Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga’s Reviews and is all about sharing the books you are adding to your bookshelf, be it the physical one or your digital one!
Work was simple and I got some time to work on this blog. I did a few things with the arrows on the carousel and they are now blue to show up clearer on against the background. I was looking to do that after a few of my friends commented that the arrows were visually hard to see, or were wondering what the widget was at the top. After describing it, they gave me a few hints on what I could do to improve it; ultimately it came to turning the arrows to white. I set about turning the arrows white and while I tested it, the white blended in too much again to the shades and texture of the background, so I found a blue that matched my site design..
Mailbox Pickup:
Title: The Obsidian Mirror
Author: Catherine Fisher
Format: Paperback
Release Date: April 30th, 2013
Author: Catherine Fisher
Format: Paperback
Release Date: April 30th, 2013
Jake's father disappears while working on mysterious experiments with the obsessive, reclusive Oberon Venn. Jake is convinced Venn has murdered him. But the truth he finds at the snow-bound Wintercombe Abbey is far stranger ... The experiments concerned a black mirror, which is a portal to both the past and the future. Venn is not alone in wanting to use its powers. Strangers begin gathering in and around Venn's estate: Sarah - a runaway, who appears out of nowhere and is clearly not what she says, Maskelyne - who claims the mirror was stolen from him in some past century. There are others, a product of the mirror's power to twist time. And a tribe of elemental beings surround this isolated estate, fey, cold, untrustworthy, and filled with hate for humans. But of them all, Jake is hell-bent on using the mirror to get to the truth. Whatever the cost, he must learn what really happened to his father.
The Obsidian Mirror was a whim purchase at Barnes and Noble and while I don't normally just pick a book up and love it immediately. I read the review and thought this would be a great addition to some of the books I have been looking over. While I don't exactly know why this book specifically spoke out to me, over some of the others, I love the mystery in this book that compounds with the thriller.
The mirror, or portal that jumps forwards and backwards through time. While this sounds like Jumper or any other time traveling book, has this sort of enemy or mystery about the portal. there is all these other people that come from different periods and want to use the mirror's power as well, but there is almost other elemental things that come from it as well. So the book doesn't hold itself to all the typical normal time traveler tales, but weaves this sci-fi sort of presentation into it as well.
Anna Whitt, the daughter of a guardian angel and a demon, promised herself she’d never do the work of her father—polluting souls. She’d been naive to make such a vow. She’d been naive about a lot of things.
Haunted by demon whisperers, Anna does whatever she can to survive, even if it means embracing her dark side and earning an unwanted reputation as her school’s party girl. Her life has never looked more bleak. And all the while there’s Kaidan Rowe, son of the Duke of Lust, plaguing her heart and mind.
When an unexpected lost message from the angels surfaces, Anna finds herself traveling the globe with Kopano, son of Wrath, in an attempt to gain support of fellow Nephilim and give them hope for the first time. It soon becomes clear that whatever freedoms Anna and the rest of the Neph are hoping to win will not be gained without a fight. Until then, Anna and Kaidan must put aside the issues between them, overcome the steamiest of temptations yet, and face the ultimate question: is loving someone worth risking their life?
Haunted by demon whisperers, Anna does whatever she can to survive, even if it means embracing her dark side and earning an unwanted reputation as her school’s party girl. Her life has never looked more bleak. And all the while there’s Kaidan Rowe, son of the Duke of Lust, plaguing her heart and mind.
When an unexpected lost message from the angels surfaces, Anna finds herself traveling the globe with Kopano, son of Wrath, in an attempt to gain support of fellow Nephilim and give them hope for the first time. It soon becomes clear that whatever freedoms Anna and the rest of the Neph are hoping to win will not be gained without a fight. Until then, Anna and Kaidan must put aside the issues between them, overcome the steamiest of temptations yet, and face the ultimate question: is loving someone worth risking their life?
Sweet Peril is the sequel to Sweet Evil and I haven't gotten around to reading that book just yet. I am in the middle of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer and that book has piqued my interests in other books with similar styles, so I should get around to Sweet Evil soon. I thought that book would be great and while I am maybe not as thrilled to read it now as I was when I got the book, I'm not worried about it at all. In fact I should be able to make a better unbiased review of the book when I finally get around to it.
Author: Rick Yancey
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: May 7th, 2013
The Passage meets Ender’s Game in an epic new series from award-winning author Rick Yancey.
After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.
Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother—or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.
After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.
Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother—or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.
The Fifth Wave was a no-brainer when it came to if I was going to pick up this book. I loved the first season of Falling Skies and all the alien sci-fi style books. I am looking forward to diving into this book, but when I first looked at this book I thought that the book would be a book where aliens would be all over the place and they are, but in a different form. They look and appear as humans, there was a TV show that looked similar to that concept but it was more focused on a drama which was rather boring.
I am looking forward to seeing how this book captures the environment and the relationships that form around Cassie. The world and the darkness that should encompass the world should be similar to The Farm, and while the world is scatter I don't expect to see huge cities or large throngs of people. If the world isn't as shatter or as broken, I think the world would lack some of the devastation and impact that would need to be there to create that sort of background thrill or suspense.
There are no men in Claysoot. There are boys—but every one of them vanishes at midnight on his eighteenth birthday. The ground shakes, the wind howls, a blinding light descends…and he’s gone.
They call it the Heist.
Gray Weathersby’s eighteenth birthday is mere months away, and he’s prepared to meet his fate–until he finds a strange note from his mother and starts to question everything he’s been raised to accept: the Council leaders and their obvious secrets. The Heist itself. And what lies beyond the Wall that surrounds Claysoot–a structure that no one can cross and survive.
Climbing the Wall is suicide, but what comes after the Heist could be worse. Should he sit back and wait to be taken–or risk everything on the hope of the other side?
They call it the Heist.
Gray Weathersby’s eighteenth birthday is mere months away, and he’s prepared to meet his fate–until he finds a strange note from his mother and starts to question everything he’s been raised to accept: the Council leaders and their obvious secrets. The Heist itself. And what lies beyond the Wall that surrounds Claysoot–a structure that no one can cross and survive.
Climbing the Wall is suicide, but what comes after the Heist could be worse. Should he sit back and wait to be taken–or risk everything on the hope of the other side?
Taken has been on my list for a long while, and while I have been highly anticipating this book I just couldn't pass up the chance at this book. It reminds me of the whole concept that some council decides who lives and dies in a city or group, and while I am lacking that moment where I recall the name is, I loved the concept of this book. Kidnapping all the teens when they turn 18 and make them disappear.
Further beneath the surface of this book though we have a second issue that pertains to real life. I was raised not really to question those older than me or knew more than me, just accept what they said and follow along. Yet in this book, there posses the question, should you question the information you are given and who is giving the information as well. Personally I think yes, and I hope this book tackles the Council and what they are deciding to do with the children as well. It needs to be a focal point in this book, but once the book is taken to the outside it'll shift to the surroundings and the wildlife that threats Gray's life.
Nothing is going as planned for Rebecca Muir. She's weeks away from starting college--at a school chosen specifically to put a few thousand miles of freedom between Reb and her parents. But her dad's last-minute job opportunity has her entire family moving all those miles with her! And then there's the matter of her unexpected, amazing boyfriend, Jackson, who is staying behind on the exact opposite coast.
And if that isn't enough to deal with, mere days after moving cross-country, Reb's dad drops shocking, life-changing news. With her mother and brother overwhelmed and confused, Reb is left alone to pick up the pieces of her former life. But how can she do that when everything can change in an instant? How can she trust her "perfect" boyfriend when her own dad let her down? Reb started the year knowing exactly what her future would hold, but now that her world has turned upside down, will she discover what she really wants?
Justina Chen, the acclaimed author of North of Beautiful, has created a moving and powerful novel about the struggles that arise from betrayal, the uncertainty of life after high school, and the joy that ultimately comes from discovering what's truly in your heart.
And if that isn't enough to deal with, mere days after moving cross-country, Reb's dad drops shocking, life-changing news. With her mother and brother overwhelmed and confused, Reb is left alone to pick up the pieces of her former life. But how can she do that when everything can change in an instant? How can she trust her "perfect" boyfriend when her own dad let her down? Reb started the year knowing exactly what her future would hold, but now that her world has turned upside down, will she discover what she really wants?
Justina Chen, the acclaimed author of North of Beautiful, has created a moving and powerful novel about the struggles that arise from betrayal, the uncertainty of life after high school, and the joy that ultimately comes from discovering what's truly in your heart.
Return to Me I bought on a while because I wanted something deep and well romantic. I just got finished reading Keeping the Moon and was looking for something a bit more down to earth and downtrodden. I wanted something that could move me and want me to change something about me. What I don't understand about this book is how can a father or parent change a child (son/daughter) in an instant? The only thing I can think of is hiding some adoption or divorce, and while that would change the view their child had of them, it shouldn't change how they feel about them. Least that's me talking, and what I am looking to see out of this book.
Furthermore, I don't understand why Rebecca didn't say anything or mentioned that she didn't want her parents or family moving out with her to go to college. I would have and probably said more than I probably should have. However, leaving a boy/girlfriend behind is one of the last things I expected from this book. With Reb's life apparently changed because of something her father did, her view of her boyfriend is affected as well. Why? If you have daddy issues, your boyfriend shouldn't be the target or have any involvement of your judgement. I guess I am confused on Reb entirely. We'll see how it goes.
Furthermore, I don't understand why Rebecca didn't say anything or mentioned that she didn't want her parents or family moving out with her to go to college. I would have and probably said more than I probably should have. However, leaving a boy/girlfriend behind is one of the last things I expected from this book. With Reb's life apparently changed because of something her father did, her view of her boyfriend is affected as well. Why? If you have daddy issues, your boyfriend shouldn't be the target or have any involvement of your judgement. I guess I am confused on Reb entirely. We'll see how it goes.
