Sunday, September 16, 2012

Every Day by David Levithan

Title: Every Day
Author: David Levithan
Genre: Young Adult
Series: N/A

Hardcover, 336 pages
Published on August 28, 2012 by Knopf Books for Young Readers

 Buy the Book
|AMAZON|BOOK DEPOSITORY|

Reading level: Ages 12 and up

Source: ARC, Publisher

|SUMMARY|

Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl.

Every morning, A wakes in a different person’s body, a different person’s life. There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.
It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day.


|REVIEW| 
This is the first book I’ve read by this author, and I think he usually writes contemporary fiction which is why I never read his books before. I then heard about this book on the blogosphere, and was intrigued by the synopsis. A the main character, a nondescript-genderless being takes a new body each day whether it be male or female.  The thing that is always the same is, A knowing oneself is inhabiting these bodies and it’s always the same age, sixteen. A, makes sure he/she doesn’t disrupt the everyday life of the person he/she inhabit, living each day in the moment. A has come to realize that this is just the way it is, and always have been and he/she has accepted it until he/she meets Rhiannon. 

A wakes up in the body of Rhiannon’s boyfriend and after meeting Rhiannon everything begins to change. A begins to want things he/she didn’t really think about before, friends, family and love? The book is about the relationship between A and Rhiannon and what they’re both willing do to be with one another. The book analyzes the question, Can you love someone when their appearance, gender, and identity changes every day? This was definitely a thought-proving novel. It makes you think about your own life and the people around you. There were two chapters that made me automatically think about my own family, and while I wasn’t in the same situation as the character “A”, it just had me stop and really think. 

Overall a great book, unlike anything I’ve ever read. This book is more towards the contemporary side than paranormal. Readers still don’t know how A came to be or why A is jumping from person to person each day. The book ends on a sad but somewhat happy/right note, and there is definitely a cliff hanger or a possibility of continuing A’s story. I hope Mr. Levithan writes a sequel to this book, because there are still a lot of unanswered questions. The main point that this novel is trying to make is ‘Love is love’, it doesn’t matter what ethnicity you are, your size, or sex or if you’re skinny or fat.  I recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading something new and different. A very fascinating read and I enjoyed reading about everyone that A inhabited. Each and every one of their stories stood out on its own in a different way. 



 

FTC disclaimer: Random House/ Knopf Books for Young Readers provided me with a copy (ARC) of Every Day, and in return I provide an honest review.

Saturday, September 15, 2012

1,000 Followers Giveaway + quick update


Before I get to the giveaway, just wanted to do a quick update. I would like to apologize for the lack of posts recently, I've been having really bad abdominal pain for a couple of weeks and I finally got it checked. It turns out I have kidney stones, and it hurts so much I don't want to do anything but lay in bed. I'm going to the docs again next week, hopefully it passes through quickly so I don't have to get surgery.

Now on to the giveaway that I promised! I would like to say thanks to everyone who follows the blog, I still can't believe the blog reached 1k followers. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. :) YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST!


GIVEAWAY

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Saturday, September 08, 2012

Game Over by Taylor Keating

Title: Game Over
Author: Taylor Keating
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Series: Guardian #1

Mass Market Paperback, 405 pages
Published on November 2, 2010 by TOR

Buy the book!
|AMAZON|BOOK DEPOSITORY|

Source: Publisher

|SUMMARY| 

Video game designer River Weston is ready to sell her soul to smooth out the glitches in her latest project. When she unwittingly taps into a parallel dimension via cutting-edge technology, a Dark Lord is quick to take her up on her inadvertent offer. Trapped in the world she thought she’d created for her game, River finds herself in a very real alternate dimension that she must escape from before her soul can be used to unleash evil--upon this dimension and many others.

River’s only ally is the sexy and mysterious Chase Hawkins.  A prisoner of the Dark Lord, Hawk is a man adrift—literally. His body safe at home under the watchful care of the Guardians’ scientists, his astral-traveling spirit has been enslaved by his people’s worst enemy, the Dark Lord. Clinging desperately to his sense of self, Hawk is determined to turn the tables on his captor before the connection to his body is lost.  When the beautiful, achingly familiar River enters the picture, he vows he will do everything he can to save her from her bleak fate.

Drawn together with an inescapable force, Hawk and River must wrest her soul from the Dark Lord’s grasp before it’s too late.


|REVIEW|  

I kind of remember hearing about this book when it was first release, but I did the unthinkable…judged a book by its cover (hides face behind hand)! I didn’t even read the synopsis, something I always do. The cover may be cheesy with the half naked man but the story within the book was great! It’s labeled as a paranormal romance but it was kind of light on the romance and heavy on the action; not that I’m complaining. I never read a book like Game Over before, where the writers blended elements of the paranormal (faes, and guardians, those who are the protector of the faes), apocalyptic world, and sci-fi. I would consider this somewhat science-fiction because of the technology/video-gaming elements. 

The main character River develops this game but somehow she taps into an alternate universe where the imprisoned Dark Lord harvests people’s souls for power. The Dark Lord is hoping to capture River’s soul to break out of his prison, and get revenge on the Guardians that imprisoned him in the first place. Hawk, one of the Dark Lord’s prisoners is offered his freedom if he brings River to the Dark Lord.  Hawk takes the Dark Lord on his offer, but once he meets River he changes his plans as he help her escape the Dark Lord’s lair.

I really like the concept of the book; it’s different from everything I ever read. The Majority of the book takes place in River’s game/alternate universe. We follow River and Hawk as they navigate through each level, and I think there are three main levels with their own obstacles. For example they have to fight werewolves, demons, etc to gain energy and to help them along their journey they get advice from a lady wizard and tabianese bubble shield (A tabby cat-Pekinese dog hybrid that watches your back and hides you from the enemy LOL).

Overall a great start to an interesting series, I highly recommend this to everyone looking for something fresh to read. Even if you’re not really a gamer, it’s a fast paced-action pack read. Again, just a heads up this is labeled as a PR but there wasn’t much romance. While I liked both characters, River, a strong-independent woman and Hawk, a tortured soul/military guy they never really expressed their attraction for one another. I'm looking forward to reading Mind Games, the second book in the series that continues River's story. 




**Thank you TOR Books for sending me a copy of this book for review** 

FTC disclaimer: TOR BOOKS  provided me with a copy of Game Over, and in return I provide an honest review.

Monday, September 03, 2012

Embers and Echoes by Karsten Knight

Title: Embers & Echoes
Author: Karsten Knight
Genre: Young Adult, Mythology
Series: Wildefire #2

Hardcover, 480 pages
published on August 28, 2012 by Simon & Schuster BFYR

Buy the Book
|AMAZON| BOOK DEPOSITORY|

Source: Publisher

|SUMMARY|

Every flame casts a shadow.

Ashline Wilde is about to discover that when you're the reincarnation of a Polynesian volcano goddess, "new beginnings" are just a myth.

Leaving the fiery ruins of her sophomore year behind her, Ash travels to the sizzling beaches of Miami, hot on the trail of the little sister she's only seen in visions. But her happy family reunion isn't all palm trees and paradise. A cult of evil gods-on-earth, known as the Four Seasons, has kidnapped her sister to use in its terrifying new religion. Soon, the streets of Miami erupt in chaos and violence...and Ash gets caught right in the tropical crossfire.


Ash isn't without help, however. Unexpected romance arrives in the form of Wes, an Aztec god of night with his own vendetta against the Four Seasons. As memories of Ash's previous life begin to flicker into her dreams, the boundaries between ally and enemy, life and death, and love and hate all bleed together. And when a mysterious trickster from her past reappears to derail her new quest, Ash must choose between the echoes of a once-forgotten yesterday and the embers of an uncertain future.


Because when old flames return from the dead, even a volcano goddess can get burned.


|REVIEW|

 Embers and Echoes, the sequel to Wildefire was an amazing-emotional rollercoaster! I read Wildefire last year and really enjoyed it. Karsten left readers with a shocking cliff hanger…so I knew I had to read the sequel ASAP. Embers and Echoes starts off exactly where the last book ended, with Ashline and Colt emerging from the motorcycle accident, and where readers learn the revelations about Colt’s true identity (don’t want to spoil the series for those who haven’t read it yet). Ashline has a dream of Rose, her younger sister, and follows the clues to Miami. Once she arrives in Miami, she saves another young man who happens to be a deity just like Ash. As Ash and her new friends search for her sister Rose, it leads them to the Four Seasons. The Four Seasons has Rose, and she’s part of their master plan to reveal themselves to the human population. Not only does Ash have to save her sister but stop the Four Season before they wreck havoc on the streets of Miami.

If you read Wildefire, you’ll definitely get everything you enjoyed in the first book and more! Like the first book, Embers and Echoes is broken up into three parts and there are chapters of Ashline dreaming of her past lives and dreams that are seen through Rose’s eyes. Readers get a new playground as they leave the academy in California, and explore Miami. Knight had no problem getting rid of characters in this book, as the list of casualties piled up. I was pretty shocked to see certain characters go and others were kind of expected LOL. This was a very quick read, regardless of it being almost 500 pages (480 pages). The book is full of action, suspense, crazy twist and shocking betrayals! A must read for everyone, and if you haven’t read the first book…what are you waiting for?! Go buy it now!




**Thank you Simon & Schuster for sending me a copy of this book for review** 

FTC disclaimer: Simon & Schuster  provided me with a copy of Embers and Echoes (ARC), and in return I provide an honest review. 

Friday, August 31, 2012

Back to the Books Giveaway Hop [INT]

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour! The 2nd annual Back to the Books Giveaway Hop is Hosted by I am A Reader, Not A Writer and Buried in Books.


Now on to the giveaway!

 One (1) winner's choice of any book up to $15 (USD) from
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Check out all the fabulous blogs that are participating! 
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