Friday, December 28, 2012

Mini Review: Keep Holding On by Susane Colasanti

title: Keep Holding On
author: Susane Colasanti
Published May 31st 2012 by Viking Juvenile
Goodreads // Amazon // BookDepo
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Very cute, very expected. Not saying that expected is bad, though. The book is all about standing up for yourself and dealing with your insecurities and accepting you for who you are, weird and all.

I think it’s a great book for tweens. The writing is easy and fast-paced. Although I have some complains because this book might as well be called a series of unfortunate events because that was all it was, a range of situations in which a teen girl was bullied and the correspondent expected reactions. It felt like a bunch of unfortunate events put together instead of a book, or a story, you know what I mean? It just lacked depth. And sometimes it felt more like a lecture than anything, for example, all those words Noelle says at the end, when she gets all inspirational? Way cheesy. And the romance was nonexistent. Julian is supposedly in love with Noelle (he actually dropped the L word, no kidding) but there’s no relationship build-up and we never get to see what is that makes him love her.

But I still think it is a good book for teens, and I hope they get more of it than I did. And I am 100% on board of this anti-bullying train, and it’s awesome that YA authors are taking a part and writing stories that could possibly help teens everywhere.



 

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday: Salvation by Anne Osterlund

WoW is weekly meme created by Jill at Breaking The Spine in which bloggers can share books they're excited to get soon :)
 
 

Salvation

by Anne O.
 
A smart, unexpected romance from an award-winning author. 
Salvador Resendez--Salva to his friends--appears to have it all. His Mexican immigrant family has high expectations, and Salva intends to fulfill them. He's student body president, quarterback of the football team, and has a near-perfect GPA. Everyone loves him. 
Especially Beth Courant, AKA the walking disaster area. Dreamy and shy, Beth is used to blending into the background. But she's also smart, and she has serious plans for her future.
Popular guy and bookish girl--the two have almost nothing in common. Until fate throws them together and the attraction is irresistible. Soon Beth is pushing Salva to set his sights higher than ever--because she knows he has more to offer, more than even he realizes.
Then tragedy strikes--and threatens to destroy everything that Salva has worked for. Will Beth's love be enough to save him?
Thoughtful and romantic, this is a beautifully written story about following your heart and fulfilling your potential.
 
 
 
 
So, I am Mexican and I actually avoid books with Mexican characters like the plague. (That's why I never read that Simone Elkeles' series)
'Cause it's always kind of painful to read the cliches and I always feel like no one can understand us if they aren't one of us and yadda yadda...
 
but this book sounds too good to pass!
Count me in this time!
 

Friday, December 21, 2012

Review: The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay

title: The Sea of Tranquility
author: Katja Millay
Published November 13th 2012 by Atria Books
Goodreads // Amazon // Book Depo
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Stunning, phenomenal, marvelous, amazing, I could go on and on, but I think you all have heard it before. This book is excellent, and I mean it. When I give it 5 stars, I mean every single particle and atom of those stars.

I won’t even try to tell you what is inside these pages, but I have to reassure you, it’s heartbreaking and beautiful and it’s why I am such a huge fan of contemporary young adult literature. It is what makes me spend my money and my time every time I invest myself in a book, the hope that I find something remotely as good as this.

I just have to applaud the story, and the characters and the gorgeous writing. And the magnificent way in which Katja Millay develops such a complex plot and topics and makes us feel part of it. I refuse to believe this is her first novel, because that would make her not human, I don’t think you can possess that kind of talent and still call yourself a simple human.

It’s been a while since I went through so many emotions in just one book. I had to remove myself from the scrutiny of other people’s stares because I was a wreck, it was getting to the point I was starting to wonder if maybe I was too invested, but I had reached the no-turning-back point so I just let myself go.
 

This book is so good I’m sure the other books pick on it and call it names. I had to stop reading and take a minute so my breathing could get back to normal. That’s how good it was, it gave me idiopathic tachycardia, except it wasn’t idiopathic because Josh Bennet and Nastya caused it.

I have to confess though, the angst reached places your mind and my mind can’t comprehend, so I had to take breaks to pull my head together. But I can’t deny I adored every single minute of it.
 
I want to order people to read it, but I can’t, you have to make the choice and I hope you chose correctly. I will tell people, though; that this book will burn their hopes, and break their hearts and then it will rebuild everything from scratch.


 
 
 
 
 
 

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Waiting On Wednesday: ACID by Emma Pass

WoW is weekly meme created by Jill at Breaking The Spine in which bloggers can share books they're excited to get soon :)
 
 
ACID
by Emma Pass
 
A fast and furious thriller featuring the coolest, toughest bad girl since Lisbeth Salander. Meet Jenna Strong.
 
In Jenna’s world, ACID – the most brutal, controlling police force in history – rule with an iron fist. And it was ACID agents who locked Jenna away for life, for a bloody crime she struggles to remember.
 
But Jenna’s violent prison has taught her a thing or two about survival. And when a mysterious rebel group breaks her out, she must use her strength, speed and skill to stay one step ahead.
 
A gripping futuristic debut that will hook you from the very first page.
 
 
 
 
I'm always up for books featuring awesome, kick-butt chicks.
 

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Review: Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard

Title: Wanderlove
Author: Kirsten Hubbard
Published March 13th 2012 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Goodreads // Amazon
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What a ride.

No literally, it’s like I’ve been traveling alongside Bria all this time. This book is all about that one journey, that special growth journey you take some time in your life, it can be metaphorical or physical, and lucky Bria Sandoval had the chance to make both. She takes us with her to the beautiful countries of Guatemala & Belize, crossing borders, breaking barriers and crushing old misconceptions about this hidden paradise.

I loved Bria. She is believable, she is going through some stuff, she just broke up with her boyfriend (who I amicably call the bastard) which made her gave up her art, the thing she loved the most; and she’s trying to escape all of that by booking a Mayan route tour with Global Vagabonds. But that turns out to be a huge disappointment, so she ditches them for a pair of backpackers that invite her to join them, Starling & Rowan.

 I loved both Starling & Rowan, too. They were everything I was hoping they’d be, they were open minded and adventurous and completely enchanting, I would have been thrilled to meet people like them in one of my trips. Rowan especially, he is so different from your cookie-cutter YA male, he is mature and independent; there’s a raw quality to him too, like Bear Grylls except young and not disgusting. But you can’t believe to imagine how attractive he was, even though he wasn’t very chatty, his actions always spoke volumes, like how he buys bracelets from every kid that asks him. I loved how he was trying to reform from bad boy to good boy, instead of the other way around.

Like Rowan, I also love it when Bria talked about art. I am not much of an art geek, and honestly most of the time I don’t get it when people talk about art, but Bria was a whole ‘nother thing. It was beautiful, the way she explained her love for art; it practically changed me.

And what an amazing change of scenery! I cannot begin to express how grateful I am for this setting, and for the exposure Ms. Hubbard is giving to the people in both Belize & Guatemala, from the bottom of my heart I thank you in their name.

Also, there's a paragraph stuck with me, Rowan talking about why people don’t dare to step out of their calculated tour routes and taking a chance and seeing the country for what itt really is and not just like an attraction; and about how people are always afraid of goiing to third world countries and how they forget that people live there their whole lives. It made me feel embarrassed even though I’ve never been one of those people, but it is kind of sad because it was so true.

So I am enamored, what a great book, infinitely amazing. I loved Kirsten Hubbard’s writing so much; it was beautiful, so beautiful. A master-piece, I’m sad it doesn’t get much recognition, but I’ll make sure to lend my copy to my friends (life-threating them if they don’t give t back of course).


 
 

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday: Also Known As by Robin Benway

WoW is weekly meme created by Jill at Breaking The Spine in which bloggers can share books they're excited to get soon :)
 
 
 
 
Also Known As
by Robin Benway
Being a 16-year-old safecracker and active-duty daughter of international spies has its moments, good and bad. Pros: Seeing the world one crime-solving adventure at a time. Having parents with super cool jobs. Cons: Never staying in one place long enough to have friends or a boyfriend. But for Maggie Silver, the biggest perk of all has been avoiding high school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations. Then Maggie and her parents are sent to New York for her first solo assignment, and all of that changes. She'll need to attend a private school, avoid the temptation to hack the school's security system, and befriend one aggravatingly cute Jesse Oliver to gain the essential information she needs to crack the case . . . all while trying not to blow her cover.
Goodreads
 

Yo! I'm all about spies.
Some are all about ninjas, some like zombies.
SPIES?! my thing. Mio.
so is not surprising that Ally Carter is one of my favorite authors, and I enjoyed Digit so much this year (even though she's not officially a spy).

I requested it on netgalley but just like middle school volleyball, Bloomsbury rejected me ):
but I don't care, I'll still buy it when it comes out and review it for you guys :D

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Review: Tempestuous by Kim Askew & Amy Helmes

Title: Tempestuous: A Modern-Day Spin on Shakespeare's The Tempest
Authors: Kim Askew & Amy Helmes
Expected publication: December 18th 2012 by Merit Press
Goodreads // Amazon //
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So once in a while something totally unexpected happens, like finding a ten-dollar bill on the street or discovering there’s only 2 girls in your class, both of them named Melannie. OR starting a book and loving it from page one, that’s what happen to me while I read Tempestuous, loved it from page 1 ‘till the very last one.

Miranda is an ambitious girl, who kind of has the power of getting people to do what she wants. She’s popular and beautiful yet the authors managed to make her likable. I loved her from the start because she’s so witty, and she means no harm, she’s just used to having people offering to do stuff for her but it’s not like she’s bossing them around. Well, at least not after that pesty situation that made her fall from grace at her private school and has her working for minimum wage at the food court in the mall.

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Waiting on wednesday: The Summer I became a Nerd

WoW is weekly meme created by Jill at Breaking The Spine in which bloggers can share books they're excited to get soon :)
 
 
The Summer I became a Nerd
by Leah Rae Miller
 
On the outside, seventeen-year-old Madelyne Summers looks like your typical blond cheerleader—perky, popular, and dating the star quarterback. But inside, Maddie spends more time agonizing over what will happen in the next issue of her favorite comic book than planning pep rallies with her squad. That she’s a nerd hiding in a popular girl's body isn’t just unknown, it's anti-known. And she needs to keep it that way.
 
Summer is the only time Maddie lets her real self out to play, but when she slips up and the adorkable guy behind the local comic shop’s counter uncovers her secret, she’s busted. Before she can shake a pom-pom, Maddie’s whisked into Logan’s world of comic conventions, live-action role-playing, and first-person-shooter video games. And she loves it. But the more she denies who she really is, the deeper her lies become…and the more she risks losing Logan forever.
Add on Goodreads




Doesn't this sound kinda like The Big Bang Theory?
IKR! and since I love that show I will totes read this one :) 

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday: Blaze by Laurie Boyle C.

WoW is weekly meme created by Jill at Breaking The Spine in which bloggers can share books they're excited to get soon :)
 
 
BLAZE
Laurie Boyle Crompton
Blaze is tired of spending her life on the sidelines, drawing comics and feeling invisible. She's desperate for soccer star Mark to notice her. And when her BFF texts Mark a photo of Blaze in sexy lingerie, it definitely gets his attention. After a hot date in the back of her minivan, Blaze is flying high, but suddenly Mark's feelings seem to have been blasted by a freeze-ray gun, and he dumps her. Blaze gets her revenge by posting a comic strip featuring uber-villain Mark the Shark. Mark then retaliates by posting her "sext" photo, and, overnight, Blaze goes from Super Virgin Girl to Super Slut. That life on the sidelines is looking pretty good right about now...
 
 
I loooove the sound of this book.
I usually love this books where you can relate to the MC and my life is definitely quiet enough to compete with Blaze's for the Most Boring award. Good thing I like it that way, because who knows if I might be stuck in a situation like her...
 
That doesn't mean that I am not completely stocked to see how this turns out :D
 
 

 

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Review: Angelfall by Susan Ee

Title: Angelfall
Author: Susan Ee
Published May 21st 2011 by Feral Dream
Goodreads
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You guys remember the feeling, back in the day, when we all read The Hunger Games? Remember how it blew our collective minds and left us with the feeling of “Oh this is great, this will transcend”? I felt that again today as I devoured the first installment of the Penryn & the End of Days series, Angelfall.

Fast-paced, to the point, and packed of action and emotion, this book took me back to the days when I was genuinely excited about a story. It’s been a long time since I got this mentally invested in a dystopian book and I’m glad it happened because I needed a story that reassured me that not all of them are a marketing idea and a colossal waste of my time.

Penryn, our young heroine, is as amazing as they come. I absolutely loved how she was always either saving her own butt or saving the hero’s butt and that, my friends, in my book counts as a truly independent woman. Despite her young years she was so mentally ahead of many seventeen-year-olds I know, but when she broke down crying after seeing the destruction of what was left of her city nearly brought me to tears.

Now Raffe is a whole ‘nother train of thought. I loved him as the hero, I loved his mysteriousness and his loner boy attitude. I loved that he was never overwhelming in his need to be the savior, and instead let Penryn handle things on her own. I loved his sense of humor and most of all, I loved how he showed his true feelings at the end, it was so romantic and unexpected because I have grown accustomed of his hiding them.

The book is an action story but it hold much more, the love between sisters, the struggles to love a mentally-ill mother, falling in love for the first time and falling in love with someone you can’t have. So many feelings going on and it never felt crowded, Susan Ee masterly manages to craft a beautiful, complex story that still felt light enough.

I have to say though, that some part of me still feels unsatisfied. I see the potential and think this series can become something pretty amazing and I'm counting on it. I seriously cannot wait to see what happens next because even though SO MUCH happened in this book, it left room for so much more to happen in the next ones.
 



Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Waiting on Wendsday: In the After

WoW is weekly meme created by Jill at Breaking The Spine in which bloggers can share books they're excited to get soon :)
 
 
IN THE AFTER
by Demitria Lunetta
 
They hear the most silent of footsteps.
They are faster than anything you've ever seen.
And They won't stop chasing you...until you are dead.
 
Amy is watching TV when it happens, when the world is attacked by Them. These vile creatures are rapidly devouring mankind. Most of the population is overtaken, but Amy manages to escape—and even rescue “Baby,” a toddler left behind in the chaos. Marooned in Amy’s house, the girls do everything they can to survive—and avoid Them at all costs.
 
After years of hiding, they are miraculously rescued and taken to New Hope, a colony of survivors living in a former government research compound. While at first the colony seems like a dream with plenty of food, safety, and shelter, New Hope slowly reveals that it is far from ideal. And Amy soon realizes that unless things change, she’ll lose Baby—and much more.
 
Rebellious, courageous, and tender, this unforgettable duo will have you on the edge of your seat as you tear through the pulse-pounding narrow escapes and horrifying twists of fate in this thrilling debut from author Demitria Lunetta.
 



Dude. There's few things I love more thank kids. I just loooooove babies. And when you combined them with YA books I will sure line up a day before this is on sale. Also I just had the best experience with a dytopian book (read about it tomorrow) and a new hope has risen inside of me, can't wait to try this out. 

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday: The Moon and More

WoW is weekly meme created by Jill at Breaking The Spine in which bloggers can share books they're excited to get soon :)
 
 
THE MOON AND MORE
by sarah dessen
 
Set in the fictional beach town of Colby, where several of Dessen's novels take place, it features 18-year-old Emmeline, who is spending her last summer before college working for her family's vacation rental business and enjoying a summer romance with a young aspiring filmmaker.
 
 
 
 
 
 
I am not ashamed to say that I am Dessen's #1 obsessive fan and this is my whole being right now:
 
 
This is too much to take. The new covers are so freaking gorgeous and I want them all and this book takes back to Colby and OMG I can't wait to see which charcaters from her previous books show up!
(I hope is Dexter & Remy)
(or Owen & Anabelle)
(or Ruby & Nate)
(or...)
 
 

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday: The Testing

WoW is weekly meme created by Jill at Breaking The Spine in which bloggers can share books they're excited to get soon :)
 
 
The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau
 
Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Isn’t that what they say? But how close is too close when they may be one in the same?
 
The Seven Stages War left much of the planet a charred wasteland. The future belongs to the next generation’s chosen few who must rebuild it. But to enter this elite group, candidates must first pass The Testing—their one chance at a college education and a rewarding career.
Cia Vale is honored to be chosen as a Testing candidate; eager to prove her worthiness as a University student and future leader of the United Commonwealth. But on the eve of her departure, her father’s advice hints at a darker side to her upcoming studies--trust no one.
But surely she can trust Tomas, her handsome childhood friend who offers an alliance? Tomas, who seems to care more about her with the passing of every grueling (and deadly) day of the Testing. To survive, Cia must choose: love without truth or life without trust.
 
Add this book to your GR shelves


It's time for a great dystopian, don't you think?
and I'm hoping The Testing will deliver because I need to fall back in love with that genre.

AND I'm always up for "handsome childhood friends" :D
 

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Review: Valkyrie Rising by Ingrid Paulson

Title: Valkyrie Rising
Author: Ingrid Paulson
Published October 9th 2012 by HarperTeen
Add this book on Goodreads
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In Valkyrie Rising there’s lots of action happening in only 32 hours. I liked that, I like that it’s fast-paced but not rushed. I had never heard of Valkyries before (or maybe I had but had forgotten) but the thing is, I was never overwhelmed by the all the new information coming into my brain, I think the author did a wonderful job of intertwining the Norwegian legends and Ellie’s modern story.

Ellie is fed up being just the little sister of the ubber popular Graham and is trying to get the courage to stand out on her own. Ellie, Graham and their hot-as-the-sun neighbor Tucker are off to spend the summer with Graham & Ellie’s grandmother in Norway and the story starts to unravel from there.

While I think I liked Ellie at the end, I still had a hard time connecting with her. I never got why it was so hard for her to stood up to her brother, I mean that’s one of the easiest things, siblings are born to do that, it’s natural. It also bothered me that she was so gorgeous and all that, nothing against gorgeous girls, some of them are gorgeous on the inside but some part of you doesn’t want to be her friend (or is that just me and my jealousy talking?).

The best part for me was definitely the romance. Tuck & Ellie were adorable together and totally meant to be, and everyone knows I’m a sucker for girl&boy-best-friends-realize-they-have-feelings-for-eachother stories so this one hit right on target. I loved every single one of their scenes together and their constant tug-and-pull relationship, it made the book for me.

I think part of my problem with is that I’m kind of not turned on by fantasy/paranormal/dystopian books anymore, they kind of bore me and I find myself skipping pages. So it’s not this book’s fault, I think. But I also can’t deny that this was no blow your mind kind of book, but it was good, and cute, and I don’t regret it.
 

 

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Waiting On Wednesday: All I Need by Susane Colasanti

WoW is weekly meme created by Jill at Breaking The Spine in which bloggers can share books they're excited to get soon :)
 
 
ALL I NEED
by susane colasanti
 
The last night of summer is only the beginning.
 
Skye wants to meet the boy who will change her life forever. Seth feels their instant connection the second he sees her. When Seth starts talking to Skye at the last beach party of the summer, it’s obvious to both of them that this is something real. But when Seth leaves for college before they exchange contact info, Skye wonders if he felt the same way she did—and if she will ever see him again. Even if they find their way back to each other, can they make a long-distance relationship work despite trust issues, ex drama, and some serious background differences?
Teen favorite Susane Colasanti returns to the alternating-voice style of her beloved debut When It Happens in this Serendipity-inspired story about summer, soul mates, and the moments that change our lives forever.
ADD ON GOODREADS


I just wanna say omgomgomgogmomg new susane colasanti's book! I love her! I love her books because they're always so cute and happy and romantic but she says this is the most romantic book she has ever written...


And omg that cover is like, the most romantic cover ever too. Makes me wanna start singing Taylor Swift's Begin Again

Monday, October 22, 2012

Book Giveaway: A Girl Named Digit by Annabel Monaghan

Dudes. This is what y'all have been waiting for, a chance to own your very own signed copy of A Girl Named Digit by Annabel Monaghan, which I just reviewed, and believe me, you don't want to miss this opportunity because this book rocks


Oh yes it does.
It's real easy, just follow the rules, enter through the rafflecopter form and thank Ms. Annabel for being so generous and overall awesome, 1-2-3-go!
 
 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Review: A girl named Digit by Annabel Monaghan

Title: A girl named Digit
Author: Annabel Monaghan
Published June 5th 2012 by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
Add this book to your Goodreads shelves
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I wish this book could understand how much I love it, but since books have no brain I am going to tell YOU instead. I love this book! There, I said it, and I am so not ashamed because this book was amazing, it has everything I like: likable characters, fast-paced story line and some serious swoon-worthy scenes.

First of all I would like to point out how ingenious Annabel Monaghan is. I mean a character like Farrah (aka Digit) is not easy to create. Farrah is a genius, no kidding, she is so good at math she discovered a terrorist code hidden in MTV’s most watched show, and now her life is at danger. Enter FBI agent John, the one guy chosen to protect Farrah while the others catch the bad guys, Farrah might think he is really cute but he is older and not to mention he could lose his position so yay for forbidden romance!

I loved Farrah, she’s like Sheldon Cooper but a girl, and 17 years old, and less annoying. Farrah was incredible in the sense that she was so friggin intelligent yet she was just like any other girl, it was so funny to read about her cluelessness that unfortunately put her in the most embarrassing situations, but that was what made her so adorable, even though she had the weirdest habits. She was so hilarious and her voice was the best, exactly the kind of girl I like reading about.

Now while John Bennett was definitely swoon-worthy (more than that, really he was amazing) and the fact that he was twenty one was REALLY hot, like I-can-day-dream-about-him-without-being-creepy-cause-he-is-older-than-me hot; Farrah is the one that made the book for me (which rarely happens I always love the guy more) because she was made of awesome.

Also, each chapter started with a bumper sticker, some of them totally hilarious, and there were chasings and codes, and terrorists, and safe houses and guns and it was just so entertaining, I swear I was laughing out loud at pretty much every chapter, I can’t wait to read more from the series, I’ll be waiting impatiently for book #2!.
 

Hee-Hee this scene is when John and Farrah break into a school while running from the bad guys,
I thought it was hilarious that she totally consumed all those juice boxes and then,
well you don't see anywhere else where she can sleep but...
 



Oh btw, I went to a book fair last week and there were some teenage girls asking the salesguy for recommendations and after he finished giving them I totally shoved this book in their faces. There wasn't anything wrong with the other books except they weren't A Girl Named Digit.