Monday, January 31, 2011

Giveaway at Sarah Says!

My friend Sarah at Sarah Says, is having her very first giveaway! In celebration of reaching 50 followers, she's giving away a $20 Amazon E-Certificate. Head over to her blog today for your chance to win!

http://sarahthinksso.blogspot.com/2011/01/my-first-giveaway-enter-to-win-20.html

I Am Number Four - Pittacus Lore

I Am Number Four (Lorien Legacies Series #1)
Author: Pittacus Lore
Publication Date: August 3rd, 2010
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 440
Age Range: Young Adult
ISBN-13: 9780061969553
ISBN: 0061969559

GoodReads Summary:
In the beginning they were a group of nine. Nine aliens who left their home planet of Lorien when it fell under attack by the evil Mogadorian. Nine aliens who scattered on Earth. Nine aliens who look like ordinary teenagers living ordinary lives, but who have extraordinary, paranormal skills. Nine aliens who might be sitting next to you now.

The Nine had to separate and go into hiding. The Mogadorian caught Number One in Malaysia, Number Two in England, and Number Three in Kenya. All of them were killed. John Smith, of Paradise, Ohio, is Number Four. He knows that he is next.

I AM NUMBER FOUR is the thrilling launch of a series about an exceptional group of teens as they struggle to outrun their past, discover their future—and live a normal life on Earth.

I AM NUMBER FOUR.
I AM NEXT.

My Review:
I picked up I Am Number Four at the library after seeing the trailer at the movie theater. The movie looks like it would be pretty good, and I'm the type of person that has to read the book before I see the movie.

The book was actually a pretty good read. Lots of action, a bit of romance, (I was kind of surprised at this, I didn't expect it from this type of book. But there it is.), and definitely a little suspense. Some parts at the end of the book were a bit confusing, and I had to keep going back and re-reading.

I really liked John, but he kind of sent out mixed signals. One minute he was kicking butt, and the next minute, he was crying over... well... what seemed like everything. I found it really hard to think of him as a badass. I still like him though. I like him and Sarah's relationship. He's so sweet to her. Sam is another great character, I wish there had been more of him in the book. I also liked Henri and, at the end, Mark. And of course Bernie!

I enjoyed reading this book, and I'm looking forward to reading the next one soon. I did have a lot of questions at the end of the book, and I'm hoping they will be answered in the next book. I can't wait to see the movie. I hope it lives up to the book.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell

The Vespertine (The Vespertine #1)
Author: Saundra Mitchell
Release Date: March 2011
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Pages: 304
Age Rank: Young Adult
ISBN-13: 9780547482477
ISBN: 0547482477

GoodReads Summary:
It’s the summer of 1889, and Amelia van den Broek is new to Baltimore and eager to take in all the pleasures the city has to offer. But her gaiety is interrupted by disturbing, dreamlike visions she has only at sunset—visions that offer glimpses of the future. Soon, friends and strangers alike call on Amelia to hear her prophecies. However, a forbidden romance with Nathaniel, an artist, threatens the new life Amelia is building in Baltimore. This enigmatic young man is keeping secrets of his own—still, Amelia finds herself irrepressibly drawn to him.
When one of her darkest visions comes to pass, Amelia’s world is thrown into chaos. And those around her begin to wonder if she’s not the seer of dark portents, but the cause.

My Review
A beautiful, haunting story set in the ninteenth century. Amelia van den Broek is sent to Baltimore to stay with a cousin, in hopes of finding a husband that lives up to her brother's standards. Instead, she discovers she has an ability to look into the sunset, and see glimpses of the future. Ameila also finds a forbidden love in starving artist Nathaniel Witherspoon, who has a secret of is own to keep.

I really enjoyed reading this book. The language is absolutely beautiful, it reads like a classic. The descriptions were fascinating, and well thought out.

The relationship between Ameila and her cousin Nora were quite touching. It felt more like they were actually sisters instead of cousins. The romance between Ameila and Nathaniel is captivating. I wanted them to be together as much as Amelia did. Although I did feel a bit bad for Nathaniel that she was playing games in some parts, pushing him away, and for things he couldn't control.

The Verspertine was an excellent read. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It definitely kept my attention, and when I wasn't reading it, it was still on my mind. I'm looking forward to reading the second book in the series next year.

Wonderful work, Mrs. Mitchell!
Thank you to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and NetGalley for allowing me to read the advance copy of this book!

My GoodReads Review

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Beastly - Alex Flinn

Beastly
Author: Alex Flinn
Publication Date: October 1st 2007
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Pages: 320
Age Range: Young Adult
ISBN-13: 9780060874162
ISBN: 0060874163

GoodReads Summary:
I am a beast.

A beast!

Not quite wolf or bear, gorilla or dog but a horrible new creature who walks upright. I am a monster.
You think I'm talking fairy tales? No way. The place is New York City. The time is now. It's no deformity, no disease. And I'll,stay this way forever—ruined—unless I can break the spell.

Yes, the spell, the one the witch in my English class cast on me. Why did she turn me into a beast who hides by day and prowls by night? I'll tell you. I'll tell you how I used to be Kyle Kingsbury, the guy you wished you were, with money, perfect looks, and the perfect life. And then, I'll tell you how I became perfectly . . . beastly.

My Review:
Beastly is the modern day retelling of the well known classic, Beauty and the Beast. We have Kyle, a gorgeous 16 year old, who has an attitude and quite frankly is full of himself. When he ticks off the wrong person, a witch, she casts a spell that turns him into a true beast. Only a kiss from his one true love can change him back, who could love such a beast?

This was a really fun, quick read. I had a really hard time caring about the main character, Kyle. He was mean and conceited, and I really just don't care for people like that. Lindy was an ok... although at points even she annoyed me a bit. I did love Will, Magda and Kendra though.

I thought it was a pretty good read, and I am looking forward to seeing the movie in March!

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Midnight Alley - Rachel Caine

Midnight Alley (Morganville Vampires Series #3)
Author: Rachel Caine
Publication Date: October 2007
Publisher: Penguin Group
Pages: 256
Age Range: Young Adult
ISBN-13: 9780451222381
ISBN: 0451222385

GoodReads Summary:
Claire Danvers's college town may be run by vampires but a truce between the living and the dead made things relatively safe. For a while. Now people are turning up dead, a psycho is stalking her, and an ancient bloodsucker has proposed private mentoring. To what end, Claire will find out. And it's giving night school a whole new meaning.


My Review
Midnight Alley is the third book in Rachel Caine's Morganville Vampire series. This series just gets better and better!

I absolutely love the characters in this book. I love Eve being the strong willed best friend. Michael and Shane are in a league all their own. Claire was a bit foolish in this book, but I can see that happening to a teen. I enjoyed a lot of the new character's too... Mrynin was so very interesting. I want to know more about him, and I hope we see more of him in the next book. Amelie is very hard to figure out, as more layer's unfold about her. The once character that I don't care for is Shane, Eve's brother. That guy is creepy.

Just like the previous books, Midnight Alley was action packed and kept me full of suspense. I'm looking forward to reading book four in the series.

Happy Reading!

The Dead Girls Dance - Rachel Caine

The Dead Girls' Dance (Morganville Vampires Series #2)
Author: Rachel Caine
Pub. Date: April 3rd, 2007
Publisher: Penguin Group
Pages: 256
Age Range: Young Adult
ISBN-13: 9780451220899
ISBN: 0451220897

GoodReads Summary:
Claire Danvers faces more challenges from both college and the undead in thissecond entry in the Morganville Vampires series.

My Thoughts:
The Dead Girl's Dance is the second book in The Morganville Vampire's series. After the huge cliffhanger in Glass House's (bk 1), I just HAD to know what happened next.

It was another really good read. I didn't care for a few of the character's, but the ones I love, Michael, Shane, Eve and Claire, were just as great as always. Full of suspence just like the first book, it kept me intrigued and wondering.

I really love this series. I can't wait to read the next one!

Monday, January 10, 2011

Galley Grab

Last month, I signed up to be a tester for Simon & Schuster's Galley Grab. For those who don't know what that is, you can read about it here...
http://galleygrab.com/welcome

Basically you read and review ARC's (advance reader's copy) of books they have coming out soon. All of their books are compatible with my Sony Reader, however, I don't think they are with my Nook.

Last week, they sent out their montly email with this month's Galley Grab's. I picked up some great books!






Click on the images to find out more about these books.

I look forward to reading these, they all look great!

Happy Reading!

New books from the library...












This week at the library, I picked up the following books...

I Am Number Four - Pittacus Lors
I hear you, You haunt me - Lisa Schroeder
Entice - Carrie Jones

I'm looking forward to reading all of these books. Especially 'I am Number Four', as I saw the movie previews for it, and it looked pretty neat. 'Entice' is the 3rd installment in the 'Need' series, and I am looking forward to reading it also.

Here's hoping I have a good reading week!

New year!

It's a new year, so I'm going to get back into the posting game. LOTS of great books are coming out this year, and I have 2 ereaders full of galley's to read. So I better get busy!

Happy Reading to all!
Christy