In My Mailbox #18

 

Welcome to In My Mailbox a weekly meme hosted by Kristi from www.thestorysiren.com

            

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa(goodreads)

The Princesses of Iowa by M.Molly Backes(goodreads)

The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney(goodreads)

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness(goodreads)

Thank you for stopping by, please leave a link or comment below with what books you got this week.

Happy Reading!!!

Review: Under The Never Sky

Under The Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
Publisher: Harper Collins
Release Date: January 3,2012
Page Count: 374
Challenges: 2012 Debut Author Challenge




                             Synopsis:
Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland - known as The Death Shop - are slim. If the cannibals don't get her, the violent, electrified energy storms will. She's been taught that the very air she breathes can kill her. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He's wild - a savage - and her only hope of staying alive. 

A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile - everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria's help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption. Opposites in nearly every way, Aria and Perry must accept each other to survive. Their unlikely alliance forges a bond that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky. 



                             My Thoughts:


I was really excited to read this book because I have read/heard so many rave reviews about it. Under The Never Sky is told from the alternating viewpoints of Aria and Peregrine(Perry). Aria is a "dweller" who lives in the enclosed city of Reverie, she spends her time with friends in the Realms( virtual environments that she accesses through an eyepiece called a  Smarteye). Peregrine(Perry) lives with his tribe out in the real world, he is trying to survive hunger, cold, and the Aether storms that are a constant threat.
 I think my favorite thing about this book was the world building, it was descriptive enough to were you could easily imagine life inside of Reverie and life on the Outside but not so descriptive to were you get bored by all of the details that are being presented to you. I did struggle a little bit during the first hundred or so pages with some of the unique terminology that Veronica Rossi created but I quickly got use to it and it didn't feel so foreign to me.
 I also loved the character development.I loved watching Aria develop into a tough, competent heroine who could survive on the outside. No matter how hard things got she didn't complain and she kept pushing forward. Perry kind of goes in the opposite direction as Aria, he starts off seeming like the savage that Aria has been warned about her entire life but it turns out that underneath that tough exterior he is actually a really caring character. I also enjoyed the secondary characters Roar and Cinder, I really hope we get to see more of them in Through the Ever Night.
 I liked the fact that this book didn't fall into the trap of insta-love that is found in most YA novels, in fact it seems like they both started off with a really strong prejudice of each other. I want to say that the romance didn't really become too noticeable to me until about page 300 or so.
 Ultimately, I really enjoyed this book and gave it 4/5 stars. I gave it 4 stars because in my opinion it started off a little too slow.


For those of you that have read 'Under the Never Sky' what did you think of it? Leave your opinions in the comments below.




Happy Reading!!

In My Mailbox #17

 

Welcome to In My Mailbox a weekly meme hosted by Kristi from www.thestorysiren.com



              



Marked by P.C. and Kristin Cast(goodreads)
Welcome,Caller,This is Chloe by Shelley Coriell(goodreads)
The Peculiars by Maureen Doyle McQueerry(goodreads)
The Summer My Life Began  by Shannon Greenland(goodreads)
Breaking Beautiful by Jennifer Shaw Wolf(goodreads)
The Wicked and the Just by J. Anderson Coats(goodreads)
Dust Girl by Sarah Zettel(goodreads)
Don't You Wish by Roxanne St.Claire(goodreads)
Yesterday by C.K. Kelly Martin(goodreads)
Romeo Redeemed by Stacey Jay(goodreads)
Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown(goodreads)
Gift by Andrea J.Buchanan(goodreads)




Thank you for stopping by, please leave a link or comment below with what you received in your mailbox this week.


Happy Reading!!!

Review: Cinder

 
Cinder by Marissa Meyer(Goodreads)
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Release Date: January 3,2012
Page Count: 387
Challenge: 2012 Debut Author Challenge

                                         Synopsis:
Humans and Androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth's fate hinges on one girl.
 Cinder a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She's a second class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister's illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai's, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets from her past in order to protect her world's future.

                                      My Thoughts:

I was skeptical about reading this book at first since it's a retelling of Cinderella as a cyborg but I'm so glad that I gave it a chance because it's AWESOME! I really enjoyed all of the characters but my favorites were Cinder( she's kind of a bad@$$) and Iko( I loved her personality and personally thought she was adorable). Marissa Meyer did a great job developing all of her characters.
 I really enjoyed how Marissa Meyer took a classic like Cinderella and turned it into a really great dystopian/science fiction novel. The only thing I wished was different is that she would have been a little bit more descriptive with the setting of New Beijing but that is such a small con IMO when it comes to this book.
 I also loved the romance between Cinder and Prince Kai because it wasn't the usual insta-love that you normally see in YA literature. It was gradual and made me so excited for them when they both finally realized that they loved each other. 
 I will admit that even though I gave this book 5 stars on goodreads that I really didn't like the way this book ended. I feel that a little bit more should have been resolved before the conclusion of the book book. Despite the ending of Cinder I'm really looking forward to the 2013 release of Scarlet which will feature both Cinder and Red Riding Hood =)

$ 500 Amazon Gife Card Giveaway!!!

Sparkling Reviews is giving away a $500 gift card to Amazon for reaching 2000 followers. Can you imagine how many books you could buy with that? Personally I would be in heaven if I could spend $500 @ Amazon. 


                                  ENTER GIVEAWAY

Review: Want To Go Private?

Want To Go Private?by Sarah Darer Littman(Goodreads)
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Published:August 1,2011
Page Count:336
Genre: YA Contemporary 


Synopsis:
Abby and Luke chat online. They've never met. But they are going to. Soon.Abby is starting high school--it should be exciting, so why doesn't she care? Everyone tells her to "make an effort," but why can't she just be herself? Abby quickly feels like she's losing a grip on her once-happy life. The only thing she cares about anymore is talking to Luke, a guy she met online, who understands. It feels dangerous and yet good to chat with Luke--he is her secret, and she's his. Then Luke asks her to meet him, and she does. But Luke isn't who he says he is. When Abby goes missing, everyone is left to put together the pieces. If they don't, they'll never see Abby again.


                         My Thoughts:

If I could choose only one book to put into the hands of every single teen and parent-THIS WOULD BE IT! This book was an emotional roller coaster that I could not put down. It's like seeing a horrible accident and not being able to turn your eyes away from it( best comparison I can give).

 Abby is a typical high school freshmen. She is nervous about starting high school and just wishes that everything could stay the same. Her best friend Faith starts making new friends, her sister is a brat, and less than 24 hours after starting high school Abby's dad is already telling her to think about extracurricular activities and college. To say the least Abby is stressed to the max and just wants people to accept her for who she is. Abby finally finds acceptance and love in the form of Luke( BlueSkyBoi) on Chezteen.com. Luke understands Abby and how special she is but Luke isn't who he says he is.

 This book gets you to think about how Abby clearly had heard the talks at school and home about internet safety and still fell victim to Luke and his "grooming". It makes you wonder how does a young girl(or boy) go from knowing all the information that we have available to getting into a strangers car. This book is seriously well researched and Sarah Darer Littman actually answers the question of how this ends up happening. I actually read this book about a month ago and I'm still having a hard time formulating my thoughts because it has stuck with me in a way that I can't even describe. This book is so scary because of it's realness and the fact this could seriously happen to ANY teenager who has access to the internet.

 I also really liked the cover, not because of the design but because of the words. Although plain it's the perfect cover for this book IMO.

 WARNING: This book is sexually explicit both in language and deed between Abby and Luke.

 Thank you for checking out my review and I would like to say Happy Reading!

Best of January and February Reads

Welcome to Best of January and February Reads these book are ones that I gave either 4 or 5 stars to on goodreads and highly recommend.




    

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi(Goodreads)
I loved this book so much. Juliette was an awesome protagonist and I can't wait until February 2013 so I can get a copy of Unravel Me. 5/5 stars on goodreads


The Fault in Our Stars by John Green(Goodreads)
This is my first John Green book and it has made me a fan of his work. I love all the characters in this book, especially Augustus Waters. 5/5 stars on goodreads


Want To Go Private? by Sarah Darer Littman(Goodreads)
If I could choose only one book to put into the hands of every teen and parent this would be it. 5/5 stars on goodreads


Fever(#2 in The Chemical Gardens Trilogy) by Lauren DeStefano(Goodreads)
A really good sequel to Wither. Just when I thought that Vaugh couldn't get any worse he surprised me. Although I loved Fever I can't say that it lived up to it's predecessor as well as I thought it would. 4/5 stars on goodreads


Pandemonium(#2 in the Delirium Trilogy) by Lauren Oliver(Goodreads)
I love how Lena has developed so far in this trilogy. Wow!!! What a cliffhanger at the end. I can't wait for the final installment next year.


Quick Note:
I'm really sorry that I haven't been working on my blog lately but I have been really sick the last few months and recently had surgery. 


Thank you for stopping by and Happy Reading!!! :)

In My Mailbox #16

Welcome to In My Mailbox a weekly meme hosted by Kristi from www.thestorysiren.com

Only two books to share with you this week but they're AWESOME and I already read both of them and absolutely LOVED them!!!!


   

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver (Goodreads/Amazon)
Fever by Lauren DeStefano (Goodreads/Amazon)


Thank you for stopping by and please leave links to your In My Mailbox post or comment below with what you have gotten this past week.


I also want to mention that because my TBR Shelf is so full that I'm going to try to not buy books for awhile so I won't be having an In My Mailbox post unless I win a book.
 However, I'm going to try my hardest to do a review at least once a week and I already have a book I want to work on a review for so hopefully that will be up soon.


Happy Reading!!