Waiting On Wednesday (25)

Waiting on Wednesday is, of course, brought to us by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

My choice this week is a tenner, soI don't think it has a cover yet. Soon, though, hopefully!

Whisper by Phoebe Kitandis - Release date April 27th, 2010

I’d love a cup of coffee. I wish she knew how pretty she was. I wish I could drop this kid in the dryer sometimes. I just want her to be happy. I hope she didn’t find out what Ben said about her. I wish I knew how many calories were in a bite of muffin…

Joy is used to hearing Whispers. She’s used to walking down the street and instantly knowing people’s deepest, darkest desires. She uses this talent for good, to make people happy and give them what they want. But for her older sister, Jessica, the family gift is a curse, and she uses it to make people’s lives—especially Joy’s—miserable. Still, when Joy Hears Jessica whisper: I want to kill my Hearing dead, and kill me too if that’s what it takes, she knows she has to save her sister, even if it means deserting her friends, stealing a car and running away with a boy she barely knows—a boy who may have a dark secret of his own.

(Summary from goodreads.)

Doesn't that sound soooooo good? *wants*

I'm feeling really lazy (and exhausted from choosing four contest winners, it took hours), so I'm just going to do this one.
What are you guys waiting on this week?
Peace and cookies,
Laina

Hush Hush Review

Happy Halloween! In honour of one of my favourite holidays, I have a very special review for you guys!

Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Published: October 13th, 2009 by Simon & Schuster

Genre: Young Adult Thriller/Paranormal/Fantasy/Urban Fantasy

Page Count: 391 in my ARC, but the last chapter has been changed, so I'm not sure what it is now.

Part of a series? Yes! Thank goodness, or I'd die. Crescendo is the sequel and I can't wait for it.

Summary (from goodreads): For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch came along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment.

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure who to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.

For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

Review: I've always said that Simon and Schuster puts out great books. This is proof of that. You all know my Edward Cullen issues, right? Need I bring up the life sized cardboard cutout again? Well, screw Edward Cullen, I want a Patch! Seriously, I have peanut butter filled pretzels and a Dairy Milk chocolate bar for the first time in months, if someone sent me a Patch, I could die happy.

Becca Fitzpatrick's writing is amazing. It's so hard to believe that this is her debut novel. I practically tortured myself by only reading a tiny bit of this at a time at first yesterday, to make it last as long as possible, but today, I sat down and I was just going to read a little bit and I ended up finishing the book and I was whining about how I read too fast. It's a curse!

Plot: When Nora Grey's biology teacher decides to change the class' seating arrangement, Nora is paired with Patch Cipriano, who, in her words, is tall, dark, and annoying, but she can't help but be attracted to him. The story is fast paced and kept me so involved in the action that I literally could not stop reading. (And how's that for plot? Not bad, hey?)

Characters: Nora was very realistic. She isn't the most confident girl in the world, she isn't perfect, but she's balanced, real, and so easy to relate to. She's smart, too, which is something that I absolutely love in female characters. I also wish I had her hair. And her legs, but that's never going to happen, but I could totally rock a perm.

I could go on and on about the characters, but (in my mind anyways) the real star of Hush Hush was Patch. He's so freaking hot, from the scars on his back to that edge of danger he has to how he calls Nora "Angel". I may (read: so do) have bad boy issues, but he's one of the best I've ever read and I'm serious that I want a Patch. It would make my year.

Cons, complaints, bad stuff, etc.: I do have a couple complaints. 1. They changed the last chapter and I don't have a finished copy, so I can't compare and it's eating me up inside quite a bit. 2. Crescendo cannot come out soon enough. 3. It ended WAY too soon. (In case you think I'm serious, these are noncomplaints because it was so good.)

PG-13 stuff: There's some stuff. Mild swearing, violence, some fun moments (and that's all I'll say on that) but it didn't bother me any. I've read far, far worse in YA. There isn't anything bad, this just isn't the book for more immature readers. Please let me know if that isn't clear, because I worked tonight (made 25 bucks and a pumpkin) and I'm getting tired and I don't think I'm expressing myself clearly enough.

Cover comments: I bookmarked this picture (the one I use in this post) because it's so gorgeous, and huge. Click it if you dare. Seriously, click it, it's amazing seeing how big that picture is and I oh so much want it as a poster. That guy is so hot, which is always a plus. And I love black and white photography and I haven't seen many book covers, especially not YA ones, with black and white covers. It's just so dramatic, and then the red feathers at the top and the cool lettering... major props to the designer.

Conclusion: I got a little too close to selling my soul for this. I'm rather glad I didn't have to, but I'm so glad I could get it and read it, and as soon as possible, I will be buying a finished copy to compare the last chapter. And because it was so awesome, go shower some love on Becca at her Twitter, her livejournal, or her website. Four and a half stars to Hush Hush.



I can't believe how many reviews I've done this month! It's not many compared to some people, but for me, it's a lot. And that I've been blogging a year! Don't forget to enter my blogoversary contests before they close later tonight, and happy Halloween.

Peace and pumpkin cookies,

Laina

Fun Friday: Give Me Something To Sing About (20)

Fun Friday: Give me something to sing about! is where you guys get to see a song or two I like or that I want to talk about each week. Thanks as always goes to J.J. at Random Musings for help with the title.

Tomorrow's Halloween! And since it is, what else could we have but



The Monster Mash!

Enjoy!!
Peace and cookies,
Laina

In My Mailbox (16)

Wow, I haven't done this in forever. This is actually a few weeks worth of books. As always, In My Mailbox is brought to us by The Story Siren and was inspired by Alea.

For Review:


Call Me Kate: Meeting the Molly Maquires by Molly Roe - Paperback

Coming of age amidst the seething unrest of the Civil War era, feisty fourteen-year-old Katie McCafferty infiltrates the Molly Maguires, a secret Irish organization, to rescue a lifelong friend. Under the guise of Dominick, a draft resister, Katie volunteers for a dangerous mission in hopes of preventing bloodshed. Katie risks job, family, and ultimately her very life to intervene. A series of tragedies challenge Katie's strength and ingenuity, and she faces a crisis of conscience. Can she balance her sense of justice with the law?

(Summary from the back of the book and goodreads.)

The pictures in this post look a little weird because my firefox stopped working so I'm using Internet Explorer and it, well, sucks. So click on the pictures of the covers to see them better. :)

Blue Plate Special by Michelle D. Kwasney - Hardcover

Blue Plate Special — Doomed loves, failed families, nixed dreams — someone else's leftovers are heaped on our plates the day we come into this world.

Big Macs and pop tunes mask the emptiness as Madeline watches her mom drink away their welfare checks. Until the day Tad, a quirky McDonald's counter boy, asks Madeline out for a date, and she gets her first taste of normal. But with a life that’s anything but, how long can normal really last?

Hanging with Jeremy, avoiding Mam, sticking Do Not Disturb Post-its on her heart, Desiree's mission is simple: party hard, graduate (well, maybe), get out of town. But after Desiree accepts half a meatball grinder, a cold drink, and a ride from her mother's boyfriend one rainy afternoon, nothing is ever simple again.

Too many AP classes. Workaholic mom. Dad in prison. Still, Ariel's sultry new boyfriend, Shane, manages to make even the worst days delicious. But when an unexpected phone call forces a trip to visit a sick grandmother she's never met, revealing her family's dark past, Ariel struggles to find the courage to make the right choice for her own future.As three girls from three different decades lives converge, they discover they are connected ways they could never imagine. Each of them finds strength that brings her closer to healing a painful past, and faith that there is a happier future.

(Summary from the inside of the cover.)

I'm currently giving this away! Not this copy, obviously... but you know what I mean! So go check it out! It's open to Canada and the US until the end of the month.

Little Black Lies by Tish Cohen - ARC

Sara Black is tiptoeing across a fraying tightrope.

As the new eleventh grader at Anton High – the most elite public school in the country – she sticks out like an old VW bus in a parking lot full of shiny BMWs. But being the new kid also brings a certain advantageous anonymity.

In Anton High’s world of privilege, intelligence, and wealth, Sara can escape her family’s tarnished past and become whomever she wants. And what’s the harm in telling a few little black lies when it can lead to popularity? That is, until another it girl at Anton becomes jealous of Sara’s social climbing.

With her balance evaporating, one small push could bring Sara crashing down.

(Summary from goodreads.)

I freaking love the hippy bus on the cover of this. (My name for it as I am odd, I'm pretty sure no one else on earth calls them that. Like the veggie baby thing.)

Bought: None.

Borrowed (from the library):

The Actual Real Reality of Jennifer James by Gillian Shields - Hardcover

This is the diary of Jennifer James. It contains:

One Heroine: Jennifer James, burdened by brains, struggling to release her Inner Babe

One High School: London Road Comprehensive, a no-hope English school in a no-hope English town

One Prize: A scholarship to the elite St. Willibald's College [Jennifer's idea of Paradise] offered to the winner of a tacky reality TV show, Down The Bog

and...

A Thousand Complications: Like Jocasta, the crazy feminist mother; Tallulah, the blond rival from hell; Marcus, the guy with green eyes; and above all, the actual real reality that Jennifer's chances of winning are less than Mega-Zero...

(Summary from goodreads.)

I was wasting time at the library the Wednesday before last waiting for it to get to be five o'clock so I could have some teddy bear books (and I get paid for this!) and I spotted this, so I grabbed it. I've never heard of it before, but it sounds cute. It's not part of a series, though, is it? Bonus points if you know why the name Tallulah amuses me.

Well, that's it for me for this week!

Don't forget to enter my contests for Explorer X - Alpha and Boy Toy! Both of those are open internationally, and again, my Blue Plate Special contest is open to the US and Canada. All three are open until the end of the month.
Peace and cookies,
Laina

Waiting On Wednesday (24)

Waiting on Wednesday is, of course, brought to us by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week, my picks are a series, and technically one of them is already out, but I only heard about them today, so... I like rebelling in geeky ways, okay?

Darke Academy: Secret Lives by Gabriella Poole - Published August 6th, 2009

The Darke Academy is a school like no other. An elite establishment that moves to an exotic new city every term, its students are impossibly beautiful, sophisticated and rich. And the more new scholarship girl Cassie Bell learns about the Academy, the more curious she becomes. What sinister secrets are guarded by the Few -- the select group of students who keep outsiders away? Who is the dark stranger prowling the corridors at night? And what really happened a year earlier, when the last scholarship girl died in mysterious circumstances? One thing Cassie will discover is that a little knowledge may be a dangerous thing, but knowing too much can be deadly!

(Summary from goodreads.)

Why I want it: Well, one, it sounds really good, two, I don't like WoWing a sequel when I haven't read the first one. So... Anyways, like I said, it sounds really good.

And dun duh da da (it's a drumroll... right?) said sequel:

Darke Academy: Blood Ties by Gabriella Poole - To be published February 18th, 2009

The Darke Academy is a school like no other. An elite establishment that moves to an exotic new city every term, its students are impossibly beautiful, sophisticated and rich. This term the secretive Darke Academy has moved to New York, and Cassie Bell is no longer the innocent new girl. Now she is strong, determined, and hiding secrets of her own. For Cassie has been introduced to the world of the Few and is struggling to come to terms with her astonishing powers, a dangerous romance and the malevolent spirit inside her, demanding to be fed. When an old enemy returns, bent on revenge, Cassie is tested to the limit. Can she rescue her friends from a horrific fate, or will she end up destroying them to save herself? Wherever the Darke Academy goes, death is never far behind...

(Summary from amazon.)

Why I want it: 'Cause it looks good. I'm on my third WoW in a row here guys, give me a break.

Okay, that's it for me. What are you guys waiting on?
Peace and cookies,
Laina

Bad Girls Don't Die Review

Bad Girls Don't Die by Katie Alender

Published: April 21st, 2009 by Disney-Hyperion Books
Genre: Young Adult Thriller/Paranormal/Fantasy/Urban Fantasy methinks
Page Count: 346 in my hardcover copy.
Is this part of a series? Yes! According to Katie's website, it is the first book of three.

Summary (from goodreads): Alexis thought she led a typically dysfunctional high school existence. Dysfunctional like her parents' marriage; her doll-crazy twelve-year-old sister, Kasey; and even her own anti-social, anti-cheerleader attitude.

When a family fight results in some tearful sisterly bonding, Alexis realizes that her life is creeping from dysfunction into danger. Kasey is acting stranger than ever: her blue eyes go green sometimes; she uses old-fashioned language; and she even loses track of chunks of time, claiming to know nothing about her strange behavior. Their old house is changing, too. Doors open and close by themselves; water boils on the unlit stove; and an unplugged air conditioner turns the house cold enough to see their breath in.

Alexis wants to think that it's all in her head, but soon, what she liked to think of as silly parlor tricks are becoming life-threatening - to her, her family, and to her budding relationship with the class president. Alexis knows she's the only person who can stop Kasey - but what if that green-eyed girl isn't even Kasey anymore?

Review: I LOVED this book!! Katie Alender's writing is addicting to the nth and the characters are relateable and just plain awesomeness. I seriously started reading, looked up and was on page 186. By page 206, my notes became "Why must it end???" With that amount of question marks, too. While writing this review, I initially wrote something along the lines of "the most awesome ever" and then tweeted that I could not put that in a review. Jordyn told me I should, so blame her for the fangirling. :P

Plot: One of these days I'll just cut this out entirely. I really dislike writing about plot, it's freaking hard for me. Anyways, like I said, I started reading and lost track of time completely, so the plot doesn't drag in the least. It's not too scary, either. It's not dull in the least, but it's not oh-my-god-throw-the-book-at-the-phone-if-it-rings scary (it's happened). More spooky that scary, which is a good thing because I'm a wimp, especially when it comes to ghosts! There was this one part, though. It's actually in the trailer and I got a little nervous. Because I'm a total wimp and the end of the trailor nearly gives me a heart attack everytime I watch it. Which has been like three or four times now.

Characters: I loved Alexis. Her voice is so relateable and honestly, reminds me of the way I talk. Only, you know, better written. She's just so real. And she has pink hair! As long as she didn't use Manic Panic, we're cool. (I'm a total Special Effects girl. Well, except that one time I used Kool-Aid.)

And Carter. I'm not going to say much about him because I'll gush like a strawberry Gusher which are actually really yummy and I know, I eat like a five year old, but... anyways, he's just so real, you know? Like, you could see him being her friend, not just this movie star/minor deity that she's crushing on. You know? It's just very refreshing.

And the supporting characters were great. One of Katie Alender's talents is creating believeable, realistic characters who even if you don't particularly like *cough*hermother*cough* you still really really want to keep reading about.

Cons, complaints, bad stuff, etc.: Um. Picture a blank stare here. I got nothing. Oh, I know! The sequel is too far away!

PG-13 stuff: There's very little of anything. I don't remember even any cursing. Other than slightly mature themes (not that kind of mature, get your mind out of the gutter), there's nothing to compell a warning.

Cover comments: I love this cover. It's absolutely gorgeous and haunting and it's as stunning in real life as it is in pictures. (Speaking of, click the picture to enlarge it, it's really big and you can see tons of details). I love the lace curtain and the frame and... I just love it.

Conclusion: I cannot tell you how much I loved this one. It was just pure awesomeness. Alexis was one of the coolest characters I've encountered recently, Katie Alender's writing is incredible and I can't recommend it enough. I really can't say how good it is. Read it, read it, read it! Bad Girls Don't Die gets four and a half roses from me.



Random notes: Apparently, I thought, Good Girl Gone Bad by Rhianna, Good Girls Go Bad by Cobra Starship, and Babydoll Gone Wrong by Skye Sweetnam should be on this book's soundtrack starting the book. I stick with Babydoll Gone Wrong, the other two were influenced by title alone. This also should have been up days ago, but my computer decided to hate me plus... well, I got a little distracted by Facebook games (oh, hush), so... well, at least I've posted it now!
Anyways, hopefully more Halloween themed posts soon!
Peace and cookies,
Laina

Fun Friday: Give me something to sing about! (19)

As always, Fun Friday: Give me something to sing about! is where you guys get to see a song or two I like or that I want to talk about each week. Thanks goes to J.J. at Random Musings for help with the title.

I have two songs for you guys this week, both by Daughtry from their CD Leave This Town. The first is Ghost of Me:



And the second is Supernatural:



Peace and cookies,
Laina
(P. S. This was supposed to be last week's post, but it never posted. I hate when blogger does that.)