Stacking the Shelves (119)

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!  It is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

Bought:

The Love That Split the World by Emily Henry.  Friday Night Lights meets Time Traveler's Wife?  Yeah, my expectations are high.

The Bands of Mourning by Brandon Sanderson.  Already read this and loved it.  Brandon Sanderson can do no wrong.  Makes me want to reread the first three Mistborn novels because things are really starting to tie together.

The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman.  Demon hunters in Regency London?  No way could I resist that.

Sword and Verse by Kathy MacMillan.  This one has gotten mixed reviews but fantasy is my favorite genre so I thought I would give it a try.

From NetGalley:

Tell the Wind and Fire by Sarah Rees Brennan.  The Lynburn Legacy…LOVED IT SO MUCH.  So excited to read her new book!

What books did you add to your shelves?

By the way, took about two months off from blogging (and visiting blogs) but I'm back.

Posted by:  Pam

Spoiler Review: Winter by Marissa Meyer

Winter (The Lunar Chronicles #4)
Author:  Marissa Meyer
Publisher:  Feiwel and Friends, 827 pages
Publication Date:  November 10, 2015

From Goodreads:
Princess Winter is admired by the Lunar people for her grace and kindness, and despite the scars that mar her face, her beauty is said to be even more breathtaking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana.

Winter despises her stepmother, and knows Levana won’t approve of her feelings for her childhood friend—the handsome palace guard, Jacin. But Winter isn’t as weak as Levana believes her to be and she’s been undermining her stepmother’s wishes for years. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even have the power to launch a revolution and win a war that’s been raging for far too long.

Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter defeat Levana and find their happily ever afters?

Review:

I liked this conclusion to the Lunar Chronicles, but I didn't love it.  Basically, it was my least favorite book of the series.  I loved the series, don't get me wrong, and I thought the book was really good (I rated it 4 stars), but I didn't really like Winter or Jacin and I didn't care about their love story.  I LOVED Cinder and Kai, Scarlet and Wolf, and Cress and Thorne.  I respected Winter and her choice not to use her Lunar abilities, but I never felt that connection to her that I felt with the rest of the group.  And Jacin…I really didn't like him.  That made it hard to love the book.  Maybe part of it was because they weren't the true focus of the book like the couples were in the other books…I don't know.

And even though Cinder and Kai were my favorite couple, once again they aren't together enough.  They're the only couple who doesn't spend a significant amount of time together and I was hoping we would get that in this book, but we didn't.

And I was soooo disappointed with what happened to Wolf.  Why couldn't they reverse his operation?  Why did he have to spend the rest of his life as a beast man?  It was amazing that Scarlet didn't seem to care, but HE did.  He didn't want it, it was his worst fear.  I mean, come on, this is a fairy tale, I would have bought that they could reverse it.  I just thought that was unnecessary to the story and it made me sad.

Finally, the big fight between Cinder and Levana was pretty meh.  And I didn't buy that just having her real face revealed would weaken her so much.  I read somewhere that Marissa Meyer said that she wished she hadn't made the Lunar abilities so strong because it put her in a tough position in the series and I think it shows with how Levana was defeated.  

So I know I've just complained about the book.  I read it pretty much in one sitting (even with it being so long) and I loved the touches of Snow White we got (I like retellings that are REALLY loose) and the cast of characters (at least six of them) were AMAZING.  Thorne and Cress ended up being my favorite couple in the end and their story and what happened with them was the most satisfying for me. Definitely recommend the series, I'm a huge fan, but maybe having eight main characters was too much.  

What did you think of the book?

Posted by:  Pam

Book News: The Shaw Confessions by Michelle Hodkin

Michelle Hodkin has confirmed that there will be a new trilogy, the Shaw Confessions, that will take place after The Retribution of Mara Dyer!!!!!  Noah Shaw's POV!!!!!  Expected publication is Summer of 2017.  Here's the Goodreads summary:

What happens after happily ever after? By the end of the Mara Dyer Trilogy, Noah Shaw and Mara Dyer discovered their world-changing abilities along with their love for each other. In the first book of The Shaw Confessions, Noah’s father is murdered, and Noah inherits unimaginable riches, terrible knowledge, and the chance to find other people like himself. But as Noah and Mara begin their global search, they’ll discover that they have very different goals: Noah wants peace. Mara wants power. When the girl of your dreams turns the world into a nightmare, what do you choose? The girl or the world?

I had so many unanswered questions after Retribution...I am beyond excited. 

Noah Shaw Noah Shaw Noah Shaw Noah Shaw Noah Shaw Noah Shaw Noah Shaw Noah Shaw Noah Shaw Noah Shaw Noah Shaw Noah Shaw Noah Shaw Noah Shaw Noah Shaw.

M.A.D.N.E.S.S.

Anyone else excited??

Posted by: Pam

YA TV: Wolf Blood

Television Show: Wolfblood 

Series Dates: 2012-

Creator: Debbie Moon

Production Co.: BBC

I have recently made a commitment to exercising and am encouraging these healthy behaviors by watching YA television shows.  The first series I have chosen to watch has been in my Netflix queue for months and I am so excited to finally watch it. My only exercise rule is that I can only watch new episodes if I am on my elliptical machine.  Since I am loving this show, it's working really well.

The series was created by Debbie Moon for British television.  It follows the lives of two teenage "wolfbloods".  Wolfbloods can and have lived amongst humans for centuries.  While some wolfbloods live peacefully with humans others do not.  Maddy and Rhydian are the two main characters and they have to keep their secret from all their school friends.  While Maddy lives with supportive parents who can teach her about her heritage, Rhydian lives with foster parents.  Even though I have only watched four episodes they have all been great and addressed several important yet predictable themes in tween/teenage television: parental neglect, hostile teachers, and school cliques.

Wish me luck!

Posted By: Sheri

YALLFEST 2015

Fun Facts from YallFest

Julie Kagawa's literary crush is Valek from the Poison Study series.

Julie Kagawa only wrote The Iron Knight (The Iron Fey #4) because her editor said she couldn't end the series how she did.

Kiera Cass only read Lauren Oliver's Delirium (and not the rest of the series) because she thought the ending was perfect.

R.L. Stine's son has never read his books.

Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy was partially inspired from Romanian vampire mythology.

Margaret Stohl's worst year was the year the movie Beautiful Creatures came out.

Lemony Snicket recently donated one million dollars to Planned Parenthood.

Richelle Mead believes that strong female leads don't have to be violent in order to be strong.

We also absolutely loved visiting Charleston (can you imagine going to College of Charleston?) and agree that we do NOT like standing in lines.

Anyone else go to YallFest?

Posted by:  Sheri and Pam

Book Review: The Anatomical Shape of a Heart by Jenn Bennett

The Anatomical Shape of a Heart
Author:  Jenn Bennett
Publisher:  Feiwel & Friends, 304 pages
Publication Date:  November 3, 2015

From Goodreads:
Artist Beatrix Adams knows exactly how she's spending the summer before her senior year. Determined to follow in Leonardo da Vinci’s footsteps, she's ready to tackle the one thing that will give her an advantage in a museum-sponsored scholarship contest: drawing actual cadavers. But when she tries to sneak her way into the hospital’s Willed Body program and misses the last metro train home, she meets a boy who turns her summer plans upside down.

Jack is charming, wildly attractive . . . and possibly one of San Francisco’s most notorious graffiti artists. On midnight buses and city rooftops, Beatrix begins to see who Jack really is—and tries to uncover what he’s hiding that leaves him so wounded. But will these secrets come back to haunt him? Or will the skeletons in Beatrix’s own family’s closet tear them apart?

Review:
LOVED this one. Perfect combination of light and fluffy with drama/serious issues. It reminded me of My Life Next Door in the sense that the drama did not involve love triangle/relationship drama but family drama. Jack was absolutely adorable and the open discussion of sex was refreshing. At one point, he's asking Bex about her likes and dislikes when it comes to sex and when she's embarrassed to tell him he basically says, if we can't talk about it, how can we do it? LOVED that. For this reason alone, every teenager should read this book.  One minor complaint: Although everything was wrapped up in the way I like, there was one small detail that was left open. WHY????

The Anatomical Shape of a Heart made me smile and I'm definitely checking out the author's other books.

Posted by:  Pam

Book Review: Forget Tomorrow by Pintip Dunn

Forget Tomorrow (Forget Tomorrow #1)
Author:  Pintip Dunn
Publisher:  Entangled Teen, 400 pages
Publication Date:  November 3, 2015

From Goodreads:
It's Callie’s seventeenth birthday and, like everyone else, she's eagerly awaiting her vision―a memory sent back in time to sculpt each citizen into the person they're meant to be. A world-class swimmer. A renowned scientist.

Or in Callie's case, a criminal.

In her vision, she sees herself murdering her gifted younger sister. Before she can process what it means, Callie is arrested and placed in Limbo―a hellish prison for those destined to break the law. With the help of her childhood crush, Logan, a boy she hasn’t spoken to in five years, she escapes.

But on the run from her future, as well as the government, Callie sets in motion a chain of events that she hopes will change her fate. If not, she must figure out how to protect her sister from the biggest threat of all—Callie, herself.

Review:

LOVED the premise of this and it really made me think.  What would life be like if, on our seventeenth birthday, we found out something important about our future? Like you saw yourself married to one person but you were currently dating someone else?  You saw yourself in a career you currently had no interest in?  These future memories (sent by your future self) determine everything in your life.  

In this book, the main character actually sees herself killing her little sister.  What?? Although I loved the premise, the world-building and romance were just so-so.  But that ending…talk about cliffhanger.  I read the synopsis of the next book and now I really don't know what to think.  This one is worth reading for the ending alone.

Posted by:  Pam

 

Stacking the Shelves (118)

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!  It is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

Bought:

The Revolution of Ivy by Amy Engel

The Anatomical Shape of a Heart by Jenn Bennett

Forget Tomorrow by Pintip Dunn

What books did you add to your shelves this week?

Posted by:  Pam

Book Review: The Distance From Me to You by Marina Gessner

The Distance From Me to You
Author:  Marina Gessner
Publisher:  G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, 352 pages
Publication Date:  October 20, 2015

From Goodreads:
McKenna Berney is a lucky girl. She has a loving family and has been accepted to college for the fall. But McKenna has a different goal in mind: much to the chagrin of her parents, she defers her college acceptance to hike the Appalachian Trail from Maine to Georgia with her best friend. And when her friend backs out, McKenna is determined to go through with the dangerous trip on her own. While on the Trail, she meets Sam. Having skipped out on an abusive dad and quit school, Sam has found a brief respite on the Trail, where everyone’s a drifter, at least temporarily.

Despite lives headed in opposite directions, McKenna and Sam fall in love on an emotionally charged journey of dizzying highs and devastating lows. When their punch-drunk love leads them off the trail, McKenna has to persevere in a way she never thought possible to beat the odds or risk both their lives.

Review:

Really enjoyed this one. I would never, in a million years, hike the Appalachian Trail but I loved reading about MacKenna's struggles. She was smart and resourceful and she never lost sight of her goal. I also appreciated her desire to get away, leave technology behind, and just live in the moment.

I felt so bad for Sam and his life, I just wanted to give him a hug.  

Let me just say, the last 20% or so of the book was INTENSE.

My biggest complaint is the open ending. Realistic, but I wanted to know what happened!  This is one of those books that needed an epilogue.  I sort of wrote one in my head so I'm going to pretend that's what happened.

Posted by:  Pam