Saturday, May 12, 2012

The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

loved this book! Found it easy to read and follow and didn't want to put down! There are a lot of mixed reviews about it but I really enjoyed it. I am a fan of Kimberly Derting's writing style and her books generally make fast reads for me. Again its a Dystopian book so maybe that's just what I'm really into right now. Everyone is divided into class and each class has its own language. The communal language is Englaise. The lead character can understand all languages even though she is not supposed to. Looking at another in the eye while they are speaking their language is punishable by death. I don't really know what to say about this book. I just loved it so much! Book Summary: In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she's spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It's there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she's never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed. Charlie is intensely attracted to Max, even though she can't be sure where his real loyalties lie. As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country's only chance for freedom from the terrible power of a deadly regime.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins *re-read*

What an awesome series. I love it! The cliffhanger was crazy but I have the next book so it just makes me want to pick it up and continue reading. I'm so glad I read this! *Read for the 2nd time in April 2012. Loved it just as much as the first time!* If you haven't read this series. Do me a favor.. GO READ IT. It really is a great book series. I am not going to really review but I did rate 5 stars because I love this series so much!

Divergent by Veronica Roth

In case you haven't noticed I have been REALLY into the dystopian genre. I LOVED this book. I found it super easy to follow and flew through it pretty quick. I can't imagine being as brave as the main character and leaving my family and joining a new faction. Its been a few weeks since I read this and I will try my best to remember everything I can. Beatrice aka Tris is the lead character. When you turn a certain age you test to find which faction suits you the best. Tris comes back as "Divergent" which isn't a faction. She is told to keep it quiet and they recommend her for her current faction. Which she doesn't feel "selfless enough" to be in. She ends up going with a different faction then her family and leaves them behind. They get put through a series of test where they are tested repeatedly and pushed to their limits. In the end a big secret is revealed and Tris is in the middle of it. Its really hard to review this book without giving A LOT away. At least for me. I thought it was GREAT. And can't wait to get my hands on Insurgent! Book Summary: In a future Chicago, 16-year-old Beatrice Prior must choose among five predetermined factions to define her identity for the rest of her life, a decision made more difficult when she discovers that she is an anomaly who does not fit into any one group, and that the society she lives in is not perfect after all.

DESTINED by PC Cast and Kristin Cast

This one starts where book 8 leaves off. Zoey and her Nerd Herd are down in the tunnels. Kalona is banished from Neferets side and Ephraim is now half boy and half bird. Zoey's mom is dead and was murdered my Neferet. I rated 4 stars. I found parts of it good but I got bored at points and would set it down and read other things. That is why it took me so long to get through it. I love this series and will always be loyal to it but I think it HAS to end soon. Just seems like things are moving a long kind of slow. The ending left us with another cliff hanger and sitting on pins and needles waiting on that books release so we can find out what happened. I love these authors. They are great story tellers and to come up with an original story like this well you definitely have some talent. Check these out. But start with Marked if you haven't done so already. Looking forward to book #10!

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

PULSE OF HEROES BY A JACOB SWEENY

After all my friends reading this book and talking about it I downloaded it onto my Nook. It was on there for a while before I finally got to it. Once I started reading it I found it hard to put down. My only complaint was some parts seemed to drag on but I think it kind of had to to get the point across. Michelle the main female character can be annoying but I have to remind myself she is still a teenager and teenagers can be pretty annoying LOL! It was a great story and totally different then anything I've ever read. I look forward to book two and the short story thats out as well! Here is a summary: WINNER OF 2011 INDIE BOOK OF THE YEAR!!!! At Paranormal Reads! A suspenseful, passionate, paranormal romance that sweeps through the emotions of first love and heartache as it traverses centuries and continents. Michelle used to feel like she was behind in everything, especially school and relationships. Her great aunt from the old country says she is like a bland meal, "no salt or pepper". But in junior year, everything changes. Her father takes a position on the Town Council, a popular boy in school becomes interested in her, and most importantly, the Hekademos Learning Center, a private school for 'troubled' students, moves into her quiet neighborhood amidst the protests of the entire town. After an embarrassing fall over the school wall, Michelle meets Elliot and her ordinary ‘bland’ life changes its course forever. Elliot is no ordinary human. In fact, no one at the Hekademos Learning Center is. Beautiful and fierce, they have survived throughout the millennia by weaving in and out of human events. Through them, Michelle learns that history and myths from around the world are dotted with references to their kind. Michelle falls madly in love with the ever-striking and mysterious Elliot and, as much as he tries to fight it, he develops strong feelings for her as well. Although Elliot carries numerous painful memories from his many pasts, he disregards his own better judgment and the advice of his friends, and finds himself falling for Michelle‘s offbeat personality. Their feelings grow in intensity, but when History catches up with them, the difference between their life paths threatens to destroy any future that they might have had together. Michelle learns that there are infinite shades of gray between black and white, and has to deal with the bundle of contradictory emotions called love. She has to trust her intuition in order to face the danger and uncertainty of being drawn into Elliot’s wondrous world. Ultimately, it is up to Michelle to make the split-second, life-altering decision that will either tear them apart forever, or give them another chance. RATED 4 STARS!

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

ANATHEMA BY K.A. TUCKER

I got this for free off of the Barnes and noble website. It had high reviews so I thought ok I'm going to give it a try. It sat on my Nook for a while as I was reading lots of other books. The Nook also said there was over 700 pages so I was a little intimidated. My first night reading the book I flew through 180 pages in ONE HOUR. I probably could have stayed up half the night reading! When I got to the middle of the book it got a little slower but didn't deter me from reading it. I'm looking forward to the next book and can't wait to find out what happens. Here is a summary: Evangeline has spent her teenage years in obscurity. Her foster parents have the emotional aptitude of robots and her classmates barely acknowledge her existence. About to turn eighteen and feeling like a social pariah, she is desperate to connect with someone. Anyone. When Evangeline meets Sophie after literally stumbling upon her cafĂ©, she believes she’s found that connection. Willing to do anything to keep it, she accepts a job as Sofie’s assistant and drops everything to fly to Manhattan, where she is thrust into a luxurious world of Prada, diamonds, and limitless cash. With such generosity and kindness, it’s easy for Evangeline to dismiss certain oddities... like Sofie’s erratic and sometimes violent behavior, and the monstrous guard dogs. She’s even willing to dismiss her vivid dreams of mob-style murders, beautiful homeless people living in caves, and white-eyed demons that haunt her each night as figments of her imagination—especially when one of those figments is the gorgeous Caden. When she wakes up with bite marks on her neck, the fairy tale quickly turns into a nightmare. She slowly unravels the mystery surrounding Sofie and friends, and the reality of the bites and the “dreams.” What she discovers is far more mysterious and terrible than anything she could have imagined. In a world where everyone has motive to lie for personal gain, Evangeline must decide which deception is least likely to get her killed. I GAVE A 4 STAR RATING!

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Love In A Nutshell by Janet Evanovich and Dorien Kelly

This book was just meh. It wasn't great and it wasn't horrible. It fell to just "ok" Maybe its me getting over the whole romance genre. Who knows. It wasn't a thick book by any means so realistically I should have been able to finish in a day maybe two. Well I kept setting it down. I liked the characters for the most part but I felt like the book was lacking something. Just not sure what. I am a HUGE fan of Janet Evanovich books. Her Stephanie Plum series is one of my faves. This book almost felt forced. Like maybe there was a deadline and lets hurry up and get a book out kind of forced. She worked with another author so maybe that's why it felt "different" Here is the Summary: Kate Appleton needs a job. Her husband has left her, she’s been fired from her position as a magazine editor, and the only place she wants to go is to her parents’ summer house, The Nutshell, in Keene’s Harbor, Michigan. Kate’s plan is to turn The Nutshell into a Bed and Breakfast. Problem is, she needs cash, and the only job she can land is less than savory. Matt Culhane wants Kate to spy on his brewery employees. Someone has been sabotaging his company, and Kate is just new enough in town that she can insert herself into Culhane’s business and snoop around for him. If Kate finds the culprit, Matt will pay her a $20,000 bonus. Needless to say, Kate is highly motivated. But several problems present themselves. Kate despises beer. No one seems to trust her. And she is falling hard for her boss. Can these two smoke out a saboteur, save Kate’s family home, and keep a killer from closing in…all while resisting their undeniable attraction to one another? Filled with humor, heart, and loveable characters, Love in a Nutshell is delicious fun. Rated 2 stars.