Glimmerglass

author: Jenna Black

series: Faeriewalker

published: May 25th 2010

publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

format: paperback

pages: 294

The following synopsis comes from Goodreads.

Dana Hathaway doesn’t know it yet, but she’s in big trouble. When her alcoholic mom shows up at her voice recital drunk, again, Dana decides she’s had enough and runs away to find her mysterious father in Avalon: the only place on Earth where the regular, everyday world and the captivating, magical world of Faerie intersect. But from the moment Dana sets foot in Avalon, everything goes wrong, for it turns out she isn't just an ordinary teenage girl—she's a Faeriewalker, a rare individual who can travel between both worlds, and the only person who can bring magic into the human world and technology into Faerie.

Soon, Dana finds herself tangled up in a cutthroat game of Fae politics. Someone's trying to kill her, and everyone seems to want something from her, from her newfound friends and family to Ethan, the hot Fae guy Dana figures she’ll never have a chance with… until she does. Caught between two worlds, Dana isn’t sure where she’ll ever fit in and who can be trusted, not to mention if her world will ever be normal again…

My Thoughts:
The Cover:

My favorite part of the cover of this book is the spine; it's pink and it has silver polka dots along the sides. The cover itself is really cute, too. I like the flowy image that floats on the cover. It looks like magic! I think it looks really nice next to the cover of the sequel, Shadowspell.

The Book:

First, I'd like to point out that Dana knows her Fae heritage. In most (maybe even all) of the other YA faerie books I've read, it's a surprise to the protagonist. I felt like this was a nice change.

The story flowed very nicely and was quick paced. I could not put this book down! At first, I was not thrilled by the fact that Avalon is full of faeries and humans and that people know about the fae. But, I quickly got over that and decided that this fact makes the story different and more exciting.

Glimmerglass is a different type of faerie novel and I truly can't wait until January 4th, when Shadowspell is released.

Fins Are Forever!

The Splash Team for Tera Lynn Childs is posting the COVER for Fins Are Forever today! Tera wanted to make a splash revealing the cover, so those of us Splash Members with blogs are posting today. So, here it is! This is so exciting! It's gorgeous!

Also, you can get the awesome widget countdown for the book HERE!

Fins Are Forever is set for release on June 28th 2011!

Extra, Extra! Read All About It!

I am SO excited!

On Friday, September 24th, bloggers across the internet will be revealing something extra special! Now, I don't know how they're doing it, but I'm not telling you what it is. Yet. But, I will tell you it's really cool! (To me anyway)

So be sure to check back here every once in a while because I might be telling you what it is tomorrow, or maybe next Wednesday, or maybe not.

Weekly Excerpts from Tera Lynn Childs

I felt the need to share this with readers of my blog. Tera Lynn Childs, author of Forgive My Fins, has this awesome new thing going on on her blog. Every Friday she is posting a chapter from a story she wrote that was never published. The current story is called Eye Candy and when there are no chapters left to post, she will release a PDF file of the story and begin posting her other chick lit book, Straight Talk.

You can read about the Weekly posting here.

You can read the first chapter of Eye Candy here. And the second here.

You should also check out her post about artistic license in creating mythology of her book Oh. My. Gods. and its sequel Goddess Boot Camp. It's really interesting and helpful for writers. You can check that out here.

Mockingjay

I can't believe The Hunger Games Trilogy is over. It's all done. Mockingjay was a great ending to a fantastic trilogy. I'm not doing any reviews for a while because of school. But I had to at least say that I loved Mockingjay. And everyone should read The Hunger Games Trilogy. I had been waiting since the first book came out for the final installment. And it was well worth the wait. Wow.

Deathly Hallows Movie Poster

I know that this poster is not new to anyone. But I was just flipping through the new pictures of the film on imdb.com when I saw this poster again. It brought tears to my eyes. This poster makes me feel so sad inside. My heart feels sad.

So I just wanted to share. I think that this poster is a great poster. Mugglenet.com has a great post from a few weeks ago that compares it to a poster for the first film, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. I highly recommend comparing the two.

Definitely read that here.

Or you can simply compare them here. Mugglenet was kind enough to set that up!

Why I Prefer A Lot of Short Chapters Over A Few Long Chapters

Yes, it's true; I prefer it when the books I read have a lot of short chapters over a few longer ones. I've read a lot of books, so I've begun to notice when some things work better for me than others. I really like it when my books have short chapters. (Like the Maximum Ride series. Each of those books has well over 100 chapters. Crazy!) So I am compiling a list of why and posting about the awesomeness of really short chapters.

1. It sort of makes you feel like you're making a LOT of progress. Think about it; You're reading a book. You reach chapter 112. WOW! You've read 111 chapters already. SUCH progress! When really, you may only be on page 252 out of 10,000. (Yeah, I know that most YA novels are not 10,000 pages. It's called hyperbole.) Either way, it can help you, a modest reader, feel significantly more accomplished than when you started.
2. I usually read late at night, right before bed. So, when I'm really into, a really great book, I really don't want to put it down. Really. So, when I finish a chapter, but I don't want to stop, but I'm tired and I know I should stop, I check to see how long the next chapter is: if it's pretty short, I'll read it! If it ends up being 25 or 30 pages, I probably won't read it that night. (Unless, I'm only a little bit tired.) So, by reading a book with smaller chapters, I can read "more" than if the chapters were longer.
3. I like to break up my reading at chapters. If I know I have to go do something, like work, I'll try to stop at the end of a chapter. That way, I have a "lean beginning when I'm on break, or when I get home. It's so much easier to do that when the chapters are shorter. If I know I have ten minutes before I have to leave for work, or whatever, and I see that a chapter is two and a half pages, I know I can read that and maybe ANOTHER one! I'm more likely to get an entire chapter (or more) done on my 15 minute break when the chapters are shorter. And when I go back to work I don't feel like I left in the middle of a scene. I may still contemplate the novel and what happens next, but at least I stopped at what the author deemed an acceptable stopping point.
4. Shorter chapters are more likely to have one or two real scenes or ideas. Longer chapters will cover a lot more content and will make it more difficult to go back and find that amazing passage from chapter 7. You'll have to go through more types of scenes. Smaller chapters will, generally, have one scene. Only one place or trip will take place. In longer chaptered novels, there may be several scenes and different things covered. It may even have several "sections" separated by extra spaces to show shifts in time. (Good stopping points when reading longer chaptered books) In my opinion, those can usually become new chapters. But, sometimes they should not. It's a fine line.

And that, my readers, is the compilation of my thoughts on short chapters. Although, I may come up with some more.

Note: There is NOTHING wrong with long chapters. Sometimes they're fun! They have their place in literature; there's no doubt about it. I just, generally, prefer a lot of short chapters. (Check Maximum Ride if you want to see a lot of short chapters.)

Giveaway!

Imagination in Focus is doing an awesome giveaway that ends tomorrow night! So hurry up!

The prize up for grabs is an ARC of The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller

Here's the information:

You must live in the U.S. and a follower of Imagination in Focus and you MUST enter BEFORE August 9th at 11 central time. Yes, we're all aware how last minute of a post this is. (and how grammatically incorrect that last sentence appears.)

You can earn extra entries by doing cool things. So check it out!

Enter HERE!

Totally Unrelated

On a completely non-YA book note, I just HAD to share the following.

I've been wanting to see the movie Vanity Fair. My library does not have it. Well, guess what! Right now, you can watch it ALL for FREE on hulu.com! I am really excited. I fully plan on watching it tomorrow.

Watch it HERE!

Here's the synopsis straight from Tribute.ca

The daughter of a starving English artist and a French chorus girl, Becky Sharp (Reese Witherspoon) is orphaned at a young age in the early 19th century. Even as a child, she yearns for a more glamorous life than her birthright promises. As she leaves Miss Pinkerton's Academy at Chiswick, Becky resolves to conquer English society by any means possible.

She gains employment as governess to the daughters of eccentric Sir Pitt Crawley (Bob Hoskins) and not only wins over the children, but the family's rich spinster aunt Matilda (Eileen Atkins). The household comes to find her indispensable, and Matilda begins to confide in the bright young woman. But Becky knows she cannot be a true part of English society until she moves to the city.

When Matilda invites her to come live in London, Becky eagerly accepts. There, she is reunited with her best friend Amelia (Romola Garai), who - having grown up comfortably - does not share Becky's more brazen ambitions. A secret marriage, a disowning, a war - Becky continues through it all to realize her dreams, even though the ultimate cost may be too high.

Darklight

author: Lesley Livingston

published: December 22nd 2009

series: Wondrous Strange, Book 2 of 3

publisher: Harper Teen

format: hardcover

pages: 310

The following synopsis comes from Goodreads.com

Much has changed since autumn, when Kelley Winslow learned she was a Faerie princess, fell in love with changeling guard Sonny Flannery, and saved the mortal realm from the ravages of the Wild Hunt.

Now Kelley is stuck in New York City, rehearsing Romeo and Juliet and missing Sonny more with every stage kiss, while Sonny has been forced back to the Otherworld and into a deadly game of cat and mouse with the remaining Hunters and Queen Mabh herself.

When a terrifying encounter sends Kelley tumbling into the Otherworld, her reunion with Sonny is joyful but destined to be cut short. An ancient, hidden magick is stirring, and a dangerous new enemy is willing to risk everything to claim that power.

Caught in a web of Faerie deception and shifting allegiances, Kelley and Sonny must tread carefully, for each next step could topple a kingdom . . . or tear them apart.

My Thoughts:

The Cover: This cover looks really, really good next to Wondrous Strange and Tempestuous (to be released January 7th 2011). I like this cover more than Wondrous Strange's cover. This cover is warmer than the first (which was cold. It was pretty much tinted blue. You can see it here!) It's not that I didn't like the cover of Wondrous Strange, it just didn't STICK out as awesome. This cover looks awesome! I love her dress and she looks so great! It's "theme" is pink! And it's overall beautiful.

The Book: I liked Darklight more than I liked Wondrous Strange. And I really did like Wondrous Strange. You can read about that here!

Darklight picks up, I believe, six months after opening night of A Midsummer Night's Dream where Wondrous Strange left off. Kelley is now working on her role as Juliet in, you guessed it, Romeo & Juliet. Again, I was not entirely enthralled in the story until maybe a third of the way through, but when I did, I couldn't put it down! And I didn't! In this sequel, we see more of Fennrys who is actually, surprisingly and refreshingly comical. Also, Gentleman Jack is back and as sweet as ever! He is quite possibly my favorite "non-main" character and I really hope to see more of him in the third installment. Kelley and Sonny both have to overcome being separate from each other and the doubts that come along with the separation. They also both grow into themselves far more than I expected.

One of the best things about Darklight is that there are unexpected twists that will leave you desperate for more! (You really want to read this now, don't you? ;] )

This book was a great sequel to Wondrous Strange and definitely fulfilled my hopes for this series.

Tempestuous, the final installment of the Wondrous Strange series will be out on January 7th 2011!

Wondrous Strange

author: Lesley Livingston

published: December 23rd 2008

series: Wondrous Strange, Book 1 of 3

publisher: HarperTeen

format: hardcover

pages: 327

The following synopsis comes from Goodreads.com

Since the dawn of time, the Faerie have taken. . . .

For seventeen-year-old actress Kelley Winslow, faeries are just something from childhood stories. Then she meets Sonny Flannery, whose steel-gray eyes mask an equally steely determination to protect her.

Sonny guards the Samhain Gate, which connects the mortal realm with the Faerie's enchanted, dangerous Otherworld. Usually kept shut by order of icy King Auberon, the Gate stands open but once a year.

This year, as the time approaches when the Samhain Gate will swing wide and nightmarish Fae will fight their way into an unsuspecting human world, something different is happening . . . something wondrous and strange. And Kelley's eyes are opening not just to the Faerie that surround her but to the heritage that awaits her.

Now Kelley must navigate deadly Faerie treachery—and her growing feelings for Sonny—in this dazzling page-turner filled with luminous romance.

My Thoughts:

The Cover:

I think it's a lovely cover. I absolutely love the font of the title and its placement. It really draws the eye; and with a title like Wondrous Strange it is not likely to be forgotten. It's also a shiny light blue :) The girl on the cover is a good depiction of Kelley. In my head she looks much like this girl. (Probably because I saw the cover :P) It's not the most memorable cover I've ever seen, or my favorite, but I think it looks really good and fits the story.

The Book:

Kelley is a great character. She's living on her own, which is sort of new for me to read about in a YA book. Kelley has an aunt, but she's living elsewhere while Kelley is in New York City. This was a great change for me. It was definitely better that Kelley was alone in NYC. (Well, she has a roommate)

Kelley's reaction to the character Sonny was very realistic to me. Now, I know everyone is different, but she reacted in a way I would expect most people to react. This made it much easier to relate to her and get into the story.

When I started reading it, it was a solid three out of five for me. I liked it, but I wasn't loving it. Once the plot really got started, I got into it and it became a solid 4. Maybe 4.5. It's a great take on faerie lore in the modern day.

I have to admit, I took a break near the beginning to read The Iron Daughter. I wasn't expect it, and I wasn't going to wait. Let's face it, I was waiting for it since I read The Iron King back in February! And Wondrous Strange hadn't really sucked me in yet.

For faerie lovers, this book will definitely be a fun ride. It's similar and different to the other books I've read. (Imagine that...) the differences really make this book a wondrous and strange journey into faerie lands.

Needless to say, I'm going to be reading the sequel, Darklight next. I may even start it right now.

Entice Cover?

I was surprised when I got on Goodreads today and looked at the third novel in the Need series by Carrie Jones, Entice. THERE'S A COVER! So, I went back to Carrie's blog to see if I missed it, but there was no post. So I'm thinking it could be a non-official-early draft. But it looks SO good! Here it is for your viewing pleasure. It looks really great next to the other two covers.

The Iron Daughter

author: Julie Kagawa

published: August (or maybe July 27th)

series: The Iron Fey, book 2 of 3

publisher: Harlequin Teen

format: paperback

pages: 359

The following synopsis comes from Julie Kagawa's website.

Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron Fey, iron-bound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her. Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's alone in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.

My Thoughts:

The Cover:

The cover looks even better in person! I was at my Borders store looking for a book to buy when The Iron Daughter caught my eye. It was sitting there, facing me. It wasn't supposed to be out yet! So, naturally, I immediately grabbed a copy, snapped a picture, and bought it. The cover is really beautiful and I like it more than The Iron King cover. This cover is quite purple and it looks great. Among the thorny borders there are little butterflies! They're too cute! I love this cover.

The Book:

First, I want to recommend that before reading The Iron Daughter and after reading The Iron King that you read the free (until July 31st) novella, Winter's Passage. (Which is quite great! It ended in a way that made me super eager for The Iron Daughter.)

Now. In this sequel, Meghan is stuck in the Winter Court. The poor girl! She has no friends. She can't trust anyone. Ash is acting as though he hates her, and maybe he does. The Iron Daughter takes this series to a new level for me. There are a few new characters and some that were only mentioned before like Ash's family: Queen Mab, and his brothers, Sage and Rowan. And of course, Meghan, Ash, Puck, and Grimalkin! Grim is still Grim. And he's still my favorite. I love that cat. Puck is still sick and in the tree as he was at the end of The Iron King and Meghan has no way to contact him or even find out if he's awakened while she's in the Winter Court. She is worried about him and, poor thing, can't even find out what's happening with him. It could be centuries before he wakes up. Meghan's journey and mission, if you will, in this story tests her in new ways and she even discovers a few things about herself that she didn't know before. It's a great growing experience for her and it's clear throughout that this entire journey will change her forever. It's awesome!

I highly recommend The Iron Fey, especially to fans of faeries. It's a great series and I can't wait for the final installment, The Iron Queen. I can't help but hope that there will be another novella in between!

Linger

author: Maggie Stiefvater

published: July 13th 2010

series: The Wolves of Mercy Falls

place in series: number 2 of 3

publisher: Scholastic

format: hardcover

pages: 362

The following synopsis comes from Maggie's Mercy Falls website.

In Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabel, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.

My Thoughts:

The Cover: This cover is love. It goes with the Shiver cover completely, but it is its own. This cover shows the promise of the springtime which is quickly upon those of Mercy Falls, while the Shiver cover was more wintery which was a huge part of that novel. This cover is beautiful. I love it, and I can't wait to see the cover of Forever. Perhaps it'll be red, or purple. Who knows?!

The Story: I absolutely LOVED Shiver. So, needless to say, my expectations of Linger were high. They did not go wanting. Linger was most definitely its own novel. Sometimes, sequels are very much like its predecessor and it's only a variation of the unresolved problems in the first novel. But, with Linger it was so much more. There was a new character: Cole. And two new narrators: Cole and Isabel. Linger is told from four points of view. You might think that it gets confusing. Well, it doesn't. They all have distinct voices so it's hardly a problem keeping them straight.

Another big thing I noticed about Linger (and Shiver) is that Grace is NOT annoying. In Linger, Grace is keeping a secret; a rather big, important, LIFE CHANGING secret. In other books I've read, when the heroine is keeping a secret like this, it's almost annoying. With Linger, Grace just isn't talking about it and for reasons that are justifiable.

She just isn't annoying, okay? Take my word for it. I really like Grace. She is still the same person she was in Shiver, except this time she's becoming more of the girl she always has been.

Then, there's Sam. Oh, Sam. Compassionate, caring Sam. He is a great character and I wish he was a real person; he's someone I want to be friends with. He is coming to terms with what happened in the end of Shiver. He's trying to live his life and it's all very realistic.

Isabel and Cole are great additions to the story. And I think I'll leave it at that. You just have to read it.

Linger definitely lives up to the standards of Shiver. When I wasn't reading, I was thinking about it and I dreamt about it as well. I'm addicted to The Wolves of Mercy Falls.

Linger gets five stars from me.

Exciting Giveaway!

Over one WOWIO, they are giving away a FREE ebook! It's the novel The Choir Boats by Daniel A. Rabuzzi. This novel is a critically aclaimed novel and they are giving away the special edition by way of an ebook. This is rather exciting to me.

So head on over HERE to download the FREE ebook version of The Choir Boats. It's only available for the month of July!

Here's the synopsis, straight from Goodreads.com

London, 1812 | Yount, Year of the Owl

What would you give to make good on the sins of your past? For merchant Barnabas McDoon, the answer is: everything.

When emissaries from a world called Yount offer Barnabas a chance to redeem himself, he accepts their price—to voyage to Yount with the key that only he can use to unlock the door to their prison. But bleak forces seek to stop him: Yount's jailer, a once-human wizard who craves his own salvation, kidnaps Barnabas's nephew. A fallen angel—a monstrous owl with eyes of fire—will unleash Hell if Yount is freed. And, meanwhile, Barnabas's niece, Sally, and a mysterious pauper named Maggie seek with dream-songs to wake the sleeping goddess who may be the only hope for Yount and Earth alike.

Night Star Cover!

Night Star is the fifth book in The Immortals Series by Alyson Noel. I recently finished reading Dark Flame. (I haven't written a review, but the book was awesome! Definitely better than Blue Moon and Shadowland, naturally not as good as Evermore - rarely is a sequel better than the first. But it was close! I LOVED it!)

Anyway, Night Star is set to hit stores November 16th! Alyson recently posted the cover for the novel on her blog here.

I like it! As expected, it fits with the previous four covers and its main color appears to be red! I just have to say that it looks awkward. I mean, she's "holding it out" but looking not at it. It almost looks like she is. But, whatever that awesome looking object is, she is looking behind it. And her arm looks awkward. I noticed this pretty quickly. Who knows, maybe she's not even supposed to be looking at it. But, I don't care! I still love this cover. That object is mesmerizing. Seriously, go back and look at it. Really look at it. It's giving off stars and stuff! Sort of. Anyway. I like this cover.

Thoughts?

Forgive My Fins

author: Tera Lynn Childs

published: June 1st 2010

series: Untitled, but yes!

publisher: HarperTeen

format: hardcover

pages: 293

The following synopsis comes from Tera Lynn Childs's website.

Lily Sanderson has a secret, and it's not that she has a huge crush on gorgeous swimming god Brody Bennett, who makes her heart beat flipper-fast. Unrequited love is hard enough when you're a normal teenage girl, but when you're half human, half mermaid, like Lily, there's no such thing as a simple crush.

Lily's mermaid identity is a secret that can't get out, since she's not just any mermaid—she's a Thalassinian princess. When Lily found out three years ago that her mother was actually a human, she finally realized why she didn't feel quite at home in Thalassinia, and she's been living on land and going to Seaview High School ever since, hoping to find where she truly belongs. Sure, land has its problems—like her obnoxious biker-boy neighbor, Quince Fletcher—but it has that one major perk: Brody. The problem is, mermaids aren't really the casual dating type—the instant they "bond," it's for life.

When Lily's attempt to win Brody's love leads to a tsunami-sized case of mistaken identity, she is in for a tidal wave of relationship drama, and she finds out, quick as a tailfin flick, that happily ever after never sails quite as smoothly as you planned.

My Thoughts:

The Cover: I think the cover is just beautiful. It's full of vibrant colors and the font of the title is really cool; it looks like it belongs to the sea. The title is surrounded by waves and it looks as if the girl is breathing the words onto the cover. It's quite pretty. I like that her lips are blue. It caught my eye when I saw it online and I immediately added it to my 2010-release list!

The Book: Lily Sanderson is a mermaid princess- something I wish I could be. So it's not surprise that I loved this book. She spends her time pursuing the gorgeous Brody, who she believes would make the perfect mermate. He's pretty much the typical hottie that only sees the superficial. Then there's Quince, the neighbor. I love him! He's so funny and so many quips that he just throws out. He's really funny and even though he picks on Lily, it's clear from the beginning (ish) that he really does like her and care for her; they're friends! But Lily doesn't think so. She only sees him as the kid next door that wants to make her life miserable. But he only does it because he cares.

Thalassinia is one awesome kingdom. I had so much fun visiting it with Lily and Tera Lynn Childs made this fantastic place so real and beautiful. It's a well thought out kingdom and has everything they could need. It's an awesome place!

While the book is some-what predictable, it still delivers. I had a fun time reading it and can't wait for the sequel, Fins are Forever!

Also, feel free to add this to your blog page if you would like to become an honorary merfolk!

The one you may see on my page (left, somewhere) is only for Official Splash Team Members, but if you'd like to become one of us, click the picture and read all about it! But there are a limited number of spaces left!

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour

author: Morgan Matson

published: May 4th 2010

publisher: Simon & Schuster

format: hardcover

pages: 343

The following synopsis comes from Goodreads.com

Amy Curry thinks her life sucks. Her mom decides to move from California to Connecticut to start anew--just in time for Amy's senior year. Her dad recently died in a car accident. So Amy embarks on a road trip to escape from it all, driving cross-country from the home she's always known toward her new life. Joining Amy on the road trip is Roger, the son of Amy's mother's old friend. Amy hasn't seen him in years, and she is less than thrilled to be driving across the country with a guy she barely knows. So she's surprised to find that she is developing a crush on him. At the same time, she's coming to terms with her father's death and how to put her own life back together after the accident. Told in traditional narrative as well as scraps from the road--diner napkins, motel receipts, postcards--this is the story of one girl's journey to find herself.

My Thoughts:

The Cover:

The cover accurately portrays Amy & Roger's Epic Detour. From this cover and the title, you can tell that they're going on some kind of adventure. I like that the mountains are the background for the cover. And I really like that they're on the road standing on either side of the yellow lines. That's really cute!

The Book:

This book is full of adventure. I've always wanted to take a road trip and Amy and Roger do it right. This detour of a road trip not only takes them all over the U.S., but they meet people and open up. Both Amy and Roger have some baggage and I don't mean their suitcases. Together they embark on an adventure that helps them sort through the extra baggage and relieve some of the weight. The story is written in such a way, that the reader does not really understand what the extra baggage is until the characters are able to reveal it to each other and even themselves. This definitely adds to the excitement and plot of the story. It is an easy read, but it is not simple. It is full of real issues that these people have to deal with and it's truly an epic read.

This is one of the best road trips I have ever been on!

EDIT: I can't stop thinking about this book. It's amazing. It was so, so incredibly good. I can't even describe it in any other way. It's so great!

Beastly - The Movie

A while back, I read Beastly by Alex Flinn. (before I had a blog) In March of 2011 the movie based on this book will be released and I am very much looking forward to seeing this film.

The book is a modern take on the classic Beauty and the Beast which is one of my favorites. So, I suddenly thought about checking in on the movie and came across the poster which looks AWESOME!

It stars Vanessa Hudgens, Alex Pettyfer, and Neil Patrick Harris. (I love Neil, Alex is extremely good looking and therefore great for the part though I have not seen him in anything, and Vanessa. . . well, I'll just have to see how she does in this film before I make any comment.)

I'm going to write a review of the book in honor of the release of the movie. I don't know when I'll do this review. But here is the poster!

Reading With Tequila Giveaway!

Reading with Tequila is doing an incredible giveaway! Check it out here. This awesome giveaway is in honor of reaching 750 followers and as the number increases before the deadline for the contest, more books and winners will be added! This is an amazing chance to win some great books! SO be sure to check it out, fill out the form, post about it, and tweet about it!

Please click the link and enter and follow! It's too great an opportunity to miss!

How to Say Goodbye in Robot

author: Natalie Standiford

published: October 1st 2009

publisher: Scholastic Press

format: hardcover

pages: 276

The following synopsis comes from Goodreads.com

New to town, Beatrice is expecting her new best friend to be one of the girls she meets on the first day. But instead, the alphabet conspires to seat her next to Jonah, aka Ghost Boy, a quiet loner who hasn't made a new friend since third grade. Something about him, though, gets to Bea, and soon they form an unexpected friendship. It's not romance, exactly - but it's definitely love. Still, Bea can't quite dispel Jonah's gloom and doom - and as she finds out his family history, she understands why. Can Bea help Jonah? Or is he destined to vanish?

My Thoughts:

The Cover:

I absolutely love this cover. It caught my attention immediately; it's not often you see a bright, hot pink cover. And the phone dangling on the side? That just piqued my interest even more. I soon read a review by Maggie Stiefvater on the book and I finally got my hands on it. My favorite part about the cover is not actually the cover itself. It's how the cover makes its way inside the book. The monthly dividers inside the book are on HOT pink paper. It looks awesome! And a few pages in the beginning and one in the end are black. They look so cool! It's not a typical thing in books and it is way awesome! The phone also relates to the book. Which is cool.

The Book:

Amazing. How to Say Goodbye in Robot is about a girl, Bea, who is forced into a new school where she meets outcast Jonah, or Ghost Boy. Jonah hasn't had friends in a really long time and he lets her into his world very easily and Bea becomes closer to him than she has ever been to another person. Even family.

I have never read a book like this before. It is utterly original and completely touching. I became addicted to this book from the first page and when I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about Ghost Boy and Robot Girl. Wondering where they would go and how the book would end. It was fantastic. I highly recommend this to everyone, especially someone looking for a different, honest, unpredictable story about realistic teenagers.

The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove

author: Lauren Kate

published: November 12th 2009

publisher: Penguin Books

format: paperback

pages: 235

The following synopsis comes from the back of the book!

What she wanted:

Natalie Hargrove wants one thing and one thing only- to be her high school's Palmetto Princess. Among the Southern Belles, a.k.a. Bambies, competing for the crown, she's by far the most beautiful, and the most deserving. Or so she thinks.

The catch:

Her boyfriend, Mike King, is on the brink of losing Palmetto Prince to Nat's nasty nemesis Justin Balmer. And let's just say Natalie and Justin have a history so shady it could wither flowers. Sure, Natalie could share the throne with Justin-over her dead body.

The trick:

So Nat convinces Mike to help her play a naughty little prank on Justin . . . just to make him look bad. Little do they know, their plan is about to go terribly, terribly wrong.

The fatal flaw:

Natalie and Mike desperately try to cover up what happened to Justin. But blackmail and buried desire, dark secrets and even darker deeds slowly begin to tear them apart. Because as it turns out, fate is the one thing more twisted than Natalie Hargrove.

My Thoughts:

The Cover:

This time, the cover is not what caught my interest. I had read Fallen by Lauren Kate and when I saw on her website that she had another novel, I decided to read it. The cover did not make me want to read it, but the synopsis did. The cover is not the type of cover I would pick out in a store and want to read, although it does make me wonder what the story is about. And then the title, The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove definitely piqued my interest. The text on the cover looks really nice. I really like that the cover people used the two different fonts.

The Book:

Natalie Hargrove is the type of girl that I hate. She seems to have everything. The hot boyfriend, looks, popularity, and money, among other things. But she also has that, higher than thou attitude. She KNOWS that she's gorgeous and popular and she uses that and she treats people badly because she feels that she can. I usually don't even like to READ about this kind of girl. But Lauren Kate's writing of this story put me on Natalie's side. I was routing for her throughout the novel.

The prologue and epilogue are written as if they are talking to YOU. I love that, I think it helps the reader understand Nat more.

This story is nothing like I've ever experienced. As far as I am aware, my high school was not like this at all! It was fun to see into a society like that of Palmetto, especially through the eyes of the character Natalie. She was not always a part of this group and that could be a contributing factor to why I don't hate her completely. I think Natalie is a character that I hate to love. She puts so much into how her other people perceive her. Appearance and popularity are the most important things to her, which I, personally, just don't get.

It was really fun to see into this type of world, a world I will never belong in! But by reading it from Nat's point of view, I did belong, if only for a little while.

It was definitely worth reading.

A New Beautiful Darkness Cover?

Over on Castergirls.com, they have posted about a NEW cover for Beautiful Darkness, the sequel to Beautiful Creatures! Now, at first I was angry. But after comparing them, I've decided I like this new one more.

So, here, for your viewing pleasure, is the NEW Beautiful Darkness cover:

This is the old cover:

So, here are the reasons I like the new cover (above) more than the old cover (left).

The text color on the old cover is darker and I think the lighter just looks better with the black. Now, this could just have something to do with the screen or whatever. The lighter color stands out more and looks less flat, even though it is.

I am not a huge fan of the "sparkles" in the sky. To be honest, they look sort of lame here. Maybe if they were done differently. Maybe they'd look better on the actual cover, in person than they do on a computer version.

However, I am a HUGE fan of the gate. I think it's pretty and just really cool. The steps on the new cover are creepy and fill the background which looks really nice. It looks more real as well. The gate across the bottom with stars or sparkles in the sky just looks fake. It's awkward. There is too much empty space in the old one. Sometimes it's okay, but here I don't like it.

I feel that the steps look better with the Beautiful Creatures cover (right). The trees take up almost the entire background and fill up a lot of space. The space is also filled in the new cover with the steps. Overall, I am very happy with the new cover and really hope this one sticks.

Beautiful Darkness is set for

release on October 26th 2010!

The Snowball Effect

author: Holly Nicole Hoxter

published: March 23rd 2010

publisher: HarperTeen

format: Hardcover

pages: 368 pages

genre: fiction

The following synopsis comes from Holly's website.

Lainey Pike can tell you everything you need to know about the people in her family just by letting you know how they died. Her reckless stepfather drove his motorcycle off the highway and caused the biggest traffic jam in years. Her long-suffering grandmother lived through cancer and a heart attack before finally succumbing to a stroke. And Lainey's mother--well, Lainey's mother hanged herself in the basement just days after Lainey's high school graduation.

Now Lainey's five-year-old brother is an orphan, and her estranged older sister is moving back home to be his guardian. Meanwhile, Lainey's boyfriend is thinking about having a family of their own, and her best friends are always asking the wrong sorts of questions and giving advice Lainey doesn't want to hear. As she tries to pull away from everything familiar, Lainey meets an intriguing new guy who, through a series of Slurpees, burgers, and snowballs, helps her to make peace with a parent she never understood.

My Thoughts:

The Cover:

I think this cover is adorable! It is definitely eye catching and I think most people have stacked cups before. So, that made me curious to what it was about. And it's clear from the title that things aren't going well and just "snowball" out of control. I think the cover shows that well. The stack is falling over. It would've been easy to have some winter scene on the cover, but this is original. I haven't seen a cover like it before.

The Book:

I don't usually go for books about a teenager with serious problems. I'd rather read about fictional series problems, like an entire world is at risk if she doesn't help them out. I think I prefer not to read about "real-life" situations. Lainey's mother died and that's something I don't even want to think about. The Snowball Effect was different, or at least not what I expected a book like this to be.

The book, despite its serious content, it made me laugh out loud. It has both drama and comedy, which I believe is important in any good novel. Too much of one thing gets old. This book was surprisingly funny. My favorite scenes involve crayons. ;)

Holly made me understand the characters, particularly Lainey, and I really cared about them. I wanted everything to work out from the beginning. Now, I suppose that's normal, but these characters were all so lovely and I eagerly made my way through it to find out what happens to them.

This is a great debut and I can't wait to see what else Holly Nicole Hoxter has in store!

Winter's Passage

Winter's Passage is a free novella from Julie Kagawa. It's only available as an eBook and I suggest downloading it here.

The Iron King is the first in the Iron Fey series. It's fantastic!

I highly recommend it to faerie lovers everywhere.

It takes place after The Iron King so you probably shouldn't read it until you read The Iron King.

The next novel in the series is The Iron Daughter which will be released August of this year! :D

Spells

author: Aprilynne Pike

published: May 4th 2010

series: Wings (book #2)

publisher: HarperTeen

format: hardcover

pages: 359

genre: fantasy

The following synopsis comes from Aprilynne Pike's website.

Sixth months have passed since Laurel saved the gateway to the faerie realm of Avalon. Now she must spend her summer there, honing her skills as a Fall faerie. But her human family and friends are still in mortal danger--and the gateway to Avalon is more compromised than ever.

When it comes time to protect those she loves, will she depend on David, her human boyfriend, for help? Or will she turn to Tamani, the electrifying faerie with whom her connection is undeniable?

My Thoughts:

The Cover:

The cover of Spells (above) most definitely fits with the Wings cover. I am all about coherent book covers. What I did not realize from the picture, is that, the tips of the flower on the lower corner are sticking out of water and are not glossy; they actually look as if they are sticking out of water. It's so cool!

The Story:

I fell in love with Laurel's story in Wings and I found Spells to be a great followup on her. She's a strong, independent girl that is facing many trials: her mother is distant, she has two boys after her heart, trolls are hunting her, she has to go to Avalon and learn how to be a Fall faerie, and much more.

My favorite part of Spells is the scenes in Avalon. The way Aprilynne Pike describes Avalon made me feel like I was there. I could feel the beauty of this magical place rolling off the pages penetrating my thoughts. It was so easy to see the wonder and beauty of this world and I truly wish it existed and, of course, that I was a Fall faerie like Laurel so I would be granted entry. Tamani is a nice bonus as well. She has created a vibrant world that I did not want to leave. I became fully enthralled with Avalon.

The story unfolds in a way that allows the reader to become attached to Avalon and, if the reader hasn't already, the characters. In Wings, Laurel did not go to Avalon, so the reader can't really appreciate the amount of protection that the Fae use in order to protect it. Spells allows readers to see into this world and become absorbed in it.

Laurel and David's relationship grow in this installment and it becomes evident why she chose David. Personally, I thought it was no contest: Tamani all the way! But, Spells gives more depth to both David and Tamani.

Spells is beautifully written and easy to read. I had so much fun in Laurel's world and I am DYING to see what happens next. I love the ending of Spells as it definitely sets up for Enchantments and leaves me yearning for more.

I'm Back!

I graduate from high school on Wednesday. I have finally had the opportunity to read an entire YA book; a book that was NOT for my AP Lit class. And I feel fantastic. It was Spells by Aprilynne Pike. A review will soon follow. But that's where I've been. And I remember reading on The Story Siren's blog, in the advice section or a post about annoying things bloggers do, not to apologize and give explanations for not being around: just start posting again. (or something along those lines) but it's been too long. Now, I know I have 18 followers...and that's not a lot...but I feel the need to explain anyway.

So I am dedicating my summer to reading and to my blog. I really hope to expand! :D

LINGER trailer!

Maggie Stiefvater has made another trailer! It is fantastic! This one is for Linger, the sequel to the beloved NYT Best Selling novel Shiver.

It wouldn't be fair to keep this information to myself. By posting this I'm also entered in a contest! I LOVE posting trailers and if I can win something by doing it, that's an awesome bonus! (click the link to read about the contest!)

So, she also has a post on her blog about HOW she made the trailer which is totally informative and almost as entertaining as the actual trailer! You can view part one, part two, part three, and part four on her blog. (click the links!)

Something everyone should know is that both trailers were made with THOUSANDS upon THOUSANDS of paper cut outs and she composed the music! She even plays it along with her brother and sister. Now, that's dedication. I highly recommend that you read about how she did it!

In case you haven't already seen her stop motion trailer for Shiver, it's below. It is also beautiful! If you haven't read Shiver, do it NOW!

Linger is set for release on July 20th 2010! That's 71 days from now.

Crescendo Cover!

I haven't posted in over a month...school has taken over my time! But it's almost over and I'll be back! :)

Okay, so there's this awesome video revealing the cover for Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick, the sequel to Hush, Hush.

If you don't feel like watching the video, here's the cover!

New From Stephenie Meyer!

This is a novella about Bree! I think the title pretty much says it all. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner is an Eclipse novella about Bree, the newborn vampire.

Stephenie has a really great explanation of the story on her official website.

It was originally going to be in The Guide but she realized it was too long so it became a novella!

One of the best parts is that $1 of every book sold will go to The American Red Cross.

It will also be available online for a period of time. From noon June 7th until July 5th. Personally, I'd love to add this to my set and I think the cover is awesome!

Amazon has it for pre-order at 45% off the list price. It goes on sale June 5th 2010!

The Iron Daughter Cover!

The Iron Daughter, the sequel to The Iron King, has a cover! Julie Kagawa posted today that The Iron Daughter is appearing on NetGalley. Of course, I had to check this out. And I am thrilled to see a cover!

It looks awesome as far as I can tell! It's too small to post here so click the NetGalley link about and it's the second one! Woo hoo!

Almost Unrelated!

Okay, this is almost completely unrelated to anything I do here. I haven't been very constant with my Sunday Series meme and it makes me sad! So maybe this will make up for it in my mind. It's kind of like SS. And they are also books. So it sort of relates to my blog.

I was looking at Nicholas Sparks books turned movies and I noticed something when I saw the "collection". Okay. Are you ready?

At first I just thought, They all look the same! But really, that's true for most romance movies. I mean look at Amelia and Love Happens (both below) They came out around the same time. They not only match each other but the films above. Wow. Can't we get a new "pose"?

So. After uploading the Nicholas Sparks Film Collection image, I realized that, not only are they similar, but the top two have the same-ish pose and the bottom two have the same-ish pose. AND!! The color schemes are the same. Nights in Rodanthe and The Notebook are primarily blue and white. One person holding the other's face and almost kissing. While Message in a Bottle and A Walk to Remember are warm colors. They are pinks and have golden tones. Man=holding the woman and smiles all around! I just think that's craziness.

And on a final note, I think they layout is adorable! The post cards and having the film covers as polaroids and the titles written on top like people would write when a picture was taken or where. I just think that's SO cute. :)

I watched A Walk to Remember for my film studies paper. Woohoo! Papers. Oh what fun! (Actually, watching a movie isn't such horrible homework.)

Beautiful Darkness Cover!

Some secrets are life-altering.... others are life-ENDING.

Ethan Wate used to think of Gatlin, the small Southern town he had always called home, as a place where nothing ever changed. Then he met mysterious newcomer Lena Duchannes, who revealed a secret world that had been hidden in plain sight all along. A Gatlin that harbored ancient secrets beneath its moss-covered oaks and cracked sidewalks. A Gatlin where a curse has marked Lena's family of powerful supernaturals for generations.

And now that Ethan's eyes have been opened to the darker side of Gatlin, there's no going back.

That little summary came from beautifulcreaturesthebook.com. I find it incredibly disappointing because all it does is summarize the first one, Beautiful Creatures. It tells me nothing about Beautiful Darkness. I'm hoping we get something new and more revealing soon!

I love this cover! It looks great with Beautiful Creatures! I'm so excited!

Beautiful Darkness is set for release on October 26th 2010!