Mara Dyer Week

Well, today I'm over at A Glass of Wine talking about Mara Dyer.  Pop on by Kathy's blog and check it out.  She has been hosting a full week about Mara Dyer and is even hosting a giveaway.  Please take the time to check it out.   

WoW: Sever

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and it is a weekly feature where bloggers share what they are excited to read next.


Here is my pick this week:

Summary from Goodreads:

What if you knew exactly when you would die? In the not-too-distant future, genetic engineering has turned every newborn into a ticking time bomb — males only live to age 25 and females only live to age 20.
In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out. When 16-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by "the Gatherers" to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Rhine has only one purpose after she has been married to her new husband, Linden: to escape and find her twin brother.
But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden’s eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant to whom she is dangerously attracted, Rhine is desperate to learn the truth and protect those closest to her. But, as her sister wife Cecily keeps insisting, her role may be much bigger than that.
In the first two books of the Chemical Garden trilogy, Wither and Fever, Rhine struggles to escape the mansion and then to navigate the brutal world outside. Now in Sever, the third and final book, Rhine uncovers some shattering truths about the past that her parents never had the chance to tell her and the alarming implications regarding her own genes. She may be the one who can save the human race.

Oh the Chemical Gardens continues.  Some of the characters in these novels really make me angry but I think that's a sign of a good book.  We get to see what DeStefano has in store for us February 12th, 2012.  Happy Reading! 

Book Review: Tilt by Ellen Hopkins

Publisher: Margaret K McElderry Books
Publishing Date: September 11th, 2012
Genre: YA Contemporary, Verse
Pages: 604 pgs
ISBN: 9781416983309
Source: borrowed from the library



Summary from Goodreads:

Three teens, three stories—all interconnected through their parents’ family relationships. As the adults pull away, caught up in their own dilemmas, the lives of the teens begin to tilt….

Mikayla, almost eighteen, is over-the-top in love with Dylan, who loves her back jealously. But what happens to that love when Mikayla gets pregnant the summer before their senior year—and decides to keep the baby?

Shane turns sixteen that same summer and falls hard in love with his first boyfriend, Alex, who happens to be HIV positive. Shane has lived for four years with his little sister’s impending death. Can he accept Alex’s love, knowing that his life, too, will be shortened?

Harley is fourteen—a good girl searching for new experiences, especially love from an older boy. She never expects to hurdle toward self-destructive extremes in order to define who she is and who she wants to be.

Love, in all its forms, has crucial consequences in this standalone novel.

My Review:

I have loved all the books I have read by Ellen Hopkins thus far so I was excited to read Tilt.  It is a companion novel to Hopkins' adult novel Triangles which was a bit racy at times.  This novel is a young adult novel and it focuses on the teens that were introduced to us in Triangles.  The book parallels the story in Triangles and at first I thought this would be great but as I kept reading I found that I wasn't as interested in the story because I kind of knew what was coming.  The big reveals for Triangles were not so big reveals for Tilt.  I think that if you read this novel before you read Triangles it would be quite good.  There are so many issues in this novel that at times it seems like there are too many jammed into one book.  It just seems like you can't fully dive into the issue because there are too many to fully go into detail.  I suppose that this could be because teens face each of these issues all the time.  They don't just have to deal with one at a time but several different things are present throughout their teen years: teen pregnancy, STDs, bullying, dieting, date rape, ect.  
I enjoyed this novel but I wouldn't say that it's my favourite book that I've read by this author.  Again, it doesn't have anything to do with the writing style.  I love reading verse books because I find that you can read them in so many different ways, depending how they're laid out/presented.  You can also read them fairly quickly.  Overall I give this book 3 out of 5 stars.  It is a great story but it was one that I had already read.  I think that many will enjoy this novel as much as Hopkins' others. 

ARC Review: The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Children
Publishing Date: October 23rd, 2012
Genre: YA
Pages: 544 pgs
ISBN: 9781442421790
Source: Borrowed from a fellow blogger

Rating: 4 stars

Summary from Goodreads:
 Mara Dyer once believed she could run from her past.

She can’t.

She used to think her problems were all in her head.

They aren’t.

She couldn’t imagine that after everything she’s been through, the boy she loves would still be keeping secrets.

She’s wrong.

In this gripping sequel to The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, the truth evolves and choices prove deadly. What will become of Mara Dyer next?

My Review: 
I loved the first book in this series and it feels like I have been waiting forever to read the second installment of this series.  I have to say that this book was just as good as the first one.  It continues where The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer leaves off.  I don't want to say too much because if you haven't read the first book (and if you haven't can I ask why?) then I don't want to spoil it for you.  
This book continues its whatthefuckery in fine fashion.  I kept asking myself what is happening here and then I couldn't read it fast enough.  
Hodkin continues expanding on the supernatural aspect that began in the first novel.  Things keep getting a little more difficult for Mara and you can't help but feel bad for her.  No one seems to trust her and while you're reading you just want to scream at people to take her seriously but at the same time I think, I'm not so sure I would believe her either if she told me something like that.  
Then there's Noah.  Ahhh Noah. I didn't think he could get cuter but he does.  He is there for Mara through the entire novel and does the most over the top things to try to help her out.  I have to say that I wish there were more guys like that when I was in high school.  
The plot was fast paced in this novel and it made the 500 plus pages go by super quickly.  This is a book that helped me get out of my reading slump.  I have to say though that I'm going to have a hard time waiting for the next book after the ending of this novel.  I am not going to lie, I almost threw the book across the room after reading the ending.  I hate having to wait for anything and this is going to be torture. I just want to know what's going on!  Overall I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.  Go out and buy this as soon as you can.

WoW: Mara Continues!

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and it is a weekly feature where bloggers share what they are excited to read next.

Here is my pick this week:

Here is a summary from Goodreads:

The truth about Mara Dyer's dangerous and mysterious abilities continues to unravel in this gripping sequel to the thrilling "The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer." One week after Mara walked into a police station in Miami at the close of "The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer," she has been committed to psychiatric treatment for what her parents believe was a mental breakdown. But what seems like a hallucination to everyone else is a chilling reality for Mara. Someone from her past has discovered her strange, deeply disturbing secret and that someone wants her to pay. But when no one believes the truth, Mara is totally helpless. The only person on her side is Noah Shaw, as sexy and handsome as he is loyal and cunning. Noah is the only person who can help Mara--as long as he doesn't get himself killed in the process.

The book comes out the 23rd of October and I can't wait too see how this strange story continues.  

Top Ten Tuesday: Favourite Adult Fiction Authors

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature started by The Broke and the Bookish.  This week's feature is top ten X authors.  It is to help showcase authors of particular genres.  Since many bloggers who do TTT feature YA titles, I thought I'd showcase some of my fave adult fiction authors to be a little different.  Before blogging I read predominately adult fiction but since I started blogging I find that I read more and more YA every year.  So in an attempt to get back to my roots, here are my top ten fave adult authors:

1. Marian Keyes: Keyes writes woman's fiction and I just love her novels.  Every time a new novel comes out I just have to read it!  I run to bookstore, buy it and then gobble it up straight away. 

2. Lisa Genova:  I just love the concepts of her novels.  They usually have some sort of science aspect and her novels are always thought provoking. 

 

3. Ann-Marie MacDonald:  This is a fellow Canadian and while she's only written 2 novels, they are amazing!  If you haven't read anything by her I would suggest going out and buying one of her books right away.

 

 4. Khaled Hosseini: I'm sure many of you have read The Kite Runner.  Both of Hosseini's novels are set in Afghanistan and are beautifully written.  I hope that he writes more!

5. Margaret Atwood: Well, I don't think there's much to say about this.  She is Canadian and she is an epic writer.  She was writing dystopian novels before they were cool. 

 6. Jodi Picoult: I'm sure many of you have heard of Picoult before.  No one is ever sure of how to pronounce her name but many know that she writes some excellent novels.  They usually have a legal element and are almost always told in multiple points of view. 

 7. Kelley Armstrong: Many YA enthusiasts know Armstrong for her YA series but she also has a pretty impressive adult series.  The Women of the Underworld is an excellent series.  I have only read a few of them but every time I read one I get sucked in and it takes me no time to finish these books. 

 8. Sophie Kinsella: Anyone who hears the term chick lit should automatically think of Kinsella.  Her books are a huge hit.  They include the Shopaholic series but I have to admit that I much prefer her standalone books.

 9. Catherine McKenzie: This a new author to me but I have read all 3 of her novels this year alone.  I quite enjoy her writing style and I love that she's a Canadian author.

10. Lisa Gardner: If you like a good mystery novel then this is your girl.  She writes the most incredibly disturbing novels and I can't get enough of them.

 Well there you have it: my fave adult fiction writers.  I can't wait to see what you all choose.  Happy Reading!

ARC Book Review: Winter White by Jen Calonita

Publisher: Poppy
Publishing Date: October 9th, 2012
Genre: YA Contemporary
Pages: 368 pgs
ISBN: 9780316091169
Source: ARC received from fellow blogger for an honest review

Rating: 3.5 stars

Summary from Goodreads:
Isabelle Scott and Mirabelle Monroe are still reeling from the revelation that they share more than just the roof over their heads. The media has pounced on their story and the girls are caught up in a flurry of talk-show appearances and newspaper interviews. They've put on a happy public face, but someone is leaking their true feelings to the press, and while it seems like the world is watching their every move, at least they have each other.

But with cotillion season right around the corner, Izzie and Mira have barely had time to process their newfound sisterhood. Mira has dreamed of making her debut in a gorgeous white gown forever-now, if only she could find an escort. Izzie, meanwhile, is still struggling to find her place in Emerald Cove and it's seeming ever more impossible with EC mean-girls, young and old, doing their best to keep her down. As cotillion preparations heat up, though, there are dance steps to learn, manners to perfect... and secret initiations to complete? As if sophomore year wasn't hard enough!

It's time for the gowns to go on and the gloves to come off.

My Review: 

This review contains spoilers of the first novel in the series Belles.
 
 I was excited to get this from a fellow blogger to review.  I read the first book in the series and I couldn't wait to find out how the story continued.  The story continues where it left off with Mira and Izzy upset with their father for hiding things.  This story focused on the relationship between the two girls but also the relationship between the girls and their father.  It also takes place during Cotillion season.  I loved reading about Cotillion and all it's traditions.  Parts of it seemed insane, like buying a wedding dress to wear to a formal dance.  I also think that some of the traditions are a little outdated and seem a bit outlandish at times.  That being said, I also think there is something to be said for tradition.  It gives people a sense of identity and it also helps to celebrate family.
I loved reading about the romances in this book as well.  Both Izzy and Mira go through their ups and downs in their relationships but it doesn't seem juvenile or far fetched like in some books.  It also wasn't the focus of the entire book.  It is a book about friendship and family.  It is also a book about self-confidence.  Both girls feel like they don't belong in the world that they live in.  They are trying to navigate through their world without fully having all the answers.
This book ends on another cliff-hanger but it also ties up a lot of loose ends from the first book.  I quite enjoyed this novel and overall I give it 3.5 stars out of 5.  It was quite good but nothing about it blew me away.  I will definitely be continuing with this series and I can't wait to read what happens next. 

IMM/Stacking the Shelves

 Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews and In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.  Both memes allow bloggers to showcase all the goodies they received for the week. 

This week was a busy week for my mailbox and a very slow week for my wallet which is nice.  Here is what I got:

For Review:


 

I got a nice package from Thomas Allen and Sons in the mail with:

• The Suburban Strange by Nathan Kotecki- This book looks quite intriguing and is about a girl who changes schools and finds herself well liked.  This seems off to the character and then strange things start happening all around her.  I have to say while unsolicited I think I need to add this to my ever-growing TBR
• The Hallowed Ones by Laura Bickle- This one is about an Amish community mixed with some sort of supernatural or sci-fi element.  Again I think I need to read this!  I have been watching Breaking Amish and I think Amish may be one of my buzzwords
• Scorch by Gina Damico- I was sent the first book in this series and I have yet to get to it.  I still think it looks awesome and I can't wait to read both of them now 

I also got a package from Razorbill Canada.  I am fairly certain this is from entering a giveaway on their blog:

• Darkwater by Catherine Fisher- I have yet to read Incarceron but I have heard nothing but good things about this author.  I'm looking forward to diving right in.

Well, that is it for me this week.  I can't wait to see what the rest of you got in the mail.  Happy Reading!