Review: Red Glove - Holly Black

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry (April 5, 2011)

Curses and cons. Magic and the mob. In Cassel Sharpe's world, they go together. Cassel always thought he was an ordinary guy, until he realized his memories were being manipulated by his brothers. Now he knows the truth—he’s the most powerful curse worker around. A touch of his hand can transform anything—or anyone—into something else.
That was how Lila, the girl he loved, became a white cat. Cassel was tricked into thinking he killed her, when actually he tried to save her. Now that she's human again, he should be overjoyed. Trouble is, Lila's been cursed to love him, a little gift from his emotion worker mom. And if Lila's love is as phony as Cassel's made-up memories, then he can't believe anything she says or does.
When Cassel's oldest brother is murdered, the Feds recruit Cassel to help make sense of the only clue—crime-scene images of a woman in red gloves. But the mob is after Cassel too—they know how valuable he could be to them. Cassel is going to have to stay one step ahead of both sides just to survive. But where can he turn when he can't trust anyone—least of all, himself?
Love is a curse and the con is the only answer in a game too dangerous to lose.

Wow! I am speechless...I loved this book! I loved the first book White Cat, and hoped that this would be just as good and it did not disappoint. This series stands out for me, Holly Black created something new and original when she wrote those books. I can't get enough of Cassel, he is like the diamond in the rough of his family. Born into a situation that is dangerous and scary and Cassel seems to be able to maintain his goodness. I also enjoyed Sam and Daneca they are good loyal friends how jump right into the thick of things without asking too many questions first. Now this brings us to Lila...Love her! There is something about her that makes me say YAY lol, She knows who she is and where her future is going and excepts it with a brave face. I can't wait to see where the next book takes Cassel and Lila! I'm glad we got to see more of Cassel's mom in my opinion she is a great character. A few times I wanted to smack her but I still like her overall. Now I will tell you the plot of this book caused me to lose sleep I had to go "just one more chapter" to see what would happen next. There were so many twists and turns that it certainly kept me on my toes. I really can't wait to see where we go with the next book. This one gets 5 stars from me!

Waiting on Wednesday (3)

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My choices this week are...

Almost Final Curtain by Tate Hallaway

Ever since high school student Anastasija Parker discovered she was vampire royalty, her life has been sort of crazy. The half-vampire- half-witch just wants some normalcy, and trying out for the spring musical seems like the perfect fix.
But when the ancient talisman that stands between vampire freedom and slavery to witches is stolen, Ana has to skip rehersal and track down the dangerous artifact before someone uses it to make this year's curtain call her last...

Crossed by Ally Condie

In search of a future that may not exist and faced with the decision of who to share it with, Cassia journeys to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky — taken by the Society to his certain death — only to find that he has escaped, leaving a series of clues in his wake.
Cassia’s quest leads her to question much of what she holds dear, even as she finds glimmers of a different life across the border. But as Cassia nears resolve and certainty about her future with Ky, an invitation for rebellion, an unexpected betrayal, and a surprise visit from Xander — who may hold the key to the uprising and, still, to Cassia’s heart — change the game once again. Nothing is as expected on the edge of Society, where crosses and double crosses make the path more twisted than ever

Teaser Tuesday (3)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 This week my teaser is from Stay by Deb Caletti

"I caused the want and the need.  I liked it, okay?  I made it all that important.  That big.  I was too much."

Can't wait to see all your teasers!!

Cover Crazy (3)

Cover Crazy is a weekly mem hosted by Tawni over at The Book Worms

My pick this week is...

Hereafter by Tara Hudson

I am totally taken with this cover!!! I love everything about it!

Review: A Touch Mortal - Leah Clifford

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 432 pages
Publisher: Greenwillow Books (February 22, 2011)

Eden didn't expect Az.
Not his saunter down the beach toward her. Not his unbelievable pick-up line. Not the instant, undeniable connection. And not his wings.
Yeah.
So long, happily-ever-after.
Now trapped between life and death, cursed to spread chaos with her every touch, Eden could be the key in the eternal struggle between heaven and hell. All because she gave her heart to one of the Fallen, an angel cast out of heaven.
She may lose everything she ever had. She may be betrayed by those she loves most. But Eden will not be a pawn in anyone else's game. Her heart is her own.
And that's only the beginning of the end.

I have read quite a few rave reviews for this book and I have to agree with them.  I'm not sure really how much I can say here without giving something away but I'm gonna try. I think this was a fresh take on the subject of angels and fallen with a little something thrown in for good measure.  Our Characters...Eden, I loved this girl, while she did fall apart from time to time she managed to keep it together when needed. Gabe and Az again loved them! Gabe always seemed to keep himself together and Az seems to be ruled by his passions (I love me some passionate men!) Kristen...I think she might be my favorite. Her love of quoting the fact that you couldn't tell from one scene to another just how crazy she was going to be.  Just when I thought I had everything figured out the plot would twist on me then when I finally wrapped my head around it, it would turn on me! I had trouble putting this book down because I had to see what was going to happen next.  Once I got to the ending it was something I never would have expected, I was fulfilled by this ending but at the same time left wanting more from this story and these characters.  While I did enjoy the book I would just like to inform any parents out there that there is a lot of use of some "foul" language.  Other than that I feel compelled to give this book 4 stars and I hope that many of you will give it a chance!

In My Mailbox (3)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren

I had a GREAT book week this week!!

For Review:

Bumped by Megan McCafferty

The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

Mercy by Rebecca Lim

Hereafter by Tara Hudson

Red Glove by Holly Black

Shift by Jeri Smith-Ready

Stay by Deb Caletti

Bought:

Haven by Kristi Cook

Promise by Kristie Cook

Haunted by Joy Preble

Shade by Jeri Smith Ready

Shadow Hills by Anastasia Hopcus

Poison Ink by Christopher Golden

The Demon Girl by Penelope Fletcher

Steel by Carrie Vaughn

Blood on Silk by Marie Treanor

Can't wait to see whats in your mailbox!!!

Review: Matched - Ally Condie

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile; First Edition edition (November 30, 2010)

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.

Dystopia is quickly becoming one of my favorite genres.  I was a little worried when I started this because there was quite a bit of hype.  But I am happy to say that it lived up to my expectations and then some.  Cassia is a good girl that trusts the society until she sees a second face on her match card. The society trys telling her  it was a glitch, but that quick glimpse is enough to make Cassia question things.  With a little help from her dying grandfather she starts to see things a little differently.  A shocking event with her father shows her that maybe her questions are justified.  While Cassia wants a perfect life with Xander she can't seem to get Ky out of her head.  Soon she finds herself in a situation where Ky learns a secret about her, and it is a secret that could land her in a great deal of trouble, now she struggles to trust Ky not to betray her.  In turn Ky reveals a secret about himself and so the two go on learning from each other , growing closer.  The relationship between Ky and Cassia seemed genuine and heartfelt while I felt that anything past friendship with Xander would have been forced.  I do hope we get to learn more about the society in the next book but the  glimpses we got in this one was enough to make me grateful to have the power of choice.  The rebellion aspect of this book wasn't as pronounced as say The Hunger Games.  It was a more subtle, more of a mental rebellion than a physical one and I for one thought it was great!  I loved the fact that in the end Cassia's family and even Xander did what they could no matter how small the act to help Cassia get the life she wants.  I hope Cassia doesn't go gentle and keeps moving towards the life and love that she wants.  I truly hope that everyone will give this book/series a chance.  I give this one 4 stars!!

Friday Blog Hop (3) Follow Friday (2)

Friday Blog Hop is hosted by Jenn at Crazy-For-Books.   It is a weekend long Book Party giving bloggers a chance to get to know each other and access to new blogs that we all might enjoy! If you haven't stopped by to give the hop a look I highly suggest that you do! Also every week there is a new question posted for us at answer this weeks question is...

 "If you could physically put yourself into a book or series…which one would it be and why?"

Wow...This is a hard one!! I think I would have to say Christopher Pike's Last Vampire series! I LOVED those books as a kid and when I reread them as an adult I was still very much in love with them!  I love the characters and the thought of getting to meet Sita, Simon, Or Kahlika, heck any of them just gives me chills. 

Can't wait to see what series you guys would want to be in =o)

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee, every week we all get together to answer a question and find new blogs that we enjoy. This weeks question is

Q. Inspired by the inane twitter trend of #100FACTSABOUTME, GIVE US FIVE BOOK RELATED SILLY FACTS ABOUT YOU.

1. My TBR Pile is more of a TBR Folder as I mostly read Ebooks on my Nook but it is huge and overflowing and I still buy more books. (I swear I can stop whenever I want to lol)

2. I can only read 1 book at a time or I get plots and facts confused.

3. I enjoy Urban Fantasy, and Paranormal Romance, but I think I am becoming more attached to YA books.

4. I enjoy some audio books but I am a narrator snob =o( 

5. I read every spare second I can find unless I'm in a moving car, One of the worst things I have learned in my life is if I read while someone is driving I get car sick =o(

Can't wait to read your facts and learn a little more about all of you =o)

Review: Unearthly - Cynthia Hand

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 448 pages
Publisher: HarperTeen (January 4, 2011)

In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees . . . .
Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has apurpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.
Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place—and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.
As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make—between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?
Unearthly is a moving tale of love and fate, and the struggle between following the rules and following your heart.

I feel like I just got off a roller coaster.  This book hit all my emotions.  I really enjoyed all the characters in this book, None of them seemed to be filler characters, they all added something here or there.  One of the things I liked the most about the book was Clara knew from page 1 what she was.  You don't see that all that often.  I also really liked her family dynamic, Usually YA book have teens running around all hours doing crazy things that leave you sitting there going "Wow, where the hell are your parents?"  In my opinion Clara came off as a pretty normal teenage girl despite being an angel-blood, that is what really made me fall in love with the character.  There were parts of this book that had me giddy and smiling, then biting my nail, sitting on the edge of my seat!  Now I know that everyone is probably sick to death of "the love triangle" but this one was well done and I feel it was different than other books because it feels more like a triangle between duty and the heart.  I was reading asking myself "what would you do?"  I never came up with an answer, but I did like Clara's choice.  Now as far as our leading males went...I really loved Tucker, his jackassness in the beginning was actually cute to me (I totally need a team Tucker pin lol). Christian rubbed me the wrong was from the beginning, I'm not sure why but I never really feel for him or felt myself routing for him through out the story.  I can't wait to read the next book and see what happens to this groups, or if any of my theory's pan out.  I believe this is a 5 star book that I highly recomend to everyone, even though that say I am not a fan of angels.  After this book...you will be!

Waiting on Wednesday (2)

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My Pick this week is...

A Beautiful Dark by Jocelyn Davies

Skye never questioned the story of her life. Her Aunt Jo adopted her after the death of her parents when she was just a child, and together they flip through memories the way some people flip through photo albums.

She never questioned if the stories were true.

Until the night of her 17th birthday, when the arrival of two strangers intrudes on her cozy life. Polar opposites, like fire and ice, Asher is dark and wild, while Devin is fair, cold, and aloof. Skye has no idea what they want—only that their presence coincides with the beginning of some shockingly strange events. Events that Skye, if she dares to think it, might be responsible for causing.

High up in the mountains of Boulder, Colorado, Skye finds herself caught in the middle of an ancient battle, one that began untold millennia ago. Torn between unpredictable Asher, whom she loves, and the infuriating Devin, who she can’t stay away from, her fate is murky as a starless night. And as the secrets of her true identity are revealed, Skye realizes that her destiny may reside in the Heavens—or somewhere darker

I am a total sucker for anything Angels or Demons so this seems right up my ally, and that cover is gorgeous!!!!

Teaser Tuesday (2)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser this week is from Unearthly by Cynthia Hand.

"Or you could get rid of him altogether. Throw him in the Tower of London. Have him drawn and quartered.  Maybe the rack.  Or a red-hot enema," says Mr. Erikson, laughing.  You have to admire a teacher who'd suggest deaths via red-hot enema."

Cover Crazy (2)

Cover Crazy is a weekly mem hosted by Tawni over at The Book Worms

This week my Cover Crazy pick is...

I am in love with this cover!! I love that it is mostly black and white with a little red blowing around, and I love the wind blowing her hair. It is a very beautiful yet creepy cover!

Can't wait to see what you picked this week!

In My Mailbox (2)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren

This week was pretty good as far as my mailbox goes.

For Review:

The Restorer by Amanda Stevens

The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross

Bought/Gifted:

Dreaming Anastasia by Joy Preble

How to Flirt with a Naked Wearwolf by Molly Harper

The Verpertine by Saundra Mitchell

Shadowed Summer by Saundra Mitchell

Silver Smoke by Monica Leonelle

Mad Skills by Walter Greatshell

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Can't wait to see whats in your mailbox!!

Review: Wither - Lauren DeStefano

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 368 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing; 1 edition (March 22, 2011)

Thanks to modern science, every human being has become a ticking genetic time bomb—males only live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out.
When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden's genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape—to find her twin brother and go home.
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 Rhine is growing dangerously attracted to, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limited time she has left

Hmmm...How to start this one? I didn't LOVE this one but I sure liked it a whole lot!  I wasn't sure going in if I was going to like this one or not, I have watched sister wives on tv and can't stand the show so going into this book I was a little on the fence.  I have to say thought I did like it.  I really liked Rhine, I can't imagine at 16 being in her situation and handling it like she did.  I also liked the sister wives, the dynamic between the girls really impressed me.  I also admire Rhine's almost unwavering devotion to getting back home, now I say almost because there were times where I thought she might just accept where she was.  Aside from her sister wives she did manage to make some other "friends" I guess they could be called, Gabriel I think was the only thing that kept her sane through most of this book, having someone to be able to talk to and be herself with kept her going, the looks into the kitchen we got made me smile.  Now we come to Linden...I felt for Linden, he didn't seem to know how horrible his father really was and seemed to be as much a prisoner as the girls.  I also feel that his affection for them was genuine.  Watching Rhine go through this marriage with Linden I can't help but feel that towards the end maybe just maybe she felt something too.  I am looking forward to the next book I want to see where this is going to go, and to be totally honest I hope to see Linden again (give me a sign and a shirt cause I'm signing up for team Linden).  I also can't help but feel that all of the attention brought to her condition of duel colored eyes is going to play an important role later in this series. I think I'm going to have to give this one 4 stars!  

Review: Angelfire - Courtney Allison Moulton

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 464 pages
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books (February 15, 2011)

First there are nightmares. Every night Ellie is haunted by terrifying dreams of monstrous creatures that are hunting her, killing her. Then come the memories. When Ellie meets Will, she feels on the verge of remembering something just beyond her grasp. His attention is intense and romantic, and Ellie feels like her soul has known him for centuries. On her seventeenth birthday, on a dark street at midnight, Will awakens Ellie's power, and she knows that she can fight the creatures that stalk her in the grim darkness. Only Will holds the key to Ellie's memories, whole lifetimes of them, and when she looks at him, she can no longer pretend anything was just a dream. Now she must hunt. Ellie has power that no one can match, and her role is to hunt and kill the reapers that prey on human souls. But in order to survive the dangerous and ancient battle of the angels and the Fallen, she must also hunt for the secrets of her past lives and truths that may be too frightening to remember.

Wow, just wow. I am sitting here staring at my screen after literaly just finishing this book and all I can come up with is Wow!  Three little letters seems to me to be a lame review so I will see what I can do here but I am rather speachless.  I think this might have been one of the best books I have ever read! I LOVE Ellie! I like that she isn't super girl, she really doesn't want to be super girl.  She just wants to be normal and have a cute car, movie nights with her friends, and the ocassinal party.  I also appreciate that she isn't portrayed as perfect as the book goes on you can see that she is flawed and does make mistakes sh also seems very ready to own up to those meistakes as much as she can.  Now while I am sitting here saying she isn't super girl the description above says other wise, these powers are something that she never wished for or asked for its just her.  You watch her remember and cope with things as the story goes on, she never truly backs down from her purpose or duty but there were times where hiding under the bed might have been a nice option.  Again I say I LOVE Ellie!! Now I also happen to love Will. There were times where I think Will broke my heart, he is so devoted to Ellie and his responsibiltys to her.  Watching Ellie grow to accept and remember herself and powers and overcome old fears and work threw new revelations was a rollercoaster for me. Some scenes I was holding my breath wondering what was going to happen next. I'm not sure now that I've gotten going that I ever want to stop prasing this book (ok maybe I'll stop when I can praise the second one). The dynamic between Ellie and Will seemed so genuine to me that I really can't wait to see where there story ends up. I also really liked the bad guys in this book, not in the cheering them on kind of way, but in the they were some well done spooky guys.  There is nothing like some good old fashion well written evil to keep me interested.  The other thing I have a problem with in some books is how the action scenes are written some times they aren't easy to follow or the pacing is way off for the scene but I feel the author did a great job with them.   There are a few things I would have liked to have seen addressed before the end of this book, but I'm sure as the series goes on they will be addressed.  The one thing that sticks out to me like a soar thumb is I have a feeling on one of the characters that I just can't shake, I feel this person may not be what they appear and I really am curious as to how this is going to work into future books if I am correct in my theory.  If I could give this book 6 starts for Wowing me so throughly I would but alas I am only given 5 to work with. So I am going to have to give this book 5 stars and hope and pray that the wait for book number 2 isn't too long. 

Friday Blog Hop (2) Follow Friday (1)

Friday Blog Hop is hosted by Jenn at Crazy-For-Books.   It is a weekend long Book Party giving bloggers a chance to get to know each other and access to new blogs that we all might enjoy! If you haven't stopped by to give the hop a look I highly suggest that you do! Also every week there is a new question posted for us at answer this weeks question is...

"Do you read only one book at a time, or do you have several going at once?"

My answers - I am a one book at a time kinda gal. I have a hard time keeping the stories straight when I try to read more than one book at a time and I feel for me it takes away from the stories when I have tow ork so hard to keep everything straight. 

I Look forward to reading everyone elses answers....Happy Friday!! and Happy Reading!!

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee every week there is a new question this weeks question is...

Q. How did you come up with your blog name?

Mine is really quite simple I'm a book addict. I always have something I'm reading and take my reading everywhere with me. Books and reading are my guilty little addiction! 

Trailer Thursday (1)

Trailer Thursday

I am going to attempt to host a meme called Trailer Thursday...The point of this is to share any book trailers you come across, or book to movie trailers.

Anyone can join in, just make a post with your chosen trailer, and then link the direct post in the linkey. Please leave a comment after you link up.

This Thursday my trailer choice is a book I can't wait to get my hands on

Clarity by Kim Harrington

Happy Reading!

Waiting on Wednesday (1)

Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My Pick this week is...

The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

Words are the most dangerous weapon of all.
In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she’s spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It's there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she's never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed.
Charlie is intensely attracted to Max, even though she can’t be sure where his real loyalties lie. As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country’s only chance for freedom from the terrible power of a deadly regime.

I am totally in love with this cover, and can't wait for this book to come out. It seems like a very origional idea and I just can't wait for it!

I can't wait to see what you are waiting for!!