Waiting on Wednesday (59) – Fracture

Fracture
Megan Miranda
Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers
To be released: January 3, 2012
Summary (from Goodreads):
Eleven minutes passed before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied medical precedent to come back seemingly fine—despite the scans that showed significant brain damage. Everyone wants Delaney to be all right, but she knows she’s far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can’t control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death, or causing it? 

Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who recently emerged from a coma with similar abilities. At first she’s reassured to find someone who understands the strangeness of her new existence, but Delaney soon discovers that Troy’s motives aren’t quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a freak of nature—or something much more frightening?

For fans of best-sellers like Before I Fall and If I Stay, this is a fascinating and heart-rending story about love and friendship and the fine line between life and death.
I’ve already read this book, but still I cannot wait for it to be released. It’s a really good book and blends contemporary with a bit of, I guess you would call it, paranormal. Super excited for it to be released!
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event highlighting exciting upcoming releases. It is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

The Near Witch
Victoria Schwab
Publisher: Hyperion Books CH
Release Date: August 2, 2011
Series or Standalone: Standalone
ISBN: 1423137876
Format: ARC
Pages: 288
Ratings: 5 Stars
Wow. The Near Witch is such a lyrical, beautiful debut. I cannot even describe the awe I was in while reading this book.
The first thing about this book that will capture your attention and hold you captivated is the writing. The writing is impeccable. From the first line, the writing captivates your senses: “It starts with a crack, a sputter and a spark.” I found myself in awe of the beauty of the writing. Victoria Schwab is able to write such beautiful descriptions, I literally could picture everything There are so many beautifully written passages. I felt wrapped up in the story because of the writing. Victoria’s writing captivates the senses, literally making you think you can hear the wind and feel the breeze on the moors. It’s amazing the effect her writing has. There are just such beautiful passages and phrases. One of my favorite lines from the entire book is “The wind is lonely.” I think that is such a beautiful sentiment and makes complete sense. Wind is an extremely important element in this book and Victoria is able to capture the many different aspects of wind spot on. While the writing is so beautiful, it does not seem forced. Victoria’s writing seems so effortless, a fact a bet was not true, but it just flows so seamlessly and effortless, a skill some writers can never attain in their writing.
While I could continue on and on about how the writing left me in awe and literally gave shivers because it was so good, I will continue on to the other aspects of the book. I loved the character of Lexi. She is such a strong heroine. In a town were women are supposed to stay at home and take care of the children, Lexi is not afraid to defy authority or her family to fight for what is right. I loved that even though Lexi’s uncle would expressly tell Lexi to stay home and even force her to stay home, she would still manage to escape and try to figure out the mystery of the disappearances. Lexi always had the best intentions in mind, keeping those she loved safe, and would not be influenced by the towns irrational fear of outsiders. When Lexi knows something is wrong, she is willing to stand up a fight, no matter what the consequence. I really loved Lexi’s relationship with her younger sister Wren. You could really feel how much Lexi loves and looks out for her younger sister. Wren is what motivates Lexi to fight for the truth; she is willing to do anything to keep her younger sister safe. That type of love is hard to fake and their relationship immediately jumps off the page and is extremely relatable to any person who has a sibling, or loves some enough to do anything to protect them.
Then there is Cole. Cole is this mysterious enigma. Lexi knows little about him and so do the readers. He is a strange in the town of Near, an outsider, and instant scapegoat. He is a mystery. I loved how his role was unraveled and slowly the mystery behind Cole was peeled away. Cole was definitely a mystery that I liked unraveling. He was so secretive and very sad and I wanted to know why. I also sympathized with him because the people of Near automatically jumped on Cole as the culprit of the disappearance even as he was helping Lexi try a solve the problems. The length that Cole ends up going to help Lexi is extraordinary. You really end up sympathizing with him and hating the men of Near for what they do to him because they think that because he is a strange and arrived right as the disappearance occurred that he must be responsible and he is the only thing that could be responsible.
Once I started this book, I found it nearly impossible to put it down. I was engrossed in the story. The mystery of the disappearance was intriguing and had me turning pages until Lexi figured it out. I really enjoyed the sections of the plot that dealt with Lexi deifying what naturally expected of her and the conflict between herself and her Uncle Otto. Those scenes were some of my favorites. Towards the end of the book, the action really picked up and the last couple of chapters flew by until the book was over. I really liked how Victoria Schwab was able to wrap up everything in the end and I was satisfied with how she chose to end everything.
This book is a must read. It’s stunningly beautiful. I will definitely be picking up a finished copy to have one my bookshelf because it is just so beautifully written and captivating. It left me in awe and I felt I would never be able to explain how this book made me felt. 

Waiting on Wednesday (58) – Take a Bow

Take a Bow
Elizabeth Eulberg
Publisher: Scholastic Pint
To be released: April 2012
Summary (from Goodreads):
From the fantastic author of The Lonely Hearts Club and Prom & Prejudice comes a story of all the drama and comedy of four friends who grow into themselves at a performing arts high school. 
Emme, Sophie, Ethan, and Carter are seniors at a performing arts school, getting ready for their Senior Showcase recital, where the pressure is on to appeal to colleges, dance academies, and professionals in show business. For Sophie, a singer, it’s been great to be friends with Emme, who composes songs for her, and to date Carter, soap opera heartthrob who gets plenty of press coverage. Emme and Ethan have been in a band together through all four years of school, but wonder if they could be more than just friends and bandmates. Carter has been acting since he was a baby, and isn’t sure how to admit that he’d rather paint than perform. The Senior Showcase is going to make or break each of the four, in a funny, touching, spectacular finale that only Elizabeth Eulberg could perform.
I cannot wait to read this book. I loved Elizabeth Eulberg’s previous two books, Prom and Prejudice and the Lonely Hearts Club and cannot wait to read her new one. Her books always put a smile on my face and I’m sure this one will too!
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event highlighting exciting upcoming releases. It is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Supernaturally by Kiersten White

Supernaturally
Kiersten White
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: July 26, 2011
Series or Standalone:  Paranormalcy #2
ISBN: 9780061985867
Format: ARC
Pages: 352
Source: Borrowed
Websites:
Kiersten White – Website 
Kiersten White – Blog 
Kiersten White – Twitter
Rating: 3.5 Stars
I was really looking forward to the sequel to the BLEEPING awesome Paranormalcy. However, I felt like Supernaturally was more of a whimper than the bang I was expecting. I was slightly disappointed by Supernaturally. I really loved Paranormalcy but Supernaturally felt a bit bland in comparison.
Supernaturally suffered from what I call the second-book-in-a-trilogy syndrome. Basically, the second book in a trilogy is kind of boring and slow moving and their to establish plot points for the big finale. In many ways, this is how Supernaturally felt for me. I felt this book was very slow moving and I think that was because of the plot. Personally, I’m not really sure what the central plot was. There were a bunch of small story lines, but I felt they did not connect together into one major plot. I was a little bored, and that made me sad. There were also things that were brought up in Supernaturally that then were not mentioned again, such as not hearing for the elementals. I know it is probably set up for book 3 but it just felt forgotten at points.
While the plot wasn’t my favorite, I will say I loved being back in Evie’s world. I lobe Evie. Kiersten White really has created a very distinct voice with Evie. As in Paranormalcy, Evie is just as snarky and hilarious. I was giggling within the first couple pages. Evie has grown since Paranormalcy. Evie knows now more about who she is and has the chance at a “normal” life and that has changed her. I really liked her character growth throughout this book. She learns a lot more about herself and has to deal with that knowledge and she deals with it well.
A lot of the same characters from Paranormalcy are back in this one. Including Lend, but there wasn’t enough Lend for my taste in this book since he was offer at college. Along with a bunch of old characters, Kiersten White introduces a new character, Jack who I really enjoyed. Jack was a character and really funny. He kind of reminded me of a Puck-esque character. However, the one thing I did not like about Jack was I figured out his purpose right when I met him. Other than that, Jack was a really interesting new character who provided some really good entertainment.

Overall, Supernaturally was a decent read. It was nice to be back in Evie’s world and I love Kiersten’s writing. Even though I was a bit disappointed by this book (probably because it had to live up to Paranormalcy) I still enjoyed it. And I will definitely be picking up the third and final book in the series Endlessly when it’s out sometime next year. Also, this cover is gorgeous! I love it and I love how it matches Parnormalcy.

Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore

Texas Gothic

Rosemary Clement-Moore
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Release Date: July 12, 2011
Series or Standalone:  Standalone
ISBN: 978028573690
Format: eBook
Pages: 416
Source: Bought
Websites:
Rosemary Clement-Moore – Website 
Rosemary Clement-Moore – Blog 
Rosemary Clement-Moore – Twitter
Rating: 5 Stars
I really loved Texas Gothic. This book was a perfect blend of mystery, paranormal and romance. Texas Gothic is like a paranormal Nancy Drew and I could not put it down once I started it.
Rosemary Clement-Moore has a perfect balance of mystery and paranormal in Texas Gothic. The paranormal aspect of the book did not feel overpowering; instead, the paranormal aspect of ghosts was weaved into the story and felt normal. This story worked on so many levels. I loved the regular mystery related to the bodies being found on the McCulloch farm and then the paranormal mystery of why the ghost is haunting Amy. Both mysteries wove together perfectly and kept me on the edge of my seat.
I really loved the characters of Texas Gothic. Amy was a great main character. Amy had spunk. She is the odd one out of in her family. The Goodnights are all into the paranormal, being witches and stuff, but Amy tries to keep stay sane and keep people from saying bad things about her family. I loved how Amy tried so hard to stay the normal one in her family, but could had her own special powers that draw her back into the paranormal world which is the norm for the Goodnights. One of my favorite things in this book was the relationship between Ben and Amy. Ben and Amy had great back and forth exchanges. When Amy and Ben first met, I couldn’t help but laugh at the situation. Ben and Amy’s exchanges were filled with snark and sass. I loved it. And of course it was filled with sexual tension. Their relationship was perfect in my opinion.
I loved the mystery in this book. I literally did not know who the culprits were. Rosemary Clement-Moore kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I stayed up until 3 am reading this and did not care because I was so engrossed into the story.

It’s really hard to put my emotions into words while reading this book. I truly loved it and really have no way to describe how this book made me feel. It’s another one of those awesome books that I just truly love. It had that special something that just makes a book awesome. 
Texas Gothicsweeps you up into it’s world and takes you for a great ride. The writing is fluid and blends together mystery and paranormal perfectly. Once you start reading you will not want to stop reading. Rosemary Clement-Moore has created a great mystery that I cannot wait to reread. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a great mystery book with interesting paranormal elements. Definitely a reread for me! 

Waiting on Wednesday (57) – Tempest

Tempest
Julie Cross
Publisher: Thomas Dunne
To be released: January 3, 2012
Summary (from Goodreads):
Jackson thought he had all the time in the world with Holly. Until time took him away from her . . . 
Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy . . . who just happens to be able to travel through time. It’s all just harmless fun until the day Jackson witnesses his girlfriend, Holly, get fatally shot. In his panic, Jackson jumps back two years, but it’s not long before the people who shot Holly come looking for him. And these “Enemies of Time” will stop at nothing to recruit (or kill) this powerful young time-traveler. Jackson must decide how far he is willing to go to save Holly . . . and the entire world.
This book has a gorgeous cover! I love it. Also, time travel. I’m so reading this book. This book must be pretty good since movie rights have sold for it ALREADY and the book isn’t out until next year! I will definitely be checking this one out.
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event highlighting exciting upcoming releases. It is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Love Story by Jennifer Echols + Giveaway!

Love Story
Jennifer Echols
Publisher: MTV Books
Release Date: July 19, 2011
Series or Standalone: Standalone
ISBN: 1439178321
Format: eGalley
Pages: 243
Source: GalleyGrab
Websites:
Jennifer Echols – Website 
Jennifer Echols – Blog
Jennifer Echols – Twitter 

Rating: 4.5 Stars
Love Storyis another great book from Jennifer Echols. Let me start by saying I love Jennifer Echols. I was bullied by Erica to read her books and I’m really glad she force me to read them. Jennifer Echols knows how to write great contemporary romances and Love Story was another great addition.

In Love Story, the story was spot on. I loved the romance tension and relationship between Hunter and Erin. Their story developed at a perfect pace and I couldn’t help but love their story.

One of my favorite things about this book was how Jennifer Echols used the stories Erin and Hunter were writing in the college class to help tie together Erin and Hunter’s own personal story. I loved how their writing pieces reflected their own relationship and personal lives. I thought using the characters stories they written was something very different but worked to tie Erin and Hunter’s story together.

Both Hunter and Erin are freshman’s in college. I was so happy to see this. I feel that in YA there are never any characters in college or around the age of people in college. As a college student it’s a nice change of pace to read about characters the same age as me.

One thing Jennifer Echols is a master at is the romance. And boy, let me say, this one had some good romance. The chemistry between Erin and Hunter seemed to jump off the page for me. No matter how much Erin said she didn’t like Hunter, we all know (even Erin did) that she was lying. There was just so much chemistry between the two that I could not wait until both Hunter and Erin acted about it. The romance was just spot on in this book.

When I started this book, I could not stop until I finished it. I really wanted to find out what would happen between Hunter and Erin. I have to say, I think Love Story has surpassed Going Too Far as my favorite Jennifer Echols book. This book is a must read for YA contemporary fans!


Thanks to Big Honcho Media, I have TWO copies of Love Story to giveaway! Here is a little more about the book:

She’s writing about him. He’s writing about her. And everybody is reading between the lines.


For Erin Blackwell, majoring in creative writing at the New York City college of her dreams is more than a chance to fulfill her ambitions-it’s her ticket away from the tragic memories that shadow her family’s racehorse farm in Kentucky. But when she refuses to major in business and take over the farm herself someday, her grandmother gives Erin’s college tuition and promised inheritance to their maddeningly handsome stable boy, Hunter Allen. Now Erin has to win an internship and work late nights at a local coffee shop to make her own dreams a reality. She should despise Hunter . . . so why does he sneak into her thoughts as the hero of her latest writing assignment?

Then, on the day she’s sharing that assignment with her class, Hunter walks in. He’s joining her class. And after he reads about himself in her story, her private fantasies about him must be painfully clear. She only hopes to persuade him not to reveal her secret to everyone else. But Hunter devises his own creative revenge, writing sexy stories that drive the whole class wild with curiosity and fill Erin’s heart with longing. Now she’s not just imagining what might have been. She’s writing a whole new ending for her romance with Hunter . . . except this story could come true.

If you would like to learn more about the book you can go here. And now a little bit about the author:

Jennifer Echols is the author of romantic dramas for MTV and romantic comedies for Pulse. She currently lives in Birmingham. Visit her on the web at www.jennifer-echols.com.

Giveaway Rules
-Fill out the form below completely
-Open to US residents only
-Must be 13 years or old to enter. If under 13, parental consent is required.
-One entry per person. Multiple entries will be deleted
-Ends July 20, 2011


July is NetGalley Month!

Emily from Red House Books is hosting a NetGalley month. This is something I could sooooo use. You have no idea. I have so many eGalley’s from NetGalley that I desperately need to read and I’m hoping this will help kick my butt into gear.

Basically the gist of NetGalley month is very simple: Read as many NetGalley books as you can in a month. Pretty simple. You can also win prizes from participating! Yay! To learn more about July as NetGalley month you can visit Emily’s post explaining it all here.

My goal is to read 7 books from NetGalley as of right now. I might add more to this list, but I’m gonna start with 7.

The 7 books are:
Blood by K.J. Wignall
Tris and Izzy by Mette Ivie Harrison
Ashes by Isla J. Bick 
Ultraviolet by R.J. Anderson 
The Poisoned House by Michael Ford
Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz 
Sharks & Boys by Kristen Tracy