and I like the sound of it then I’ll definitely buy it. If I want a book that’s got bad reviews I’ll usually leave it unless I like some of the authors other books or there’s something that makes me think I’ll enjoy it regardless. I mainly find out about books through reviews so a lot of what I buy is based on peoples reviews. However sometimes I’ll check out some of the reviews for other books that a blogger has written and if we tend not to like the same things I won’t let their reviews put me off!

Thursday 13 (1)

Hey guys I thought I’d try taking part in Thursday 13 it sounds like fun. My Thursday 13 is going to be 13 books I can’t wait to come out this year (in order!) 1.) Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead I love this series so much guys and this is the final book definitely the one I’m most excited for this year. Comes out 7th December 2.) Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins Another series I love so much and again it’s the final book! *sobs* Comes out 25th August. 3.) Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl Loved the first one. Crazy excited for this. Out 28th Oct 4.) Linger by Maggie Stiefvater Adored Shiver. Sooo excited for this especially after reading the first bit! 21st July not long! Eeeep! 5.) Torment by Lauren Kate Sooo loved the first book. Love books on angels this ones my favourite so far. 30th Sep 6.) Firelight by Sophie Jordan I’m writing a book about dragons so I’m really eager to read this one as it sounds amazing! 7th Sep 7.) Matched by Allyson Condie Love the cover. Love the sound of it. Excited! 2nd Dec 8.) The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff How creepy is this cover? Sounds awesome! 21st Sep 9.) The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, & June by Robin Benway Audrey, wait is such a great book so I’m really excited for this one although some reviews I’ve read haven’t been so great for it. 3rd Aug Not long! 10.) The Maze Runner by James Dashner This has such good reviews from folks in the US I’m so glad it’s finally being published over here in the UK! Something to fill the hole left by The hunger games maybe? 2nd Aug Not long!! 11.) Forget You by Jennifer Echols Heard great things about this one and the covers so pretty! 20th July super soon! 12.) The Duff: Designated Ugly Fat Friend by Kody Keplinger This one sounds right up my street. Looking forward to it. 7th Sep 13.) Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen Loved her luxe series so really looking forward to this one! 12th Oct So there you have it my 13 most eagerly anticipated books of this year out of all the books coming out in the whole wide world. What are you excited for?

Waiting on Wednesday (1)

Now I know its Thursday but seems as I wasn’t online yesterday I thought I’d do my very first Waiting on Wednesday! Waiting on Wednesday is a topic brought to life by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. With Waiting On Wednesday you get to introduce to everyone upcoming books you're excited about! Three Quarters Dead by Richard Peck Released October 28, 2010 Kerry is chosen by the coolest clique in school and so she thinks life has finally begun. But then it seems all over when her three friends are killed in a shocking car accident. Or are they? Only weeks after the accident, Kerry receives a text from one of the girls: "We're all 3 here at my aunt's in the city. Take the 3:50 train. B there." Exhilarating, terrifying suspense is crossed with a thought-provoking examination of peer pressure in Richard Peck's return to his contemporary teen- and ghost-story roots. This is a master author's gift to the Gossip Girl/Twilight generation: his own smart, stylish, and fun take on the paranormal.( From Amazon) So excited for this one it sounds right up my street!

It's Not Summer Without You (A Summer Novel) by Jenny Han

This is Jenny Han’s second book in the summer series and I think I enjoyed this one even more than the first! This review will have spoilers from the first book so don’t read on if you haven’t read it yet, you’ve been warned! This summer will be very different for Belly, Jeremiah and Conrad instead of going to the summer house in Cousins they’ll be spending their first summers at home without each other each separately morning the loss of the boys mother Susannah. Belly’s best friend Taylor try’s to keep Belly’s mind occupied with parties and new boys but all Belly wants is the beach house and her summer family although she knows having lost Susannah the link that held them all together chances are she’ll never go to Cousins again. But then Jeremiah calls Belly. Conrad’s gone missing and there’s only one place he could be. Looks like the three of them will be going to Cousins this summer after all and find that they have to open up to each other about their grief in order to help each other. This was a gorgeous summer read that dealt with the grief side of this book very well. It was serious and emotional at times and then funny and light in others. A perfect book to read on a hot summer’s day. I hope there are more books to come in this series especially because things end on a bit of a cliff-hanger at the end of this one. 4 stars. My Rating 4/5 stars ****

Review for Unwind by Neal Shusterman

This dystopian novel by Neal Shusterman is a real winner. Set in the future after a Pro-Life/Pro-Choice war, abortions are illegal. Instead parents have the choice between the ages of 13 and 18 to have their child unwound. Unwinding is a common accepted practice in society where the child’s body parts are taken apart yet kept alive so the child in question is not technically dead. These body parts are given to amputees, and sick patients who need new organs, cells and blood. When Connor Lassiter’s parents fill in the forms to have troublemaker Conner unwound Conner knows his only option is to run. Being 17 he only has to survive a year until his 18th birthday and after that it is illegal to unwind him. Along the way Conner meets Risa and Lev fellow unwinds who are each being unwound for very different reasons, however they have one thing in common the instinct to run. This is the kind of book that just gets better and better as you carry on reading. The beginning was ok the middle good and the end unputdownable. Chilling and thought provoking I’ll definitely be recommending this book to fans of the dystopian genre. Although this is a young adult novel some parts are seriously creepy so I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this to younger readers. I’ll definitely be checking out some more of Neal Shusterman’s books. 4.5 stars. My Rating 4.5/5 stars ****1/2

Review for A Match Made in High School by Kristin Walker

This debut novel by Kristin Walker has so many good reviews and I can see why. The plots original, the writing witty, fun and fresh, and she has created characters that you wish you had as friends. I laughed so many times whilst reading this that I definitely got some strange looks! I love how the romance in this is unpredictable and your not really sure who Fiona’s going to end up with but not in the worn out love triangle way as such! I really loved the characters of Fiona, Sam, Todd and Johnny, Oh how I wish they were real! I think this is a stand alone which I’m actually glad about because although I would love to see more from Fiona and Co I think this story was wrapped up pretty nicely. Will definitely be looking out for whatever Kristin Walker brings out next. Recommended if you want a funny original feel good read. 4.5 stars. My Rating 4.5/5 stars ****1/2

Review for The Love of My Life by Louise Douglas

I picked this one up on a rainy evening when I wanted something tragic and romantic to read and this fitted what I needed perfectly. ‘I miss him with every breath and heartbeat. He should have been my happy ending. Instead, he is the sad beginning to my story.’ This book begins with Olivia fleeing Watersford where her husband Luca has recently been buried to return to London to stay with her sister after a blow up with Luca’s family. Olivia then tells her story switching from after the funeral to her childhood and teenage years growing up with her sweetheart Luca. As the story goes on you get to find out what Olivia done that was so terrible that Luca’s family has spent her entire marriage to Luca making her feel unwelcome and shunned, How her and Luca fell in love, and why now after the funeral Olivia is sleeping with Luca’s twin brother Marc… I really enjoyed this one. It was a nice tragic romance that dealt with the grief side of it very well. An impressive debut and I’m very much looking forward to reading Louise Douglas’ second novel Missing You soon. 4 stars. My Rating 4/5 stars ****

Review for The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella by Stephenie Meyer

I wasn’t originally going to buy this book as soon as it came out but seems as I happened to be in a bookshop on the day of its release (who’d a thought it huh?) and noticed it going for £5 I thought what the hell? So I got home and decided to read it pretty much straight away and if I could describe this book in one word it would be pointless. Ok here’s the thing. This is a short eclipse novella so we already know what’s going to happen. Secondly the heroine of this book is Bree Tanner who we know is going to die. So when you start off reading this you don’t really let yourself become too attached to Bree knowing her fate, not that the book gives you much time to get to know her with it being so short. The only part of this book that’s kind of interesting is that you get to see how newborn vampires behave in the twilight world, which I admittedly did love because it was so different compared to the good vampires in twilight. So that being the only thing you get from this book I was left thinking what was the point in that? I don’t really get why Stephenie felt compelled to write it. Maybe to actually add to the twilight saga a book that’s well written because admittedly this book is much like her novel the host in the fact that the writings a lot better. I think with this one fans will either love it or be left feeling like I did. Don’t get me wrong I do like twilight I was an avid fan at one point, but this one just didn’t hit the spot for me. Overall I’d say this is a good read with classic Stephenie Meyer touches but kind of pointless. 3.5 stars. My Rating 3.5/5 stars ***1/2

Review for Caribbean Cruising by Rachel Hawthorne

Let me start of by saying that this book is a secret little gem! I’d never heard of this author before and probably wouldn’t have picked it up even if I had because the cover looks a little young and cheesy but when I discovered this book on my Amazon recommendations and found out what it was about I thought I’d give it a try and I’m so glad I did. I read this in one sitting on a hot summer’s day when I fancied something light and summery to read and it sure hit the spot! Eighteen year old Lindsay has just finished school and it’s her summer before heading off to university. Her mothers marrying the wealthy Walter Hunt and is having the wedding and honey moon aboard the Enchantment ship cruise. Lindsay has to be bridesmaid for the first night but then she’s free for the next ten days of the cruise to do as she pleases so she creates a list of everything she wants to do in this time. + soak up the rays + shop until I drop + drink margaritas by the pitcher + dance all night + climb a waterfall + snorkel + kiss a lot of cute guys + sleep with a guy for the first time. But when Walter asks his gorgeous god son Ryan to keep an eye on Lindsay during the cruise, Lindsay finds that sometimes even the most carefully planned lists don’t always go to plan… I really loved this book and I just had to order another two of Rachel Hawthorns books straight after I finished this. It was a fun summer read and Ryan is one of the sweetest fictional guys ever. I couldn’t give this book 5 star’s because some of the characters got on my nerves sometimes, and some bits were kind of adult that I wouldn’t necessarily recommend to younger teens. So over all I give this 4.5 stars and if Rachel Hawthorns other novels are as good as this then she’ll definitely be climbing up to join my other favourite chick lit authors. My Rating 4.5/5 stars ****1/2

Review for Burned (House of Night) by P.C. Cast

This is the 7th book in the House of Night series so don’t read this review unless you’ve read the other books you have been warned! I’m not ashamed to admit that I am super addicted to this series. I love the plot, I love the characters although I’m not blind to this books faults. The language can be rather shocking for a YA book. Some parts are cheesy, some annoying but I always want to find out what’s going to happen next because the world that P.C and Kristin have created is addicting. With Zoey in the Otherworld this book needed a new narrator and that narrator is Stevie Rae which I didn’t like all that much seems as her character annoys me sometimes since she turned into a red vampyre. So this book is mainly Stevie Rae’s take on things although you do get chapters narrated from the other cast and sometimes even Zoey. Needless to say I preferred the parts of the book when somebody else was narrating but I didn’t dislike the Stevie Rae moments. In fact by the end of the book I felt like I understood her a lot more and I even started liking Raven mocker Rephaim! All in all I enjoyed this book as I have with all of the books in this series. If you love the other books get this one. Be warned though this book is a little bumpy it has its awesome parts and then not so awesome parts, but then again so do the others. Over all worth the read and I’m still as addicted to this series as ever and cant wait to find out what happens to the gang in the next book Awakened. 4 stars. My Rating 4/5 stars ****

Review for Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers

This novel is very similar to two other books I’ve read Just listen and Speak. It’s about Regina Afton who at a party one night gets attacked by her best friend Anna’s boyfriend she manages to get away and while hurt and confused goes to confide in her frenemy Kara. Regina’s part of the most popular girl clique in school and plays second in command to her best friend Anna but the day after the rape when she goes into school she finds that she’s been frozen out by the group. Kara’s told Anna that Regina hooked up with her boyfriend and Anna doesn’t believe Regina when she try’s to tell her that she was nearly rapped. Anna’s out for revenge and Anna’s a mean girl - a lethal combination. As the year goes on and the bullying gets worse Regina gets closer to social outcast Michael who she herself used to bully. What starts of as a freeze out from her friends soon takes a cruel turn to some nasty rumours and some malicious pranks and when Regina decides that she’s not going down without a fight she just might not only be putting herself but also Michael in serious danger. I didn’t love Courtney Summers debut novel Cracked up to be that much so I was a bit weary about reading this one but I’m so glad I did because it was so much better. This is very dark and shows exactly how mean some girls can be out of all the books I’ve read on this subject I think this is my favourite because it felt so real. I would recommend this to any girl going through high school because it’s a very important novel that makes you understand that what you say to people and bullying can have a very serious effect on that person. I’m so excited to see what Courtney Summers brings out next because she just gets better and better! 4.5 stars. My Rating 4.5/5 stars ****1/2

Review for The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

With the second book to this series coming out here in the UK soon I decided it was about time I picked this up and got it read, especially because I insisted on getting it in hardcover all those months ago because I couldn’t wait for the paperback and guess what? The paperback is now out and I’ve only just read it. Typical, but that’s just me and my book addict ways. This book is set in the future during a zombie apocalypse. Mary’s village believe they are the last human survivors in the world and are fenced off from the outside and the forest that surrounds them The forest of hands and teeth. Mary’s heard stories of what the world used to be like - buildings so tall they reached the sky, The Ocean - a mass of water that tastes like salt and stretches out as far as the eye can see. But it’s a little hard to believe that these things still exist or even ever existed at all when all she’s ever known is her village and The Unconsecrated constantly moaning and knocking at their fences hungry for the living. Everyone tells Mary that she should be content with the village be happy that she’s safe and not in The forest of hands and teeth, but Mary’s hunger to know if there’s life outside of her village and if they really are the last human survivors is strong, as strong as The Unconsecrated’s need for human flesh and like The Unconsecrated she wont be satisfied until her hunger is fulfilled. I really loved the idea for this book and the writing is gorgeous. It reminded me a bit of the film ‘I Am Legend’ so if you liked that I’d recommend checking this book out. However there were two problems with this book which is why I couldn’t give it the full 5 stars. I didn’t really like the characters I found them a little underdeveloped, and secondly the cover. This is probably the most boring book cover I have on my book shelf which really annoys me because the US cover is gorgeous both the hardcover and the paperback. If I didn’t know what this book was about before I saw the cover I don’t think I would have been drawn to it. However this book is so good that it hardly takes away from it at all, I read it in a day and will definitely be picking up the next book in this series The Dead-Tossed Waves when it comes out in April. 4 stars. My Rating 4/5 stars ****

Review for Before I fall by Lauren Oliver

Every review that I’ve read for this book has been positive and mine will be no exception. I’m so glad that I’ve read this book and can now see what all the fuss is about. It’s perfect. I absolutely adored it. Definitely in my top favourite books of all time. I could gush about how much I loved it all day long. The writing is gorgeous. The story original and funny and easy but at the same time heartbreaking and complex and layered. I cant really say what this book is about without giving the whole plot away but if you enjoyed If I Stay by Gayle Forman or Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher I’d definitely recommend picking this book up. I can’t believe this is a debut novel and I will without hesitation pick up the next book Lauren Oliver brings out. Recommended to anyone and everyone, 5 stars. My Rating 5/5 stars *****

Review for Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

Now after reading this book I can say that I’ve read every single book by Sarah Dessen to date, and this is definitely one of my favourites. Like all of Dessens books this is set over summer and is about a girl called Auden who never lets go and has fun. She’s always studying and doing well in school as a way to get her parents attention and approval during and after their divorce and because of this she’s never really had much of a childhood. It’s the summer before college and Auden goes to spend it with her dad and his new family in the beach town of Colby. Ever since her parents first began arguing at night Auden’s been an insomniac and even now their separated she still cant get to sleep at night so its during her nights wondering around a sleeping Colby that Auden meets Eli a fellow insomniac. As she starts to find out why Eli cant sleep at night and he begins to find out about her she realises that she missed out on a lot of things in childhood, sneaking in late, food fights and riding a bike to name a few. Eli thinks its not too late to change so he sets a quest for Auden to complete all of these things that she’s missed out on. But can people really change? And is it ever too late for second chances? Although it has to be said that Sarah Dessen certainly writes to a formula. I still always enjoy her novels. Our heroine Auden is slightly older than the usual characters in Dessens stories and I found that the summer before college made for a lovely coming of age novel. This book has everything a girl could want in a summer read and can be read and enjoyed any time of year so if your looking for a good chick lit coming of age novel I’d highly recommend this. I can’t wait to see what Sarah brings out next! 4. 5 stars. My Rating 4.5/5 stars ****1/2

Review for The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

So its general knowledge that everyone and their mothers read this novel so when I spotted it two years ago for half price I picked it up figuring it was worth the read for half price along with all the rave reviews for it. However it’s sat on my shelf untouched until only last week when I suddenly had a strange urge to read it - and it was good. I’d say over rated but over all I gave it four stars. Here’s the thing I really loved the characters and I thought the plot idea was really good and original with it being narrated by Death but boy did this book drag on. It could have easily been half its length. Easily. Which of course made it really tiresome and slow to read in some parts. I didn’t find myself wanting to get into bed and read in the evenings and I really had to slog my way through some parts. Basically when this book was good it was good and when it was bad it was bad. I didn’t love the writing either I found it a bit clunky in places. I loved the message behind this book though how humanity can be so evil and yet so compassionate and it was interesting to see how that was portrayed through each character and you got to see how differently people act in the same situation. I also loved the ending which made me decide to give it the four stars instead of the three and a half I was originally planning on. I do think this book is over rated and I cant say that I’ll be rushing out to buy another of Markus Zusak’s novels anytime soon, but I don’t regret reading it and my overall decision to give it 4 stars means that Zusak must have done something right. My Rating 4/5 stars ****

Review for If I Stay by Gayle Forman

I’ve had this book waiting to be read on my shelf for a while now and I have no idea why I haven’t picked it up sooner. It’s a short read being only 200 and something pages long but it’s so beautiful. Mia has it all a loving boyfriend a wonderful family and a bright future. That is until one cold February morning when Mia and her family are in a car accident. Mia’s mother and farther die instantly and Mia is left in a coma. Whilst in this coma Mia’s able to observe what’s going on around her and realises that she gets to make the decision to stay or let go and die. Life as she knew it has changed and Mia has to decide with the help of the friends and family around her at the hospital whether life could be worth waking up to. This is such a gorgeous read one of my favourite passages is at the very start as Mia describes how her mom at the front passenger seat got hit in a way that cushioned the blow for her and her brother which summed her mother up to a T. I was in tears through most of this book but also smiling through them at the hope it displays also. Definitely a book I would recommend I give it 4.5 stars. My Rating 4.5/5 stars ****1/2

Review for Fallen by Lauren Kate

First of all I have to say that the cover for this book is GORGEOUS. Definitely one of my favourite covers ever and yes I’m one of those people who get lured in by pretty covers so I snatched this one up without knowing that much about it. After reading some reviews I found out that it’s about angels and forbidden love the kinds of topics that I love so I bumped it up on the TBR pile to read soon. Wow is all I can say. When I picked it up I didn’t want to stop reading I loved everything about it the writing the characters the plot. It reminded me a lot of The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong which is one of my favourite books so if you liked that I would strongly recommend Fallen. I love the title of the book as well I guess mostly it implies fallen angels but I also think it represented Luce and Daniel falling in love when their loves forbidden. I was really excited to find out that there’s going to be a second book in the series Torment out in September so I’ll definitely be keeping my eyes peeled for that. A lot of people have said that Fallen is very similar to another book out at the moment with yet another gorgeous cover Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick and it seems like you prefer one over the other. I have Hush, Hush waiting to be read on my bookshelf so I’m excited to read that soon and if it’s as good as Fallen then I’m in for an awesome read. Loved it and would fully recommend it 5 stars from me. My Rating 5/5 stars *****

Review for Impossible by Nancy Werlin

For generations the Scarborough girls have each fallen pregnant at the age of 17 then after each giving birth to a baby girl became mad straight after to the point that their beyond help. This is what happened to our main character Lucy Scarborough’s mother Miranda, so when Lucy herself falls pregnant after being raped at the age of 17 she finds it a little strange a really weird coincidence or not? Her mother keeps turning up at her foster parents house trying to tell Lucy that theres a curse on the family and that Lucy’s doomed to the same fate as the rest of the women in the family unless she completes 3 impossible tasks from a folk song based on the Scarborough girls curse that has haunted her all of her life. So is there a curse? Or is it just one of her mother’s crazy tales? And more importantly how is Lucy going to break a curse asking her to perform three impossible tasks to save herself and her unborn daughter? I actually brought this book on a bit of a whim not really knowing that much about it or its author, Ok I admit I was drawn in by the cool cover! But all in all I’m glad I picked it up. It was an original story and a fairly quick read full of magic and romance. Over all I’d give it 4 stars. My Rating 4/5 stars ****

Review for Cracked Up to be by Courtney Summers

This book has mainly pretty good reviews. I also really loved the sound of the book so its been on my wish list for a while so when it finally came in stock on Amazon I brought it right away, but I have to say I was a little disappointed. Parker Fadley is one of those girls who has it all. She’s cheerleading captain, has a gorgeous boyfriend and has perfect grades. In fact perfect could be Parkers middle name. So when Parker starts turning up to school drunk, breaks up with her boyfriend, quits the cheerleading squad and generally trys to isolate herself from everyone people don’t understand whats made Parker fall from grace so drastically. Then when new guy Jake turns up and wants to get to know Parker despite the fact she’s not perfect anymore she trys to push him away like everyone else but Jake doesn’t give up easily will Parker let someone in? and will we find out whats caused Perfect Parker Fadley to crumble? Well the main problems I had with this book was that I guessed roughly what happened from the start. The biggest problem though was Parker I found her extremely unlikable and her constant poor me what I did was so awful attitude didn’t make me sympathise with her at all especially because when you find out what happened its really not her fault I can understand why she would think it was but its like seriously girl this may come as a shock but its not all about you. I didn’t really like any of the characters all that much. That being said I didn’t hate this book it was a quick read being only 200 and something pages long and the writing was good and I liked the general idea. Before I read this I also brought Courtney’s second book Some girls are that I will still read and hopefully enjoy a bit more than her first novel, this gets a 3 stars from me. My Rating 3/5 stars ***

Review for Alanna, the First Adventure by Tamora Pierce

This was my first read of this book and my first by Tamora Pierce. Unlike a lot of reviews around my age (19) I didn’t first read this book in my younger teen years, and I only wish that I had because I think it would have become one of my very favourite childhood books and I would have re read it over and over the years. I couldn’t give this book 5 stars as for me now the writing was just a little bit too young to fully enjoy that’s why I only wish I’d read it when I was younger because I think I would have loved it even more. However this book was still immensely enjoyable and I feel like I’ll enjoy the books more and more as Alanna gets older as with her being between the ages of 10 and 13 in this book I didn’t connect with her as much as someone younger may be able to. Over all this was a really promising start and I’m really looking forward to reading the rest of the books in the Song of the Lioness series to find out what happens to Alanna and co next. My Rating 4/5 stars ****

Review for Sunshine by Robin McKinley

Sunshine (Rae) has spent her life trying to be normal - Well as normal as it can be in a world full of vampires, sorcerers, were’s and other creatures that go bump in the night. Despite coming from a strong powerful family of sorcerers Sunshine just wants a normal life baking cinnamon rolls in her family’s coffeehouse. Despite her attempts to live a normal life Sunshine is soon flung into the other world when she’s kidnapped by a gang of vampires and finds that she’s to be dinner for her fellow vampire prisoner Constantine. It soon becomes clear that if they both want to get out alive they’ll have to form an unlikely alliance to escape Constantine’s enemy Bo who keeps them imprisoned and Sunshine will have to use her supernatural sorcerer powers that she’s been trying to deny having all these years. The rest of the story follows Sunshine's development of her powers and her forbidden alliance with Con to defeat the master vampire Bo. First things first I’d like to say that I love a good vampire novel. Was this a vampire novel? Me thinks not. The vampires in question hardly feature, and when they do there is little action. I really enjoyed the start of this novel but the rest of the book I found really quiet boring which is probably the worst thing a book can be. There was little action and the middle of the book was filled up with Rae's constant unnecessary babbling. The ending was left really unfinished with a lot of questions still unanswered which would leave a great opening for a sequel but after looking on Robins website it says she has no plans and doesn’t intend to write a sequel which is really quiet bazaar with the way the books set up. However there were parts of the novel I enjoyed very much. I liked the idea of the voodoo wars and I enjoyed learning about Rae’s power. I really had high hopes for this novel as I’ve heard a lot of good things about Robin McKinley. I’ll probably try something else by her in the future but I definitely won’t be re-reading this and I won’t be recommending it! My Rating 3/5 stars ***

Review for The Shadow Of The Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

The Shadow of the Wind is an exciting and suspenseful gothic thriller, set immediately after the Spanish Civil War. One early morning a young boy is taken by his farther to The Cemetery of Forgotten Books a hidden library in Barcelona full of rare and obscure titles. Daniels father asks him to choose one book and to treasure it for the rest of his life. This is how Daniel happens upon The Shadow of the Wind. After reading it Daniel becomes obsessed with the book and its author Julian Carax, as he investigates he is drawn into the mystery of Julian Carax, his books, his death and his life. Before long Daniel is tangled up in the web that Carax has left behind a web spun out of murder, love, betrayal and revenge. I adored this book. It’s one of those rare books that I would recommend to anyone as I truly believe that it has something for everyone. This is one of my all time very favourite reads that I know I’ll re-read over and over in the years to come. I rushed out and brought Carlos Ruiz Zafon’s second book The Angel's Game as soon as I finished it and if it’s half as good as The Shadow of the Wind then I’m in for an outstanding read. My Rating 5/5 stars *****

The Tale of a Book Addict. An Introduction.

Like myself many of you reading this may be addicted to all things books. Reading them, buying them, winning them, reviewing them, listening to them, reading about them. And I - like so many of you - got caught in this web unawares. Here is my confession. Here I was just an innocent teen looking to escape the suckiness of teenhood in a good book, So I wonder to the bookshop pick up a couple of books and devour them that very weekend. Afterward I was aware of this hunger. This gaping hole in me that needed to be filled by – yes - more books. So I decide to look online for some recommendations and find a couple of books that tickle my fancy so off I go to the bookshop again and repeat my actions only this time I find out that the books I’ve just read are part of a series so then I go again and buy the next two in said series then via amazing websites such as librarything and goodreads I meet bookish friends who say ‘well if you liked that I bet you’ll enjoy this’ which I then go out and buy and find that that’s part of a series too and if I like that one I would also like this author who has a couple of other books out, until one day I look around me and I have hundreds of books to be read. Piled up all over my room so that it’s hard to actually move around in there. It was at that point that I found that my reading had become an addiction and like all addictions it had to be nipped in the bud immediately. So at the start of this year that’s exactly what I tried to do - and failed. I found that I didn’t *want* to stop. I loved everything about it. The book buying, the reading, the reviewing the discussing. So I figured I could have worse addictions right? Reading isn’t really that bad if you don’t think about your bank balance, and so I have decided to give in to my nature and embrace my bookish ways for the good of others. So thus begins my journey of ramblings about my bookish ways via this blog. If you’re trying to not buy so many books this isn’t the blog for you instead this blog is a celebration of books and their lovers. So lets here it are ya with me?! Book lovingly yours Jessica ♥