Where reading is a way of life

Friday, July 5, 2013

In My Mailbox #34

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren.  Us bloggers feature any new books we've received in the past week, either bought, borrowed, or received for review.





Books mentioned in this vlog

Immortal City
Revolution 19
Wasteland
Towering
The Roar
The Eleventh Plague
The Forest of Hands and Teeth
Warm Bodies
Fyre
Unremembered
Rise
Also Known As
This is What Happy Looks Like
The End Games
Star Cursed

Everyone has a safe and Happy Independence Day!

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

The Moon Dwellers First Book Birthday!


Today, The Moon Dwellers by David Estes turns 1 year old! It was 1 year ago today (June 30th) that David Estes first published the first book in his first ever YA dystopian series, The Dwellers Saga, and changed his life forever. Since then, The Moon Dwellers has outsold and drawn more hype than any other of his 13 published books, and has risen to the top 10 of many YA dystopian lists on Listopia, finding a place amongst bestselling books such as The Hunger Games, Delirium and Divergent. The birth of The Moon Dwellers also changed David’s life forever. As he’s gone from struggling Indie author to fulltime writer, he’s watched in amazement as his Goodreads fan group has swelled from 300 members to over 1,300. Since writing The Moon Dwellers, David has gone on to write and publish two sequels, The Star Dwellers and The Sun Dwellers, as well as three books in a sister series, The Country Saga (Fire Country, Ice Country, and Water & Storm Country). He plans to release the 7th and final book, The Earth Dwellers, in the combined series on September 5th later this year.
So what did David Estes want to do to celebrate The Moon Dwellers book birthday? His answer: “Give away as many free ebooks of The Moon Dwellers as possible!” So if you’re like so many others who are obsessed with YA dystopian novels like The Hunger Games, Delirium, and Divergent, and haven’t yet read the growing phenomenon that is The Moon Dwellers, now’s your chance to do so FOR FREE.
You can grab your free ebook of The Moon Dwellers from Smashwords.com using the coupon code below. And please feel free to share with your family and friends and pets, the more ebooks are given away the happier David will be. The only thing David asks for in return is that if you enjoy the read and continue on with the series, to please leave a positive review on Amazon.com for each of his books that you read.
Where you can find The Moon Dwellers: SMASHWORDS

Coupon Code: AQ92E

Please note, this code expires on July 31, 2013
a Rafflecopter giveaway
And for those of you planning on reading The Dwellers and/or The Country Saga, here’s a special note from the author, David Estes:
The Earth Dwellers will cap off an eighteen month journey that has taken me from unknown Indie author to still-mostly-unknown fulltime Indie author. The change is a subtle one for most people, but for me it’s a dream come true. To the hundreds (and now maybe even thousands!) of readers who have come along for the ride with me, either by reading the Dwellers Saga, the Country Saga, or both, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Now down to business. There may be some of you who have only read the three books in the Country Saga or only the three books in the Dwellers Saga, and are now thinking you’ll read The Earth Dwellers, which is supposedly the 4th book in BOTH the Country Saga and the Dwellers Saga. Well, that’s awesome! However, I must highly recommend that before reading The Earth Dwellers that you read the three books in BOTH series. Trust me, doing so will greatly enhance your experience, as The Earth Dwellers will be taking significant characters from both series and crashing them together (yes, like a water country wave) into an action-packed tale of struggle and loss and hope and friendship…and maybe a little love, too.
Anyway, that’s my advice, it’s up to you what to do with it. In any case, thanks for being a part of my own adventure, I’m a better person for having written stories for you!
Recommended Reading prior to The Earth Dwellers
Other YA Books by David Estes!
The Evolution Trilogy:
Children’s Books by David Estes
The Nikki Powergloves Adventures:
Nikki Powergloves vs. the Power Outlaws (Coming soon!)
David Estes was born in El Paso, Texas but moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania when he was very young. He grew up in Pittsburgh and then went to Penn State for college. Eventually he moved to Sydney, Australia where he met his wife and soul mate, Adele, who he’s now been happily married to for more than two years.
A reader all his life, David began writing novels for the children's and YA markets in 2010, and has completed 13 novels, 11 of which have been published.  In June of 2012, David became a fulltime writer and is now travelling the world with his wife while he writes books, and she writes and takes photographs.
David gleans inspiration from all sorts of crazy places, like watching random people do entertaining things, dreams (which he jots copious notes about immediately after waking up), and even from thin air sometimes! Recently he’s been inspired by some of his favorite authors, like Suzanne Collins, Veronica Roth, and Maggie Stiefvater.
David’s a writer with OCD, a love of dancing and singing (but only when no one is looking or listening), a mad-skilled ping-pong player, an obsessive Goodreads group member, and prefers writing at the swimming pool to writing at a table.  He loves responding to e-mails, Facebook messages, Tweets, blog comments, and Goodreads comments from his readers, all of whom he considers to be his friends.
Where you can find David Estes hanging out:  David Estes Fans and YA Book Lovers Unite

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Dare You To by Katie McGarry

Goodreads
462 pages, YA Contemporary Romance
Pushing the Limits #2
My rating: 4 stars

Synopsis

Ryan lowers his lips to my ear. "Dance with me, Beth."

"No." I whisper the reply. I hate him and I hate myself for wanting him to touch me again....

"I dare you..."


If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does....

Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him.

But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all....


My 2 cents

First off, I have to say that I LOVED Pushing the Limits. I was excited to read this one, but I was expecting that it probably wouldn't be as good for me, as I just loved Noah and Echo! I was right, it wasn't as good, but it was still awesome, and I loved the read!

This is a dual POV story between Ryan and Beth. Beth was Noah's good friend in Pushing the Limits. Ryan is a whole new character. Beth tries to help her mom and ends up with a baseball bat trying to hit the disgusting boyfriend, Trent. She covers for her mom, and her mom officially loses custody, and Beth's long lost uncle, Scott, takes her to his mansion in another town. Scott is a very famous and rich retired pro baseball player for the Yankees.

As you would imagine, Beth hates this whole thing, but Scott threatens Beth if she doesn't change her ways he will send her mom to jail. He has a ton of rules, and poor Beth ends up at a surburban school, the same one she went to when she was little. There she meets Ryan, star baseball player. He has been given a dare to get Beth's phone number and take her out on a date. And Ryan doesn't like losing!

Since this story has a character driven plot, let's look at the characters in the book.

The Characters


Beth

Positives: She is very feisty, spunky and spontaneous, and really knows how to stick up for herself. A true individual.

Negatives: She can be a real biotch, and she has misguided loyalties to her druggie mother. She also has major trust issues, and doesn't want to make new friends.

Ryan 

Positives: Hot, built, athletic, a real gentleman to the ladies, and a sense of loyalty to his family and friends.

Negatives: Needs to stand up to his parents, and cut Beth some slack.

Lacy One of the best characters in the story. One of Ryan's true friends, she's as perfect as it gets.

Chris Ryan's best friend, and he annoyed me constantly. He can't understand why Ryan is into Beth, and he only seems to care about baseball. Luckily, Lacy straightens him out a lot.

Isaiah Oh, poor Isaiah. He is still desperately in love with Beth, but it ain't happening. Their friendship gets really rocky in this story. I can't wait for his HEA!

Scott Scott was a jerk a lot, until the very end when he actually starts trying to listen to Beth. I get that he's trying to straighten her out, but asking her to cut off all her style and friends is really harsh. 

Gwen The true evil girl in this story. I wanted to pull all her hair out! 

Noah Not in this story as much, and same with Echo. But he does help Beth several times, and is the same gorgeous guy as always!

This one was full of drama, just like Pushing the Limits, and lots of angst ridden romance as well! I loved the ending, and was so proud of all the characters growth by the end! This one is a great contemporary romance! FYI, there is not any graphic sex, but there is a lot of foul langauage.

Saturday, June 15, 2013

In My Mailbox #33

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren.  Us bloggers feature any new books we've received in the past week, either bought, borrowed, or received for review.





Books mentioned in this vlog

Confessions of an Almost Girlfriend
Shadow
Viral Nation
Water & Storm Country
Night School
Alice in Zombieland
Flesh & Bone
Ashen Winter
For Darkness Shows the Stars
The Moon and More

So that's it for me this week!  Thank you, David Estes, for my copy of Water & Storm Country!!!
Don't forget to enter my giveaways, if you haven't already!  They are up on the top right sidebar!
Have a great week!

Ask the Passengers by A. S. King

Goodreads
296 pages, YA Contemporary
Standalone
My rating: 3.5 stars

Synopsis

Astrid Jones desperately wants to confide in someone, but her mother's pushiness and her father's lack of interest tell her they're the last people she can trust. Instead, Astrid spends hours lying on the backyard picnic table watching airplanes fly overhead. She doesn't know the passengers inside, but they're the only people who won't judge her when she asks them her most personal questions . . . like what it means that she's falling in love with a girl.

As her secret relationship becomes more intense and her friends demand answers, Astrid has nowhere left to turn. She can't share the truth with anyone except the people at thirty thousand feet, and they don't even know she's there. But little does Astrid know just how much even the tiniest connection will affect these strangers' lives--and her own--for the better.

In this truly original portrayal of a girl struggling to break free of society's definitions, Printz Honor author A.S. King asks readers to question everything--and offers hope to those who will never stop seeking real love.


My 2 cents

Astrid is pretty sure she is gay. But not a 100% sure, although she knows her best friend, Kristin is gay. Kristin hides it by having a "boyfriend" named Justin (who is also gay) and they double date all the time with another couple, that are there actual partners. Astrid is misunderstood by a very dominating mother, a father who spends most of his time smoking pot in secret, and a younger sister that hates her.

Her favorite thing to do is to lay on her picnic table and watch the planes go by, and then send up her love to them because she doesn't want to really love anyone in her life. And this is where the story got kind of weird for me. She's sending out her love, and then we jump to a passenger in an actual plane and what their thoughts are. It was a little all over the place,and I just couldn't figure out how it relates to Astrid.

The parts of the story where we get to see her in her own life are the most interesting. Astrid goes to a high school EXACTLY like mine was, so even though I'm not gay myself, I could really relate to her. The high school scenes were actually the most in depth in the book. If the author has just omitted those strange scenes with the passengers, I would have enjoyed the story even more!

Dust and Decay by Jonathan Maberry

Goodreads
519 pages, YA Zombies, Dystopian
Benny Imara #2
My Rating: 4.5 stars

Synopsis

Six months have passed since the terrifying battle with Charlie Pink-eye and the Motor City Hammer in the zombie-infested mountains of the Rot & Ruin. It’s also six months since Benny Imura and Nix Riley saw something in the air that changed their lives. Now, after months of rigorous training with Benny’s zombie-hunter brother Tom, Benny and Nix are ready to leave their home forever and search for a better future. Lilah the Lost Girl and Benny’s best friend Lou Chong are going with them. Sounds easy. Sounds wonderful. Except that everything that can go wrong does. Before they can even leave there is a shocking zombie attack in town. But as soon as they step into the Rot & Ruin they are pursued by the living dead, wild animals, insane murderers and the horrors of Gameland –where teenagers are forced to fight for their lives in the zombie pits. Worst of all…could the evil Charlie Pink-eye still be alive?

In the great Rot & Ruin everything wants to kill you. Everything…and not everyone in Benny’s small band of travelers will make it out alive.


My 2 cents

I am so happy to tell you that I love the sequel better than the first book! Dust and Decay is all about Tom taking Benny, Nix, Lilah, and Chong out to the Ruin to find out what the jet was they find in the first book.

But Tom hasn't been outside of town for months now, and things have changed for the worse in the Ruin. The group is separated and each battling their own demons. Gameland is still alive and well, and there's word that White Bear has taken over, and become more ruthless. 

The book is full of action. A lot of it is pretty gory, like the first book. What I loved was we actually learn a lot more about the characters, and get to see them at their best and worst. What annoyed me was how DUMB the boys were in this story! Morgie, Chong, and Benny all do stupid boy things, and I just wanted to smack them in the heads!

Tom is amazing as ever, from beginning to end. We also get to meet a whole new cast of bounty hunters, most of them friends of Tom. The ending was amazing, with some really good kick butt moments, but also very, very sad. Things are set up nicely for the third book!

Friday, June 14, 2013

Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas

Goodreads
404 pages, YA Fantasy
Throne of Glass #1
My Rating: 5 stars

Synopsis

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin. Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom. 

Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best. 

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. 

Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.


My 2 cents

I love a good fantasy read, and Throne of Glass did not disappoint! This series also has 4 short story eBook prequels. I did read the first one, and I also really liked it. They give a lot background information on Celaena, and I really need to read the other three. I would recommend reading them before you read this book.

Calaena is the best assassin in the land. She has found herself in the hands of the Crown Prince Adarlan, Dorian, and the Captain of the Royal Guard, Chaol. She is competing with 23 other men for the title of King's Champion. If she wins this competition, she will be the King's hired assassin for 4 years, and then she will earn her freedom. 

The best thing about the story was Calaena herself. Calaena has had a rough life, and she is one tough cookie. She's afraid of almost nothing, and is as beautiful as she is deadly. It doesn't take long before she's attracted the attentions of the Prince. Chaol doesn't trust her at all, and thinks she is very manipulative, but even he starts to develop feelings for her. Calaena is pretty clueless to all this. She is focused only on winning.

The story has everything I'd want in a fantasy. A warring world, an evil king, swords and ancient magic, conspiracies, and plenty of duel and battles. The cast of characters are fabulous, and I think were the best part. Besides our top three players, we have the evil king before mentioned, an evil Duke, a strange princess the befriends Calaena, and 23 other champions that range between cunning and sadistic. There is so much depth to everything in this story, and I was easily able to lose myself in it while reading. I can't wait to read the sequel!