Waiting on Wednesday - August 31, 2011

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme from Jill at Breaking the Spine. To join in, share the book or books that you are currently drooling over as you await their release and report back to Breaking the Spine with the link to your post. The gorgeous badge above is brought to us by Lindsay at The Violet Hour!

I had seen the widget for this book on several blogs and never thought to look it up. Someone was talking about it the other day and I finally researched it a little. Needless to say, I was more than intrigued!

The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton

Hardcover, 352 pages

Expected publication: September 27th 2011 by Tor Teen / Macmillan

From Goodreads:

Debut novelist Kiki Hamilton takes readers from the gritty slums and glittering ballrooms of Victorian London to the beguiling but menacing Otherworld of the Fey in this spellbinding tale of romance, suspense, and danger.

The year is 1871, and Tiki has been making a home for herself and her family of orphans in a deserted hideaway adjoining Charing Cross Station in central London. Their only means of survival is by picking pockets. One December night, Tiki steals a ring, and sets off a chain of events that could lead to all-out war with the Fey. For the ring belongs to Queen Victoria, and it binds the rulers of England and the realm of Faerie to peace. With the ring missing, a rebel group of faeries hopes to break the treaty with dark magic and blood—Tiki’s blood.

Unbeknownst to Tiki, she is being watched—and protected—by Rieker, a fellow thief who suspects she is involved in the disappearance of the ring. Rieker has secrets of his own, and Tiki is not all that she appears to be. Her very existence haunts Prince Leopold, the Queen’s son, who is driven to know more about the mysterious mark that encircles her wrist.

Prince, pauper, and thief—all must work together to secure the treaty…

Review: 2/5 for Fallen by Lauren Kate

Fallen by Lauren Kate
Hardcover, 464 pages
Published December 8, 2009 by Random House Children's Books
Source: eBook, Purchased
Buy the book: Amazon : B&N

From Amazon:

There's something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price's attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He's the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.

Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce--and goes out of his way to make that very clear--she can't let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.

Dangerously exciting and darkly romantic, Fallen is a page turning thriller and the ultimate love story

I think "book-hype" got to me on this book, very badly. I had such epic hopes for this series. While I was not totally let down, it just was not all it was cracked up to be for me. Loved the synopsis, but in many ways that's all I got with the book itself as well.

The characters kept me going through this book. They're easy to get along with and also have good personalities and interesting backgrounds. I also like the way in which the characters are intertwined with one another. As a group they flow so well. However, as individuals it is like they run in circles and never get anything done. This is because there is so much secrecy between the characters it's like no one knows what to do next.

The plot is fairly simple, but drags in many places. Some of my issues may stem from a good chunk of the book happening in a "juvenile detention" like setting. My career field gives me enough of this. Secrecy has a major effect on the plot line, everything is based around it. Most of the time this does not bother me. Unfortunately by the end of the book it felt like I did not know anymore about what was going on than what I did in the beginning.

I've seen other mixed reviews for this series, so maybe it just depends on who reads them. I like the book enough to carry on with the series. A lot of it is the characters and I genuinely want to know where they end up. Hopefully, it'll be a less twisted road to get there though.

It's Monday! What are you reading? - August 29, 2011

It's Monday! What are you reading? is a weekly meme that is hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. To be a part of it, just post what you finished in the past week and what you plan to read this week. After writing your post, go to Sheila's blog and leave you post's link on the link entry form at the bottom of the What are you reading? post.

What I've read this week:
















Fallen, Torment, & Passion by Lauren Kate
- I'm still deciding how to write the reviews for these. I've got so many mixed emotions about them that if I tried to write them right now it would not make sense.





What I'm reading right now:

Entwined by Heather Dixon
- Very different concept than what I thought it was. :)










What's up next:

Hereafter by Tara Hudson
Legacy by Cayla Kluver












AND

In case you didn't sit through the ENTIRE VMA's last night, here's the teaser for The Hunger Games Movie as posted on Mockingjay.net. So, SO excited!

In My Mailbox: August 28, 2011

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren. It is a great way for bloggers to socialize and network their blogs and to share upcoming releases! To join in all the fun, simply:

1. Make your own IMM post! You can post about books you've bought, gotten from the library, received for review... books don't have to arrive via your mailbox.
2. You can post weekly, every other week, or one week out of the month, it’s up to you and it doesn't have to be on Sunday.
3. Once you have your IMM posted, go to The Story Siren on her Sunday post and add your link to the list.
4. Comment on other bloggers IMM posts.

I've been trying to build my Nook library to see if I could ever truly be only an ereader bookie. So far, I have issues with it, but it is growing on me.

Here's my bag of books I nabbed for a decent price on my Nook this week:

Passion by Lauren Kate - I'm having mixed emotions about this series. I like it one minute and want to throw it out the window the next. If I had realized it was a four book series I would have waited to start this series.

































The Forest of Hands and Teeth, The Dead Tossed Waves, The Dark and Hollow Places, and Hare Moon by Carrie Ryan - I have read the first book in this series and really liked it. I thought they would be excellent books to really get my Nook library started with. Their concepts are different compared to other "zombie" books I've read lately.

Review: 4/5 for Hourglass by Myra McEntire

Hourglass by Myra McEntire

Hardcover, 397 pages

Published June 14th 2011 by EgmontUSA
Source: Purchased, Signed by Author
Buy the Book: Amazon : B&N : Goodreads

From Goodreads:

One hour to rewrite the past . . .

For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn’t there: swooning Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents’ death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She’s tried everything, but the visions keep coming back.
So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson’s willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may change her past.
Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he’s around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that never should have happened?

Full of atmosphere, mystery, and romance, Hourglass merges the very best of the paranormal and science-fiction genres in a seductive, remarkable young adult debut.

Ok, if it has time travel in it I try my best to read it. I love the theory of being able to see past and future events. This book puts a spin on it that is very intriguing. Mix in apparitions, a really hot guy, and a really sinister villain and you have this book in a nutshell. It offers a great perspective and story for time travel that will leave you wanting more.
The characters shine throughout this book. McEntire's writing illuminates them through snarks, quips, and situations that made me giggle many times over. If you read this book for nothing else, it should be this. The personalities of the main and secondary characters mesh so well together because of it. Emerson is a very interesting character. She knows something is different about her and she runs with it. I believe you could put her in any situation and she would be able to adapt to ride it out regardless of what it is. Her sarcasm is how she deals with the difficult situations that she has to experience. While not so great for her, it does wonders for a reader! Oh yeah, that "dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy", he has to be one of the most chivalric persons I've ever read about. He is definitely an intriguing compliment to Emerson and they create a plot that keeps you turning the page.
There's many layers to paths taken by Emerson and her comrades. She first has to deal with the issues within herself, but then that opens up a whole new set of scenarios. The books shifts easily between situations in which you learn more about the characters and situations that make you hold on to the edge of your seat. I do like how the book turned out and the way in which it gets there, but it felt like it just lagged at little in some spots. This was especially true for the ending for me. It had a great action sequence and then the book wrapped up nice and tidy. I was expecting just a little more "umph" in it I think. I really do look forward to seeing where this story goes, it has endless potential for making your toes tingle.