On My Shelves #11

On My Shelves #11

These are books which are on my shelves at home but which I haven't got around to reading yet :(

For this week the book is.....

THE CURSED ONE BY NANCY HOLDER & DEBBIE VIGUIE

For the past two years, Jenn has been secretly

training to be a Hunter, learning to defend

humanity against the vampire uprising. Her

home city is now a vampire stronghold and when

she visits as a lone hunter, separated from her team,

she puts herself at risk. Craving the support of her

fighting partner, Antonio - and his touch - she finds

herself betrayed by someone close. Her relationship

with Antonio holds its own dangers, but right now

Jean needs someone she can trust...

This book has been on my shelf for quite a while now. I'm quite hesitant to pick it up now after reading 'Unleashed' by Nancy Holder which I found completely boring...But these are VAMPIRE HUNTERS!! So I have some fate in this book. I perhaps will get to it early next year :)

Book Review - Starters by Lissa Price

Starters

(Starters  #1)

Author: Lissa Price

Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopia, Romance, Mystery, Thriller

Published: April 5 2012

Pages: 336 pages (Paperback Edition) (Delacorte Books)

Read: September 2014

Rating: 2 Stars

First, Callie lost her parents.

Then she lost her home.

And, finally, she lost her body.

But she will stop at nothing to get it back...

I was expecting Starters to be so much different. What I expected was a dark, twisted tale of betrayal and murder. What I got was a very different story with a hell of a lot more lovey dovey love story than darkness. Like come on, 'Your Body. Rented Out. Used to Murder.' Who would not think that that would lead into a murder story at least.

I was highly disappointed with this book. I felt that Callie was not a great protagonist. Some of the choices she made were really beyond unbelievable. I felt I couldn't connect to any of the characters really. They all lacked something.

The plot sounded great. A war that left only Enders (people above 60) and Starters (people below 20) with the Enders being able to live to 200 years old. And what do these Enders want, to rent out young bodies. Sounds great ya?? Well, it would have been. The war was never explained, ever. Who started it, what it was over, I haven't  clue. It just happened. And how are Enders living to be 200, because of a vaccine, but what was the vaccine? Why did it cause that side affect? There was a lot of information left out of this book which just left the world building to be horrible. We get to know barely anything.

This book was also very predicable. It was easy to spot the twists that came about, which is not good in a mystery book.

Then the ending. The ending sets up for the next book, with a whole new mystery and the continuation of the love story that took up most of this book and maybe even a love triangle. Anyway I won't be reading the next one, I don't think I could handle it well. The sad part is I had this book on my shelf for a long time now, a few years at least and I am not one bit sorry that I didn't read it before now. Maybe if I did read this when I was just starting out reading, my rating might have been different. But from me now, it's 2 stars.

Starters anyone?

Book Review - Half Bad by Sally Green

Half Bad

(Half Life Trilogy #1)

Author: Sally Green

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Witches, Magic

Published: March 3 2014

Pages: 384 pages (Paperback Edition) (Penguin)

Read: August 2014

Rating: 3 Stars

You can't read, can't write, but you heal fast, even for a witch.

You get sick if you stay indoors after dark.

You hate White Witches but love Annalise, who is one.

You've been kept in a cage since you were fourteen.

All you've got to do is escape and find Mercury, the Black Witch who eats boys. And do that before your seventeenth birthday.

Easy.

**Thank you to Penguin Publishers for a copy of this book to review. This is no way altered my review or thoughts of this book.**

Hmm, Half Bad had me conflicted. I didn't hate it, and I didn't love it, it was kind of a it's alright feeling.

Half Bad is about a witch called Nathan. He is a Half Code meaning he's Half White and Half Black witch. The White witches are good and the Black witches are bad. And well, being a Half Code is the worst thing you could ever be in the world created by Sally Green.

Ok, Nathan has a shitty life, more than shitty actually. He doesn't have a life at all. He has no friends. He gets beat up nearly everyday and he is locked in a cage most of the time for this story. This is where things got slightly confusing for me.

Sally Green uses different styles of writing in this book. She uses the classical first person but she also uses the style where 'You' are Nathan. For example, 'You can't read, can't write, but you heal fast, even for a witch. You get sick if you stay indoors after dark. You hate White Witches but love Annalise, who is one.
You've been kept in a cage since you were fourteen.' (Taken from the blurb)

I didn't like that style at all and because the book started that way, I was left thinking I am going to hate this book but then thankfully it changed to first person. I found the style of writing to be very clipped though. I suppose yes, Nathan doesn't have a happy, dappy life and this style conveys that but still, I'm not too sure about it.

The second thing that bothered me was the the time changing. At the start, ok I'm not going to spoil anything here, but the start is in the sort of future when he's slightly older, I think it is anyway and then it lapse back to him telling his life story and how he got into the situation that he was in at the start of the book. But he never returns to that situation, not with the same person, that is never explained. Maybe I just misunderstood something but I was highly confused on that bit.

Now to the positives, after all I gave this book 3 stars which is a 'Alright' in my scale of rating.

I enjoyed the story. It was interesting enough to keep you going through to the end and I did read it to the end so that must say something. I'm also planning on reading the next installment of the series because yes, I am interested enough in the story to want to know what happens. Besides the cover of the next book is awesome!! I need that on my shelf. This cover is pretty amazing too.

So ya, my positive is the story. I will say this though and it is another negative (this review is full of negative things!!! :/) but there were plenty of times where nothing much happens. These times were boring and overall, nothing much happens in the whole book. What happens could have been done in a shorter book. But ya, I still thought this was ok.

Tell me guys, have you read this book yet? Did you love it? Or did you think it was just alright, like I did?? Leave a comment down below!!

Book Review - The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

The Lovely Bones

Author: Alice Sebold

Genres: Young Adult, Adult, Contemporary, Mystery

Published: June 1 2003

Pages: 328 pages (Paperback Edition) (Picador)

Read: August 2014

Rating: 4 Stars

When we first meet Susie Salmon, she is already in heaven. As she looks down from this strange new place, she tells us, in the fresh and spirited voice of a fourteen-year-old girl, a tale that is both haunting and full of hope.

In the weeks following her death, Susie watches life continuing without her -- her school friends trading rumors about her disappearance, her family holding out hope that she'll be found, her killer trying to cover his tracks. As months pass without leads, Susie sees her parents' marriage being contorted by her loss, her sister hardening herself in an effort to stay strong, and her little brother trying to grasp the meaning of the wordgone

And she explores the place called heaven. It looks a lot like her school playground, with the good kind of swing sets. There are counselors to help newcomers adjust and friends to room with. Everything she ever wanted appears as soon as she thinks of it -- except the thing she wants most: to be back with the people she loved on Earth.

With compassion, longing, and a growing understanding, Susie sees her loved ones pass through grief and begin to mend. Her father embarks on a risky quest to ensnare her killer. Her sister undertakes a feat of remarkable daring. And the boy Susie cared for moves on, only to find himself at the center of a miraculous event.

I always thought this book was an adult novel. Even when I picked it up I thought it was adult. It's just when I did a Goodreads search this book is categorised in both Adult and Young Adult. I guess it's for the readers to classify.

Anyway, I admit, I saw the movie before I read the book. This is one of two books where I've seen the movies first, Twilight being the other one. So yes, I saw the movie first and I thought it was amazing. I loved how the film was made and when I saw in the big screen in the cinema that the movie was adapted from the book, I instantly thought 'Oh My God, there's a book!!! I have to read it!!' So I pestered my mam into getting me the book. I was also very particular in what book cover I wanted. I got the cover pictured above, I wasn't going to get the movie cover one. I was young at that time, so even then my particularity in book covers was apparent. I can't even remember what age I was, but it was when the movie came out in the cinemas so I don't know when that was (It was 2009, I was 14, ok not quite so young)

But ya, this is a book review, Sarah!!! Not a post about you reminiscing.

The Lovely Bones is a novel about a young girl who is horrifically murdered, in a time when murder was hardly heard of. This young girl is Susie Salmon and in this novel we see from Susie's point of view as she looks down from heaven on everything she left behind, her family, friends, life.

We see how Susie's death affects everyone she looks upon and how it affects her too. This book is filled with sadness and desperation in the present tense but is also filled with  warm, comforting glimpses of the past and future. This is a story about death, plain and simple. It is a story about grief, despair, loss and inevitably moving on.

I enjoyed this novel. There were some parts that were slow to get through but overall it was a very good story, with very realistic questions and musings left after you finish this. So if you'd like something deep, dealing with a very hard topic, then I suggest this book. 

Ya, that's all I can really say. Let me know in the comments below if you've read this book or if you are planning to.

I'm So Sorry

I'm so sorry that I haven't been uploading anything for a while. I was busy and then got sick and my little kitty just got neutered today so I'm at her beck and call for a while until she's back to herself again.

Anyway, I'm going to be starting all the memes up again on Monday and I have 3 reviews to write up for 3 books that I have finished.
They are:
• The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
• Half Bad by Sally Green
• Starters by Lissa Price

So expect those soon!!! And I promise I will be back soon plus I have a tag to do that I was tagged for and plenty of news to share with ya'll :)

Summer Reading Wrap Up

Summer Reading Wrap Up

As you all might remember I posted up a post on what books I planned to read for the summer. Here's a recap - Summer Reading Schedule. Alas, I didn't stick to the plan, like always!!

Books Read From The Schedule:

• The Fiery Heart by Richelle Mead - 5/5
• Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong - 5/5
• Prodigy by Marie Lu - 5/5
• Where She Went by Gayle Forman - 5/5
• Al Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill - 5/5
• Popular: A Memoir by Maya Van Wagenen - 4/5
• Half Bad by Sally Green - 3/5

I also read more books which were not planned but as my plans went I read 7 out of 26 books. Eeeekkkk.

August 2014 Wrap Up / September TBR

August 2014 Wrap Up / September TBR

So this is a recap of the month of August!!! Well, because it is no longer August 2014 anymore. So here I'm just going to go through what I read, post links to the reviews I've written, a little summary on my August 2014 Book Haul, if I was at any events and of course the progress on my challenge to lessen my long list of books I have at home that are waiting to be read. 

What Was Read:

• All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill
• Tiger's Curse by Collen Houck
• Breathe by Sarah Crossan
• The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong
• The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold (Review next month)
• Half Bad by Sally Green (Review next month)

Reviews I Didn't Get Around To Last Month:

• Where She Went by Gayle Forman
• Prodigy by Marie Lu
• Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

What Was Bought:

• Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott 
• Silver Shadows by Richelle Mead

Events:

No events this month even though I really wanted to go to a book signing by Leigh Bardugo but alas, I was unable to make it. Next time!! Besides I've only read 1 of her books :P

To Read Pile Progress:

Again I only bought 2 book this month!! I'm being very good with my book buying :P I completed 6 books which brings my slowly decreasing TBR pile in my room down to 134 books!!! :D


September TBR:

• The Reckoning (Darkest Powers #3) by Kelley Amrstrong
• The Forest of Hands and Teeth (The Forest of Hands and Teeth #1) by Carrie Ryan
• The Dead Tossed Waves (The Forest of Hands and Teeth #2) by Carrie Ryan
• The Dark and Hollow Places (The Forest of Hands and Teeth #3) by Carrie Ryan
• Resist (Breathe #2) by Sarah Crossan
• The Assassin's Blade (Throne of Glass Novellas) by Sarah J. Maas
• Entangled by Cat Clarke
• The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
• The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1) by Suzanne Collins
• Catching Fire (The Hunger Games #2) by Suzanne Collins
• Mockingjay (The Hunger Games #3) by Suzanne Collins
• Divergent (Divergent #1) by Veronica Roth
• More Than This by Patrick Ness
• What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell
• Silver Shadows (Bloodlines #5) by Richelle Mead
• Blood Promise (Vampire Academy #4) by Richelle Mead

There are 16 books there listed for September. I have never ever read 16 books before in 1 month, my best score was 10 of June 2013!! So this will be a challenge, a major challenge and I may not get these all done. Actually I know, I won't get all of these done. Also some of these books are from my August 2014 list which I hadn't got around to.

August 2014 Book Haul

August 2014 Book Haul

It's September and Summer Holidays is over for most!! My little brother is getting ready to go back to school tomorrow and everyone is talking about going back to school and loads of people are already back in school and I'm just here saying ya, I'm going to college this year!! Am I bragging??? YES!! This is a once in a lifetime moment :P

Anyway I was very good with my book buying. I just bought one bargain book!! A brand new, bargain book because I discovered this little book store that's in the town I usually go shopping in and they sell books, new books, really cheaply. Yes, they don't have every book, but they have quite a lot if you snoop. Like, take for example, I found Requiem in hardback for 5 euro!! Seriously?? I was so tempted to get it but my OCD of having my series exactly the same fought that I have Delirium in paperback...

So, ya there's a little rant, now down to the book which I got in said above shop!! :)

• Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott
• Silver Shadows by Richelle Mead

A modern day thrill ride, where a teen girl and her animal companion must participate in a breathtaking race to save her brother's life—and her own. 

Tella's brother is dying. He's got cancer, and Tella is helpless to save him. Or so she thought. When an invitation arrives for Tella to compete in the Brimstone Bleed, a deadly competition that will lead her through treacherous jungle and scorching desert, she doesn't think twice. Because the prize is a cure to any illness. But Tella will be facing more than just the elements.

It sounds like The Hunger Games, simple as. That was actually the first thing that came to my mind once I read the blurb. So I'm going to give it a shot. Plus I love the cover :P

Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets—and human lives.
In The Fiery Heart, Sydney risked everything to follow her gut, walking a dangerous line to keep her feelings hidden from the Alchemists.
Now in the aftermath of an event that ripped their world apart, Sydney and Adrian struggle to pick up the pieces and find their way back to each other. But first, they have to survive. 
For Sydney, trapped and surrounded by adversaries, life becomes a daily struggle to hold on to her identity and the memories of those she loves. Meanwhile, Adrian clings to hope in the face of those who tell him Sydney is a lost cause, but the battle proves daunting as old demons and new temptations begin to seize hold of him. . . .
Their worst fears now a chilling reality, Sydney and Adrian face their darkest hour in this heart-pounding fifth installment in the New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series, where all bets are off.

I got it!! I got it!!! I got it!! I walked into a bookstore today (August 28th) and there it was. It was right there!! After waiting so long, it was like a miracle. So of course I couldn't leave the shop without it!! And I'll be reading this  soon, very soon.

Back To School Tag

Back To School Tag

This is a tag that was created by Athena at INTOTHEMINDOFAREADER and she so greatly tagged me to do it. I'm so excited!!! My second time tagged to do a tag!!!

Ok, so simply you answer the questions. Even though I'm not going back to school, I'm going to college!! *Big difference* (I'm sorry, I've been saying that in nearly every post, but I'm so excited!!) I'm still doing this tag and for the questions I am going to pick books, where at all possible, that I haven't read yet, so I can apply them to my year :)

First question :

1. You’ve just started back and your workload has already increased. What short book do you read which doesn’t take up too much time?

I have quite a few book that are quite short which I haven't read yet. Short to me is under 300 pages. So there is two choices that I have and they would be What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell which has 265 pages or then Crash Into Me by Albert Borris which has 272 pages. Both are different, one is about a girl and her family and a war soldier, the other is about four suicidal teens who make a pact, so it's whichever one I'd be in the mood for at that time, I will read.

2. You are in your English class and the teacher says you will be spending the lesson reading an assigned book. What book did you have to read for school but end up actually enjoying?

I have actually only ever read 2 books for English class and well the best one was 'To Kill A Mockingbird' by Harper Lee.

3. You and your friends have had an argument and you’re feeling quite upset. What book never fails to cheer you up? 

A cheery uppy book, hmmm, I'm not one for reading comedies so any book that I love and that I am just lost in the world of would cheer me up. That wasn't a very good answer....

4. You’ve been given detention. What book do you wish you could have with you to pass the time? 

I've never been in detention!! I'm such a goody two shoes. Anyway, a book that I would love to read right now if I was in detention to pass the time would be Gates of Thread and Stone by Lori M. Lee. I want this book so bad. I just. It's been on my mind since the release day. And it is one of the only books that I'm intentionally getting in hardback. Like Wow. So ya, I have it on order now, but the guy said it might take a month. So I'm stuck, for a month....

5. The bell rings for lunch time! Name a food from a book that you would love to try.

Most of the books I've read, the protagonists are starving, but anyhoo, the banquet on the train in The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Pretty much any of the Capitol food..

6. You have a ton of homework to do and one assignment is to write a short story. What author’s writing style do you most enjoy to read?

I love Kelley Armstrong's writing. I love many author's writing style but she was the first name that came to mind. I love her Darkest Powers series and then there's a new series called Age of Legends and I read the first book, am totally in love and can't wait for the rest of them!!

7. Uh oh, exam time! The nerves are getting to you. Which book do you read to calm yourself down?

You should be studying!! But the book I would use to calm me down would be any of Cassandra Clare's Shadowhunter Books. The Infernal Devices, The Mortal Instruments, any, except City of Glass, that one would make me cry, and Clockwork Princess. 

8. You did amazingly well in your exams and are given some money as a reward. What book(s) do you rush straight out and buy?

A lot. Ok here's just a random list, a small random list of what I really want because if I listed them all it'd be way too long...

Here we go:

• Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
• Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
• Mortal Danger by Ann Aguirre
• The Girl From The Well by Rin Chupeco
• The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton
• The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen
• Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes
• A Crack In Everything by Ruth Frances Long
• Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson

Wow, that is a lot :/ and not even half of them...

9. Summer is almost upon us. What book do you read to get you in the mood for the fun and excitement that summer brings?

I haven't read a summer book. Contemporary is just not my thing. But for next summer, perhaps, I'll have Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson and I can read that!!!

And that is it!! I hope you enjoy my answers. Moi, I tag Constance from cravingbooks and Michelle's Minions and of course anyone else you wants to do it :)

Friday Finds #9

Friday Finds #8

This is a meme hosted by MizB at ShouldBeReading :) What you do is post up books that you have discovered from bookstores, friends or the web or whatever way you discovered them. You post the books you've only discovered during the week period.

The Books I Discovered This Week:

I discovered three books from a book store this week:

SAY HER NAME BY JAMES DAWSON

Roberta 'Bobbie' Rowe is not the kind of person who believes in ghosts. A Halloween dare at her ridiculously spooky boarding school is no big deal, especially when her best friend Naya and cute local boy Caine agree to join in too. They are ordered to summon the legendary ghost of 'Bloody Mary': say her name five times in front of a candlelit mirror, and she shall appear... But, surprise surprise, nothing happens. Or does it?
Next morning, Bobbie finds a message on her bathroom mirror... five days... but what does it mean? And who left it there? Things get increasingly weird and more terrifying for Bobbie and Naya, until it becomes all too clear that Bloody Mary was indeed called from the afterlife that night, and she is definitely not a friendly ghost. Bobbie, Naya and Caine are now in a race against time before their five days are up and Mary comes for them, as she has come for countless others before...

So so creepy, I think we've all heard of the Bloody Mart stories that haunted our childhoods and because of that I really want to read this book. If it truly is as creepy as the premise sounds, I may not sleep for a long time afterwards.


A CRACK IN EVERYTHING BY RUTH FRANCES LONG

Welcome to The Other Side ...
Chasing a thief, Izzy Gregory takes a wrong turn down a Dublin alley and finds the ashes of a fallen angel splashed across the dirty bricks like graffiti. She stumbles into Dubh Linn, the shadowy world inhabited by the Sidhe, where angels and demons watch over the affairs of mortals, and Izzy becomes a pawn in their deadly game. Her only chance of survival lies in the hands of Jinx, the Sidhe warrior sent to capture her for his sadistic mistress, Holly. Izzy is something altogether new to him, turning his world upside down.

An Irish author, a book set in Ireland. Damn hell, yes, I am going to read it!!! I actually had this book in my hands a few days ago even though it's not supposed to be out yet, but it was in a bookstore. Maybe I should have got it then....





SINCE YOU'VE BEEN GONE BY MORGAN MATSON

It was Sloane who yanked Emily out of her shell and made life 100% interesting. But right before what should have been the most epic summer, Sloane just...disappears. All she leaves behind is a to-do list.
On it, thirteen Sloane-inspired tasks that Emily would normally never try. But what if they could bring her best friend back?
Apple picking at night?
Okay, easy enough.
Dance until dawn?
Sure. Why not?
Kiss a stranger?
Um...
Emily now has this unexpected summer, and the help of Frank Porter (totally unexpected), to check things off Sloane's list. Who knows what she'll find?
Go skinny-dipping?
Wait...what?

Ok, I didn't just discover this one. I've actually seen it on different sites a lot but after seeing it in person I decided to add it to my wishlist. I need a read like this on my shelves anyway.