Stacking the Shelves[19]

Stacking The Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

 

I probably should wait to put this up because I am going book shopping tomorrow but oh well. Aside from breaking my foot and severely damaging my ankle to the point of tissue damage, I think I had a pretty decent Christmas. How was your Holidays? What did you get?

 

 

So this is my haul. I was very fortunate this Christmas and I am thankful for that. I am hoping to get quite a bit of reading done over the next two months considering I am not really allowed to leave my bed. So books, books and more books. I have a bunch of ARC's I need to read and I think I might just decide to read them all early, write the reviews and save them on my computer until it's close to publishing time. I have about 20 review books. Ahhhh!

 

 

REVIEW: Where You'll Find Me by Erin Fletcher

Title: Where You'll Find Me
Author: Erin Fletcher
Format: eBook ARC
Source: NetGalley
Publisher: Entangled: Teen
Publication Date: January 7th, 2013

REVIEW: Unique is the word that comes to mind when I reflect back on this book. Girl meets boy, girl's life revolves around boy, girl is happy. Girl met said boy in her garage... WHAT? See. Unique.

For some reason I kept thinking about The Fault in Out Stars while I was reading this and I didn't like that book too much. It only took me about 3 hours to read this book so I can't say that I wasted too much time on it but I can say I could have never read this book and my life would have gone on perfectly.

I think one of the few things I did enjoy about this book is that garage boys name is Nate and I haven't read a book with the name Nate in it and that is one of my favorite names.

I really disliked Hanley's parents until the last few pages of the book. They were all about status and didn't seem to care that their daughter was grieving and suffering. Heather was kind of the same way. She was in her own little world but at least she does try to help Hanley.

I did like the fact that the story wasn't just focused on the boy in the garage. Everyone had their own story and I enjoyed getting to know each character.

I also didn't like Nate's parents. What kind of parent instantly jumps to the conclusion that one of their sons killed the other? No parent would ever want to believe that. It just seemed like they loved Jeremy more than they did Nate.

This is just one of those really sad books where people die and someone who was connected to those dead people ends up finding love. Blah. Blah. Blah. But finding love in your garage is still unique.

The authors writing was extremely repetitive. Black ChapStick, every kiss is like the first, UGH!

Overall, I gave the book 3.5/5 Kitty's.

Goodreads | Amazon

Stacking The Shelves[18]

Stacking The Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

God it's been forever since I've done one of these. It's not that I haven't been getting books... Ive just been ridiculously lazy. But anyways... It's long.. (that's what she said?)

BookOutlet

2nd&Charles

Ollies

I told you it was long... I also have 3 packages that were supposed to be here TODAY but with Christmas all the mail is all screwed up. My one package went from Jersey City, NJ to Memphis TN. I live in Maryland... Please tell me why my package had to go 600 miles down to TN when I live RIGHT UNDER NJ. I want to rage. But I won't. Thank you for looking =)

REVIEW: Fracture Me by Tahereh Mafi

Title: Fracture Me
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Format: eBook
Source: Amazon
Publisher: Harper

REVIEW: This novella was short. No shorter than most novella's but I feel teased and emotional now.

Adam was an emotional wreck and I kind of think he needs to put on his big boy panties. He was very whiny and every little thing got to him.

The book was definitely a good reminder of what happened at the end of Unravel Me. I was lost at first and then it all started to come together.  It also added some insight as to what happened after Juliette was taken.

It also hit me that the "war" in the book is reminding me of World War II. Lining people up and shooting them. Soldiers blindly following a tyrants orders. Innocent people dying at the hands of someone who wants to control everything.

Now I can't wait to read Ignite Me. What happened to Omega Point? What is Adam going to do with the news he just got?

And just as a little side note. There is a place at the top of the cover that say "I will not lose her" and I find that to be very inaccurate to the novella because Adam doesn't even worry about Juliette through the entire novella. In fact he seems to think of her more as a burden than anything.

Overall, I gave the book 4.5/5 Kitties.

REVIEW: The Diviners by Libbra Bray

Title: The Diviners
Author: Libba Bray
Format: Hardback
Source: Bought
Publisher: Little, Brown

REVIEW: The Diviners took my Historical Fiction virginity. And I loved it! I have tried to read other Historical fiction books before but I never got very far or got disinterested due to the writing and not understanding what was going on.

Maybe it was the murder or maybe it was Jericho but for some reason I was taken with this book and I couldn't put it down half the time.

Evie is such an amazing character. She is reeling with pain from losing her brother but she still somehow manages to be rowdy and cheerful. She is nothing like most girls of her time and she is proud of it. I did find it kind of sad that she felt the need to be so "out there" in order to be seen. But Jericho proves that she was seen regardless of what she did.

I loved how everyone that was portrayed had different problems and abilities. I am still a little bit confused as to how Jericho is going to play into this in the second book. He isn't like the others but he is different.

Henry... Seriously. This book touches on homosexuality and I'm shocked it did giving the time period. But, hey, love has no bounds or time periods.

I am still trying to get a good clear picture of Naughty John in my head. He keeps changing back and forth from a "God" to a ghost with a walking stick.

I think Sam's story is going to involve everyone in the next book. With the ending and what Will pulled out of the book I definitely think the next book will show how they are all connected, hopefully.

I think James is still around too. I just have a funny feeling that he's going to pop up out of nowhere.
Libba Bray is so amazing with world building and character molding. I found myself imagining this world very easily and I adore that.

Overall, I gave the book 4/5 Kitties.

REVIEW: Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry

Title: Pushing The Limits
Author: Katie McGarry
Format: Hardback
Source: Bought
Publisher:Harlequin Teen

REVIEW: I checked this book out from the library two months ago and it suffered the syndrome of I don't want to read it because I don't own it. Yes, that is real. At least to me it is. But then I found this book at a used book store and I grabbed it and ran off into the sunset with it. Yes, that also was real considering the sun was setting when we left the store.

Oh, Noah... Where for art thou, Noah. He was amazing. The pot smoking would have turned me off though. But aside from his bad habits he was a great guy with actual morals, at least when it came to Echo. Before Echo... Well.. That is an entirely different story.

I REALLY loved Echo. She was strong even though she had been through so much. Losing two family members in such a short period of time and becoming physically scarred should really screw with someone. But she managed to keep up with school even though she became somewhat of a recluse. And if she wasn't a recluse before she sure as hell would have been after Noah. I find it funny that the people who actually have good intentions are the ones who get bullied or shunned in High School while the slutty, rich people are pushed to the top. This world is a messed up place.

This is also another one of those books where I want to strangle the parent. Echo's father was a real piece of work. In my opinion he was a shattered vase that was swept up and thrown in a furnace and melted back together. He was shattered but hid behind his daughters pain and problems. And banging the babysitter and then marrying her and "replacing" his dead son aren't exactly role model choices. He pushed Echo too far and I am glad she broke free of that.

Echo's mom on the other hand was the one who broke that vase and put it into the furnace. But at least she had a mental disorder so that was her excuse. The father has no excuse for his actions.

Echo was born into this life, Noah wasn't. Noah was a product of unfortunate events. Echo was in a way too but she was still born into her problems. Noah's problems didn't start until after his parents were gone.

This book was pretty much perfection when it comes to contemporary YA with these kinds of situations. I think the author wrote the book beautifully and she really captured the essence of the teenage heart.

Overall, I gave the book 4/5 Kitties.

Blog updates

Hello my lovelies! I just wanted to update everyone on what the future holds for my blog. I will no longer be posting random reviews of the books I read. Instead I will post review for newly released or ARC books WITH the occasional random review. I have come to the understanding that most people don't want to read reviews about older books or see the same stuff over and over again so I am going to try and not bore you guys. I will still be reading whatever I want and probably reviewing it on Goodreads but for the most part there will be five reviews a month on this blog unless I feel the need to review a book because it was just that darn good.

I wanted to take a moment to thank all of my followers and fan. Blogging is a huge passion of mine and so is reading so I am glad I can be of service to some people and help other find awesome reading material!

Personal Updates

I wanted to apologize for my absence. I am currently dealing with losing my place to live. I trusted my family to pay their mortgage while I was paying them rent and they have recently lost the house so I am now stuck without a home pretty much.

Watch who you trust.

So I am in the process of trying to find a new place to rent but it's proving to be difficult because everywhere I look you need to make at least 30k to live there.

I have lost sleep over this. I have cried myself into a trance like state. I have not talked to people for days on end because of my situation. I trusted my family and because of their selfishness and the need to constantly fight with each other and prove who is the breadwinner, we have all lost our home.

Upon moving I will also be losing my job so that makes everything even more difficult and stressful. This time of year is also when my fiancee doesn't get that many hours.

So, this my dear readers, is my pitiful excuse as to why I have been so horrible with blogging lately.

I did read 8 books in November. I just couldn't bring myself to write reviews when I could barely get out of bed and feed myself.

Top 5 Books I Am Thankful For

In honor of Thanksgiving coming up I decided to do a Top 5 books that I am most thankful for. If anyone else would like to do this then please feel free. I am also doing a youtube video on my channel with the same topic tomorrow.

Coming in at number 5 is:

Resilient by Patricia Vanasse

I really loved this book. It was so different from anything else I have ever read and I am grateful that I got a chance to get to know the author and review this for her. Please check this book out if you enjoy books about people with powers and romance.

Coming in at number 4 is:

Easy by Tammara Webber

This was one of the first New Adult books that I ever read and I completely adored it and I don't even like contemporary books. I am thankful that I read this book because it got me into the New Adult genre.

Coming in at number 3 is:

Pretty Girl-13 by Liz Coley

I would have to say that this year was definitely a year full of books like no other. This book was so completely different and creepy. It touched on a subject that I had never even heard of before.

Coming in at number 2 is:

 

The Archived by Victoria Schwab

This book was so completely original. It proved to me that there are some authors around who don't just jump onto bandwagons and try to make money off of other peoples ideas.

And coming in at number 1 is:

Forevermore by Cindy Miles

This book was honestly my favorite book of the year. Without this book I probably wouldn't have fallen in love with ghosts. Because of this book I have read about 10 ghost themed books.

 

 

These are my top 5 books that I am most thankful for. Do you have any books that you couldn't live without now that you have read it? Comment and let me know or make your own post and leave me a link.

REVIEW: Ink by Amanda Sun

Title: Ink(Paper Gods, bk 1)
Author: Amanda Sun
Format: ARC paperback
Source: Arcycling
Publisher: Harlequin Teen

REVIEW: I think the book confused me more than anything. All the different words and things I had to look up just to understand what I was reading was slightly frustrating. And what frustrated me even more was the fact that there was a glossary in the back of the book that could have prevented me from having to look everything up.

The parts that I did understand I liked. I will probably re-read this book slowly in the next few months and redo my review for it now that I know how to prepare myself. I hate when I don't finish a book so I read the entire book but I found myself skimming pages just trying to get to parts that I would like and understand.

One thing that greatly confused me was the fact that the main character, Katie, was supposedly speaking Japanese throughout the entire book but everything is mostly in English. It made it very hard to believe she was speaking Japanese. I think the author should have just said that the Japanese people were speaking English.

I did love the imagination it took to write about drawings and art coming to life. The pictures in the book were beautiful and I imagined myself in a world where there was beautifully drawn birds and things just flying around.

The action in the book was pretty good and the romance was a little on the dull side. The characters were well built and the world building was a little iffy to me. The Japanese Mafia thing was definitely weird and a little confusing.

The author is very creative and definitely has a gift for writing but sadly her beautiful work was lost on me. Like I said I will probably go back and re-read this in a few months so then maybe I can understand the book better. I also believe the book is part of a series, the next book is The Paper Gods, so if I enjoy the book the second time around I will probably continue with the series.

Overall, I gave the book 3.5/5 Kitties.

REVIEW: Because I Am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas

Title: Because I Am Furniture
Author: Thalia Chaltas
Format: Hardback
Source: Library Sale/Bought
Publisher: Viking Juvenile

REVIEW: When I first saw this book I thought "That is a freaking weird name." so I just passed on it and went on to look for other books. But then I saw someone on BookTube do a review for it and I found out the it was a book written in verse about a girl who lives in an abusive family but she is ignored and that sparked my interest. I went back to the used book store I first saw it at and it wasn't there. Two months later I found it at a library book sale.

I really thought I would love this book. I adore almost anything that is written in verse. Sadly, that was not the case.

The characters seemed pretty one dimensional. They weren't very emotional. For a book about sexual and physical abuse I kind of expected more of an emotional impact.

This is one of those verse books where you definitely don't get the full story. The book bounced all over the place and a lot of the time I was pretty confused with what was going on.

One thing that bothers me is when Anke catches her father with Angeline why does she feel sorry for Angeline? With the way Anke acts through-out the book she almost welcomes her fathers abuse ever though he mostly ignored her. I would think Anke would be jealous of Angeline. But then I am also posed with the question, is this the turning moment for Anke? Is this when she finally realized that her dad really hurts people and she doesn't actually want that?

I kind of found the book to be a little on the sick and twisted side. I understand Anke is dying for attention but who the hell would wish to be abused?!

Also, what happened to her father that causes this sudden change? Why is he kissing random women. None of these things are explained and its quite frustrating.

If there would have a been a little more depth to the book then I would have really liked it. But with what I was given I can't help but feel rather neutral about the book. I didn't hate it and I definitely didn't love it.

Overall, this book was lacking and left me needing more than what was provided so I gave the book 3/5 Kitties.

Book Spotlight[1]

Sooo. This wonderful authors book came out a week early. You know what that means?! I have to hype it up. Soooo clicky the picture to go to amazon, read the premise and buy buy buy!! It's on sale for .99 for a limited time.

You honestly can't go wrong with sex, love, hate, zombies, crumbling world... You just can't.

Alive (Crave bk#1)

Megan D. Martin

Also, please check out the author! I linked her facebook to her name under the picture. She is an awesome person!

Stacking The Shelves[17]

Stacking The Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

 

I will probably be adding more tomorrow. I am waiting for a few packages to come in the mail.

 

REVIEW: Princesses Behaving Badly by Linda Rodriguez McRobbie

Title: Princesses Behaving Badly
Author: Linda Rodriguez McRobbie
Format: Hardback
Source: Publisher
Publisher: Quirk Books
Publication Date: November 19th 2013

REVIEW: There is so much that can be said about this book but I'm afraid that most of those things contain spoilers. This book is basically a reference for naughty princesses, both real and made up.

The women in this book have all stood their ground and made it clear that men ARE NOT the better sex. No matter if its war, politics, sex scandals, murder or ruling a country, these princesses have all had enough and they decided to take over and raise hell.

This book is good for anyone who wants to write a paper for school about princesses or rebellious women. I wish I actually had this book when I was in 10th grade when I was wrote about female murderers.

It have little sections of really short descriptions of certain princesses that I guess weren't known enough to have more written about them. Anything from pirates to cross-dressers to wrestlers is what these princesses are.

It is shocking to read exactly how people lived before us. I think China has the worst when it comes to royal murders. People killed their mothers, brothers, cousins and even their own children just to have a clear line at the throne.

I think my favorite princess out of the entire book was Isabella of France. Her story also shows that homosexuality has existed for an extremely long time.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves reading about history and especially those who love reading about strong women taking a stand.

Overall, I have the book 4/5 Kitties.

This book as sent to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: Alive by Megan D. Martin

Title: Alive (Crave #1)
Author: Megan D. Martin
Format: ebook ARC
Source: Author
Publisher: Self

REVIEW:

Umm... Wow? I'm still not completely sure how I am going to word this review so I hope it comes out good.

This book was awesome. It is New Adult + Zombies. It is a younger, sexier version of The Walking Dead.

Eve is an amazing character both in the before and now. She chose her own path in life regardless of how her horrible parents raised her. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about her sister, Olive.

Eve is extremely brave and she doesn't want anyone thinking they can boss her around. She makes it through so many hardships on her own that its hard to believe she came out of everything without being more damaged. She has a lot of trust issues but those are definitely expected and not without warrant.

Gage is.... my feelings towards Gage range from awe to rage. He has so much anger and he has no real reason for it. He hurt Eve and he acts like she has no reason to hate him.

I highly dislike Olive. She is weak both in mind and physically. She lets a man have his way with her whenever he wants and she enjoys it. Eve has killed for less.

Going back and forth between Eve/Gage, Olive and The Before was very informative.

Once Eve and Gage got to Eden I felt like something bad would happen and it did. I was sooo hoping that Sally had been one of the first to become a Jenk/Gurgh.

I am so glad that the book ended the way it did. Eve needed to forgive Gage and just move on.

The author definitely has a way of keeping her readers wanting more. I read most of the book, 80%, in about 3 hours. I just kept going to the next page and by the time I was done I realized I had finished the entire book and found myself wishing I had the second book.

I am not big on New Adult or anything that goes outside of the YA genre but this book has be wondering if I should explore more.

I highly recommend this book to the lovers of zombies and have a weak spot for a good love story where the girl who was wronged gets what she wants in the end.

Overall, I gave the book 4.5/5 Kitties.

I asked the author if I could review her book and she kindly sent me an ebook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Stacking The Shelves[16]

Stacking The Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

 

 

The Unbound by Victoria Schwab - Sneak Peek Excerpt

I was perusing NetGalley this morning and came across this(click the picture):

It is the first 8 chapters of The Unbound!!! YESSSS!! I will be reading this as soon as I am done with my review book. Go check it out!

REVIEW Divergent by Veronica Roth

Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Format: Paperback
Source: Bought
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books (HarperCollins)

REVIEW: I liked it. It didn't live up to all the hype but I did like it. If you are having a hangover from The Hunger Games this is definitely the book to read.

The book was pretty fast paced for me. I had to keep putting it down because I had ordered Insurgent and was waiting for it to get here because I knew once I finished Divergent I would want to continue on right away.

Most of the characters seem pretty realistic. Peter is one of the characters I have a hard time believing. He is just a little too cruel and then at the end he had the balls to do what he did. If I was Tris I would have gotten what I needed from him and then disposed of him.

Tris, to me, seems weak and strong at the same time. She struggles to become a part of Dauntless while she is still holding on to the past. If I was her I would have some serious trust issues after what Al did.

Four/Tobias is harsh and gentle at the same time. He knows how to and where to push Tris. If it wasn't for Four, Tris wouldn't have gotten very far I think.

I would have loved to see Four stand up to his father in the end. I really hope Tris doesn't become his savior. He is supposed to be the brave one.

I was okay with Caleb throughout the book until the very end. I think Tris should have told him why she shot Peter. Maybe then he would have understood. Then again he is Abnegation at heart.

I do wonder how the next two books are going to play out. Losing almost everyone you love in a matter of hours has got to be extremely hard and I think Tris will crash and burn, at least for a short period of time.

Will... :(!

What happened to Christina and Tori? Ugh I need to read Insurgent.. NOW!

I enjoyed the romance in this book a lot more than The Hunger Games. There was equal parts romance and action.

Veronica Roth is a great writer from what I can tell and she definitely knows how to SHOW instead of TELL and I appreciate that.

The world building was pretty decent. I imagined myself in all the places she described.

Overall, I gave the book 4/5 Kitties.

City of Heavenly Fire Cover FanArt

I was doing my Top Ten Tuesday earlier and I came across some really amazing fanart people have done for the cover of City of Heavenly Fire and I really wanted to share some of it. If you click on the picture it will take you to the source of where I got it from.

There are plenty others but these three caught my attention the most. People are so amazingly creative that is blows me away.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Sequels I Must Caress

A weekly meme hosted by The Broke & The Bookish

This is my first time doing one of these I believe. This week you have to pick your top ten most anticipated sequels, AKA the books I am dying to put my hands all over. Mine are:

 1) Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi, Publication Date: February 4, 2014 by HarperCollins. I also cannot wait for the 2.5 novella Fracture Me which comes out on e-readers December 17th, 2013. A paperback copy of Destroy Me + Fracture Me will be out February 4th, 2014.

 2) Three by Kristen Simmons, Publication Date: February 11th, 2014 by Tor Teen. I can't WAIT! I am holding off reading Breaking Point because I know when I finish that I will NEEEED this. Anticipation...

 3) City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare, Publication date: May 2014 by Margaret K. McElderry (Simon and Schuster) This cover is FAN ART and it not in any way the final cover of this book. I just found it to be pretty.

4) Dreams of Gods & Monsters by Laini Taylor, Publication Date: April 8, 2014 by Little, Brown & Company. Once this book comes out I can finally read the entire series.

 5) Hollow City by Ransom Riggs, Publication Date: January 14th, 2014 by Quirk Books. OMG! This book should have came out in October! Perfect for Halloween. 

6) Independent Study by Joelle Charbonneau, Publication Date: January 7th, 2014 by HMH Books for Young Readers. Need MOAR Dystopian plox!

7) The Treatment by Suzanne Young, Publication Date: April 29th, 2014 by Simon Pulse. Has anyone ever noticed how pretty Suzanne Young is? 

8) Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray, Publication Date: August 5th, 2014 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. I so didn't know there was going to be a second book... Let the creep out fest begin!

9) The One by Kiera Cass, Publication Date: May 6th, 2014 by HarperTeen. The dresses on these covers are simple amazing. I want a wardrobe like this.

10) Between the Spark and the Burn by April Genevieve Tucholke, Publication Date: August 14th, 2014 by Dial. Uhh.. Yes, please! Sooo gorgeous.

Fracture Me by Tahereh Mafi COVER REVEAL!

Tahereh Mafi's new novella told from Adams POV will be out for e-readers December 17th. It is titled Fracture Me and the cover looks like.......

THIS!!

Isn't it beautiful?!

I seriously cannot wait for this.

ALSO, Tahereh Mafi said that Destroy Me + Fracture Me + bonus content will be out in PAPERBACK February 4th, 2014. Destroy Me is already out in book form in the Netherlands and I'm not sure where else. I am sooo glad she is making a physical book for these. My collection would never be complete without them.

What do you think of the cover? What do you think the novella will tell us?

Taherah Mafi:
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Rant... R rated. Ages 17+

This morning I sat down to write my review for The Fault in Out Stars. It was going so well. It was actually one of the longest and most detailed reviews I have ever written, mainly because I took detailed notes and marked pages in the book. But while I was on my last few words of the review my laptop decided it didn't want to be alive anymore and it completely crashed taking my notes AND review with it. Apparently anything that I saved over the past day never got saved and I am left with nothing. I am completely heart-broken. I was in love with that review. On top of all of that I am apparently clinically depressed and I sleep all day and never feel like doing anything so the fact that I felt good enough to write that this morning was amazing. Now, on the other hand, I just feel like crawling back into bed and forgetting about today. So, you know what I have to say to that?

Hopefully I will be able to sit down later after work and rewrite my review. It won't be the same and all the glory will be missing but it took me 5 days to sit down and think about the book and gather my thoughts on it and I WILL write a damn review for it. I am also currently rereading Divergent. I just read it for the first time last month but I got Insurgent and Allegiant in the mail on the same day so I decided I would reread divergent so its completely fresh in my mind.

On another note:

Does anyone have any idea for how to remedy depression? I know its "winter" and this is the time of year most people have a depressive funk but I need to get shit done. I sleep probably about 12+ hours a day. I can never sleep at night. And when I sit down to read I cant concentrate and I end up falling asleep or getting on the computer. I NEED TO READ! I bought all my book with intentions of reading them and this depression needs to screw off. Someone help meeee.

The only good part about this depression is that no matter how shitty I feel I still read my books I get for review. I think my brain is like I don't care if you are depressed you are going to at least read the books you HAVE to read.

In all honesty, if I didn't have this depression, I could read a book a day with the free time I have at work. I work 12 hours a day Monday-Friday and most of the time I'm just sitting here reading, surfing the internet or playing some random game.

But, alas, I must say goodbye my loves. It is depression nap time.