My Reading Week Re-Cap

So after a couple of busy weeks of summer I've concluded that I don't really have much time for my blog!  I have read so many books this summer, and haven't really reviewed any of them!  I did rate them on Goodreads.  So I think I'm going to try to do just a weekly re-cap of my reading week.  If I'm able to have time to post more, then I will, but this atleast will motivate me to post at least once a week!  So here goes!

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/162085.Pretty_Little_Liars

I haven't watch the TV show yet, and a few of my friends love this show!  So I thought I would read the books first, like I always do!  It was pretty good.  Very creepy in a lot of ways, which was a pleasant surprise!  I gave it 4 stars!

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8635145-embrace

I LOVED this books!  I can't wait for its sequel!  The romance angst in this one was top notch!  I need to know what happens to Violet and Linc!  5 stars!

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12384972-the-princesses-of-iowa

Since I'm from Iowa, I was really excited to read this one!  I always love reading books from Iowa.  This was no exception.  This book had a fabulous plot, characters, everything.  And great romance as well!  A great contemporary young adult book!  5 stars!

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12432220-the-false-prince

This was a great fantasy read!  It is actually classified as a  children's book; I think because of the reading level.  But the story has lots violence, and is worth reading!  Reminded me a little of Cornelia Funke's novels, which I love!  Gave this one 4 stars

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10890463-immortal-hearts

Finally read the finale of the Vampire Kisses series.  I never really got hooked on this series.  It was just okay for me.  I did want to finish it though, just to find out what really happens to Raven and Alexander.  I won't give away any spoilers, but the ending satisfied me.  Almost kind of relieved this series is over!  Gave it 4 stars.

That wraps up my reading week!  I am currently reading:

which is very different, but good so far!  Hope your reading week went well, too!

In My Mailbox #9

I feel so behind on my blog!  Summer has hit with a bang, and I have been very busy!  I have had time to read,though, just no time to review anything! So I'm going to do a quick re-cap here!

Books I've Recently Read

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12908877-until-i-die

I gave it 5 stars!

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11387392-the-catastrophic-history-of-you-and-me

I gave this one 4 stars!  One quick note on it--if you haven't read our heard of this book and you love the 80s, you need to read this!  Full of 80s pop and references!

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5391115-the-awakening

I gave this one 5 stars!


Okay, now onto what I received in my IMM this week!

All the books I received were from the library:

What did you receive this week?

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

Synopsis: Once a century, One person is chosen for greatness.
 Elisa is the chosen one.
But she is also the younger of two princesses.  The one who has never done anything remarkable, and can't see how she ever will.
Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king--a king whose country is in turmoil.  A king who needs her to be the chosen one, not a failure of a princess.
And he's not the only one who seeks her.  Savage enemies, seething with dark magic, are hunting her.  A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people's savior, and he looks at her in a way no man has looked at her before.  Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake.
Elisa could be everything to those who need her most.  If the prophecy is fulfilled.  If she finds the power deep within herself.  If she doesn't die young.
Most of the chosen do.



My 2 cents:  I absolutely loved this book!  It had everything--great characters, a great plot, lots of suspense!  I especially loved Elisa--the author made her seem so ordinary, so imperfect.  It was hard to imagine that this chubby girl who loved pastries was going to save their country from war!  It really was a hero's journey--Elisa had to learn a lot to become such a kick ass heroine by the end!

I also loved the world that the author created.  I love getting immersed into a new imaginative world, and Carson delivered on that one!    The fantasy element was also great in this.  I love how the Chosen one centered around God, and was chosen by a Godstone in the baby's navel when they were named, in a special ceremony.  It was a very different way in building this world.  I saw lots of comparisons to our own world--how the majority of the public scoffs God in everyday life, and many more misquote sacred texts to try to understand their religion.  Very clever!

All in all, a great read, and if you haven't read it, I hope you will!  5 stars!

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Synopsis:  No one knows why Juliette's touch is  fatal, but The Reestablishment has plans for her.  Plans to use her as a weapon.
But Juliette has plans of her own.
After a lifetime without freedom, she's finally discovering a strength to fight back for the very first time--and to find a future with the one boy she thought she'd lost forever.


My 2 cents:  I loved, absolutely LOVED this book!  The writing style was very different, but it worked so well for the story.  The first half of it Juliette is in a mental institution/prison, and she thinks she is going insane. So her thoughts are very disjointed, and there are a lot of flashbacks, although she doesn't go into much detail in her head.  But I absolutely loved it!  It really captured her emotions, her fear, guilt, and just how worthless she felt as a human being.

Then Adam comes into the picture...and things in her life change rapidly after that.  My feelings for Adam as a character jumped around quite a bit, mostly because Juliette's did as well, as she doubted whether she could trust him or not.  Whether she can ever trust anyone, as no one in her life (except for one person) has ever showed her any kindness at all.

This novel is a dystopian novel, as becomes apparent in the last half of the book.  Our world is slowly being destroyed by environmental factors--food is scarce, animals are dying, and their are freak weather storms all the time.  Which really explains why people are acting the way they are--completely selfish.  I think its interesting that the one person in the story who is really evil (so they think) because she can kill by just touching someone, has the purest, good heart.  I'm sure that's the author's moral in this.  Its not what you ARE, but what your CHOOSE to be.  Very powerful!

Overall, this is a great story, with a very surprising ending.  I can't think of anything I did not like about the book!  5 stars!

In My Mailbox #8

In My Mailbox is put on by The Story Siren.  We highlight what books we have received this week!  It was a great book haul for me this week!

Books I bought:

I also checked out from the library:

What did you get this week?

Jessica Rules the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

Synopsis:  When Jessica Packwood found out she was a Romanian Vampire Princess, she had the shock of her teenage life.  Turns out that was the easy part.
Now, married to Prince Lucius Vladescu, she has to claim her throne and convince a vampire nation she's fit to be their queen.  But Jess can't even order a decent meal from her castle's Romanian staff, let alone deal with devious undead subjects who would love to see her fail.
And when Lucious is accused of murdering a vampire elder and imprisoned without the blood he needs, Jessica finds herself alone, fighting for both their survivals.
Desperate to clear her husband's name and win his release, Jess enlists the help of her best friend Mindy, and Lucius's mysterious Italian cousin, Raniero Lovatu.  But both of them are keeping some dark secrets.  Can Jess figure out who to trust--and how to rise to power--before she loses everything, including the vampire she loves?

My 2 cents:  I loved Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side, so I couldn't wait for this sequel!  And I was more than pleased!  This time, the setting is way different--in the first book, we experienced everything in Jessica's American teenage world.  Now we get to experience all of Lucius's Romanian heritage.

The world was perfect. Beth Fantaskey did a great job on building us a believable Romanian empire with its lavish castle and servants.  The whole thing was as dark as Jessica's world was light.  And as you can imagine, Jessica has a hard time dealing with her new life.

Things just seem to go from bad to worse for her...she doesn't get along with anyone at all in the castle, other than Lucius (of course!), her uncle, Dorin, and a mousy little cousin of hers, Ylena.  Not exactly a lot of confidence to becoming ruler there!

She is smart in getting Mindy over there to help, though.  Mindy points out the obvious--when you move to foreign country, you might want to learn to speak the language--and the not so obvious.  Meanwhile, she has a little forbidden love story she's dealing with as well!

The best part of this book, though, is the mystery element behind who killed the vampire elder?  The book is very well written, with a fabulous plot and great setting and characters! I'd have to give it 5 stars!

Shelf Candy Saturday #6

Shelf Candy Saturdays is put on by Five Alarm Book Reviews, where we feature a book cover and why we like it!

Today's Pick is Asunder by Jodi Meadows, the 2nd book in the NewSoul Series, due to release sometime in 2013

I just saw this cover today!  I've been so out of the loop lately!  I love how this cover shows Ana going through a transformation.  She was a bright new butterfly, and now she's learning how to be different.  I love that the flower petals falling look like her tears.  The colors are exquisite! Makes me really want to read this book NOW!