REVIEW - Bloom by Elizabeth Scott

Book Information

---

Series: n/a | Book No.: n/a | Source: Bought | Pages: 231 | Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Summary

---

Lauren has a good life: decent grades, great friends, and a boyfriend every girl lusts after. So why is she so unhappy? 

It takes the arrival of Evan Kirkland for Lauren to figure out the answer: She's been holding back. She's been denying herself a bunch of things (like sex) because staying with her loyal and gorgeous boyfriend, Dave, is the "right" thing to do. After all, who would give up the perfect boyfriend? 

But as Dave starts talking more and more about their life together, planning a future Lauren simply can't see herself in -- and as Lauren's craving for Evan, and moreover, who she is with Evan becomes all the more fierce -- Lauren realizes she needs to make a choice...before one is made for her.

Review

---

When you think YA fiction couldn't possibly be infested with annoying, bratty, selfish teenagers, you are proven wrong one thousand fold. 

Bloom promised to be a good book, (because it's by Elizabeth Scott, the author of The Living Dead Girl) but as I read it more and more, it sounded like Scott was attempting to write a teenage soap opera, staring Lauren Smith as the 'helpless, horribly lucky teenager' with two "hunky" guys after her. How much more horrible can you get? A love triangle? SERIOUSLY? Over-played. 

And who are these two lucky guys? Well, one happens to be her BOYFRIEND, the perfect Dave (which Lauren repeats this adjective to explain Dave in EVERY way, shape, and form). He's a gentleman, waiting until marriage for sex, and wants to involve Lauren in family and church activities due to the fact that he's an AWESOME GUY! He's sweet, wonderful, and doesn't push Lauren to do nothing that she doesn't want to. So why isn't she happy? Because there isn't a "spark" anymore. So why doesn't she dump him? She believes going out with him is the "right" thing to do. I have a boyfriend just like him, and I love him. I just can't see why Lauren complains about him.

And then there's the heart-throb Evan. Yes, she spent some of her childhood with him, so she's familiar with him. So, naturally she falls in love with him. Oh freaking joy. . .

She has to deal with this, and while she's going out with Dave, she's KISSING Evan. I have no respect reading about a character who can one second be holding hands with her awesome boyfriend then the next, she's at Evan's house dry-humping him. It's so annoying, and as I said, I can't respect or relate to a character that will do that. 

Another thing: Lauren constantly states throughout the WHOLE book that she feels bad for cheating on Dave, but she CONTINUOUSLY does it, and then finally at the end, she breaks up with him. Too late. He already knows that she cheated on him, and he's mad.

BUT. SHE'S. STILL. HAPPY! You know why? Because now she has her precious Evan. Makes. Me. Sick! What's resolved with that?

Horrible ending. Couldn't she just TALK to Dave, tell him what's on her mind? Of course not. Because that would involve having something complicated and something long-term, which obviously she doesn't want to get involved. 

I ABHORRED this book so much. You might enjoy it more than I did, but I will never give this book another thought except for disgust. 

About the Author

---

I grew up in a small town in southern Virginia, and I do mean small — we didn't even have a post office! My parents were both teachers, and they both taught at the local high school.

You can guess what's coming.

Yep, that's right. I ended up having both my parents as teachers, and actually took classes with my father for three years.

As nightmarish as that sounds, it actually wasn't so bad. In a high school as small as the one I attended, it was pretty much a given that if I took certain classes, I'd have my parents as teachers, so it wasn't really a shock to see them listed on my class schedule. Plus, when I was in class, they both treated me like I was any other student. In fact, my mother made me give up my seat because I talked too much! I still haven't forgiven her for that. (If you read this, Mom, I'm just kidding, I swear!)

After I graduated from high school, I went to college. I had all these huge plans involving a glamorous career (in what, I had no idea, I just knew I didn't want to live in the middle of nowhere) and I'd also sworn I'd never get married. Naturally, I ended up majoring in European Studies, which prepared me for only the most unglamorous of jobs, and met my future husband when I was a freshman.

Speaking of jobs, I've had a bunch over the years — I've been an editor (I didn't say I was a good one!) and an office manager (which is a fancy way of saying secretary). I've also sold hardware, pantyhose, and even worked for a dot.com company when they were as prolific as weeds. (I burned cds, and the job was just as boring as it sounds.)

I write young adult novels, and frankly, don't ever see myself writing anything else. I read a lot, and I love all kinds of books, but young adult books hold a very special place in my heart. Being a teenager is both the most amazing and the most frightening thing — there's so much going on with you, your friends, your parents, and handling that and school and having to think about your future... it can be really exciting, but it's also a lot to deal with!

It always astonishes me when people talk about how easy it is to be young, because it isn't easy at all. I remember some of the books I read when I was growing up so vividly, not just because they were wonderfully written, but because what was in them really spoke to me. I believed authors like Judy Blume knew exactly how I felt in a way no one else did, and writing books like that, books that really speak to you, is my dream.

INTERVIEW - Kate O'Hegarty

About the Book

---

Mieradome pulls the reader into a unique fantasy world of faeries and technology, a different take on the Alice in Wonderland concept. The story revolves around a young girl named Amavia who believes she is a human girl, but slowly comes to find she is a faery in the world of Mieradome. Slowly who Amavia was began to unravel to show the truth; the truth that she just may be the evil they need to destroy. This is the first novel in a series, and gives a glimpse of what is to come for the main character Amavia. Fans of the Harry Potter series and His Dark Materials will definitely enjoy this adventure.

Interview

---

Best Friend's Book Affair: First, my readers would like to meet the author. Can you tell us a little about yourself?

I’m Kate O’Hegarty. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Folklore & Mythology. I live in the Central Valley of California. My favorite color is blue. I love to read, especially non-fiction. I have traveled internationally since I was 7 years old. I’m in love with the 1920’s era, and I love a good cheese pizza!

BFBA: Who are your favorite authors, and did you use any techniques from their writing to write your book?

My favorite authors are: C.S. Lewis, William Trevor, and Frank Herbert. William Trevor uses not so many pages but is able to tell a very well rounded story. So I kept trying to pull back on pages that were un-necessary and get to the heart of where the story is going. C.S. Lewis inspires me to think fantasy and that the sky is the limit on ideas. Frank Herbert has a technique of writing a lot about ecology, plants and such. I looked to that to describe Mieradome, be as visual as I could when writing scenes.

BFBA: Tell us a little about your book.

Mieradome is ‘like a twisted Alice in Wonderland’, about a young faerie girl Amavia who is on a search of self-discovery. The book is essentially about good and evil and how that can sometimes over take us. It is also about the duality of our internal natures, the yin & yang.

BFBA: What lead you to write this? Was this a spontaneous idea or did it take a while to form?

Most of my stories either come from dreams or my own life. For Mieradome, I had a dream about a girl in a bedroom looking out her window where a bright light zips past her ear and out into the dark of night. That little light ended up disappearing into a large oak tree. The dream made me wonder why that light would go in the tree, what the tree was hiding, and what the little light actually was. So in essence, I just expanded on the small idea I had and built a world around that.

BFBA: Tell us about your main character. What is she like?

Amavia, the main character in my story, is a fifteen year old girl who is really uncertain about things, specifically who she really is. Her move into Mieradome opens a window to secrets were held from her about her past. She comes face to face with those demons.

BFBA: Are any of the characters in your book based off of yourself, people you know, or other characters in stories? If yes, who?

Yes, there are characters based on people I know. My sister Shannon, who designed Mieradome’s cover, is Shannon Moana Hine in the book as a dog sled racer. An inside joke between my sister and I gave Ditto #3 (a postal bird) his name.

BFBA: Who's your favorite character in your novel? Why?

My favorite character is Prince Boyt. I have this video on my blog explaining why he is my favorite!

BFBA: How was the path to publishing your book? Was it smooth or rocky?

The path to publishing Mieradome had its highs and lows. I originally sent this manuscript and story off to agents. They all liked it and said the writing was good, but that it didn’t quite ‘fit their lists at that time’. I knew that it wouldn’t ever find its place if I didn’t find the place for it. So initially, Mieradome was only going to be published as an e-book, but then that fell through with the company I was working with. I finally found a company that would help me print my book, so I decided to have a paperback instead. Then came editing, cover design, publicity/marketing. It has been a lot of work, but worth it in the end.

BFBA: If you could be ANY paranormal creature, what would you be and why?

I’d love to be telepathic to hear other people’s thoughts!

BFBA: Last question: What can we see from Amavia and her friends in future books?

We will see her growing and changing, as teenagers do. We will see her come face to face with who she really is and how she must deal with that, whether positive or negative.

Visit The Author

---

Goodreads | Blog | Book Website

Brianna's View

---

I loved interviewing O'Hegarty so much! I received an e-mail from her asking me to interview her, and that was the very first e-mail I have received from an author. It made my day! Coming up with interview questions was a very fun process, and the best part of the experience is reading her answers. 

This book is very high on my wish list, and I hope to get it and read it soon! (: 

Thank you so much for letting me interview you, Kate! 

SPLEE!!

See that camel? See it smiling? Yeah? Yeah? Well that's me right now! (As the title already portrays. . .)


You see, I'm part of an awesome blog tour for Kate O'Hegarty's YA fantasy book: Mieradome. And, as I went on Goodreads to check it out again, I WAS ON HER BLOOOOG! (: 


I'm listed first, and that makes me SOOOO happy! Hopefully I'll get to do this more than once considering how fun it is to ask the author questions and see their answers. So go READ IT!


YOU CAN SEE MY BUTTON AND ALL THE OTHER AWESOME BLOGGIES ON THE BLOG TOUR RIGHT HERE!


The interview will be posted tomorrow, and yes, I should be doing a Cover Crazy, but I am about to go back to bed. Has sickness. Needs to get better.


So tell me, YA bloggers everywhere: What are you doing today?

REVIEW - Thirst 1 by Christopher Pike

Book Information

---

Series: Thirst | Book No.: 1-3 (Bind-Up) | Source: Bought | Pages: 594 | Publisher: Simon Pulse | Rating: 3.5 / 5 (☼ ☼ ☼ 1/2)


Summary

---

As to blood -- ah, blood, the whole subject fascinates me. I do like that as well, warm and dripping, when I am thirsty. And I am often thirsty....

Alisa has been in control of her urges for the five thousand years she has been a vampire. She feeds but does not kill, and she lives her life on the fringe to maintain her secret. But when her creator returns to hunt her, she must break her own rules in order to survive.

Her quest leads her to Ray. He is the only person who can help her; he also has every reason to fear her. Alisa must get closer to him to ensure her immortality. But as she begins to fall in love with Ray, suddenly there is more at stake than her own life....

Review

---

Promising to be a pretty refreshing vampire bind-up written in the early to mid-90's, I was interested and bought it at WalMart. I was pretty satisfied even if it wasn't the greatest book ever. 

This book follows the character Alisa, Sita to people she's close to, (and trust me, that doesn't happen a lot in this book) a five thousand-year-old vampire who was among one of the first vampires to be made by Yak-something-like-that. What interested me is that she was from India, (if I remember correctly) and as you can tell from the cover, she's pretty pale. Well, I guess that just happens when you're a vampire. 

This book is a bind-up of three books: The Last Vampire, Black Blood, and Red Dice. I'll review each one separately.

The Last Vampire: This is a pretty...interesting start to a series. You get to see how powerful Alisa is, and you meet one of the only people she has fallen in love with recently: Ray. But here's the downfall. He's the son of the detective she murdered. You saw that coming, right? So did I. That's the whole thing with this part of the book. It was overly predictable and hard to go through considering you knew what was just around the corner, but you get to meet one of my favorite characters in this part! Seymour. (: I have to love my nerds.

Black Blood: This is the story where Ray and Alisa are adjusting their new lives in Los Angeles, but something bad happens. Since Ray and Alisa are suppose to be the 'last vampires' considering that the other vampire (which they THOUGHT there was only one other) swore never to make another one of his kind, they are surprised when they discover vampire attacks all through the city. Just to let you know, it doesn't end very pretty.

Red Dice: Alisa comes face-to-face with an old love, an alchemist who I'm not going to name because I forgot his name. D: You're revealed more of Sita's past, how she became a vampire, and her new friends and enemies. Yes, that's about all this book is about.

The end of Red Dice is a MAJOR cliffhanger just-to-let-you-know, so that makes me glad that I have the second book in hand, which makes me want the other two books now.  

The only thing wrong I have to say about that is that Sita brags. . . a lot. She keeps going on and on and on and on and ON about how powerful she is, how pretty she is, blah blah blah blah BLAH. That got kind of old after a while. Seriously. REALLY old.

And if you're still alive and holding on to those last couple of brain cells functioning to comprehend the book, then you'll loose them with the writing style. I admit, it's not horrible, but it's wordy and sometimes it can get just overly annoying. 

BUT AT LEAST ONE PERSON DIES IN EVERY BOOK THAT'S IMPORTANT TO THE CHARACTER. Christopher Pike is depressing. Overly depressing. 

Other than that, it can provide an interesting read. Since it was made in the early to mid-90's, it's Twilight-free, so you don't have the stereotypical vampires but the hardcore vampires that I fell in love with. 

Meet the Author

---

Christopher Pike is the pseudonym of Kevin McFadden. He is a bestselling author of young adult and children's fiction who specializes in the thriller genre. 

McFadden was born in New York but grew up in California where he stills lives in today. A college drop-out, he did factory work, painted houses and programmed computers before becoming a recognized author. Initially unsuccessful when he set out to write science fiction and adult mystery, it was not until his work caught the attention of an editor who suggested he write a teen thriller that he became a hit. The result was Slumber Party (1985), a book about a group of teenagers who run into bizarre and violent events during a ski weekend. After that he wrote Weekend and Chain Letter. All three books went on to become bestsellers. 

His other well-known works include The Last Vampire (a series of six books), the Final Friends Trilogy, Remember Me (a trilogy), The Lost Mind, Witch, Whisper of Death, Alosha, The Shaktra, The Yanti, Bury Me Deep, The Tachyon Web, and Fall into Darkness. 

McFadden is also the author of the popular children's series Spooksville, and several adult novels: Sati, The Season of Passage, The Listeners, The Cold One, The Blind Mirror and Falling. 

Wikipedia Page 

That's about all I could find! D:

Feature Friday - In the Arms of Stone Angels by Jordan Dane

Summary 

---

Two years ago, Brenna did the unthinkable. She witnessed the aftermath of a murder and accused her only true friend—the first boy she ever loved—of being a killer.

Now sixteen, Brenna returns to Oklahoma only to discover that Isaac "White Bird" Henry isn't in juvie. The half-breed outcast is in a mental hospital, frozen in time, locked in his mind at the worst moment of his life. And when Brenna touches him, she's pulled into his hellish vision quest, seeing terrifying demons and illusions she doesn't understand.

Feeling isolated and alone, she's up against the whole town, targeted by bullying former classmates, a bigoted small town sheriff, and a tribe who refuses to help one of their own. But when Brenna realizes she's as trapped by the past as White Bird is, this time she won't turn her back on him. She's the only one who can free them both.

Even if she has to expose her secret—a "gift" she's kept hidden her whole life.

Brianna's Words

---

I have gotten the eGalley from NetGalley, and since Harliquen Teen publishes awesome books, I've decided to feature this on a new meme I adapted on my blog - Feature Friday. 


This book has all the things I'm interested in: interesting and complex characters and backstories, a creepy-sounding story, immortal beings, supernatural creatures, mental illnesses, etc. I can tell that I will thoroughly enjoy this book, and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of this e-book. 


I can tell that I will love the main character, Brenna, and what I've read of the prologue has me already captivated by Dane's writing style. This is such a refreshing type of book that I will be looking forward to reading the rest of, and if Dane writes more young adult books, then I will definitely find some way to get my hands on it. 

Prologue

---

You can read it by clicking here.

Meet the Author

---

I make up stuff for a living. Who knew I could get paid for that? Voices come to me, from deep inside my head and I consider that to be a good thing...for now. (No, I'm not on meds. That would really screw me up.) I'm an observer, a listener and a scribe. And I'm cynical by nature—and by choice—and frequently indulge my inner smart-ass. I'm perfectly content in the solitude of my head, poking and prodding the three pounds of gray matter taking up that space. Guess if my brain ever takes a real vay-kay, I can lease out my skull to a much more deserving occupant.

 Goodreads | Blog | Book Site

Trailer

---

REVIEW - The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong

Book Information

---

Series: Darkest Powers | Book No.: 1 | Source: Library | Rating: 4.5 / 5 (☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ 1/2)

Summary

---

My name is Chloe Saunders and my life will never be the same again. 

All I wanted was to make friends, meet boys, and keep on being ordinary. I don't even know what that means anymore. It all started on the day that I saw my first ghost--and the ghost saw me. 

Now there are ghosts everywhere and they won't leave me alone. To top it all off, I somehow got myself locked up in Lyle House, a "special home" for troubled teens. Yet the home isn't what it seems. Don't tell anyone, but I think there might be more to my housemates than meets the eye. The question is, whose side are they on? It's up to me to figure out the dangerous secrets behind Lyle House . . . before its skeletons come back to haunt me.

Review

---

I can't believe that I waited THREE YEARS to read this book. I waited until my library offered a newer copy of this book due to the fact that the original one they had was water-damaged and appeared to have been thrown up on. Enough with what you don't care about.

It was such a refreshing read. I haven't read anything like this. The book follows the character, Chloe Sanders, who is lifted from her normal like the day she sees her first ghost. She is taken to the Lyle House where she is labeled to having schizophrenia. Chloe is smarter than that, and she believes that something suspicious is occurring within in the Lyle House. A dark secret that will determine her fate and those of her newly-formed friends. 


I love this book! It was such a new thing to read due to the fact that I've never read a book about a necromancer before, and I will DEFINITELY be reading more books about necromancers. 


The whole plot in itself was unique, but I don't really plan on revealing most of it due to the fact that it might give away some spoilers, and who wants that? All the characters, ranging from crush-worthy to I-want-to-rip-their-heads-off-and-feed-them-to-children, shaped and molded the book into its awesome foundation. The characters that I loved were Chloe and Derek, who turns out to be someone COMPLETELY different than you thought he was, and the character I hated the most because of the last twenty pages of the book is Aunt Lauren. Read the book, and you'll find out why! 


All in all, I highly recommend this book, and I definitely will read the rest of this series to see where Chloe and her friends end up!  

Meet the Author

---

Kelley Armstrong has been telling stories since before she could write. Her earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to her teachers' dismay. All efforts to make her produce "normal" stories failed. 

Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She's the author of the NYT-bestselling "Women of the Otherworld" paranormal suspense series and "Darkest Powers" young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets. 

Website | Twitter | FaceBook | Goodreads 

REVIEW - God's Answers 4 UR Life

God's Answers 4 UR LIfe by Steve Russo


Pages: 288


Rating: 5 / 5 (☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼)


Review: 
NetGalley is awesome. I love it, and this is how I found this book.

As you know, I'm not really much of a person that reads realistic books or Christian-based books because I'm more of a YA fiction nerd, but as you can tell, the day has come where I am reviewing a Christian book.

And what an awesome one it is.

It's a teen guide to all the topics and situations teens are going through today, varying from sex to pornography to even vampries! Yes. I thought it was a silly thing to add, but the entry actually makes sense. Each topic provides a little section where the author relates the topic to your relationship with Jesus, and how the world can glorify it, but following Jesus is the way to go.

Here's an excerpt of a hot topic: Lust

Lust is a struggle for lots of people living in our seductive culture. Being bombarded daily with advertising for material stuff every day can cause us to have an uncontrolled appetite for bling and bank. These intense feelings or cravings for things like cars, clothes, and cash can easily own our emotions and consume us. But even worse can be intense feelings of sexual desire. These thoughts and feelings can quickly and easily become uncontrolled in our life. And it’s not just a guy thing. Girls struggle with lust just like guys do. And all of us can have trouble sorting through our emotions to discover if we are dealing with lust or love. We might think that we really care about someone when instead we really are craving them. Lust can get so intense and out of control that we end up in a type of emotional prison. It can be a tough one to escape from. But if we truly want to escape from the bondage of lust, God can give us the strength and courage we need to be free. It takes time and discipline, but with His help it’s doable.

Behave like obedient children. Don’t let your lives be controlled by your desires, as they used to be.
~1 Peter 1:14 CEV


Don’t lust for her beauty. Don’t let her coy glances seduce you.
~Proverbs 6:25 NLT


“But I tell you that if anyone looks at a woman and wants to sin sexually with her, in his mind he has already done that sin with the woman.”
~Matthew 5:28 NCV


And because we belong to Christ Jesus, we have killed our selfish feelings and desires.
~Galatians 5:24 CEV


Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls.
~1 Peter 2:11 NLT


Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.
~Romans 13:14 NLT


For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.
~1 John 2:16 NIV

This is a very helpful guide for a lost and faithful teenager. I will definitely be buying this one to keep with me at all times. Very, very refreshing reminder that God is always with us, and there is a way out even if the path looks dark. Bravo!

REVIEW - I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder

Girl meets boy.  

Girl loses boy. 

Girl gets boy back... 

...sort of. 

Ava can't see him or touch him, unless she's dreaming. She can't hear his voice, except for the faint whispers in her mind. Most would think she's crazy, but she knows he's here. 

Jackson. The boy Ava thought she'd spend the rest of her life with. He's back from the dead, as proof that love truly knows no bounds.

Review:
I have never really been into the free-verse novels, but I picked this up looking for a short read, and what I found was something more intense than what I was looking for. 


I Heart You, You Haunt Me is a tragic story following Ava shortly after she lost her boyfriend, Jackson, to a horrific accident that she felt she could have prevented. Even though most books I have read that deal with a girl loosing the love of her life are so cliché and annoying that I have to put the book down, but with this book, the poetry style the author beautifully created and crafted shaped the events in my mind with such few words. 


First, I have to say that this cover is beautiful, and the title?! Don't get me started. It's wonderful in every way. Another aspect I completely devoured about this book is that this author's writing style? It's absolutely flawless! And I believe that this is her first published novel. 


The way the author wrote about Ava's struggle to cope with her boyfriend's lost as she starts to feel him and sense his presence totally sucked me in to her mind and world. I felt that I was trapped in Ava's flesh. The encounters with her deceased boyfriend felt so close to me, and the author's song references (ex: Taking Over Me by Evanescence, some Greenday song I believe, etc.) that play during the episodes where she feels him only adds to the tension since the reader is most likely familiar with the song choices. 


All in all, if you haven't read this book, you must read it. It's a short book full of emotions, feelings,  and a teenage romance that goes beyond the grave. I will definitely be reading Chasing Brooklyn sometime soon since my library has it! 


Cover: A 
I. Love. This. Cover. It's so symbolic and PRETTY!

Teaser Tuesday (04)

This addition of TEASER TUESDAY is brought to you by Richelle Mead's best-selling series, The Vampire Academy. The second book to be exact, Frostbite. 


Here is the excerpt: 
The resort was gorgeous. It was built to sort of look like a log cabin, but no pioneer cabin could have held hundreds of people or had such luxury accommodations. Three stories of gleaming, golden-colored wood sat among lofty pine trees. The windows were tall and gracefully arched, tinted for Moroi convenience. Crystal lanterns -- electric, but shaped to look like torches -- hung around all the entrances, giving the entire building a glittering, almost bejeweled look.
~ pg. 129


I think it was describing the Montana ski resort? I'm not sure. . .? I haven't read it since summer so- yeah. What's in YOUR TEASER TUESDAY?

Cover Crazy (04)

 Leave it to Melissa Marr to always have a gorgeous cover with an equally gorgeous title!


I have just started recently reading this series, and while I have yet to read Ink Exchange, I can't wait for this book to come out! It's the last book in the Wicked Lovely series, and it's promised to be the best one yet. 


I am one of those people that comes upon a series right when the last book is about to be released. It has been proven over and over and over again. I started to read the Vampire Academy series a couple of months before Last Sacrifice was coming out, then you have Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and don't get me started on my 13-year-delay on the Harry Potter series! All in all, my luck sucks, and hopefully yours doesn't. 


So I can't wait to get to this book! Beautiful cover, and it has been dedicated by my COVER CRAZY. What's yours for this week?

Blog Hop / Follow Friday (02)

I need to be better at this, shouldn't I?
Follow My Book Blog Friday is hosted by the lovely Parajunkee who is an amazing blog designer. Check out her PURPLE blog! (: (I love purple if you haven't noticed. . .) 


Her question of the week is. . . 
What makes up your non-human family?
I have four dogs - Rocky, (a rottweiler/golden retriever mix) BJ, (a chow chow, golden retriever mix) Max, (a mix we have no idea of), and Neeko. (She's the only girl, and she's a peek-a-poodle. Look it up! They're so cute!) We also have a cat named Mitch. (He's a grey American short-hair, and he's fat and lazy, but he's a cuddly one when he's fed.) I also love my Cleverbot. She's sexy~

Crazy-For-Books question is. . . 

Why do you read the genre you do? What draws you to it?

I love Young Adult fantasy. For one thing, the main characters are teens, (and I can relate to them) and I just love fantasy creatures to death. I've loved them since I could even remember. My first written book, which I wrote in first grade and was bounded by cardboard, was about mermaids! Disney did influence me that much.

If you participate in either of these, (or both of these like I do) then comment down below so I can check you out, or you can just answer either question. I would love to hear more from you!

REVIEW - Hourglass by Claudia Gray

**NOTE**: If you have not read this book, then I would suggest that you not read the summary, but if you're not looking forward to read this book, then you can go right ahead.  

Bestselling author Claudia Gray’s Evernight series continues. In Hourglass, Bianca and Lucas have found a way to be together. But it means lying to the people who care about them the most.  

After escaping from Evernight Academy, the vampire boarding school, Bianca and Lucas seek refuge with Black Cross, the elite group of vampire hunters led by Lucas’s stepfather. When Bianca’s close friend—the vampire Balthazar—is captured by Black Cross, Bianca knows she has to do whatever it takes to save him. But at what cost? 

First Sentence: n/a (Returned it to the library before writing this review like an idiot.)


Review: 
**SPOILER ALERT** So beware. . .  
Ah. . . Evernight. You never fail to make me angry and sad at the same time, but you managed to become even more depressing than usual. 


As usual, the vampire-to-vampire action (or in this one, it can be vampire-to-human) is swift, beautifully written, and educes page-turning fever as you're desperately trying to find out what's happening next. You are caught with the forbidden love between the vampire hunter, Lucas, and the vampire, Bianca. Yes, it's clichéd, but somehow this book makes it refreshing, and dare I say, sexy. There must be crack in between the pages. 


As the tension between Bianca and Lucas's relationship only gets more and more heavy, horrible things start to happen: Bianca joins the Black Cross with her Evernight friend, Raquel, to be with Lucas, but it's not a fairytale happily-ever-after as they thought it would be. Someone spills the beans that Bianca's a vampire, and Lucas and Bianca are forced to go on the run. They haven't fully escaped the crazed, closed-minded Black Cross when Bianca faced an even worse side of her that she doesn't want to accept: wraiths are coming after her. She starts to have dizzy spells, she's getting deathly sick, and her health is startling to decline rapidly, as well as her body temperature. 


Oh, and if you don't want to know, then don't read this part. She dies. Yes, that's it. Bianca dies. I was sad. I was at the brink of tears. Claudia Gray describes her death as such a beautiful yet terrible thing, and the scene where Bianca is hovering over her dead body and Lucas, who is crying his little green eyes out, broke my heart. I put the book down for a second and told Kirston that the book is depressing, but you have to admit: depressing books are fun. 


But the ending is such a freakin' CLIFFHANGER! I can't wait until Afterlife comes out! I've heard pretty great things about it, and I fear it'll be the last book in the series. D: Oh no!


IF YOU DON'T LIKE SEX, WELL THEN DON'T READ THIS BOOK! Bianca and Lucas engage in sexual activity at least twice, but Gray doesn't go in depth, thank God. Just to imply that they're doing the naughty-naughty. 


Rating:  4 / 5 (☼ ☼ ☼ ☼)


Cover: B
Eh. It's black, but it's pretty! (:

Waiting on Wednesday (04)

How do you like the new blog layout? (: I LOOOOVE IITT!


So on this awesome edition of Waiting on Wednesday, I have to show this awesome-sounding book. I plan on purchasing/checking out this book for my Debut Author Challenge: The 2011 Edition. 


The Demon Trapper's Daughter is by Jana Oliver, and it is set to be released on February 1st, so it's approaching! This is the first book in, you guessed, the Demon Trapper series. 


SUMMARY:
Riley has always wanted to be a Demon Trapper like her father, and she's already following in his footsteps as one of the best. But it's tough being the only girl in an all-guy world, especially when three of those guys start making her life more complicated: Simon, the angelic apprentice who has heaven on his side; Beck, the tough trapper who thinks he's God's gift, and Ori, the strikingly sexy stranger who keeps turning up to save her ass. One thing's for sure - if she doesn't keep her wits about her there'll be hell to pay...


I think I haven't had my mega dose of powerful-female-heroine in the YA section, or maybe I have just been reading the wrong things. For most of the books I have read, the females have been, well, pathetic, so the refreshing realization that there is such thing as A POWERFUL GIRL CHARACTER! See? I've been wanting to see this. 


So what are you waiting for?

Contest Hosted By 'Once Upon a Quote'. . .

So an awesome blogger, Once Upon a Quote, is hosting an AMAZING giveaway! Did I mention it's INTERNATIONAL?! 


Go HERE to get all the details. 


You can win either Matched or Rules of Attraction: two VERY popular YA books.


In order to enter, you go click on the hyperlink I have provided and leave a comment on which book you want. THAT'S IT! Plain and simple. Oh, but you have to leave your e-mail, your country, and there are EXTRA ENTRIES. 2 for a sidebar mention, 2 for following, and 5 for a blog post, (like I'm doing now!) so what are you waiting for? (: 


DO IT!


Wow. This was short, but I think that this should be said: this is an awesome giveaway.