Juliababyjen's Reading Room

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Cocoa and Hype Make Every Book Nice Read A Thon Update: Day 4

My Reading List:

~~Gates of Pardise by Melissa De La Cruz~~--Finished! My Review
~~What's Left Of Me by Kat Zhang~~--Finished! My Review
The Demon Lover by Juliet Dark--on page 80--I don't think I'll finish this one.
~~Ten by Gretchen McNeil~~--Finished! My Review
Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry
~~Notes From Ghost Town by Kate Ellison~~--Finished! My Review
The Raven Boys by Maggie Steifvater
~~Clairty by Kim Harrington~~--Finished! Review Coming Soon
~~If I Stay by Gayle Forman~~--Finished! My Review
Breathe by Sarah Crossan--on page 330
Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead
The Diviners by Libby Bray--will be starting soon!

I added a couple more on the list, just in case, since I'm doing so well! It all depends on my schedule this week, though!

If you'd like to join the Read A Thon, click HERE

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Goodreads
201 pages, YA Contemporary
If I Stay #1
My rating: 5 stars

Synopsis

In a single moment, everything changes. Seventeen-year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall riding along the snow-wet Oregon road with her family. Then, in a blink, she finds herself watching as her own damaged body is taken from the wreck...

A sophisticated, layered, and heart-achingly beautiful story about the power of family and friends, the choices we all make, and the ultimate choice Mia commands.

My 2 cents

I had no idea what this book was really about. It kind of shocked me on what happened! I don't feel its a big spoiler, as it happens right in the beginning of the book. Basically, Mia, her parents, and her little kid brother all get a snow day in Oregon. They decide to have a fun day trip, and end up in a horrific car crash. Mia's parents are dead, and she and Teddy (brother) are barely hanging on. She spends the rest of the day in an out-of-body experience, watching everyone in the hospital and trying to decide if she wants to go back in her body and stay, or leave this world behind.

So its a very sad story, although there are some great light-hearted moments, too! Most of the book is flashbacks she has about her loved ones. Her biggest complication in her life at the moment is her boyfriend, Adam. He's a freshman in college and she's a high school senior. They are very much in love, but starting to drift apart. Mia is a gifted cellist, and is waiting to here if she got into Julliard. Adam is a gifted guitarist, who plays in a band, and the band is taking off. So he travels a lot.

I loved the flashbacks part of the story most of all. There is such great character development. These people in Mia's life really felt real to me. I think that's why I was in tears a few times! I especially loved her father and grandfather, and of course, Adam!

I really wasn't sure what she was going to decide. I could have seen it going either way, and I didn't feel like the story would be a happy ever after kind of story. I was surprised by the ending, and I really need to read the next book, which continues the story! This is a great contemporary, right along the likes of The Fault in Our Stars by John Green!

Monday, January 21, 2013

Gates of Paradise by Melissa De La Cruz

Goodreads
368 pages, YA Paranormal (vampires)
Blue Bloods #7 (and final book)
My rating: 4 stars

Synopsis

Schuyler Van Alen is running out of time. The Dark Prince of Hell is storming the Gates of Paradise, intent on winning the heavenly throne for good. This time he has his greatest angels by his side, Abbadon and Azrael—Jack and Mimi Force, as they are known in the Coven.

Or so he thinks. Even as Lucifer assigns Jack and Mimi the tasks of killing their true loves, the Force twins secretly vow to defeat the Dark Prince once and for all. But how far will Mimi and Jack go to conceal their real loyalties?

Meanwhile, former vampire Bliss Llewellyn has joined forces with Lawson, the greatest wolf of the underworld, to free his people from their imprisonment in Hell. As they struggle against impossible odds, an ancient message, woven into the very fabric of time, reveals just how much depends on the success of their mission.

Lucifer seeks the key to the Gate of Promise, and when Schuyler is taken captive and delivered straight to Hell, she must make an unthinkable choice—the same one the archangel Michael was forced to make during the Crisis in Rome. Will Schuyler find the strength to do what he could not?

The epic, heartbreaking Blue Bloods series comes to a close with this final novel about staggering courage, unbearable sacrifice, and the immortality of true love.

My 2 cents

I have been on a lot of ups and downs with this series. Everyone I know told me to read it. The first book left me kind of wanting, but everyone assured me it gets better. Which it did! I loved books 2-4 a lot! Things were exciting, and there were lots of unexpected twists! Book #5, Misguided Angel was where the series started to lose it for me. But I knew I wanted to finish this series. The sixth book, Lost In Time, was just meh. I can hardly remember what happened!

I almost reread all of the books before I read this one. I think I still should go back and reread them, because it might make more sense to me! But in the end, this wasn't a bad finale! It felt a little more like the beginning of the series, which was fine with me! I would say though, if you haven't read the ebooks called Wolf Pact, you may be a little lost. I haven't read them yet, and I'm guessing that I would have enjoyed the wolf aspect more if I had! So I've decided I will go back and reread this whole series when I have time! It may be awhile!

On to the book review! The book is divided into several chapters. It flip flops between all the different characters, who are all over the world at this point. It goes between Schuyler, Oliver, and Kingsley (Schuyler's POV), Mimi and Jack (Mimi's POV), and Bliss and the wolves (Bliss's POV). Kingsley is calling all of the covens to London to open the gates. Lucifer has Mimi and Jack on a mission to steal the Holy Grail. And Bliss and the wolves are trying to fix the fabric of time.

A lot happens in this book (if you can't already tell!), so this is only the starting point. I don't want to give away spoilers, so there is more action to look forward to! But it basically ends in THE WAR we've been expecting the whole series!

Mimi was definitely my favorite character in this book, with Bliss coming up second. I never thought I would like Mimi! She is amazing in this story. She makes Schuyler, Jack and Oliver look just plain boring! And of course, I'm still in love with Kingsley!

Like I said, there was a ton of stuff going on in the story, so I really expected the battle at the end to feel more epic. It felt kind of cut short, although everything did get tied up nicely. THE ENDING! I can't say anymore, I'll give it all away!

If you've been a follower of the series, its worth the read! You'll want to see what happens to all your favorite characters!

Cocoa and Hype Makes Every Book Nice Read A Thon Update: Day 3

My Reading List:

~~Gates of Pardise by Melissa De La Cruz~~--Finished! Review coming Soon!
~~What's Left Of Me by Kat Zhang~~--Finished! My Review
The Demon Lover by Juliet Dark
~~Ten by Gretchen McNeil~~--Finished! My Review
Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry
~~Notes From Ghost Town by Kate Ellison~~--Finished! My Review
The Raven Boys by Maggie Steifvater
~~Clairty by Kim Harrington~~--Finished! Review Coming Soon
If I Stay by Gayle Forman--starting soon
Breathe by Sarah Crossan
Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead
The Diviners by Libby Bray

I added a couple more on the list, just in case, since I'm doing so well! It all depends on my schedule this week, though!

If you'd like to join the Read A Thon, click HERE

What's Left of Me by Kat Zhang

Goodreads
343 pages, YA Dystopian
Hybrid Chronicles #1
My rating: 4.5 stars

Synopsis

I should not exist. But I do.

Eva and Addie started out the same way as everyone else—two souls woven together in one body, taking turns controlling their movements as they learned how to walk, how to sing, how to dance. But as they grew, so did the worried whispers. Why aren’t they settling? Why isn’t one of them fading? The doctors ran tests, the neighbors shied away, and their parents begged for more time. Finally Addie was pronounced healthy and Eva was declared gone. Except, she wasn’t . . .

For the past three years, Eva has clung to the remnants of her life. Only Addie knows she’s still there, trapped inside their body. Then one day, they discover there may be a way for Eva to move again. The risks are unimaginable-hybrids are considered a threat to society, so if they are caught, Addie and Eva will be locked away with the others. And yet . . . for a chance to smile, to twirl, to speak, Eva will do anything.

My 2 cents

This was a refreshing new twist on a dystopian. I really loved the idea of twin personalities residing in one body. It was a nice new twist! Basically, all of humanity is born with 2 personalities. They are named, but science determines which is dominate. At around age 5, the dominate personality takes over the body, and the other soul fades away.

That is what was is supposed to happen. But it doesn't with Eva and Addie. Eva refuses to let go, but over time, she no longer has control of their body. Addie is in charge, but she accepts Eva, and they constantly talk to each other inside their head. But no one can know that Eva is still there. That would get them sent away for good. Hybrids are bad, and will cause problems in our society, or that's the lie they've been told.

Then they meet a brother and sister who are both also hybrids. They have found a medicine that will let Addie fade for a short time, so Eva can then learn how to control their body again. Despite all the risks, Addie lets Eva do it. Of course, they all get caught and sent away to a "hospital" that will make them "all better."

This whole sinister line of thought made me thing of mental illnesses. Most of us would have no idea what really happens in a mental hospital. Are they drugged into oblivion? Treated as aliens instead of people? Does anyone give them any of their own rights? This has been a debate for so long, and I've read so many books on it, but nothing has really made me look at it quite the same way as this book has. I'm not sure if that was the author's intentions or not. Its a really scary thing to talk or think about, because there are so many crimes involved with mental illness.

I loved both Eva and Addie, but obviously I loved Eva more. She was so strong and so selfless. She does everything she can to try to help everyone in that horrid hospital. There wasn't much character development on the other characters, other than the basics so you could tell who was who in what body. Parts of that did get kind of confusing, but I was still able to follow along.

Nothing much about the actual story line was much of a surprise. I had an idea of what was going to happen, just because I've read so many dystopians! But it still felt like a new experience to me, just because of the originality of the story. If you love dystopians, you have to read this one!

Ten by Gretchen McNeil

Goodreads
294 pages, YA Thriller
Standalone
My rating: 4 stars

Synopsis

SHHHH!
Don't spread the word!
Three-day weekend. Party at White Rock House on Henry Island.
You do NOT want to miss it.

It was supposed to be the weekend of their lives—an exclusive house party on Henry Island. Best friends Meg and Minnie each have their reasons for being there (which involve T.J., the school’s most eligible bachelor) and look forward to three glorious days of boys, booze and fun-filled luxury.

But what they expect is definitely not what they get, and what starts out as fun turns dark and twisted after the discovery of a DVD with a sinister message: Vengeance is mine.

Suddenly people are dying, and with a storm raging, the teens are cut off from the outside world. No electricity, no phones, no internet, and a ferry that isn’t scheduled to return for two days. As the deaths become more violent and the teens turn on each other, can Meg find the killer before more people die? Or is the killer closer to her than she could ever imagine?

My 2 cents

I would not suggest reading this late at night, or when there is a storm, or you are in a cabin all by yourself..you will be freaked out! This was definitely a scary, suspenseful read! I started reading it late last night, and I only made it 100 pages in when I knew I would have to finish it during the day!

So these 10 kids end up at a party on an island vacation home in the middle of nowhere during a terrible storm. Only a few of them know each other directly, although they all have something (or someone!) in common, they just don't know it yet.

Meg is the main character, and she's by far the smartest one. Her best friend Minnie is with her. Minnie is a little...insecure and a tad bit crazy. She suffers from bipolar disorder, so their relationship is far from perfect. The other main character is T.J. Minnie has had a crush on T.J. forever, but T.J. asked Meg to the Homecoming Dance a few months earlier. When Minnie found out, she got really upset, so Meg lied to her and told her it was just a rumor. She then cancelled on T.J., and they haven't spoken since. So now they get this wonderful reunion on "spooky island!"

Things get creepy in this story almost instantly, and its exactly like a slasher thriller. All the stereotypes are here. Storm? check. No way to get off the island? check. No phones? check. Even will all this though, I still could not figure out the killer. I had a few hunches, but I was way wrong! So kudos to the author for giving me a huge thrill at the end!

Once it was daylight, lol, I finished the story all in one read. It was a great suspenseful read will all kinds of teen drama!