Review: The Future of Us by Jay Asher, Carolyn Mackler

The Future of Us by Jay Asher, Carolyn Mackler

Published: November 21st 2011
Publisher: Razorbill
Page Count: Hardcover, 309
Source: ARC [From a Friend]
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Science Fiction, Romance
Find the Authors: Jay Asher: Blog, Good Reads, Twitter, Facebook // Carolyn Mackler: Website, Good Reads, Twitter, Blog, Facebook
Buy This Book: Amazon, Book Depository
Add It To Your Good Reads Shelf

It's 1996, and less than half of all American high school students have ever used the Internet.
Emma just got her first computer and an America Online CD-ROM.
Josh is her best friend. They power up and log on--and discover themselves on Facebook, fifteen years in the future.
Everybody wonders what their Destiny will be. Josh and Emma are about to find out. - Good Reads

The summary of this book caught my attention right away. I remember the days of AOL and dial-up. A lot of my growing up was in that era. Looking back at those times, the internet was such a primitive place and it's amazing to think of how much it's grown in just my little lifetime. I remember the first time I ever logged onto the internet in 1995! 


The Future of Us is a hard book for me to sum up. I liked the premise of the story. The fact that two teenagers log on to the internet for the first time and see their future on Facebook. I loved that and it was interesting to see how it affected them in their present and how their changes of attitude in the present would in turn change their future. But I can't say I fell in love with the characters or the book. I wasn't always satisfied with how the story was playing out... I really enjoyed the nostalgia factor the book offered though and I'm glad I read it. I received a copy from a friend, but this is something I would have mostly likely bought for myself and I can't say that I would have regretted it. I know that sounds confusing and a little contradictory, but that basically sums up how I felt about it. 


RECOMMENDED TO
Those who read the summary and know it something they want to read for the nostalgia factor!


                                    3 out of 5 Hello Kitties!

Waiting on Wednesday: Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins

Waiting on Wednesdays is hosted by Breaking the Spine! It puts a spotlight on upcoming releases we're anticipating! 


SWEET EVIL BY WENDY HIGGINS
Release Date: May 1st 2012

What if there were teens whose lives literally depended on being bad influences? This is life for sons and daughters of fallen angels in Sweet Evil. 
Anna, a tender-hearted southern girl, was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She’s aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but it isn’t until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage, and her will-power is put to the test. He’s the boy your daddy warned you about. If only someone had warned Anna. 
A cross-country trip forces Anna and Kai to face the reality that hope and love are not options for their kind. When it's time for Anna to confront her demons, will she choose to embrace her halo or her horns?

Love the cover and this one sounds SO good! Can't wait! 

Review: Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side (Jessica #1) by Beth Fantaskey

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side (Jessica #1) by Beth Fantaskey


Published: February 1st 2009
Publisher: Harcourt
Page Count: Hardcover, 351
Source: Library
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Find the Author: Website, Good Reads, Twitter, Blog
Buy This Book: Amazon, Book Depository
Add It To Your Good Reads Shelf

The undead can really screw up your senior year ... 
Marrying a vampire definitely doesn’t fit into Jessica Packwood’s senior year “get-a-life” plan. But then a bizarre (and incredibly hot) new exchange student named Lucius Vladescu shows up, claiming that Jessica is a Romanian vampire princess by birth—and he’s her long-lost fiancé. Armed with newfound confidence and a copy of Growing Up Undead: A Teen Vampire’s Guide to Dating, Health, and Emotions, Jessica makes a dramatic transition from average American teenager to glam European vampire princess. But when a devious cheerleader sets her sights on Lucius, Jess finds herself fighting to win back her wayward prince, stop a global vampire war—and save Lucius’s soul from eternal destruction. - Good Reads

Reviewing this book is actually one of the hardest reviews I've had to do. I typically fix up review posts with the book cover, links and summary and then go back and write the review a few days to a week later. And this has been sitting in my unfinished posts for quite some time now. Now before I go and give you the wrong impression, I'd like to say: I liked this book. It was not earth shattering by any means, but it was something I'm glad I read and I'm eager to read the next book Jessica Rules the Dark Side.


I think this is the type of book that some may love, some may like and some may dislike. Unlike many paranormal books I had a difficult time taking this seriously. I'm not exactly sure of the authors intentions with this book, but it felt very... fluffy? Lucius, the vampire love interest was ridiculously arrogant and hard to take seriously. I laughed a lot throughout this book and it was mostly while reading Lucius's letters to home, where he bitched and moaned about nearly everything, but in such an old fashioned and off-the-wall manner. At times this books DRAGGED. It was a little longer than it probably should have been, but I do have to say I like how Jessica had a difficult time believing vampires exist and jumped to the conclusion that they think they are vampires, but are obviously mentally deranged. Of course Jessica is eventually given enough evidence to finally believe, but it takes a long time to settle and I actually liked that quite a bit. I think whenever vampires or anything supernatural is involved it's realistic to check your sanity and the sanity of others before you go believing. Maybe that's just me... 


RECOMMENDED TO
This is tough. If you like the summary and think this is something you'd like to read, I'd definitely recommend trying it. I would probably check it out from the library though.


FAVOURITE QUOTE
Lucius smirked at me, raising one eyebrow. "Really? No suitors? How shocking. I would have thought your pitchfork skills would be attractive to certain bachelors here in farm country.” 


                                      3 out of 5 Hello Kitties!

Amazing Giveaway: Book Brat's 200 Followers Giveaway!

My friend Megan over at Book Brats is having a 200 Followers Appreciation Giveaway! Winner gets book of their choice that is $11 and under! And if she is able to get 300 followers before December 7th she'll throw in a second prize which is an ARC of Bond Girl by Erin Duffy! GO ENTER! There are tons of entries!

Giveaway: Gratitude Giveaway Hop

It's giveaway hop time and I'm very excited to be apart of this one hosted by I Am A Reader. Not A Writer & All-Consuming Books!


I really want to give a big thank you to all my followers. I've only been blogging since August of this year and I never expected it to turn it to what it has! I love your comments and encouragement and I love some of the friends I've made through blogging! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!


Up for grabs........

Soul Screamers: Volume One by Rachel Vincent

• This is open Internationally, as long as Book Depository ships to your country! 

Waiting on Wednesday: Fated by Sarah Alderson

Waiting on Wednesdays is hosted by Breaking the Spine! It puts a spotlight on upcoming releases we're anticipating! 


FATED BY SARAH ALDERSON
Release Date: January 5th 2012

What happens when you discover you aren't who you thought you were? And that the person you love is the person who will betray you? If your fate is already determined, can you fight it? 
When Evie Tremain discovers that she’s the last in a long line of Demon slayers and that she’s being hunted by an elite band of assassins –Shapeshifters, Vampires and Mixen demons amongst them – she knows she can’t run. They’ll find her wherever she goes. Instead she must learn to stand and fight. 
But when the half-human, half-Shadow Warrior Lucas Gray - is sent to spy on Evie and then ordered to kill her before she can fulfil a dangerous prophecy, their fates become inextricably linked. The war that has raged for one thousand years between humans and demons is about to reach a devastating and inevitable conclusion. Either one or both of them will die before this war ends. 
If your life becomes bound to another’s, what will it take to sever it? - Good Reads

I recently read Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson and FELL IN LOVE. So when I saw that she had another book coming out I was elated! And Fated sounds amazing, doesn't it? :) 

Review: Half-Blood (Covenant #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Half-Blood (Covenant #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout 

Published: October 18th 2011
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Page Count: Paperback, 281
Source: Bought
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Find the Author: Website, Good Reads, Twitter, Blog
Buy This Book: Amazon, Book Depository
Add It To Your Good Reads Shelf

The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi-pure-bloods-have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals-well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures.Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1:Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden. Unfortunately, she's crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn't her biggest problem--staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is. If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck. - Good Reads

I'm a huge fan of book series - mostly because I feel that there is a better possibility for growth and I love spending time with characters I love and seeing the challenges they face. I'm delighted to say that Half-Blood looks to be the start of another amazing Young Adult series! I would recommend reading Daimon first, which is the prequel to Half-Blood. It's a very quick and fast-paced read and it's definitely a must if you want to see what begun Alex's situation at the beginning of Half-Blood. You don't have to read it though, Half-Blood is completely comprehensible without it. 


Alex can be described easily: she's hot-headed and opinionated. She goes after what she wants, but at times her lack of control over her temper nearly destroys her. Throughout the book you see her keep her feisty nature, but learn how to rein it in a little better when it gets out of control. She was a character that was easy to follow along with and relate to. Well, the former hot-headed teenager in me can relate anyway...


The romance totally swept me away. I actually felt it was slightly reminiscent of Rose and Dimitri from Vampire Academy. And not because of the student and instructor aspect necessarily, but also the temperament and personalities of the characters. I wouldn't say they mirrored them as a couple, but I definitely felt a similar spirit to their relationship, which in my opinion made it all the better. So, if you adored the romance in Vampire Academy between Rose and Dimitri, I think you'll love the romance in Half-Blood.


The plot is very engaging and kept me reading without stop. This was something I did not want to put down. The mythological aspect of the book, the plot development, etc. 

RECOMMENDED TO
Young Adult Paranormal readers who love mythology. And as I said earlier, if you loved the romance between Rose and Dimitri in Vampire Academy, there is a massive chance you'll love the romance in this one!


FAVOURITE QUOTE

“Okay. I’m ready to move onto something else, like practicing with knives or defense against the dark arts. Cool things.” “Did you just quote Harry Potter?"

5 out of 5 Stars!

In My Mailbox {9}

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren! It's a chance to share what books you've gotten in the past week, whether in your mailbox, from the store or the library! 

Remembrance Blog Tour: Review + Interview // Remembrance (Transcend Time Saga #1) by Michelle Madow

I feel horrible right now because this post was actually supposed to go up yesterday. And I just realized. Somehow my little date planner book has me marked down as the 14th - how that happened, I have no clue! Apparently I'm a major idiot. So, without further ado... This is a stop in the Remembrance Blog Tour hosted by Stuck in YA Books! 

Remembrance (Transcend Time Saga #1) by Michelle Madow

Published: July 27th 2011

Publisher: Dreamscape Publishing
Page Count: Paperback, 314

Source: E-arc provided by Author

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Find the Author: Website, Good Reads, Twitter, Blog
Buy This Book:  Amazon, Book Depository, B&N

Add It To Your Good Reads Shelf

New Hampshire high school junior Lizzie Davenport has been reincarnated from Regency Era, England ... but she doesn't know it yet. 
Then Drew Carmichael transfers into Lizzie's school at the beginning of the year, and she feels a connection to him, almost like she knows him. She can't stop thinking about him, but whenever she tries talking with him about the mysteries behind her feelings, he makes it clear that he wants nothing to do with her. Reaching him is even more difficult because she has a boyfriend, Jeremy, who has started to become full of himself after being elected co-captain of the varsity soccer team, and her flirtatious best friend Chelsea starts dating Drew soon after his arrival. So why can't she seem to get him out of her mind?
Even though Lizzie knows she should let go of her fascination with Drew, the pair of them soon find that fighting fate isn't going to be easy. - Good Reads

I've always been fascinated with reincarnation. As a child, without anyone telling me anything, that was my natural assumption. I thought I was someone before and I thought I'd be someone else again after I died. I also wanted to name my future son Lucifer after I watched Cinderella. I think some might have considered me to be a little demonic as a child. Ha ha! But jokes about my childhood aside, I love the reincarnation aspect of Remembrance. That is definitely what drew me to it. Even more than the gorgeous cover that happens to fit in perfectly with the story inside! 

Lizzie, the main character of our story is a good girl who is focused on all of the right things. Sometimes though, she was a little too good. Overall I still enjoyed her as a character, but I wish I would have seen her take charge more than she did. Though I can say I was immensely proud of her the times she took charge with Drew. I just wish I could have seen that part of her character reflect more in her relationships with some of the other characters, like her boyfriend who treats her, in my opinion, quite badly and her best friend who I felt was more of a frenemy than anything. There were also times with Drew, the love interest in this story, that I felt that he was a huge jerk and I couldn't understand why Lizzie was still wasting her time, because at times he felt irredeemable, but there was a huge surprise towards the end that revealed a lot and I definitely understood his previous actions and the reasonings behind them.

Overall, I really did enjoy Remembrance and I'm looking forward to reading the next book Vengeance. It wasn't perfect, but I did get caught up in this tale and I look forward to hearing more! 

RECOMMENDED TO

To Young Adult readers who love a reincarnation twist. Also, this had inspiration from Pride and Prejudice, which I love and could see throughout the story, so that was another quality I love and would throw out there for recommendations. And if you have a Kindle or Nook, you can get this for only $1.99! That's a STEAL!

                             4 out of 5 Hello Kitties!

Character Interview: Entangled Blog Tour: Touch (Denazen #1) by Jus Accardo

 Touch (Denazen #1) by Jus Accardo

Published: November 1st 2011

Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Page Count: Paperback, 251

Source: E-arc provided by Publishers

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Find the Author: Website, Good Reads, Twitter, Blog
Buy This Book:  Amazon, Book Depository

Add It To Your Good Reads Shelf

When a strange boy tumbles down a river embankment and lands at her feet, seventeen-year-old adrenaline junkie Deznee Cross snatches the opportunity to piss off her father by bringing the mysterious hottie with ice blue eyes home. Except there's something off with Kale. He wears her shoes in the shower, is overly fascinated with things like DVDs and vases, and acts like she'll turn to dust if he touches her. It's not until Dez's father shows up, wielding a gun and knowing more about Kale than he should, that Dez realizes there's more to this boy, and her father's "law firm," than she realized. Kale has been a prisoner of Denazen Corporation -- an organization devoted to collecting "special" kids known as Sixes and using them as weapons -- his entire life. And, oh yeah, his touch? It kills. The two team up with a group of rogue Sixes hellbent on taking down Denazen before they're caught and her father discovers the biggest secret of all. A secret Dez has spent her life keeping safe. A secret Kale will kill to protect. 

You may have recently seen my review of Touch by Jus Accardo, but in case you haven't: go check it out! I want to send a big thank you to Entangled Publishing for including me in the Entangled Blog Tour for Touch and Jus Accardo for writing an amazing character! 

Hi Kale! I have to say, out of the fictional characters out there you'd

have to be one of the top ones I'd love to interview! So, thank you! It's a

pleasure to have you on my blog!

Me? Really? Thank you. *Kale smiles, but takes a step back* Just please

don't get too close. You seem like a nice person. I don't want to kill

you.

Definitely my first question, hands down, has to be: What have become some

of your favourite things about the world outside since you've left Denazen? Besides, the freedom that is!

I like soda. And beer, too. But my favorite thing is touching Dez. Kissing

her, too. Yes. That's definitely at the top of the list...

How did you feel about Deznee when you first met her?

I was conflicted. She was strange... Out in the woods in the middle of the

night. Alone. But there was something about her... I got this funny tickle

in my stomach when I saw her. She says I was crushing hard on her from the

moment I laid eyes on her. I'm not sure what that means, but she's

probably right...

If you could describe Deznee with only one word, what word would that be?

Amazing...

I know I keep asking about Deznee, but I'm curious! Let's pretend you're

not running away and constantly living in fear of the bad guys and you want

to take Deznee on a nice and normal date. Where would you take her and what

would you do?

I'm not sure how to answer this... I suppose I would take her dancing.

That's what Fred would do...

If you were granted three wishes, what would you ask for?

Three wishes? Do you know a Six that could do that? If so, I would like an

hour alone with Cross, I would wish to see Dez happy and safe for the rest

of her life, and I would ask to be the one personally responsible for

destroying Denazen.

What are your hopes for the future?

I want to live my life with Dez in peace and freedom.

Jus Accardo is the author of YA paranormal romance and urban fantasy fiction. A native New Yorker, she lives in the middle of nowhere with her husband, three dogs, and sometimes guard bear Oswald. Her first book, Touch is due out in November 2011 from Entangled Publishing. She is represented by Kevan Lyon of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency. 

Find Jus

Website

Twitter

Facebook

Goodreads

Review: Hunting Lila (Lila #1) by Sarah Alderson

Hunting Lila (Lila #1) by Sarah Alderson 

Published: March 22d 2011
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Page Count: Paperback, 320
Source: Bought
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Find the Author: Website, Good Reads, Twitter, Blog
Buy This Book: Amazon, Book Depository
Add It To Your Good Reads Shelf

17-year-old Lila has two secrets she's prepared to take to the grave. The first is that she can move things just by looking at them. The second is that she's been in love with her brother's best friend, Alex, since forever. Or thereabouts.After a mugging on the streets of South London goes horribly wrong and exposes her unique ability, Lila decides to run to the only people she can trust - her brother and Alex. They live in Southern California where they work for a secret organisation called The Unit, and Lila discovers that the two of them are hunting down the men who murdered her mother five years before. And that they've found them. Trying to uncover the truth of why her mother was killed, and the real remit of The Unit, Lila becomes a pawn in a dangerous game. Struggling to keep her secrets in a world where nothing and no one is quite as they seem, Lila quickly realises that she is not alone - there are others out there just like her - people with special powers -and her mother's killer is one of them... - Good Reads

I finished this earlier today and and all I've been able to think about all day is how I wish this didn't end and I could still be in Lila's world watching everything unfold. I tried starting another book after I was done and my heart just wasn't in it. It still isn't in it. So needless to say Hunting Lila was amazing. I actually tweeted about two weeks ago asking for suggestions for a book with a romance that would my make my heart go all aflutter and Wendy from A Cupcake and a Latte suggested Hunting Lila. I went straight to Book Depository and ordered it on the spot. I didn't even bother reading the summary and funnily enough I assumed it was a contemporary based on the cover... It's not. And I was pleasantly surprised because the theme of the book is one I'm in love with: characters with mysterious superpowers like telekinesis, which is what Lila, the heroine of the story is armed with. And various characters throughout the story have other types of powers, like mind reading and memory removal. I could probably blabber on and on about my love for Hunting Lila, but I'll try to sum it up.


ACTION: The book pumps out the action right away. The action on the first pages I read was actually what made me pause and read the summary. I was thinking, "hey, I thought I was reading a contemporary" It tapers off for a little bit, but doesn't get boring by any means. Halfway through the book the action picks back up and it's with us until the end. 


LOVE: Lila has been in love with brothers best friend Alex all her life. She's relentlessly obsessed. And... the love story in Hunting Lila is just GOOD. I pouted with Lila, I swooned with Lila, I sighed with Lila. Very, very captivating love story. And I love how I went to Sarah Alderson's website and saw that Untouchable by Taylor Swift was Lila's song for her feelings towards Alex. Such a sweet song and perfectly fitting song. 


STORY: I loved the twists and turns this story took. I could see some of it coming, but there were many things I didn't see coming. And often times if I did see something coming, the way it played out still had me on the edge of my seat. 


The only faults I could see in the book is that sometimes Lila could be overly dramatic and jump to the wrong conclusions about Alex. But... I can't tell you how many times I did that when I was young and in love, so I found it something I could live with without much annoyance. There were just one or two times where I felt like jumping in there and telling Lila to settle down. But I felt it more in the big sister way rather than "OmG r U sTuPiD?" way. 


RECOMMENDED TO
I want all of my friends to read this. As soon as possible! If you haven't pick this up: you need to! DO IT FOR ME! Book Depository has it for $9 with FREE SHIPPING! 


FAVOURITE QUOTE

“I felt his other hand sear hot against my cheek. He bent his head, and in a voice that Jack couldn’t hear, said, “When you came down the stairs, and fell into me, that was the moment.” Then his lips pressed against mine.” 

I swooned *so* hard! 


So, friends! If you could have a superpower... WHAT WOULD IT BE? I wish I could teleport. I'd be teleporting all over the place! 


                                          5 out 5 Hello Kitties!