Waiting on Wednesday (19)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted over at Breaking the Spines. It showcases upcoming titles we are currently awaiting.

This weeks selection is...

Doll Bones
by Holly Black
Publication Date: May 7, 2013

Synopsis: Zach, Poppy and Alice have been friends for ever. They love playing with their action figure toys, imagining a magical world of adventure and heroism. But disaster strikes when, without warning, Zach’s father throws out all his toys, declaring he’s too old for them. Zach is furious, confused and embarrassed, deciding that the only way to cope is to stop playing . . . and stop being friends with Poppy and Alice. But one night the girls pay Zach a visit, and tell him about a series of mysterious occurrences. Poppy swears that she is now being haunted by a china doll – who claims that it is made from the ground-up bones of a murdered girl. They must return the doll to where the girl lived, and bury it. Otherwise the three children will be cursed for eternity . .

Waiting on Wednesday (18)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Breaking the Spine. It showcases upcoming releases we are currently awaiting.

This weeks title it...

Chantress
by Amy Butler Greenfield
Publication Date: May 7, 2013

Synopsis: Lucy’s Chantress magic will make her the most powerful—and most hunted—girl in England.“Sing, and the darkness will find you.” This warning has haunted fifteen-year-old Lucy ever since she was eight and shipwrecked on a lonely island. Lucy’s guardian, Norrie, has lots of rules, but the most important is that Lucy must never sing. Not ever. Now it is 1667, Lucy is fifteen, and on All Hallows’ Eve, Lucy hears a tantalizing melody on the wind. She can’t help but sing—and she is swept into darkness.

When she awakes in England, Lucy hears powerful men discussing Chantresses—women who can sing magic into the world. They are hunting her, but she escapes and finds sanctuary with the Invisible College, an organization plotting to overthrow the nefarious Lord Protector. The only person powerful enough to bring about his downfall is a Chantress. And Lucy is the last one in England.

Lucy struggles to master the song-spells and harness her power, but the Lord Protector is moving quickly. And her feelings for Nat, an Invisible College apprentice and scientist who deeply distrusts her magic, only add to her confusion…

Time is running out, and the fate of England hangs in the balance in this entrancing novel that is atmospheric and lyrical, dangerous and romantic.

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Fantasy/Urban Fantasy Characters

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the ladies at The Broke and the Bookish. They give us a bookish topic and we say our top ten things that fall under it.

This week's topic is...

Top Ten Favorite Characters in the Fantasy/Urban Fantasy Genre

 

1. Percy Jackson from The Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series: He was just totally awesome! He fought monsters and went on epic quests and that's totally cool.

 

2. Harry, Ron, and Hermoine from The Harry Potter Series: How coud I not add them on my list?

 

3. Rose from The Vampire Academy Series: Rose is willing to die for her best friend, and that's totally amazing.

 

4. Ethan from Beautiful Creatures: Ethan stuck with Lena through all the crap she was going through and he deserves props for that.

 

5. Tessa from The Infernal Devices: I loved that Tessa wasn't depending on a guy to help her and that she was more than willing to fight.

 

6. Ella from Ella Enchanted: I loved Ella, and I felt sorry for everything that she had to go through, but I'm glad her fairytale had a happy ending.

 

7. Sydney from Bloodlines: Sydney was super smart, and I loved reading about her.

 

8. Puck from The Scorpio Races: Puck was willing to race in an all male race and she didn't care!

 

Weekly Wrap Up #7

It's a day late but that's okay.

 

Book Finished:

El Lector by William Durbin

 

 

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Release Date: August 16, 2011

Publisher: Random House NY

Page Number: 374

Format: Paperback

Source: Own

Synopsis: It's the year 2044, and the real world is an ugly place.

Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes his grim surroundings by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia that lets you be anything you want to be, a place where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousand planets.

And like most of humanity, Wade dreams of being the one to discover the ultimate lottery ticket that lies concealed within this virtual world. For somewhere inside this giant networked playground, OASIS creator James Halliday has hidden a series of fiendish puzzles that will yield massive fortune--and remarkable power--to whoever can unlock them.

For years, millions have struggled fruitlessly to attain this prize, knowing only that Halliday's riddles are based in the pop culture he loved--that of the late twentieth century. And for years, millions have found in this quest another means of escape, retreating into happy, obsessive study of Halliday's icons. Like many of his contemporaries, Wade is as comfortable debating the finer points of John Hughes's oeuvre, playing Pac-Man, or reciting Devo lyrics as he is scrounging power to run his OASIS rig.

And then Wade stumbles upon the first puzzle.

Suddenly the whole world is watching, and thousands of competitors join the hunt--among them certain powerful players who are willing to commit very real murder to beat Wade to this prize. Now the only way for Wade to survive and preserve everything he knows is to win. But to do so, he may have to leave behind his oh-so-perfect virtual existence and face up to life--and love--in the real world he's always been so desperate to escape.

A world at stake.
A quest for the ultimate prize.
Are you ready?

My Review

You know that book that you never want to put down, because you're afraid you'll miss something? The one that you'll reccomend to all of your friends, whether they read or not? Well, Ready Player One is that book. This book was crazy awesome and totally great!

 

Wade is an awesome character. He lives his entire life inside the OASIS, only coming out when he absolutely needs to. At first, I didn't really know what to think of him. He didn't have any close contact with any of the people around him, and he spent all his time in a virtual game. But as the book went on, I realized that Wade was really funny. He would sometimes say a funny comment and it made me laugh. And closer to the end of the book, I realized that he was smart and super crazy. He came up with these out-of-this-world plans that fit together perfectly, that you would think would fail. I also really liked Art3mis, especially after Wade got to know her. She was a total kick but character and I loved that!

 

The plot of this book was so intricate and complex. There was so much stuff that happening, and there were times that the characters would do something that seemed pointless, that would play a major roll in how the end of the book turned out. Being inside the virtual world of the OASIS was really cool, because we got to imagine what a wonderful game it was. There was also a ton of action, as you can probably imagine, and I didn't want to put the book down.

 

Ernest Cline did a fantastic job creating the world. After reading Ready Player One, I felt like the OASIS was a real game, because he did a great job describing and depiciting it. He made me feel like I was inside the game and watching from the sidelines as Wade went through his quest to win Halliday's treasure. He also did a great job of creating his characters, because they actually seemed real and not like cookie cutter characters.

 

Rating: 5/5 worms

 

Latest Favorites: Jane by Design and Dance Academy

Hey guys! Latest Favorites is something I'm going to be doing that just tells you about some of my latest favorite things. They can be TV shows, movies, books, or just anything random! I hope you enjoy!

For today's Latest Favorites we have :

Jane by Design

 

You guys probably don't know this about me, but I'm obsessed with fashion. (Hence the reason I never have any book hauls, I spend all my money on clothes.) I had seen this show on my Netflix homepage, and I figured I had nothing to lose, so I checked out the first episode. I absolutely loved it! Jane is a teenage girls who gets mistaken for a grown-up when she applies for a job for a big name fashion company. Everything about this show is awesome, and I can't recommend this TV show enough. I can't wait for the next season.

 

Dance Academy



 

When I was younger I used to take ballet lessons, which probably explains my love for Dance Academy. This show follows Tara Webster, a country girl who lives in Australia, as she gets accepted to The National Academy of Dance in Sydney. There she makes friends and enemies, and learns what it really is to dance. I found this show through Teen Nick. I saw the commercials and was intrigued, so I checked it out on Netflix and I loved it. The two seasons are filled with unexpected twist and everything about it is awesome. I can't wait for the third and final season to air in the middle of this year!

Waiting on Wednesday (17)

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted over at Breaking the Spine. It showcases upcoming titles we are currently awaiting.

This weeks title is...

How My Summer Went Up in Flames
by Jennifer Salvato Dotorski
Publication Date: May 7, 2013

Synopsis: First she lost her heart. Then she lost her mind. And now she’s on a road trip to win back her ex. This debut novel’s packed with drama and romance!
Rosie’s always been impulsive. She didn’t intend to set her cheating ex-boyfriend’s car on fire. And she never thought her attempts to make amends could be considered stalking. So when she’s served with a temporary restraining order on the first day of summer vacation, she’s heartbroken—and furious.

To put distance between Rosie and her ex, Rosie’s parents send her on a cross-country road trip with responsible, reliable neighbor Matty and his two friends. Forget freedom of the road, Rosie wants to hitchhike home and win back her ex. But her determination starts to dwindle with each passing mile. Because Rosie’s spark of anger? It may have just ignited a romance with someone new…

Top Ten (7)Tuesday: Favorite Romances

Top Ten Tuesday is a features hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. They ask a bookish question and bloggers name their top ten things that go under that category.

This week the topic is...

Top Ten Favorite Romances

 

1. Rose and Dimitri from Vampire Academy:  I adore these two together. They are just super cute together!

 

2. Augustus and Hazel from The Fault in Our Stars : The fact that they stayed with each other throughout everything that happened is a sign of true love.

 

3. Tris and Four from Divergent: I just think that they compliment each other, and they're always looking out for each other.

4. Hermione and Ron from The Harry Potter Series : I always loved these two, and they kind of set the stage for all other romances.

5. Lucas and Jacqueline from Easy: These two went through so much, and they're just perfect for each other,

6. Ethan and Lena from Beautiful Creatures:  These two were so cute, and with the movie coming soon, I'm excited to see how they'll be portrayed on the big screen.

7. Peeta and Katniss from The Hunger Games: I've always been a Peeta kind of girl.

Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin's #1) by Robin LaFevers

Title: Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin's #1)

Author(s): Robin LaFevers

Release Date: April 3, 2012

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Page Number: 549

Format: Hardcover

Source: Library

Synopsis: 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? -Goodreads

My Review

When I first heard about Grave Mercy being about assassin nuns, I definitely knew I wanted to read it. And I was glad I did because it was fantastic.

 

I didn't really like Ismae at first. She was really cruel, cold, and bitter. She had escaped her arranged marriage and was now learning to be an assassin. Imagine going through that. But she fit the story perfectly and as the story went on she started to shed her cruel and bitter feelings. Duval was also pretty awesome. He would do anything for those he cared about and always put them first. I thought the characters were really good.

 

The idea of a book about assassin nuns is honestly crazy. Robin LaFevers gets points for coming up with that crazy idea. The story itself went at a medium speed, but it was really enjoyable because you got to read what all was happening in court, and things weren't what they first seemed. I thought it was great. There weren't any high paced action scenes I was hoping for though.

 

The writing style of this book was great. It took a few chapters to get into, because I don't really read a lot of historical fiction, but I felt that it really captured the mood of the book. Robin's writing style was really descriptive and I enjoyed it very much.

 

Rating: 4/5 worms

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes historical fiction. Definitely going to continue on with the rest of the series.

 

 

 

Wicked (Pretty Little Liars #5) by Sara Shepard

Title: Wicked (Pretty Little Liars #5)

Author(s): Sara Shepard

Release Date: November 25, 2008

Publisher: HarperTeen

Page Number: 310

Format: Hardcover

Source: Library

 

Synopsis: In idyllic Rosewood, Pennsylvania, where Burberry earmuffs keep diamond-studded ears warm, four very pretty girls have done some very wicked things. . . .

High school juniors Hanna, Spencer, Emily, and Aria have paid dearly for their sins. A stalker named "A" terrorized them for months and revealed their darkest secrets. But now that A's true identity has been revealed, the girls can finally go back to their pretty little lives.

Only, once a pretty little liar, always a pretty little liar--and these girls just can't help but be bad. Hanna will do anything to be Rosewood's queen bee. Spencer starts stealing . . . from her parents. Emily can't stop thinking about her new boyfriend. And Aria approves a little too strongly of her mom's taste in men.

As the secrets get darker and the scandals juicier, the consequences turn deadly. After all, girls who forget the past are condemned to repeat it. And in Rosewood, someone is always watching. . .

 

My Review

Spoiler Alert! Because this is the fifth book in the Pretty Little Liars series, there will be spoilers. So if you haven't read these books yet, come back to this review when you have.

 

Because this is the fifth book in the series, I'm going to keep my review of Wicked really short. I really enjoyed Wicked. The characters are still the same, and the writing style and idea of the plot are still the same. And overall, I didn't really have any major problems with it, but I did have a couple small ones I wanted to talk about.

 

1. The fact that we still don't know who Ali's killer is: I honestly thought it was Ian, but after finishing the book, we're told its not. I mean, seriously, how long is it going to take to find out? Will we finally find out in book ten?

 

2. The characters are getting boring: After five books of their dark secrets, they just aren't really that dark anymore. Each character practically does the same thing they did in the previous book.

 

3. Some one always dies at the end of each book: Come on, is it really necessary.

 

Rating: 5/5 worms

Other than those few things, I really enjoyed Wicked. My rating may have been a little lenient, but I loved the other books so much.

 

 

 

 

Beautiful Creatures Movie

Hey guys! I absolutely loved Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, if you didn't know. You can check out my review here. I read it last summer and I thought it was fantastic! And now that the movie is coming out and I'm super excited! So to celebrate, here's the movie trailer.

 

What do you think of the trailer? Is this how you pictured the movie?