YA Review: Glitch by Heather Anastasiu

Title: Glitch
Author: Heather Anastasiu
Author Info: Website / Twitter / Goodreads
Pub Date: August 7, 2012
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Format: ebook (netgalley)
Pages: 371
Purchase: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

Summary:

In the Community, there is no more pain or war. Implanted computer chips have wiped humanity clean of destructive emotions, and thoughts are replaced by a feed from the Link network.

When Zoe starts to malfunction (or “glitch”), she suddenly begins having her own thoughts, feelings, and identity. Any anomalies must be immediately reported and repaired, but Zoe has a secret so dark it will mean certain deactivation if she is caught: her glitches have given her uncontrollable telekinetic powers.

As Zoe struggles to control her abilities and stay hidden, she meets other glitchers including Max, who can disguise his appearance, and Adrien, who has visions of the future. Both boys introduce Zoe to feelings that are entirely new. Together, this growing band of glitchers must find a way to free themselves from the controlling hands of the Community before they’re caught and deactivated, or worse.


Review:

I think it’s hard to come up with a unique dystopia novel because the concept is that in some way the world has crumbled and more common than not there is an oppressive government. I found this novel to particularly interesting by the way the author has taken that managed to twist it such different ways. Our main character Zoel is part of the Community. The Community implants chips into all its members to prevent them from being able to feel any emotions, saying this is the only way that peace can be preserved. Our bodies are strange things and with or without emotions they can recognize something unnatural inside of them. With this it finds a way to evolve and adapt to get around the foreign hardware. Which is where Glitchers come in, the Glitchers are those who experience anomalies, which is basically moments when their emotions override the hardware and break through.

Zoel or Zoe as she really likes to be called is an interesting character. This is someone who was void of emotion and now is experiencing everything for the first time. She could simply report herself and get “fixed” but instead she chooses to hide and ride out her glitches. The novel is about seeing her grow and mature in a short amount of time because her emotions are flooding in.

I think the romance in this book was interesting. I understood the dreaded love triangle and why it happened. Even though we do experience some insta-love there is also kind of a bump in that road. What if all that could be wiped away, would you find out it was really just lust or would it still be love.

I liked Adrien, he’s strong and not afraid to fight for a cause. Typically good for one of the male love interesting and even though I like him over Max, I found Max fascinating. Max kind of has his moments of bad guy/ good guy and I think he fits well what it might feel like for 17 year old boy to suddenly hit puberty because for him that’s what it was. Before he didn’t have any emotions and now he has all these raging hormones and the choices he makes reflect that.

I enjoyed the fact that rather than escape from the controlling society they end up having to go back in. Not only that but they have a desire to fight it. Just to do it. I feel like a lot of dystopia novels the characters have to have something they want in order to.  I liked the character development and the confusion of who is a villain and who is not.

I of course loved the cover. It actually fits the story. I really enjoyed this dystopia.



Book Haul: Sunday Post





Hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer
 
 
So I haven't been buying books like a crazed maniac lately. Mostly because I've been busy and partly because I have so many that I need to read I want to get through first. Of course I always manage to get a book or two from somewhere....

Ebooks;
Initiation by Imogen Rose (love this cover)

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire (netgalley)

So I found this book in my car, which usually means I picked it up at Sam's Club and tossed it in my car instead of trunk and forgot to bring it in the house.

The Last Princess by Galaxy Craze

Barnes & Noble has their half price manga Monday and they actually had a couple of ones I wanted to pick up.


Alice in the Country of Hearts by QuinRose, Hoshino Soumei
The Legend of Princess Sakura, Vol. 1 by
So this week in reviews I have coming up are Glitch and a whole load of Jennifer L. Armentrout. I'm kind of addicted to her writing right now.

Feature and Follow


Feature and Follow Friday is a blog hop that is designed to provide some much-appreciated exposure to the bloggers participating, and to expand their following. Hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read, each of whom feature a chosen blog for the week, it's an interesting way to get to know one another.

If you would like to follow me right now you can do so by GFC, Twitter or Linky (right side).

Q: Summer Reading. What was your favorite book that you were REQUIRED to read when you were in school? 

Hmm I always had trouble reading things that were required for school. I don't think it had much to do with the book but I just never liked being forced to read something I didn't want to. I did like  To Kill a Mocking Bird and I did like The Illiad and The Odyssey. Besides that I don't think we read many books that I liked. Honestly it was so many many books ago that I don't remember what we read.

YA Review: Kill Me Softly by Sarah Cross

Title: Kill Me Softly
Author: Sarah Cross
Author Info: Website / Twitter / Goodreads
Pub Date: April 10, 2012
Publisher: Egmont USA
Format: hardcover
Pages: 336
Purchase: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

Summary:

Mirabelle's past is shrouded in secrecy, from her parents' tragic deaths to her guardians' half-truths about why she can't return to her birthplace, Beau Rivage. Desperate to see the town, Mira runs away a week before her sixteenth birthday—and discovers a world she never could have imagined.

In Beau Rivage, nothing is what it seems—the strangely pale girl with a morbid interest in apples, the obnoxious playboy who's a beast to everyone he meets, and the chivalrous guy who has a thing for damsels in distress. Here, fairy tales come to life, curses are awakened, and ancient stories are played out again and again.

But fairy tales aren't pretty things, and they don't always end in happily ever after. Mira has a role to play, a fairy tale destiny to embrace or resist. As she struggles to take control of her fate, Mira is drawn into the lives of two brothers with fairy tale curses of their own . . . brothers who share a dark secret. And she'll find that love, just like fairy tales, can have sharp edges and hidden thorns.

Review:

I’m a huge fan of fairytale retellings, especially when they take on the dark overtone of the originals. Kill Me Softly by Sarah Cross definitely had that going on for it. I liked the story itself, the idea that these teenagers were trapped in these roles of the fairytale characters. Destined to play them out whether they want to or not. Every time the story finished it would be played again by the next generation, the trigger that causes sleeping beauty to fall asleep or snow white to comatose being different each time. The story sounds intriguing right. I’m still waiting for someone to mention Cape O’ Rushes but this one has donkey skin which is one of my favorites.

I didn’t connect to the story as much as I would have liked to mainly because the main character was, well a brat. Mirabelle or Mira for short was the kind of character I just wanted to smack.  I have a hard time with characters that will instantly trust person A but not person B, just because. She also took her attitude a little too far and I kept thinking why are you so mean. I couldn’t get past some Mirabelle’s selfishness and refusal to see the reality of situations. At the same time she has been locked away by her over protective “godmothers” and so I think it’s understandable that she might not have developed the best ability to deal with life situations. Plus when she finds out she is part of this weird world it can be shocking. So I tried and towards the end I think I liked her a little better but still wasn’t feeling the love I was expecting.

As much as I was irritated with the main character, I really enjoyed the other characters in the story that I it didn’t matter. Even the villains because when you think about it they weren’t really villains by choice it was just their role. You never know how things are going to exactly play out. I liked that Felix stuck with his role and Blue kind of fought against it. You can only fight so hard though because no matter what they do, they have a role to play. I loved how so many mysteries and twist revolved around all of the characters it made for a great well rounded plot.

I would love to see companion novels that revolve around some of the other characters.

Wanting Wednesday: The Forsaken by Lisa M. Stasse

Instead of doing Waiting on Wednesday I'm going to talk about a book that I want to get. I know this book came out on July 10 and I sadly I have yet to get my hands on it. I really like the book trailer and the cover of the book so I felt like sharing.

The Forsaken
by: Lisa M. Stasse
Release Date: July 10, 2012

As an obedient orphan of the U.N.A. (the super-country that was once Mexico, the U.S., and Canada), Alenna learned at an early age to blend in and be quiet—having your parents taken by the police will do that to a girl. But Alenna can’t help but stand out when she fails a test that all sixteen-year-olds have to take: The test says she has a high capacity for brutal violence, and so she is sent to The Wheel, an island where all would-be criminals end up.

The life expectancy of prisoners on The Wheel is just two years, but with dirty, violent, and chaotic conditions, the time seems a lot longer as Alenna is forced to deal with civil wars for land ownership and machines that snatch kids out of their makeshift homes. Desperate, she and the other prisoners concoct a potentially fatal plan to flee the island. Survival may seem impossible, but Alenna is determined to achieve it anyway.


 


View it on Youtube

Top Ten Tuesday


Top Ten Most Vivid Worlds/Settings in Books

 
1. Wizarding World of Harry Potter ~ Even long into my adulthood I'm still waiting for my letter of admission to Hogwarts. I don't think a more colorful and detailed world has ever been created.

2. The Nevernever of the Iron Fey Series ~ This is one of those series that even though I absolutely loved the characters (My book boyfriend Ash) I loved the world so much that I could read about any character in it. That's why I'm so glad she is doing another series still set in it.

3. The Shadowhunter world in Cassandra Clare's TMI & ID series ~ I love this world and I want to be a shadowhunter myself. Plus it's set in the premise that it exists all around us, we just don't know it.

4. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern ~ I want to live in this circus and be one of the acts. This book is amazing and the vivid world Erin creates sucks you in.

5. Pride and Prejudice ~ It's not really a separate world but I remember as a kid being fascinated by Historical Fiction of all sorts. I loved the idea of going to balls and having suitors. Although I know the reality of it is not as pretty but I enjoy being sucked into the romance of it.

6. Panem (The Hunger Games) ~ So this world is sad and scary but also really amazing. We don't spend a whole lot of times in other districts yet we seem to know a lot about them.

7. The Seven Kingdoms (Graceling Series) ~ One of my favorite fantasy kingdoms to date.

8. Narnia ~ This is one of the worlds that really got me into fantasy. I love Narnia and all the strange and different characters in it. I'm pretty sure I used to check the back of my closet constantly as a kid.

9. Black Dagger Brotherhood Series ~ Hot Vampires battling it out with Lessening Society (undeadish types) right under our noses. How could that not be great. I just loved the way these books really get into this close knit society on both sides.

10. The Lord of the Rings ~ It's been so long since I've read these books but I can still remember the world if nothing else about them.

Feature and Follow



Feature and Follow Friday is a blog hop that is designed to provide some much-appreciated exposure to the bloggers participating, and to expand their following. Hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read, each of whom feature a chosen blog for the week, it's an interesting way to get to know one another.

If you would like to follow me right now you can do so by GFC, Twitter or Linky (right side).

Q: Christmas in July! Someone gives you a gift card for two books (whatever that costs). What two books will you buy?

Hmmm soo many books but the ones I really want I already have. I would probably get A Want so Wicked and Tiger Lily

Now if I'm really dreaming I would want first editions of all the Harry Potter books signed. :o)

Cover Reveal: Shift by Raine Thomas


Shift: Firstborn #2
By Raine Thomas
Release Date: August 24, 2012
e-book

Summary:

Having the ability to shapeshift, Sophia is familiar with change. But even she feels the rising tension in her homeland.
A shadowy male and deadly beast reside in their midst. The births of the newest Kynzesti loom. Hostile Mercesti continue to hunt for the Elder Scroll, and a traumatized female is too afraid to use her abilities to stop them.
Topping off Sophia’s stress is Quincy, the male she’s convinced can’t stand her. She rues the loss of their friendship, but can’t figure out how to move past it. She’ll soon learn, however, that mending that rift bears more significance than she ever imagined.
The search for the Elder Scroll takes on unexpected urgency, and Sophia finds herself in a race across the mainland. To stop the Mercesti led by Eirik, she and her companions must get past their differences and unite against them. If they don’t, Eirik will acquire the immense power he seeks, and two of the beings Sophia loves most will die.



Raine Thomas



DEFY (Firstborn Trilogy, Book 1) - NOW AVAILABLE



YA Review: Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

Title: Pushing the Limits
Author: Katie McGarry
Author Info: Website / Twitter / Goodreads
Pub Date: July 31, 2012
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Format: ebook (netgalley)
Pages: 326
Purchase: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

Summary:
"I won't tell anyone, Echo. I promise." Noah tucked a curl behind my ear. It had been so long since someone touched me like he did. Why did it have to be Noah Hutchins? His dark brown eyes shifted to my covered arms. "You didn't do that-did you? It was done to you?" No one ever asked that question. They stared. They whispered. They laughed. But they never asked.

So wrong for each other...and yet so right.

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal. But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.


Review:

This book was amazing. I do not usually read contemporary novels but every once in a while I will venture out and I’m glad I did. Katie McGarry did such a great job of sucking me into the world of Pushing the Limits.

This book deals with a spectrum of issues which we learn through the two different perspectives of the main characters. I often feel that switching back and forth like that can be difficult but this was done extremely well. The plot flowed at a perfect rate and I found myself unable to put it down at points. I was completely absorbed in their world. I actually have some personal experience with some of the issues that were addressed and I found that they were handled well. This book wasn’t trying to give anything a bad rap; it actually showed you that no situation is created equal.
Noah is a bad boy with a good heart. He has just been beaten down by a system that is supposed to work for him not against him. He ends up in situations that are not his own making and from that he ends up down a road where he becomes cynical and mistrusting. He no longer believes that there is good in anyone and people might genuinely want to help him. He’s fiercely loyal to the ones he cares about which makes him swoon worthy.

Echo was also an amazing character, she has had traumatic event happen to her but cannot remember it and do to that the once popular girl has shut down. Not only does she have to deal with her issues but she also has to deal with the social hierarchy at school. I liked the fact that the book didn’t just revolve around Echo’s problems with herself but also the chain effect of how it affected the environment around her.

When the two characters come together is when they really start to develop. Each of them is drowning in their own separate pain but as they get to know each other they start to realize they are not alone. They find out that not everyone is out to get them and they help each other grow. It was not an instant love scenario by any means which was what made their relationship so good. They both had reservations about it at first and they eventually find themselves knitting together naturally. By the end we found two stronger people, who manage to bring out the best in each other.
This is one of those books that I cannot praise enough; it reminds you that the world is full of different people, different choices and that in order to forgive others you have to love yourself.

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine.

Title: Starling
Author: Lesley Livingston
Pub Date: August 28, 2012

"Love is just the beginning... of the end."

Mason Starling is a champion fencer for Gosforth Academy, but she’s never had to fight for her life. Until now. When a ferocious storm rips through Manhattan and unleashes terrifying creatures onto Gosforth’s campus, Mason barely escapes alive. Without help from the mysterious stranger who appeared in the midst of the storm, she might not have made it at all. But now, in the aftermath, Mason’s life begins to spin dramatically, mystically out of control, and the only one who seems able to help her is the stranger who can remember nothing but his name: Fennrys Wolf.

As Mason and Fenn uncover more about Fenn’s past and the strange events that surround them, they realize that Mason’s family — and its dark allegiance to the ancient Norse gods — is at the center of everything. A predetermined fate seems to be closing in on Mason, but is it possible to change one’s destiny?




This book just has really peaked my interest.

First Two Chapters of Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout

So I'm still pretty angry with blogger right now but I'm not going to let it stop me from sharing this awesomeness with you. Jennifer L. Armentrout is sharing with you the first two chapters of Onyx. I've read the book and I can tell you it's just as amazing as the first. Make sure to vote for Daemon in the YA Crush Tourney July 23.

So head on over to Jennifer L. Armentrout's blog for some alien goodness. First Two Chapters of Onyx

Arrgh. What's going on with blogger

So I'm trying to figure out what happened to my blog and why everything is stuck all over the place. So please stick with me while I figure it out, at least my post are still near the top.

Sunday Post





Hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer
 
 
So things have still been hectic but I've actually been reading like crazy. I have a bunch of reviews that I need to post and will hopefully spread them out over the next couple weeks. I did get some new books for my reading list though, some of which I've already read.
 

Physical Books:


For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund
The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

Then I was beyond excited to get from Spencer Hill Press



 


Deity by Jennifer L. Armentrout and some cool swag. If I could reach out and hug Spencer Hill Press I would.

Ebooks;


Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry
The Goddess Legacy by Aimee Carter

Both of these are from Netgalley.




This is the part where I went crazy. I finished Onyx and for some reason thought I would just check out Daimon on my Nook. Next thing I knew I was blowing through the series.

Daimon, Half-Blood and Pure
by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I might be slightly stalking her books now. I'm so glad I was able to meet her in Georgia! She seemed just as great as her books. I will no doubt be diving into her romance novels as well.

Let's see hopefully I didn't miss anything. This week I will be working on pounding out some reviews and catching up on titles that were sent to me. I want to make sure to get those reviews out there.

Make sure you are voting in the YA Crush Tourney and if you haven't already checked out the trailer and behind the scenes of Obsidian and also the teaser trailer for Cursed.

I also had a cover reveal for Empty Net and posted the beautiful cover for Clockwork Princess

Obsidian Trailer: Behind the Scenes

So I felt the need to post this awesomeness because umm....I'm obsessed.

Obsidian Trailer
Jennifer L. Armentrout posted this on her blog so you can also check it out there and I highly suggest you stop over there to check out the teaser trailer for her new book Cursed. Check it out HERE

Also make sure to vote in the YA Sisterhoods Crush Tourney July 20th Aiden is up and July 23 Daemon is up. Of course Aiden is going against Ash which is going to be tough but I think I'm going to be voting for Aiden.

Feature & Follow

Feature and Follow Friday is a blog hop that is designed to provide some much-appreciated exposure to the bloggers participating, and to expand their following. Hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read, each of whom feature a chosen blog for the week, it's an interesting way to get to know one another.

If you would like to follow me right now you can do so by GFC, Twitter or Linky (right side).

Q: What drove you to start book blogging in the first place?

My love of books of course! I love talking about books but none of my friends read as much as I do.....or at all really. So when I stumbled on Mundie Moms blog, I thought it would be fun to do myself. I've actually had websites since the internet surfaced for public consumption with AOL. My first site being dedicated to Sailor Moon. I used to do more design but with kids and work I've kind of fell out of practice. It's a great community I'm glad to be a part of it.

Waiting on Wednesday: My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century by Rachel Harris

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine.

Title: My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century
Author: Rachel Harris
Pub Date: September 11, 2012

On the precipice of her sixteenth birthday, the last thing lone wolf Cat Crawford wants is an extravagant gala thrown by her bubbly stepmother and well-meaning father. So even though Cat knows the family’s trip to Florence, Italy, is a peace offering, she embraces the magical city and all it offers. But when her curiosity leads her to an unusual gypsy tent, she exits . . . right into Renaissance Firenze.

Thrust into the sixteenth century armed with only a backpack full of contraband future items, Cat joins up with her ancestors, the sweet Alessandra and protective Cipriano, and soon falls for the gorgeous aspiring artist Lorenzo. But when the much-older Niccolo starts sniffing around, Cat realizes that an unwanted birthday party is nothing compared to an unwanted suitor full of creeptastic amore.

Can she find her way back to modern times before her Italian adventure turns into an Italian forever?



I'm really looking forward to this book. It reminds me a little of one of my favorite manwha comics. It's such a great idea for a book and you have to think about it, how could it end. If she goes home she leaves the guy she's falling for, if she doesn't she's trapped in the past. I'm so excited to find out!

Teaser Tuesday: Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Teaser Tuesday


So I did two different teasers from Half-Blood because I just thought they were both cute. They are from the same page. I debated about doing some more teasers from Onyx but all the best ones are out there already. 

"Okay. I'm ready to move onto something else, like practicing with knives or defense against the dark arts. Cool things."
"Did you just quote Harry Potter?"
I grinned. "Maybe I did."

Half-Blood, Jennifer L. Armentrout, pg. 78

He exhaled slowly and motioned me forward. I complied without argument. "is he another boy of yours? You're always with that other one."
My hands dropped to my sides. "What?"

Half-Blood, Jennifer L. Armentrout, pg. 78

Cover Reveal: Empty Net by Toni Aleo


Empty Net (Assassins #3) by Toni Aleo
Expected release date: September 11, 2012 self published.

Synopsis:

Definition of an Empty Net: When a team pulls the goalie for an extra attacker, desperately seeking a goal.

Audrey Parkerwas in a horrible place.
She hated her job, her sister was getting married and moving out, but worst of all, she wasin love with a total jerk. No matter what she did, every guy she met hurt her.All she wanted was her happily ever after. Her Prince Charming. Her Lucas Brooks! She didn’t know how to change her life but she knew she needed too.
Feeling like she was about to hit rock bottom, Audrey wakes up next to Tate Odder.

Tate Odder had lost everything.
After being brought up from the Assassins’ farm team, the Florida Rays to the Nashville Assassins, Tate hopes he’ll forget everything he has lost. He doesn’t. Each day gets harder to live in a place he doesn’t know. Even being the first rookie goalie to shut out an opposing team three times during the Lord Stanly Cup Finals, he still felt empty. With the loss of his parents and sister still heavy on his heart, Tate isn’t sure how to live like everything is okay.

But when he wakes up beside Audrey Parker, things start to change. She turns his life upside down with her kooky sense of humor and her bright clothing. She is intelligent and beautiful, and for once, he doesn’t feel empty.
Will Audrey be the person to fill the holes in Tate’s heart, making him whole again?
Or will another player ruin everything, leaving him feeling forever like an empty net?

Read the first chapter of Tate and Audrey's story here!

playlist:


Playlist
Create a playlistat MixPod.com


Toni Aleo Bio:

I am a wife, mother, and hopeless romantic.

I have been told I have anger issues, but I think it’s cause of my intense lovefor hockey!

I am the biggest Shea Weber fan ever, and can be found during hockey season with my nose pressed against the Bridgestone Arena’s glass, watching my Nashville Predators play!
When my nose isn’t pressed against the glass, I enjoy going to my husband and son’s hockey games, my daughters dance competition, hanging with my best friends,taking pictures, and reading the latest romance novel.

I love things that sparkle, I love the color pink, and did I mention I love hockey?

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Get the first two books in the series, Taking Shots and Trying to Score!
Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Empty Net Goodreads
The Assassin Series Goodreads

Feature and Follow

Feature and Follow Friday is a blog hop that is designed to provide some much-appreciated exposure to the bloggers participating, and to expand their following. Hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read, each of whom feature a chosen blog for the week, it's an interesting way to get to know one another.

If you would like to follow me right now you can do so by GFC, Twitter or Linky (right side).

Q: Jumping Genres: Ever pick up a book from a genre you usually don't like and LOVE it? Tell us about it and why you picked it up in the first place.

So I never thought I would like Romance books until my friend recommended The Black Dagger Brotherhood series. At first I was kind of like, eh I don't really like romance but I'm glad I gave it a try anyway because I loved it. Now I read all kind of romance books.

TGIF (Not yet but it's going to be good)

So a couple of exciting things are happening tomorrow. Number 1 on my personal list is the release of the Obsidian trailer. It's going to be epic, I've been reading  Onyx and I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to wait for Opal to be released.


Get the details on Jennifer Armentrout's site. I highly anticipate fainting.....trust me they are just as beautiful in person as on the screen.

Also the exciting thing happening tomorrow is...

Yep let the games begin. I'm pretty excited about the contenders although I'm so glad Ash and Daemon are not being pitted against eachother in the first series. I would be so lost. Make sure you make your way over there tomorrow for the first round which includes Will from the ID series. Oh ya and some other guys....can you tell who my pick is. :o)