Waiting on Wednesday (20)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine to spotlight upcoming releases. This week I am waiting on Possess by Gretchen McNeil. I love demons so I am super excited for this one. And I can't ignore the fact that the cover is super pretty.

 (Goodreads) Summary:

Fifteen-year-old Bridget Liu just wants to be left alone: by her mom, by the cute son of a local police sergeant, and by the eerie voices she can suddenly and inexplicably hear. Unfortunately for Bridget, it turns out the voices are demons – and Bridget has the rare ability to banish them back to whatever hell they came from.

 Terrified to tell people about her new power, Bridget confides in a local priest who enlists her help in increasingly dangerous cases of demonic possession. But just as she is starting to come to terms with her new power, Bridget receives a startling message from one of the demons. Now Bridget must unlock the secret to the demons' plan before someone close to her winds up dead – or worse, the human vessel of a demon king.
 
Possess is released on August 23rd 2011. What are you waiting on?

Review: If I Die Young

Title: If I Die Young

Author: Talia Jager

Format: Ebook

Source: Author

Rating: 4/5

(Amazon) Summary:

When Caelyn Noel was diagnosed with asthma five years ago, it put a damper on things. Now, she’s sixteen and things are finally going her way. She has loving parents, the best friend ever, and the boy she has had a crush on since elementary school has finally noticed her. Then, she collapses in school one day. To her horror, she finds out her heart is failing and she must have a heart transplant to live. Caelyn struggles with her fear of dying and worries of having someone else’s heart.

My Thoughts:

This book happily satisfied my craving for a teenage drama/romance! Its been a long while since I have read a book of this genre and it was a nice refresher. Most teenage dramas are sad and may bring tears to the reader's eyes, but I'm one of those odd people who likes sad books, songs, and movies. I've forgotten how much I love this genre and will have to start reading a little more of it!

Lets start with the plot. Caelyn thinks she is an every day teenager with an allergy problem until she finds out the hard way that she truthfully has heart failure. After staying in the hospital for what seems like an eternity, Caelyn discovers that she needs a heart transplant in order to survive the condition trying to claim her life. And of course, along the way she finds a handsome lover who has a few problems of his own. It is a very original and suspenseful plot that I thoroughly enjoyed!

Onto the characters. I liked all the characters but I couldn't connect to any of them. I have almost nothing in common with Caelyn and have never experienced anything she was going through. Lindsay, the best friend, is my favorite character because she is very loyal, smart, and probably the best friend a girl could ever ask for. She almost seemed a little too perfect at times...

As for the love connection between Austin and Caelyn, I found it to be a little rushed especially towards the very end of the book but I enjoyed it nonetheless.  It was heart warming and inspiring reading about a girl near the edge of death falling in love and being happy once again.

I absolutely loved following Caelyn's horrific journey. It was an eye opener to read how a strong girl can be so close to dying and then recover to live a happy life. I can't even imagine taking all the tests Caelyn did or thinking about leaving my family and friends behind for good.

 I look forward to reading more of this genre and maybe even some of Talia's other novels! I recommend If I Die Young to every single person out there. It is a fun, short read that can teach everyone life long lessons. Because while this book was fiction, it is crazy to know that there are people who are going through the exact same thing as Caelyn Noel.

Waiting on Wednesday (19)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine to spotlight upcoming releases. This week I am waiting on Shattered Souls by Mary Lindsey which is expected to release on December 8th 2011. Is it not obvious why I picked this book? Just look at that stunning cover!

(Goodreads) Summary:

Lenzi hears voices and has visions - gravestones, floods, a boy with steel gray eyes. Her boyfriend, Zak, can't help, and everything keeps getting louder and more intense. Then Lenzi meets Alden, the boy from her dreams, who reveals that she's a reincarnated Speaker - someone who can talk to and help lost souls - and that he has been her Protector for centuries.

Now Lenzi must choose between her life with Zak and the life she is destined to lead with Alden. But time is running out: a malevolent spirit is out to destroy Lenzi, and he will kill her if she doesn't make a decision soon.


What are you waiting on?

Review: Blood Magic

Title: Blood Magic

Author: Tessa Gratton

Publisher: Random House

Pages: 405

Source: Friend

Rating: 4/5

(Goodreads) Summary:

 It starts off simply.
Draw a circle ... place a dead leaf in the center ... sprinkle some salt ... recite a little Latin ... add a drop of blood ...
Maybe that last part isn't exactly simple. Yet somehow it feels right to Silla Kennicott. And nothing in her life has felt remotely right since her parents' horrific deaths. She's willing to do anything to uncover the truth about her family—even try a few spells from the mysterious book that arrived on her doorstep ... and spill some blood.
The book isn't the only recent arrival in Silla's life. There's Nick Pardee, the new guy next door who may have seen Silla casting a spell. She's not sure what he saw and is afraid to find out. But as they spend more time together, Silla realizes this may not be Nick's first encounter with Blood Magic. Brought together by a combination of fate and chemistry, Silla and Nick can't deny their attraction. And they can't ignore the dark presence lurking nearby—waiting to reclaim the book and all its power.
Tessa Gratton's intoxicating first novel will keep pulses racing, minds reeling, and pages turning right up to the very last drop of blood.
 
My Thoughts:
 
If this is the first time you have stumbled across a review for this book, do not let the summary discourage you. After reading Blood Magic then re-reading the blurb, I found they are completely different. The summary hardly even mentions the antagonist who is a big and fascinating part of the book.
 
I am so glad that Tessa decided to incorporate interchanging perspectives. The book switched back and forth from Silla's and Nick's POV and the antagonist's (Josephine) journal entries. Because I read in the eyes of both lovers, I liked Silla and Nick a lot. But if the book was written only in Nick's perspective, I most likely wouldn't have liked Silla and vice versa. Reading Josephine's journal entries was fun and interesting because there was a better understanding of the antagonist and her intentions.
 
The plot was, for the most part, unoriginal but still enjoyable. It started with the main characters' parents dying in a tragic and unexplainable accident, then a new boy comes to town and together they discover powers they never had before, fall in love, and eventually solve the mystery of the parents' deaths. Despite the unoriginal story line, I still loved reading about the blood magic which is very new to me.
 
Tessa's writing was smooth and easy to read. She does a wonderful job of creating a unique personality for each character that readers are sure to connect to. She added just enough suspense, romance, and (of course) blood to keep the pages turning.
 
 Overall, Blood Magic was a fun and fascinating read.. Anyone who likes witches and magic is sure to lose themselves in this book.
 

Waiting on Wednesday (18)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill over at Breaking The Spine that lets bloggers spotlight upcoming releases. This week I am waiting on Strange Fate by L.J.Smith. This series could possibly be the first YA series I ever read (It could have been Twilight but I can't remember....) and I couldn't be more excited that a 10th book is being released! Too bad I'll have to wait about 3 years! Strange Face won't hit stores until February 1st 2014...unless L.J. changes the release date again....

(Goodreads) Summary:

Vampires, werewolves, witches, shapeshifters -- they live among uswithout our knowledge. Night World is their secret society, a secret society with very strict rules. And falling in love breaks all the laws of the Night World.

Sarah Strange's life was what you might call ordinary. Then her mother died.

Now Sarah has visions -- visions of a place where dragons darken the sky and a young girl is fighting to survive.

When Sarah confides in her best friends, Mal and Kierlan, about the devastation in her dreams, she discovers that her friends are not what they seem. They are part of the Night World -- and they believe Sarah has a special role in their world. And if Sarah's visions are any indication of the impending danger and destruction, there is no time to lose....