Tuesday, January 28, 2014

YA Books That Come Out This Week

Lots of awesome books come out this week! We've got highly anticipated sequels, debuts, and more! Books you've been dying for are finally coming out this week! Feeling like you're missing an important book release date? Look no further because I'll be listing them for you right now!
Here we go!

The Unbound (The Archived, #2)

The Unbound by Victoria Schwab
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13638131-the-unbound?ac=1
WARNING- SEQUEL
Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books. Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures that only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive.

Last summer, Mackenzie Bishop, a Keeper tasked with stopping violent Histories from escaping the Archive, almost lost her life to one. Now, as she starts her junior year at Hyde School, she's struggling to get her life back. But moving on isn't easy -- not when her dreams are haunted by what happened. She knows the past is past, knows it cannot hurt her, but it feels so real, and when her nightmares begin to creep into her waking hours, she starts to wonder if she's really safe.

Meanwhile, people are vanishing without a trace, and the only thing they seem to have in common is Mackenzie. She's sure the Archive knows more than they are letting on, but before she can prove it, she becomes the prime suspect. And unless Mac can track down the real culprit, she'll lose everything, not only her role as Keeper, but her memories, and even her life. Can Mackenzie untangle the mystery before she herself unravels?

With stunning prose and a captivating mixture of action, romance, and horror, The Unbound delves into a richly imagined world where no choice is easy and love and loss feel like two sides of the same coin.


Manor of Secrets

Manor of Secrets by Katherine Longshore
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18114554-manor-of-secrets?ac=1
The year is 1911. And at The Manor, nothing is as it seems . . .

Lady Charlotte Edmonds: Beautiful, wealthy, and sheltered, Charlotte feels suffocated by the strictures of upper-crust society. She longs to see the world beyond The Manor, to seek out high adventure. And most of all, romance.

Janie Seward: Fiery, hardworking, and clever, Janie knows she can be more than just a kitchen maid. But she isn't sure she possesses the courage -- or the means -- to break free and follow her passions.

Both Charlotte and Janie are ready for change. As their paths overlap in the gilded hallways and dark corridors of The Manor, rules are broken and secrets are revealed. Secrets that will alter the course of their lives. . . forever.


And We Stay

And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17797364-and-we-stay?ac=1
When high school senior Paul Wagoner walks into his school library with a stolen gun, he threatens his girlfriend Emily Beam, then takes his own life. In the wake of the tragedy, an angry and guilt-ridden Emily is shipped off to boarding school in Amherst, Massachusetts, where she encounters a ghostly presence who shares her name. The spirit of Emily Dickinson and two quirky girls offer helping hands, but it is up to Emily to heal her own damaged self.

This inventive story, told in verse and in prose, paints the aftermath of tragedy as a landscape where there is good behind the bad, hope inside the despair, and springtime under the snow.


No Place

No Place by Todd Strasser
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17323654-no-place?ac=1
When Dan and his family go from middle class to homeless, issues of injustice rise to the forefront in this relatable, timely novel from Todd Strasser.

It seems like Dan has it all. He's a baseball star who hangs with the popular crowd and dates the hottest girl in school. Then his family loses their home.

Forced to move into the town's Tent City, Dan feels his world shifting. His friends try to pretend that everything's cool, but they're not the ones living among the homeless. As Dan struggles to adjust to his new life, he gets involved with the people who are fighting for better conditions and services for the residents of Tent City. But someone wants Tent City gone, and will stop at nothing until it's destroyed...


Into the Still Blue (Under the Never Sky, #3)

Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14288998-into-the-still-blue?ac=1
WARNING- THIRD BOOK!
The earth-shattering conclusion to Veronica Rossi's "masterpiece" Under the Never Sky trilogy and sequel to the New York Times bestselling Through the Ever Night (Examiner.com).

Their love and their leadership have been tested. Now it's time for Perry and Aria to unite the Dwellers and the Outsiders in one last desperate attempt to bring balance to their world.

The race to the Still Blue has reached a stalemate. Aria and Perry are determined to find this last safe-haven from the Aether storms before Sable and Hess do-and they are just as determined to stay together.

Meanwhile, time is running out to rescue Cinder, who was abducted by Hess and Sable for his unique abilities. And when Roar returns to camp, he is so furious with Perry that he won't even look at him, and Perry begins to feel like they have already lost.

Out of options, Perry and Aria assemble a team to mount an impossible rescue mission-because Cinder isn't just the key to unlocking the Still Blue and their only hope for survival, he's also their friend. And in a dying world, the bonds between people are what matter most.

In this final book in her stunning Under the Never Sky trilogy, Veronica Rossi raises the stakes to their absolute limit and brings her epic love story to an unforgettable close.


Cruel Beauty

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15839984-cruel-beauty?ac=1
Graceling meets Beauty and the Beast in this sweeping fantasy about one girl's journey to fulfill her destiny and the monster who gets in her way-by stealing her heart.

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

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

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

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

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


Her Dark Curiosity (The Madman's Daughter, #2)

Her Dark Curiosity by Megan Shepherd
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16182304-her-dark-curiosity?ac=1
WARNING- SEQUEL!
To defeat the darkness, she must first embrace it.

Months have passed since Juliet Moreau returned to civilization after escaping her father's island—and the secrets she left behind. Now, back in London once more, she is rebuilding the life she once knew and trying to forget Dr. Moreau’s horrific legacy—though someone, or something, hasn’t forgotten her.

As people close to Juliet fall victim one by one to a murderer who leaves a macabre calling card of three clawlike slashes, Juliet fears one of her father’s creations may have also escaped the island. She is determined to find the killer before Scotland Yard does, though it means awakening sides of herself she had thought long banished, and facing loves from her past she never expected to see again.

As Juliet strives to stop a killer while searching for a serum to cure her own worsening illness, she finds herself once more in the midst of a world of scandal and danger. Her heart torn in two, past bubbling to the surface, life threatened by an obsessive killer—Juliet will be lucky to escape alive.

With inspiration from Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, this is a tantalizing mystery about the hidden natures of those we love and how far we’ll go to save them from themselves.


Infinite (Newsoul, #3)

Infinite by Jodi Meadows
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13085374-infinite?ac=1
WARNING- THIRD BOOK!
DESTRUCTION
The Year of Souls begins with an earthquake—an alarming rumble from deep within the earth—and it’s only the first of greater dangers to come. The Range caldera is preparing to erupt. Ana knows that as Soul Night approaches, everything near Heart will be at risk.

FLIGHT
Ana’s exile is frightening, but it may also be fortuitous, especially if she can convince her friends to flee Heart and Range with her. They’ll go north, seeking answers and allies to stop Janan’s ascension. And with any luck, the newsouls will be safe from harm’s reach.

CHOICE
The oldsouls might have forgotten the choice they made to give themselves limitless lifetimes, but Ana knows the true cost of reincarnation. What she doesn’t know is whether she’ll have the chance to finish this one sweet life with Sam, especially if she returns to Heart to stop Janan once and for all.

With gorgeous romance and thrilling action, the final book in the Incarnate trilogy offers a brilliant conclusion to the compelling questions of this fascinating world, where one new girl is the key to the lives of millions.


The Queen's Choice (Heirs of Chrior, #1)

The Queen's Choice by Cayla Kluver
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18168636-the-queen-s-choice?ac=1
Magic was seeping out of me, black and agonizing. I could see it drifting away. The magic that would let me pass the Road to reach home again.

When sixteen-year-old Anya learns that her aunt, Queen of the Faerie Kingdom of Chrior, will soon die, her grief is equalled only by her despair for the future of the kingdom. Her young cousin, Illumina, is unfit to rule, and Anya is determined not to take up the queen's mantle herself.

Convinced that the only solution is to find Prince Zabriel, who long ago disappeared into the human realm of Warckum, and persuade him to take up his rightful crown, Anya journeys into the Warckum Territory to bring him home. But her journey is doomed to be more harrowing than she ever could have imagined.


Uninvited (Uninvited, #1)

Uninvited by Sophie Jordan
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13645645-uninvited?ac=1
The Scarlet Letter meets Minority Report in bestselling author Sophie Jordan's chilling new novel about a teenage girl who is ostracized when her genetic test proves she's destined to become a murderer.

When Davy Hamilton's tests come back positive for Homicidal Tendency Syndrome (HTS)-aka the kill gene-she loses everything. Her boyfriend ditches her, her parents are scared of her, and she can forget about her bright future at Juilliard. Davy doesn't feel any different, but genes don't lie. One day she will kill someone.

Only Sean, a fellow HTS carrier, can relate to her new life. Davy wants to trust him; maybe he's not as dangerous as he seems. Or maybe Davy is just as deadly.

The first in a two-book series, Uninvited tackles intriguing questions about free will, identity, and human nature. Steeped in New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan's trademark mix of gripping action and breathless romance, this suspenseful tale is perfect for fans of James Patterson, Michelle Hodkin, and Lisa McMann.


Timestorm (Tempest, #3)

Timestorm by Julie Cross
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17910062-timestorm
WARNING- THIRD BOOK!
The breathtaking conclusion to the time-travel trilogy that is “both tender and electric” (Publishers Weekly)

The battle between the Tempest division and Eyewall comes to a shocking conclusion in this final installment of the Tempest trilogy, where the need for survival stretches the boundaries of history, both past and future, and the world Jackson once knew is a place forever marked by the detrimental effects of time travel.

As Jackson recovers from his brush with death, he’s surrounded not only by the people he loves most—his dad, Courtney, and Holly—he’s also amongst a few of the original time travelers. As he learns more about their life and how this world began, it becomes apparent that they need to put a stop to Thomas and Doctor Ludwig’s experimenting at Eyewall Headquarters. What starts out as an escape plan becomes a war between time and humanity, between freewill and peace. It’s the battle Jackson was born to fight and he’s not about to back down. Not for anything. Not for anyone.


Heartbeat

Heartbeat by Elizabeth Scott
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17258743-heartbeat?ac=1
Life. Death. And...Love?

Emma would give anything to talk to her mother one last time. Tell her about her slipping grades, her anger with her stepfather, and the boy with the bad reputation who might be the only one Emma can be herself with.

But Emma can't tell her mother anything. Because her mother is brain-dead and being kept alive by machines for the baby growing inside her.

Meeting bad-boy Caleb Harrison wouldn't have interested Old Emma. But New Emma-the one who exists in a fog of grief, who no longer cares about school, whose only social outlet is her best friend Olivia-New Emma is startled by the connection she and Caleb forge.

Feeling her own heart beat again wakes Emma from the grief that has grayed her existence. Is there hope for life after death-and maybe, for love?



Minders

Minders by Michelle Jaffe
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18079614-minders?from_search=true
A high concept, cinematic read with a surprising twist, MINDERS asks the question: who is really watching whom?

Q: If the boy you love commits a crime, would you turn him in?

Sadie Ames is a type-A teenager from the wealthy suburbs. She's been accepted to the prestigious Mind Corps Fellowship program, where she'll spend six weeks as an observer inside the head of Ford, a troubled boy with a passion for the crumbling architecture of the inner city. There's just one problem: Sadie's fallen in love with him.

Q: What if the crime is murder?

Ford Winters is haunted by the murder of his older brother, James. As Sadie falls deeper into his world, dazzled by the shimmering pinpricks of color that form images in his mind, she begins to think she knows him. Then Ford does something unthinkable.

Q: What if you saw it happen from inside his mind?

Back in her own body, Sadie is faced with the ultimate dilemma. With Ford's life in her hands, she must decide what is right and what is wrong. And how well she can really ever know someone, even someone she loves.


There are so many endings to series/trilogies! It's so sad to see such good books go.

Sunday, January 26, 2014

In My Mailbox Take 14!!!!!!!!


What'd you get in your mailbox this week?

Another week has gone by and what a boring week it has been! Guess what's I've been doing all week? And no, that is not a sexual reference! Apparently, my teachers thought that this is the week to do a boatload of homework. They all piled on the homework and I haven't had much time to do anything. But I did manage to make a trip to the library.
In total, I got 16 books this week! 12 I got from the library and 4 I bought.
Wanna know what I got?
(That just rhymed. Bought and got.)
Well, here you go!

Books from the library:

Neverwas  (Amber House, #2)

Neverwas by Kelly Moore, Tucker Reed, and Larkin Reed
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17264131-neverwas?ac=1
WARNING- SEQUEL

Wild Blood (Switchers, #3) Wild Blood Switcher: am Rand der Entscheidung (Switchers, #3) Wild Blood (The Switchers Trilogy)

Wild Blood by Kate Thompson
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296523.Wild_Blood
WARNING- THIRD BOOK!

Luminary (Anomaly #2)

Luminary by Krista McGee
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18126905-luminary?ac=1
WARNING- SEQUEL!

Erased (Altered, #2) Erased (Altered, #2) Hide (Altered, #2) Memento (Amnesia, #2)

Erased by Jennifer Rush
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17573557-erased
WARNING- SEQUEL!

Fugitive X (Revolution 19, #2)

Fugitive X by Gregg Rosenblum
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18090009-fugitive-x?ac=1
WARNING- SEQUEL!

The Vow

The Vow
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17170553-the-vow?ac=1

The Gospel of Winter

The Gospel of Winter by Brendan Kiely
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18048982-the-gospel-of-winter?ac=1

Unhinged (Splintered, #2)

Unhinged by A.G. Howard
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17449197-unhinged?ac=1
WARNING- SEQUEL!

No One Else Can Have You

No One Else Can Have You by Kathleen Hale
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18052934-no-one-else-can-have-you?ac=1

Touched (Sense Thieves, #1) Der Preis der Unsterblichkeit (Touched, #1) Sonsuz Dokunuş (Sense Thieves, #1)

Touched by Corrine Jackson

The Holders (Holders, #1)

The Holders by Julianna Scott
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13579352-the-holders?ac=1

The True Adventures of Nicolo Zen

The True Adventures of Nicolo Zen by Nicholas Christopher
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17797266-the-true-adventures-of-nicolo-zen?ac=1

Books I bought:

In a Heartbeat

In a Heartbeat by Loretta Ellsworth
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6696420-in-a-heartbeat?ac=1

The Demon King (Seven Realms, #1) The Demon King Le Roi Démon (Les Sept Royaumes , #1) Das Amulett (Das Erbe des Dämonenkönigs #1)

The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6342491-the-demon-king

The Princess Plot  (Scandia, #1) Skogland The Princess Plot

The Princess Plot by Kirsten Boie
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6261174-the-princess-plot

Promise of the Wolves (Wolf Chronicles, #1) Promise of the Wolves Promise of the Wolves (Wolf Chronicles, #1) Das Versprechen der Wölfe (Wolf Chronicles, #1) La promessa dei lupi Promise of the Wolves. Dorothy Hearst Promise Of The Wolves (Wolf Chronicles 1) Promise of the Wolves: The Wolf Chronicles (Historical Fiction)

Promise of the Wolves
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2903595-promise-of-the-wolves

What ya'll get this week? I'm most excited to read No One Else Can Have You. It looks so morbid and apparently the book is weird. I definitely like weird books.
Happy reading everyone!

Friday, January 24, 2014

Review on Switchers

How's everyone doing? Read any good books lately? That sounds like a bad pick-up line between book lovers. Here's a fake conversation:
Guy: Hi.
Girl: Hi (she said warily).
Guy: Read any good books lately?
Girl: Marry me.
Yeah, most likely this will never happen in real life. Well, you can always dream.
Anyway, who's up for another book review? This book is a MG book so beware!
Switchers by Kate Thompson

Switchers (Switchers, #1)

Format: Hardcover/paperback/e-book
Pub. Date: August 16th, 1999
Summary:
Tess is a Switcher -- she can take on the form of any animal she chooses. But she must be alone, as is true of all Switchers. Soon she realizes that Kevin is also a Switcher who has been summoned to save the Northern Hemisphere from being destroyed. And Kevin needs Tess's help to do it.
My rating: 3 out of 5 rats!
My recommendation: Anyone who loved the Animorphs series and anyone who wants to know what animals really think.
My review:
My copy was provided to me by Netgalley.
I first read this book years ago, probably when I was a grade schooler. Back then, this book was amazing to me and that's why when I saw the title and cover of this book, I instantly remembered this. All I could remember was the beginning when Tess became a squirrel and the ending. I loved this book back then, but this time around, many years later, I didn't enjoy it as much.
Tess is a quiet girl who doesn't have many friends. She lives in Ireland and recently moved to a new city, a new town with her parents. Tess wasn't very happy with this dilemma, but she was pleased when she learned her new house was near a park. While her parents think that Tess just loves animals, in reality, she can become any animal she chooses.
Tess lives a simple life. She doesn't disappear for days as one animal and doesn't scare others with her ability. She's perfectly satisfied being a cat or a squirrel. But everything changed when she met Kevin.
It turns out that the weird buy she met on the bus is actually a shape-shifter like herself, but he knows much more about others like her. In fact, there's even a name for them: Switchers. Just when knowing that she's not alone is sinking in, Tess learns that everyone in the Northern Hemisphere is going to freeze to death, and only she and Kevin can stop this disaster.
The good:
I really like how Thompson introduced how the animals thought. Who knew that rats were clever and goats are intelligent? She made each animal intelligent with both their thoughts and their speech. Also, the animals are in control most of the time. Instead of the human side being dominant, the animal side usually rules and Tess loses hours of time when she's lost being an animal.
The friendship between Tess and Kevin is really sweet and real. They fight and bicker, but they also care about each other a lot. They talk about their problems and try to help each other out, even though they are basically total opposites of each other. If you want a book with romance, this is not one for you.
The bad:
I didn't like the ending to the book. It felt too rushed and it left me confused a bit. After the old lady's house, everything felt really rushed and the problems seemed to be miraculously fixed without hardly any consequences or anything.
I also didn't like how the point of view switches so suddenly. I was just enjoying the book when suddenly the point of view changes to some soldiers and I was left wondering what the heck was going on. But then it started to make sense, but it still made me confused at the beginning. The point of views seemed kind of random as well. It seemed at random points the POV suddenly changed and changed back almost immediately.
All in all, as an adult I didn't love it as much, but as a kid, I absolutely loved it! It's a juvenile read. It's probably best to recommend this book to middle schoolers or lower. The plot is simple and the conflict is easily solved. You should definitely read this book if you love shifter stories!

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Waiting on Wednesday

It's the middle of the week! It's Hump Day! It's Wednesday! Today is the day people both love and hate. It reminds us that there's still more of the week left until the weekend, but we also went through two days already.
To keep your spirits up, here is a book I'm dying for. I can't wait til it comes out. Want to know what it is? Well, I won't keep you waiting!

Uninvited (Uninvited, #1)

Uninvited by Sophie Jordan!
This book comes out on January 28th.
Summary:
The Scarlet Letter meets Minority Report in bestselling author Sophie Jordan's chilling new novel about a teenage girl who is ostracized when her genetic test proves she's destined to become a murderer.

When Davy Hamilton's tests come back positive for Homicidal Tendency Syndrome (HTS)-aka the kill gene-she loses everything. Her boyfriend ditches her, her parents are scared of her, and she can forget about her bright future at Juilliard. Davy doesn't feel any different, but genes don't lie. One day she will kill someone.

Only Sean, a fellow HTS carrier, can relate to her new life. Davy wants to trust him; maybe he's not as dangerous as he seems. Or maybe Davy is just as deadly.

The first in a two-book series, Uninvited tackles intriguing questions about free will, identity, and human nature. Steeped in New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan's trademark mix of gripping action and breathless romance, this suspenseful tale is perfect for fans of James Patterson, Michelle Hodkin, and Lisa McMann.


I love this author! I loved her Firelight series and this book sounds so good! The cover looks amazing too. I love how the hair flips and it's really striking.
So, any thoughts? Does this book sound great or does it seem to flop?

Monday, January 20, 2014

YA Books That Come Out This Week

Here's to another week! Can you believe that the first month of the new year is getting close to its end? It's like the days flew by! But, with each new week, new books come out and we must celebrate them! Who wants to know what books come out this week? I do!

The Scar Boys
The Scar Boys by Len Vlahos
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16068954-the-scar-boys?ac=1

The Witch is Back (Life's a Witch, #3)
The Witch is Back by Brittany Geragotelis
WARNING- THIRD BOOK!
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16136105-the-witch-is-back?ac=1

The Gospel of Winter
The Gospel of Winter by Brendan Kiely
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18048982-the-gospel-of-winter?ac=1

Evertrue (Everneath, #3)
Evertrue by Brodi Ashton
WARNING- THIRD BOOK!
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13626692-evertrue?ac=1

Avalon (Avalon, #1)
Avalon by Mindee Arnett
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17149396-avalon?ac=1

Fake ID
Fake ID by Lamar Giles
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12787708-fake-id?ac=1

The Rule of Three
The Rule of Three by Eric Walters
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17934467-the-rule-of-three?ac=1

Hidden Girl: The True Story of a Modern-Day Child Slave
Hidden Girl: The True Story of a Modern Day Child Slave by Shyima Hall
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18051084-hidden-girl?ac=1

Fragile Spirits (Souls, #2)
Fragile Spirits by Mary Lindsey
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13507921-fragile-spirits?ac=1

A Mad, Wicked Folly
A Mad, Wicked Folly by Sharon Biggs Walker
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18079501-a-mad-wicked-folly?ac=1

Which book do you want to read the most? I definitely want to read Avalon! It looks so good and I can't wait until I get my hands on it!