Starters by Lissa Price

Synopsis:   Callie lost her parents when the Spore Wars wiped out everyone between the ages of twenty and sixty. She and her little brother, Tyler, go on the run, living as squatters with their friend Michael and fighting off renegades who would kill them for a cookie. Callie's only hope is Prime Destinations, a disturbing place in Beverly Hills run by a mysterious figure known as the Old Man. He hires teens to rent their bodies to Enders—seniors who want to be young again. Callie, desperate for the money that will keep her, Tyler, and Michael alive, agrees to be a donor. But the neurochip they place in Callie's head malfunctions and she wakes up in the life of her renter, living in her mansion, driving her cars, and going out with a senator's grandson.

It feels almost like a fairy tale, until Callie discovers that her renter intends to do more than party—and that Prime Destinations' plans are more evil than Callie could ever have imagined. . . 

My 2 cents:  This book started off kind of slow for me.  But about halfway through, it really started to pick up.  It was confusing, the fact that you had other people in other people's bodies, and it was hard to know who was who and what was really going on.  It frustrated me a lot, until I got to the end and realized that was how the author pulled off the big twist at the end!

I've heard a lot of mixed reviews for this book.  Some loved it, some didn't like it at all.  Parts of the story do seem kind of disjointed, it doesn't have a very natural flow.  But the story itself is very creative, creepy, and action packed!  I will definitely be reading the sequel, Enders, and I hope you give Starters a chance!  4 stars

The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong

Synopsis:  Shes sees dead people--and they see her.  Chloe Saunders used to have a pretty normal life.  But that changed on the day she met her first ghost.  Locked up in Lyle House, a group home for troubled teens, she finds out there's more to the home's teen residents than meets the eye.  Will Chloe be able to uncover the dangerous secrets of Lyle House... or will its skeletons come back to haunt her.

My 2 cents:  This was an intense read!  Nonstop thrills all the way through!  I loved Chloe, and how the author set up her "talent" as a path to self discovery.  Everyone else (including her beloved aunt who watches her) thinks she is simply schizo, but a few of the other teens in the house actually believe her!

As for the other teens--that's where a lot of the drama comes in!  First there is Liz, who seems pretty normal and whom Chloe makes friends with...but something seems a bit off. Then there's Rae, who has an obsession with fire.  And foster brothers Simon and Derek...Chloe doesn't know what to make of them.  Simon is cute, and seems perfectly normal, while Derek is an acne covered giant with super strength and huge chip on his shoulder.

Meanwhile, while Chloe is playing the game and pretending not to be seeing any ghosts so she can get out of Lyle House, strange things are happening.  Pretty soon, it looks like there is a sinister plot with the head of the house and the doctors there.  And you won't believe what is really happening!  Loved this book, can't wait to read the next one!  4 stars!

Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Synopsis:
NEWSOUL
Ana is new.  For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes.  When Ana was born, another soul vanished and no one knows why.

NOSOUL
Even Ana's own mother thinks she's a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society.  To escape her seclusion and learn whether she'll be reincarnated.  Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are afraid of what her presence means.  When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

HEART
Sam believes Ana's new soul is good and worthwhile.  When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms.  But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana's enemies--human and creature alike--let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else's life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?

My 2 cents:  WOW!  This book was absolutely amazing!  I devoured every page, and was so sad when it was over!  This author has created an original piece of art in this book!

I loved everything about it.  The whole premise was very interesting--a million souls exist in Range, and they are always reincarnated.  All souls remember every life, so they are in essence thousands of years old.  No one knows exactly how they were created, or how reincarnation is even possible.  All they know is there is a white temple in the middle of a city the was built for them with white walls that have a heartbeat, and that supposedly a god named Janan is the creator of it all.  Not all souls believe that, though.

Ana has lived a cruel life up until the age of 18, never having any human contact but her mother, who tortures her as much as possible.  When she finally leaves for the city to find answers, she ends up in danger and is rescued by Sam.  Sam takes care of her while she is healing, and when they finally get to the city, he becomes her "Guardian" by the council, who vote to allow Ana in Heart as long as Sam is responsible for her.

I completely fell in love with Sam.  Every page made me swoon along with Ana!  All the characters in this book felt so real.  There is plenty of romance, plenty of laughs, plenty of action, and a few twists.  I have no idea where the story will take us in the sequel, but I can't wait!  5 stars!

Friday Finds #2

Friday Finds is put on by Should Be Reading.  We share the book titles you discovered or heard about during the past week. These can be books you were told about, books you discovered while browsing blogs/bookstores online, or books that you actually purchased. MOST of the books MizB shares in her Friday Finds are titles that she discovered somewhere online —not actually books she’s purchased.


This week my Friday Finds are new books that someone mentioned that I want to read!

And also, The Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling.  It doesn't even have a cover yet!


Did you find any books this week?

In My Mailbox #5

In My Mailbox is put on every Sunday by The Story Siren.  We share what books we received the last week: whether bought, won, received for review, or checked out from the library!  This is actually the last 2 weeks for me.  I was on vacation last week so didn't have time to do my IMM!

Books I bought:

Book I received for review:

Book I checked out from the library:

Book I won (and ARC)

What did you receive in your mailbox?

JK Rowling's next book has been announced!

Can you believe it?  Her new book has been announced!  I knew she was writing something, but I was excepting it to take another 10 years, lol.  It is an adult book called The Casual Vacancy and will be released September 27, 2012!  Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

When Barry Fairweather dies unexpectedly in his early forties, the little town of Pagford is left in shock. 

Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war. 

Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils...Pagford is not what it first seems. 

And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations?

It sounds really interesting to me.  I will definitely read it, because she is my favorite author!  Will most likely buy it, too!

What do you all think?

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

Synopsis:  I’m pushing aside the memory of my nightmare, 

pushing aside thoughts of Alex,
pushing aside thoughts of Hana and my old school,
push,
push,
push,
like Raven taught me to do.
The old life is dead.
But the old Lena is dead too.
I buried her.
I left her beyond a fence,
behind a wall of smoke and flame.

Lauren Oliver delivers an electrifying follow-up to her acclaimed New York Times bestseller, Delirium. This riveting, brilliant novel crackles with the fire of fierce defiance, forbidden romance, and the sparks of a revolution about to ignite.

My 2 cents:  This book was amazing!  I read it all in one day!  Okay, first off, I was so heartbroken at the end of Delirium, I wasn't sure I was going to be able to read this book.  But I had to know what happened to Lena!

Lena finds some other invalids.  Adjusting to life outside the wall is not easy.  Its all about survival, and letting go of Alex is even harder for Lena.  She does start to adjust, but just as things get better, they get worse.

The book goes back and forth from THEN and NOW.  Two different stories are being told her.  THEN is when she first escapes the fence and finds the invalid.  NOW is a mission she is on in New York to penetrate the resistance.  Both stories are nonstop, heart-pounding, excitement!  And in the NOW she meets a new boy...is it possible for Lena to fall in love again?

I love how the story was told, and kept me guessing throughout.  I loved Lena even more in this book, especially the choices she makes.  She always show true spirit, courage, and love.  The other characters were really hard for me to like at all; except for Julian and Blue.  I respected Raven, but didn't really like her all that much.  She was way to hard on Lena.

Overall, a great sequel to Delirium!  Now I have to wait forever for the next book!  5 stars