Sunday, May 31, 2015

May Wrap Up & Book Haul

*Books Read in May*

Devoted by Jennifer Mathieu
Love Fortunes and Other Disasters by Kimberly Karalius
Joyride by Anna Banks
P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han
Nowhere But Here by Katie McGarry
City Love by Susane Colasanti
Illusionarium by Heather Dixon
The Cost of All Things by Maggie Lehrman
Daughter of Deep Silence by Carrie Ryan
Kissing in America by Margo Rabb
A Matter of Heart by Amy Fellner Dominy
The Girl at Midnight by Melissa Grey

*May Book Haul*

Until The Beginning by Amy Plum
Made You Up by Francesca Zappia
The Death Code by Lindsay Cummings
Illusionsarium by Heather Dixson

*Bought*
The Heir by Kiera Cass
99 Days by Katie Cotugno
How To Love by Katie Cotugno
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han
Nowhere But Here by Katie McGarry

*Gifted*
Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

_____________________________________________

May was another seriously great month for books!
I read 14 really awesome books,
and added 11 more new books to my collection.
I also passed the halfway mark on my Goodreads reading challenge for this year.
I've read 61 books so far, and I'm 20 books ahead of schedule!
That's so awesome. :)

Here's to another great month of books in June!!

Friday, May 29, 2015

Review: P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20698530-p-s-i-still-love-you
P.S. I Still Love You
(To All The Boys I've Loved Before #2)
by Jenny Han
Website | Twitter | Facebook

Publication Date: May 26th 2015
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Pages: 337
ISBN: 9781442426733
Genre: Young Adult | Contemporary
Source: Own

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Available for Purchase:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

Lara Jean didn’t expect to really fall for Peter.
She and Peter were just pretending. Except suddenly they weren’t. Now Lara Jean is more confused than ever.
When another boy from her past returns to her life, Lara Jean’s feelings for him return too. Can a girl be in love with two boys at once?

In this charming and heartfelt sequel to the New York Times bestseller To All the Boys I've Loved Before, we see first love through the eyes of the unforgettable Lara Jean. Love is never easy, but maybe that’s part of what makes it so amazing. (Goodreads)
**If you’ve not read To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before or P.S. I Still Love You, please read this at your own risk. I’ll not intentionally add spoilers, but there is information from the first book included, and a little from the second book as well. You’ve been warned!

I absolutely couldn’t wait to get my hands on P.S. I Still Love You. I was a little late to the bandwagon about reading To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, I actually just read the book a few months ago, but after the ending the book, I couldn’t’ wait to get my hands on the sequel to see what was going to happen next for Lara Jean and Peter.

It has been so interesting to watch Lara Jean grow as a character in these two books. She was already a pretty awesome girl to begin with, but she’s grown even more in confidence and determination. She’s such a fun character. She also has an awesome family that I want to be a part of; her father is amazing and I want her sisters to be my sisters, especially Kitty. I imagine life would never be boring around Kitty. I LOVE when characters have really great families.

I loved Peter in the first book, and I love him still in the sequel. However, he does do some things throughout the novel that really frustrated me. The back and forth between he and Lara Jean was a bit exhausting at times. But just when I was fixing to give up on the two of them, Peter reminds me why I grew to love him so much to begin with. Sigh.

As promised, we meet with the boy from Lara Jeans past in the story as well, a boy who was another recipient of one of Lara Jeans famous letters. He actually played a bigger part in the story than I expected, and I’m going to be honest with you, I kind of fell in love with him a bit as the story went along. He was very sweet and thoughtful, and I enjoyed the interactions we had with him throughout the book.

The storyline for the book is much the same as the first book. There’s a lot more drama for Peter and Lara Jean, and while I enjoyed the story, some parts of it was a little frustrating and repetitive. The storyline also touches bases on important things that teens face in life, with sex, bullying, and double standards between boys and girls being a few. The ending of the book came together rather nicely, but I found myself wishing for SO much more. An epilogue or something would have been nice, as like what was in her previous series. Or I could even go for a third book in the series. I don’t think I could ever get tired of these characters.

Overall; I really enjoyed P.S. I Still Love You. It was a great sequel to what is now one of my most favorite contemporaries. I do have to admit that I enjoyed the first book more, but I still really enjoyed this one. While I would love to see more books in this series, I’m pretty happy with the way things came together in the end. I can’t wait to see what Han has in store for us next!
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Thursday, May 28, 2015

Review: Kissing in America by Margo Rabb

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18478083-kissing-in-america
Kissing in America
by Margo Rabb
Website | Twitter | Instagram

Publication Date: May 26th 2015
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 400
ISBN: 9780062322371
Genre: Young Adult | Contemporary
Source: Edelweiss

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Available for Purchase:
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“Wise, inspiring, and ultimately uplifting—not to be missed.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"A hilarious, thought-provoking, wrenching, and joyful quest.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Authentic and complex…This is a smart teen's novel."—Booklist, starred review

Acclaimed writer Margo Rabb’s Kissing in America is “a wonderful novel about friendship, love, travel, life, hope, poetry, intelligence, and the inner lives of girls,” raves internationally bestselling author Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray, Love).

In the two years since her father died, sixteen-year-old Eva has found comfort in reading romance novels—118 of them, to be exact—to dull the pain of her loss that’s still so present. Her romantic fantasies become a reality when she meets Will, who seems to truly understand Eva’s grief. Unfortunately, after Eva falls head-over-heels for him, he picks up and moves to California without any warning. Not wanting to lose the only person who has been able to pull her out of sadness—and, perhaps, her shot at real love—Eva and her best friend, Annie, concoct a plan to travel to the west coast to see Will again. As they road trip across America, Eva and Annie confront the complex truth about love.

In this honest and emotional journey that National Book Award finalist Sara Zarr calls “gorgeous, funny, and joyous,” readers will experience the highs of infatuation and the lows of heartache as Eva contends with love in all of its forms. (Goodreads)
The first thing that drew me to Kissing in America was the book’s cover. It’s so fun, and definitely eye catching. The summary for the book sounded interesting as well, so I was looking forward to checking it out.

The story is about a sixteen year old girl named Eva. Since her father passed away two years before in a tragic plane accident, Eva reads romance novels as a way to cope with his passing. Getting lost in the romance of the story makes her forget for a while her tragic loss. When Will comes into her life, Eva believes she may finally be in her own romance story, until he suddenly moves away with barely any notice. Not willing to lose the one person who she can finally be open with, Eva devises a plan to travel across the country with her best friend Annie, in hopes of seeing Will again.

I love that Eva found solace in her romance novels. I was able to relate to her on this, because there’s nothing like a reading a good love story sometimes to make the world better again. While I don’t read the same type of novels that she did, I still can’t resist a good love story. Eva used them as a way to cope with her father’s death. I can’t even begin to imagine the grief that Eva felt at the loss of her father, especially when she really had no one to talk to about it. Her mom coped with her grief in a completely different way, and it kind of made me angry how she handled it, especially with Eva. I loved Eva’s best friend Annie, she definitely made the book more interesting. There were a lot of interesting secondary characters in the story as well.

The storyline for the book was interesting. I love road trip books, so experiencing that with the girls was super fun for me. The storyline about the fathers passing was sad, and it made my heart ache for Eva and her mother.

Overall; Kissing in America was not what I expected, but was an entertaining and thoughtful read. I really enjoyed the characters and the road trip storyline. I’m looking forward to reading more by this author in the future.
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Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Waiting on Wednesday #200 - Until Friday Night by Abbi Glines

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24885704-until-friday-night
Until Friday Night
(The Field Party #1)
by Abby Glines
Website | Twitter | Facebook

Publication Date: August 25th 2015
Publisher: Simon Pulse
ISBN: 9781481438858

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24885704-until-friday-night

Available for Purchase:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

To everyone who knows him, West Ashby has always been that guy: the cocky, popular, way-too-handsome-for-his-own-good football god who led Lawton High to the state championships. But while West may be Big Man on Campus on the outside, on the inside he’s battling the grief that comes with watching his father slowly die of cancer.

Two years ago, Maggie Carleton’s life fell apart when her father murdered her mother. And after she told the police what happened, she stopped speaking and hasn’t spoken since. Even the move to Lawton, Alabama, couldn’t draw Maggie back out. So she stayed quiet, keeping her sorrow and her fractured heart hidden away.

As West’s pain becomes too much to handle, he knows he needs to talk to someone about his father—so in the dark shadows of a post-game party, he opens up to the one girl who he knows won’t tell anyone else.

West expected that talking about his dad would bring some relief, or at least a flood of emotions he couldn’t control. But he never expected the quiet new girl to reply, to reveal a pain even deeper than his own—or for them to form a connection so strong that he couldn’t ever let her go… (Goodreads)

Confession: I've never read a book by Abbi Glines before!
Not that I haven't wanted to, they all sound pretty awesome,
but Until Friday Night really has me intrigued!
I really can't wait to check this book out!
**"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine,
that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.**


Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Books I Plan To Have In My Beach (Pool) Bag This Summer

May 26: Ten Books I Plan To Have In My Beach Bag This Summer
I really love this weeks Top Ten Tuesday prompt!
Just last week I had went through my books and picked 
out a few that I wanted to read this summer.
When I saw this prompt, I went back through them again, 
and picked out some summer-themed books!
These are the books I will most definitely have in my beach (pool) bag this summer!!


by Sarah Dessen
(Because summer just isn't summer without reading a Sarah Dessen Book!!)

My Life Next Door | What I Thought Was True
by Huntley Fitzpatrick
by Morgan Matson

Endless Summer by Jennifer Echols



I can't wait to get started on these!!

What books are in your Beach Bag??
Leave a link so I can stop by an check yours out!!

 
 
 

Monday, May 25, 2015

Review: Nowhere but Here by Katie McGarry

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23492282-nowhere-but-here
Nowhere But Here
(Thunder Road #1)
by Katie McGarry
Website | Twitter | Facebook

Publication Date: May 26th 2015
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Pages: 496
ISBN: 9780373211425
Genre: Young Adult | New Adult | Contemporary
Source: Netgalley

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Available for Purchase:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository


An unforgettable new series from acclaimed author Katie McGarry about taking risks, opening your heart and ending up in a place you never imagined possible.

Seventeen-year-old Emily likes her life the way it is: doting parents, good friends, good school in a safe neighborhood. Sure, she's curious about her biological father—the one who chose life in a motorcycle club, the Reign of Terror, over being a parent—but that doesn't mean she wants to be a part of his world. But when a reluctant visit turns to an extended summer vacation among relatives she never knew she had, one thing becomes clear: nothing is what it seems. Not the club, not her secret-keeping father and not Oz, a guy with suck-me-in blue eyes who can help her understand them both.

Oz wants one thing: to join the Reign of Terror. They're the good guys. They protect people. They're…family. And while Emily—the gorgeous and sheltered daughter of the club's most respected member—is in town, he's gonna prove it to her. So when her father asks him to keep her safe from a rival club with a score to settle, Oz knows it's his shot at his dream. What he doesn't count on is that Emily just might turn that dream upside down.

No one wants them to be together. But sometimes the right person is the one you least expect, and the road you fear the most is the one that leads you home. (Goodreads)
How can I even begin to tell you how super excited to was for Katie McGarry’s Nowhere But Here?? I absolutely adore her Pushing the Limits series, and I was super excited to see what she was going to do with this Thunder Road series. When a book contains hot guys and motorcycles, you can definitely count me in for reading it. I’m super thrilled to say that Nowhere But Here definitely did not disappoint.

The story is told from alternate viewpoints between Emily and Oz. I know I’ve said this many times before in my reviews, but I absolutely adore when stories are told this way, as the viewpoints give us SO much more information. As you read the story, you just can’t help but sympathize with Emily for all that she’s been through. She finds out that her whole life is basically a lie and no one will tell her the truth about it. This was SO super frustrating for me, but Emily handled it so much better than I would have, and I couldn’t help but admire her for that.


I am more than a little in love with Oz. While he did a few things in the beginning of the book that made me want to smack him, I fell more and more in love with him the more I turned the pages. The romance between these two characters is definitely not insta-love. These two characters clashed from the moment they met, and while the attraction was definitely there, they resisted for as long as they could. But once they started to get to know each other, there was no more fighting it. There were some really sweet moments between the two throughout the story, and the sexy-times are super swoon-worthy.

There are some really awesome secondary characters in the book as well; some that we get to know and love pretty well, like Emily’s biological father, Eli, and her grandmother, Olivia, and then there are some characters that we meet briefly, but who make a huge impression, and I can’t wait to read more of their stories in the next books.

The storyline for the book was completely consuming. I knew I was going to love the book because I have a thing for bad boys on motorcycles, but I didn’t expect the book to be so well detailed. McGarry definitely put a lot of thought and research into this book, and I definitely appreciate that. I was completely hooked on the story, and while it came to a close nicely, no cliffhanger-ending at all, it still left me wishing that I had the next book(s) in my hands already.

Overall; Nowhere But Here is an excellent beginning to what should prove to be another awesome series by Katie McGarry. I’m going to be impatiently waiting to get my hands on the next book in the series and books 3 & 4 as well! If you like Katie’s Pushing the Limits series, I know you’re going to love the Thunder Road series. If you’ve not checked out any of her books, I highly recommend that you do so! They are super great.
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Thursday, May 21, 2015

Review: Illusionarium by Heather Dixon

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22840398-illusionarium
Illusionarium
by Heather Dixon
Website | Tumblr

Publication Date: May 19th 2015
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Pages: 368
ISBN: 9780062001054
Genre: Young Adult | Sci-Fi | SteamPunk
Source: Publisher

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Available for Purchase:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

What if the world holds more dangers—and more wonders—than we have ever known? And what if there is more than one world? From Heather Dixon, author of the acclaimed Entwined, comes a brilliantly conceived adventure that sweeps us from the inner workings of our souls to the far reaches of our imaginations.

Jonathan is perfectly ordinary. But then—as every good adventure begins—the king swoops into port, and Jonathan and his father are enlisted to find the cure to a deadly plague. Jonathan discovers that he's a prodigy at working with a new chemical called fantillium, which creates shared hallucinations—or illusions. And just like that, Jonathan is knocked off his path. Through richly developed parallel worlds, vivid action, a healthy dose of humor, and gorgeous writing, Heather Dixon spins a story that calls to mind The Night Circus and Pixar movies, but is wholly its own.
(Goodreads)
I was super excited to check out Illusionarium by Heather Dixon! The summary for the book sounded really unique and entertaining. I’ve had Dixon’s Entwined on my to-read list for forever, but have never had a chance to read it, so I was excited to finally be able to read something by her.

The story is told from Jonathon, the main character’s, point of view. Jonathon describes himself as pretty average in every single way, until he’s not. When he discovers that he can create illusions, everything changes for him. It was interesting to watch him grow as a character that pretty much thought himself to be ordinary, into something completely extraordinary.

The storyline for the book was really imaginative. It did take me a while to catch on to a few things, but once I did, the story held my interest.  The world-building was super creative. Imagine living in London in 1882, but there are airships in the sky and a deadly plague that is targeting only women. Then there is the alternate universe London, which is completely different in almost every single way, and is a place that I would never want to visit. Haha! There’s a plot twist towards the end of the book that I totally saw coming, but still cheered myself for being right about it. There is a teeny-tiny bit of romance in the book, but it’s completely overshadowed by the storyline. I do wish that we had seen more of it.

Overall; I found Illusionarium to be a very unique and entertaining read. The storyline, characters and world-building really made for an interesting story. Now that I’ve read something by Heather Dixon, I’m definitely going to have to make time to read Entwined soon!



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Monday, May 18, 2015

Review: Love Fortunes and Other Disasters by Kimberly Karalius

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22718710-love-fortunes-and-other-disasters
Love Fortunes and Other Disasters
by Kimberly Karalius
Website | Twitter | Facebook

Publication Date: May 12th 2015
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Pages: 368
ISBN: 9781250047205
Genre: Young Adult | Contemporary
Source: Publisher

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Available for Purchase:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

In the tradition of Alice Hoffman’s Practical Magic, one girl chooses to change her fortune and her fate by falling in love.

Love is real in the town of Grimbaud, and Fallon Dupree has dreamed of attending high school there for years. After all, generations of Duprees have successfully followed the (100% accurate!) love fortunes from Zita’s famous Love Charms Shop to happily marry their high school sweethearts. It’s a tradition. So she is both stunned and devastated when her fortune states that she will NEVER find love.

Fortunately, Fallon isn’t the only student with a terrible love fortune, and a rebellion is brewing. Fallon is determined to take control of her own fate—even if it means working with a notorious heartbreaker like Sebastian.

Will Fallon and Sebastian be able to overthrow Zita’s tyranny and fall in love? (Goodreads)
The first thing that drew me to Love Fortunes and Other Disasters was the adorable cover. I am a sucker for cute covers, and I just couldn’t resist this one. The summary for the book sounded really cute as well, so I couldn’t wait to check it out.

There are a wide variety of characters in the novel and each has a different personality. Some are super eccentric, while others are pretty laid-back. The main character in the story is Fallon, who for years has dreamed of attending high school in Grimbaud and finally getting her love fortune, and who is completely devastated when she receives a disheartening fortune. Fallon’s star-crossed love in the story is Sebastian. I really appreciated the relationship between these two characters, as there was no insta-love; when they first meet they pretty much hated each other! And it was fun to watch the relationship grow. Sebastian was probably my favorite character in the novel; though at first I didn’t think I’d like him much. There were a lot of interesting secondary characters in the novel as well, some who are super eccentric, and I loved them for it.

The story line for the book was cute, and despite a few slow parts, held my interest throughout the story. The world-building for the book was really creative. The city sounded very magical, especially considering all the spells that you could purchase. I found myself really wanting to visit this fictional city, although I would be terrified of actually getting any type of love fortune!

Overall; Love Fortunes and Other Disasters was a really cute read. I can tell that the author put a lot of thought into the book, and she did a good job of getting everything out in the story. I’m really looking forward to reading more by Kimberly Karalius in the future!

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Friday, May 15, 2015

Review: Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21393526-magonia
Magonia
by Maria Dahvana Headley
Website | Twitter

Publication Date: April 28th 2015
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 320
ISBN: 9780062320520
Genre: Young Adult | Fantasy | Sci-Fi
Source: Publisher

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Neil Gaiman’s Stardust meets John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars in this fantasy about a girl caught between two worlds... two races…and two destinies.

Aza Ray is drowning in thin air.

Since she was a baby, Aza has suffered from a mysterious lung disease that makes it ever harder for her to breathe, to speak—to live.

So when Aza catches a glimpse of a ship in the sky, her family chalks it up to a cruel side effect of her medication. But Aza doesn't think this is a hallucination. She can hear someone on the ship calling her name.

Only her best friend, Jason, listens. Jason, who’s always been there. Jason, for whom she might have more-than-friendly feelings. But before Aza can consider that thrilling idea, something goes terribly wrong. Aza is lost to our world—and found, by another. Magonia.

Above the clouds, in a land of trading ships, Aza is not the weak and dying thing she was. In Magonia, she can breathe for the first time. Better, she has immense power—and as she navigates her new life, she discovers that war is coming. Magonia and Earth are on the cusp of a reckoning. And in Aza’s hands lies the fate of the whole of humanity—including the boy who loves her. Where do her loyalties lie? (Goodreads)
Before I was sent a copy of Magonia to review, I had seen quite a bit of hype going around for the book, and I was super curious to see what the fuss was about. I’m so glad I decided to read this book. It definitely lives up to the hype, and in the end left me wanting more!

Aza is girl torn between two worlds; the ground below in which she has lived all her life, and the sky that belongs to the Magonian’s. All her life, Aza has had struggled to breathe, and the doctors don’t know why. They can only help her to live the best life that she can, while she can. And that works for Aza, until she out the window one afternoon and sees a ship in the sky. At first she thinks it is a hallucination, but when she hears her name being called from the ship, she realizes that it may just be something more.

The characters in the story were so well written, especially Aza. We get to see two completely different Aza’s in the story, the one who lives on the ground who can’t breathe the air and who is weak and slowly dying. Then there is Aza in the sky, who is curious and full of courage and determination. It really was interesting to see these different sides of her.

Aza’s best friend, Jason, was probably my most favorite character in the whole story. He knew that Aza had not just died, that something else had happened to her, and he was so determined to find out what. And, he’s super swoon-worthy as well.  Aza’s family was really interesting as well; both her family on the ground and the one in the air. I enjoyed them all, and each for so many different reasons.

When I first started reading the book, things were a little confusing. But I kept reading, and I managed to catch on to what was going on pretty quickly. I’m glad I stuck with it, because the story is definitely worth the read. The world-building was so creative; I don’t think I’ve ever read a book where half of the story has taken place in a sky world. I loved it!

Overall; Magonia was such a super unique read, just so different from any other fantasy I’ve read before. I loved the characters and the world-building and just EVERYTHING. I hear there may be a sequel in the works as well, so I’m super excited to check it out to see where this story will go for Aza and crew. Check it out if you haven’t already!!


_______________________________________________

*Event Recap*


The girls and I attended the last stop on the Epic Reads Spring Book Tour on May 1st and met Maria Dahvana Headley, Susane Colasanti & Katie Cotugno!! These ladies were lovely, and they talked about many great things. Maria talked a lot about the amazing things that she has done in the past,  which included negotiating with pirates and searching for Amelia Earhart. She seriously has to be one of the most adventurous people I've ever met.
It was SO much fun chatting with these three ladies, and I loved hearing about their inspirations and lives. If you've not read these books, I highly recommend that you check them out!

Magonia  |  City Love  |  99 Days

_______________________________________________

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Thursday, May 14, 2015

Blog Tour & Giveaway: The Girl at Midnight by Melissa Grey

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20345202-the-girl-at-midnight
The Girl at Midnight
(The Girl at Midnight #1)
by Melissa Grey
Website | Twitter | Instagram

Publication Date: April 28th 2015
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pages: 368
ISBN: 9780385744652
Genre: Young Adult | Paranormal | Fantasy
Source: Publisher

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Available for Purchase:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

Beneath the streets of New York City live the Avicen, an ancient race of people with feathers for hair and magic running through their veins. Age-old enchantments keep them hidden from humans. All but one. Echo is a runaway pickpocket who survives by selling stolen treasures on the black market, and the Avicen are the only family she's ever known.

Echo is clever and daring, and at times she can be brash, but above all else she's fiercely loyal. So when a centuries-old war crests on the borders of her home, she decides it's time to act.

Legend has it that there is a way to end the conflict once and for all: find the Firebird, a mythical entity believed to possess power the likes of which the world has never seen. It will be no easy task, though if life as a thief has taught Echo anything, it's how to hunt down what she wants . . . and how to take it.

But some jobs aren't as straightforward as they seem. And this one might just set the world on fire. (Goodreads)
When I first read the summary for The Girl at Midnight by Melissa Grey, I knew this book was going to make for an epic read. And it totally did! I love it when a book is even better than expected!

The story is about a girl, Echo, a human, who is caught right in the middle of an ancient war between the creatures that live under the streets of New York City. These creatures are called the Avicen, and they are an ancient race of people with feathers instead of hair, and who also have magic. When the centuries-old war gets a little too close to home, Echo doesn’t hesitate. It’s up to her to find the Firebird, the thing that is known as a myth, but what could, in fact, bring an end to the war altogether.

Echo was a super awesome main character.  Characters like her that are my absolute favorite! She’s strong and determined but also has a loyal heart and even a bit of the sarcastic attitude that I can totally relate to. And the best part is that she’s the one human in world that is hidden from all humans. She’s so different from the creatures in her world, but still, so loyal and so determined throughout the story. I love her for this.

Can we take a moment to talk about the main men in this book? There are two, and I somehow managed to fall in love with both of them; Rowan, because he’s almost perfection, and Caius, because he’s the complete opposite, but still also perfection. Haha!

The storyline for the book, as well as the characters and setting were so creative, and it all blended together wonderfully to make quite an impressive story. I love that the story was told from multiple points of view as well; it let us look at both sides of the story. I was hooked as I turned the pages of the book, and after the ending, I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book!

Overall; The Girl at Midnight was just as good as everyone said it was going to be, and more. I really can’t wait to get my hands on the next book in the series, as I’m sure it’s going to be just as good, and I can’t wait to get back into this story. If you have not yet read this book, or do not have it on your to-read list, I highly suggest that you get your hands on the book as soon as possible. Then you will be hooked as well!

____________________________________________

*The Giveaway*

Win a copy of The Girl at Midnight!!

US Only.
Must be 13 years or older enter.

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Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Review & Giveaway: A Matter Of Heart by Amy Fellner Dominy

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21921032-a-matter-of-heart
A Matter of Heart
by Amy Fellner Dominy
Website | Twitter | Facebook

Publication Date: May 15th 2015
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Pages: 320
ISBN: 9780385744430
Genre: Young Adult | Contemporary
Source: Publisher

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Readers will happily sink into this emotionally grounded, contemporary young adult novel about the sudden end of one girl's Olympic swimming dreams and the struggles she endures before realizing there are many things that define who we are.

Sixteen-year-old Abby Lipman is on track to win the state swim championships and qualify for the Olympic trials when a fainting incident at a swim meet leads to the diagnosis of a deadly heart condition. Now Abby is forced to discover who she is without the one thing that's defined her entire life.
(Goodreads)
I was definitely intrigued when A Matter of Heart crossed my radar. I’d had it on my to-read list for quite a while, and when the opportunity rose to review the book, I jumped on it, of course! I’m so glad I did. This book was a really wonderful, emotional read.

The story is about high school swimmer Abby Lipman, who has loved to swim all her life and is well on her way to qualifying for not only the state swim championship, but also Olympic swim trials as well. Everything changes for her one afternoon when a dizzy spell leads to Abby fainting at a swim meet, which leads to her being diagnosed with a deadly heart condition. How can Abby go on when she can no longer do the one thing she loves the most?

Abby was an interesting character. I really appreciated love and passion for her swimming, and her determination was definitely inspiring. I didn’t agree with everything that she did throughout the story, but I can see why she would make some of the decisions that she made. To be honest, I would have been completely terrified if I was her parents, but I thought her mother handled the situation beautifully, so kudos to her.

I love the storyline for the book. It’s about coming to terms with losing something you love more than anything, and dealing with how your new life is going to be. The book made me emotional more than a few times as I turned the pages. There were a few things that I felt were left hanging at the end of the story, but I suppose they weren’t important enough to really matter anyways. Otherwise this was a very enjoyable read for me.

Overall; I really enjoyed reading A Matter of Heart. It really was a great read. I can’t wait to read more by this author in the future; I’m especially looking forward the book she’s releasing in 2016, Die For You. It sounds awesome as well. I hope you check her books out!

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Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Review: The Cost of All Things by Maggie Lehrman

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22999924-the-cost-of-all-things
The Cost of All Things
by Maggie Lehrman
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Publication Date: May 12th 2015
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Pages: 416
ISBN: 9780062320742
Genre: Young Adult | Contemporary | Magic
Source: Edelweiss

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Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind meets We Were Liars in this thought-provoking, brilliantly written, and totally original realistic contemporary debut about three teens who must deal with the consequences of spells cast on them in the wake of their classmate’s sudden death.


“The most creepily awesome cautionary tale ever. Magic—or hekame—does exist, and wishes can be granted…but always at a cost. Brilliant, provocative, and absolutely spellbinding.”
 — Lauren Myracle, New York Times bestselling author of The Infinite Moment of Us



“Maggie Lehrman nimbly reveals secrets wrapped around our most basic need. The Cost of All Things is a walk of the soul.”
 — Rita Williams-Garcia, Coretta Scott King Author Award Winner. (Goodreads)
I went into The Cost of All Things expecting just your average contemporary novel, but that’s not what I got from this book at all. While the storyline has a contemporary feel to it, the magical element made it feel something completely different altogether.

The story is told from four different characters points of view; Kay, Ari, Markos and Win. All of these teens have serious issues that they deal with throughout the book. However, instead of dealing with these issues the way we would, they deal with them with the help of a hekamist; a person who can cast a spell to make whatever you wish come true, but the spell comes with a cost. As we go through the novel, we see these characters get the spells they want, and the effects of them as well.

The storyline for the book was definitely intriguing, and held my interest as I turned the pages. The alternative viewpoints throughout the novel kept me curious enough to see what was going to happen next. I really enjoyed the uniqueness of the storyline as well, I love books that have magic in them, and this one was definitely different from anything I’d read before.

Overall; I really enjoyed reading The Cost of All Things. The unique storyline and multiple viewpoints kept me interested in the story, and I couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen next. I am really looking forward to reading more books by this author in the future!
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Monday, May 11, 2015

City Love by Susane Colasanti * Review, Event Recap & Giveaway!!

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22873037-city-love
City Love
by Susane Colasanti
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Publication Date: April 21st 2015
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Pages: 336
ISBN: 9780062307682
Genre: Young Adult | Contemporary
Source: Publisher/Own

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Three girls are about to discover the meaning of city love. From bestselling YA romance author Susane Colasanti!


Sadie, a born and raised New Yorker, is hopeful and romantic and an eternal optimist who is ready to find her soul mate.

Darcy is a free spirit from SoCal with rebellious tendencies and unlimited financial resources, looking for summer boy adventures.

Rosanna leaves Chicago for NYC with a grand total of seventy-three cents so she can reinvent herself and forget about her past.

Sadie, Darcy, and Rosanna are living together in New York City the summer before their freshman year of college begins. With no parents, no rules, and an entire city to explore, these three girls are on the verge of the best summer of their lives. Told from alternating points of view, City Love captures the moments in each girl’s life when everything is thrilling, amazing, and terrifying all at once…in a way it will never be again. (Goodreads)
I was pretty excited to finally read City Love, as I had heard so many good things about the book. My daughter is a huge fan of Susane Colasanti, and I’ve read a few books of hers myself, so we were both super curious to read the book, finally.

The story is told from the three main characters points of view. There’s Darcy, who moved to New York from California and is looking to have a fun summer before starting college, Sadie, who is a native of New York, and moved just blocks to her new student housing, and Rosanna, the girl from Chicago who doesn’t have a lot money, but worked hard to get to New York, and is looking forward to a fresh start. These girls know absolutely nothing about each other before living together, but watching their relationship grow throughout the story was really interesting, especially considering how different each girl was.

There are a lot of descriptions in the book of New York City, and you can tell that the author really loves the city. It sounds like a great place to visit, it really does, but then I think about how fast paced and crowded New York is, and I start to have mini anxiety attacks. Haha! I don’t see me visiting anytime soon.

If you like books that are in love with love, you will definitely enjoy the book. There is lots of romance in the book, and a lot of it was definitely insta-love, which the characters themselves even admit to. But the storyline for the book was fun, and perfect to read during the summertime. The book ends kind of abruptly, and left me hanging on a few things. I’m super curious to see where the story is going to go in the next two books, and I hope we don’t have to wait too long for those.

Overall; City Love is a fun book to read during the summertime. It’s full of love and friendship, and the authors love for the city of New York shines through. I love the relationship between the three girls, and I’m super curious to see what is going to happen next for them in the next books in the series.

Happy Reading!!

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*Event Recap*


The girls and I attended the last stop on the Epic Reads Spring Book Tour on May 1st and met Maria Dahvana Headley, Susane Colasanti & Katie Cotugno!! These ladies were lovely, and they talked about many great things, including honey and cheese sandwiches, searching for Amelia Earhart and even butt cracks! It was SO much fun chatting with these ladies, and I loved hearing about their inspirations and lives. If you've not read these books, I highly recommend that you check them out!

Magonia  |  City Love  |  99 Days

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