Month: August 2010

Review: Forget You

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Forget You        

Jennifer Echols
Publisher: MTV
Release Date: July 20, 2010           
Pages: 293
Ratings: 3.5 Stars
Summary (from Goodreads):
WHY CAN’T YOU CHOOSE WHAT YOU FORGET . . .  AND WHAT YOU REMEMBER?
There’s a lot Zoey would like to forget. Like how her father has knocked up his twenty-four- year old girlfriend. Like Zoey’s fear that the whole town will find out about her mom’s nervous breakdown. Like darkly handsome bad boy Doug taunting her at school. Feeling like her life is about to become a complete mess, Zoey fights back the only way she knows how, using her famous attention to detail to make sure she’s the perfect daughter, the perfect student, and the perfect girlfriend to ultra-popular football player Brandon.
But then Zoey is in a car crash, and the next day there’s one thing she can’t remember at all—the entire night before. Did she go parking with Brandon, like she planned? And if so, why does it seem like Brandon is avoiding her? And why is Doug—of all people— suddenly acting as if something significant happened between the two of them? Zoey dimly remembers Doug pulling her from the wreck, but he keeps referring to what happened that night as if it was more, and it terrifies Zoey to admit how much is a blank to her. Controlled, meticulous Zoey is quickly losing her grip on the all-important details of her life—a life that seems strangely empty of Brandon, and strangely full of Doug. 
The wonderful Erica kindly book bullied me into buying this book, along with Going Too Far, and I am glad she did. I read Forget You in one sitting, and was not disappointed. Jennifer Echols has written an enjoyable book with beautiful scenes.
One thing I have learned from reading this book is that Jennifer Echols’ characters have such great chemistry. The interactions between Doug and Zoey are packed with tons of sexual tension and it was great to see how their story unfolded.
While this book might seem like some light chick lit, it does deal with some very serious topics and issues. With Zoey’s parents divorce, her dad’s pregnant new wife, and her mom going crazy, Zoey has a lot of stress and issues with which to deal. I often felt extremely sorry for Zoey and the situation she was. Her life was falling apart in front of her and she just wanted to maintain her normal, perfect life.
One thing that Jennifer Echols’ excels at is writing realistic characters. Every character in this book was extremely relatable and believable. None of the characters felt fake, I felt I know someone like each character. It was easy to relate to the characters too, even if not in similar situations. Every teenager has doubts about there life and everyone is trying to figure out who they are just like Zoey.
Even though I found this book very enjoyable and loved the story, at times I did get annoyed with Zoey. The whole Brandon situation, especially bothered me. A girl as smart as Zoey should be able to see that Brandon wasn’t her boyfriend. At times I just wanted to smack her when she kept saying Brandon’s my boyfriend, or my boyfriend Brandon. I wish Zoey was a bit more independent and could see that she was lying to herself with the Brandon situation.
Overall, Forget You was a very enjoyable read. Emotionally packed with great characters and great romance, Jennifer Echols has written a book that many teens will eat up. 

Waiting on Wednesday (10) – Personal Demons

Dani @ Overflowing Shelf1 Comment

Personal Demons
Lisa Desrochers
Publisher: Tor Teen
To be released: September 14, 2010
Summary (from Goodreads):
Frannie Cavanaugh is a good Catholic girl with a bit of a wicked streak. She’s spent years keeping everyone at a distance—even her closest friends—and it seems her senior year will be more of the same…until Luc Cain enrolls in her class. No one knows where he came from, but Frannie can’t seem to stay away from him. What she doesn’t know is that Luc works in Acquisitions—for Hell—and she possesses a unique skill set that has the King of Hell tingling with anticipation. All Luc has to do is get her to sin, and he’s as tempting as they come. Frannie doesn’t stand a chance.
Unfortunately for Luc, Heaven has other plans, and the angel, Gabe, is going to do whatever it takes to make sure that Luc doesn’t get what he came for. And it isn’t long before they find themselves fighting for more than just her soul.
But if Luc fails, there will be Hell to pay…for all of them.
I’ve been dying to read this book for ages. I’ve heard nothing about good things and have you seen the Gabe trailer (1 of 3 trailers) for this book?!?
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event highlighting exciting upcoming releases. It is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Happy Mockingjay Release and a STORY

Dani @ Overflowing Shelf1 Comment

Since today is the official release of Mockingjay, I thought I’d share a little story in celebration.

Almost a year to date, my dad met Suzanne Collins. It was the day before Blood Promise was released, so it was about a week before Catching Fire was to released. I, unfortunately, was on a college road trip, visiting schools along the East Coast, and we just arrived at in Fairfax, Viriginia when my dad calls us to check in with us. Our phone conversation went something like:

Dad: So, when I was at the library today to drop off movies, there was some kind of author there.
Me: Okay.
Dad: She was back in your YAAA section at the tables back there. I went to see what she was talking about.
Me: What she write?
Dad: She wrote books like that author we just saw (he is referring to Cassandra Clare). Something with a boy and a girl, like in a future world and reality tv. They had really weird names.

*Here I start to panic*

Me: What was her name?
Dad: I don’t something with like an S.

My dad then proceeds to describe what she looked like and where she lived and about her life since she was talking about it. I proceed to freak out more and more since it sounds very familiar. Finally, after I cannot stand it, I ask:

Me: Was her name Suzanne Collins?
Dad: Ohhhh yeahhh. That was the name.
Me: *SCREAMS* WHAT?!?! Why didn’t you call me?? You know I love books!! You could have ran home and got my Hunger Games book that is next to my bed.
Dad: *pause* I forgot.

*Head meets wall*

My dad ran into Suzanne Collins when she just stopped into our local library. He constantly brings it up and I always get a little angry at him for that. But he loves telling the story to torture me. So, my dad met Suzanne Collins….while I was stuck in a hotel room in Virginia.

Happy Mockingjay release day!! Enjoy reading! My review for Mockingjay should be up soon since I finished the book at 5am today.

Fragment Friday (3) – Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel

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Fragment Friday is hosted by James of Book Chic and it is where you read excerpts of your favorite books or what you are reading now. I chose an excerpt from a book I’m currently reading: Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel. It features a scene with one of my favorite characters: TONY!! 

I had a lot of issues with this video being recorded and uploaded so that is why it’s posted on Saturday and the quality not that great. Sorry!

Review: The Iron Daughter

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The Iron Daughter

Julie Kagawa
Publisher:  Harlequin Teen
Release Date: August 1, 2010
Pages: 368
Ratings: 5 Stars
Summary (from Goodreads):
Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron Fey, iron-bound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her. Worse, Meghan’s own fey powers have been cut off. She’s alone in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can’t help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.
Julie Kagawa has outdone herself in the second installment of the Iron Fey series. Usually, the second book often falls short of expectations, but the Iron Daughter actually surpassed the Iron King.
In the Iron Daughter, Julie Kagawa expands the beautiful world she created in the first installment of the series, adding even more rich details to Meghan’s world. I loved seeing the Winter Court, the place where Ash grew up, and learning more about the courts and the customs in the fey world of Nevernever. New characters were introduced in the Iron Daughter and I must say, I really liked them all. Characters such as Leanansidhe fit in great with the old characters from the previous books.
The story in Iron Daughter was a rollercoaster ride of emotions. I cried, I laughed, I gasped, I scream and was even tempted at points to toss my Nook across the room. This book was everything I expected and more. The plot had me flipping pages as fast as possible. The plot felt incredibly new and fresh, and extremely captivating. While I did speed read this to not have the book spoiled in a chat with Julie Kagawa, I wanted to speed read it to figure out where Julie Kagawa was taking Meghan, Ash, Puck and the gang next.
What I love about this series is the characters. They drive the plot and the story completely. Whether you are Team Ash or Team Puck, Julie Kagawa had plenty of action with both characters, leaving everyone happy. New characters, such as Rowan and the Iron Horse have become new favorite characters, especially Iron Horse. While Iron Horse was in the previous novel, his role has change drastically and the readers really get to know that not all Iron Fey are evil and that Iron Horse is not what we thought from the previous novel.
While I can continue talking and gushing forever about this book, I don’t want to bore you with my love for the Iron Daughter. This book is amazing, and I’ve had to contain my love of the awesomeness of this book through out this review. The Iron Fey series is everything I want in a series, it’s fresh, exciting, has amazing characters and is just awesome. I highly recommend this series to everyone. The ending of the Iron Daughter has me eagerly awaiting the conclusion of the Iron Fey series. I guess I just must reread the Iron King and the Iron Daughter a gazillion times until the release of the Iron Queen in February 2011.

Waiting on Wednesday (9) – The Iron Witch

Dani @ Overflowing Shelf4 Comments
The Iron Witch
Karen Mahoney
Publisher: Flux
To be released: February 1, 2010
Summary (from Goodreads):
Freak. That’s what her classmates call seventeen-year-old Donna Underwood. When she was seven, a horrific fey attack killed her father and drove her mother mad. Donna’s own nearly fatal injuries from the assault were fixed by magic—the iron tattoos branding her hands and arms. The child of alchemists, Donna feels cursed by the magical heritage that destroyed her parents and any chance she had for a normal life. The only thing that keeps her sane and grounded is her relationship with her best friend, Navin Sharma.
When the darkest outcasts of Faerie—the vicious wood elves—abduct Navin, Donna finally has to accept her role in the centuries old war between the humans and the fey. Assisted by Xan, a gorgeous half-fey dropout with secrets of his own, Donna races to save her friend—even if it means betraying everything her parents and the alchemist community fought to the death to protect.
I love the cover for this book, it’s so gorgeous and the plot sounds very interesting. I’ll definitely be checking this book out in February.

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event highlighting exciting upcoming releases. It is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine

Review: Winter’s Passage

Dani @ Overflowing Shelf1 Comment

Winter’s Passage

Julie Kagawa
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: May 20, 2010
eBook
Ratings: 5 Stars
Summary (from Goodreads):
Meghan Chase used to be an ordinary girl…until she discovered that she is really a faery princess. After escaping from the clutches of the deadly Iron fey, Meghan must follow through on her promise to return to the equally dangerous Winter Court with her forbidden love, Prince Ash. But first, Meghan has one request: that they visit Puck–Meghan’s best friend and servant of her father, King Oberon–who was gravely injured defending Meghan from the Iron Fey.Yet Meghan and Ash’s detour does not go unnoticed. They have caught the attention of an ancient, powerful hunter–a foe that even Ash may not be able to defeat….An eBook exclusive story from Julie Kagawa’s Iron Fey series.
Whoa! This eBook novella was hot! First, let me just confess how much I love Ash, he is probably one of my biggest book crushes, and this novella had so much Ash it was going to explode with awesomness.
Okay…now that I got the Ash is hot out of my system, I must say I am so glad Julie Kagawa released this novella to bridge the gap between the Iron King and the Iron Daughter. If I didn’t read this, I would feel like I missed out on some major action between books one and two of the Iron Fey series.
This novella takes place immediately after the end of the Iron King and continues the story perfectly. Winter’s Passage adds more to the lovely world already create by Julie Kagawa in the Iron King. This book had everything I was expecting after reading Iron King, it had an intriguing plot, action, Ash, romance and just a great story.
While reading Winter’s Passage is not essential to the story of the Iron Fey, it is a great book connecting books one and two and will definitely add to the experience of reading the series. Any fan of the Iron King should definitely check out this novella, especially if you want to read lots about Ash! 

Review: Dark Goddess

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Dark Goddess

Sarwat Chadda
Publisher: Hyperion Books
Release Date: January 25, 2010 (USA release)
Pages: 384
Ratings: 4 Stars
Summary (from Goodreads):
*SPOILERS FROM PREVIOUS BOOK*
After the death of her soulmate Kay by her very own sword, Billi SanGreal has thrown herself into the brutal regime of Templar duties with utter abandon. There is no room for feelings any more – her life is now about hunting down the Unholy. But when Billi and another Knight Templar are caught at the heart of a savage werewolf attack, only Billi survives – except for a young girl at the scene who Billi unthinkingly drags away with her as they escape. But Vasalisa is no ordinary girl. She is an avatar with an uncontrollable power – and it’s not only the werewolves who want her. Billi has to flee to the frosty climes of Russia, with a human timebomb who, it seems, could destroy the world . . .
While visiting London this summer, my one requirement was to visit a book store and pick up this book since here, in the United States, the book is not released until next year. I am extremely glad I did this. I loved Devil’s Kiss the first book featuring Billi SanGreal and I was really looking forward to seeing where Sarwat Chadda would take Billi next.
Dark Goddess, the sequel to Devil’s Kiss, was more than I expected, in a good way. Sarwat Chadda continues Billi’s adventures as a Templar Knight and in this book expands the world Billi lives in. I loved that this book took Billi away from London and brought her, along with the rest of the Templars, to Russia where we get to meet the Russians equivalent of the Templars. Russia provides Billi many more challenges and has her continuing to question herself and her duty as a Templar.
In the Dark Goddess, the events from the previous book have truly taken a toll on Billi. In this book, Billi, who still have those characteristics I love about her, such as her stubbornness and devotion to those she loves, has been deeply effected by the previous events in her life. Billi has grown as a character, and continues to grow even more because of the events of these books. I often forgot that Billi is a fifteen year old girl. She seems more mature that because of the harsh life she has been subjected to as a Templar. Even though Billi gets put through more events that have her questioning her beliefs, I love that she stayed true to herself and ended up growing up even more from her experiences.
One of my favorite parts about this book was that it took place in Russia and that in Russia we met a whole new set of characters. I must confess, I have a weird love of Russia and really would love going there and I was so glad that Billi got to go there in this book. I also really loved how Sarwat Chadda took the Russian myth of Baba Yaga and made it his own. I’ve read a few different takes on Baba Yaga and I really like his spin on her and how well it fit with the story. Along with just loving Russia, the characters Sarwat Chadda introduced to us in Russia are probably some of my favorite. I loved Ivan Alexeivich Romanov, even if he did fulfill Kay’s role in this book. Ivan is basically a male version of Billi, and I loved that what you see with him is not what you get. He is battling many personal battles, like Billi, and it was interesting to see his story revealed.
Overall, I truly enjoyed Dark Goddess and ended up reading it all in one sitting. I think I ended up enjoying this book more than it predecessor, probably cause it had Russia in it (just kidding). I found this book very enjoyable, and the ending left me wanting more since it was left opening, hopefully for a sequel to help resolve it. I was not disappointed in my buy in the UK and extremely glad I brought it. Definitely check this book out when it is released in the US.

Review: Sleepless

Dani @ Overflowing Shelf2 Comments
Sleepless
Cyn Balog
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: July 13, 2010
Pages: 224
Ratings: 3.5 Stars
Summary (from Goodreads):
Eron De Marchelle isn’t supposed to feel a connection. He is a Sandman, a supernatural being whose purpose is to seduce human charges to sleep. While he can communicate with his charges in their dreams, he isn’t encouraged to–after all, getting too involved in one human’s life would prevent him helping his other charges get their needed rest.
But he can’t deny that he feels something for Julia. Julia, with her fiery red hair and her sad dreams. Just weeks ago, her boyfriend died in a car accident, and Eron can tell that she feels more alone than ever. Eron was human once too, many years ago, and he remembers how it felt to lose the one he loved. Eron has always felt protective of Julia . . . but now, when she seems to need him more than ever, he can’t seem to reach her . . .
Sandmen are forbidden from communicating with humans outside their dreams. But will Eron be willing to risk everything for a chance to be with the person he loves?
In a genre dominated by vampires and werewolves, Sleeplesswas a refreshing and unique read. Cyn Balog takes the commonly known legend of the Sandman and adds to that legend with her own twist.
I loved the alternating point of views in this book. A lot of times, I feel, that alternating point of view takes away from the story, but I believe in this case it enhanced the reading of the story. I loved reading Eron point of view and seeing what it was like to be a Sandman, and learning from him, the difficulties of being a Sandman.
Cyn Balog did an excellent job of making me want to read more about these characters and the plot. There were many small mysteries, such as what happened to Julia when she was seven, that made me want to continue reading. The threat of danger to Julia also kept constantly shifting, making me want to keep reading to see who was actually the one who wanted to hurt Julia.
My only complaint was that this book was too short! I wish it was longer! Towards the end I felt the plot was a bit rushed and I just wanted to read about these characters and the world Cyn Balog created with the Sandman. I also must say too that at times I was frustrated with Juila for not seeing that her boyfriend was not as good as she thought he was and that he was a bad boyfriend. Overall though, Sleepless was a book that kept me turning the pages until the end and left me wanting more, always a good sign.