Giveaway - ARC of Wither & ARC of Fever

-Lauren DeStefano is hosting a giveaway! In honor of reaching 3,000 followers on Twitter, she's giving away an ARC copy of Wither and Fever!

Look at that! Isn't it pretty cool?? Fever hasn't even been released yet! It's still on Lauren's desktop on a word document! 

I've never read Wither, I've been dying too! It's got such great reviews! Eeep, even if I don't win this giveaway, I'm still going to go out and buy it soon! :D

Giveaway details here. Ends Tuesday, May 31st at 12:01am

It is international!

Currently Reading - May 21st, 2011

I haven't done one of these in a month, so I thought I'd do it again! These are the books that I have currently acquired to read.

A love out of time. A spaceship built of secrets and murder.

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules. Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone-one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship-tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

Tell me a secret, and I'll tell you one… 

In the five years since her bad-girl sister Xanda’s death, Miranda Mathison has wondered about the secret her sister took to the grave, and what really happened the night she died. Now, just as Miranda is on the cusp of her dreams—a best friend to unlock her sister’s world, a ticket to art school, and a boyfriend to fly her away from it all—Miranda has a secret all her own.

Then two lines on a pregnancy test confirm her worst fears. Stripped of her former life, Miranda must make a choice with tremendous consequences and finally face her sister’s demons and her own.

In this powerful debut novel, stunning new talent Holly Cupala illuminates the dark struggle of a girl who must let go of her past to find a way into her own future.

Both are from the public library. I'm hoping to finish these soon. I'll finish Tell Me a Secret first because I'm a quarter into the book already and I have yet to start the other one. Both have good reviews, so I'm hoping I'll be able to give positive feedback on them as well. :]


What are you currently reading nowadays? 

Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott - {12th]

Once upon a time, I was a little girl who disappeared.

Once upon a time, my name was not Alice.

Once upon a time, I didn’t know how lucky I was.

When Alice was ten, Ray took her away from her family, her friends her life. She learned to give up all power, to endure all pain. She waited for the nightmare to be over.

Now Alice is fifteen and Ray still has her, but he speaks more and more of her death. He does not know it is what she longs for. She does not know he has something more terrifying than death in mind for her. 

This is Alice’s story. It is one you have never heard, and one you will never, ever forget.

Title - Living Dead Girl

Author - Elizabeth Scott

Pages - 170

{New!} Paperback, Hardcover, eBook - Hardcover

Published & Publisher - September 2nd, 2008 ; Simon Pulse

{New!} Source - Library

{New!} Rating - 5/5

(This review is a coincidence because it is Elizabeth Scott week)


-I really don't know where to begin. This is not a story that really... I can't even describe how this story made me feel. It's a sad thing when you give a story 5 out of 5 and you can't even explain your feelings.

This isn't a recommended story for under the age of 13. I was mature enough (in my opinion) to read this though. Elizabeth Scott has a unique writing style. She uses her writing to explain powerful things that I bet an average person couldn't. This story was raw, not descriptive, but all you needed was some vital information and you could figure out the rest by yourself. Full of raw emotions, I felt so sorry for Alice (the girl in the book).

I had read to page 30 last night and I had to put it down and call it quits. Not because I couldn't read it anymore because it sucked, but I just needed to think about what happened. Only thirty pages into the story and I was overwhelmed with a collection of emotions. 

This is a well written story that makes me wonder if things like that could happen. Of course, parents should install the little warning bells into a child's head that they do not go off with a stranger. Especially without a fight! 

No one wants to have a Ray (the kidnapper) in their life. 

I'd forgotten how much feelings hurt.

'Waiting On' Wednesdays - {1st] - The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine. It's where we share the upcoming releases that we can't wait to get our hands on!

This is my first time doing this and it seems like fun! Plus, this seemed appropriate because I'm entering a contest to win an ARC of this book! 

Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.

It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.

There is.

She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love.

She's wrong.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer hits stores everywhere 9.27.11. Pre-order your copy here. Download the widget here. Enter to win an Advanced Reader’s Copy here.

Teaser Tuesday - {2nd]

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:



■Grab your current read
■Open to a random page
■Share two (2) “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!

The book that I'm currently reading, I didn't want to skip ahead in. It's just too...good to do that! I don't want to know anything about what's going to happen soon! So instead..the book I choose is one I'm going to read soon! :] It's a library book, so I have to read it soon.

It's not like I hadn't heard these words before -- they were just never directed at me. "What do you mean?"

Everyone is praying for us, for our family. For you and your--" she glanced down contemptously at my nearly flat belly--"your condition." The words looked like poison in her mouth. "Everyone is talking about it."

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand {11th]

In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees . . . .

Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.

Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place—and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.

As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make—between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?

Unearthly is a moving tale of love and fate, and the struggle between following the rules and following your heart.

Title - Unearthly (Unearthly #1)
Author - Cynthia Hand
Pages - 435
{New!} Paperback, Hardcover, eBook - Hardcover
Published & Publisher - January 4th, 2011 ; HarperTeen
{New!} Source - Library
{New!} Rating - 5/5


-There is absolutely nothing wrong with this book. I bet your surprised, huh? How can a book be perfect? Well, this one is...by far!


I know, I know. You read the description and it said it's about angels. Not that many people like stories about angels. Or, you might love them! I've only read one angel story before and that was about a guardian angel. I have never read Fallen or Hush, Hush (that is about angels, right?) so I can't compare the titles with each other. All I know is that Unearthly is very different and original...and just pure awesome!


The description is a little deceiving. She didn't just recently learn about being a angel, or as she calls it: angel-blood. She found out a couple of years ago. She just never really acted as one. She was only part angel-blood. Not even half. Her mother is a half angel-blood, and Clara is a quarter angel-blood. And if Clara had children with a human, the baby wouldn't be an angel-blood. Simple math!


In Cynthia Hand's debut novel, I was a little impressed. The characters were detailed greatly and I could picture the scenes. Since she is a new YA author, I didn't have many expectations. And the little I had, she bypassed them. Her writing style is great, descriptive and suspenseful. Unearthly wasn't filled with suspense because the story didn't revolve around suspense. It revolved around Clara's purpose.


Clara has a purpose in life, all angel-bloods do. Something they need to do. Clara has visions, telling her what her purpose is in life. She can't see them clearly, the first time, it's just a guy in a clearing. Second time, it's a little more clearer. And it progresses as time goes on. 


The ending to this book was unpredictable. Never in a hundred years would I have guessed that... well, I'd be a huge spoiler if I continued that sentence. That thought crossed my mind once, but was easily pushed away. I didn't think it was possible! But BAM...it was. I had skipped to the end, I always do that, and read the last paragraph. So, I went through the whole story with those words in my mind, but there was a twist! It wasn't what I thought it meant. 


I'm so happy that I picked this book up. Maybe judging a book by it's cover has perks. I know it does for me! The sequel to this book, no description has been released yet, comes out in 2012. I can't wait! I recommend all of you to check this book out. 

"This is Clara," says Wendy.

"You're the girl with the Prius who almost rear-ended my truck this morning," he says.

"Oh, sorry about that."

He looks me up and down. I feel myself blush for probably the hundredth time that day.

"From California, right?" The word California seems like an insult coming from him.

"Tucker," Wendy warns, pulling at his arm.

"Well, I doubt that I would have done any damage to your truck if I'd hit you," I retort. "It looks like the back end is about to rust off."

Wendy's eyes widen. She seems genuinely alarmed.

Tucker scoffs. "That rusty truck will probably be towing you out of a snowbank next time there's a storm."

Falling Under - Gwen Hayes {10th]

Theia Alderson has always led a sheltered life in the small California town of Serendipity Falls. But when a devastatingly handsome boy appears in the halls of her school, Theia knows she's seen Haden before- not around town, but in her dreams. 

As the Haden of both the night and the day beckons her closer one moment and pushes her away the next, the only thing Theia knows for sure is that the incredible pull she feels towards him is stronger than her fear. 

And when she discovers what Haden truly is, Theia's not sure if she wants to resist him, even if the cost is her soul.

Title - Falling Under (Falling Under #1)
Author - Gwen Hayes
Pages - 324
{New!} Paperback, Hardcover, eBook - Paperback
Published & Publisher - March 1st, 2011 ; New American Library
{New!} Source - Giveaway
{New!} Rating - 5/5




-Amazing. 
That one word summarizes this book. 
I was left speechless after I finished this book. I read over hundred pages in an hour, because I needed to see what would happen. 

Theia Alderson, she lives a strict life. Her father is very protective over her, not really allowing her to do things. He doesn't want her to end up like her mother - dead. It'll explain in the book how she died exactly, but Theia's mother was carefree. She loved to live life to the fullest. Kind of ironic how she found Theia's father, who is the complete opposite. But then again, love comes in all kinds of different ways. In Theia and Haden's case, different forms . Haden Black is the new kid in town, but not to Theia. Because she's seen him before. Not physically, but in her dreams. That dream wasn't a positive dream either. 

Starting sentence: Everything changed the night I saw the burning man fall from the sky. 

That sentence alone drew me in! It was such a raw type of sentence that made me question...and made me continue reading! 

I love Gwen Hayes writing style. Her style is unique, and got me at the edge of my seat. But that was a mixture of the book itself and her writing. 

There were some scary moments. It wasn't ones that spooked me all the way down to my toes, but ones that left always checking my surroundings. But who wouldn't if you had just read that your shadow was running away from you. 

I've heard a lot of things about how this book was like Twilight. Which, in a sense, it is. NOT that I am telling you that it is exactly like Twilight (it is by far!), but it had a Twilight feel. Not the whole book. Just some short parts. But, if you didn't pay close attention (I did because I was just waiting for a sparkly vampire to show up), you'd never notice. It also had an Alice in Wonderland feel as well. That one was more noticeable. 

I can't wait until the next book comes out! It is definitely on my wish-list. I really, extremely, want to know what will happen next. The ending of Falling Under made me mad; ending at a spot where it shouldn't have. I don't mean that in a bad way...but a way that means it shouldn't have ended! But all good stories have to end, so it was expected. 

{Donny} "Are you even listening to yourself? Thei, you've totally gone one French fry short of a Happy Meal here." 

"Did he fang you?" Ame asked. 

"Stop encouraging her," Donny demanded. 

-pg 164

Teaser Tuesday - {1st]

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:



■Grab your current read 
■Open to a random page 
■Share two (2) “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!


I am currently reading two books, but since I'm more interested in this one, I decided to find a teaser. I am in love with this book. It's living up to my expectations! I'm only on page 68 right now. :]

Don't be scared. There's a boy in your room.
The slightly ominous text stopped me short in the hall outside my bedroom door.
-167 ; Falling Under - Gwen Hayes


Post any of your Tuesday Teasers in the comments. I'll totally check them out! :]

If I Have A Wicked Stepmother, Where's My Prince {9th]

Wicked stepmother? Check. Evil stepsisters? Check. Miserable life? Check.

Lucy Norton’s life has all the makings of a Cinderella story. Her dad’s always away on business, leaving Lucy with her cruel stepmother and bratty stepsisters. She’s burdened with chores, and has a hard time fitting in at her new school. So when she sees Connor Pearson, the star player on the varsity basketball team, Lucy hopes her destiny has finally changed. With everything else going on in her life, doesn’t she at least deserve to get the handsome prince?

Melissa Kantor’s enchanting novel proves that sometimes the happy ending isn’t quite the one you’d expect. Lucy’s about to discover the truth about finding her real Prince Charming… and finding herself.

Title - If I Have A Wicked Stepmother, Where's My Prince?

Author - Melissa Kantor

Pages - 283

Published & Publisher - September 1st, 2005 & Hyperion 

{New!} Source - School Library

{New!} Rating - 3.5 out of 5

-This was such a cute book! A modern version of the Cinderella story. It wasn't one of my favorite books, but nothing can really compete with Twilight or Beautiful Creatures or the Vampire Academy series.

I liked how it was a present time fairy tale. But some things irked me. Maybe because it's an older (not way old, but 6 years) book and language has change. Take Connor for example. He barely expressed emotion. I like when I can just imagine myself there with the character...feeling what she's feeling, seeing what she's seeing. Stuff like that. I couldn't get into the story like that. 

The plot was predictable, obviously. I knew what would be the outcome when I first saw the title of the book. I thought it would be different...have an usual twist. But, that didn't happen! So, I was just left with the usual fairy tale ending. I still like this book. Predictable, or not. It was a great read.

"Well, if you still want to be a princess, that's okay with me."

I considered it for a second. "You know, I think I'll pass," I said.

April R.A.K. {Random Acts of Kindness] Thank You.♥

 • Sign up each month you'd like to participate in.

• Show off your participation! Grab one of the buttons available :)

• Create a wishlist and post it in the Google Doc located in each R.A.K post for the month.
{Post on your blog, Amazon, where ever as long as there's a link to it.}

• If you choose to do a R.A.K for someone, check out their wishlist and contact that blogger for their address.

• At the end of the month, SHOW US YOUR R.A.K!

{Make a post saying 'Thank You' to whoever granted one of your wishes :)

OPEN TO EVERYONE! 

Hosted by Book Soulmates

-This is my Thank You post. :] I got four new books last month! If you remember from a early post, I was up at 1am explaining my excitement! Three new e-books and one paperback!

E-Books:

-Matched by Ally Condie & Firelight by Sophie Jordan & My Blood Approves by Amanda Hocking

  

{Thanks Ivy for these three books!}

Paperback:

-Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

{Thanks Al B for this paperback!}

Does anybody else participate in this? If so, what'd you get last month? 

Dearly, Departed

I. Want. This. Book.

Yes, it is worth four periods, large font, italicization , and underline. Just look at that cover! I want it more than Iron Thorn! And that's a lot of want. :P Why, oh why does this have to be released in October?! There are torturing me! :l 

This book includes zombies! 

Description [Taken From Goodreads]: 

Love can never die.

Love conquers all, so they say. But can Cupid’s arrow pierce the hearts of the living and the dead—or rather, the undead? Can a proper young Victorian lady find true love in the arms of a dashing zombie? 

The year is 2195. The place is New Victoria—a high-tech nation modeled on the manners, mores, and fashions of an antique era. A teenager in high society, Nora Dearly is far more interested in military history and her country’s political unrest than in tea parties and debutante balls. But after her beloved parents die, Nora is left at the mercy of her domineering aunt, a social-climbing spendthrift who has squandered the family fortune, and now plans to marry her niece off for money. For Nora, no fate could be more horrible—until she’s nearly kidnapped by an army of walking corpses. 

But fate is just getting started with Nora. Catapulted from her world of drawing-room civility, she’s suddenly gunning down ravenous zombies alongside mysterious black-clad commandos and confronting “The Laz,” a fatal virus that raises the dead—and hell along with them. Hardly ideal circumstances. Then Nora meets Bram Griswold, a young soldier who is brave, handsome, noble . . . and dead. But as is the case with the rest of his special undead unit, luck and modern science have enabled Bram to hold on to his mind, his manners, and his body parts. And when his bond of trust with Nora turns to tenderness, there’s no turning back. Eventually, they know, the disease will win, separating the star-crossed lovers forever. But until then, beating or not, their hearts will have what they desire.

In Dearly, Departed, steampunk meets romance meets walking-dead thriller, spawning a madly imaginative novel of rip-roaring adventure, spine-tingling suspense, and macabre comedy that forever redefines the concept of undying love.

Heavenly by Jennifer Laurens {8th]

I met someone who changed everything. Matthias. My autistic sister's guardian angel. Honest. Inspiring. Funny. Hot. And immortal. That was the problem. What could I do? I did what any other girl would do-I fell in love with him. Zoe's sister darts in front of cars. Her brother's a pothead. Her parents are so overwhelmed; they don't see Zoe lost in her broken life. Zoe escapes the only way she knows how: partying. Matthias, a guardian sent from Heaven, watches over Zoe's autistic sister. After Zoe is convinced he's legit, angel and lost girl come together in a love that changes destiny. But Heaven on Earth can't last forever.

Title - Heavenly (Heavenly #1)

Author - Jennifer Laurens

Pages - 296

Published & Publisher - August 15th, 2009 ; Grove Creek Publishing

{New!} Source - Twitter Giveaway ;; Signed by the Author

{New!} Rating - 4/5

-Great book! Brilliant, magnificent, outstanding! Technically, I read this book in two sittings. But since I've been reading many books at once, it took me about two weeks to finish this one. I'm happy I did! 


Told in Zoe's perspective, we learn about how her sister {Abria} is autistic, her brother {Luke} is a drug user, her parents are stressed because of her sister's autism, and she herself has a drinking problem. Luke takes drugs to relax and Zoe drinks...for 'social reasons'.


Zoe is your typical {kinda stereotyped} teenager. Blonde, popular, partier, and people consider her a slut. Until she meets Matthias. Or in this case, sees Matthias. He is a guardian angel or a spirit. Only the ones that actually believe are allowed to see them. Zoe is able to see him, and she finds out that he is Abria's guardian angel. Their first encounter is in the beginning of the book. After Abria disappears from the playground, Zoe goes frantic, looking for Abria. She finds her, in the arms of Matthias. 


Sigh, how I wish Matthias was real.


Matthias only shows up when Abria is put in a dangerous situation. It's quite often, because Abria doesn't know better. Zoe believed that Matthias was something else...it was canny enough to be just a coincidence. It seemed kind of stalker-ish. Especially when Zoe found him riding on Abria's school bus, with a bunch of little kids. It wasn't until then then that Zoe figured out that only she (and Abria) can see him. And he was only there to protect Abria from any harm.


I love this book. It was great, and I was entertain the whole way! I would give it five stars, but I had some unanswered questions. Especially at the end. Yeah, I loved it, but I still want to know exactly how...and why... And then there's some other things that happened but I can't go into specifics because I'll start spoiling things.


Great book! I love Jennifer Laurens's writing. And plus, the author signed it. It says 'For Sierra'. And everything. Plus, I got some swag. A Heavenly bookmark! :]

"Just kidding. Jeez. It's one thing to play with the light. It's another thing to play with the dark."

"You shouldn't play with either one. Both are forces that need to be respected."

"Okay, okay, I was only joking."

"Maybe if you looked hell in the face like I did you'd have more respect."

He propped both elbows on the table and clasped his hands. "You're not a very good liar, Zoe."

Nothing pleased me more than to hear that news. "Really?"

"Yeah. I like that about you."