Teaser Tuesday (28)

I'm very excited to be one of the many blogs participating in Teaser Tuesdays! TT is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. To participate:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
(Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Here is my teaser:



"The vision was, unfortunately, very familiar.

Death would be dancing with us at the ball that night.

I crossed myself and prayed it would touch no one I loved."


p. 13 (e-ARC) from THE GATHERING STORM by Robin Bridges

Please share your teasers - post them or link to your blog!

Review: Don't Breathe a Word by Holly Cupala

DON'T BREATHE A WORD
By: Holly Cupala
Published By: Harper Teen
Release Date: Jan. 3, 2012
Series: None
Pages: 299
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Reading Level: Young Adult
Source: ALA
Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads Summary: Joy Delamere is suffocating...

From asthma, which has nearly claimed her life. From her parents, who will do anything to keep that from happening. From delectably dangerous Asher, who is smothering her from the inside out.

Joy can take his words - tender words, cruel words - until the night they go too far.

Now, Joy will leave everything behind to find the one who has offered his help, a homeless boy called Creed. She will become someone else. She will learn to survive. She will breathe... if only she can get to Creed before it’s too late.

Set against the gritty backdrop of Seattle’s streets and a cast of characters with secrets of their own, Holly Cupala’s powerful new novel explores the subtleties of abuse, the meaning of love, and how far a girl will go to discover her own strength.



I haven't read many darker contemporary books, but when I was looking to read an emotional, powerful story, I turned to Don't Breathe a Word. And I was not disappointed. This book is not for the faint of heart, but if you can read past the heartbreaking moments and the grim reality that what is portrayed here is life for some teens, you will be left with a truly poignant story.

Joy Delamere struggles to breathe - literally and figuratively. She suffers from asthma, and because of several near-death experiences, she suffers from overprotective parents who nearly smother her in their effort to make sure she is okay. She also suffers emotionally from her relationship with Asher. Eventually it all becomes too much, and Joy knows what she has to do: disappear without a trace. She runs away from home, finding a new life on the streets of Seattle. There she is befriended by several "Ave Rats" - Creed, May, and Santos - and with their help she learns how to survive on the streets. But Joy soon learns what harsh realities this life brings. She is not the only one with a secret, with things to escape from. People aren't always who they seem to be. And on top of everything else, winter is quickly approaching, bringing with it cold, sickness...and possible death...

Where do I even begin to talk about this book? I am amazed that Holly Cupala could write this story to be heavy, intense, and yet not completely depressing. She doesn't shy away from any issues that kids on the streets (or teens in general) face, but a book like this needs the gritty truth rather than a glossing over of these unpleasant aspects. It's impossible not to be drawn into the world that Cupala has set up for these teens and to hope that they all do find a way to survive (preferably off the streets). At the same time, the relationships they forged, the family they created themselves, was incredibly touching. The fact that these teens who seem to have seen little true love in their life are capable of loving and taking care of themselves and others is inspiring to see. The four main characters in this book - Joy, Creed, May, and Santos - all have their own story and their own secrets to tell, and learning about all of their secrets and how they'd had to deal with them was nothing short of heartbreaking. I cared for each of them and I hope that, even though the story is over, they all continue to find their way.

Surprisingly, the character who bothered me the most in this story was Joy. Even though we learn the most about her story through flashbacks, I wasn't quite as moved by her story as by the others. However, I did appreciate that her time on the streets helped her to grow into a stronger person. Despite my issues with Joy, this book is worth reading for the stories of all the characters, especially Creed, and for insight into lives that most of us cannot even begin to imagine.

Don't Breathe a Word has both a story and characters that will draw you in and not let you go. It is not an easy read, but it is certainly a good one. I will look forward to reading more from Holly Cupala!

In My Mailbox (27)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme that was started by Kristi at The Story Siren with some inspiration from Alea at Pop Culture Junkie. It features books or book-related things that have been bought, borrowed, won, or received in the mail. Be sure to check out The Story Siren for a list of all the other blogs participating!





For Review:
Perception by Kim Harrington
Received courtesy of Scholastic

Bought:
Shattered Dreams by Ellie James
On a Dark Wing by Jordan Dane





Weekly Recap:

Young Adult Giveaway Hop - Win SIGNED copies of What Happened to Goodbye and A Touch Mortal!

Review: Hallowed by Cynthia Hand
Review: Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Monday Reads
Teaser Tuesday: Incarnate by Jodi Meadows
Waiting on Wednesday: The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa
Book Blogger Hop & Follow Friday



What books did you get this week? Please leave a comment or link to your own IMM post!

Young Adult Giveaway Hop

Welcome to this stop of the Young Adult Giveaway Hop, hosted by I am a reader, not a writer and Down the Rabbit Hole.

As someone who loves YA books, I am thrilled to have a chance to give away some great YA titles! The beauty of YA books is that there is often something for everyone in almost every book.



~GIVEAWAY~

I am very excited to offer two SIGNED YA books for this giveaway. They are:




A Touch Mortal by Leah Clifford
What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen

The contest is open to US residents only. Must be 13 to enter. Please see my Contest Policy for more information.

Must be a GFC follower to enter.

This contest will close on Wednesday, February 1 at midnight CST.





Don't forget to visit the many other stops on this hop!

Book Blogger Hop & Follow Friday (27)

Book Blogger Hop is a weekly meme hosted by Jennifer at Crazy-for-Books. In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs to read! So visit Crazy-for-Books to grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog, and start HOPPING through the list of blogs that are posted in the Linky list there!

This week's question:

Coming soon!





Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee and Allison Can Read. Visit either of their blogs for complete rules of the following fun!

This week's question:

"Which book genre do you avoid at all costs and why?"

I'm having a very hard time thinking of a genre I completely avoid. Generally I would say biography/memoirs, but there are a very few I would read. Aside from that, the genres I tend to steer clear from are adult mystery/thrillers, regular romance novels, and chick lit books. As someone in her early twenties I often find it hard to connect with the characters and stories in these novels. I find the stories in YA much more appealing...though I certainly won't say no to a good paranormal romance...



What are your answers? Please leave a comment or a link to your blog!

Review: Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

UNDER THE NEVER SKY
By: Veronica Rossi
Published By: HarperCollins
Release Date: Jan. 3, 2012
Series: Under the Never Sky (#1)
Pages: 384
Genre: Science Fiction
Reading Level: Young Adult
Source: Netgalley
Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads Summary: Aria is a teenager in the enclosed city of Reverie. Like all Dwellers, she spends her time with friends in virtual environments, called Realms, accessed through an eyepiece called a Smarteye. Aria enjoys the Realms and the easy life in Reverie. When she is forced out of the pod for a crime she did not commit, she believes her death is imminent. The outside world is known as The Death Shop, with danger in every direction.

As an Outsider, Perry has always known hunger, vicious predators, and violent energy storms from the swirling electrified atmosphere called the Aether. A bit of an outcast even among his hunting tribe, Perry withstands these daily tests with his exceptional abilities, as he is gifted with powerful senses that enable him to scent danger, food and even human emotions.

They come together reluctantly, for Aria must depend on Perry, whom she considers a barbarian, to help her get back to Reverie, while Perry needs Aria to help unravel the mystery of his beloved nephew’s abduction by the Dwellers. Together they embark on a journey challenged as much by their prejudices as by encounters with cannibals and wolves. But to their surprise, Aria and Perry forge an unlikely love - one that will forever change the fate of all who live UNDER THE NEVER SKY.



Combining science fiction with hints of dystopian ideas, Under the Never Sky is a fresh story that, after my recent luck with sci-fi titles, I was looking forward to reading. For me, however, this book did not live up to its hype.

Aria has spent her life in the Reverie Pod, hanging out with her friends in virtual Realms through her Smarteye. But after an adventure gone wrong in a rundown part of the Pod, Aria is cast out into the Death Shop and left there on her own, without a Smarteye. Fortunately, she runs into Perry, an Outsider who is facing his own struggles. Despite the fact that Aria is a Dweller and Perry is an Outsider, it turns out that they have much in common. Both were blamed for something that wasn't their fault, and both have to embark on a journey to try and make everything right again. Together they travel across the Death Shop and make some surprising discoveries about each other and themselves along the way.

It took me a while to get into this book and even longer to care about the main characters. I felt as though Aria's home world, the pod of Reverie, was not well established before Aria was forced to leave it. Similarly, though Perry's world is easier to grasp, I wanted more detail here as well. However, I could have overlooked this, because over the course of the book more is eventually revealed. What bothered me the most throughout this story was the lack of connection with the characters - both my connection as a reader and also Aria and Perry's connection with each other. For a time there was so little dialogue between them that it was very hard for me to appreciate where these two characters ended up. With that, although both Aria and Perry are (or try to be) genuinely good people, for some reason they just didn't seem quite real to me.

All of that being said, there were things about this book that I did like. The story was very inventive and it was very interesting to see such different worlds coexisting and colliding. Also, I enjoyed the alternating points of view between Aria and Perry. There were moments of beautiful writing and some issues that were raised in the book that made me think. Despite my issues with this book, I do plan to read the next installment in the trilogy; I think it will be easier to connect to the second book now that I have more background, and I want to see where Rossi takes this story.

I know that other bloggers have absolutely loved this book, and so I will leave you with their reviews to give you different opinions: See these reviews from Parajunkee and Mundie Moms.

"Waiting on" Wednesday

"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.



This week's selection is:

THE IMMORTAL RULES
By: Julie Kagawa
Published By: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: April 24, 2012
Preorder the Book: Amazon

Goodreads Summary: You will kill. The only question is when.

In the dark days since the insidious Red Lung virus decimated the human population, vampires have risen to rule the crumbling cities and suburbs. Uncontested Princes hold sway over diminished ranks of humans: their "pets." In exchange for their labor, loyalty and of course, their blood, these pets are registered, given food and shelter, permitted to survive.

Unregistered humans cling to fringes, scavenging for survival. Allison Sekemoto and her fellow Unregistereds are hunted, not only by vampires, but by rabids, the unholy result of Red Lung-infected vampires feeding on unwary humans. One night, Allie is attacked by a pack of rabids, saved by an unlikely hero...and turned vampire.

Uncomfortable in her undead skin, Allie falls in with a ragtag crew of humans seeking a cure, or cures: for Rabidism and for Vampirism. She's passing for human...for now. But the hunger is growing and will not be denied. Not for friendship—not even for love.



Why it's wanted:
This sounds like a really interesting combination of paranormal and dystopian elements. I'm looking forward to reading a new take on vampire books!

Teaser Tuesday (27)

I'm very excited to be one of the many blogs participating in Teaser Tuesdays! TT is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. To participate:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
(Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Here is my teaser:


"I glanced over my shoulder, the lake a stretch of darkness and nothing behind me. If there were rocks or chunks of ice, I couldn't see them. Drowning would be a far better end than burning in sylph fire for weeks or months.

'You won't have me.' I spun and leaped off the cliff. Death would be fast and cold; I wouldn't feel a thing."


p. 13 (ARC) from INCARNATE by Jodi Meadows

Please share your teasers - post them or link to your blog!

Review: Hallowed by Cynthia Hand

HALLOWED
By: Cynthia Hand
Published By: HarperCollins Publishers
Release Date: Jan. 17, 2012
Series: Unearthly (#2)
Pages: 416
Genre: Paranormal
Reading Level: Young Adult
Source: Netgalley
Buy the Book: Amazon

Disclaimer: The summary and review may contain spoilers if you have not read Unearthly. To read my review of that book, click here.

Goodreads Summary: For months part-angel Clara Gardner trained to face the raging forest fire from her visions and rescue the alluring and mysterious Christian Prescott from the blaze. But nothing could prepare her for the fateful decisions she would be forced to make that day, or the startling revelation that her purpose—the task she was put on earth to accomplish—is not as straightforward as she thought. Now, torn between her increasingly complicated feelings for Christian and her love for her boyfriend, Tucker, Clara struggles to make sense of what she was supposed to do the day of the fire. And, as she is drawn further into the world of part angels and the growing conflict between White Wings and Black Wings, Clara learns of the terrifying new reality that she must face: Someone close to her will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain, the only thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning.

Described by Richelle Mead as “utterly captivating,” Unearthly received outstanding reviews, garnered accolades from New York Times bestselling authors, and was named an Indie Next Pick. In this heart-wrenching sequel, Cynthia Hand expertly captures the all-consuming joy of first love—and the agony of loss. This beautifully woven tale will appeal to fans of Lauren Kate, Becca Fitzpatrick, and Aprilynne Pike.



I have looked forward to reading this book ever since I finished Unearthly last year. I love these angel stories, because they have just the right blend of angel lore, humor, romance, and intrigue. Even though Hallowed is darker and has less action, Hand still manages to capture all of the aspects that made Unearthly such an enchanting book.

After years of preparing for her purpose and then having everything turn out the way it did, Clara wonders what more she can do, or what more she should be doing. It seems as though her purpose may not be over - her visions certainly aren't - but confronting the larger picture may mean confronting her conflicted feelings for Tucker and Christian. On top of this, the visions that Clara is having seem to mean that someone important to her may die sooner rather than later. Clara's world seems to be crumbling around her, and there is little she can do about it. The more Clara struggles with her questions, the more she realizes something - nothing is as simple as it seems.

If I had to sum this book up simply, I would say that Hallowed is a book of revelation. Certain things that were only hinted at in Unearthly are explained in much more detail here, especially the angel lore, and I loved this. With all of the new information I felt even more drawn into the world that Hand created, even though some of the revelations proved to be painful. As mentioned before, this book is darker than Unearthly. There is less of the lighthearted romance and more of a struggle of feelings, less of a happy, united family as instead each person tends to keep their own secrets, and the threat of danger is always prevalent. Even still, there are moments of respite, moments where I felt like I could sit back, read, and smile. Finally, there is Clara herself. I really enjoyed seeing how much she grew throughout this book from someone who was focused on what she wanted to someone who could see the larger picture and act accordingly. By the end of this book I felt a much stronger connection with her than I had in Unearthly.

One of the things that bothered the the most in Unearthly - the love triangle - I actually really enjoyed in this book. Here more so than the first book, Clara's choice is really about more than just choosing between two guys. We also got to see another side of Christian, which I loved. Tucker is an adorable country boy, but if Christian really is how he appears in this book, I think my heart might belong to him a little bit more.

Hallowed was everything that I was hoping for and more. I know that there is much more to come in the third book - more questions to be answered, and an decision to be made - and I cannot wait to see how everything plays out!

In My Mailbox (26)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme that was started by Kristi at The Story Siren with some inspiration from Alea at Pop Culture Junkie. It features books or book-related things that have been bought, borrowed, won, or received in the mail. Be sure to check out The Story Siren for a list of all the other blogs participating!



Bought:

I may have had a bit too much fun with the Barnes and Noble 50% off coupon...this is my second batch of books from that!



Bloodrose by Andrea Cremer
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
The Alchemy of Forever by Avery Williams
The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers by Lynn Weingarten
Possession by Elana Johnson



Weekly Recap:

Review: Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Review: Fracture by Megan Miranda

Monday Reads
Teaser Tuesday: Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
Top Ten Tuesday
Book Blogger Hop & Follow Friday



What books did you get this week? Please leave a comment or link to your own IMM post!

Book Blogger Hop & Follow Friday (26)

Book Blogger Hop is a weekly meme hosted by Jennifer at Crazy-for-Books. In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs to read! So visit Crazy-for-Books to grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog, and start HOPPING through the list of blogs that are posted in the Linky list there!

This week's question:

Coming soon!





Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee and Allison Can Read. Visit either of their blogs for complete rules of the following fun!

This week's question:

"What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done to get your hands on any particular book?"

I'm not sure that I've done anything that crazy. I didn't trip anyone with my crutches at BEA or anything like that...

The only thing I have done is waiting in lines at midnight releases for Harry Potter books (and then proceeded to stay up all night and read them). Because, after all, that's just what you do for Harry Potter!



What are your answers? Please leave a comment or a link to your blog!

Review: Fracture by Megan Miranda

FRACTURE
By: Megan Miranda
Published By: Walker & Company
Release Date: Jan. 17, 2012
Series: None
Pages: 264
Genre: Contemporary Fiction / Paranormal
Reading Level: Young Adult
Source: BEA
Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads Summary: Eleven minutes passed before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied medical precedent to come back seemingly fine

-despite the scans that showed significant brain damage. Everyone wants Delaney to be all right, but she knows she's far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can't control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death, or causing it?

Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who recently emerged from a coma with similar abilities. At first she's reassured to find someone who understands the strangeness of her new existence, but Delaney soon discovers that Troy's motives aren't quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a freak of nature-or something much more frightening?

For fans of best-sellers like Before I Fall and If I Stay, this is a fascinating and heart-rending story about love and friendship and the fine line between life and death.



The idea that someone could clinically die and still return to life has always been intriguing to me. Would that person see the world differently? How would their life change? Fracture explores some of these questions in a perhaps unexpected way.

Delaney Maxwell spends eleven minutes trapped in an icy lake before she is rescued. Miraculously, she makes a full recovery from her coma, yet her MRI shows that something isn't right with certain areas of her brain. Despite this, Delaney seems fine, and eventually she is released to go home. But everything doesn't go back to normal. Delaney feels an unexplainable pull to those who are dying, and no matter how she tries, she can't seem to resist the urge to follow the pull. Soon Delaney meets Troy Varga, who also recovered from a coma and feels a similar pull to the dying. But Troy may not be exactly who he seems. As Delaney struggles to come to terms with her new life, with her feelings for her neighbor Decker, and with her tense relationship with her mother, Delaney learns a lot about human nature, life, and even death.

I have to admit that Fracture was not quite what I was expecting. I thought that Delaney would be looking for more from life, trying to piece things together as she wanted them. Instead, her near-death experience caused her to slowly break down and, as the title suggests, fracture. In some ways she struggled with survivor's guilt, but she also struggled to figure out what the pull to the dying meant and what she should do about it. With this, Fracture had an interesting blend of contemporary and paranormal elements. On one level, Delaney was trying to be a normal high school senior and sort out her feelings for Dexter, but on another level, she had a sort of sixth sense. I think that I enjoyed the contemporary aspect more than the paranormal. I could sympathize with the conflict that Delaney had trying to figure out her feelings for Decker as well as understand her relationship with her mother. The emotions were very intense and very well captured.

Then there was the paranormal aspect as well as Troy. Troy was intriguing at first, but then the fascination wore off. Even though I could understand his reasoning, I still had issues with it. In addition, while the paranormal aspect added something to the story, I think that it could have used a bit more fleshing out, and it still felt unresolved at the end. Despite this, the book definitely makes you think about what you would do with only one day left to live and makes you think about life in general.

Fracture is a compelling debut from Megan Miranda, one that I read in one sitting because I was so eager to know the full story. I will look forward to reading more from Megan Miranda!

Teaser Tuesday (26)

I'm very excited to be one of the many blogs participating in Teaser Tuesdays! TT is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. To participate:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
(Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Here is my teaser:



"She'd heard all the stories about the Death Shop, like everyone else. A million ways to die. She knew of the packs of wolves as smart as men. She'd heard of the flocks of crows that picked living people to pieces, and Aether storms that behaved like predators. But the worst in the Death Shop, she decided, was rotting alone."


p. 56 (e-ARC) from UNDER THE NEVER SKY by Veronica Rossi

Please share your teasers - post them or link to your blog!