Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

Release Date: April 3rd 2013

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Age Rec: There are some terms not suitable for all ages, and there was also an attempted rape scene at the beginning, not very graphic. 
Summary: 

Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?
Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.
Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?

My thoughts:

For those of us who read more light-weight books, this book might seem a little bit intimidating. It is a very thick 500 or so page book. I found it at the NEW BOOK shelves, I had my eye on it for a little while so I was so excited when I saw it.

I have read a few thirteen-century set books, but nothing of this caliber. Robin LaFevers introduces the main character, Ismae, with a very secretive past. Some sort of mysterious birthmark and a curse. The story captivated you to turn the next page and the next, until you have no choice but to finish. With such authentic plot and dialogue that you will enjoy every single page.

When she is taken away from her abusive husband, she is introduced to a world that she could have never imagined. After a couple years of training she becomes a seductive deadly assassin, she must do the will of the God of Death. She must do Mortain's will and kill those with his mark. She must do anything and everything in her power to fulfill his will. 

There is where all of her adventures begin, she meets different characters, some remarkable some not and she must decide who she trusts. The characters, I admit, were a little hard to keep track of. There were a couple of times I was a little confused. But that was my mistake, I would recommend a little notebook to keep track of characters. 


The action and suspense were ultimate during this whole book, but there was a romance sub-plot through the story. The sort of romance that slowly builds up. 


Ismae will definitely be added to my list of kick ass heroines that I admire and love. 

I will most definitely be looking forward to what Mrs.LaFevers releases in the future. 


Thanks for reading! =)

IDENTICAL by Ellen Hopkins REPOST

Well I found this review of mind that I though I HAD lost in my old laptop, but I checked on Goodreads and there it was. So I want to re-post it here as a library homage post since I had gotten it from my school library.

Release Date: August 26, 2008
Source: School Library
Age recs: Definitely for more older teens. Drugs, sex, some rape scenes included.
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Summary from Goodreads.com: 

Do twins begin in the womb?Or in a better place? Kaeleigh and Raeanne are identical down to the dimple. As daughters of a district-court judge father and a politician mother, they are an all-American family -- on the surface. Behind the facade each sister has her own dark secret, and that's where their differences begin. For Kaeleigh, she's the misplaced focus of Daddy's love, intended for a mother whose presence on the campaign trail means absence at home. All that Raeanne sees is Daddy playing a game of favorites -- and she is losing. If she has to lose, she will do it on her own terms, so she chooses drugs, alcohol, and sex. Secrets like the ones the twins are harboring are not meant to be kept -- from each other or anyone else. Pretty soon it's obvious that neither sister can handle it alone, and one sister must step up to save the other, but the question is -- who?

My review: 


I knew what I was signing up for when I started reading Identical, since there was some strong content on CRANK, well that was an understatement. This book is real, raw, disturbing, and everything else in between. It had me squirming in discomfort on some scenes, being the squirmy type, but I knew that even though this was not based on a true story, it was based on the million of stories just like that. In fact, I had just watched a episode on Oprah where two twin sisters talked about being raped and molested by their father and two brothers with their mother completely knowing everything.

So I read on, and through this single book I went through a roller coaster of emotions. Disgust (and exclamation for Justice) at the seriously disturbed father, frustration because Kaeleight and her twin sister wouldn't report the abuse (as I would imagine I would in their situation). But thought those emotions I began to understand the fear of both sisters if they ever told on their father. I mean, even I was afraid of that monster. Their mother was also a big part of my frustration, only caring about appearances not the welfare of her children. I wanted to pop right into that book and slap that lady silly and make her realize what she was taking part of.

The impact this book had on me, and I imagine the rest of the people who have already read it, was very great. The turn of events was like nothing I have even experienced when reading books, and I have to admit I has to read some parts multiple times to understand (mostly at the end of the story). Mrs. Hopkins is not the type to censor feelings or events and she isn't afraid of being bold. She created two very alive characters, whose interpretation of love was so twisted and wrong that they wouldn't let anybody that truly cared about them in.

And the ending, wow, the ending is something I never expected. I love those kind of hard-to-predict books that have me guessing at the last second.
I want to keep this review as spoiler free as possible so I will leave you with those few words of many that I can use to express the serious awesomeness this book is. I would like to repeat that this book is among on of the strongest (content wise) books I have read. It requires a very high amount of matureness and understanding.
If you are comfortable with reading books with strong content, it is a must read!

IMMORTAL RULES by Julie Kagawa

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

Release Date: April 24th 2012
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Age Rec: Older teens, for bloody and violent scenes
Source: Publisher

In a future world, Vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity.
Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.
Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked—and given the ultimate choice. Die… or become one of the monsters.
Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.
Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.
But it isn't easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what—and who—is worth dying for

My thoughts on The Immortal Rules:

When I saw Julia Kagawa's name on that book cover, I knew this book was going to be a winner. Though I still have not finished the Iron Fey series (I need the last two!) I loved Iron King and Iron Daughter. Though I was a bit skeptical when I picked the first book up. Fairies really? I though. But Julie Kagawa did a flawless job with the fairies, bringing then to life in a way that no one has ever done before.

And she does just the same with the vampires in The Immortal Rules. I thought that the vampire thing was already too overdone but fortunately I was so wrong. This book isn't about a pretty sparkling vampire, this is about a girl who becomes something she lived her whole life hating and has to live with her decision. There were times in this book when I had to close it and breathe in and out because when you think the worst has happened, Julie Kagawa seems to want to prove you wrong. In fact, she does, multiple times, in many heartbreaking ways.

Allie is such a great character, she is not a sweet little doe eyed girl. She has lived a hard life, she is tough and courageous.  She loses her humanity and she tries so hard to keep the small bit of it that she has a hold on. She is the monster the everyone fears, she is the creature not the one running away. It is definitely something different and refreshing.

The futuristic  world that Julie Kagawa created is so detailed and three dimensional, just as she created the faery world that Meghan Chase was introduced to. The relationship between Zeke and Allison is confusing and heartbreaking for both the characters and the readers. I think it might have been the relationship that saved Allison from turning into a completely unattached monster. This is not a sappy romance novel, they are both struggling inwardly, they are complete opposites. Allison is the monster that Zeke was warned about as a child, and Allison is trying hard to keep hold of her humanity even though it is not there. I am excited to read more about their developing relationship.

I wish I could go through all of the things I loved about this book (i.e. brilliant plot, dialogue and character development) but it is a 500 page book, it would take a while. The Immortal Rules is a great first installment to a now very anticipated series.


RATING:

Beautiful Days by Anna Godbersen

Beautiful Days (Bright Young Things #2) by Anna Godbersen
Release Date: September 20, 2011
Publisher: HarperCollins
Source: Library

Summary:

For the bright young things of 1929, the beautiful days seem endless, filled with romance and heartbreak, adventure and intrigue, friendship and rivalry.

After a month in New York, Cordelia Grey and Letty Larkspur are small-town girls no longer. They spend their afternoons with Astrid Donal at the Greys' lush Long Island estate and their nights in Manhattan's bustling metropolis. But Letty's not content to be a mere socialite. She is ready at last to chase her Broadway dreams - no matter the cost.

Cordelia is still reeling from the death of her father at the hands of Thom Hale, the man she thought she loved. Now she is set to honor Darius Grey's legacy... and take her revenge.

Promised to Cordelia's half brother, Astrid is caught up in a world of dazzling jewels and glittering nights - and the sparkle is blinding. Charlie Grey is a gangster playing a dangerous game; and for Astrid, Cordelia, and Letty, the stakes could be deadly...

The roaring twenties is one of my favorite eras in the 1900's-- seriously I was born in the wrong decade. I love reading about the 20s. The glamorous dresses, the parties, the prohibition, everything.

I picked up Bright Young Things about a year ago, and I loved that first book. It had everything-- murder, romance, secrets, revenge, all the thrilling things necessary in a good book, it had it. This book (Beautiful Days) was not exactly a disappointment, but it wasn't exactly what I was expecting from what I have read on the first book. It was much slower paced, there was a lot of opportunity to bring up the unresolved matters of the first book that needed to be solved. I don't know if the author is planning on addressing those matters on the third book, but that is my prediction.


What this book did bring was new characters, and the characters that were introduced on the first book, were developed in this one. Particularly Max, the handsome pilot that Cordelia saved from a plan crash in the first book. But I expected more of Cordelia as a character, she is my favorite character, and I expected her to really take revenge on the death of her father, but as I recall she did almost nothing.  I hope she can do something in the next book.


Again, it all comes back to the first book or the third book. To me, this book was just a book to explain everything and to increase the suspense, but it fell a little bit short. However, I will definitely be reading the third book, I cannot wait to find out what happens to the bright young things. Anna Godbersen's hypnotic historical writing will keep on amazing me, how vivid the historical scenes come to life with her animated writing. You  can visualize the feathery headbands, hear the music, and immerse yourself in the glamorous world she has created.


Review:

Sequel: 

*All links and summary from Goodreads.com 

WINNER!

THE WINNER OF THE FRACTURE ARC IS...

brookea_2006

Congrats!

I already contacted them, so they have 48 hours before I pick another winner!

Stay tuned for my next giveaway coming up soon.

SIGN UP!

If you are a reader, blogger, author, and you also have school, children, and work to deal with outside of bookish demands, this blog post is for you!*

I want to do a feature where I interview different bloggers with different responsibilities outside of blogging. If you have a hectic school life (like me) and have a lot of homework, I want to interview you, and see how you make time to read, review, and keep a book blog running! If you are a blogger and a mom, I would also love to interview you! You do not need to be a blogger to be featured, if you read or you are an author, I want to know how you make time to read and write between jobs, classes, children or other responsibilities.

I want to see how many people would be interested in signing up, then I will start e-mailing interviews after that.

Here is the form:




Thank-you so much for singing up!

*image source

Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood

Born Wicked (The Cahill Witch Chronicles #1) by Jessica Spotswood
Release Date: February 7, 2012
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Souce: LibraryThing Early reviewers!
Age Rec: I would recommend this book for ages 12 and over.
Reader Rec: Recommended for fans of Michelle Zink's Prophecy of the Sisters series.

Summary*:
Everybody knows Cate Cahill and her sisters are eccentric. Too pretty, too reclusive, and far too educated for their own good. But the truth is even worse: they're witches. And if their secret is discovered by the priests of the Brotherhood, it would mean an asylum, a prison ship--or an early grave.

Review:  Read this book. Read it right now, read it in ten years, read it tomorrow, I don't care when, just read it! 

The message above is for people who I know won't read the entire review, its alright,  just read the sentence above!

For those of you who like to read the whole review (thank-you),  prepare yourself for some major gushing. I started Born Wicked with no major expectations, I really love it when  fantasy and historical fiction mix, so I was intrigued.

From the beginning, it was all secrets and magic. I was flipping the pages madly, trying to find out what happened next. This book was action, mystery, fantasy and forbidden romance. It was just that good.

Cate Cahill was such an amazing and strong character, she has two sisters to look over after her mother's death. She puts them first, she would give anything for them. She is really an awesome character, Jessica Spotswood does such a good job at writing up lovable characters that you just cannot help yourself and fall in love with Cate and wish she was your best friend.

Finn, he is more than just the love interest and dream boy, he is brave and humble. I just love everything about this boy. I need more of him on the next book, please!

The plot of this story was amazing, the twist and turns were just making this but IMPOSSIBLE to put down, just when you think things cannot get any worse, they do, and the ending just about broke my heart

I started the year off really good,  I am glad I chose this book to be my first read of the year, because this book will probably in my top books of 2012. That is just how good Born Wicked was.

Also, I will be posting the book trailer too, because I just LOVE it so much! Great book trailer for a great book!

Rating:

Trailer:

368 Pages of Heartbreak

Why We Broke Up written by Daniel Handler and art by Maira Kalaman
Publish Date: December 27, 2011
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Source: Publisher
Age Rec.: There are a couple of love scenes so I would recommend it for teens 15 and older.

Summary*:
Min Green and Ed Slaterton are breaking up, so Min is writing Ed a letter and giving him a box. Inside the box is why they broke up. Two bottle caps, a movie ticket, a folded note, a box of matches, a protractor, books, a toy truck, a pair of ugly earrings, a comb from a motel room, and every other item collected over the course of a giddy, intimate, heartbreaking relationship. Item after item is illustrated and accounted for, and then the box, like a girlfriend, will be dumped.

My Review: 


Why We Broke Up brought me back to the time when I was smaller, and I read those books with smooth pages and colorful pictures every other page. But this book was not about colorful caterpillars or fish with shiny fins, this book was about first love and that first heartbreak everyone experiences eventually.

Not only was the book in such a unique format, but the way it was written, so unique and detailed, it just kept me turning page after page until I had gotten to the last of it. 

While I enjoyed the millions of references, I felt a little out of the loop. I sometimes had NO idea what Min was talking about, but I was amused nevertheless by her quirky attitude and funny dialogue, so I didn't feel that clueless.

The development of this relationship is not like any I have read in other books. It wasn't rushed, and it had so many special moments that I mourned for their relationship as if it were mine.

To sum it up, I loved this relationship, their story and I felt Min's anger and tears as she wrote Ed the letter of why they broke up.

So if you get a chance, pick up Why We Broke Up, you won't regret it!



Rating:

*Summary from Goodreads.com

ALA: The Books

Since I really cannot show you ALL of books I got at ALA, I decided just to take a shot of the ones that I really REALLY went crazy for when I got them.

I am not going to list them or anything, the picture is not very good quality so if you don't know what one book title is, let me know in the comments and I will be happy to clarify that for you.

I cannot wait to read all these wonderful titles, and all the other that weren't in the picture. I want to thank all the amazing publishers that were nice enough to put up with my teenage girl fangirling and those frequent stops to their booths to ask them if they had certain titles out yet. I hope I can go to ALA some other time, maybe many years from now, but I think I have enough books to read for a couple of years.

Hope you guys have a great week!

FRACTURE Blog Tour: Review AND GIVEAWAY!

Fracture by Megan Miranda
Date Published: January 17, 2012
Publisher: Walker Childrens
Source: Publisher, for blog tour
Age Rec: I would recommend this book to teens 14 and over.

Summary:
 Eleven minutes passed before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied medical precedent to come back seemingly fine-despite the scans that showed significant brain damage. Everyone wants Delaney to be all right, but she knows she's far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can't control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death, or causing it?
Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who recently emerged from a coma with similar abilities. At first she's reassured to find someone who understands the strangeness of her new existence, but Delaney soon discovers that Troy's motives aren't quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a freak of nature-or something much more frightening?
For fans of best-sellers like Before I Fall and If I Stay, this is a fascinating and heart-rending story about love and friendship and the fine line between life and death.

My review: 


Fracture surprised me from page one. I expected it to be just a quietly written contemporary novel that talked about a tragic almost-accident. Or I was expecting it to be the same story as If i Stay by Gayle Forman (if you haven't read this, you should). I was amazed at the originality of the story, such a mundane accident, causing great shifts in Delaney's life.

Fracture was mystery, contemporary romance, and a thriller all rolled into one story. The characters were original and they were brought to life flawlessly.

The plot has so many twists and turns that you are left confused at one moment only to flip the page and be shocked at the other. The romance did not become such a big part of the story, and Megan Miranda does a very good job at keeping it that way. While some of the blurbs mention that there is a love triangle, in my opinion, there was none. I was confused at a certain point about the intentions of each of the boys in Delaney's life but it was all settled down without any love triangle.

What else can I say about Fracture that will convince you to read it? The ending will catch you by surprise just like every single turn of events that happened in the story. While the romance is not a main focus it is still a good love story for all of us romantics. For those who love thrillers, this will also be a perfect read for you.

If you are a contemporary loving, thrill seeking, mystery thirsty romantic, then this would be the perfect book for you. If you aren't , well you can at least give it a try before you dismiss the idea of it, trust me you won't regret it.

GIVEAWAY!

FRACTURE ARC Version Giveaway!

Giveaway Ends January 29!

My first ALA experience!

Well as many of you know, I recently attended ALA Midwinter in Dallas. It was my first time, and to say that I was nervous is an understatement. I had no idea what to do or where to go, I was by myself the first day of the even (which was a Friday).

Friday:

I woke up about 7 AM (I missed school)* and I was on my way to Mesquite, Texas, which is where my aunt lives. After panicking with my mom, who doesn't like to drive in Dallas, we finally reached our destination and I started to prepare myself for ALA.

*Missing school is not a thing I do often, but being an A-B honor roll student has its perks sometimes.

I entered the Dallas Convention Center to the lobby and found this:

After many failed attempts at taking pictures with it, I resigned myself to just taking a picture of it.
Then a very nice lady, kindly offered to take a picture of me with it, and of course I said yes!

Thank-you nice lady!

So I went up the escalator, with trembling fingers from the nerves, and I got in line and I received my first ever event badge (with the ALA bag that you can see above). 

Here's a closer look at my badge:

Here's what the little banners in my badge say:
-Read Irresponsibly (favorite one)
-I *heart* Booklist in print and online (I do)
-ALA First Time Attendee

After I registered, I sat around the lobby for about 30 mins.:

All while using my Dad's iphone to look nonchalant and cool about the whole thing.

A few minutes later, a line started forming, full of Texas Bloggers! The only blogger I had met before that was among everyone was Michelle from Windowpane Memoirs who was so sweet and adopted me as her little sister for the continuation of ALA. She is a super awesome person and blogger, so go check her blog out!

While we were waiting in agony for the doors to open, I was so nervous that I didn't even take the time to take any pictures. Seriously, one of the most overwhelming days of my short life. I had no idea how many books there was going to be that first day (it wasn't even BEA!). I didn't take any pictures because it was so crazy I had no time, I was carrying about two bags full of books for like an hour. My shoulders were KILLING me, until Michelle had to leave for the dinner (which I didn't attend) and I was left alone. She was sweet enough to guide me to the bag check-ins (3 dollars a bag for those who want to know). I was free to roam freely after that, but still didn't take any pictures until the end. This picture is so bad, but I still want to show you what I got my first day I took the picture at the lobby, while was waiting for my mom.

Sorry for the bad quality guys, it was quite dark.

Second day of ALA was not as crazy, because I knew what to expect and I had my friend Fany with me. We had extra bags ready and we had a plan. TIP: ALWAYS HAVE A  BAG PLAN (where are you going to put your bags at when one of them is full). Thing weren't so crazy then, so I had time to take some pics for you guys!

You can see I stalked the Harper booth like crazy, they came out with 5 books at a time, so once they were gone, they were gone.  Lemme tell you, they were gone fast.

 While we was stalking the Harper booth, in walked Katherine Tegen, THE Katherine Tegen. Seriously she exists. I didn't get any pictures of her but guys believe me, SHE IS REAL.

Day two went without any problems. I met some very awesome bloggers and publishers, and so not very nice ones. But lets talk about the nice ones! I met Katie from Katie's Book Blog, she was so sweet and she remembered me from our gmail conversations. I also met Bailey from IB Book Blogging, who was exceptionally sweet, and also remembered me from our Twitter conversations.  I could go on forever, there were more nice people than the not so nice ones, believe me. For example, there was a moment where Harper put up 10 copies of Wings of the Wicked, when I went to get one, they were all gone. I was so disappointed, until this blogger came up to me and offered to me, just like that. I just had to know what her blog was, people just don't hand out their books just like that. So thank you Jen A Book and a Latte, I hope I am thanking the right person, because I asked her for her business card and I lost it! I don't know what happened. Thanks Jen! Some other bloggers handed me the new Diana Peterfreund. Thank-you bloggers!


Day Three was intense. There had been rumors that Harper was going to put up ALL the books they had first thing in the morning. As always, I was one of the first ones in line. I woke up early for this, dedication FTW! Anyway, so they opened the doors, and in we went. Me and my friend fast walked to the Harper Booth, yes there were some runners, there were piles of books there, I grabbed Pandemonium because that was #1 on my list. I was handing my friend out one copy and she was handing me copies of other books. We were a team. But unfortunately, I was the one with the glasses, someone elbowed me in the face, and down they went. Before I could register what was happening I stopped everything I was doing and picked the glasses up. First, I needed them and I knew I would not get a second pair if they broke. Second, they were expensive. I can buy those Harper titles when they are released, but a 200+ dollar pair of glasses are almost irreplaceable for me.  Afterwards I retired from the crowd, I was okay with not getting all of the Harper titles, I had gotten the one I was really anticipating, and my glasses were intact.


We were only able to stay till 12 for Sunday (day #3) but we still managed to get some pretty cool books and swag. We also got to attend the Penguin Book Buzz event, which was pretty cool, and a whole new experience for me. Finally we left Dallas and headed to Fort Worth, it took us about an hour to be able to pack up our luggage and me and my friend's books, but somehow we managed. We were a little squished though.

By Monday, I was so sore I could not lift my arms up at all, but I was excited to have gotten all these amazing titles. If you ever have a chance to attend ALA, do it. It is an amazing (but tiring) experience that you will never forget. TIP: If you DON'T have anything important (school or work) to do the day after ALA, seriously MISS IT, I went to school and boy was I sorry.

I have a quick video of Sunday at ALA which is just footage of me and my friend walking around the exhibit hall. But if you want to see it, let me know in the comments and I would love to upload it for you guys! Also, the books I got at all were a lot but there are some titles that I am more excited for. The ALA books post will be tomorrow, so stay tuned!

**If you are a future ALA newbie and have no idea what is going to happen, I hope this post is useful for you guys. If you have any more questions comment below or e-mail me at morethanjustabook(at)gmail(dot)com, I would be more than happy to answer (to the best of my abilities) any questions that you have.**

Have an amazing Saturday!

Its Official!

I did not want to announce this before it was official, but now that I got the okay from my parents and their credit card, I can not very anxiously announce that I will be going to ALA in Dallas next week.

If you are going to be there, and you see a skinny awkward looking teen with glasses on that looks like this:

or like this:

(replace the look of happiness with a look of awe and cluelessness)

then you have found me and you must now say "hi", Introduce yourself and maybe help a clueless blogger who has never been to ALA.

I am nervous and excited, but mostly nervous. I have no idea what to expect, where to go or how to act. But I am ready for anything, I have yet to get my list of book I want together. But I have registered, so that is the most important part, and I have figured out where I am going to stay and all that.

So any ALA veterans out there who have any advice? Any tips or anything? If you are going, comment! I don't want to be clueless on who you are or anything, don't be shy.


So yeah, that is about it! If you haven't registered and are planning to go, register soon, in exactly a week I will be in Dallas (which is like an hour away form here) just finishing my first day at ALA.

Have a GREAT weekend everyone!