Giveaways! (from other blogs)

Unfortunately, I cannot give out anything considering I just started this blog in April, but I hope to one day :) with more reviews and followers of course. In the mean time, check out these giveaways!:

1000 follow giveaway from DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE

P.S. If you like this idea of me posting giveaways I hear please let me know in a comment :)

By the Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead by Julie Anne Peters

By the Time You Read This,
I'll Be Dead 
by Julie Anne Peters
Pages: 200
Released: January 5, 2010

By the Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead
Summary: 23 days. That's how long it will take Daeyln to remove belongings and herself from this world. She is devoted to this plan and sticking with it after being fed up with her life--school and home. Then, Santana enters her life and continues to try and get to know her.

My Thoughts:

What I liked: This book may be short, but don't let it fool you. There is a lot packed into this (with little words necessary). I really cared for the main character and her goodwill. Reading her every thought and being able to understand what is going through her mind was very realistic to me. I liked how she wasn't whinny--she knew what she wanted and was determined to end her life. I was also very shocked when I read about the ways to die and this book made me very sad at those scenes.

What I disliked: I felt that that her parents were very loving and others around her, but she put up this wall and I thought she was making her home/school situation seem worse than it was. I kind of wish I her life was a bit more tragic, then I would understand her reason for wanting to commit suicide. I am not in any way saying that her life was decent because it isn't, I just thought it was... livable because her parents cared for her and I think that is what made me root her for to live. I wish they mentioned more about her current bullying situation as well. They have Taylor as the antagonist, but she is not there enough to make Daelyn break.

Conclusion: Overall, it was a very intriguing book for me. I've not read many books with suicide in them and the fact that Daelyn attempted it once drew me in. I actually like how this is a quick read, it's a nice break after reading a long book and check it out, it will only take you a few hours to read

4/5 stars

Source: Library.

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

The Da Vinci Code
by Dan Brown
Pages: 597
Released: March 8, 2006

The Da Vinci Code
Summary: Enter, prologue. There is a murder taking place, the curator of the Louvre (Paris art museum) is standing at gunpoint. The weapon holder is a man who requests the location of a keystone. Given no other option, the curator is shot after telling the man the supposed location of the keystone. The bullet pierces him, but leaves him with 15 minutes left to live. With little time left, the curator must not let the secret die and prepares himself. End prologue. The story follows a Harvard symbologist, Robert Langdon and his journey along with Sophie Nuveau, a cryptologist. They are left with the clues and pieces to figure out the mystery and what the curator died trying to protect. Along with this, Robert and Sophie are being chased throughout Europe by the "bad guys" and authorities. Find out what happens in this epic mystery/adventure as they try and solve the enigma that the curator has left for them.

My Thoughts: Woohoo, finished it.

What I liked: This story was so wow. I love how the elements of the story fit together so perfectly. Dan Brown was able to use history and art combined with his fictional writing to create a very realistic storyline. I liked how I was able to learn a lot of interesting historical/fun facts from this and I was turning the page to find out what was going to happen to our characters (bad and good). I love the humor that was placed in this and the dialogue was very well written. Brown does a good job explaining the history without it being dry because he does it through a character's thoughts or dialogue. This is a personal connection, but I was able to like this book and understand it well because I took two art history classes and an architecture one. I also had fun googling the info. mentioned in the book.

What I disliked: Although this is an adventure book, I must say, I found myself putting it down more than usual. Perhaps because I was used to YA fiction and how fast I turn the pages. I would say this is a slower read (perhaps just for me) because you're absorbing so much information and this story does not really give you a lots of breathing room (meaning there is a lot of information piled on the reader throughout the book).

Conclusion: This is not a book for everyone though. It is controversial (from my understanding--check out goodreads! There are so many 1 star reviews... I don't think any book is a 1 star so far in my mind. I would say don't pay attention to those 1 star reviews and pick up the book to see if you'll like it or not). If you're pious, I would not recommend the book for you because of the reaction I have seen in the 1 star reviews. Personally I enjoyed this book and didn't really find it confusing (except at some parts where the characters were able to draw information from such small/vague/somewhat useless clues). Just try and overlook the 1 star reviews.

4.5/5 stars


Source: Library.

Gone by Michael Grant (Gone #1)

Gone 
by Michael Grant
Pages: 558
Released: July 1, 2008

Gone 
Summary: Imagine this. You're sitting in class one day and your teacher is giving a lecture. Poof. He's gone. You look around and so do your former classmates, are you dreaming? This is literally what happens to the kids in this book. Everyone over the age of fourteen disappears and no one knows what happened. There are bullies that rule the FAYZ and fights are taking place. We get to find out the good and evil within the kids and how far they are willing to go for power. This supernatural book has twists and events that you will not be expecting.

My Thoughts: Holy crap. Wow.

What I liked: This book has a Lord of the Flies + X-men vibe to it and I love Grant's writing. The plot is amazing and I love what Grant does with the story and even how he ends it (even though I disliked it at first). The story works together very well and every time I questioned a possible plot hole, Grant filled it in. There are so many characters in this book, but it makes it refreshing and you want to find out what happens to each and every single one of them. Finding out the kids have powers is also a fun twist to the story and it. This was such a page turner for me and I could not put the book down--except I did when it was getting so action packed, I need to take a breather and then continue on. I swear my mouth was gaping open at all the surprises and I was shocked to see how mad these kids are! They are borderline psycho and the bad guys were really bad. I like how Grant didn't shy away from killings or any gory details (not that there was much). The ending was when I was really into the book. I was literally shouting at Sam saying "why?!?!" But it had to happen in order for Grant to continue his series.

What I disliked: I felt that Sam was a bit too naive in a few parts of the novel, he was too good. I wanted to him to do something bad for once. I would have wanted more background on Caine, but I am guessing that it will be in the other books in the series (there will be 6 books I believe).

Conclusion: Oh boy. I can't wait. For. Hunger. Please pick this book up. It is such a fun read and keeps you at the edge of your seat. I am in love with this series already and cannot wait to continue reading.

5/5 stars

Source: Library. 

Heist Society by Ally Carter

Heist Society
by Ally Carter
Pages: 287
Released: February 9, 2010

Heist Society
Summary: Katarina Bishop and her family have a long history of jobs and cons. They have stolen numerous priceless pieces of art and could disguise and blend in with the crowd if they chose. Kat wanted to leave this life behind her and pulled one last con--which landed her in a prestigious school. During her time at the school, she is accused for totaling the headmaster's car and kicked out of the school. She then is given a task that only she can do in order to save her father (who was unfortunately accused for stealing five paintings). With the help of her friends, they plan on clearing her father's name.

My Thoughts: Nice fun read :)

What I liked: I think that this is a fun take on oceans 11 or any other spy/con movie. It brought me back to the days of watching Spy Kids and I ultimately fell in like with the characters and plot. I thought they there clever kids and to see how they used their innocent youth appearance to get out of situations. I also liked the writing style of Carter, e.g. she would start describing each chapter as though we are just regular people watching the group of kids perform their cons. I can't really explain it that well, but you'll understand it once you read the book. There is also some great romantic tension between the characters as well which you know YA literature has to have.

What I disliked: I felt that this book was too short! I would I could have settled for at least another hundred pages to find out more about the kids because they did many other previous jobs together and I would have perhaps liked a flashback of one of those jobs.

Conclusion: I am awaiting the next book in the Heist series and seeing how they pick from from where the left off. Pick up this book if you're looking for a fun & quick read.

4/5 stars

Source: Library. 

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Anna and the French Kiss
by Stephanie Perkins
Pages: 372
Released: December 2, 2010

Anna and the French Kiss
Summary: Seventeen year old Anna is about to enter her senior year of high school. Instead of attending her last year in Atlanta Georgia, her father (an affluent, famous, sell-out author) sends her to a school of America in Paris. Anna has no choice but to go and is definitely homesick. She makes friends in her new school and a new love inerest--Etienne St. Clair. St. Clair, the stunning, good looking, English accent, intelligent boy who Anna falls for. Follow Anna along her school year as she develops friendships, enemies, and romance along the way. See her relationship with Etienne, family, and issues that arise within the storyline.

My Thoughts: Wow. This book was so cute & gushy--the good kind of gushy.

What I liked:  Um... can I say everything? This book is a very quick read--finished it right when I found it on my doorstep from Amazon which was something I like. Don't look at this story as a cliche romance because it has so many twists, turns, surprises, and sweet moments. I had butterflies in my stomach throughout this story--the good and bad kind. I fell in love the characters in the novel, and disliked the ones that I was supposed to. Anna's character is relate-able and I connected with her (plus!). I think I might have liked Etienne St. Clair more than Anna did, he was such a likable character, but really... what kind of guys exist like Etienne? I loved the storyline, I was expecting a typical love story, but there are so many issues that come up in the story and they were excellent editions to the book. I love how it's a simple and fun romance story. Stephanie Perkin's writing kept me interested throughout and I couldn't put this book down. I also liked the humorous parts as well.

What I disliked: I'm sad that there will never be an Etienne IRL. I think this book was great, I don't really think this is a "dislike," but this book would have been pretty interesting if she made the love story less simple and more deep and traumatic.

Conclusion: I would recommend this book to everyone. Please please do yourselves a favor and read it! Even if you're not the romance reading type, I guarantee you'll love it. I cannot believe this book came out of NaNoWriMo--it is incredible that she wrote it in a month and it's as amazing as it is.

5/5 stars

Source: Bought. 

Preview review of Anna and the French Kiss

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I just finished this. WOW. I received it from Amazon a day early and... I picked it up and didn't put it down until 12am. Geesh. It was that good and I have butterflies in my stomach after finishing this. I feel like a fan girl right now but this book is really great. This is a romance book, but it is so much more than that. There are ups and downs in the book and they definitely caught me off guard. I love the characters in this book and how relate-able Anna is. Perkins does an amazing job with this story and I cannot believe this is a NaNoWriMo book. Heaven sakes.



View all my reviews


It's like 12am right now so I'll put up the official review tomorrow :), couldn't put this book down.

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer
by Lish McBride
Pages: 352
Released: October 12, 2010

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer
Summary: Sam, a college drop out / fast food employee. Nothing out of the ordinary there, or so the thinks. After a run-in with a strange man named, Douglas, Sam discovers that he is anything but ordinary--he is a necromancer. Douglas is a powerful necromancer who threatens Sam to train with him. Until Douglas discovers Sam's ability and we learn Douglas's true intentions. With the help of his friends and family, Sam must take Douglas down and learn to use his powers before Douglas can get to him.

My Thoughts: I really really wanted to like this book, truly I did...

What I liked: I was drawn to this book from its cover and awesome title. Also the whole necromancy (the ability to summon the dead) aspect of it--I've never heard of it until I came across this book. It was refreshing to read a book about a new concept as well. Sam was a pretty likable character and there are a bit (key word: bit) of funny parts.

What I disliked: ... I went into this book with a lot of expectations, and needless to say, I was not satisfied. I felt that the book was very slow paced (even though there were some interesting parts such as the fight scenes, the introduction of characters, and meeting his family). Other than that, I really had to push myself to continue reading and keep telling myself it was going to get better. Nope, it didn't for me. I felt the humor was a bit dry, as in I just read over it and didn't laugh. The writing style was too... descriptive I would say, for example there is a scene where Ramone brings Sam home some food and he talks about the rice and beans, and that he needed a fork and then he tells us he went up, got a fork, and then stares at the tiles, then eats. This is one of the less descriptive parts... and it goes on like this throughout the book. I felt that it made the story drag on and was unnecessary. I think that a book should only have a sex scene when necessary and this one was definitely unnecessary and did nothing to make them closer. Toward the end, I had to force myself to finish it (after the cool fight scene of course) and I'm surprised how I managed to do so.

Conclusion: To sum it up, I started this book with very high expectations and perhaps that is why I didn't like it. I read Amazon and Goodreads reviews and it has pretty high reviews on both. I really wish I could be one of those people to give this a 5/5 start but it just didn't cut it for me. I would say don't let my review discourage you from giving the book a read, but I would say pick it up at the library if you are going to do so.

3/5 stars

Source: Bought.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green & David Levithan

Will Grayson, Will Grayson
by John Green & David Levithan
Pages: 310
Released: April 6, 2010

 Will Grayson, Will Grayson
Summary: Meet Will Grayson... and Will Grayson? Two teens from Chiacago meet and their stories unfold from there. You get to meet their friends, love interests, and watch as their hilarious adventure ensues. Green's W.G. writes the odd chapters and Levithan's the even.

My Thoughts: Sorry about the summary being so short. I want to keep it as vague and tiny :) as possible. I really enjoyed this book and it's my first book from John Green and David Levithan as well.

What I liked: What I liked was that it was just a fun and enjoyable book. The characters were defiantly my favorite part of the book. Their one liners and witty remarks had me lol literally. I liked how the Will Grayson chapters alternated which was refreshing and kept me reading until the end. Tiny Cooper was my favorite character in the book he is a big ray of sunshine and I was waiting for him to come into every scene.

What I disliked: There are very few things that I disliked. One would be that Levithan's W.G. wrote with no CAPS which bothered me at first, but toward the end of the book I adjusted to it. If you read the end of the paperback edition, Levithan mentions why his W.G. doesn't use CAPS and it has to do with how he's "used to communicating online" and "it's how his self-expression has formed." Another thing was the ending, I think it was truly sweet, but I wanted more from it if that makes sense.

Conclusion: I learned a lot from this book and after I finished it, I was still thinking about the characters and story which was defiantly a plus. 

5/5 stars

Source: Bought.

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Across the Universe
by Beth Revis
Pages: 398
Released: January 11, 2010

Across the Universe 
Summary: Amy is only seventeen-years-old when she is frozen along with her parents and thousands of others. They are to remain frozen for 300 more years until they reach a new planet where they will create another life there. Aboard the ship, 50 years later, Amy is unfortunately awakened by and her life is nearly threatened. Luckily for her, she is rescued just in time.

After this incident, the murderer continues to awaken more passengers on the ship. Along with Elder, the ship's future leader, they embark on a journey to find the killer while discovering many hidden secrets on the ship.Will they find the murder in time before he strikes again? And what secrets will be revealed along their journey?

My Thoughts: I went into this book expecting an amazing story (from all the good reviews I've read), but I've got to say that I was a bit disappointed. Don't get me wrong, the plot sounds amazing and Revis's concept was no doubt original.


What I liked: Let me first start off by saying what I liked about the book. The idea behind this book was great, I love a good dystopian novel and a little bit of romance as well. This book brought those two elements together pretty well. I also liked how it alternates between each chapter--one would be in Amy's perspective and  the other in Elder's. The passengers were a unique aspect of the book how they were all the same race and their reactions to some situations. I also liked Revis writing in a sense that it was a good page turner because I wanted to find out what happened next.

What I disliked: Here's what I didn't like about the book. Ok, take the love story for instance, I felt it was a bit weak and the characters were only drawn to each other because of their appearance. (e.g. Elder only seemed to like Amy because she had red hair, ivory skin, green eyes, and her body and Amy liked that Elder was had broader shoulders and was taller than her boyfriend and was good looking) They also didn't spend as much time together as I thought they should have and I would have liked to see them in the same scene more. Revis tries to make the story mysterious but it was just way too obvious for me, but perhaps that's just me. The twists weren't really climatic you could say because I felt she just threw them into the book, but I didn't feel that it had a strong impact on the characters or story. Another thing is her writing was good, but it seemed as though she tried too hard to make each chapter end some hard-hitting note, and it was just unnecessary. I also thought that Amy was twelve at times and Elder... *sigh*... the way he described Amy and thought about her was not very romantic I would say. There are also some subtle explicit parts in the book, and even though they were subtle, I think that Revis could have just mentioned them instead of describing them.

Conclusion: All in all, I am going to read the next book in this series to find out what happens because like I said, the plot is very intriguing to me. I don't mean to give this book such a harsh review because it has pretty high ratings on Amazon and GoodReads, so I think that it's just my preference.

3/5 stars


Source: Bought.