Feuding Friday (13)

Happy Friday!

Feuding Friday is a weekly event here at Brittany's Fantasy where bloggers pick 2 characters, creatures, settings, authors exc... to post about then have readers comment and choose their favorite of the two. To use this meme on your blog, simply leave a comment, grab the button, and post away! You do NOT have to use the same subjects that I use. Feel free to pick your own!

This week's feud is between Eric and Bill from Charlaine Harris's The Southern Vampire Mysteries. I have only read the first book in the series and I was Team Bill but I see a lot of people who are Team Eric!

Vote in the comments :)

Review: Nightshade

Title: Nightshade

Author: Andrea Cremer

Publisher: Philomel

Pages: 452

Source: Bought

Rating: 5/5

Summary:

Calla Tor has always known her destiny: After graduating from the Mountain School, she'll be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Laroche and fight with him, side by side, ruling their pack and guarding sacred sites for the Keepers.

But when she violates her masters' laws by saving a beautiful human boy out for a hike, Calla begins to question her fate, her existence, and the very essence of the world she has known. By following her heart, she might lose everything— including her own life. Is forbidden love worth the ultimate sacrifice

I don't know exactly why I decided to buy this book. I just remember seeing it on a shelf in a Borders that was going out of business (that means 50% off all YA books) and I thought "Why not?" Now I can't even express how grateful I am that I bought this wonderful novel!

I've never actually read a book about werewolves alone. Therefore, my knowledge on them was close to nothing but Nightshade has encouraged me to red more about them. The world that Andrea created is a page turner that not only involved wolves, but others like Keepers, Searchers, and Wraiths. Every creature in the book was completely fascinating.

I had absolutely no problem with any of the characters (that's a first!) In fact, I found myself liking everyone of them from Cara to Ren to Shay right down to all of the pack members. Each of them had their own distinctiveness and personalities that were fun and interesting to rad about.

The love triangle created in this book is one of the best I have ever read. Shay is the mysterious, cute, brave one, and Ren is the sexy, dark, but caring one. The connections between both of them and Calla were so great that I really can't pick between the two.

The plot involved just enough romance and paranormal so that one didn't dominate the other. I can't remember a time when then novel ever slowed down and the ending was filled with action and left the reader guessing and dying for the next book. For those of you who have not picked up Nightshade yet, I suggest you do so now!

What did you think of Nightshade?

Waiting on Wednesday (12)

Waiting on Wednesday is a fun way to let bloggers spotlight upcoming books. This awesome meme is hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. This week I am waiting on Wolfsbane (Nightshade #2) by Andrea Cremer. I just finished Nightshade and absolutely loved it! (My review will be posted tomorrow) Unfortunately I will have to wait until July 26th for Wolfsbane! I chose to post the old cover because I like it a whole lot better than the new one!

(Goodreads) Summary:

This thrilling sequel to the much-talked-about Nightshade begins just where it ended.Calla Tor wakes up in the lair of the Searchers, her sworn enemy, and she's certain her days are numbered. But then the Searchers make her an offer,one that gives her the chance to destroy her former masters and save the pack and the man she left behind. Is Ren worth the price of her freedom? And will Shay stand by her side no matter what? Now in control of her own destiny, Calla must decide which battles are worth fighting and how many trials true love can endure and still survive.



What are you waiting on? Leave a comment :)

Review: Matched

Title: Matched

Author: Ally Condie

Publisher: Dutton Juvenile

Source: Bought

Pages: 366

Rating: 4/5

(Goodreads) Sumary:

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.
The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.


I picked up Matched because of all the wonderful things being said about it. Everywhere I looked people were giving this novel the best of ratings! I think my expectations were just a tad too high because I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would...

The characters were OK. Cassia wasn't too whiny and I liked Ky and Xander, but the love triangle wasn't a great one. There wasn't a lot of connection between Cassia and Xander so I found myself automatically favoring Ky.

I think my favorite thing about this novel is the Dystopian world that Ally created, where everyone and everything are limited. Nobody lives past 80, there are only 100 songs, 100 poems, most people cannot write, matches and vocations are chosen for them... all of the elements were really interesting and got me thinking. The only problem with the futuristic world is that I had so many questions that were never answered.

The plot was nothing too original and I found it to be boring and dull at some parts. The idea of forbidden love has been done again and again so nothing new there. If the story didn't take place in a world so different from ours, it would have been a lot harder for me to get through the book. Thankfully the ending was very exciting and left me craving the sequel, Crossed.

Matched is a good book that I recommend to anyone that loves romance and maybe a little sci-fi. It did a good job of setting up the series so hopefully my review for Crossed will be even better. Also, I hope everyone has a fantastic Easter!

What are your thoughts on the book? Did you do anything fun for Easter?

Feuding Friday (12)

Happy Friday!

Feuding Friday is a weekly event here at Brittany's Fantasy where bloggers pick 2 characters, creatures, settings, authors exc... to post about then have readers comment and choose their favorite of the two. To use this meme on your blog, simply leave a comment, grab the button, and post away! You do NOT have to use the same subjects that I use. Feel free to pick your own!

This week's feud is between Dimitri and Adrian from the Vampire Academy series. I have not had a chance to read this series yet, but I hope to soon! From what I hear there are a lot of Dimitri fans...

Which team are you on?

Waiting on Wednesday (11)

Waiting on Wednesday is a fun way to let bloggers spotlight upcoming books. This awesome meme is hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. This week I am waiting on What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen. I have only read one Sarah Dessen book so far but I will definitely be reading more in the future.

Another town. Another school. Another Mclean. Ever since her parents' bitter divorce, Mclean and her father have been fleeing their unhappy past. And Mclean's become a pro at reinventing herself with each move. But in Lakeview, Mclean finds herself putting down roots and making friends—in part, thanks to Dave, the most real person Mclean's ever met. Dave just may be falling in love with her, but can he see the person she really is? Does Mclean herself know?

What are you waiting on this week? Leave a comment :)

Feuding Friday (11)

Happy Friday!

Feuding Friday is a weekly event here at Brittany's Fantasy where bloggers pick 2 characters, creatures, settings, exc... to post about then have readers comment and choose their favorite of the two. To use this meme on your blog, simply leave a comment, grab the button, and post away! You do NOT have to use the same subjects that I use. Feel free to pick your own!

Sorry I am a little late this week! This week's feud is between Ren and Shay from Nightshade by Andrea Cremer. This book is siting on my shelf waiting for me to read so hopefully I will start it soon! From what I've been hearing it seems like the teams are pretty even.

Which team are you on? Leave a comment :)

Waiting on Wednesday (10)

Waiting on Wednesday is a fun way to let bloggers spotlight upcoming books. This awesome meme is hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. This week I am waiting on Fins are Forever by Tera Lynn Childs. I loved the first book in the series (Forgive my Fins) because it was such a cute story about one of my favorite creatures: mermaids!

(Goodreads) Summary-

On Lily Sanderson’s eighteenth birthday she’ll become just a girl—still a mer girl, true, but signing the renunciation paperwork will ink Princess Waterlily of Thalassinia out of existence. That leaves plain old Lily living on land, dating the boy she loves, and trying to master this being human thing once and for all.

Now that Lily and Quince are together, mer-bond or not, she’s almost content to give up her place in the royal succession of Thalassinia. But just when she thinks she has everything figured out, Lily’s father sends a certain whirlpool-stirring cousin to stay with her on land. What did Doe do to get herself exiled from Thalassinia and stuck in terraped form, when everyone knows how much she hates humans? And why why why is she batting her eyelashes at Lily’s former crush, Brody?

The seafoam on the surf comes when a merboy from Lily’s past shows up. Tellin asks Lily for something that clouds her view of the horizon. There’s a future with Quince on land, her loyalty to the kingdom in the sea, and Lily tossing on the waves in the middle. Will she find a way to reconcile her love, her duty, and her dreams?

 

Fins are Forever comes out on June 28th 2011. What are you waiting on?

The Replacement

Review: The Replacement

Author: Brenna Yovanoff

Publisher: Razor Bill

Pages: 343

Rating: 4/5

Goodreads Summary:

Mackie Doyle is not one of us. Though he lives in the small town of Gentry, he comes from a world of tunnels and black murky water, a world of living dead girls ruled by a little tattooed princess. He is a Replacement, left in the crib of a human baby sixteen years ago. Now, because of fatal allergies to iron, blood, and consecrated ground, Mackie is fighting to survive in the human world.

Mackie would give anything to live among us, to practice on his bass or spend time with his crush, Tate. But when Tate's baby sister goes missing, Mackie is drawn irrevocably into the underworld of Gentry, known as Mayhem. He must face the dark creatures of the Slag Heaps and find his rightful place, in our world, or theirs.
 
The Replacement is a very unique and haunting story of a boy named Mackie Doyle. After reading a few light books, an eerie, dark read such as this book is perfect, but of course it is not for everyone.  There is not a lot of action but the writing can be quite gory at times.
 
I found the creatures in The Replacement to be fascinating. There isn't actually a name for them but people in the town of Gentry have used the words demons, monsters, and goblins to describe them. They are the hideous living dead with crooked, yellow teeth, white skin, and huge black eyes. All of them are oddly allergic to blood, iron, and consecrated ground.
 
The plot was steadily paced, exciting, and easy to understand. The idea of the living dead replacing human babies with their own is disturbing, but new and interesting. The book could get a bit slow at times but it quickly picked up. The only thing the plot could use is a little more action.
 
The characters are perfectly written. Mackie (Yay! Another guy!) is a believable teenage boy. He is a heroine but does not do any fighting that a teenager would be incapable of. Tate, Mackie's lover, is not whiny but a strong girl character which is always refreshing.
 
Overall, The Replacement is a fast, gothic read that I recommend to anyone that loves a good scare now and then. Unfortunately, there are no plans for a sequel but if Brenna decides to write one, I will certainly be reading it!
 

Feuding Friday (10)

Happy Friday!

Feuding Friday is a weekly event here at Brittany's Fantasy where bloggers pick 2 characters, creatures, settings, exc... to post about then have readers comment and choose their favorite of the two. To use this meme on your blog, simply leave a comment, grab the button, and post away! You do NOT have to use the same subjects that I use. Feel free to pick your own! To see my feud last week, click here.

 

This weeks feud is between Ky and Xander from the book Matched by Ally Condie. I have been wanting to read this book for a while now because I hear it is amazing, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. Hopefully I will be starting it within the next week or so!

 

Which team are you on? Leave a comment :)

Review: Love, Pinkie

Review: Love, Pinkie

Author: Christina Siew

Format: Ebook

Rating: 4/5

Summary:

The daily chronicles of Pinkie – tales of a girl’s fantasies and challenges. These writings, raw and introspective, expose the depths of her soul and awaken the dusty, forgotten corners of her life.

Living in a fast paced and wired up city of the 21st century, she wants to escape falling prey to materialism and obsession with vanity. Friends and family are roses to her, of both soft petals and prickly thorns. The singleton reminisce her love voyage with boys and girls while being aware of lust lurking around. The overcrowding of religions in this world caused her to question her beliefs. Through it all, the journey of self-discovery stirs the yearning to set sail towards her dreams.

I accepted the offer to review this book because it sounded like something I would absolutely love. It was just that, but it was completely different from what I expected. It covers many topics that every girl thinks about and lives through, in a fun and light way.

Pinkie is a fascinating character. I loved reading her stories, messages, and life long lessons. While I am nothing like her, I found myself agreeing with her throughout the book.

Christina's writing style blew me away. She is so in depth with her writing without over detailing anything. Her diction choices and fantastic metaphors kept the book interesting. I liked reading about all the different topics that Pinkie talked about, but I do wish that there was some suspense in the book.

Overall, I highly recommend this book. There is something in this book for everyone and it really gets you thinking. The ending was perfect and I look forward to anything else Christina writes. For more about Christina and Love, Pinkie, visit http://www.lovepinkie.com/.

Waiting on Wednesdy (9)

"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill over at Breaking The Spine to spotlight spectacular upcoming releases! This week I am waiting on Forever by Maggie Stiefvater. I recently started the first book, Shiver and am loving it!

In Maggie Stiefvater's SHIVER, Grace and Sam found each other. In LINGER, they fought to be together. Now, in FOREVER, the stakes are even higher than before. Wolves are being hunted. Lives are being threatened. And love is harder and harder to hold on to as death comes closing in.

Forever is the 3rd and final book to the Wolves of Mercy Falls series. It is to be released on July 12th, 2011.

What are you guys waiting on?

Feuding Friday (9)

Happy Friday!

 

Feuding Friday is a weekly event here at Brittany's Fantasy where bloggers pick 2 characters, creatures, settings, exc... to post about then have readers comment and choose their favorite of the two. To use this meme on your blog, simply leave a comment, grab the button, and post away! You do NOT have to use the same subjects that I use. Feel free to pick your own! To see my feud last week, click here.

This weeks feud is between Seth and Keenan from the Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr. I just finished the first book in the series (To see my review click here ) I am most definitely Team Seth and I can see myself staying that way throughout the entire series. I haven't seen too many of them but I know there are some Keenan fans out there..

Which one do you love most?