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[Teaser Tuesday] - #56

Hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
  1. Take your Current Read.
  2. Grab 2 Teaser sentences from the book (please be sure to avoid spoilers)
  3. Post it on your blog with the title and author, so other Teasing Tuesday participants can add it to their To Be Read list.
  4. When visiting other Teasing Tuesday participants, leave a link with your current TT in their comments.

Title: Last Year's Mistake
   Author: Gina Ciocca
   Release Date: June 9th, 2015

     Quote: " 'Come on.' I nodded in the direction of an out-of-the-way boulder and started toward it. 'I have sunblock you can put on. It's too frickin' hot for rock climbing anyway.'

     David snorted. 'You always find an excuse to turn around here.' "

--- Page 93


[Update] - 10/12/15

     There isn't any Mailbox Monday this week. It's mainly because of the holiday, I have a few packages that are supposed to be here Friday. However, the day came and nothing showed up. So I will have a Mailbox Monday next week. They should be here then. I will have a good post next week and a good series of books. I honestly can't wait to see what books and when they come in.

     I am also looking at not buying books for a while, so I am looking for something that could possibly replace the series for a while. There's nothing on my mind or anything I am thinking specifically that could fill the spot. Maybe Movie Monday, but I would have to have a good source or something to continuously do it. So I am open to suggestions. I guess I could take the day off, but I'd rather not.

[Flashback Friday] - #92

Flashback Friday is a weekly event, hosted here, that highlights a past release that we're dying to get our hands on...

See something you like here?
Click the book title to add it to your Goodreads TBR List!



Title: Scarlet
   Author: A.C. Gaughen
   Release Date: April 15th, 2015

     Will Scarlet is good at two things: stealing from the rich and keeping secrets - skills that are in high demand in Robin Hood's band of thieves, who protect the people of Nottingham from the evil sheriff. Scarlet's biggest secret of all is one only Robin and his men know...that she is posing as a thief; that the slip of a boy who is fast with sharp knives is really a girl.

     The terrible events in her past that led Scarlet to hide her real identity are in danger of being exposed when the thief taker Lord Gisbourne arrives in town to rid Nottingham of the Hood and his men once and for all. As Gisbourne closes in and puts innocent lives at risk, Scarlet must decide how much the people of Nottingham mean to her, especially John Little, a flirtatious fellow outlaw, and Robin, whose quick smiles have the rare power to unsettle her. There is real honor among these thieves and so much more - making this a fight worth dying for.

My Stance:

     So I have not been in to retellings that much lately, and there were a few of these laying around some bookstores, and the cover is what caught my eye. I haven't really looked at them before hand, but this sounds great. I mean it's not really about Robin, but it does sort of retell some of the events that happened. My question though is what is Scarlets real name? I love how the story takes this girl and while she's thought to be a man, she's an equal. It's something like this novel that gives me hope equality will come.

     So what more or less got me into the series was the whole thief and Robin Hood bit. What I don't understand is her relationship with Robin. I mean are they together or is that something I'll see as it goes? I hope so, but at the same time what happens to Maid Marrian or is this before her? Either way the whole bit of her hiding in plain sight is great. Again I don't see how Lord Gisbourne is going to out her if she's already established her place. What does it matter if she is outed anyways, normally thieves base their respect off of skill and jobs, so it shouldn't really matter. I am just hoping this book doesn't take some liberties and too big of risks. On a side note, I enjoy a good Robin Hood every now and then, I don't think there is much that can go wrong here.

[Movie Review] - The Martian by Andy Weir

The Martian


Title: The Martian
   Director: Ridley Scott
   Author: Andy Weir
   Release Date: February 11, 2014
   Rating: 9.5 Out of 10

     During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. But Watney has survived and finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet. With only meager supplies, he must draw upon his ingenuity, wit and spirit to subsist and find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive.

From the Book:
     Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there. After a dust storm nearly kills him & forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded & completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive—& even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive. Chances are, though, he won't have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment or plain-old "human error" are much more likely to kill him first. But Mark isn't ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills—& a relentless, dogged refusal to quit—he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?

My Review:

     This is the type of movie that makes me want to read the book. When I say that this is one of my top picks, if not THE top pick, of the year, I am not kidding. This movie leapt above all others in any sort of comparison. First off I may be a bit biased on this one. I say this probably more than I should, but I want to be honest with everyone. I am a fan of Matt Damon; he's a great actor and one of my favorites. So everything and anything that he's in, touched, or part of I go and see.

     So whoever wrote the screenplay, the script, or if any of this was ad libbed in any way, I have to commend each and every one of them. The story and the plot was just fantastic, there is so much to this movie that I honestly can't do it justice. There was so much emotion, and I honestly can't tell you enough how much I wanted Mark Watney to survive. I think that's why this movie did so well, there's not a lot of movies that grabs the audience's attention and makes them want the ending. Who cares whether they expect the ending coming or if the direction is clear, if you can evoke them into the movie and make them desire and want that ending.

     There are so many actors in this movie who just nailed their roll. I would have to say that even if some of them were mediocre, the story may carry them, but they just got it right. If you want to know who is in it, I encourage you to check out IMDb, the cast is all there and the cast is just stellar. I am not surprised this movie did so well with the cast, and the experience to land some of the roles, given how dynamic and complex some of the characters were and on a short screen time. It's just great and I wish there were more movies like this.

     Lately I feel that some of the studios have been taking a great movie and the hype and the talk about the movie is there. However when it comes time to release they forgot somewhere along the line of who is actually going to see the movie. I don't think The Martian had that problem at all. It's beautiful and this is one of the fewer movies that yea the shorter version is more, but I want the extended edition because I don't want to believe that's all. I want more because it's so good, there has to be more. I just hope The Martian gets half the recognition it deserves.

[Book Review] - Scorpion Shards by Neal Shusterman

Title: Scorpion Shards
   Author: Neal Shusterman
   Series: #6 - Star Shards Chronicles
   Format: Hardcover
   Release Date: May 7th, 2013
   My Rating: 3.5 out of 5.0

     Six teenagers are horrified to discover that an evil force has taken control of them. A force that feeds on them hungrily and finds its only outlet in the blind desire to destroy. The force must be destroyed. But how? What follows is the ultimate battle for supremacy between the forces of good and evil.

My Review:

     Taking a break from the dreaded House of Night series lead me to my first Star Shards Chronicles and there was something oddly captivating. I normally am pretty hesitant on books that jump perspectives between a list of characters, but Neal just did such a great job that it was enjoyable. As well, the story worked. It was your pretty "Hi I'm a superhero. I'll save the day now" sort of book, there was the constant choice of good and evil. Which I think is what the book strived for, but also magnifies some of the changes and problems real world teenagers go through.

     The book switches between 6 characters every so often, Dillon, Deanna, Winston, Lourdes, Michael and Tori. In the start, it's pretty slow, but it's mainly due to building the character. The foundation for each character is set well, there's just enough to get you interested, see who they are and then moves on to keep that pull going. The transition between characters isn't the best, it just simply ends or cuts. Sometimes I wanted to skip ahead to see what happened to another character, but if I did you'd lose on most of the story and timeline because it was all linked together. It just needed cleaned up and it would have been a better flowing book.

     The characters are typical teenagers until an anomaly takes hold and they all gain different powers. It's not the typical flying, lasers or spider webs, but more of insatiable lust, uncontrollable obesity, the classic Benjamin Button reverse growth and the eye to cause chaos. There's this voice or void inside all of them that wants them to feed their ability, but if they do it causes pain and chaos in the outside world. It's a hunger that never ends, and the more they give into their inner voice the more the next demands. There's a lot to digest in how their abilities work and just what it does to all the characters, but most importantly it completely isolates all of them.

     Now I didn't really realize it at the time, but the more I think back to this book and as I am reading it, there's a lot here to take in. There's this bit that reminds me of the peer pressure and the whole isolation bit. Their abilities isolate them from the world and they are striving to be accepted, they want it they strive for it. As teens, I felt that way until I made some of the best friends I have ever met. So we all are going through or went through that phase, it happens we know about it. But then you add in their inner voice they have to feed, peer pressure. How often as teens did we constantly hear people asking or nearly begging us to do things. "Everyone's doing it." "It won't hurt anyone." "YOLO" So it's a no brainer they are afraid to go against their voice, it's the same pressure we all had growing up.

     There's just so much that Neal addresses in this book, and it's not pretty. There's a reckoning their pain, death and morbid moments in which someone gives in completely. It's just like real life though, it's not pretty, it will eat you alive and spit you out if you can't cope and manage what you are doing. The choices are always there. It's a pretty good, fast paced book that leaves enough meat on the bones to make you want more. I enjoyed it, I would love to reread this book having done the review now and have a bit more on my mind with regards to some of the motives in it.

[Waiting on Wednesday] - #136

     Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

See something you like here?
Click the book title to add it to your Goodreads TBR List!


Title: Ice Like Fire
   Author: Sara Raasch
   Format: Hardcover
   Release Date: October 13th, 2015

     It’s been three months since the Winterians were freed and Spring’s king, Angra, disappeared—thanks largely to the help of Cordell.

     Meira just wants her people to be safe. When Cordellan debt forces the Winterians to dig their mines for payment, they unearth something powerful and possibly dangerous: Primoria’s lost chasm of magic. Theron sees this find as an opportunity—with this much magic, the world can finally stand against threats like Angra. But Meira fears the danger the chasm poses—the last time the world had access to so much magic, it spawned the Decay. So when the king of Cordell orders the two on a mission across the kingdoms of Primoria to discover the chasm’s secrets, Meira plans to use the trip to garner support to keep the chasm shut and Winter safe—even if it means clashing with Theron. But can she do so without endangering the people she loves?

     Mather just wants to be free. The horrors inflicted on the Winterians hang fresh and raw in Januari—leaving Winter vulnerable to Cordell’s growing oppression. When Meira leaves to search for allies, he decides to take Winter’s security into his own hands. Can he rebuild his broken kingdom and protect them from new threats?

     As the web of power and deception weaves tighter, Theron fights for magic, Mather fights for freedom—and Meira starts to wonder if she should be fighting not just for Winter, but for the world.

My Stance:

     Ice Like Fire is on nearly everyone's watch list, if it's not it should be. I need to read the first book soon, and while it's on my list I am not sure where it's going to happen. For a book of faeries and a world of magic there probably won't be a better book this year. So this is just a no-brainer, and an immediate purchase.

     So onto this book, and having not read the first, maybe there's a bit spoiled, but the overall plot I don't know yet, so maybe. There is just so much going on in this synopsis, in fact there is almost too much. I wonder if it almost requires you to read the first book? if so that's a good thing, I love books that carry over and make the reader want to go onto the next book immediately. I need a good series to binge read again. So I am not going to even try to touch the synopsis. I will say though that it sounds good, I don't understand much of it, but that's fine, just makes me want to read the first book sooner.

[Waiting on Wednesday] - #135

     Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

See something you like here?
Click the book title to add it to your Goodreads TBR List!


Title: The Immortal Heights
   Author: Sherry Thomas
   Format: Hardcover
   Release Date: October 13th, 2015

     In a pursuit that has spanned continents, Iolanthe, Titus, and their friends have always managed to remain one step ahead of the forces of Atlantis. But now the Bane, the monstrous tyrant who bestrides the entire mage world, has issued his ultimatum: Titus must hand over Iolanthe, or watch as his entire realm is destroyed in a deadly rampage. Running out of time and options, Iolanthe and Titus must act decisively to deliver a final blow to the Bane, ending his reign of terror for good.

     However, getting to the Bane means accomplishing the impossible—finding a way to infiltrate his crypt in the deepest recesses of the most ferociously guarded fortress in Atlantis. And everything is only made more difficult when new prophecies come to light, foretelling a doomed effort....

     Iolanthe and Titus will put their love and their lives on the line. But will it be enough?

     With The Immortal Heights, Sherry Thomas brings the acclaimed Elemental Trilogy to its breathtaking conclusion.

My Stance:

     The conclusion of the Elemental Trilogy is here. With it comes more fantasy and turmoil than previously. I have the other two books, but they aren't high on my list. I am thinking about bingeing the series, it's one of those that I think would be better all in one sitting. I am eager to get to the series, it seems like a good read, and I've heard some decent reviews on Goodreads as well.

     I have always wanted to read a good atlantis book, and while this seems like one of the forefront books of the series. I am looking at the high fantasy series as sort of a Divergent/The Young Elites sort of. Maybe I am mistaken on my interpretation on the series, but there are pieces that resemble both of them. Atlantis is sort of like Roman mythology for me, I prefer Roman more so, but Atlantis is good. The thing with Atlantis is there's a wide selection of stories, but there isn't a lot of them that aren't all that great.

[Waiting on Wednesday] - #134

     Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

See something you like here?
Click the book title to add it to your Goodreads TBR List!


Title: Newt's Emerald
   Author: Garth Nix
   Format: Hardcover
   Release Date: October 13th, 2015

     Lady Truthful will inherit her family’s most valued heirloom on her eighteenth birthday. Until the Newington Emerald is stolen.

     Lady Truthful, nicknamed “Newt” by her boy cousins, discovers that to her horror, the people closest to her have been framed for the theft. But Newt won’t let their reputations be damaged by rumors from a false accusation. Her plan is simple: go to London to recover the missing jewel. Despite her best intentions, a young lady travelling alone is frankly unacceptable behavior. So Newt and her aunt devise another plan…one that entails men’s clothing and a mustache.

     While in disguise, Truthful encounters the handsome but shrewd major Harnett, who to her amazement volunteers to help find the missing emerald under the assumption that she is a man, Henri de Vienne. But once she and her unsuspecting ally are caught up in a dangerous adventure, Truthful realizes something else is afoot: the beating of her heart.

     Truthful has far more than romantic complications to worry about. The stolen emerald is no ordinary heirloom-it is the source of the family’s luck and has the power to yield vast magic. It would be completely disastrous if it fell into the wrong hands. The fate of England depends on Truthful securing the emerald.

My Stance:

     On my shelf is the Sabriel series, and while I have heard great things about Garth Nix I haven't really gotten into any of his books yet. I've been looking for something simple and easy to get into, and this may be just the book. It's a solo book thus far, and I love how it's sort of contemporary but at the same time has a bit of fantasy. I get the feeling this is sort of an old timey book, as in it takes place in the past like the 1800s. I love the fashion around that time era, but there is something that drives this book further and further.

     Garth Nix is one of those authors that's held pretty high above everyone else. I guess I can understand why at times, but having not read any of his work, I want something that I would enjoy and something almost safe for my taste in books. Which gets me to this book reminding me of Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld, the whole bit of dressing like a man and impersonating one just to get what you need done done. Something tells me also that there will be a bit of a complication similar to that in Leviathan. However the whole contemporary and fantasy bit gives me a sort of sense of urgency, and awe for how this book will end.

[Waiting on Wednesday] - #133

     Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

See something you like here?
Click the book title to add it to your Goodreads TBR List!


Title: First and Than
   Author: Emma Mills
   Format: Hardcover
   Release Date: October 13th, 2015

     Devon Tennyson wouldn't change a thing. She's happy watching Friday night games from the bleachers, silently crushing on best friend Cas, and blissfully ignoring the future after high school. But the universe has other plans. It delivers Devon's cousin Foster, an unrepentant social outlier with a surprising talent for football, and the obnoxiously superior and maddeningly attractive star running back, Ezra, right where she doesn't want them first into her P.E. class and then into every other aspect of her life.

     Pride and Prejudice meets Friday Night Lights in this contemporary novel about falling in love with the unexpected boy, with a new brother, and with yourself.

My Stance:

     Everyone needs a good contemporary romance on their shelf and to read every now and then. This book would be my pick of the few for the week, it just has such an amazing synopsis that I am already more or less eager to get my hands on the book. It's go this whole bit of falling for that unintended person, and that's the whole bit that has me most interested. I love how Mills takes this before and after approach, that who we thought we'd end up with isn't who we end up with in the end. I for one know all about that. There is a lot about this book that's up in the air though and for the most part that is what confuses me the most.

     Devon, which if I may say is an odd name for a girl, is set and wants to be with Cas. It's the turn of her Cousin Foster and Ezra, a friend, that makes the whole story far more interesting. It's their friendship that I think drives the rest of the story, there is a relationship that starts and the whole world takes a turn. Part of me wants to say that Ezra and Devon have something in common. Part of me wants to see the relationship between the two, but there's not enough about what the two are like and who they are to make a good statement, or judgement. I think this book is going to be a good short contemporary romance for the fall.

[Teaser Tuesday] - #55

Hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
  1. Take your Current Read.
  2. Grab 2 Teaser sentences from the book (please be sure to avoid spoilers)
  3. Post it on your blog with the title and author, so other Teasing Tuesday participants can add it to their To Be Read list.
  4. When visiting other Teasing Tuesday participants, leave a link with your current TT in their comments.

Title: All the Rage
   Author: Courtney Summers
   Release Date: April 14th, 2015

     Quote: "I bring my fingers to my stomach, digging into the skin until I feel red under my red nails, red, my red, me, until what I feel is something outside of me, until it's something I've done to myself. I move away from the sink, my hands in my hair, room tilting, trying to get a sense of myself."

--- Page 112


[Book Haul] - #15

Book Haul is an event in which Bloggers and Readers alike showcase their weeks/months pickups and purchases. This showcases new books and older books alike. Feel free to share your books with viewers alike by posting in the comment section with your video or blog. Thanks!






Barnes and Noble #1
Barnes and Noble #2
BookOutlet #1
BookOutlet #2
BookOutlet #3








  




BookOutlet #1 - Book Haul:


   
  




BookOutlet #2 - Book Haul:


   




BookOutlet #3 - Book Haul:


  

[Flashback Friday] - #91

Flashback Friday is a weekly event, hosted here, that highlights a past release that we're dying to get our hands on...

See something you like here?
Click the book title to add it to your Goodreads TBR List!



Title: Earth and Sky
   Author: Megan Crewe
   Release Date: April 15th, 2015

     Seventeen-year-old Skylar has been haunted for as long as she can remember by fleeting yet powerful sensations that something is horribly wrong. But despite the panic attacks tormenting her, nothing ever happens, and Sky’s beginning to think she’s crazy. Then she meets a mysterious, otherworldly boy named Win and discovers the shocking truth her premonitions have tapped into: our world no longer belongs to us. For thousands of years, Earth has been at the mercy of alien scientists who care nothing for its inhabitants and are using us as the unwitting subjects of their time-manipulating experiments. Win belongs to a rebel faction seeking to put a stop to it, and he needs Skylar’s help--but with each shift in the past, the very fabric of reality is unraveling, and soon there may be no Earth left to save.

My Stance:

     Earth and Sky normally wouldn't be a book I would pick up on the fly or something I would more or less be interested in. However, Bookoutlet had the sequel and I did enjoy The Way We Fall by Megan Crew, so I decided to take a risk without really reading much on the book at all. So since I have the sequel and most of you know me as the completionist I am, I need the first book. So in a roundabout way I am featuring this book because it's something I am looking at getting and because it's more or less a book that sort of flew in under the radar, unless you were a good Megan Crewe fan.

     So while I have read this a few times I am wondering where the story even begins. So the world is inhabited by aliens and they are running experiments on humans to alter time, yet no one knows aliens are around. Anyone else see how confusing this is? Maybe I am in my own little world, but it would make sense that someone would know what is going on. Oh of course, a band of rebels, this just seems like another overdone plot, what have I gotten myself into? Maybe I'll like it and I'm willing to give it a shot. The synopsis is just not there, I am confused and very nervous about the book, which is sad. I liked Crewe's work before, I hope this keeps me happy and looking for more of her books.

[Book Review] - Tempted by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

Title: Tempted
   Author: P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
   Series: #6 - House of Night
   Format: Hardcover
   Release Date: October 27th, 2009
   My Rating: 2.0 out of 5.0

     So…you'd think after banishing an immortal being and a fallen High Priestess, saving Stark's life, biting Heath, getting a headache from Erik, and almost dying, Zoey Redbird would catch a break. Sadly, a break is not in the House of Night school forecast for the High Priestess in training and her gang. Juggling three guys is anything but a stress reliever, especially when one of them is a sexy Warrior who is so into protecting Zoey that he can sense her emotions. Speaking of stress, the dark force lurking in the tunnels under the Tulsa Depot is spreading, and Zoey is beginning to believe Stevie Rae could be responsible for a lot more than a group of misfit red fledglings. Aphrodite's visions warn Zoey to stay away from Kalona and his dark allure, but they also show that it is Zoey who has the power to stop the evil immortal. Soon it becomes obvious that Zoey has no choice: if she doesn't go to Kalona he will exact a fiery vengeance on those closest to her. Will Zoey have the courage to chance losing her life, her heart, and her soul? Find out in the next spectacular installment in the House of Night Series, Tempted.

My Review:

     So another book down, and I'm past the halfway mark. And yet why do I feel like I haven't accomplished much of anything. The writing stays pretty much stagnant and the characters don't really change. I am finding it harder and harder to continue and actually finish this series. I think after this one I may take a break and finish binge reading the rest at a later date. I just can't take it much longer.

     This picks up right where the other one left off, and while everyone is underground and trying to move up above and reclaim what was taken from them, the world again squeezes on them. The visions from Aphrodite show Zoey as this savior if she goes and confronts Kalona, yet if she hides and attempts to ignore her he sets the world ablaze. I find it rather insulting that time after time, Zoey is this heroine that does nearly nothing. The growth in this book is so small and almost none existent. I would love to see her doubt Stevie Ray (which does start to happen).

     Stevie Ray is the new Red Priestess, and with it comes more baggage than she is letting on. She has this larger group of Red Vampires that doesn't appear to have made a choice between right and wrong. Which means they are crazy and more or less in a world of their own and they have already made an attempt on Stevie Ray's life. I understand that Stevie Ray feels responsible for them, but at some point you need to draw a line and give them an ultimatum.

     The rest of the book is normal Zoey going after Kalona followed by her harem and whatnot again. However near the end they decide to travel, and it brings the council of vampires into focus. There wasn't a whole lot of their dealings in this book, but they are so arrogant and presumptuous that part of me hopes they die painfully later. I am just not a fan of the whole "look-at-me" character style and all of them have that sort of characteristic. I will say this though, the ending was by far the best part of the series so far. I just wish something dramatic happened like this sooner in the novel, maybe would have made it more interesting and better to follow.

     I am honestly not sure how some people can binge read this series. I find it just hard to get to read and the better parts of the series are coming later and later. I am still surprised at how boring some of the writing is, there'll be chapters where almost nothing happens or develops and you're left wondering what is going on and why is this even here other than to pass the timeline. I am a completionist so I will complete the series, sometime.
 
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